Creation Talent
"So today's the day of the promotion battle, huh."
Kim Jihun muttered to himself after holing up in his subspace for a full week. All around him lay scattered objects—every one an artifact he'd poured his heart into crafting.
"If divine power's in short supply, I can just use Creation Force instead."
That's right. Kim Jihun had spotted the loophole in this promotion battle. Nowhere did it specify that the fight had to rely solely on one's own power, or that only "combat" using divine power counted. To cover his weaknesses, he'd churned out a ton of artifacts right here in his subspace.
"It's a bit underhanded, sure."
He thought so because these artifacts he'd made were way better than expected. At the low-level god stage, they were straight-up game-breakers that shattered balance.
But he felt no guilt. "A provisional Creator God overcoming challenges with his own Creation Force? Who's gonna complain about that?"
That's what he'd argue if anyone called him out. What was the problem with a provisional Creator God using Creation Force to push through? And these weren't handouts from some other god—they were his own creations. He'd made every single one himself.
"...Alright. Prep's perfect."
Kim Jihun gave his artifacts one last look, nodded, and stepped out of the subspace. He'd done everything he could. No way he'd get steamrolled now.
With his resolve steeled, he headed out.
…
"About time you showed up, Kim Jihun."
As soon as he arrived at the school, Leila shot him a cold glare. She was clearly pissed about him vanishing for a week. Not that Jihun had any clue why.
But he played it cool. "Hey, Leila. Long time no see. You hold up okay without me?"
"You little…!"
For some reason, she exploded at his innocent greeting. Jihun felt wronged—he'd just been happy to see her after a week and asked how she was doing. Why snap like that?
He knew her personality was prickly, but this was over the top, even for a reunion.
Then it clicked.
"You have any idea how much I had to deal with those flies while you were gone? They kept swarming me—it was annoying as hell."
Now it made sense. She was super popular with the male low-level gods, but hanging with Jihun had kept things relatively peaceful. Without him as a deterrent, they'd all come buzzing around.
Jihun chuckled. "Sounds like a good problem to have."
"Ugh!"
Leila glared daggers at his casual dismissal. Jihun grinned back at her fuming face—he was totally teasing her.
Cute.
Beautiful as she was, to Jihun, she just looked like a bratty 15-year-old kid.
As the two bantered...
-Whummm.
Suddenly, an immense surge of divine power enveloped the entire school. Jihun froze mid-sentence, stunned by the massive flow. Leila felt it too—she wielded divine power on par with him, after all.
They locked eyes.
"You feel that?"
"Yeah."
This overwhelming wave had to be from a mid-rank god or higher flexing their might.
Soon, they learned the source.
I am the principal of Allei Low-level School in the Allei divine realm. The promotion battle will commence shortly.
…
Here we go.
Jihun tensed at the principal's booming voice. The battle was about to start. Everyone around looked just as on edge, bracing themselves.
He got to work prepping too—opening his subspace and pulling out his pre-made artifacts, gripping them one by one.
Leila watched, wide-eyed. That notebook was for real?!
She'd snuck a peek at his notes once, full of plans for artifacts. She'd dismissed it as fantasy—how could a low-level god craft artifacts? That took computational power and Creation Force on par with a general god.
But there he was, doing it. No wonder she was shocked.
This guy's Creation Force is insane! What a monster!
She gawked as he unpacked more from his subspace.
But the truth was different.
Crafting artifacts with emotions? Total cheat.
Yeah—Jihun's method differed from standard gods. They burned through tons of divine power, Creation Force, and computation. He used the same resources, but way less, and got stellar results.
The secret? Emotions.
As a former human god, he could infuse emotions into artifacts. It strained his mind, but slashed resource costs. That's how he'd stocked up in a week.
Though it was brutally tough.
Seemed effortless, but mentally draining—like something inside him was fraying. He'd had to cycle crafting and rest to stay sane.
But that's over now.
Jihun equipped everything and waited.
Then the voice rang out again.
Deathmatch. Last 3 survivors win. Continues until only 3 remain. Barrier destruction = loss and return to school.
For the infinite glory of the universe, Lu Alesia.
A transparent barrier flickered around Jihun's body, then vanished. If it broke, he'd lose.
He glanced at the greatsword in his hand. "Barrier, huh. At least no one's dying today."
Not him, anyway. He stood still as the massive divine wave hit.
-Whummm...
The school's divine pulse swept over them, teleporting low-level gods who opted in.
Jihun gripped his sword tight and let it carry him.
…
-Krummmble!
The divine storm faded. Spatial transfer complete, Jihun opened his eyes to a vast black void.
He knew it instantly. The Boundary.
The edge where existence met nonexistence—the universe's frontier, gods' eternal frontline against the Void.
Makes sense. Even low-level gods pack a punch. Toss in hundreds, and you'd get massive destruction. Fighting at the Boundary? Logical choice.
He'd pictured a colosseum at first—ancient arena brawl. Wrong. No fancy stadium or holy ground. Just a sealed chunk of the Boundary for the battle.
Okay, now what?
Jihun assessed, reviewing plans.
But no time—mysterious divine power scanned him.
-Whumm!
He recognized it: probing detection divine power, exposing everything.
Found!
Some rival god had pinged his location. Jihun surged his power and activated the watch on his left wrist—one he'd crafted in subspace.
A custom wristwatch made by Low-level God Kim Jihun for the promotion battle.
Effect: Grants wearer temporary stealth.
Usage: Infuse Creation Force. Ineffective against higher-rank beings.
His form blurred, merging perfectly with the Boundary's darkness. No wild moves, and no one would spot him.
Revolutionary artifact—blocked his presence, divine power, aura, even faint sounds. Useless on higher gods, but here? All low-level. Perfect.
Soon, low-level gods swarmed his spot, powers flared for battle. They blinked at the empty space.
"He's gone? Fled?"
A male low-level god muttered, sparking chatter.
"That jerk—we were gonna teach him a lesson."
"Felt the scan and bolted. He's a pain, but skilled—watch it."
"Can't detect him here. Slippery bastard."
A group of pretty boys, about 15, with fluttering white wings. Jihun recognized them.
Straight descendants of mid-level Creator Gods.
They'd teamed up to take him out first.
Want me gone early, huh? Jerks.
Past Jihun might've struggled against numbers. Not now—they looked pathetic.
He dropped stealth, revealing himself.
-Whumm.
His presence emerged from the dark. They startled, snapping to attention.
Jihun grinned. "What the—why so sudden... Gah!"
They turned toward him, jaws dropping. His body materialized from shadow.
Low-level or not, as mid-Creator descendants, they knew powers. One yelled in shock.
"How are you wielding spatial manipulation?!"
His stealth was a spatial manipulation authority—impossible for low-level gods. Hence the freakout.
Jihun drew his sword with a smirk. "Jealous? Gear up yourselves."
With that, he charged, blade ready.
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Author's Note