Yin-Yang Harmony (1)

At least one thing was relatively decent.

It was an excellent martial art right below EX rank. Unlike that unicorn divine art whose EX rating I couldn't make sense of, this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one I could fully accept. The only downside was that it was a demonic art. Learn a demonic art the wrong way and go berserk, and it'd be a total catastrophe. That was why one of the major boss mobs in Murim Electric had been a rampaging demon.

If it were a 'true' demonic art, it'd be better to throw it away. The knowledge forcibly injected into my head didn't give off that vibe, but still. You never know.

The real problem was everything else.

The name alone was suspicious. What the hell is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Conscience Departure? Honestly, all of these were minor issues. The real bomb was that dazzling 'Extreme Yang Body.' I thought anything EX-rank had to be good, but the moment I read the description, my breathing stopped.

When I checked the status window, my age was clearly listed as twenty. Adulthood was around that age. According to the description, there was a good chance I wouldn't survive past this year.

"This is insane."

I finally understood why they'd handed out such high-grade martial arts. The penalty was completely ridiculous.

"Hey, Han Yeoreum. Stop sleeping and wake up."

I nudged her with my foot. If I was in this state, she had to be the same.

"Mmm... Not there, Kim Mugong."

"Stop talking nonsense and get up!"

When I raised my voice, she finally sat up, looking disheveled.

"What is it? Where the hell are we?"

"I'll give you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the short version. We've dropped into the world of Murim Electric. Shout 'Status Window' to open it, and we've got knowledge forcibly injected into our heads. Check for yourself."

"...Okay."

Han Yeoreum, who had been blinking blankly, finally spoke. She must have drawn some kind of penalty too—her already pale skin now looked completely bloodless.

"Status Window."

She called it out timidly. After staring at her status window for a while, her eyes gradually widened.

"I have the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, Blood Hand Demonic Art, and the Sun Physique," I told her first. I couldn't bring myself to mention the Conscience Departure trait. She'd tease me about it for sure.

"...I've got EX-rank Heavenly Mountain Divine Female Art, SSS-rank Plain Hand Demonic Art, and EX-rank Moon Yin Physique. They're all yin-based. We're complete opposites, huh?"

If I had an extreme yang body and yang-type martial arts, she had an extreme yin body and yin-cold arts. It felt almost deliberately arranged.

"Did you read the description for your Moon Yin Physique?"

"...It says you die before reaching adulthood. No wonder my body feels so heavy."

"You too, huh..."

We'd both received the same time-bomb penalty. A perfect pair.

"Mine said to do Yin-Yang Harmony with an extreme yin woman. Does yours say extreme yang man? By the way, what even is Yin-Yang Harmony?"

The casual way I said it made Han Yeoreum's face flush bright red.

"You... you really don't know?"

Her tone was close to horror.

"Doesn't it mean balancing martial arts? Like taiji or something. Are we supposed to hold hands and train together?"

"Y-you... you dumbass!"

She practically shrieked.

"I'm seriously asking because I don't know. Why are you cursing at me?"

A wave of injustice hit me. To think I'd end up getting treated like this by Han Yeoreum.

"That..."

She lowered her head and placed a hand over her chest. Her face grew even redder.

"That?"

"Sex."

"What?"

"Sex! Damn it! Do I really have to say it out loud?"

Ah. I got it. So that's what Yin-Yang Harmony meant. I'd definitely heard the term before—why had I forgotten?

"So to survive, you and I have to have sex? That's what you're saying?"

"Y-yeah."

"Let's just die. What's the point of living?"

I let out a deep sigh. Have sex with her? No matter how you looked at it, that was impossible. What kind of sex was I supposed to have with the kid I'd known since she wore school uniforms? I wasn't an animal. The Conscience Departure trait wasn't controlling my brain. Begone, you perverted demon. Shoo, shoo.

"You're too much."

Han Yeoreum's eyes grew watery.

No, I said it out of consideration for her—why was she reacting like that?

"Calm down, kiddo. I see you as no different from my own little sister, so don't misunderstand. You can't have sex with your actual sister, right?"

"You bastard!"

She hurled the cat cushion beside her. The fluffy material meant there was no impact.

"Look, you're pretty. That's true. But that's separate from this."

"Who said I'd even do it with you?"

"Yeah, exactly. Let's just die. That seems way more comfortable. Besides, sex isn't the only option. An extreme yin or extreme yang elixir could solve it, right?"

"...That's impossible. Did you even look at our realms? In what lifetime would we find matching elixirs? Get a grip, Kim Mugong. We could die tomorrow."

Her words struck right at the heart of it. In truth, the only way for us to survive was to do it together. My head felt tangled. I'd joked about dying, but I had no real intention of going through with it. Even from the perspective of a veteran player like me, there was no immediate solution. It'd be better if we at least knew the time limit, but everything was uncertain. Like she said, my yang energy could explode and kill me as soon as tomorrow.

