Creation Talent

“Hah!”

Those watching Kim Jihun leap let out gasps of astonishment. His movements were simply too fast for low-level gods like them to follow with their eyes.

Kim Jihun raised his sword and infused it with Creation Force. Of course, the blade he held was an artifact he'd crafted himself.

The sword boasted the incredible ability to emit sword aura. With this, Kim Jihun could unleash sword aura just like in a wuxia novel.

Gripping the blade tightly, he channeled Creation Force into it and swung with all his might.

-Slash!

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The sword arced horizontally in a wide sweep. A golden sword aura burst from the blade, surging toward them.

The aura slammed straight into the direct descendants of mid-rank Creation Gods, shattering their defensive fields in an instant.

-Crack!

With their fields broken, their forms began to fade away. They'd been judged defeated and were being forcibly teleported back to the school.

Realizing they'd been taken out in a single stroke, they erupted in furious rage.

“No way! This can't be happening! Artifacts? That's cheating!”

“Arrrgh! Forced teleport!”

“Damn it!”

Seething with anger and frustration, they glared venomously at Kim Jihun. But he just looked back at them with a beaming smile.

“Next loser, please.”

To Kim Jihun, their fury and outrage sounded like nothing more than a sweet symphony.

'The ones who always looked down on me.'

These direct descendants of mid-rank Creation Gods had always belittled and ignored him. They'd pestered Leila so relentlessly that even Kim Jihun, watching from the sidelines, had pitied her. Cutting down creeps like that in one stroke felt amazing.

So he simply smiled as they were teleported away.

He kept grinning until they vanished completely, then muttered to himself.

“Easier than I thought. Time to hunt for real?”

Kim Jihun raised his sword again, murmuring as he scanned the field.

What followed was a one-sided massacre.

“Too easy.”

Kim Jihun had all sorts of artifacts at his disposal. His stealth watch, the sword aura Gladius... and right now, he was making full use of his shoes.

The sneakers on his feet weren't ordinary. They looked like high-quality athletic shoes, but they were one of Kim Jihun's artifacts. He was using them to devastating effect against the other low-level gods.

-Bang!

Infusing Creation Force into his shoes, Kim Jihun shot forward at blinding speed—too fast even for low-level gods to track. They could only react when he was already right in front of them.

“Gah! What the hell are you?!”

The nameless low-level god in front of him cried out in terror. How could he not? Kim Jihun had been detected far away just moments ago, and now he was here.

Kim Jihun flashed a grin.

'These shoes are killer.'

The Swift Sneakers he'd crafted granted an explosive burst of speed upon infusion with Creation Force. It wasn't true teleportation like in movies—just a massive movement boost. But it was so fast, it felt like blinking across the battlefield. Invisible to the naked eye.

-Bang!

Another infusion, another burst. Kim Jihun was savoring a novel thrill.

'Feels just like playing Tracer in Overwatch.'

Tracer from Overwatch—one of those heroes who blinked around the map with her "Blink" ability, sowing chaos. That's exactly what Kim Jihun was doing: terrifying near-teleport speed to harass and eliminate low-level gods left and right. The only difference? No cooldown—as long as he had Creation Force, he could keep blinking forever.

“This is fun!”

Kim Jihun ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠laughed as he blinked again, wind whistling past his ears. Distant backgrounds rushed to the forefront, panicked faces filled his vision. And then his gleaming Gladius.

-Slash!

The sword swung, tracing a golden arc as sword aura erupted. It struck the wide-eyed low-level god square on, shattering his field instantly.

-Crack!

Followed by their shocked cries and forced teleports. Kim Jihun was having the time of his life.

“The ones who always ignored me.”

Finally getting payback on the low-level gods who'd shunned and bullied him—it was a rush he'd never felt before. The inferiority complex he'd harbored since arriving at school melted away.

“Feels good.”

Muttering that, he sought his next target.

...

When Leila had first seen Kim Jihun's notebook, she hadn't thought much of him. It was filled with meticulously detailed artifacts: sword-aura blades, speed-boosting sneakers, stealth watches... All high-level stuff at a glance.

But she'd assumed he was just theorizing, cataloging ideas for artifacts he'd never actually make.

'Artifacts require at least general-god level divine power and computational ability.'

Artifacts were divine tools infused with a god's power—far beyond what school gods could create. Even simple ones demanded general-god rank, let alone these complex designs. No way a low-level god like him could pull it off.

'Bullshit!'

She'd been shocked by the notebook but dismissed it as fantasy.

But she didn't know. Kim Jihun could craft artifacts using emotions.

And today, she finally faced it: Kim Jihun, armed to the teeth with his creations.

'No way... he actually made them?'

She couldn't fathom it. She and Kim Jihun were talented, sure—but still just low-level gods. Rock bottom in the vast godly hierarchy.

Yet here he was, wielding complex artifacts.

When he'd briefly looked away to pull gear from his subspace, she'd snuck a scan of one.

And got the shock of her life.

A genuine, complex artifact—straight from Kim Jihun's hands.

Leila saw him with new eyes.

'What a hard worker.'

She'd always underestimated him. Despite being stronger than any low-level god, he hid in corners like a coward. Weak, spineless, unable to flaunt his power.

But now, facing his artifacts, she reconsidered.

'How much effort did he put in?'

Born a mere intelligent being, he'd become a low-level god—an unprecedented feat. And not just any; he wielded divine power better than his peers. Now artifacts too!

Her vision blurred. She'd never imagined the gulf in their efforts.

She had no choice but to respect this low-level god, Kim Jihun.

And the promotion battle raged on.

“Incredible.”

From afar, she watched him: blink in with leaps, shred foes with sword aura, vanish with stealth, repeat on new targets. A relentless slaughter.

Leila was captivated by his overwhelming might.

“So cool.”

No opponent lasted ten seconds against him. One clash, one swing—their fields shattered.

She marveled at his dominance.

“My rival, through and through.”

Muttering that, she began gathering her divine power. Time to clash with him at full strength.

...

-Crack!

Kim Jihun grinned at the low-level god before him, whose field had just shattered.

The god glared back, fuming. “Using artifacts? Cheating, Kim Jihun! I'll file a formal protest!”

“Go ahead.”

Kim Jihun just smiled sweetly. The god's form faded as disqualification teleported him away.

Kim Jihun pondered calmly.

'They won't disqualify me.'

Promotion battles selected talents worthy of higher schools. And he'd shown something extraordinary: a low-level god crafting and wielding multiple artifacts to massacre peers.

He'd already eliminated dozens—no disqualification yet. The school clearly deemed it fair play.

Kim Jihun smirked.

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“Perfect. Absolutely perfect.”

Muttering that, he glanced at a nearby spot. Multiple divine senses were locked on him there.

He could guess.

'School overseers watching me.'

They were surely monitoring closely. And he was the standout, drawing all the eyes.

The attention didn't bother him.

'Take a good look at my skills.'

He was confident. With his artifacts, he'd crush this battle—at least against low-level gods.

“How many left?”

He glanced upward, where a massive golden display hovered, tracking the battle.

It showed survivor count and score-based rankings. Final winners were the last three standing, but top three by score got bonus rewards regardless.

Kim Jihun was gunning for that bonus. He dominated first place.

'Only 13 left. First place is mine.'

Nodding in satisfaction, he relaxed for a break. No need to push with first locked in—and he was tired.

That's when it happened.

-Hummm.

A familiar divine sense swept over him. Kim Jihun frowned.

“Aw, come on! Like this? Leila.”

Leila had locked onto him.