Creation Talent - Chapter 25: Everything Exists
Creation Talent[Everything Exists.]
Kim Jihun activated his ability. The room flooded with a golden glow as pure divine power intertwined and pulsed with Creation Force. And then, a single miracle unfolded.
Flash!
Kim Jihun slowly opened his eyes. He gazed at the object in his hand.
A smartphone.
"Another failure, huh?"
He sighed heavily and got to his feet. Then he tossed the phone into a box in the corner of the room. The box was stuffed full of smartphones he'd tried—and failed—to create.
Looking exhausted, Jihun muttered, "That's the 100th failed attempt."
He was deep into refining advanced artifacts. But it wasn't going well.
Back when it was just simple replication creation, the issue had been a lack of Creation Force. Now, though, what he lacked was the intelligence to improve and refine objects.
"Damn it."
He clutched his aching head and groaned. Right now, he was trying to enhance a smartphone's performance.
The method was surprisingly straightforward: upgrade the AP—the application processor—inside it. Make it faster, generate less heat, consume less power, and crank up the processing speed.
But was that easy? The AP was a computational device made of circuits measured in nanometers. Modifying that insanely complex web was the work of teams of researchers over months.
Yet Kim Jihun had to finish it all in just 10 seconds.
No wonder it was tough.
Feeling wronged, he grumbled, "If I knew how to tweak an AP, I'd be working at a semiconductor company, not streaming as Caprika BJ..."
Expecting one guy to do in 10 seconds what teams earning eight-figure salaries took months for? Jihun grabbed his throbbing head and sighed.
After countless trials and errors today, Kim Jihun left his room and headed to the living room.
His mother sat on the sofa. He asked after her.
"Is your back feeling any better?"
"Yeah. The injection helped a lot."
Jihun studied her face. She definitely looked more at ease than before. Relieved, he continued, "I'll work hard and make sure to fix your back for good."
"Just hearing you say that makes me happy. You're such a good son."
His mother smiled warmly, proud of him. Watching her, Jihun steeled his resolve inwardly.
Someday, I'll advance my Creation Force enough to cure that herniated disc.
That was why he pushed through the headaches and never stopped creating—for his mother's recovery.
...
"Who are those people? Celebrities?"
"She's insanely pretty..."
"Should I go ask for an autograph?"
On a bustling street, passersby whispered as they walked by.
They were talking about two women who'd appeared on the sidewalk.
One had long white hair and an air of mysterious allure. The other had fiery red locks radiating passionate charm.
They looked like they'd leaped straight out of a painting—profoundly ethereal and beautiful.
But no one dared approach. Their overwhelming charisma made it impossible.
Asrie and Kanna. The two stunning women were drawing every eye.
"We've seen enough of the city," Asrie said.
Kanna nodded. "Yeah. There's a lot of fascinating stuff, but now I want to see that."
The "that" all the gods were obsessed with: the mortal with Creation Talent—Kim Jihun.
Asrie nodded at Kanna's request. "Alright. Let's go meet Kim Jihun."
As Asrie moved to open a dimensional gate to Jihun's room, Kanna shouted.
"Wait! I sense faint divine power here. If we follow it, we'll find Kim Jihun, right?"
"...Yeah, pretty much."
"No more space jumps. Let's just walk and check out the mortal civilization."
Asrie shrugged indifferently. "If that's what you want, we can take it slow."
Asrie and Kanna began following the faint trail of divine power.
Kanna looked around as they walked. Crowds of humans everywhere. Massive structures they'd built. Space stations orbiting beyond the atmosphere. In the subatomic realm, they observed Higgs bosons, quanta, neutrons.
They advanced science. Conquered diseases. Built infrastructure.
To Kanna, it all shone brilliantly, beautifully.
"Incredible," she murmured, then caught herself. She was a god. For her to call mortal creations "incredible"?
Asrie, overhearing, said to her, "Right? This is the power of expansion and progress."
Asrie and Kanna strolled on, taking in the sights.
They arrived at a bookstore, following the divine power's flow.
Asrie looked up at the sign.
Yelim Bookstore
It's that bookstore Jihun frequents.
She scanned inside for presences. No Kim Jihun.
"He passed through here a while ago," Asrie told Kanna. "Let's keep following the trail."
As Asrie turned to go, Kanna said, "Hold on. Doesn't the guy with Creation Talent come here often? There's a ton of divine residue here."
"...Sure."
Until just a month ago, Jihun had worked here every day. Of course the lingering power was strong.
"Then I'm gonna look around."
Asrie, clueless to Kanna's intentions, asked, "He's not here. Why bother?"
"He came here a lot. There might be hints about how he got Creation Talent."
"No way. There aren't any."
Jihun had been born with Creation Talent. He'd just found the Creator God Manual here—that was all. No real connection.
But Kanna ignored her and strode eagerly toward the store.
"Fine, do what you want."
Asrie didn't care either way, so she followed Kanna inside.
...
Ding-a-ling.
The bell rang as the bookstore door opened. Seo Yerim, reading at the desk, looked up.
Two women were entering.
Wow, they're gorgeous.
She swallowed hard, staring. Their radiant beauty seemed inhuman—flawless skin, mesmerizing, sacred eyes that sparkled. Slender, graceful jawlines and noses. Each had her own striking allure.
Insane. Celebrities?
But Yerim tilted her head. They were too noble for celebrities—like kings or nobles from novels. An aura that forbade casual approach.
Still, she couldn't stop glancing. Her eyes fixed on them.
As she did, Kanna casually approached the desk.
"Lots of books. What is this place?"
Yerim blinked blankly at the sudden question. "...Pardon?"
Kanna eyed her pitifully. "I asked what this place is for. Human."
Good lord—calling the clerk "human"? Peak middle-schooler energy.
Yerim got chills. Kanna's chuunibyou dialogue was embarrassing even to hear.
Serious-faced, Kanna pressed. Yerim, unsure if it was a joke, stammered, "This... this is a bookstore. Yelim Bookstore."
"Bookstore? What's that?"
Yerim agonized—did this woman seriously not know? Yerim's thoughts were interrupted by the other woman—Asrie.
"Enough, Kanna. It's a bookstore. Where you buy books."
"Buy books? Not communal village storage?"
"Nope."
Yerim gaped at their conversation. Asking and answering something even local kids knew—"Bookstores sell books"—with dead seriousness.
But as the owner, she smiled politely. "Welcome to Yelim Bookstore. Looking for any particular books?"
Proud of handling the weird customers, Yerim beamed inwardly.
Kanna met her smile. "I'll browse myself."
Kanna and Asrie passed the desk and headed to the shelves. Yerim watched, baffled.
"So many books," Kanna muttered, pulling one out.
Asrie, beside her: "As you see, nothing special. Just books."
"Hm."
Kanna stood there and started reading. She was a god—a high Creation God from combat origins. With Creation Talent, decoding unknown languages was as natural as breathing.
So she read the unfamiliar-language book effortlessly.
It was a fantasy novel—the mass-produced kind. Elves, dwarves, sword masters flying around.
Kanna dove right in.
Asrie sighed. "Aren't you here for Creation Talent leads?"
"Wait. It's getting good."
Kanna flipped pages rapidly, immersed. Asrie stared blankly, muttering, "Of course she picks a fantasy novel."
Science or nonfiction? No way she'd focus like that. Asrie had no choice but to wait until Kanna finished the entire fantasy series.