Creation Talent
“What the hell is this?! Poison?! Are you trying to kill me?!”
Asria bared her hostility toward Kim Jihun—and the drink he held out to her. Her expression was undeniably venomous, yet there was something pitiful about it too. Jihun couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity for her.
A high god turned demon god, and now reduced to a mere mortal. You're living one hell of a dynamic new life, aren't you?
With that thought crossing his mind, Kim Jihun set the glass of cola down in front of her.
“It's not poison. Just a drink. Why would I go out of my way to poison you after using up that precious essence of divine power to save your life?”
He said it casually, then sat down across from her with a relaxed expression, subtly gauging her reaction.
“Urk...”
Asria glared at him like she wanted to kill him. But she wouldn't dare try—she knew she couldn't win. She'd lost all her abilities. No doubt she was writhing in this unfamiliar sense of powerlessness, desperately craving new strength.
Jihun took a sip of his own drink and spoke up.
“Do you remember what happened before you passed out? You know, when you came after me.”
“...”
She said nothing, offered no retort. She just kept glaring daggers at him. It was blatantly hostile. But Jihun, fully aware she'd lost all her power, brushed it off and continued.
“If you don't remember, I'll fill you in. The utterly heinous and evil Alquinoa came gunning for me—even devouring the essence of the Void—and invaded Earth. Poor, fragile me had no choice but to run for my life. And in the process, that ruthless bastard Alquinoa wiped out millions of Earth's lives in an instant.”
As he spoke, Jihun brought the cola to his lips, gulped it down refreshingly, let out a satisfied “Ahh!” and kept going.
“Grieving the deaths of all those sentient beings, I collapsed right there. And that's when the wicked, ruthless, merciless mass murderer Alquinoa closed in to grab me.”
He glanced at Alquinoa—now called Asria—as he said it. She'd realized he was deliberately painting her in the worst light (which she deserved, to be fair) and looked even more furious.
He smirked and pressed on.
“And right at that moment, when that vile demon was about to seize me! Asrie, the high Creator God who rules Earth, appeared and saved my life. Thanks to her, I survived, while the ruthless demon Alquinoa got utterly thrashed by Asrie and teetered on the brink of death.”
Asria bit her lip as her part in the story came up. She looked pissed. Jihun got a petty little thrill out of teasing her.
He amped up the exaggeration in his tone to push her further.
“And then! Our kind, benevolent, warm-hearted, more merciful than anyone—our King God Emperor Admiral General His Royal Majesty Kim Jihun—decided to save her! Even using up that ultra-rare essence of divine power, despite her trying to kill him! Isn't it just so touching?”
He laid it on thick, but her response was ice cold. Feeling a bit awkward, he scratched the back of his head, then took another sip of cola.
Asria listened in silence for a moment before finally speaking.
“...So, what do you want from me?”
She sounded irritated. Jihun grinned and stated it boldly.
“Simple. Work under me to make up for all the trouble you've caused. I'll let you go once I think you've paid it off.”
“Urk.”
Asria's face twisted in even greater annoyance. She had to be furious beyond belief. Being forced under the guy who'd stripped her of all power? Anyone would hate that. Especially a former god falling under some mortal-born nobody.
But right now, she was utterly at his mercy. No abilities left—not the power of the Void, not divine power, not even basic strength. She'd plummeted to the level of a powerless mortal.
Asria mulled over her situation, let out a resigned sigh, and muttered,
“...Fine. So how many years do I have to work?”
She was bracing for a long haul. He wouldn't let her off easy—maybe not even after 100 or 200 years. But she'd endure. Even at rock bottom, she dreamed of rising again someday. Even if it took centuries, she'd do it. She clung to that faint hope—for the day she'd regain her freedom, kill Kim Jihun before her eyes, and get revenge on Asrie!
But Jihun's next words were enough to crush her resolve.
“3,001,100 years.”
“...What?”
“3,001,100 years.”
3,001,100 years. For a god who lived eternities, it wasn't short. Gods remembered everything—they knew exactly how endless that stretch truly was.
Asria reeled at the absurd number.
