Genius Regressor Makes Mythic Items

With the alchemy of 『Powerfrog’s Physique』, Shimun leapt with great force.

Perhaps due to the 80% completion of the Obsidian Tablet?

Swish!

Shimun shot through the air, soaring high above the Ascension Fortress.

‘Wow! The view is amazing.’

He marveled at the serene silver landscape of the Ascension Fortress. The spectacle of still-scattering particles of light further captivated him.

If only those particles weren’t the remains of players, it would have appeared even more beautiful.

While admiring the scene with dreamy eyes, Shimun’s gaze sharpened again.

“As expected. Quite lively.”

Was it because of the Master Rank promotion test?

The groups of players, having recognized Heimdall earlier, had already withdrawn far away, huddled together, discussing something.

Though they were too distant for him to hear their conversations like before,

‘Undoubtedly discussing how to get through the Ascension Fortress.’

He could easily predict their conversations without having to hear them. Since this was a dual-event test, both events had to be completed.

Of course,

‘No matter what they try, the Valkyries won’t let them pass the Ascension Fortress…’

With Heimdall having personally descended and given the command, those players wouldn’t be able to cross the Ascension Fortress even in death.

However, ‘This is also an arena with a survival event.’

This promotion test clearly included a survival event. The more kills they racked up, the greater the rewards.

Therefore, ‘It’s best to gather as many kills as possible.’

Considering the substantial experience rewards from the siege event, accumulating a high kill count in the survival category would greatly enhance the experience gained from completion.

It was a return proportional to the difficulty of a dual-event. Feeling the breeze tickling his hair,

Snap.

Shimun snapped his fingers.

Then,

Rumble!

Bzzzt.

Lightning and sparks of alchemy struck his hands, forming two spears.

Astrape and Gungnir emerged.

『Your Alchemy Energy is insufficient to proceed with the alchemization..』

『To establish the necessary equivalent exchange with the Philosopher’s Stone, 3,000 achievement points are required.』

『Will you accept? (Yes / No)』

A familiar equivalent exchange window appeared.

“Well, it’s a bit expensive, but…”

Shimun chuckled at this sight and chose ‘Yes’.

Feeling the pull of gravity slowly dragging his body downward, “Become experience points. Haat.”

Muttering, he fused the two spears using Ars Magna with his alchemy. With great force, he hurled the promised True Strike Lightning Spear.

Platinum spears forged from the great truth.

And then,

Thud.

As Shimun landed on the ground,

Boom!!!

Bzzzt!

An overwhelming platinum thunder roared continuously. Facing the echoes of that thunder,

“Well then, now that I’ve taken care of all that needs to be handled…”

Crack!

Activating his Dragonoid form, Shimun turned to a now slightly more collected Karlok.

“Karlok, shall we continue our discussion that we postponed earlier?”

“……”

He looked at Karlok, who seemed still dazed.

*

Rumble!

The gigantic roar of thunder echoed. Although it wasn’t clearly visible from within the Ascension Fortress,

“Aaah!”

“Even if we dodge, it keeps following us!”

“We can’t counter it! This must be a divine energy…”

The occasional screams, flashes, and the relentless platinum thunder from outside provided a clear picture of the situation.

Zap!

Then,

Zzz…

As the unending thunder gradually subsided,

『There are 4 survivors remaining.』

『The Master Rank promotion test is now over.』

A message announcing the end of the Master Rank promotion test popped up.

『Only players who satisfied the dual-event will be promoted.』

『The total number of promoted Master Rank players is 3.』

Perhaps because of the survival event, Even after the test’s conclusion, players weren’t reverse summoned.

『The survival rankings for positions 1 to 4 are yet to be determined.』

『Decide the rankings or exit the arena.』

『Upon leaving the arena, the survival rankings will be automatically determined.』

A notification appeared, prompting the decision of the survival rankings. This wasn’t surprising.

In survival events, true to their name, the survival rank was prioritized over kill count.

However,

“……”

Despite the emerging messages, all that prevailed within the Ascension Fortress was a moment of silence.

Then,

“Kah, hahahahaha!”

Rumble.

Laughter accompanied by a slight tremor shattered the silence.

“Ha! Hahaha!”

Thump.

A three-meter giant pounding his feet and clutching his stomach in laughter. Only after wiping the tears from around his eyes did Karlok manage to speak.

“Indeed… We had an unfinished story… hehehe!”

Barely suppressing his laughter, “Despite having met less than an hour ago,”

Karlok looked at Shimun as if witnessing something extraordinary.

“Kim Shimun, you constantly surpass my expectations.”

He looked at Shimun, now in his activated Dragonoid form. Then, “Alright.”

Thump!

Pounding his chest with both hands like an enraged gorilla,

“How could I decline the honor of crossing axes with a warrior like you?”

