Chapter 40
I'm about to start review sex. Maybe I really am being ruled by my dick. Hwa Yujin thought as he reflected on himself. He'd always figured he was a more rational guy. That he could obviously control his own desires. But it wasn't that easy.
Listing out every single one of his sexual fantasies and sending them to the woman he loved—that was peak humiliation play. Normally, he'd want to die from shame. But blooming in Yujin's chest was a faint sense of anticipation. No, and why not? She was promising to fulfill every sex fantasy he had. And the one saying it was the woman he loved. Was there a man in the world whose heart wouldn't pound at that? No, there wasn't. Absolutely not.
Wasn't it only natural for a man to stay up all night wondering when that day would come? When she'd call for him again? Guys his age who didn't get like this were the abnormal ones. But every time his delusions threatened to replace his brain with semen, Yujin remembered Hyowon's teary voice. And just like that, his lust was replaced by guilt.
"You fucking idiot. Hyowon got so hurt, and here you are thinking only of yourself."
Hyowon had declared she'd fulfill all his sex fantasies—not because she liked Yujin. Just because she didn't want to die. Because she wanted revenge on her parents' killer. That was all. Sure, it was awkward, but he couldn't just brush it off like it was fine.
Guilt and lust swapped places dozens of times a day, nearly giving him bipolar disorder. Those days that felt like a thousand years finally passed, and 'that day' arrived once more.
"It's not just us humans who can handle qi. In fact, monsters handle it even better the higher up the hierarchy you go," Instructor Sonya explained.
For the first-year cadets who'd entered the Academy precisely because they were special as humans who could wield qi, this was pretty shocking. It meant what they'd thought was their uniqueness wasn't so special to monsters.
"Of course, they can all use the Three Core Laws too. They just don't call them that. Especially when it comes to Sense Qi, any half-assed attempt to slip out of their sight is meaningless. The higher up you go, the more monsters perceive the world not through sensory organs, but through Sense Qi."
You had to understand that to deal with monsters. Saying so, Sonya clasped her hands behind her back. In that state, she punched every single cadet!
…Or so it seemed. Of course, that was impossible. Physically landing punches on dozens of cadets with your hands tied behind you? No way. It was just the illusion. The cadets mistook it for reality because the sensation was so vivid.
"I just punched every one of you. You felt it, right?"
Of course, no one without that level of sensitivity would've gotten into the Academy.
"This is an application of Emit Qi. Your body stays still, but you fire off qi that makes it feel like you're moving, tricking the opponent. Call it qi presence or whatever."
They say masters of martial arts can predict an opponent's next move just from muscle tension. Who knows if that's true, but in the world of qi, it was real. Those who'd honed Sense Qi to a razor's edge fought by reading qi flows to predict moves. And this technique exploited that feature. Known as Illusion Technique—an advanced application of Emit Qi.
A skill to fool others into thinking the still is moving, or the moving is still.
"Don't think learning Illusion Technique means you can use it in real combat right away. It won't work on someone with crap Sense Qi, and against someone who's mastered it, they might see through your intent. But used right at the perfect moment? Its tactical value is immeasurable."
With that declaration to begin practice, she had them pair up in twos.
"First, observe your partner's movements. Memorize how their qi flows with those movements. Then copy it with Emit Qi. Master that perfectly, and you've gotten everything this class offers. Begin!"
Yujin's partner spot was, of course, taken by Hyowon as if it were natural. Basically, Joo Hyowon's partner was always Hwa Yujin. The other cadets were so convinced she wouldn't tolerate him pairing with another girl… Well, reality was a bit different, but it was true she gave Yujin special care.
"Pay proper attention in this class."
"Huh? Obviously. I take every class seriously, you know."
"I know. But listen extra hard to this one. No matter what else, you have to master Illusion Technique as soon as possible."
"…? Why?"
Was some dangerous situation coming up soon? With other cadets, he might dismiss it, but coming from Hyowon, it inspired inexplicable trust. Looking down at her serious face, she met his gaze with equal gravity.
"Tonight, when you get back to the dorm, don't go to sleep early. Stay awake. Got it?"
Yujin didn't ask why. As long as that dead-serious expression was aimed at him, no other reason mattered.
Time passed, lights-out came and went. In the quiet room filled only with his roommate's steady breathing, Yujin stared wide-eyed at the dark ceiling. Why stay awake? And until when? As those thoughts bubbled up, his vision suddenly lit up.
"Hm?"
It wasn't the fluorescent lights. His roommate's breathing was unchanged. The light shone precisely on Yujin's face alone. The source was probably outside the window. Normally, by light's principles, pinpointing just his face from outside without a mirror midway was impossible.
But Yujin could guess one person who could make it happen. He turned toward the window, where the light beamed from. Sure enough—Joo Hyowon.
"Already handling her Unique Ability this casually? She's seriously out of spec."
Well, she'd repelled monsters beyond Hero Candidate level solo using her ability, so this level of control was probably nothing. He couldn't guess Hyowon's exact intent, but she wanted him to come out. Yujin quickly threw on simple clothes and hurried to her.
A man and woman sneaking out of the dorm late at night. Suppressing his heart's frantic reaction to those keywords. Calm down, heart. It might not be that yet.
Hyowon waited in a modest artificial forest built for Gather Qi training. Outside gates, qi handling difficulty spiked, but life-filled places like forests had the lowest barrier, hence its creation.
There, in her uniform under the moonlight, Hyowon stood with her back to a tree.
…She's beautiful.
This wasn't his first time seeing nighttime Hyowon. He'd escorted her briefly at Ayumi's urging, and the gate incident was at night too. Their first time started in the evening but lasted till dawn. Still, right now, bathed in moonlight against the tree, she shone with the beauty of a night spirit.
They weren't even officially dating, but just being in the time and space where he could love a woman like that made him proud.
"Oh, you came? Faster than I thought."
"Y-yeah… What's up?"
To Yujin's question, Hyowon flashed a sly smile and jabbed his chest.
"What's up? You really have to ask? You already know. You're looking forward to it right now."
The dry swallow in his throat felt vividly chilling. He was definitely anticipating it. Even knowing his actions might hurt her, he couldn't suppress the burning lust, the urge to hold her.
"We doing it?"
"Yeah. A man and woman sneaking out of the dorm on a dark night. With conditions perfect like this, you gonna do nothing? That's light novel bullshit."
Saying so, Hyowon undid the buttons at her chest. Yujin nearly gasped at the sight revealed between the parted uniform.
"Y-you…! N-no way, you're not wearing anything underneath?"
No camisole, not even a bra—the vivid pink nipples stood out clearly. His eyeballs nearly exploded at their seductive, perfect shape.
"You like this stuff."
Of course he did! Obviously! He wanted to question if any man who didn't even qualified as one. But, but—
"W-we can't do it here. What if we get caught? At least hide our bodies somewhere else."
His reason was still functioning. Outdoor sex wasn't something you just did lightly. The risks were insane compared to the gains. A sense of responsibility pushed him to at least change locations after soothing her.
But the woman Yujin loved boasted ideas far beyond his.
"Hey, what'd you learn today?"
"What I learned?"
"The class I told you to pay attention to. What was it?"
"What? The technique to deceive opponents about your actions by emitting qi…"
Yujin got it instantly.
"With my Light and DarknessUnique Ability manipulating light and shadow, no one can spot us visually. And with Illusion Technique, even Sense Qi won't detect us."
Sex and lesson review at the same time. Perfect 1+1 synergy.
"If you don't wanna get caught, you gotta internalize what we learned in class properly. Right?"
Wow, is this girl seriously insane? But including that, he loved her way too much!