Twin Contrasts

Elara had woken up, still feeling drowsy. After Nam had fainted, his father had called a doctor, and they had watched over him all night. Elara yawned and slowly opened her eyes.

She noticed that Nam wasn't in bed. Her eyes widened—she was both worried and scared. Where had he gone? More importantly, how had he left?

Just as she was about to call her father, time stopped. The world and the sun were watching from the rooftop of another house.

The sun played with his hair and sighed, "Who played with the rules of the universe again?" He sounded irritated.

The world replied calmly, "Who else? Of course, them!"

The sun let out another sigh. "So, are you going to deal with it, or should I?"

The world smirked slightly. "Of course, I'll go. You keep holding time still."

The sun continued to play with his hair, feeling even more bored. "Understood..." The world then disappeared.

Yin and Yang is a concept from Chinese philosophy that represents the balance of opposites in the universe. It symbolizes the coexistence of contrasting elements in nature and all aspects of life.

Nam was in an endless void. Unlike before, it wasn't black—it was gray. He felt afraid, as if he were about to die.

He could hear a few voices, but he didn't understand them. On one side of him stood a completely black figure with white eyes, while on the other was a completely white figure with black eyes.

The black one grinned mischievously. "Is he asleep? Let's draw on his face with blood!"

The white one touched Nam's arm. "I don't know. Should we wake him up? Also, no, I can't draw. Let's just wake him!"

The black one grabbed the white one's hand. "Don't touch him! You'll wake him up."

A wide, sinister grin spread across the black one's face. "Can I kill him? Please, please, I'll do whatever you want!"

The white one shook his head. "Of course not! First, let's cut off his arm. If he doesn't scream, we'll kill him. If he does, we'll make him suffer!"

The black one placed a hand on his forehead. "Ah, you're right. I always forget. Let's cut off his arm!"

Both of them grinned wickedly, but their fun was interrupted by a cold voice from behind.

The world had arrived. He wore a high-collared, dark navy fitted jacket with slight armor pieces on his shoulders. A hat rested on his head. Below, he wore dark brown fitted pants and plain leather boots—not flashy, but sturdy.

"Who are you?" his voice was steady, unimpressed.

The grins on the black and white figures' faces vanished, turning into expressions of anger instead.

The black one spoke furiously. "Are you the one they call ******?"

The world lifted his hat slightly and gave a slight bow. "The one and only."

The white one pointed a finger at him. "Then why are you here?" His anger intensified. "According to the rules, you can't be here!"

The world smirked mockingly. "Oh, really? But weren't you the ones who broke the rules first?"

The black and white figures summoned Crescent Reapers—black held the white one, while white held the black one. They stood close together, their backs barely touching. Both gripped their scythes tightly.

The black one lunged first, while the white one attempted to trap the world from behind.

The world swiftly drew his Cosmic Fangs, holding one in reverse and the other normally. His stance was balanced, feet slightly apart, arms flexible and ready. Then, he charged forward.

The black one swung his scythe quickly but couldn't make a wide arc. He stomped the ground to gain more speed, but the world barely dodged, stepping back swiftly.

Now, the black one was in front of him, and the white one was behind him. Normally, he would have formed a plan, but this time, he had forgotten to.

Both figures lunged at the same time—yet suddenly, the world vanished.

They both looked around, surprised.

The black one huffed, "Hey, that's cheating! You disappeared!" He scratched his head in frustration.

The world reappeared diagonally behind the black one, and before he could react, a dagger was already flying toward him.

The black one barely managed to dodge, but the dagger still left a cut on his cheek. Strangely, no blood came out. The dagger continued flying past him.

The white one took the opportunity and rushed forward from behind, aiming to strike.

Realizing he couldn't dodge in time, the world used his telekinesis to call back the dagger.

The white one noticed and tried to block it with his scythe, but he was too late.

The returning dagger pierced straight through the black one's head.

The black one let out a painful scream—he hadn't even seen it coming.

The world scoffed. "Aren't you mad about your friend's death?"

The white one remained calm. "It's just a game, isn't it? He'll come back once the game ends."

He suddenly spun and swung his scythe at full speed, but the world disappeared once more. His attack struck

The white one's attack struck nothing but empty air. The black one had collapsed to the ground, motionless.

The white one scanned his surroundings cautiously—there was no sign of the world anywhere. He was beginning to feel uneasy.

Then, without warning, the world appeared directly above him. Before the white one could react, a dagger slashed through his neck in a swift, clean motion.

The world landed gracefully, retrieving the dagger from the black one's skull. He shook his head with mild disappointment. "Stop pretending."

At his words, both figures stirred.

The white one smirked. "Oh? So you figured it out?"

The black one let out a sigh. "Sorry, but we're in a bit of a hurry."

The white one narrowed his eyes. "We'll leave the kid with you."

Without another word, both figures vanished into thin air.

The world exhaled. Fighting two people at once wasn't easy. He turned to Nam, his sharp gaze locking onto him.

"Stop pretending to be unconscious. I've seen far better actors in my lifetime."

Nam opened his eyes and frowned. "It's not like I was trying to be perfect at it."

The world didn't respond, but Nam couldn't ignore the question burning inside him.

"Why did you save me?" His voice was serious, almost demanding. He wasn't particularly grateful—just curious.

The world smirked slightly. "Why? Because it was my job."

Nam was taken aback. Was this a normal isekai situation, or was this some kind of death-filled mystery where everyone eventually died?

(Author's Note: Don't worry, not everyone will die.)

The world continued, his tone firm. "You'll be returning soon. When you do, act normal."

Nam hesitated for a moment but then nodded.

The next time he blinked, he found himself back in his bedroom, drenched in sweat. His muscles ached from tension.

Elara, who looked both worried and scared, was just about to call for her father when she noticed Nam moving.

"Nam?! What happened?" Her voice was shaken with concern.

Nam was confused. "E-Elara? What's wrong?"

Elara blinked, seeming a little disoriented. She muttered to herself, "Maybe I was too sleepy to notice earlier..."

Scratching her head, she sighed. "It's nothing. But are you okay? You fainted yesterday."

Nam forced a small smirk. "I'm fine, don't worry."

Elara puffed her cheeks in mild frustration. "Liar. You wouldn't be like this if you were fine! Whatever, just stay here—I'll go get your medicine."

She left the room, and Nam was left alone with his thoughts.

"Who were those people?" he muttered to himself.

He pulled back the blanket and sat up slightly. His eyes drifted toward the bedside table, where the necklace lay. Yet... he wasn't afraid.

He realized something strange—he truly didn't feel any fear. Was it because he had met Larod? Or was it because of what had just happened?

No matter what the answer was, Nam still felt a deep, lingering sadness.

He lay back down and waited for Elara to return.

Meanwhile, the world had returned. The sun was still lying on the rooftop, eyes closed. Without opening them, he lazily spoke.

"Judging by your face, I'm guessing you won?"

The world smirked proudly. "Of course. Do you really think—"

The sun cut him off. "I don't have time to listen to you brag."

The world sighed.

"Move quickly. We still need to go further south."

The sun nodded in understanding.