He took a large step forward.

“Warrior who understands honor! I, High Orc Karlok Dersh, challenge you to a duel of life and blood!”

He shouted with a broad smile,

“I, Kim Shimun, accept your challenge.”

Thump.

Shimun took a brave step forward. Perhaps in recognition of their formal challenge?

“Kahaha! Truly astonishing! Absolutely astonishing!”

Karlok, now roaring with laughter once again, “Oh man, seriously, hey Go Malsuk. Is that guy really human? Isn’t he a Green Skin? Or maybe a half-breed?”

Nerelok, who had been observing the situation, asked in a stunned voice.

“I don’t know if he’s a Green Skin or what, but it’s true that he’s not human.”

Go Malsuk half-agreed with a serious face.

“The more you know him, the more he seems like a freaking monster.”

“…Aren’t you his companion?”

“Companion, my ass! He’s a hated enemy I can’t stand!”

Leaving the conversation between the two women behind, “Then I will fight with full strength, warrior!”

Karlok raised his burly hands.

Then,

Roar!!

A roar so massive it made the air itself ripple. It wasn’t just loud.

‘Battle Cry…’

Battle Cry.

A shout imbued with battle energy, one of the main energies in combat.

Especially, Green Skins’ battle energy was exceptionally different from that of other races..

Naturally,

Tingle.

It had a profound effect on the opponent’s muscles, senses, and energy regulation.

Stumble.

Even Shimun, in his activated Dragonoid form, wasn’t entirely free from its influence.

Thud.

Not missing the opportunity, Karlok launched himself off the ground.

Though he was a massive, three-meter-tall, muscular giant, his speed belied his size.

Swoosh!

He shot forth like an arrow, swinging his dual axes.

Buzz.

Red energy roiled around the enormous axe blades.

‘The amount of innate energy mixed in with the battle energy is over half.’

It wasn’t just an energy blade made of pure battle energy. It was battle energy mixed with innate energy.

However, ‘Still weaker than in my past life.’

In the dimension battles of his previous life, the Overlord Karlok’s energy was made solely of battle energy, with no innate energy.

Back then, it was reminiscent of boiling lava. Compared to the energy in front of him now, which felt like boiling water at best.

Of course, ‘I should dodge for now.’

Knowing well the properties of battle energy, Shimun pushed off the ground,

Zap.

And leaped into the air.

Even though Karlok noticed, his axes still struck the ground where Shimun had been standing.

Shoom!

Shimun pushed his power further.

Boom.

Using Air Walk, he soared higher into the sky.

It was a wise decision.

Boom!!

The ground exploded like a bomb going off.

Following that, a colorless shockwave rippled out.

Whoosh!

Though it looked gentle, Every fragment it touched turned to dust.

Crack.

‘As expected.’

Seeing this, Shimun’s eyes narrowed slightly.

‘Even the same battle energy is different when it’s a Green Skin’s.’

Battle energy.

If the dark attribute was ignored, was almost indistinguishable from demonic energy. And if the one wielding it was a Green Skin, its power was even more destructive.

Perhaps realizing that Shimun had deliberately dodged, despite the sheer destruction, “Indeed! You’re quick to notice!”

Karlok laughed with satisfaction.

“However, the air is not a good choice!”

Karlok, using only one hand to hurl the massive axe that normally required both hands to wield, demonstrated why he would later become one of the greatest Green Skin warriors.

Whoosh!

The heavy whoosh of the axe blade tore through the air, carrying a fiery red aura—packed with battle energy.

In response, Shimun immediately summoned his demonic Energy.

Buzz.

Heavenly Demon Divine Art (天魔神功).

Strike (擊) Peerless Slash (無雙斬).

He slashed through the air with his hand, condensed with demonic Energy.

Swish.

Like a black crescent moon, the Peerless Slash moved silently, cutting a sharp trajectory.

Despite having effortlessly cut through many attacks before, it emitted a sharp, intense ringing for the first time.

Clang!

But this was only momentary.

Grind.

The black crescent, after a brief struggle, Ultimately severed through the innate energy-laced battle energy and flew towards Karlok.

Slice.

Unlike his previous confident shout, “Ha ha! As expected!”

It seemed Karlok had anticipated his thrown axe being blocked. He burst into hearty laughter, then raised his log-like arm toward the sky.

“Parashuro! Bestow your glory upon this honorable moment!”

Rumble!

Roaring with a valiant voice, the air trembled as a beam of intense light struck Karlok’s fist.

Even before the beam had fully solidified, Karlok swung his light-imbued fist at the approaching Peerless Slash.

“Hiyaah!”

Boom!

A gigantic explosion erupted.

