Genius Regressor Makes Mythic Items

『Beijing, China』

In the top-floor penthouse of one of Beijing’s tallest skyscrapers,

Boom!

A powerful tremor shook the building. Fortunately, the skyscraper, built with materials and construction techniques sourced from the arena, easily withstood the vibration.

However, those present on the top floor—the epicenter of the tremor—were not as resilient.

“Damn it!!”

A thunderous roar echoed.

Accompanied by, an overwhelming aura burst forth in all directions.

Fwoom!

Crack.

The arena-sourced glass forming the walls of the top floor cracked instantly.

Yet, the middle-aged man— the source of this chaos—seemed indifferent.

“That damned bastard dared to!!”

His rage was palpable. The frantic Vice-guildmaster of the Continental, “D-Dephina!”

Zhang Wanchi called out, pale-faced. Clicking her tongue in displeasure, she responded, “Restore”.

She waved her hand, imbued with magic, into the air.

Immediately, not only did the seemingly shattered windows revert to their original state,

Shhhh.

But also the destroyed furniture and cracked walls were restored instantly. Whether due to this or because he had vented his full rage,

“Haa…”

The middle-aged man took a deep breath. Zhang Liqiu roughly wiped his forehead,

“The audacity to pull such a pathetic trick…”

He glared at the cause of his anger: a side wall. Specifically, the large screen mounted on that wall.

『‘Asia is One, buff to Be Shared with All Countries’, Korea’s Decision』

『Confirmed: 5% Increase in XP and Awakening Rates for All of Asia!』

『‘But There’s a Condition,’ Says Korean Association』

『Korea Chooses Asia-Wide Buff, demands ‘Selection Right for Dimensional Wars’』

『Korea: ‘Selection Right Preserves Asia’s Dignity as Representative Nation’』

『Asian Countries Eagerly Accept Korea’s Demand!』

Photos of Kim Shimun and other Korean representatives, along with images of national leaders and association presidents filled the screen.

Seeing the article, Zhang Liqiu turned his gaze furiously. Before he could utter a word, “What? Are you going to blame me again?”

Dephina, with her all-black attire except for her skin, smirked, “Even if Korea had chosen the focused buff for three countries, we wouldn’t have been included.”

She jeered.

However, “For us, this might be the best option…”

It seemed Zhang Liqiu wasn’t blaming her.

“How does Kim Shimun know about the Dimensional Wars?”

He cut her off, questioning urgently. Dephina’s eyes widened momentarily.

“Well, maybe he found out through some sub-regular arena means?”

She propped her chin thoughtfully and responded seriously.

“No, that’s impossible. Even chat windows from other dimensions are filtered.”

“Then how can he demand selection rights for the Dimensional Wars? Such a move is impossible without knowledge of the Wars!”

“I’m not sure about that. But if he knows about the Dimensional Wars… Actually, he might know everything.”

Dephina corrected herself and turned her gaze.

“Vice-guildmaster?”

“Yes?”

Zhang Wanchi, who had been nervously clutching his chest, answered.

“Have we received any demands from the Korean side?”

“Wait, let me check!”

In a flurry, Zhang Wanchi pulled out his phone and skimmed through it.

“Yes, we received a demand from the Korean association. They requested our support for a 5% buff spread across all of Asia, in exchange for the selection rights for the Dimensional Wars. They want to maintain the ‘prestige of being the Asian representative’.”

He nodded and rambled on.

“Prestige as the Asian representative, huh…”

Tapping her chin thoughtfully, Dephina sighed.

“Well, given how well-crafted their pretext is, they must know everything about the Dimensional Wars.”

She let out a hollow laugh, turning to Zhang Liqiu.

“Otherwise, as you said, they wouldn’t have been able to counter us using the selection rights for the Dimensional Wars.”

To this, “What happens if the selection rights for the Dimensional Wars go to Korea?”

After a moment of silence, Zhang Liqiu asked.

“If Korea selects the candidates for the preliminary rounds, the chances are slim that any member from China will be chosen.”

Naturally, the rewards for participating in the Dimensional Wars would be lost.

“Even if there are slots for team events, getting them will only be possible if we play by Korea’s rules.”

