Genius Regressor Makes Mythic Items

Chapter 13. Galaxy Agora (1)

TL: xLordFifth
ED/PR: The reader

“Good work.”

Thud.

The taxi door closed.

Kim Shimun stepped out of the car, his head tilting upwards towards the sky.

The enormous size that can’t be fully taken in at a glance.

One had to tilt their head up for a while before seeing the end.

“It’s still the same here.”

A building exactly as it was before Korea’s destruction in his previous life.

Kim Shimun looked at the massive building with a slight wistfulness in his eyes.

-Woah, it’s really huge. Is this the holy land for players they talk about?

“Yes. It’s specifically called Galaxy Agora.”

A department store in Apgujeong.

Located above Rodeo Street, boasting a view of the Han River, this place was none other than the holy land for players.

It was Galaxy Agora.

-Galaxy Agora? Is this building provided by the Arena side?

“No. The Galaxy Arena directly manages the broadcasting side.”

-Well, they hardly intervene physically. Then why does it bear the Galaxy name?

“It’s kind of for the sake of appearances. Besides here, there’s at least one Galaxy Agora in every country.”

-Hmm, I kind of get the feel of it.

The Philosopher’s Stone asked with interest.

-So, people buy and sell Arena items here?

“Yes. From auctions to private shops and party recruitment. Even with online communities available, Agoras are used quite a bit.”

It might seem odd to talk about offline in today’s age.

But more players than expected utilized offline settings.

The reason was simple.

‘You need to see things in person to feel reassured.’

Especially considering the nature of high-priced items, there was a preference for purchasing them after seeing them in person.

Though not insignificant, online transactions through communities were usually limited to simple materials or potions.

For equipment pieces that easily cost millions of won, there were many concerns about receiving them through delivery.

The same went for finding party members.

‘It’s about matching with people, so you have to meet at least once.’

Kind of like an interview?

A significant number of players preferred to make judgments in person when it came to partnering in the Arena.

Thanks to this, Galaxy Agora was a hotspot in any country.

While exchanging such talks with the Philosopher’s Stone,

“Excuse me, are you an awakened one?”

“Yes.”

Kim Shimun had reached the entrance.

A woman in a black suit blocked his way and took something out.

“We need to check something briefly. Can you put this into your inventory and then take it out?”

Nodding, Kim Shimun received a lowest-grade potion the woman handed over.

“Inventory.”

Opening his inventory, Kim Shimun put the potion in.

After waiting for about 2 seconds, he took it out again.

To others, it must have looked like the potion he was holding disappeared and then reappeared.

“Thank you for your cooperation. Here’s a Player Watch.”

The woman handed over a simply designed bracelet.

Player Watch.

A high-tech artifact equipped with various functions, from keeping personal accounts and transaction records in data,

to party recruitment and an internal map of the Agora.

Kim Shimun familiarly wore it on his left wrist.

Then, a slight ringing came from his chest.

-Wow. This is an alchemy item, right?

‘Right. It’s made by an alchemist.’

As one born from alchemy.

The Philosopher’s Stone quickly caught on to the true nature of the Player Watch.

-But it seems like it’s a collaboration of many fields with alchemy at the core, huh? Who made this?

‘Hmm, I haven’t really thought about it. Maybe an alchemist from the association or a famous guild?’

If it’s a significant power, numerous players involved in its creation would be affiliated with it.

Probably a national association or a famous guild might have contributed to the piece.

“Is this your first time at Galaxy Agora? If you need instructions on using the watch…”

“That’s okay. I’ve used it before.”

“Got it. Have a good time.”

Perhaps it was from confirming he was an awakened one.

The woman’s eyes softened as she bowed politely.

Stepping through the door, Kim Shimun fidgeted with the Player Watch.

Small holograms popped up above the watch,

reminiscent of the system window of Galaxy Arena.

‘Every time I see it, it seems like they really put a lot of thought into it.’

