Chapter 2: Back to Square One
His senses faded as if falling into an abyss, then gradually began returning one by one.
"Ugh..."
Kim Si-moon's closed eyelids twitched. "Where...?"
The first thing he saw was a somewhat faded ceiling. The familiar sight of his old studio apartment - a view he thought he'd never see again.
"This is my old place?!"
He bolted upright, eyes wide as he scanned his surroundings. Had that crimson eyeball played some illusionary trick on him? Yet the fading sensation of death still lingered in his memory.
Only one explanation came to mind: Am I in the afterlife?
Bzzzt!
His phone vibrated loudly by the bedside. Si-moon's pupils dilated. A phone? A working phone? After only China and America remained, all devices had stopped functioning long ago. The world he knew had collapsed into anarchic ruin.
"No way..."
Like a man possessed, he grabbed the vibrating phone and turned on the screen:
[January 17, 2030, 7:20 AM]
"Ah."
Thud. The phone dropped from his limp fingers.
Every human in the 21st century agreed: January 1, 2015 marked Earth's most historic moment.
[Congratulations! Earth has qualified for Galaxy Arena.]
[Until promotion to Regular Arena, you'll receive Galaxy Arena's protection.]
These two messages completely transformed Earth overnight.
Now 28-year-old Si-moon vividly recalled that system message from when he was 13. "Exactly eleven years ago?" Though he'd stopped counting after Korea's fall, memories of Mal-suk lamenting turning forty confirmed it.
"Regression to age 28... Ha. Even after experiencing it, I can't believe it."
He'd clearly regressed from 2041 back to 2030 - eleven years into the past.
<Regarding Regression from Age 39 to 28>
Perfect material for a novel - if only this were happening to someone else.
That time... The Philosopher's Stone moved my body on its own to synthesize something. He still remembered feeling like being squeezed alive by an ogre. Though blinded at the end, that crimson eyeball's shocked reaction confirmed something extraordinary had occurred.
"Wait..." Si-moon suddenly examined his hands. Something feels different. Despite regressing to when his mana disability made life hell, that suffocating sensation was completely gone. And though his black horn-rimmed glasses still sat on the shelf...
"I can see perfectly?"
Not just vision either - every sense had sharpened remarkably. His gaze naturally fell to his chest center where... "What?! It's gone?!" The Philosopher's Stone should be there! Though shocking, it made sense after an eleven-year regression that even cured his mana disability - exactly what he'd wished for from the Stone.
The fundamental law of alchemy was equivalent exchange. Between striking back at that reptilian eye, curing his disability, and this regression, the Stone's disappearance wasn't surprising.
No point guessing - just check properly. The Stone was bound equipment after all.
He opened his status window:
Title: Pioneer of Alchemy (+1)
Type: Magic System
Level: 1
Affiliation: South Korea
Strength: 4
Agility: 4
Stamina: 5
Synthesis Power: 10
Traits - Philosopher's Stone (Unstable)
Achievement Points - 1,012,500
Si-moon's lips trembled. "So... it really is gone." The lifelong shackle of [Mana Disability] had vanished, replaced by [Philosopher's Stone] in his traits - likely transformed during binding.
"Ugh... Need a drink first." He grabbed a beer from his old fridge and chugged it. "Kyah!" Though drinking so early upset his stomach, it cleared his mind enough to properly examine his stats.
Pre-regression I had Strength/Agility=1, Stamina=3, Mana=0. Mana disability didn't just block magic - it physically weakened victims terribly. But now?
Identical to my initial awakening stats. While still Level 1 with below-average Strength/Agility (most starters had 5s), he possessed a whopping Synthesis Power of 10 - normally only elite rookies achieved such specs in magic stats!
Wait... 'Synthesis Power' not 'Mana'? Then it hit him:
[Stats Mana and Stamina converted to unique stat: Synthesis Power.]
The system had clearly called this a 'Unique Stat' back then.
Holy shit! So I have a Unique Stat now? At Level fucking One?! Unlike special stats like Holy Power or Magi obtainable under certain conditions, Unique Stats were exclusively single-user worldwide. Few players ever obtained them, and most became top-rankers like China's twin peaks Kim Si-hyuk and Zhongli Chu (though really just foils to hype Zhongli).
A player who loses their Affiliation (nation) has no future. Until promotion to Regular Arena - this damn game's true start - none understood what losing your nation meant in your status window. Had they known, no amount of wealth or status would make players casually switch nations.
Si-moon chuckled bitterly while eyeing those ridiculous achievement points: "1,012,500 points?! How?!" He'd only earned 5k synthesizing Elixirs, plus another 5k for the Philosopher's Stone and first title bonus (total=10,500). This million-plus absurdity made no sense!
Maybe regression bonus? "Get real," he scoffed at himself while checking titles:
[Pioneer of Alchemy] - Growth Type
Awarded for synthesizing all mythical alchemical products
- Minor synthesis-related bonuses
"Holy shit! A job-related title?! And Growth Type?!" This was huge - even top-ranker Go Mal-suk owed her position largely to her bullshit Growth Type title [Heavenly Demon]. He recalled her complaining about its embarrassing name before admitting its power.
His second title puzzled him:
[One Who Received Gaze From Beyond]
Awarded to those observed by beings calling themselves 'Beyond'
Whether fortune or misfortune remains unknown
But undoubtedly significant beyond description
When did I get this? What even is 'Beyond'? Probably just a crap title with no stat boosts, he mused before flopping onto bed exhausted by everything happening at once.
The crucial point remained: his mana disability was cured. A Magic System Level 1 with Mana=10 was spec even elite prospects struggled to match - even if now called Synthesis Power.
Testing it, he found manipulating this energy surprisingly intuitive - almost like an extension of himself thanks to the Philosopher's Stone. But attempts at basic fire magic failed - the energies were fundamentally incompatible despite both being magic systems.
No matter - the tradeoff would be worth it for enhanced synthesis capabilities. He grabbed alchemy chalk, only for his body to freeze mid-motion. The Philosopher's Stone pulsed disapproval at this 'primitive method', forcing him upright.
Instead, he raised his hand as memories surfaced of synthesizing before that eyeball - shaping energy mentally into spear form like Zhongli Chu wielded. But when he snapped fingers invoking equivalent exchange -
KIIING!
"GAAAH!"
Excruciating pain erupted from his chest as [Insufficient Synthesis Power] appeared. The Stone pulsed again, [Philosopher's Stone (Unstable) seeks alternative solution], demanding [1,000,000 Achievement Points] to stabilize itself.
After brief hesitation, he accepted - the Stone had already proven its worth curing him and enabling regression. With stabilization complete, he tried again at reduced requirements only to face another [Insufficient Synthesis Power].
Annoyed but stubborn, he accepted the Stone's next demand for [500 Points]. Snapping fingers once more -
KRRAKOOM!
A thunderbolt shattered through his window, striking directly before him!
