Surpassing the Mid-Level Class
“No way?!”
The instructor flinched at the Creation Force flowing from Kim Jihun's body. The energy he was channeling far exceeded the level of a mid-level god.
Jihun closed his eyes and focused.
The task is to complete this half-finished object.
He had to finish the incomplete item the instructor had started. To do that, he read the traces of the design imprinted on it—what intention lay behind it, what it was originally meant to be. He analyzed the material, the current state of creation, and the minute details to infer its purpose.
Creation manifests according to the creator's will. If I trace the process backward, it should be easy to figure out.
Jihun used his computational power to retrace what the instructor had been trying to make. He combined various pieces of information, ran calculations, and verified his hypotheses. His mind raced at full throttle with deductions.
Soon, he easily grasped what it was supposed to be.
She was trying to make a simple metal sphere. I'll just complete it as is.
With the inference complete, it was time to create.
Jihun injected a bit more Creation Force into the object. The infused energy filled in the missing parts and refined it. In no time, the half-finished item transformed into a perfect sphere.
He had flawlessly completed the instructor's assignment.
Hmm, that should do it.
After finishing the creation, Jihun reined in the overflowing Creation Force from his body. Compared to his divine rank, he had far too much of it, so he had to contain it like this to prevent leaks.
Once he gathered the Creation Force flowing through him, he held out the newly completed sphere to the instructor.
“Here you go.”
The perfect sphere was complete. Made of metal, it perfectly replicated the shape and density she had originally designed, resting on Jihun's palm.
He had not only met her expectations but achieved near-perfection.
“...Huh.”
The instructor took the sphere from Jihun with a dazed expression and began examining it meticulously.
Impressive.
She was inwardly amazed. Kim Jihun's creation ability was far better than she'd anticipated.
Creating such a simple object from scratch was easy enough. But continuing someone else's halted creation required considerable analytical skill. That's why she'd given him this task to scold him.
Yet Jihun had executed it brilliantly. He'd identified the design intent and goal of her object and reproduced it exactly.
She thought to herself,
He's definitely no ordinary kid. I figured a mortal-born like him might struggle in class, but it's the opposite. He's too talented. At this rate...
Jihun would surely take his promotion exam soon and advance to the next stage.
Suddenly, it hit her.
Having this guy sit through classes here is a waste of time.
She had gauged Jihun's skill accurately. Though she taught here, she was one of the rare mid-rank Creation Gods among the gods. She could precisely assess the ability of the young god before her.
His Creation Force is immense even for a mid-level god, and his control over divine power and Creation Force is excellent. At this level, he's long surpassed material creation and is probably practicing advanced high-rank creation. Mid-level school is too low for you.
In her estimation, Jihun's skill matched a high-level god. No, perhaps even a general god.
Forcing someone like that into mid-level classes wasn't right.
So she nodded and said,
“I see your skill clearly now. You're definitely beyond the level of this mid-level school.”
“Pardon?”
Jihun was startled. The instructor had suddenly quelled her anger and was looking at him earnestly.
She continued,
“From now on, skip my classes and self-study in the practice field next to the lecture hall. It'll help your growth more than attending my lessons.”
With that, she patted Jihun's head.
Jihun was dumbfounded.
What's with the sudden change?
This was unimaginable in a Korean school. She'd given him a task out of annoyance, and when he aced it, she told him not to come to her class anymore.
But this was god society. Most gods were highly rational and logical, having lived endless eons that accumulated wisdom and experience. The instructor was no exception.
She was a mid-rank Creation God skilled enough to teach mid-level gods at the prestigious Allei School. With that experience, she took the rational, reasonable course with Jihun.
She added,
“With your skill, you'll pass the promotion exam soon and move to high-level school. Bear with it just until then. Now, go back to your seat. We need to continue class.”
Jihun returned to his seat in a daze. He never imagined that after getting scolded for sleeping, faithfully completing the task would earn him something like praise.
All eyes turned to him.
A mortal-born they'd subtly looked down on had suddenly earned the instructor's praise—and word that he'd pass the promotion exam soon. Attention was inevitable.
This feels burdensome somehow.
Jihun didn't know what to do with the sudden spotlight.
…
“You're really mortal-born, right?”
“Getting praise from that instructor! She's notoriously strict!”