After synchronizing the watch with some basic personal information, Kim Shimun immediately moved on.

The immense size seen from the outside seemed negligible.

“Did you hear? The Scorpio Guild cleared out all their low-rank guild members yesterday.”

“Again, someone in America received the Chosen of the Constellation. Agh! So jealous!”

“See this? An S-class, S-class I tell ya! The opposing team screwed up, so we just raked in the rewards. Khat!”

“Damn it. There was a bit of chaos in the last Arena, and the viewership halved. What am I gonna do…”

A bustling crowd filled the inside, adding to the liveliness.

-Jeez, so many people. Are all these people players?

“Yes. There might be some who are just awakened, but basically, if you don’t have an inventory, you can’t even enter.”

While softly conversing with the Philosopher’s Stone, Kim Shimun took an elevator not far away.

To the fourth floor.

Where the exclusive players’ auction house was located.

As a few more people boarded, the elevator doors closed.

Then,

“Have you heard? The latest batch from the Awakening Academy is crazy?”

“Record-breaking, they say. Especially Kim Shihyuk and Lee Yujeong being the top two.”

“Those guys broke into the diamond rank ages ago, didn’t they?”

“Diamond rank? When?”

“It’s been a while, dude. Didn’t you know? They broke into diamond just four years after debuting. In Korea, that’s legendary.”

“That’s insane! Some are still struggling in gold after four years.”

Perhaps they were a regular party.

The group of four players onboard didn’t stop sharing stories.

“It’s all about the background. If I were the only son of the association, or the only daughter of Holy Trinity, I’d have broken into the ranks too.”

“Cut the crap. Don’t you know not just anyone can enter the Academy? Those two are simply monsters.”

“Right. They’re judged entirely by their awakening stats and traits. I heard both have two traits?”

“I heard that too. Is there some item that gives traits or what?”

Ding.

The elevator doors slid open with a chime, and Kim Shimun stepped out, a quiet chuckle escaping him unexpectedly.

– Huh? Oppa, why are you laughing?

“Just, something funny.”

The stats and traits gained through Awakening bear no relation to the world’s background.

No matter how powerful or wealthy one might be in their country.

Or conversely, how destitute, barely surviving meal to meal.

In front of the traits and stats given after Awakening, everyone is equal.

That’s why countless people who haven’t Awakened yet yearn so much for it, isn’t it?

It was the fastest opportunity for a life turnaround, after all.

But there was a misconception they harbored.

‘After all, the stats or traits given after Awakening are just another type of spoon, so to speak.’

For players, too, what you get upon Awakening determines your future.

Of course, there were many who surpassed the limits of their given traits and stats through personal effort.

‘Well, it’s not incomprehensible.’

Still, Kim Shimun could somewhat understand their feelings.

‘I was like that once, too.’

He felt even more aggrieved back then.

Back then, Kim Shihyuk and Lee Yujeong.

If for those two, he had…

Snap!

‘No! Kim Shimun, let’s not think about unnecessary things.’

Shaking his head vigorously, Kim Shimun slapped his cheeks.

What’s done is done, and one shouldn’t regret what happened then.

After all, reflecting on his past life, that decision was certainly the right one.

Crucially,

‘I’ve already forgiven them.’

Despite telling himself so, Kim Shimun let out a quiet chuckle.

Truthfully, the notion of forgiveness was absurd.

It was a clear accident.

And even if he went back to that time, he would make the same choice.

At that moment.

– Oppa?

A small tinnitus rang in the center of his chest.

– I don’t know what happened, but don’t touch your face. I’m serious.

“…Alright.”

Kim Shimun quietly lowered his hand from his cheek.

* * *

The place Kim Shimun headed to was the outer area of an auction house that occupied the entire center of the 4th floor.

It was sort of a shopping district.

Among them, instead of personal stores, guild shops were lined up.

‘It’s a bit awkward to sell at an auction.’

Kim Shimun glanced at the [Hobgoblin’s Battle Axe] in his inventory.

