The Golden Light of Awakening
A brilliant golden radiance bathed Kim Jihun's room. The book floated in the air, glowing with its familiar script.
You possess the Creation Talent of a Creator God.
You have been recognized as qualified to use the Creator God Manual.
Would you like to register as a user?
"What the hell is this..." Kim Jihun muttered, staring at the book. He could see the golden text floating above it and read it slowly.
"Creation Talent of a Creator God... Manual... user registration?"
Jihun stumbled over the words, rolling them around in his mouth. The sentence made no sense. Yet, for some reason, it felt familiar. He couldn't explain why, but the book gave off a nostalgic, longing pull—as if he craved whatever it held deep inside.
Entranced, Jihun slowly opened his mouth and spoke clearly, word by word. "Yes. Register me."
Flash!
The golden light blazed even brighter, filling the room with dazzling brilliance that stung his eyes. At the same moment, a gentle energy enveloped him.
"Ah."
A warm, ecstatic sensation washed over his entire body—like a loving mother's embrace, a father's steadfast protection, a beloved lover's touch... Not understanding what was happening, Kim Jihun drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.
"Nngh..."
How much time had passed? Jihun groaned as he opened his eyes.
"Huh? Why am I on the floor..."
He was lying on the floor, still in the clothes he'd worn out. He found it strange—he wasn't one for bad sleep habits, so falling out of bed wasn't like him.
But his confusion didn't last long. His eyes fell on the mysterious book sitting on his desk.
"..."
Jihun slowly opened the book. It fell open to the first page, where the golden text had appeared. But now, it was just the original intricate pattern, as if nothing had happened.
"What? Was it a dream?"
Kim Jihun scratched the back of his head vigorously in bewilderment—that was his habit when flustered. He vividly remembered everything from last night: the book glowing, floating, text appearing, and his entranced response.
Yet the book before him was utterly still, unchanged. No light, no text.
Perplexed, Jihun examined it a few more times before sighing.
"Did failing the college entrance exam hit me that hard? Sigh, even weird dreams..."
He muttered to himself and left the room.
Humm...
In the now-empty room, the book emitted a faint glow.
This world is unfair.
Some inherit vast wealth.
Some are born with genius talents.
Some possess striking looks and charm.
Some boast exceptional intellect and wit.
And Kim Jihun had nothing.
His family was poor. His father was a day laborer, his mother suffered from a herniated disc.
Jihun himself had no talents whatsoever.
"What am I gonna do now..."
Jihun had failed the college entrance exam. At 19, in his final year of high school, on the cusp of adulthood. The path he'd pinned all his hopes on was now shattered.
He felt a deep dejection.
"I wish that dream had been real."
Suddenly, he thought back to the dream from last night. The golden glow and text from the mysterious book. The ethereal revelation that he possessed a special talent—Creation Talent.
Jihun loved novels. Fantasy, martial arts, that sort. They always featured protagonists stumbling upon fateful encounters. A book picked up on the roadside turning out to be a Death Note. An old tome in a warehouse containing secret martial arts techniques.
He'd read countless such stories, but like any ordinary person, he didn't believe they could happen in real life.
Yet that dream felt just like gaining such a fateful opportunity. What if he'd really found a magic book or a manual of secret arts?
"Ridiculous."
Jihun chuckled bitterly at his own fancy, shaking his head self-deprecatingly. He lived in the real world, so while he yearned for something special, he didn't expect it to actually happen. He was, after all, an utterly rational guy.
But soon, Kim Jihun would become the protagonist of that special experience.
'Have I ever thought this sharply before?'
On his way home from school, Jihun tilted his head, pondering. Today, his thoughts flowed faster, his reflections deeper. His senses sharpened. The usual fog over his mind had cleared, his hazy vision and perceptions keener than ever.
It felt like he'd chugged caffeine—his brain accelerating. He unconsciously analyzed the structure and composition of everything he saw, scrutinizing the truth of any new knowledge.
In this mysterious state, Kim Jihun spent the whole day.
'My head feels smarter all of a sudden.'
A sense of boundless potential filled him. Startled by his unprecedented thinking speed, he brushed it off.
'Just like some days my head hurts, maybe some days it just works better.'
Dismissing it lightly, he hurried home. He hadn't yet grasped the full extent of his changes.
Back home, Jihun headed straight to his room. First thing, he checked the mysterious book on his desk and opened it to the first page.
"As expected."
There was only the original enigmatic pattern. No text anywhere.
Jihun closed it with a mix of relief and subtle disappointment.
'I was kinda hoping...'
As a novel lover, experiencing a fateful encounter straight out of a story was thrilling yet scary. To think it was just a daytime dream— he'd kept expectations low, but still felt a twinge of letdown.
Jihun stroked the book's cover lightly.
That was the moment.
"Indeed. To think a human truly possesses Creation Talent."
A woman's voice came from behind him.
"!"
The room had been empty when he entered. A sudden voice from behind?
Startled, Jihun whipped around toward the sound.
But nothing was there.
"...What? Hallucination?"
Flustered, he scanned the room. Just his familiar space—no source for the voice. He relaxed a bit.
"Phew, thought a burglar got in or something. Must've been my imagination."
Right as relief washed over him—
Humm...
Suddenly, a form began materializing in the empty air. The once-transparent space thickened, slowly taking human shape. Ripples spread through the very fabric of space, sharpening into a clear figure.
At first blurry and translucent, a person's form gradually emerged.
"Hello, new Creator God candidate."
It was a woman. Incredibly beautiful. Sacred white wings that glowed with holiness. Flawless features, as if sculpted by a god. Her blue eyes sparkled like diamonds, her white hair shimmered divinely.
She looked like a goddess—radiant and breathtaking.
Kim Jihun was captivated by her beauty. His dim, shabby room seemed to brighten.
Whoosh!
Meeting his gaze, she spread her wings wide. Pure white wings, angelic and holy, unfurled broadly. A soft fragrance and warm energy filled the room.
"Whoa..."
Enthralled, Jihun gazed at her with dazed eyes.
She regarded him calmly and spoke.
"My name is Asrie. I'm the Creator God managing Earth."
The woman introduced herself as a Creator God.