Shrugging her shoulders, Dephina muttered, causing Zhang Liqiu to clench his fists tightly.

“There’s no way to stop this… is there?”

“At this point, almost none. The Dimensional Wars involve not just Asia but four other representative nations as well.”

Bang!

“Damn it! So we just have to take this lying down!”

Zhang Liqiu punched the wall in frustration.

“To hand over our prestige, rewards, and even our standing to that bastard?”

His growling words met with silence.

“……”

“……”

Both Vice-guildmaster Zhang Wanchi and Dephina remained silent for the first time.

It was inevitable. The one who initiated the media play was none other than the Continental itself. Had they not started it…

“At this point, opposing it would only make us look like we’re going back on our word.”

Dephina replied, closing her eyes gently.

“You!”

Zhang Liqiu’s anger was about to flare up again.

Screech.

A tear in the fabric of space appeared nearby.

Through this rift, a distasteful dark purple mist of the void seeped in.

“Well, the atmosphere is just as I expected, intense, isn’t it?”

A sly-voiced Asian man stepped through.

“Haruto. Why are you here?”

Desperado’s core member. The Dimension Trickster, Kamisato Haruto, had arrived.

“Whoa, calm down. It’s not like I wanted to come here.”

Raising both hands to show his intentions, he continued, “Though I must admit, I was curious to see you get outsmarted by your own scheme.”

He chuckled as he muttered the last part.

Sing!

Instead of responding with more angry words, Zhang Liqiu thrust his spear, surrounded by a yellow aura, at Haruto.

But.

Clang!

Instead of slicing through Haruto, the spear met with fierce sparks and metallic friction. A sturdy hand, surrounded by a silver aura, had blocked the spear’s thrust.

Considering the owner of the spear was Zhang Liqiu, the Speard King, and the blocking aura was silver, there was only one possible person.

“Still as tough as ever, Zhang Liqiu.”

“Derick…”

It was Derick, the Super Hero and Guild Master of American Dream, the world’s top guild rivaling the Continental.

Screech…

The friction subsided. Annoyed, Zhang Liqiu withdrew his spear.

“See? It was worth coming in person, just like I said.”

Haruto grinned, giving Derick’s arm a light pat.

“Indeed. I got to witness something interesting.”

Derick wore a small smile. Although the mockery would have provoked another strike, “What’s brought you here?”

Reining in his previous outburst, Zhang Liqiu asked in a calmer tone.

‘As expected of the Speard King. He remains cool-headed.’

Derick nodded slightly, impressed by Zhang Liqiu’s restraint.

“I heard the news. Tried to make a big move and got outplayed, huh?”

“Enough with what everyone already knows. Get to the point.”

“So prickly.”

Derick, who had been smirking, quickly turned serious.

“Your target is Korea. Specifically, Kim Shimun, right?”

He got straight to the point. The unexpected mention of a name piqued Zhang Liqiu’s interest.

“Now that you mention it, derick, you also had quite the encounter with that bastard, didn’t you?”

Zhang Liqiu’s previously cold eyes gleamed with interest.

***

Rustle.

The sound of papers turning filled the quiet room.

“Phew.”

A deep sigh accompanied the hand that laid down the documents. Kim Muyeol, a stern middle-aged man, massaged his temples with his fingers.

Stacks of documents were piled high on his desk. If it weren’t for his awakened status, or more specifically his ranker level, He would’ve surely collapsed from overwork.

Knock knock.

“President, it’s me.”

The door to the office was knocked.

“Come in.”

With Kim Muyeol’s permission, a 2-meter-tall man entered. Choi Changwook glanced at the document-laden, yet somehow orderly, desk and asked,

“Did you already finish the agreement regarding the selection rights?”

“It was mostly settled already. Finalizing it after review didn’t take long.”

“Still, there’s a lot of paperwork… You seem very tired.”

“I must be getting old. Feeling tired from this much work.”

Perhaps feeling somewhat better, Kim Muyeol removed his hand from his temple and asked in his usual cool manner,

“So, what about China?”

“We just finished a video conference. They agreed to the terms.”

“Hmph. They had no choice.”

He scoffed as he pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.

