Shadows at the Boundary
The universe's Boundary. A chaotic space where existence and nonexistence mingled in confusion. In one corner of that realm, a figure appeared.
"Urgh..."
It was a woman. A remarkably beautiful one at that. Her features boasted sharp yet delicate artistry—lustrous long black hair, black eyes, and pitch-black wings emanating a sinister aura from her back.
Once family to Asrie, now a member of the Ma-shin Clan who had turned against the gods. The high demon god Alquinoa.
She was catching her breath at the Boundary.
That stubborn woman. She's grown even stronger since last time.
With a furrowed brow, she examined her body. Her clothes were torn in places, ragged and exposing skin, while her limbs were covered in minor scratches. Fortunately, no major injuries. Drawing on her nihility energy, she began healing her wounds.
Sss...
Dark energy slowly rose from her wings, gradually enveloping her body and erasing the injuries. Nihility energy—the universe's mystery that "deleted" anything, tangible or intangible. It deleted her wounds, reverting them to a state as if they had never happened, mending her torn clothes as if the damage had never occurred.
Erasing anything. That was the true nature of nihility energy—a force that repaired or deleted everything, regardless of form, standing in opposition to the power of creation that brought things into existence.
She used its annihilating property to restore her clothes and body.
"Good. Physical repairs complete."
Alquinoa inspected herself and nodded. The scratches that had adorned her body were gone, as were the rips in her clothes that had revealed skin. She now stood there in the same pristine state as before the battle.
"I'll retreat for now, but next time..."
She murmured, clenching her fist. Her nemesis—and once her family—Asrie. She was still no match for her. But it wasn't time to despair yet. With better mastery of nihility energy, she believed she could one day surpass even Asrie. After all, that power was overwhelmingly dominant.
As she pondered this at the Boundary—
Wooong.
A surge of divine power rippled right beside her position. A familiar wave to Alquinoa: the pulse of the Void.
No one used this power except fellow Ma-shin Clan members who had pledged themselves to the Void, like her. So she didn't panic. Another Ma-shin was simply arriving here.
"Alquinoa. A failure, as expected."
From the rippling Void waves appeared another Ma-shin like her—black hair, black eyes, black wings on his back. But this one was male. A rare male Ma-shin among the gods had come here.
Grassut, a high combat god turned Ma-shin. That was his name.
With a solemn expression, he addressed her.
"You failed. This is your last chance."
Nihility energy gathered in his hand, compressing continuously until it formed an immense semi-materialized mass: the nihility essence. A fingernail-sized black orb, packed with hyper-concentrated nihility. It held lethal power—and an equal backlash.
Consuming it would grant tremendous instantaneous strength. But abusing that power could shatter one's divine vessel, turning them into a perfect mad god. A potent merit paired with deadly risk, much like the Ma-shin Clan's very identity.
"I made this nihility essence myself. Consume it, and you'll gain immense power in an instant."
Grassut extended his hand, floating the essence into the air. It drifted smoothly like magnetized, landing in Alquinoa's palm.
She stared at it. A dull, lusterless black sphere brimming with concentrated nihility energy. Ingesting it would surely yield great power.
Her expression hardened as she looked at Grassut.
"Even with half a demon god's power, this essence will let you wield considerable ability. But remember: it brings domineering strength, along with equally self-destructive tendencies. Use it wisely."
Alquinoa bowed her head in gratitude, then met his gaze with resolute eyes.
"Thank you for this chance. Next time, I will deliver results."
Grassut nodded at her determination and shared some intelligence.
"The mortal with the Creation Talent will soon head to the School. Even mighty Asrie won't protect him there. Strike then, Alquinoa."
"Understood, Grassut."
As she replied, Grassut vanished via dimensional leap, just as he had arrived.
In the now-silent space, Alquinoa gazed at the nihility essence in her hand.
I hope I never have to use this.
The essence allowed power far beyond one's own in a burst, but at great risk. Its self-destructive nature consumed even the user's soul during battle. While she held it, she prayed it would remain unused.
The School...
