Genius Regressor Makes Mythic Items

On one of the penthouses in the Ranker’s Palace. In the living room by the window, a refreshing young man was basking in the sunlight.

“So, there’s no big issue, right?”

He was on the phone. Of course, as the conversation continued, “Of course. We’re talking about a globally top-rated prospect. It’s only natural.”

It was drifting towards misunderstanding, but that didn’t bother him.

“Haha! You have a keen eye as always. Just like the industry’s best.”

The young man burst into a refreshing laugh, nodding with a pleased expression.

“Yes, yes. Thank you for your hard work. I’ll arrange for a bonus, so please check it later.”

Satisfied, he ended the call.

“Hyung, other than having to reconstruct the training ground system, there seems to be no major issues.”

He plopped down on the living room sofa with a contented look.

“That’s good to hear.”

Shimun, who was sitting across from him, nodded lightly.

Next to him, “See, I told you, didn’t I?”

A deep voice chimed in. It was Park Jinwook, a man with a tough-looking face. He patted his chest as he spoke.

“It was quite an explosion, but Ranker’s Palace isn’t so weak as to have problems with just that.”

“Senior is right. From the design to the construction, we entrusted it to the industry’s top experts, all of whom are Awakened.”

“Haha! I remember it was quite a struggle to secure that from my connections!”

Jinwook puffed up his shoulders, clearly proud. Knowing why, Shimun complimented him further.

“As expected of Jinwook-ssi. Whether it’s guild tasks or anything else, you handle it all flawlessly.”

With his chest puffed up even more, Jinwook laughed heartily.

“Haha! Shimun-nim, you’re too kind! Being meticulous and thorough is a must for assassins!”

Jinwook, feeling buoyed as if he received an all-out buff, laughed and waved his hands. However, to his younger brother, this scene seemed unsightly.

“Senior. Really…”

Just as Kim Shihyuk was about to say something.

“And wasn’t it Shimun who made the urgent repairs?”

Jinwook’s continued words drew Shihyuk’s attention back to Shimun.

“Yes, I knew Hyung was amazing, but I didn’t expect him to repair the entire training ground.”

“It wasn’t a repair. Just a temporary fix.”

“Hyung, didn’t you hear the call with the construction company?”

Shihyuk waved his phone, which he had used for the earlier call.

“Thanks to that temporary fix, they said the recovery of the training ground sped up by several days and they were singing your praises.”

Jinwook nodded vigorously, adding.

“Indeed! And, the training ground isn’t small, right? It takes up an entire floor of this vast Ranker’s Palace!”

The Ranker’s Palace, built exclusively for the Awakened, had an immense area fitting its reputation. Naturally, each floor was incredibly spacious.

A training ground of that size.

“I’ve met many mages, but I’ve never seen anything like that!”

With a simple finger snap, he restored it. It was a truly astonishing sight for those who witnessed it.

“And that’s not all. The black blade you displayed during the training…”

Recalling that moment, Jinwook’s words trailed off gradually.

Then.

“Oh! It felt like witnessing the power of a Constellation.”

He shivered as he responded.

“Yeah. You even managed to half-destroy Raphael’s shield, didn’t you?”

Kim Shihyuk nodded.

Then added,

“Thanks to which, someone hasn’t spoken a word since.”

Smirking, Kim Shihyuk turned his gaze to one side of the living room.

Over there,

“…….”

“…….”

Two strikingly beautiful women, with opposing auras, were silently sitting on the sofa. One of them, seemingly more composed, clicked her tongue with a displeased expression.

“Pfft.”

The distinct beauty, Go Malsuk, rested her chin on her hand and turned her head sharply. Next to her,

“…….”

Yujeong, still silent, was staring blankly into space.

“Look, she’s still like that.”

Kim Shihyuk snickered and shook his head.

“It’s not like that. Shut up.”

For the first time, Yujeong, who had maintained her silence, spoke up. Her tone was unusually heavy for her.

“I said it’s not like that, so shut up~”

Kim Shihyuk mockingly mimicked her, his lips curling in a teasing manner.

“You son of a bitch!”

Finally, Shihyuk’s taunting succeeded in drawing a reaction from Yujeong, who had been silent since the sparring match.

Whoosh!

A hefty mace emerged from midair.

Of course, Kim Shihyuk also.

Swish.

Unleashed his sword and slashed at the air.

Then,

Clang!

A loud ringing filled the room, shaking the eardrums. However, for two top-rank Rankers clashing, the impact was rather minor.

In reality, “Now you’re acting like the Iron-Armored Ogre.”

“What did you say, you wretched fool!”

Neither had actually thrown a serious punch, as nothing around them was destroyed by the aftermath of their sparring.

After their little skirmish ended, “Sigh. Kim Shihyuk, one day, I’m going to crush that damned head of yours.”

“Pfft! You’ll need to become an Undead to fulfill that dream.”

The two Rankers exchanged playful parting words. Of course, the mention of crushing someone’s head made Shimun flinch slightly.

“Me not saying anything so far is not because orabeoni half-destroyed my barrier.”

“Really? Can you be sure that the impact of that hasn’t shaken you even a bit?”

“That…”

Yujeong bit her lip slightly at Kim Shihyuk’s probing.

Of course, it was natural.

‘No matter how amazing orabeoni is, to think he could half-destroy the barrier I created with Raphael’s power…’

Constellation Raphael.

Using the power of such a high-ranked Constellation, Saintess Yujeong herself had cast a barrier. It was literally a power imbued with divine energy.

Naturally, she thought it could withstand Shimun’s potent magic, as seen in past broadcasts.

‘I never thought a mere small projectile could cause such damage…’

Ultimately,

‘Sigh. This was because I underestimated orabeoni.’

Judging power based on size or scale is typically a trait of the weak. The higher one’s level, the more they realize that small size often means significant power concentration.

Therefore,

‘If orabeoni used a small projectile, I should have concentrated my barrier on the impact point.’

Understanding that the defensive capability of a barrier varies greatly with the area it covers, is basic knowledge for top players.

If a wide barrier covering the front was half-destroyed, it means that if she had concentrated on the impact point, she could have blocked it without any damage.

Considering all these aspects, ‘Force, focus, judgment. It’s clear that I lost in every aspect.’

There was no denying that she fell short of Shimun in all respects. And this acknowledgment was what drove Yujeong to her current level.

“Yes, Kim Shihyuk. You’re right.”

She set aside her ranker’s pride and nodded.

“Honestly, saying that my pride wasn’t hurt would be a lie. It’s not that I underestimated orabeoni, but I have my own position to uphold too.”

And from this perspective, “Yujeong, since you’re admitting this, let me say, I wasn’t just trying to mock you. You understand that, right?”

Kim Shihyuk, a ranker of the same level, could also see this.

“Of course. From strength to focus and judgment. Oraeoni asked me to give it my all, but I was complacent in every way.”

Yujeong admitted coolly.

Perhaps because of this, “But I wasn’t entirely lying. The reason I’ve been silent isn’t just about my pride; there’s another bigger reason.”

Unlike her silence thus far, Yujeong continued with a relieved expression.

“Is that so? What is it then?”

Kim Shihyuk, who thought it was just about her pride, asked with curious eyes. Shimun, Go Malsuk, and Park Jinwook also seemed no different, showing interest.

“It’s nothing much…”

Yujeong glanced at Shimun.

Then, “Actually, it’s not nothing… It’s pretty important. Raphael mentioned something about orabeoni.”

“Raphael? You mean the Constellation Raphael?”

Kim Shihyuk asked.

“Yes, and he continued until you spoke to me.”

Yujeong nodded. As a result.

“Yujeong, is that true?”

“Isn’t Raphael a Constellation associated with divine energy? Why would he show interest in this guy?”

Park Jinwook and Go Malsuk asked with puzzled expressions.

“…….”

Shimun silently looked at Yujeong. The reason was simple.

‘If Raphael is showing continuous interest in me… it must be because of the devil energy.’

The mythical stat, Devil Energy.

Isn’t it imbued with the aura of Lucifer?

For Raphael to make direct contact through his divine energy, rather than just observing, it made sense for him to show interest.

“If Raphael wants to talk to me directly…”

“How do you know that?”

Naturally, Yujeong was taken aback.

Shimun, smiling subtly, said,

“Fine. I’ll meet him.”

“……Orabeoni, are you sure?”

Yujeong asked with a somewhat worried look. It was understandable.

Shimun didn’t possess divine energy, and it didn’t feel entirely positive that a high-ranked Constellation wanted to keep such close contact.

In response to Yujeong’s concern, Shimun nodded and said, “It’s fine. I think I understand why he wants to meet.”

“But still!”

“It’s okay. Besides…”

Shimun trailed off with an enigmatic smile.

‘If I keep refusing, it’ll make things difficult for you, Yujeong.’

His smile conveyed this nuance.

“……I keep depending on you, orabeoni.”

Yujeong smiled warmly, though with a hint of sadness, and extended her hand.

“Please, be careful.”

“Don’t worry.”

Shimun grasped her hand with a confident grin.

Then,

Flash!

A brilliant light enveloped Shimun.

*

If there were a heaven, would it look like this?

Clouds spread across an open sky, with vibrant halos shimmering in a variety of colors. Above it, beautiful and restrained stone buildings stood as an exquisite sight.

And overlooking this entire scene, in the center of a serene temple, “You have arrived.”

