A Light in the Void
Having recited the divine incantation, Kim Jihun channeled his Creation Force, beginning to shape something.
The golden glow coalesced into a form, becoming an object familiar to her. Clothes. It was clothing—exquisitely beautiful women's outing attire, at that. A light coat, a slightly loose yet elegantly dignified blouse, and a skirt made of rippling fabric that fell to the knees.
She stared at the clothes in mild surprise.
"Pretty."
The garments that had emerged from Kim Jihun's fingertips were the pinnacle of sophistication, boasting a beauty that rivaled any famous designer's work.
Satisfied with her reaction, Kim Jihun smiled and offered the freshly made outfit to Chae Seong-ah.
"Here, take it. It'd feel kinda gross to shower and put your old clothes back on, right?"
"Is that really okay?"
"Of course. I made it for you, Seong-ah."
Chae Seong-ah took the clothes from him and examined them closely. Her eyes widened in astonishment. The fabric was on another level entirely from anything ordinary. It had the soft touch of silk, the warmth of fur for insulation, and yet it felt almost weightless.
No new material could produce something like this. A fabric combining superior texture, excellent warmth, and minimal weight simply didn't exist in the world.
But Kim Jihun could create it effortlessly.
Recognizing its value, she was amazed.
"This is... incredible. Creation talent is seriously amazing."
Stammering her words, Chae Seong-ah expressed her awe. Kim Jihun watched her with a proud smile. Using his abilities to help others felt pretty damn good.
Still smiling at her reaction, he said,
"Alright, I'll step out so you can change."
To give her privacy, Kim Jihun left the room.
...
"Whoa."
Kim Jihun gasped in admiration at the sight of Chae Seong-ah. In the clothes he'd made, she was like a single, lethally alluring flower. The outfit's colors perfectly complemented her swaying bob haircut, with a design that amplified her charm without overdoing it.
He was momentarily captivated by her beauty.
"It suits you perfectly, Seong-ah."
"Ahaha, thanks for the amazing clothes."
Kim Jihun's evolved sense of aesthetics, thanks to his advanced intellect, far surpassed that of ordinary humans. He now had deeper insight into fashion than most master designers.
Chae Seong-ah and Kim Jihun walked down the hallway in silence for a moment. The mansion's corridors were filled with decorations and artworks, but neither paid them any mind. They simply strolled along wordlessly.
Suddenly, Chae Seong-ah spoke up.
"This place is huge."
Even after wandering around post-awakening, she still couldn't grasp the scale. The interior was that vast, brimming with lavish, beautiful ornaments throughout.
It went beyond just a mansion.
To her question, Kim Jihun replied,
"This is a castle."
"A castle? Like, the castle from English, a castle?"
"Yeah. Want to see the exterior?"
It took quite a while, but Kim Jihun and Chae Seong-ah finally reached the front entrance on the first floor.
Under his guidance, she stepped outside—and let out a cry of awe.
"Wow!"
The castle Kim Jihun had designed and created wasn't your typical fortress. It possessed a dreamlike beauty: white and sky blue blended perfectly, like something out of a fairy tale—majestic yet enchanting.
She gaped at the exterior for a long time, unable to close her mouth.
"It's like a castle from a fairy tale."
"Actually, that's what I had in mind when I made it."
Responding to her admiration, Kim Jihun turned to gaze at the castle himself. His weeks-long labor of love. He'd never imagined showing it to anyone, but seeing her awe made him feel validated for all his hard work.
As Chae Seong-ah admired the castle, she began looking beyond it—at the Void, to be precise.
She murmured wistfully,
"But there's nothing here except the castle? Just this black space."
Indeed. Around the castle stretched emptiness. No radiant sun like on Earth, no vast ocean, no lush forests. Nothing but the fairy-tale castle floating serenely in the black void.
Scratching his cheek at her observation, Kim Jihun replied,
"Well, I did make some other buildings and stuff, but I stored them elsewhere."
A lame excuse, but he didn't keep all his creations in one spot.
Ignoring it, Chae Seong-ah muttered,
"It's too dark. It'd be perfect with some warm light shining down."
Her words sparked an idea in Kim Jihun.
"Oh, that? Let's make one right now."
He suddenly recalled the quest he'd received just days ago.
