Genius Regressor Makes Mythic Items

Chapter 2. Back to Square One

TL: xLordFifth
ED/PR: The reader

Sensations that had felt as distant as falling into an abyss began to return, one by one. Soon.

“Uhm.”

Kim Shimun’s eyelids fluttered open.

“This place is…”

The first thing he saw was the somewhat faded ceiling. The familiar room looked like a scene he would never see again.

“This is my studio apartment?!”

With a jerk, Kim Shimun kicked off his blankets and shot upright, his eyes widening as he scanned his surroundings. Did those dark, blood-red eyes conjure some sort of illusion? But that couldn’t be it; the sense of death, of distance he had felt, still hadn’t faded entirely. There was only one possible explanation.

‘The afterlife?’

Then,

*buzz buzz buzz*.

The phone on the bedside table began to vibrate loudly, startling Kim Shimun.

‘A phone? A phone?’

Since the final two countries, China and the United States, had been left, phones stopped working. TVs and computers, too, had been useless. The resources to maintain them were long gone. Every country except for the United States and China had been destroyed. In this lawless world he knew, phones had been discarded long ago.

“Could it be…” As if possessed, Kim Shimun reached for the vibrating phone and turned on the screen.

[January 17th, 2030. 7:20 AM.]

The moment he saw the screen,

“Ah.”

Thud. The phone dropped to the floor.

* * *

All humans living in the 21st century say it.

January 1st, 2015, was the most historic moment on Earth. Naturally.

[Congratulations. Earth has been invited to the Galaxy Arena due to satisfying the qualifications.]

[You will be protected by the Galaxy Arena until promoted to the Regular Arena.]

The sudden appearance of these two messages in 2015 completely transformed Earth. Kim Shimun, who was 13 at that time, still vividly remembered those message windows.

January 2015 underwent monumental changes, the likes of which Earth’s history had never seen before. And humanity, as always, adapted quickly to these changes.

“Exactly 11 years ago, right?”

Although Kim Shimun hadn’t bothered to keep track of his age after Korea’s destruction, considering Malsuk’s lamentation about turning forty soon and thinking back to his studio apartment.

“Regression to 28 from 39… Ha. Even after experiencing this, it’s hard to believe.”

It was clear that he had regressed 11 years, from 2041 to 2030.

This would make a great subject for a book. That is if it weren’t about himself, of course. Naturally. There was a guess as to why this unbelievable situation had occurred.

‘That time, the Philosopher’s Stone had moved my body on its own to concoct something.’

The feeling of being squeezed alive by an ogre was still unforgettable.

‘I lost my sight, so I couldn’t check the result directly.’

But considering those terrifying dark, blood-red eyes were astonished, it must have been something extraordinary.

“Hold on. Now that I think about it…”

Lost in thought, Kim Shimun looked down at his hands with surprise.

‘Something feels different from before.’

Though he had regressed 11 years to when he was 28, at that time in his life, he had been struggling greatly due to. ‘that accident’ which caused an inability to use magic. But what about now?

‘That stifling sensation, as if completely blocked, is gone.’

Additionally, he had needed glasses at this point in his life before learning alchemy. Kim Shimun’s gaze shifted toward the nightstand. The black-rimmed glasses were still there, yet “I can see clearly?”

Everything around him appeared crisp, as if he was wearing his glasses. ‘It’s not just my vision.’ The rough texture of the cheap blanket, the uniquely musty, unventilated air, and even the common city noises coming from beyond the closed window.

“All my senses are sharpened.”

To be precise, they had returned to their original state. As he reached that conclusion, Kim Shimun naturally directed his gaze toward the center of his chest. Then, very cautiously, he reached out. But,

“What, what! There’s nothing?”

If he had indeed regressed, the Philosopher’s Stone should be there! The sinking feeling was inevitable, yet somehow, it made sense. After all, it was a regression of 11 years. Plus, given his significantly sharper senses, it was likely that his lifelong curse of magical inability had been cured. After all, he had made two wishes to the Philosopher’s Stone. To give that eye a piece of his mind, and to live a life free of his inability to use magic.

‘So, did the Philosopher’s Stone disappear because it fulfilled my wishes?’

The essence of alchemy is equivalent exchange. To concoct something, you must always pay a price that matches. If in addition to getting revenge on that reptilian eye and curing his magical inability, he had also regressed 11 years, it wouldn’t be strange if the Philosopher’s Stone had vanished. ‘No use speculating. I have to find out for sure.’

The Philosopher’s Stone had definitely been a bonded item. Kim Shimun immediately opened his status window.

