Inside the river, Lucifer felt the gentle warmth of the water as he scrubbed his body clean.
It was more than just a physical cleansing.
To him, it felt like a baptism, as though he were washing away the remnants of his old life and the burdens that came with it.
Once he finished cleaning himself, a thought crossed his mind.
Standing naked in the middle of the pool, he glanced toward his system interface.
[Creation Points: 5]
'This should work, right?' the youth wondered, hesitating briefly before allowing his thoughts to move.
In his mind, a detailed image began to form—simple and practical.
As though sensing what he was attempting, the system flickered softly.
[Detected the blueprint of a standard drying towel. This will cost 1 Creation Point. Proceed with creation?]
Lucifer's eyes widened as he read the message.
It felt surreal. For a moment, he was unsure what to feel.
Subconsciously, he nodded. "Yes."
The numbers shifted before his eyes.
[Creation Points: 4]
[The System Store has been unlocked.]
[System Store: An artificial space where all created physical equipment is stored. Please withdraw the item.]
Lucifer read through the message and noticed a flickering tab appearing on the corner of his display.
He blinked, tapped it—and immediately, he found himself standing inside a strange illusory space.
It stretched outward in all directions in a sterile expanse of white, though it somehow felt confined.
Within that mysterious area, floating gently in the center, was a single towel.
Lucifer reached out, his fingers brushing against the projection.
In that instant, the same object materialized in his physical hand.
'What? What?' Lucifer was stunned as he stared at the towel now resting in his palm.
It looked and felt exactly like a regular towel.
If he hadn't witnessed the process firsthand, he would have never imagined it was conjured through an ability.
He inhaled deeply, his expression shifting with realization.
'So this is the true power of my former F-rank ability, Creation, now evolved into the SSS-rank ability—Primordial Genesis?' Lucifer was speechless, struggling to fully grasp the magnitude of what he had just achieved.
After a moment, he composed himself and wrapped the towel around his body to dry off.
'If I can create a tangible object, then perhaps… I can create an ability too. Let me try recreating that F-rank talent I once saw. It should help mask my presence. If this works, I won't have to worry as I make my way back to the academy.'
With that in mind, Lucifer focused his thoughts, replaying the description of a minor talent one of his classmates had demonstrated.
It was a passive talent that suppressed one's presence, making it difficult for beasts to detect them.
The description quickly took shape in Lucifer's mind.
Just as before, the system shimmered and responded.
[Congratulations on designing the blueprint of an F-rank Ability. This will cost 2 Creation Points. Proceed with creation?]
Lucifer nodded quickly and braced himself.
His points dropped again.
[Creation Points: 2]
A moment later, a strange pressure bloomed inside his head.
A sharp headache struck him like a wave as knowledge poured into his mind.
The details of the ability engraved themselves forcefully into his consciousness.
He clutched his temples and groaned, trying to endure the sudden influx of information.
After several agonizing seconds, the pain receded. He exhaled heavily, his breath ragged.
Glancing down at his hands, Lucifer opened the system interface. A new line of text had appeared.
[Talent: F-Rank Stealth]
[Stealth: A low-grade ability that slightly conceals your presence. Causes extremely low-grade beasts to fail in detecting you. Cost: 1 Mana Point per hour.]
'Unbelievable… I actually acquired a new talent,' Lucifer thought, still stunned.
In a daze, he subconsciously activated the ability.
Thanks to his past experience using the F-rank Creation ability, the activation process came naturally.
He instantly felt a subtle shift. His aura diminished, and his presence faded slightly.
From a distance, his figure would blur at the edges, almost blending into the environment.
Sensing the mysterious transformation, Lucifer's eyes lit up.
'Primordial Genesis… What an unbelievably powerful ability!' he exclaimed internally.
Keeping the stealth talent active, he walked over to where he had hung his clothes, dressed quickly, and started heading back to the academy.
The return journey was more dangerous than usual, but with the newly acquired stealth talent, Lucifer handled it with ease.
Along the way, he took the opportunity to hunt down a few more beasts, raising his creation points from 2 to an impressive 10.5.
It was a significant gain. A real breakthrough.
…
After several hours, Lucifer finally arrived before the familiar academy gates.
They were massive—tall enough to tower over any average building.
Reinforced with bronze, the gates exuded strength, engraved with arcane symbols and protective runes.
Lucifer glanced downward. At the base of the gate stood two guards.
One was a muscular man with a thick mustache, while the other had a square jaw and the youthful look of someone in their early twenties.
Sensing an unfamiliar presence, both men instinctively tensed.
"State your identity!" the mustached guard barked, his voice low and gruff.
Lucifer halted and opened his mouth to reply, "Lucifer. Class One. I went on a dungeon clearing mission with my… friends."
His voice dropped slightly near the end, and a shadow passed over his eyes.
The mustached guard stepped closer, examining Lucifer more closely.
Then his eyes lit with recognition. He gave a faint smile and patted Lucifer on the shoulder.
"You may proceed. Your mission was supposed to end yesterday. Why are you only just returning?"
Lucifer said nothing in response.
The guard gave a resigned sigh and motioned for his partner to open the gate.
The square-faced man nodded and walked toward the gate, unlocking and pushing it open.
Lucifer cast one last glance at them, something unreadable flashing across his expression, before turning around and walking through the gates.
'Welcome back, Lucifer,' he muttered to himself as he stepped into the familiar streets, making his way toward his dormitory.
Back at the gate, the younger guard turned to his companion.
"It's unlike you to remember someone so… unremarkable. Is there something special about him?"
The mustached guard exhaled softly, his gaze distant.
"He's a victim of bullying. Used to come to me often, asking for help. But with the influence of the elite families, there's little I could do."
The other man nodded in silent understanding.
"In that case, it's best not to get involved. With a trash talent like his, there's no point in wasting effort."
The older guard gave a slow breath. "Yeah… I guess not."
…
Lucifer remained unaware of their conversation.
The dormitory was located a few hundred meters beyond the gate, positioned strategically to ensure students remained protected in the event of an attack on the academy.
Reaching the tall, imposing building, Lucifer stepped into the elevator and rode it to the third floor.
He walked down the quiet hallway and stopped at door number 204.
His head hung low as he pushed it open and stepped inside, where his roommates were waiting.