“That's insane! Why 3 million years?! I can't accept that!”
Not 3 years. Not 30. Not even 300 or 3,000. 3 million. A cosmic scale, an eternity even gods couldn't call brief.
She had to protest. But as if he'd anticipated it, Jihun fired back immediately.
“This is me being extremely generous. You killed 3 million people—that's one year per life. And the essence of divine power? Even a low-level god needs 100 years of training for that. Add it up: 3 million and change.”
He wasn't wrong. Murder ended lives— a heinous crime. For humans, it meant 10 to decades in prison. Jihun had revived them with the Soul Stone and Asrie's help, or he'd have enslaved her forever. 3 million years was still insane, though.
But Asria pushed back again.
“Unfair! I was a demon god. Those were lowly mortals I killed. Culling inferiors as a superior species—why such harsh punishment? That's wrong.”
She said it with conviction. To her godly eyes, mortals were bugs crawling on the earth. No crime in squashing bugs, so she believed she'd just exercised her rights as the superior being.
But Jihun shattered her logic in one shot.
“You're a mortal now too.”
Asria froze. His words pierced her heart. Yes—she was no different from the 'bugs' she'd dismissed moments ago. All powers gone. Just this frail body left. No Void to devour everything, no divine power to command all creation. Only flesh remained. She was mortal now.
“So now that you're mortal too, you have to obey me—a mid-level god—unquestioningly.”
He sneered. The shock hit her again. He was mortal-born, sure—but now a mid-level god. She was god-born, but powerless mortal. The superior-inferior dynamic she'd just described had flipped right in front of her.
She reeled from the stark reality.
Jihun chuckled.
“Mortal or god, both are noble beings with their own thoughts, values, and missions. Sure, there's hierarchy in power and status, but I don't think that means anyone gets to treat anyone else however they want.”
He stood up. His empty glass sat cleanly on the table. He left her with one last line before exiting the room.
“You'll be disoriented today, so rest. Work starts tomorrow.”
Asria sat there dazed, watching his back as he left.
...
“Finally, I can borrow a high god's divine power circuits to my heart's content!”
Kim Jihun emerged into the living room, grinning ear to ear. He was thrilled.
“Just like with Asrie's help back then, I should be able to handle Creation Force and divine power way more efficiently.”
He recalled his first time handling souls. He'd borrowed Asrie's divine power circuits to manipulate his Creation Force. It felt alien yet comfortable—using her far superior circuits instead of his developing ones boosted efficiency and stability massively.
Think electronics: His circuits were a basic wire with a switch and bulb. Hers were packed with transistors and amplifiers—a high-end powerhouse.
He planned to exploit her circuits for his training, just like before.
Asria lost all her abilities, but her divine power circuits should still be intact inside her.
She was powerless now, but luckily, her circuits weren't damaged—just drained of energy. With long-term training, she could rebuild her power bit by bit.
Using a high god's circuits like this? Unexpected bonus!
Jihun was delighted at the prospect of growing his Creation Force even faster.
...
“What to do with these...”
Asrie pondered the 'trash' before her.
“No good place to dispose of them...”
Before her sat a disposal bin for 'trash souls,' made with cheap low-grade Soul Stones. It held the dregs of the soul world: mass murderers, genocidal dictators, serial rapists. Even for a newborn god like Asrie, they were irredeemable waste—pure evil overflowing.
She was debating how to handle them.
“Hmmmmm...”
“Maybe just give them to Jihun and let him play around? Even low-grade souls would boost his Creation Force if he handles them.”
It seemed solid to her. She offloaded a headache; he got free practice with souls and stones.
But doubt crept in.
He's got such a soft heart, though. Exposure to these could damage his mental barriers...
Gods had innate mental barriers to stay sane through eternities and think rationally. But Jihun hadn't awakened normally—he lacked proper ones. That's why she hesitated on handing over these vile souls.
After a moment, she decided.
“I can just bless him with mental barriers. No big deal. Yeah, pass 'em all to Kim Jihun.”
And so, Earth's worst souls were destined for Jihun.