Title: Pioneer of Alchemy (among others)

System: Magic

Level: 1

Affiliation: Republic of Korea

Strength: 4

Agility: 4

Stamina: 5

Alchemy Energy: 10

Owned Traits – Philosopher’s Stone (Unstable)

Achievement Points – 1,012,500

Seeing his status, Kim Shimun’s lips trembled uncontrollably. Understandably so.

“As expected… it’s gone.” The curse of magical inability that had shackled him his entire life was nowhere to be found; in its place was the. ‘Philosopher’s Stone’. It seemed that during the bonding process, the stone had transformed into a trait.

“Sigh. I can’t deal with this sober.”

Closing his eyes for a moment to compose the overwhelming emotions, Kim Shimun moved.

“I need a drink.” Snatching a can of beer from the old refrigerator, he immediately guzzled it down. The distinct taste and refreshment of the beer momentarily woke him up.

“Kyaa!”

Although his stomach wasn’t too pleased with chugging beer right after waking up, it did jolt Kim Shimun back to full awareness as he calmly examined his status window again.

‘Before regressing, my stats were Strength 1, Agility 1, Stamina 3, Magic 0.’

The penalty from being unable to use magic wasn’t merely a block on the player’s magic but was cruel enough to cause physical frailty. But what about now?

‘It’s the same as when I first awakened.’

Of course, that still meant he was only Level 1. Considering that most Level 1 individuals start with all stats at 5, his Strength and Agility were each 1 point below average. But on the flip side. The super rookies also possessed the rare 10-point stats, specifically in the realm of Magic Power.

“Wait, not magic power but alchemy energy? Ah!”

Kim Shimun, who had been tilting his head in confusion, suddenly clapped his hands together, realizing.

It was a stat he had acquired after the Philosopher’s Stone had fully settled in.

[Your stats Magic Power and Stamina will be converted into the. ‘unique stat’ Alchemy Energy.]

At that time, the system had definitely called it a. ‘unique stat’.

‘Crazy! So, I’ve become a holder of a unique stat? And from level 1?’

Unlike stats like Sacred Power or Mana, which could be obtained under certain conditions,

A unique stat was something that could only be obtained by one person.

Naturally, not many players in their previous lives had obtained a unique stat.

And many of them reached high ranker status.

For instance,

‘Like Kim Shihyuk and Zhang Liqiu from China.’

Kim Shihyuk and Zhang Liqiu, known as the two great mountains of China.

Both were high rankers who possessed unique stats.

Though they were referred to as the two great mountains,

In his previous life, Kim Shihyuk was nothing more than a supporting character meant to highlight Zhang Liqiu.

It couldn’t be helped.

‘Without a nation, a player has no future in this damned game.’

Before being promoted to the. ‘Regular Arena,’ the real beginning,

No one knew what it meant to lose the nation listed on their status screen.

If they had, they wouldn’t have switched nations lightly, no matter the offer of tremendous wealth and status.

“Ah, the unpredictability of life…”

A bitter laugh escaped him.

After taking another sip of his beer, Kim Shimun looked at the bottom of the status screen, which was flaunting its numbers.

“Still, 1,012,500 achievement points? How did this happen?”

He had initially earned just 5,000 achievement points from elixir crafting.

Plus, crafting the Philosopher’s Stone and obtaining his first title added another 500 points.

The total should have been a normal 10,500 points.

But what was with this absurd number exceeding a million?

“Where did all these achievement points come from?”

Was it perhaps a bonus for being the first to return?

“Let’s keep it together, Kim Shimun.”

Shaking his head, Kim Shimun suppressed a chuckle.

“If there was something like that, the system would have informed me right after I woke up.”

Regardless,

What mattered was that this enormous amount of achievement points would be incredibly helpful later on.

‘I remember hearing that stats could be purchased from the Achievement Store, right?’

He had heard stories from high-rankers like Kim Shihyuk and Malsuk.

Specifically, one could buy stats from the Achievement Store.

Of course, not just anyone could buy them.

‘There must be some conditions for the sale of stats.’

Most players rarely used the Achievement Store,

Simply because there wasn’t much of interest to buy beyond guild-related items.

Yet, Kim Shihyuk and Go Malsuk had been able to purchase stats there because of one reason:

‘Their high level of achievements.’

It made sense.

After all, the Achievement Store sold items worthy of a player’s. ‘achievements’.

Kim Shimun’s gaze naturally moved to the top of the status screen.

‘I remember it was said that the number of titles has a bigger impact than achievements?’

While titles do offer various bonuses, they are often stingy compared to items,

And even then, obtaining them is either brutally difficult or rare, making even rankers scarce in having them.

