Chae Seong-ah's Shadow

Chae Seong-ah had been the eldest daughter of a fairly wealthy family. Her father owned a company of decent size, and her mother was an elite professional. As a result, she'd never once experienced hardship due to poverty in her life. She bought whatever she wanted without hesitation, and her parents happily provided anything she needed. This had left her rather insensitive to the value of money.

"..."

Now, she stared blankly at Kim Jihun's actions. At the end of her gaze was Jihun, standing in front of a neighborhood clothing store with a troubled expression.

Chae Seong-ah was secretly spying on Kim Jihun again today. She'd been tailing him for three whole days already.

'At this rate, I really do look like a stalker.'

She peeked her head out from the alleyway, watching Jihun agonize in front of the store.

Kim Jihun was out shopping for clothes after a long time. The reason was simple.

He didn't have enough clothes. Kim Jihun wasn't well-off, so he didn't own many outfits and ended up rotating the same ones over and over.

But as he streamed games every day, a fan's comment pointing out his wardrobe finally made it click.

'I need more clothes!'

That's why he'd come to the local clothing store to buy some after ages. The shop was packed with cheap imported clothes priced at 10,000 to 20,000 won, but he couldn't decide easily.

Chae Seong-ah watched him with frustration.

'Why's he agonizing over those cheap rags?'

She disapproved of his behavior. Gazing at his face, which seemed to glow radiantly, bathing the surroundings in its brilliance—how could someone with such stunning looks skimp on clothes?

'Wearing trash like that with a face like his? What a waste!'

She wanted to gift him designer clothes. But she didn't know him well, and they had no connection. He probably didn't even remember her.

'...Time to head back.'

Her energy deflated. She'd tailed him for three days hoping to witness that mysterious scene from before again, but she hadn't seen any moment of creation.

Staring at Jihun in her view, she muttered to herself.

"Yeah. Someone fretting over 10,000 or 20,000 won couldn't have that kind of power. I must've seen wrong. Sigh, let's go home."

Feeling like her efforts were wasted, she slumped her shoulders and walked off. She passed Jihun casually, pretending nothing was up.

'No more stalking.'

She vowed inwardly to stop chasing him—right as she brushed right past him.

"Ah, Chae Seong-ah?"

Jihun's voice rang in her ears.

"Yes? Huh?!"

Chae Seong-ah jumped. She never dreamed he'd know her name. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠For a split second, she panicked, thinking he'd caught her stalking.

But his next words cleared up her misunderstanding.

"You left your card at the bookstore, right? I remembered the name on it. Did you get it back okay?"

Ever since acquiring the Creator God Manual, Jihun's intellectual abilities had sharpened dramatically. He never forgot what he learned and could process vast information instantly. Remembering a person's name was child's play for him.

The moment he spotted the face of that past customer outside, he recalled the lost card incident and mentioned it.

His kindness touched Chae Seong-ah deeply.

'He remembers my name!'

It was just his exceptional memory, but it still made her happy.

"Oh, yeah! I got it back. Thanks for keeping it safe!"

"No biggie. Glad you found it."

Jihun flashed her a bright smile before heading into the store. Chae Seong-ah watched him with a dreamy expression.

'He remembers my name! Does that mean he's interested in me?'

She blushed at her own wild misunderstanding.

...

Lately, Kim Jihun had grown addicted to using the computation aid.

"Nice. Let's upgrade the computer today."

After buying one outfit and returning home, he went straight to his room. He pulled a bead from his subspace—a smooth, transparent orb the size of a fist. This tiny thing boasted computational power beyond any supercomputer on Earth: the 'God's Calculator'.

Jihun held the computation aid in his left hand, placed his right on the PC tower, and chanted the divine word.

Flash!

A golden glow lit up his room. At the same moment, Jihun felt immense computational power and instantly grasped the computer's structure through his right hand. Data on countless semiconductors and circuits flooded his mind.

He infused Creation Force into the aid and began proxy computation. The CPU's circuits optimized their paths. The architecture improved, core threads gained efficiency, and clock speeds skyrocketed geometrically. The GPU and RAM followed suit. Core chipsets evolved in his mind in unforeseen directions.

All in a single instant.

"Whew!"

Finishing the upgrade in a flash, Jihun powered on the PC with satisfaction and launched his game as usual.

"Whoa! It's so fast!"

His old rig stuttered even on low settings before. Now, max settings ran buttery smooth. He grinned at the aid in his left hand.

'With this, I can do anything!'

It was an artifact borrowing a high Creator God's computational prowess—the computation aid.

...

Far from Earth in the vast cosmos, space tore open.

Zzzzt!

A beautiful woman with black wings emerged, slicing through space itself: Alquinoa of the Ma-shin Clan.

She floated regally in the void, staring ahead. A dimensional gate opened there, and a woman stepped out—a goddess with white wings contrasting Alquinoa's. Asrie.

Like black and white, their appearances mirrored each other. Asrie with white hair and wings; Alquinoa with black.

In the silent cosmos, they faced off poisedly.

"Long time no see."

Asrie spoke first, her cool yet faintly warm voice echoing through space. A subtle wave of divine power rippled out.

"Why track me here? Didn't we agree to part ways? Asria."

She called Alquinoa "Asria." Alquinoa scowled in response.

-Don't call me that, Asrie! My name is Alquinoa!

"Oh my, that's harsh for family."

Asrie spread her wings slowly. Holy divine power bubbled from her white wings, a unique golden-blue aura laced with Creation Force emanating softly.

-Hmph.

Alquinoa spread her own wings in kind—black mirrors of Asrie's. Instead of Creation or divine power, corrupted energy surged. Dark void essence poured from her wings.

They heightened their auras, glaring warily.

Asrie broke the tension.

"So, your visit means ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠those Boundary scum are after my intelligent being, right?"

-...If you know, hand it over.

Asrie's glossy lips twitched in disbelief.

"Hmph, fallen and picked up all the bad habits. Looks like big sis needs to give you some tough love."

-Nonsense!

Asrie and Alquinoa unleashed their power simultaneously. Holy energy shot from Asrie's wings; chilling black void from Alquinoa's.

BOOM!

A massive shockwave rocked the cosmos. Holy force clashed with void essence. Asrie's purifying might shredded the void; Alquinoa's erasure halted by divine power. A simple clash ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of output—the stronger won. Asrie triumphed.

CRACKLE!

Asrie's holy energy pierced Alquinoa's void, striking her. Alquinoa hurtled into a distant star system, crashing into an unnamed planet.

She groaned.

-Damn it...

"Your mouth's gotten worse, Asria. Didn't I tell you to watch it?"

Asrie appeared before the groaning Alquinoa, having space-jumped instantly.

BAM!

Alquinoa kicked off the ground, fleeing. Asrie pursued. Gods clashing with divine power—they skipped planets with each step, warping space with every swing, splitting protons and neutrons.

A transcendental battle. But it ended as Alquinoa fled.

-Shit!

Always on the back foot, she filled space with void essence and bolted at full speed. Asrie watched, settling her power.

"When will you grow up, Asria?"

Murmuring her once-family's name, Asrie closed her eyes.

-Hic!

Escaping Asrie, Alquinoa panted heavily. Recalling her sister's power after so long, she shook her head.

-Not yet.

She'd been confident. After years immersed in the void, her rapid growth from training there should let her beat even that monstrously talented sister.

But ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she was wrong. She'd grown, yet Asrie had grown even more.

Alquinoa grimaced.

-Freak.

Her sister Asrie was a genius beyond mortals—peerless even among gods. Born with Creation Talent, excelling in most fields far above average. That's how she'd reached high Creator God without much age.

-Tch.

Alquinoa bit her lip. The planet 'Earth' with its mortal bearer of Creation Talent was under Asrie's protection. Neutralizing her was key to kidnapping the target.

She pondered deeply there.