No answer.

Han Yeoreum sat there with her lips pressed tight, sulking.

"...Go wash up first."

In the end, those were the only words I could manage.

She gave a small nod and headed into the bathroom. I ran a palm over my forehead. How the hell had things come to this? After sleeping with her, could we really go back to how we were before? Just thinking about it made my chest feel tight.

Maybe because of the Conscience Departure trait, my thoughts came before my instincts. Still, I was only human. Of course I'd had dirty thoughts about her before. In the beginning, her defenseless attitude had caused me plenty of trouble. These days, though, no matter what she did, I only saw her as a cute little sister.

Why had I kept my distance from her? Thinking back now, the reason was stupid. It was just... pitiful. I wanted that little kid to be happy. So I never touched her. That was all.

While I sat with my chin in my hand, lost in thought, a strong scent of shampoo brushed my nose.

"...I'm out."

Han Yeoreum emerged wearing nothing but a single long towel. Her long, pure-white legs and the cleavage between her breasts were completely exposed.

"Yeah."

Feeling awkward, I stepped into the bathroom she'd just left. The hot steam and lingering fragrance made my head spin.

I showered thoroughly and came back out. Han Yeoreum wasn't in the living room. Following the faintly wet floor, I entered the master bedroom. She was lying on the luxurious bed, blanket pulled all the way up to her head, face buried downward.

I carefully slipped under the covers and lay down beside her. Soft skin brushed against my shoulder. The moist texture of her still-damp hair and the rich shampoo scent left me feeling hazy.

"I'll take it off."

She threw aside even the towel. We were both completely naked.

"Hold me."

She whispered it into my ear. I quietly turned onto my side and wrapped my arms around her. Her large, soft breasts pressed against my chest. Our legs tangled together.

We stared at each other from mere inches away. Even in the dim light, Han Yeoreum's face was beautiful. So beautiful it stole my breath. Had she always been this pretty?

"Damn, you're really beautiful."

"Do you have to curse even now?"

The girl who usually swore like it was breathing pouted her lips. The expression was so cute that I pulled her tightly into my arms.

A heated breath—impossible to tell whose—brushed across skin.

"...Kiss me."

Her eyelids slowly lowered. I carefully pressed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my lips to hers. I had zero experience with women. The same went for her. Thanks to the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, the moment our lips met I realized she was a pure virgin, untouched by any man. It was surprising. With her looks, it wouldn't have been strange if she changed partners every day.

In that moment, honestly, I felt relieved.

In the end, I was a man too. No matter how much I'd tried to deny it.

Our kiss was closer to clumsy bumping than actual kissing, but we kept at it. The fresh scent of toothpaste filled the air since we'd both just showered.

"You... can't kiss at all."

"It's my first time."

"...Yeah."

We pulled back for a moment. Han Yeoreum smiled with a dreamy look, then pressed her lips to mine again. This time more passionately. Lips against lips, sometimes teeth clashing, we gradually grew more skilled. Little by little, our tongues began to intertwine. Our heartbeats thundered.

Her hand slowly moved downward.

Thud. Her fingers brushed against my hardened length. She flinched and pulled back for a second, then carefully wrapped her hand around the shaft again. That soft, cool touch gripped my cock and began to explore it.

After a long kiss with tongues entangled, we parted slightly. A thin strand of saliva stretched between us before breaking.

"Can I look?"

It was obvious what she wanted to see.

"Yeah."

I nodded. She lifted the blanket a little and peered down.

"It's weird..."

With her mouth slightly open, she stared in a daze.

"First time seeing a guy's? Don't you watch porn?"

"I haven't watched porn, but I've had sex before, you know."

She glared at me defiantly. Had sex my ass. Even without the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, I could tell she was a virgin. Everything about her was clumsy from start to finish.

"Oh, sure. Since I'm a virgin, the experienced one should take the lead."

"L-lead?"

"I'll just lie here. You figure it out. You know, like getting on top."

"...On top? What's that? I've never done it."

She didn't know any of it, yet she still refused to admit she was a virgin. Cute. Why was she so cute? As expected, she was at her cutest when putting up that pointless pride.

The urge to tease her surged wildly. I suddenly grabbed her breast. Her nipple, already stiff from arousal, was gently rolled between my fingers.

"Eut...!"

She bit her lip to hold it in, but a sharp cry still escaped.

I gently pressed my cheek against the soft mound and lightly bit down on her nipple—just enough to sting without hurting.

Tap, tap! As if scolding me, she smacked my shoulder with her palm. A heated moan grazed my ear. Her faint resistance only excited me more. I swirled my tongue and sucked on her nipple.

"Stop...!"