‘However, high rankers like Kim Shihyuk and Malsuk had quite a few titles.’

With that thought, an hypothesis crossed his mind.

‘Maybe the number of titles is what differentiates a high ranker from a normal ranker.’

Additionally, if he could sell stats, then the other items for sale must be extraordinarily helpful too.

An evolved Achievement Store would undoubtedly be beneficial for growth.

“Let’s postpone worrying about this until the Achievement Store opens.”

Kim Shimun raised his head and touched the title category.

And upon viewing the details,

[Pioneer of Alchemy] – Growth Type

A title awarded to the alchemist who has crafted all the mythical products of alchemy.

– Receives a very small bonus in crafting-related activities.

“Holy crap!”

The expletive slipped out unintentionally.

No wonder.

While most titles provide auxiliary options or none at all,

“A job-related title? And it’s a growth type?!”

The significance of such a title was immediately clear if one considered the high ranker Heavenly Demon Go Malsuk.

Despite being relatively new amongst high rankers,

It was her outrageously advantageous title obtained from the Heavenly Demon that allowed her to reign as a high ranker.

Kim Shimun recalled Malsuk once ranting about her initial hatred towards the Heavenly Demon for her title.

‘You know, when I first got the title from that perverted old man, I was so freaking annoyed.’

‘How could he give me a title with his name, Heavenly Demon! It was embarrassing!’

‘But then I used it, and it wasn’t bad at all. I even headbutted the old man in gratitude.’

The growth-type title, “Heavenly Demon.”

Although the exact options were unknown,

Surely, Malsuk had said that the title greatly contributed to her becoming a high ranker.

“I never thought I’dd receive something like this…”

Now he felt like having another beer.

‘Hold on. I’m trying to stay alert, not get drunk.’

Suppressing the urge with difficulty, Kim Shimun turned his attention to another title.

[He Who Attracts the Gaze from Beyond]

A title granted to those who have caught the attention of a being that can call itself the Beyond.

Whether it’s lucky or unlucky, no one can say,

But it’s certain that it indicates something immensely significant.

“When did I earn this?”

The gaze from beyond.

What in the world was. ‘The Beyond’?

Kim Shimun’s brows creased deeply.

‘Maybe it’s a dud title.’

It wasn’t unusual for a title to come without any ability enhancements.

“Well, better to have it than not.”

After all, to raise the Achievement Store’s level, the more titles you had, the better.

“Ugh! Dizzy!”

Kim Shimun threw himself on the bed.

Just by opening and closing his eyes, too much had happened all at once.

“The most important thing is, my inability to use magic power has been cured.”

It felt odd to say it himself,

But having a 10 in a level 1 magic power stat was a spec that even the promising mages of the magical world would struggle to match.

It had merely transformed into alchemy energy.

‘Should I give it a test?’

Lifting his right hand, Kim Shimun concentrated on his alchemy energy.

It had been quite a while since he had been able to manipulate magic power,

But now that his inability was cured, controlling energy wasn’t too difficult.

Ssshh.

As if something other than blood was being injected into his veins,

An unidentified energy flowed through his arm and into his palm.

‘Indeed, it feels completely different from magic power.’

Kim Shimun played with the alchemy energy gathered in his palm.

‘It’s amazingly easy to manipulate.’

Was it because of the Philosopher’s Stone?

Without close inspection, it was hard to tell if it was energy or not,

Crafted power moved exactly as Kim Shimun wished.

‘I wonder if it’s possible to use magic without magic power? Probably not…’

While manipulating drafted power, Kim Shimun stood up.

‘Let’s give it a try. First, I need to break down the ignition formula…’

He deconstructed the ignition formula used in alchemy, reconfiguring it into a form suitable for magic.

No matter how much alchemy was looked down upon, its foundation was still magical,

So preparing a basic magic formula like ignition wasn’t too difficult.

And as he introduced alchemy energy into it,

Fssst.

Nothing happened other than a sound resembling air escaping.

“Tsk. Just as expected.”

Just like you couldn’t use magic with spiritual power, it appears that using magic with alchemy energy, even if it’s in the same magical category, was impossible.

It wasn’t necessary to be an archer, either.Once mastered, bestowing aura onto an arrow was a clear departure from combat skills. But Kim Shimun wasn’t disappointed. With the penalty that prevented the use of magic, he thought, ‘There must be a substantial return in alchemy.’

It wasn’t classified as a unique stat called alchemy energy for nothing.

Kim Shimun opened the drawer of an old desk. At 28, having accepted the grim reality, was when he first encountered alchemy.