A warm voice melted this sacred atmosphere.

Turning his head, “Shimun, thank you sincerely for responding to this sudden invitation.”

A golden-haired beauty, as if crafted from the warmth of the sun, was descending with a smile. Her eyes, shimmering with a soft green light, made her look just like…

‘She resembles Ernan.’

She gave off a similar vibe to Ernan, the High Elf. However, unlike Ernan, who exhibited the freshness of nature, she exuded warmth and purity.

Regardless, “Raphael, right? Nice to meet you.”

Matching her warm greeting, Shimun responded with a smile.

“Hoho, you’re quite different from what I heard. You seem like a good person.”

Raphael covered her mouth with her sculpted hand and laughed.

“Well, if that stone takes such an interest, you can’t be a bad person.”

Murmuring to herself, ‘Stone?’

Shimun tilted his head but let it go.

“I brought you here for a specific reason.”

Raphael got straight to the point.

“I have something I must ask about the power you used on Yujeong.”

“You mean the Devil Energy.”

“You know about it…”

Raphael seemed surprised that Shimun mentioned the Devil Energy himself.

She nodded with an unexpected look.

“Yes. That Instrument is originally used by only seven beings.”

“Seven beings?”

“Yes. More precisely, it’s because of one being that the other six can use it.”

Though he didn’t fully understand the background,

‘I bet that one being is Lucifer.’

Shimun immediately surmised who that one being was.

Reading the expression on Shimun’s face, “Seeing your reaction, it seems you didn’t come by it by chance. Did you meet him personally?”

“If you mean Lucifer, yes.”

“Really… Oh?”

Raphael’s eyes widened in surprise.

Then, “Well, since Baal is also keeping an eye on you, talking about his curse does seem ridiculous. I apologize.”

Placing her hands on her chest, Raphael bowed her head slightly. It was just a simple gesture of apology, but each of her movements exuded reverence.

“Anyway, I brought you here to ask about Lucifer’s whereabouts.”

“His whereabouts…”

Shimun crossed his arms and tapped his elbow with his fingers. Did Raphael misunderstand his action?

“Of course, I’m not asking you to tell me for nothing. After all, you are a player.”

Possibly because she was a Constellation participating in the Galaxy Arena?

“If you tell me where he is…”

As Raphael was about to propose a quid pro quo, this is always your problem. A sudden voice echoed throughout the temple.

Swish.

A space next to Raphael was cleanly sliced open.

“He’s just a mortal, Raphael. Why are you being so formal with him?”

A woman with icy silver hair walked out.

“We are not in a position to ask him for favors, especially regarding that fallen one.”

Her short, silver hair was as cold as her voice, or rather, devoid of any emotion. Wearing silvery armor as cold as her hair,

“Is your name Kim Shimun?”

Click.

Her metallic high-heeled boots clicked as she walked with calculated movements to stand beside Raphael.

“You just need to tell us the location of the fallen one.”

It did not feel arrogant. Her voice was extremely businesslike, nothing like the warmth of the earlier Raphael.

Despite the stark contrast between her and Raphael, “Interesting.”

Shimun let out a dry laugh at the woman’s straightforward demand. Then, “If I don’t answer? What are you going to do…”

Before Shimun could finish his sentence,

Srrng.

“Ga, Gabriel!”

The woman, now revealed as Gabriel, held a long rapier.

A curious thing was that the distance between her and Shimun was too far for the rapier to reach.

Drip.

Yet, a drop of red blood fell from Shimun’s neck. Before Shimun could assess the situation, “You ask the obvious. Heretics are dealt with summarily.”

Gabriel replied coldly.

“Summary execution? I’m a player summoned here without the official procedures of the Arena.”

“What does that have to do with judging heretics? Isn’t the Arena just a cosmic joke made up of heretics?”

For the first time, Gabriel’s emotionless face showed a slight raise of her eyebrow.

“The Heavenly Realm is bound by no one other than my father and siblings. The same goes for me.”

At her decisive words, “Ah, I see what kind of person you are.”

Shimun let out a faint smile. But that was as far as it went.

“But can you take responsibility for those words?”

“I am a high-ranked archangel of the Heavenly Realm. Do you think I would speak lies?”

“Really?”

Unlike his slightly raised eyebrow,

Shimun’s face had turned as cold as ice.

“Just remember, don’t waver from that conviction.”

Only a slight curve remained on his lips. Then, as Shimun nodded,

-There’s a rumor that there’s a madwoman among the archangels. You’re just proving it by being so reckless with our boy’s blood.

“Ah!”

“Ugh!”

A chilling voice so cold that even the archangels Gabriel and Raphael trembled.

-Well said. Even those from the Heavenly Realm didn’t act so rashly.

-Uh-huh.

A dark night arrived in the high heavens.