“They stepped right into the trap.”

“Yes. I’ve never seen President Zhang fail to maintain his composure like that.”

Click.

Choi Changwook naturally lit the cigarette for him. Maybe it was because it had been a long time since his last smoke?

“Whoooo…”

The sensation of the smoke filling his lungs and spreading throughout his body turned his fatigue into a pleasant lethargy.

After savoring a few puffs, “What about the Dimension Trickster?”

Kim Muyeol asked while watching the smoke disperse towards the ceiling.

“We’re investigating through every possible means, but…”

Choi Changwook responded with a somewhat grim expression. However, it seemed Kim Muyeol wasn’t expecting much.

“He’s a top-rank spatial ability user. There’s no way to catch him easily.”

The Dimension Trickster was already dead, a villain. On par with the Top-Tier spatial ability user, the Void Strider Daniel.

“Any progress with Younghee?”

“None yet. We’re conducting a joint investigation with Saint Trinity, but so far we only know his recent activities were in the US and China.”

“US and China, huh… Well, that fits. They would, of course, support him.”

Crushing the burnt-out cigarette into the ashtray,

“I should’ve maintained our sponsorship ties with them after all.”

Though, such troubles wouldn’t have arisen if he had. Grumbling irritably, Kim Muyeol stubbed out the cigarette.

“There’s something I need to tell you about that matter…”

Choi Changwook cautiously began.

“What is it?”

Kim Muyeol locked eyes with Choi Changwook and asked.

“During the meeting, President Zhang mentioned that the Continental would like to meet with you.”

“The Continental? Which side?”

“It seems to be Zhang Liqiu’s side.”

“Zhang Liqiu…”

Kim Muyeol trailed off. He drummed his fingers on the armrest.

“You said the Dimension Trickster recently contacted both the US and China, right?”

He narrowed his eyes as if deep in thought.

“Yes.”

Choi Changwook nodded. Kim Muyeol sank into his thoughts momentarily.

‘The Continental doesn’t have a spatial ability user on the level of the Dimension Trickster, so… if they are making a secret contact, they’d likely rely on him.’

Even if they didn’t, If Kim Muyeol required the highest-tier spatial ability user to ensure confidentiality, he would naturally encounter the Dimension Trickster.

‘Then, perhaps…’

The vision he saw in the rift while following Kim Shimun might resurface. The opportunity to verify the reality of that vision or at least ascertain its authenticity could present itself.

“I will find out.”

“Yes?”

Choi Changwook blinked at Kim Muyeol’s sudden statement.

But Kim Muyeol didn’t clarify, instead, “I’ll write up our demands. Set up the meeting with Zhang Liqiu accordingly.”

“Yes, sir.”

He simply issued the order.

*

In the expansive living room of the penthouse, Kim Shimun was checking his phone.

『China has completed the agreement』

『The 5% Continental buff for all Asian countries is confirmed!』

『When will the Continental buff for Asia take effect?』

Seeing the news updates, he smiled. The Continental, having pushed for political maneuvers using the championship buff, had not only lost but also ceded control of the Dimensional Wars.

‘With this, the Continental Representative Battle issue is completely settled.’

Zhang Liqiu, with his personality, would likely be writhing to put up some resistance. But, realistically speaking, there was nothing more he could do regarding the Continental Representative Battle.

Satisfied, Shimun turned his gaze towards the entrance.

Just then,

“Hyung! We’re back!”

“Me too.”

The door opened, and Kim Shihyuk and Go Malsuk entered.

Following them,

“Malsuk-ah, Shihyuk-oppa. Thank you for enduring this idiot’s antics.”

“Haha! We were counting on Malsuk and Kim Shimun!”

Lee Yujeong and Park Jinwook followed in with notably bright smiles.

Perhaps that was why,

“Hyung, is it really… possible?”

Kim Shihyuk asked with sparkling eyes.

“It’s a hypothesis, so we’ll have to try and see…”

Contemplating, Shimun glanced at the ceiling briefly,

“But it should be possible.”

He replied with a grin, patting his brother’s shoulder.

“Let’s go.”

He said, leading the way to the lab.

TL’s Corner:
Shimun is cooking.