“As expected, it’s here.”

Alchemy chalk. Pulling it out, Kim Shimun immediately lay down on the floor to draw an alchemy circle. Or rather, he tried to. His body halted before he could complete the action.

‘What’s happening?’

Frozen in the motion of leaning down, it wasn’t due to some supernatural reason.

‘My body… is rejecting it?’

It was a physical refusal to lie on the ground. More precisely, ‘It’s refusing to draw the alchemy circle.’

Why? He was the pioneer of alchemy and owned the unique stat of alchemy energy. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say he devoted half his previous life to alchemy. Why would his body reject drawing an alchemy circle? As that thought crossed his mind, a faint ringing buzzed in his chest.

Though faint and erratic like a dying light bulb, Kim Shimun realized, ‘Is this the Philosopher’s Stone?’

He instantly understood the reluctance to engage in alchemy was due to the Philosopher’s Stone. Recalling the Philosopher’s Stone from before his regression, the ringing was indeed faint.

‘Primitive and barbaric?’ The Philosopher’s Stone despised the act of stooping to draw an alchemy circle, as if questioning why he’d use such an. ‘inefficient method.’ Relating to its noble and arrogant sentiment, Kim Shimun naturally stood up.

‘Now that I think about it, how did I perform alchemy after obtaining the Philosopher’s Stone?’

Then, a memory flashed of him instantaneously performing alchemy with a blood-red eye before him, unfolding like a panorama in his mind.

Simultaneously, as if driven by an old habit, he raised his right hand and unknowingly slipped into the conceptual phase of alchemy.

‘What I’m about to create with alchemy.’

A product to test his current alchemical ability.

‘The shape… a spear. Yes, like the one Zhang Liqiu used.’

He visualized the desired alchemy in his mind.

‘The stronger the special abilities or additional options, the better.’

After fleshing out the concept, ‘The price for alchemy will be my alchemy energy.’ With the principle of equivalent exchange established, he flicked his finger.

A piercing pain radiated from the Philosopher’s Stone at his chest throughout his body. The reason was simple.

[The alchemy energy is insufficient to meet the required level for the creation.]

Essentially, his available alchemy energy was far too little. ‘Damn it!’ The pain was excruciating, possibly due to his restored inability and heightened sensations.

During this, the Philosopher’s Stone buzzed with displeasure, prominently showing its annoyance at the inability to perform alchemy.

[The Philosopher’s Stone (Unstable) seeks an alternative solution.]

[The owner has found a solution with available resources.]

[The Philosopher’s Stone demands 1,000,000 achievement points to recover from its. ‘Unstable’ state.]

[Will you accept? (Yes / No)]

Kim Shimun’s eyes widened at the prompt.

‘What?! It wants a million points?’

Although spending a million points seemed steep, it made sense considering the benefits: curing magic inability, regression to 11 years prior — not something achievable by mere points.

‘Alright. You’ve proven your worth, Philosopher’s Stone.’

Without hesitation, Kim Shimun chose. ‘Yes.’

[1,000,000 achievement points will be consumed.]

[The Philosopher’s Stone has fully recovered from its ‘Unstable’ state.]

The pain vanished as the prompt disappeared, replaced by a relieving sensation as if recovering from indigestion. ‘Alchemy should be easier now. So, it should work this time?’

Kim Shimun raised his hand again, but unlike before, he considered only what he could achieve with his current alchemy energy. With this adjustment, he flicked his finger again.

[The alchemy energy is still insufficient to meet the required level.]

“Again?”

Although not painful this time, frustration bubbled. What was so demanding about his request? He had even reduced the alchemy’s requirements.

“This is aggravating.”

Even in the face of despair from magic inability, he had managed to create mythic items. Was he now unable to forge even a simple spear imbued with special abilities?

“I’ve already invested a million points to stabilize, and I’ve lowered the requirements. I can’t back down any further.” As if appreciating his determination, the Philosopher’s Stone buzzed again, offering another solution.

[The Philosopher’s Stone requests 500 achievement points to establish an equivalent exchange.]

“Ha! 1 million points weren’t enough?”

Kim Shimun knew the million points for stabilization were distinct from his current endeavors, yet his pride was wounded.

“Fine! If a million wasn’t an issue, what’s 500 more?”

With 12,500 points still remaining after spending a million, Kim Shimun readily chose. ‘Yes,’ hoping for a worthy investment. Upon flicking his finger once more, an incredible roar of thunder followed by a bolt of lightning pierced through the window.

“Whoa!” Striking right in front of Kim Shimun.