Glorious Vanity (SI LitRPG)

The plan was simple. While I wasn't sure of it, I was fairly certain that I could use [World Creator (Minor)] to make things as long as I could see where they were.

After all, it said that I could construct non-magical items through my 'will' and the expanded description mentioned it only being limited by what I could 'envision.'

But that, taken together, meant that I could use it everywhere that I could 'see.' And with my drone...

A grassy plain slowly becoming darker with the setting sun. The obsidian fortress with those banners and flags. And then in the distance, sparks and other CG-like effects flying out from the first fortress.

Thankfully, there weren't any monsters nearby... Though I did catch sight of that Shade that the Administrator sent after me.

It was hard to see from the camera alone, especially in the dark, but a screenshot let me take a closer look.

A black mass of smoke with crimson eyes. And then in the midst of it, a glowing violet core crackling with red energy.

Like I had thought, it was a ghost-type monster thing... though the fact that it had an obvious weak spot meant that the Administrator wasn't *completely* trying to kill us off.

Or maybe he wanted to but couldn't?

I didn't know, but it didn't matter too much what he really thought.

In any case, the other Chosen were still busy at the first fortress and probably would spend the night there to prepare... Well, after dealing with the Shade that was making a mad dash in their direction.

I bet around half of the people there would die, but those four would be fine.

And probably get a special reward for killing that thing, making them even stronger...

I sighed. "Damned MC-type people."

If only I had as much of a cheat as they did. It'd be nice to just face tank everything and casually rip them apart.

But no. I had to think about how to use my skills and figure out how to not get instakilled by the monsters or collateral damage like half of the people in the beginning did.

Shaking my head, I moved the drone closer towards the Imperial Fortress to get a better look.

Because it was dark, it was hard to see... Ordinarily.

Fortunately, I had a night vision camera installed on the drone... Is what I would like to say.

But I didn't. That type of drone had been way too expensive at the time.

I knew how they worked, and I had a feeling I could tinker around with the drone to add that function to its camera, but it would take too long and, quite frankly, it was unnecessary.

"Let's see..." I carefully stared at the screen and muttered, "Gas would be best, but I can't 'see' that, so it won't work. But sawdust and flour should, right?"

Even in the dark of the fading sun, those materials would stick out.

So then... I imagined it.

A giant package of flour, falling down and covering the castle. Pure white refined dust, filling the air and blanketing the area.

The moment I did, I saw it. Just like everything else I made with [World Creator (Minor)], it popped into view almost immediately.

But this time was a bit different.

"Gah."

A headache. Not too bad, but strong enough to be annoying. Like going too long without coffee after staying up all night.

I glared at the tablet and muttered, "This had better work the first time."

If it didn't, I might have to resort to Plan B and charge in myself... which would be bad.

But I focused.

The flour was successfully created and dropped. Now all that was missing was a spark.

I *could* use my skill to make a spark as well. I was fairly sure something like that would work... but I had something better.

[Flames of Muspell (Heavily Degraded)] let me summon a tiny ember of Ragnarok's flames. But the skill didn't mention anything about limitations on where or how.

If this didn't work, I would have to go back to the drawing board. But I had a good feeling that it would.

First, send the drone higher so that it wouldn't get caught in the blast.

Next, thicken the steel walls by a few feet just in case since I was so close to the blast radius.

And last...

[Flames of Muspell (Heavily Degraded) is activated.]

...The spark-

*BOOM*

An ear-splitting explosion, even to me, stuck underneath the bunker. The steel walls shuddered, even twisting a bit. But thankfully they held up.

It seemed like it was the smart move to reinforce them before I did the explosion.

But...

"Did it work?"

I muttered and took a look back at the tablet screen.

The drone had been high enough to not get caught in the bulk of the explosion, but it seemed that it was still affected. The camera display was a bit grainy now, distorted almost like it had melted a bit. And it was continuing to distort too.

The reason for that was clear.

"...Huh."

Towering flames that were a pure and unnatural red hue, almost like blood, covered the entire area. Judging from the fact that the camera lens was distorting, it also seemed to be radiating immense heat-

An ominous screeching.

I glanced to the side and saw the steel walls quickly turning red, molten drops falling to the ground.

"...Maybe I should have thought this through a bit more."

I wasn't affected by the heat right now, but I had a feeling that having a couple tons of molten steel collapse around me would definitely be fatal.

So before that happened, I changed it out, leaving just a giant hole in the ground.

Almost immediately, the crimson flames surged down, covering the area.