Categorized as a uniform weapon for combatants and with top-tier option of Strength +5.

Although it was a fine item,

Being categorized as. ‘uniform’ made it hard to list in the auction.

Most items have already settled into a fair market price.

While looking around the shops on the outskirts, a significantly large store caught Kim Shimun’s eye.

The familiar blue logo.

‘Holy Trinity.’

Even after the emergence of the Galaxy Arena,

Holy Trinity maintained its position as a global enterprise, not just in Korea.

Fittingly, it boasted the largest area in the guild shop district on the 4th floor.

‘They must have invested quite a bit in Agora construction.’

No matter that the Galaxy Agora was under national jurisdiction,

It was inevitable that the hands of conglomerates would reach it.

Well,

Especially for a player guild like Holy Trinity.

After a brief look around, Kim Shimun promptly made his way to Holy Trinity’s store.

The reason was simple.

‘The bigger the guild, the faster and cleaner the transaction.’

Swish.

“Welcome.”

True to the name Holy Trinity,

The store’s clean and sophisticated interior was as inviting as its automatic doors.

The items, each of a C grade or above,

And the store layout that led higher and lower grades according to directions.

‘Definitely, a conglomerate is a conglomerate.’

While perusing the store, Kim Shimun approached the counter directly.

The middle-aged man polishing an item scrutinized Kim Shimun from top to bottom, then asked with a light smile,

“Can’t find what you’re looking for?”

“I’m not here to buy, but to sell.”

“Ah, to sell…”

The smile on the middle-aged man’s face deepened.

“It’s been a while since we’ve had someone come in with the intent to sell. Right this way.”

Following the middle-aged man, who moved towards the back of the shop,

There were neatly arranged artifacts starting from appraisal scrolls.

“Please place the item you wish to sell here.”

Pointing at what appeared to be a scale,

Kim Shimun took out the [Hobgoblin’s Battle Axe] from his inventory.

“Oho?”

The eyes of the middle-aged man glittered upon seeing it.

As Kim Shimun placed the axe on the scale,

“This is…”

Donning an artifact resembling a monocle, the middle-aged man immediately inspected the item.

“A Hobgoblin’s Battle Axe, with top-tier options at that.”

“Yes. Can it be disposed of immediately?”

“Of course.”

Was he a player too?

The middle-aged man, with a slightly more complex player watch than Kim Shimun’s, pressed here and there.

Soon,

“Here, this is the recent market rate and transaction history of the Hobgoblin’s Battle Axe in Galaxy Agora.”

Handing over neatly organized numbers and graphs, the middle-aged man watched as Kim Shimun’s eyes widened slightly.

“42 million won?”

As uniform as it might be, it was just a B-class item.

To think it fetched 42 million won. “Yes, as of yesterday, it sold for 38 million won… but that’s because it had a +4 strength stat,” the middle-aged man pointed out as Kim Shimun realized while looking at the transaction history.

‘That’s right. This was 11 years ago.’

His previous life, which had spanned from regular arenas to the brink of Earth’s destruction.

The value of a B-class item then was completely different from what it is now.

‘It wasn’t a period with a lot of diamond ranks.’

Naturally, a hobgoblin’s battleaxe, usable up to the entry levels of the diamond rank, could only be expensive.

‘This will bring in an unexpected revenue.’

Compared to the price he had thought of in his previous life, which was around ten million won, this was more than double.

‘I could probably afford to make a higher-grade potion.’

Kim Shimun was about to accept the deal with a pleased smile when the middle-aged man suddenly looked at him with colder eyes.

“But…”

“Why did you acquire this item?”

He looked Kim Shimun up and down once more.

“I am a production player, but you don’t seem particularly high-level.”

“Ah.”

Kim Shimun realized why the middle-aged man was reacting this way.

‘He’s suspicious.’

And not without reason.

Though he was working in the Agora as a production player, being affiliated with Holy Trinity meant he would not be of low level.