Ancient memories resurfaced from her days as a low-level god. But now she was no student—she was Ma-shin, invading it. Steeling her wistful heart, she departed.
...
To prepare for the School, Kim Jihun had intensely honed his Creation Force.
"Good. This should be enough."
He grinned at the text in his vision.
A whopping 150,000+ Creation Force! For the past few weeks, he'd holed up in his subspace, solely focused on training it.
Thinking about it, subspace was the perfect training ground. Vast enough to mess up without worry, and accessible only to him—no prying eyes.
Thanks to that, he'd created all sorts of objects inside, building his Creation Force.
[All things exist.]
Reciting his divine utterance, familiar light bloomed, birthing a new item from his fingertips.
Jihun smiled contentedly at the object in his left hand.
"Calculation Aid. What a great tool."
The Calculation Aid—acquired from the last quest. This divine relic borrowed a high creation god's computational power, invaluable to him. Its immense capacity let him create without the old headaches, smoothly within his Creation Force limits.
With a proud look, he eyed the building before him.
"Even I have to admit, I did a damn good job."
In one corner of subspace stood a massive skyscraper. This 50-story behemoth was the fruit of his weeks-long immersion, forgetting even meals.
He'd spent that time crafting it. The Aid handled computation fine, but low total Creation Force meant building in sections—create, rest, repeat dozens of times.
Gazing at it, he self-assessed.
"It's insanely cool."
Like a corporate headquarters, its exterior gleamed with mirrored glass—a classic high-rise blending 50 floors of imposing presence with modern aesthetics. His masterpiece.
Checking his quest status, he said,
"Quest alert."
Chapter 9: Create Large Building (1/1)
Reward: Creation Force 50,000
[COMPLETE]
Paaat! The golden text appeared as always.
Jihun smiled in satisfaction.
Lately, he'd tackled various architecture quests—from small sheds to corporate towers like this one, his weeks-in-the-making pride and joy.
"Good. Now, with enough time and space, I can make skyscrapers."
Sensing his growth, he beamed. A month ago, upgrading a smartphone was a struggle. Now, with effort, he could build high-rises. Thanks to boosted Creation Force and the Aid—without either, this would've been impossible.
But now, he'd grown.
"Keep growing like this."
Continued progress would soon unlock biological creation, healing his mother's herniated disc. Anticipating that day, he trained his Creation Force today too.
"Hoo! Exhausting."
Exiting subspace, Jihun sighed wearily. Intense mental drain from sustained focus left his head foggy.
To replenish sugar, he reached for his favorite—cola.
"Huh? No cola."
Disappointed, he stared at the empty fridge, once stocked full.
"Ugh! Kanna! You raided my cola again!"
The creation god he knew visited Earth sporadically. Food-obsessed, she devoured delicacies—but oddly targeted his snacks and drinks.
"Why steal from a poor low-level god?"
Grumbling, he shut the fridge. Head pounding, he craved sugar now. But creation was out—Creation Force depleted.
Too tired to make even simple stuff like drinks or snacks.
He could craft those anytime with his powers. But not now. So, off to buy some—the old-fashioned way.
"Gonna grab snacks at the mart."
Muttering, he dressed casually.
"Weather's warming up."
Strolling lightly outside, he noted the trend. Late February now, past January—the chill easing.
In lighter clothes than usual, he headed to the mart.
"Um... Oh, hello!"
As Jihun loaded his basket with treats, a woman approached with awkward politeness.
Turning, he saw her: light brown bob cut, fair skin, cute lips, bright eyes—Chae Seong-ah.
He knew her—the bookstore card-loser. Random mart greeting from her.
Smiling warmly—not his cold type—he replied,
"Oh, hi, Ms. Chae. Fancy meeting you here. Live nearby?"
Cheeks flushing at his friendly response, she said,
"Yes. Right around here."
A lie. She lived 30 minutes' walk away. She'd been stalking Jihun lately. Spotting him head out and hit the mart, she judged it perfect for chatting—hoping to get closer.
Expectant, Chae Seong-ah began talking with him.