Fortunately, it seemed the light had fully formed just before confronting the Peerless Slash.

Cleaving through the dust clouds, “Even after blocking with Parashuro, my hand tingles! Splendid!”

Karlok charged forward like a tank, crushing the ground beneath him.

Shimun, now on the ground, watched Karlok.

More specifically, he eyed the familiar-looking giant axe in Karlok’s hand.

‘Indeed. It’s Parashuro.’

Parashuro.

In his previous life, except for the battles with his brother Kim Shihyuk and the Spear King Zhang Liqiu,

It was a mythical weapon Karlok had never once used in conflicts against Earth. Thus, it was a weapon Karlok only wielded when he was giving his all—a mythical weapon.

But more importantly, ‘So he already had a connection with the Constellation Parashuro at this time.’

Shimun, smirking at the knowledge of yet another hidden fact from his past life, wasn’t the only one showing interest.

『Constellation Zeus remarks, ‘Ho? Isn’t that the axe of that Tri-Eye figure?’ His eyes gleam.』

『Constellation Black Goat grumbles, ‘It’s not the Tri-Eye. Even if it was my alter ego, I made it independent.’, sending an unimpressed gaze.』

Further reactions from the constellations appeared, though their focus was slightly different from Shimun’s.

『Constellation Ra warns, ‘Black Goat? Let’s refrain from using such titles. (Yep. People like us find it offensive! XXX would also protest.)’, snarling at Black Goat.』

『Constellation Black Goat sneers, ‘Insane! Since when did those multiple personalities pretend to be normal?’』

『Constellation Heavenly Demon chuckles, ‘Haha, pretending to be normal? Where did you learn that phrase?’, shaking his head.』

『Constellation Odin clicks his tongue, ‘Heavenly Demon, everyone enjoys Earth’s content nowadays, not just watching porn like you.’』

『Constellation Zeus coughs, ‘Ahem! People can do that, why chastise them about it?’』

They too reacted with some surprise at the appearance of Parashuro. Quickly taking in their reactions, Shimun thought, ‘Constellation Parashuro must be a typical Constellation… but he seems to have some friendship with the divine king-level constellations.’

He then shrugged, focusing on the now-approaching Karlok.

Snap.

And then, Shimun snapped his fingers.

Rumble!

Massive rocky pillars sprouted like bamboo shoots after rain.

Of course, “What a useless trick!”

To Karlok, wielding a mythic-grade weapon, it was nothing more than child’s play.

Crash!

He shattered the massive pillars in an instant and immediately launched off the ground.

The reason was simple.

Using the pillars as bait, “Dodging to the same place twice…”

Shimun had leapt into the air.

“Are you mocking me!”

Was it a blow to his pride?

With his red eyes flaring like someone high on drugs, Karlok, holding Parashuro aloft, shouted with all his might.

“You will regret this!”

Fwoosh.

The burning battle energy engulfed Parashuro, flying toward Shimun in the air.

Buzz!

Shimun’s obsidian-black fist filled with demonic energy.

He swung his Heavenly Demon Divine Art’s Supreme Emperor’s Demolition Fist.

Boom!

A tremendous crash that couldn’t be believed came from the collision of fist and axe. However, a polearm, especially a giant mythical axe, had leverage that couldn’t be ignored.

Bang!

With a sound like an explosion, Shimun plummeted to the ground. But Karlok wasn’t content with that.

“Parashuro!”

Gripping the giant axe with both hands, Pulling back as if drawing a bowstring, and just as Shimun had done so many times, “Destroy!”

He activated the mythical weapon Parashuro.

In response, surpassing the already burning battle energy, a heat haze so intense it distorted Karlok’s shape.

Fwoosh!

Gathered at the massive axe blade of Parashuro.

Screeeeech!!

As the sharp and dangerous hum reached its peak,

“Raaaaagh!!”

With a roar, Utilizing the force from his bent waist, Karlok swung Parashuro down with all his might.

An intensely high heat haze rose to the point of distorting his form. The explosive strike imbued with Parashuro’s power traced a massive trajectory.

Boom!!

It crashed down like a meteor.

Destruction.

One could think of no word other than utter destruction for such an overpowering and tyrannical attack.

“Kim Shimun!!”

“Wait a minute! It’s dangerous there!”

“Damn it! Let go of me?!”

Nerelok and Go Malsuk, who had been watching from a distance, instinctively sprang forward.

But her action didn’t last long.

The destructive attack that distorted space itself, facing it directly, Shimun remained indifferent.

Or rather, with a faint smile, he extended his gently glowing right arm toward the tyrannical onslaught.

Swish.

And as Parashuro, imbued with incredible force, descended onto Shimun’s right hand,

Boom!!

At the moment of contact, everything stopped as if it were all a lie.