Several mid-level gods gathered around Jihun, all curious about his skill.
Jihun replied sheepishly,
“It's nothing special. I just put in the effort, so I can manage this much. You guys could do it too with practice.”
“No way! I can't even imagine how long it'd take me to reach her praise-worthy level.”
Jihun felt good.
Definitely different from low-level school.
Low-level school had only arrogant low-level gods. They'd despised the mortal-born Jihun, envied him, and pulled all sorts of dirty tricks.
But here in mid-level school, there were plenty of properly divine mid-level gods.
Jihun smiled, thinking he'd have a more rewarding time here than in low-level school.
As he bonded with the surrounding mid-level gods,
“Um...”
A soft, high-pitched voice came from beside him.
Jihun turned toward it. There stood a boyish god—slender face, small stature, awkward expression. Not particularly masculine.
Jihun asked,
“What's up?”
The boy's face flushed. Embarrassed by the attention, he whispered,
“Ralph has a message for you. After classes end, meet him behind the lecture hall...”
He mumbled it and quickly slipped away.
The mid-level gods around Jihun chimed in.
“Ah, Ralph's at it again.”
“Poor Marian. She's a direct descendant of a high-rank Creation God, yet he treats her like that.”
Jihun asked,
“Wait, Ralph? The tall, muscular one with the nasty face?”
“Yeah, probably the one you're thinking of.”
“Watch out. He's infamous for his shitty personality. But as a direct descendant of a high-rank Creation God, no one dares touch him easily... Even the teachers seem uncomfortable.”
“Hmm...”
Jihun crossed his arms, pondering how to handle this Ralph guy.
Misreading his thought, the others tried to dissuade him.
“Jihun, just ignore him. Nothing good comes from tangling with that guy. Best to pretend he doesn't exist.”
“Yeah, steer clear of trash like that.”
“He treats even Marian, another high-rank Creation God descendant, like dirt. He's dangerous.”
They warned him out of concern.
But Jihun was confident.
He didn't seem that skilled when I saw him at the school gate earlier.
Jihun grinned. A mad dog needs a stick. He planned to show him.
…
“See ya!”
“You too.”
After classes ended, Jihun left the school building with Leila.
He looked at her and said,
“I've got somewhere to stop by. Sorry, but head back first?”
He intended to meet Ralph alone.
Seeming to read his mind, Leila smirked.
“Going to meet that weirdo Ralph, right?”
“...”
Jihun said nothing.
Leila smiled again.
“Give him a moderate thrashing. He's a high-rank Creation God descendant, so don't make it a big issue.”
“...You're not gonna stop me?”
“Why would I?”
She approached slowly, planted a light kiss on his cheek, locked eyes with him in trust, and said with conviction,
“You won't lose to some Ralph anyway.”
Jihun chuckled. Realizing how highly she rated him made him feel great.
She said,
“I'll head out then. See you tomorrow.”
She turned away with elegant steps and departed.
Jihun nodded.
“Yeah. No way I'd lose.”
This wasn't a real threat. Just shaking off some annoying pests clinging to him.
Jihun headed toward where Ralph waited.
…
“You came.”
Ralph grinned. The wingless, mortal-born mid-level god, Kim Jihun, was approaching slowly.
Ralph sneered,
“Where'd you leave that precious girlfriend of yours? Thought you'd be sniveling behind her skirt!”
“Hahaha!”
Ralph and his gang mocked Jihun.
But Jihun stood still, expression unchanged. He suddenly asked,
“So, is that all your 'message'? Wasted my time coming here if it is.”
“What? You lowly shit, who do you think you're sassing?”
“A spineless leech sucking off a woman.”
They kept provoking him.
But Jihun wouldn't just listen. He smiled faintly and said,
“You insulted me, so I assume you're prepared?”
He watched their reactions right after speaking.
Ralph and his crew burst into derisive laughter.
“What? Prepared? Puhaha!”
“Uhahat, prepared to hide behind your girlfriend?”
Seeing their mockery, Jihun thought,
Just as expected—pure trash. Good.
He had an aversion to violence. With his pure heart, even with power, Jihun avoided force and oppression.
But against trash like this, it was different. He despised such scum and was fully willing to use violence to deal with them.
Time for some proper discipline.
“You're all done for today.”
-Hummm...