The remote control burned up. The tablet erupted, sparking as the lithium battery went up into flames, joining the crimson ones.

I flinched, panicking for a moment. But then I realized that they weren't hot.

No, that wasn't true. If I focused, they felt mildly warm. Like a faint ray of sunlight.

And from the harsh crackling of the dirt surrounding me that was getting turned into glass, or whatever material that it turned into when torched, the flames seemed to be the real deal.

But not only that...

[Imperial Guard has perished.]
[Imperial Guard has perished.]
.
.
.
[Imperial Swordsman has perished.]
[Dungeon Guardian has perished.]

[Your level has increased. Please confirm your status.]
[Your despicably effective tactic has been acknowledged. Intelligence +1.]
[A trickster god is amused at the nostalgic sight and bestows a gift. Vitality +3.]
[A herald of the end is furious at your actions and curses you. It has failed.]

[Mission: <By any means possible, capture the Imperial Fortress's Dungeon Core> completed!]
[Your level has increased. Please confirm your status.]
[10 bonus stat points have been awarded. Please confirm your status.]
[Necessary Skill Awakening is awarded.]
[Seeking for the most suitable skill for the user...]
[<Disengage> has been awarded. Please confirm your status.]

[Hidden Objectives Completed: <Destroy the Dungeon Core>, <Slay all of the Imperial Forces>]
[10 bonus stat points have been awarded. Please confirm your status.]

"Dammit." I stared at the barrage of messages and ran my right hand through my hair. "So much for not making a scene..."

And what was up with those last few messages? A trickster god, a herald of the end... Was this setup like the Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint then? Were everything 'scenarios' that served as entertainment for the gods?

[Scenario 1: Battlefield has been completed. Preparing transportation of all Chosen into Scenario 2: Dungeon Raid.]

So that was a yes. Dammit. And it seemed like there was no avoiding people in Scenario 2... those guys probably arranged it knowing what I did.

White light surrounded me, just like in that starting chamber. The start of another teleportation sequence.

I sighed and waited for it to finish... And then I remembered.

"W-Wait!" I glanced at the ground at the items from my Starter Bag.

The light intensified, meaning the transportation would occur any minute. But that light wasn't surrounding my items.

"Dammit! No one told me I had to hold onto them!"

There wasn't time to grab all of them. Since that was the case, I chose the one that should be the most useful and grabbed the Full Restore.

The moment I did...

[Commencing transfer.]

...The surroundings vanished, consumed in light.

-V-

[Status Screen]

-Biography-

Name: Vain Glory

Age: 20 (Adjusted)

Race: Human (Heaven Defying)

Current Condition: Healthy

-Racial Traits-

Divine Anathema - Those not only forsaken by their gods, but those who have killed their gods and constructed their own. Drastically reduces effectiveness of Divine Attacks. Minor probability of obtaining partial Divine Authority through analysis and perception. Greatly increased hostility by Divine Beings.

-Traits-

Man of a Thousand Faces (Can filter emotions and experience through personas)

Well-Read (Increased intelligence growth)

Self-Determined (Luck is treated as 100 for calculations)

-Titles-

World Creator (Minor) - Allows construction of non-magical items through one's will

Hero Creator (Minor) - Removes growth limitations on user and their allies

-Parameters-

Level: 4

Strength: 14

Agility: 12

Vitality: 12

Intelligence: 50

Mana: 30

Luck: 15 [100]

Bonus Stat Points: 40

-Skills-

No One's Story - A gambit that defies the gods through sacrificing one's identity and very memory. All attempts to scry your status are denied. Removes skill requirements. Memory and visualization abilities are enhanced.

A Different Path - Direct interference with a hero's fate, granting him a new path and divergent futures. Allows reproduction of 'conceptual weapons' provided the requisite materials. Allows reproduction of 'sword skills' provided the requisite understanding.

Flames of Muspell (Heavily Degraded) - A miniscule spark of the flames that will harken the end in Ragnarok. However, though miniscule, it is still an authentic spark of the world-consuming flames. Immune to all but extreme temperature changes. Mild resistance to Absolute Zero or Absolute Flame. Can summon a tiny ember of Ragnarok's flames.

First Aid - A basic healing spell that stops bleeding and accelerates the body's natural regeneration.

Disengage - A skill that allows the user to immediately retreat from battle as well as return the user's condition to the state prior to engaging in combat. Can be used once per engagement per hostile opponent.

-Inventory-

Full Restore x1