Chapter 10: 'Small Light Orb' Creation
📍 Issued by: High Creation God Asrie
🎁 Reward:Creation Force 100,000
Light orb creation. Kim Jihun was already nearing the end of material creation mastery, thanks to months of grueling accumulation of Creation Force. He could now produce massive simple materials with enough time.
What he was attempting now was a highly advanced material reaction without life—nuclear fusion, essentially.
'A light orb. A bit much for me right now, but if I push it...'
It was a quest he'd have to tackle eventually. Might as well knock it out now.
Gathering his power, Kim Jihun drew in his Creation Force from every part of his body, condensing and focusing it.
Infusing his strength, he recited the divine incantation.
"All things exist."
-Flash!-
In an instant, a light more brilliant, beautiful, and holy than ever before erupted from his fingertips.
Chae Seong-ah shielded her eyes from the blinding spectacle.
What Kim Jihun was creating was a tiny 'small light orb'. A glowing sphere, literally. But despite its small size, it wasn't crude.
'An artificial sun.'
The quest's 'small light orb' was a miniature artificial sun spewing immense light via nuclear fusion. That's what he aimed to make.
Deuterium and tritium formed in Kim Jihun's hand. He confined them with a magnetic field, heating the resulting plasma to extreme pressure and temperature under magnetic and ultra-high heat influence.
The atomic nuclei's kinetic energy soared to extremes. Overcoming electromagnetic repulsion, the atoms collided. At point-blank range, strong nuclear forces bound the nuclei together.
Nuclear fusion ignited in his hand.
"Nngh!!"
Indeed, his computational power fell short for controlling fusion. But with a computation aid in his other hand—borrowing a high creation god's prowess—he managed to sustain it.
Grinning, Kim Jihun looked at his hand. There pulsed an immense energy on the verge of becoming a tiny artificial sun. He gripped it, accelerating creation and control.
His head throbbed like it might split, but he scraped together every bit of Creation Force and divine power to endure.
And finally, Kim Jihun succeeded.
-Rumble...!-
A small, blazing, pulsating orb emerged from his hand. He'd successfully created the small light orb.
Immense light and heat boiled forth, but he adjusted its brightness and temperature.
'That was tough.'
The small light orb, buzzing with active fusion, rose slowly into the air. It ascended, illuminating the void of his subspace.
A fist-sized artificial sun dispelling the black darkness.
"Whoa..."
Chae Seong-ah watched the orb drift away. It scattered warm, bright light like the real sun.
Gazing at it, she turned back to the castle.
"Beautiful."
The castle's outer walls gleamed under the light orb's glow. Now it was clear—they weren't plain white. Bathed in the light, they emitted a mystical, enchanting emerald radiance, like a fairy-tale palace in a realm of sprites.
Chae Seong-ah smiled at the wondrous sight.
...
Kim Jihun and Chae Seong-ah exited the subspace. Outside was the crosswalk where she'd nearly been hit.
Considerable time had passed inside; it was now deep night. The streets were deserted, shrouded in darkness.
Confirming she'd been waiting at the signal before crossing, Chae Seong-ah turned to Kim Jihun.
"Thank you so much. For saving me from the accident, giving me these amazing clothes, and showing me something so mystical."
"No big deal."
Kim Jihun smiled, about to see her off. Then, he realized something.
"Ah! My snacks!"
To save her, he'd dropped the shopping bag of groceries on the ground. Looking around, the snacks were gone, as expected. Probably snatched by a passerby.
He muttered with a regretful frown.
"Ah... what a waste."
Chae Seong-ah giggled at his reaction. Casually conjuring wonders in subspace, yet pouting over a bag of snacks.
But Kim Jihun had no intention of abusing his creation talent for personal gain in reality. Unless it benefited humanity on a grand scale, he wouldn't pursue monetary profit with it.
They shared a laugh and prepared to part. But as Chae Seong-ah turned to go, Kim Jihun issued a warning.
"Seong-ah. That car trying to hit you—it wasn't an accident. That guy definitely targeted you on purpose."
His words made her recall the moment: the man's eyes visible through the windshield. Cold, ruthless eyes filled with murderous intent.
"...Yeah."
Thinking of those eyes made her legs weak, nearly buckling. Near-death experiences hit hard.
But she was tougher than she seemed.
"I won't just take it lying down."
A resolute glint entered Chae Seong-ah's eyes.