To the middle-aged man, it didn’t seem plausible for Kim Shimun to have acquired the [Hobgoblin’s Battle Axe].

“May I ask what level you are?”

“Level 7.”

“Level 7…”

The middle-aged man snickered before asking again,

“You wanted to receive the full amount in cash, excluding AP, right?”

“Yes.”

“Hah, this is something.”

Removing his glasses, the middle-aged man interlocked his fingers and said,

“Sir, this is Holy Trinity. But even if it wasn’t Holy Trinity, you wouldn’t be able to trade problematic items at any store.”

Seeing the middle-aged man’s conclusive demeanor,

“Hold on. It seems there’s been a misunderstanding.”

Kim Shimun quickly responded,

“I purely obtained this by running arenas.”

“At level 7? An item that drops only from the higher ranks of platinum?”

The incredulous voice of the middle-aged man gave Kim Shimun a headache.

‘Ah, this is getting complicated.’

Given the nature of material items, transactions often happened in cash rather than AP.

Since for production players, the importance of AP wasn’t that high.

Just his luck,

A low-level bringing in a high-level item, insisting on cash?

‘It’s only natural he’d be suspicious.’

Who would believe a level 7 acquired an item that drops in platinum arenas?

Even Kim Shimun found it hard to believe.

But what can he do?

It was the truth.

Proving it wasn’t impossible.

Kim Minhyung, who had run the arena with him, was from the Holy Trinity guild, wasn’t he?

“This conversation seems to be getting long. You see…”

As Kim Shimun was about to continue,

“Look here, you.”

The middle-aged man interrupted, he called not Kim Shimun but a female employee standing behind him.

“We have a customer over there.”

“Yes, branch manager.”

With not even a rat in sight, the female employee quietly withdrew, and only after she had left did the middle-aged man speak again,

“Sir, I won’t drag this out.”

He gestured towards a red button installed next to him,

“Pressing this bell will summon Agora’s security. Naturally, we could also find the owner of stolen items.”

“Look. I understand it’s hard to believe, but to treat someone as a criminal without any evidence…”

“But.”

The middle-aged man interrupted him with a lowered voice,

“People like you always have a sad story, so maybe I can help out a bit.”

The middle-aged man fiddled with his player watch,

“Ten million won in cash.”

He showed Kim Shimun the transfer screen with ten million won entered,

“For this price, I won’t press that bell. Of course, I’ll make sure to keep quiet about you.”

A sly smile formed on the middle-aged man’s face,

“Now, make your choice.”

Assuming an absolute superior position, the middle-aged man had dropped his formal speech.

Pressing the button and bringing in Agora’s administrators would certainly complicate things, but,

From Holy Trinity’s Kim Minhyung to the Scorpio Guild’s trio that had faced him,

There were more than enough people to prove his innocence.

But before that,

‘Ah! This guy really is something.’

A corporation, no less,

And here was a branch manager treating a customer like a criminal based on mere suspicion?

“Are you joking with me right…”

Just as Kim Shimun was about to retort with a cold gaze,

“What an interesting conversation you’re having, Manager Kim.”

A clear and familiar voice flowed into Kim Shimun’s ears.

Kim Shimun turned his head as if enchanted,

Toward where the voice came from,

“Since you’ve become the manager of the Apgujeong branch, you’ve really grown some guts, haven’t you?”

He could see clearly,

A beauty that could be summed up with the word. ‘pure.’

“Running dishonesty in broad daylight at a Holy Trinity store. Have you gone mad?”

“Ah, Miss?! How come you’re here!”

With a cold smile that didn’t match her pure appearance,

The woman then gave a warm smile to Kim Shimun, who stood there gaping, how could he forget?

Nine years later,

“Lee Yujeong…”

The very person who would push South Korea to complete destruction.

TL’s Corner:

Apgujeong – means befriending seagulls in the seaside.

If you want to learn about of Apgujeiong, you can watch this video here: