Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Episode 8
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EP4 - World Fabrication (1)
Outside the window, the night sky was visible.
The Earth here has rings like Saturn.
The 'rings,' only visible at night, faintly bisect the sky vertically.
Behind the rings, stars were sparsely scattered across the night sky.
Only 33 stars exist in this world, and humans worship them.
That's why the growth resource is called 'Star Fragment.'
'Time for training.'
Today was the longest day of my life.
I was lucky enough to survive somehow, but it would be difficult to expect such luck twice.
From now on, I must become stronger.
'My current state is…'
───
▶ Dante Hiacapo
-
[Stats] : 1
-
[Mana] : 100
-
[Ability] : ×
───
Completely at rock bottom.
< Star Fragments Held : 1,000 >
And this is today's harvest.
Thanks to the 1,000x reward, it was like receiving several months to years' worth of growth resources all at once.
'How should I grow?'
This was the question I had been pondering since morning.
'The investment targets for growth resources are stats and the 12 Ability categories.'
There are a total of 12 main categories.
Curse, Throwing, Stealth, Trap-Poison, Combat, Sniping, Magic, Illusion, Summoning-Taming, Footwork, Alchemy, Totem.
If I invest all 1,000 Star Fragments here, I can learn an ultimate skill (Lv.9) in one field.
For example, if I invest all 1,000 in [Stealth], I can wield [Stealth] comparable to the Shadowless Star Seat, the greatest stealth assassin in the world.
'However… there's something to consider.'
Can I really avoid the Students' assassinations by raising my Ability a little?
[Stealth] is not the answer. Just hiding won't keep me alive.
[Footwork] is the same. Running away won't keep me alive.
So, logically, it seems like I should raise [Combat]…
'If I raise [Combat], I can't teach classes.'
While everyone else is disappearing and flying around, what am I going to do by breaking walls?
'Besides, even if I learn the level 9 Ability of [Combat], my stats and proficiency will be lacking. In the end, my overall stats will be weaker than the Hidden Dragon Society Students…'
I shouldn't even think about fighting the Students.
It would damage my authority.
Fighting means they are opponents to be overcome.
What kind of species are humans? They die within 3 minutes of falling into water, yet they cross the ocean on wooden planks, the worst monster species in history.
'The other professors weren't assassinated in 1:1 fights either.'
I must not become a target of competition.
'I must appear overwhelmingly powerful to survive.'
Zhuge Liang's Empty Fort Strategy, playing the zither with the city gates open.
Three units of Hallucination Carriers.
Kim Jong-un, shouting about turning Seoul into a sea of fire.
…Okay, that last one is a bit different.
Deception tactics.
That is the only solution in this [Hell Difficulty].
Based on that judgment, I chose one thing.
[Taboo].
'Taboo is an Ability category forbidden across the entire continent.'
If caught, I'll become a target for execution worldwide.
But if it's revealed that I'm just a paper tiger, I'll be killed anyway, won't I?
What I want to learn is one of the most dangerous Taboos.
< Taboo Illusion │ You have selected the [Lv.9] grade power 『World Fabrication』. >
An Ability created by Abraxas, the first leader of the Black Blade Society and the strongest assassin of all time, during the First Assassination War in the past.
『 World Fabrication 』
It is a dream, an illusion. A fleeting bubble, a mirage.
But it can encompass and realize the entire world.
It's not just showing illusions. It's the ultimate [Illusion] that creates 'ultra-high-level phantasms' that can be touched, smelled, and even possess mana.
The downside is that the phantasms have low durability and mostly zero attack power. That is the limitation of [Illusion] itself.
'Getting stronger can wait.'
[Hiaka Academy] is ultimately a game about growing stronger to kill the demons hiding among humans. Professor assassination is the final chapter of that.
However, that main story is still a bit further down the line.
< The cost is 750 Star Fragments. Do you want to invest? >
This will buy me time to gather the next growth resources.
< Investment complete. >
< Taboo Illusion │ You have acquired the [Lv.9] grade power 『World Fabrication』. >
An intense sensation permeates my body from the vicinity of my heart.
At the same time, my overall combat power explodes.
< Overall Combat Power : 1 → 68,023 (▲68,022) >
'…But this is just the beginning.'
[Illusion], to put it metaphorically, is like design or modeling.
It's an Ability that requires a lot of work.
『 World Fabrication : Form Fabrication [Sword] 』
A crude, shabby sword is created.
The more you understand reality, the more detailed the sword becomes.
From the handle, length, shape, texture, reflection of light. And since this is a game, mana, killing intent, and a sense of intimidation are all necessary.
It will take at least a few years, or even decades.
Because it's a level 9 Ability.
But.
< The cost to reach 84.55% proficiency is 200 Star Fragments. Do you want to invest? >
< Investment complete. >
< Overall Combat Power : 68,023 → 108,158 (▲40,135) >
I closed my eyes tightly and then opened them.
A sword was really floating in the air.
And it was a pretty plausible sword.
< 『World Fabrication』 Proficiency : 84.55% >
Sure enough, knowledge and wisdom about all aspects of [Illusion] were seeping into my mind in real time.
I grabbed the sword floating in the air.
It can be held.
It has weight and texture.
When I put it against my skin, it feels like it will tear through my flesh.
So, I held the sword in reverse and stabbed my thigh with all my might.
Clang-!
The tip of the sword shattered and crumbled.
'This is the limit.'
Even if it's an ultra-high-level [Illusion], illusion is still illusion.
No matter what you create, the [Durability] is low, and the [Attack Power] is 0. Of course, it's possible to damage someone's eyes by bursting light, but physically, this is the limit.
The duration is not very long either. It lasts longer if you put in a lot of mana.
'Should I do a little more?'
< [MP] : 95 / 100 (▼5) >
Also, the fact that 1/20 of my mana is consumed just by creating one sword was a problem.
At this rate, I'll be a premature ejaculator who can only make twenty swords?
I had no choice but to invest the remaining 'Star Fragments' into mana.
All 50 of them.
< [Max MP] : 100 → 1,100 (▲1,000) >
< Overall Combat Power : 108,158 → 113,158 (▲5,000) >
It increased by 20 per Star Fragment, for a total of 1,000.
I experimented with it in various ways.
『 World Fabrication : Form Fabrication [Sword of Light] 』
『 World Fabrication : Form Fabrication [Sword of Lightning] 』
Weapons with attributes were also created.
『 World Fabrication : Form Fabrication [Fire] 』
『 World Fabrication : Form Fabrication [Water] 』
Complex movements of matter and phenomena were also realized.
In the case of water, my clothes even got wet.
The fire also got hot when I got close, but it didn't actually burn when I touched it.
『 World Fabrication : Form Fabrication [Explosion] 』
Boom-!
There was sound and impact, but no actual damage.
That was the limit of interaction.
'Remember. 『World Fabrication』 is just an Ability that imitates.'
Like how counterfeit money looks fake when you look closely.
But it looks real on the surface.
『 World Fabrication : Form Fabrication [Bell] 』
Ding!
The sound is also realized.
『 World Fabrication : Form Fabrication [Giant Bell] 』
Dae-aeng!
Such a loud sound is also realized.
It's deafening.
-
Professor?
The sound was so loud that even Adele came to find me.
I told her it was nothing and sent her back.
『 World Fabrication : Form Fabrication [Fireball] 』
『 World Fabrication : Form Fabrication [Wall Summon] 』
『 World Fabrication : Form Fabrication [Energy Sword Control] 』
Magic and Abilities were also realized.
『 World Fabrication : Form Fabrication [10,000 Hica Currency] 』
Of course, I could also make counterfeit money.
In real-world terms, it would be a 1 million won bill.
But I felt that this was an incomplete counterfeit bill.
It can fool people, but it can't fool high-end equipment like [Detection] devices.
『 World Fabrication : Form Fabrication [Strawberry Cake] 』
『 World Fabrication : Form Fabrication [Chicken] 』
『 World Fabrication : Form Fabrication [Dante] 』
Food and people were also realized.
In the case of food, it had taste and smell, but it was subtly unsatisfying, and a sense of emptiness washed over me the moment it disappeared.
In the case of people, they could also be moved by entering commands.
『 World Fabrication : Activity Variable Input [Dance] 』
Me dancing the cat dance.
Hmm…
『 World Fabrication : Activity Variable Input [Levitation] 』
Me floating in the air.
It even does things that the real me can't do.
The low durability was the same. It can withstand a handshake, but what if I try to break a finger with force?
Clang-!
The fabricated me's arm shatters.
『 World Fabrication : Form Fabrication [Demon King] 』
Meanwhile, the game was expanded into a 'hero story' in the DLC, wasn't it?
I tried to create the final boss, the Demon King.
『 World Fabrication : Failed 』
It wasn't created.
Is it because I've never seen it before, so it can't be created?
No. That doesn't seem to be the case.
So, I decided to do one experiment.
『 World Fabrication : Activity Variable Input [Smile] 』
The fabricated Dante doesn't smile.
So, I looked in the mirror and smiled, then tried again.
『 World Fabrication : Activity Variable Input [Smile] 』
The fabricated Dante also smiled brightly. Like a villain plotting something evil.
This confirmed it.
The standard for fabrication is not experience but 'imagination.'
You can't fabricate what you can't imagine.
'I couldn't smile because I couldn't imagine myself smiling.'
Even when I did smile, it wasn't a pleasant smile.
A smile like a demon with malicious intentions…
Okay. I've gained quite a bit of understanding so far.
Lastly.
If I invest a little more mana.
I can also fabricate space.
『 World Fabrication : Space Fabrication [Flower Garden] 』
Without context, without water or soil.
Flowers suddenly blooming like that.
Soon, me and my entire room are covered in colorful flowers.
When I spread my hand, a dandelion appears.
'If I go a little further from here, something like this might be possible.'
『 World Fabrication : Space Fabrication [Near Death] 』
In an instant—the world around me is plunged into darkness.
A realm where time, space, and everything is distorted.
Even virtual senses can be granted here.
'…So, even senses can be fabricated.'
For example, let's say my wrist is cut off.
Then my hand falls to the floor. Holding a jet-black flower.
Thud-
Of course, it's an illusion. My hand is actually fine.
But it won't be easy to notice.
'It feels like the sensation in my hand is blocked. Even I feel like it's really cut off.'
It was after continuing to manipulate the illusion for about 30 minutes.
I felt something hot on my nose, and when I touched it, blood was flowing. I hurriedly stopped 『World Fabrication』. The flower garden and the severed wrist disappeared, revealing the normal room.
'I'm dizzy.'
< [MP] : 14 / 1,100 >
< You are afflicted with the [Overload] status ailment. >
It was because I poured out too much mana in too short a time. I decided to stop training at this point.
I washed with hot water and lay down on the bed. My brain was melting, and I was losing consciousness.
Suddenly, an interesting thought occurred to me. I've suffered so much today. What if I wake up and I'm unexpectedly at home?
That would be funny. It was all just a dream…
-
Professor. It's morning!
…Yeah.