NoveLight ™
Rhythmic gymnastics requires a lot of skill. Normally, even building a body with enough flexibility is no easy task. But in Infinity Black, most player characters have ideal physiques.
This means that with this body, I could train even high-level movements.
“Let’s start with a basic handstand. Place your hands on the ground and kick up into a handstand position.”
As I explained, I assumed the position, holding my legs straight and balanced. I could see Sulbbang’s face in the inverted view.
He looked away slightly, as if purposely avoiding eye contact with me. That furrowed my brow a bit. What's with that? You told me to show you, and I’m doing it.
“Hey, don’t look away. If you’re not watching, then neither are the viewers.”
“I mean, yeah, but...”
“Sorry. It’s nothing.”
Sulbbang trailed off.
If he had something to say, he should just say it. He hesitated but eventually turned his gaze back to me. Since he wasn’t saying much, it probably wasn’t anything important.
“This is a basic position. Try to get to this point without using any momentum. Go slow.”
“...”
“Should I show you again? When your balance is off, think about tightening your core. And then...”
In VR, even if something goes wrong, there’s no risk of injury. This body was perfectly prepared, and the game offered absolute safety. It was the perfect environment for trying challenging moves.
Plus, gymnastics includes a variety of events. It’s great for moving your body in different environments. Acrobatics on blades are based on the balance beam, and with enough practice on vaults, bars, or rings, you can adapt to all kinds of terrain.
I maintained my demonstration position and glanced at the chat. Some viewers were trying it themselves.
See? It’s not as easy as it looks. Physical movements don’t fully register until you’ve tried them yourself. Just having a good body doesn’t mean you can pull it off as easily as athletes do.
As I watched, I felt a sense of pride. Their reactions were cute, and I felt myself smiling. It felt like I was on a bit of a high.
Streaming was more enjoyable than I thought. It was amazing to see so many people interested in what I had to say, focused on me. And the viewer count had crossed into the four digits—who knew where the buzz had come from?
“It’s not supposed to be easy, so take your time. Once you’re comfortable, you can try extending your legs like this. It’s called a handstand split.”
“Hey, hey!”
“Huh? What? Stop bothering me.”
“...Alright, do what you want.”
Maintaining my balance, I slowly shifted my legs. My right leg moved forward, and my left leg back, creating a perfect line with my body.
As a seasoned gymnast, I could even hold this pose with one arm. I could even walk on a balance beam like this, but here I just moved my arms forward to keep walking.
Sulbbang looked completely bewildered. My moves must have really amazed him, and a triumphant smile naturally spread across my face.
See? Impressive, right? I felt that way the first time I saw a gymnast perform.
In the training village, you get chances to meet athletes who practice completely different sports. That’s when I became curious and started trying different exercises. Luckily, I had a knack for it.
“With enough flexibility, you just need confidence. And after some practice… whoops.”
After holding the split, I rotated my legs slowly to the sides. I took a few steps, stood up, and then did a small jump. I noticed a sturdy branch nearby.
It wasn’t entirely even, but it was solid enough. Grabbing the branch, I swung myself around, flipped in the air, and executed a few more moves before landing on the ground.
As soon as I landed, a donation came in.
「SpankMaster has donated 100,000 Won」
「Gawol, you’re amazing! Can you do this move too?」
「(Attached image)」
A small fortune that could buy dozens of packs of ramen!
Plus, the content of the message was right up my alley. I was brimming with enthusiasm—money had a way of igniting passion.
The attached image showed a pose with one leg raised into a standing split. I’d never seen it before, but it wasn’t quite the same as a standing split. Was this a ballet move?
I’d never actually tried ballet. It seemed too artistic for me. But raising my leg in a standing split was doable.
“I think I can pull this off. I’ll give it a try.”
“Oh, uh, alright…”
The final step was holding my leg with my hand. Once I grabbed my ankle, I found a stable position. The stretch as I extended felt pretty good.
Though, wasn’t the previous move more challenging?
I guess they were enjoying this, so it was fine. If they liked it, I’d call it a success. People’s reactions were always unpredictable.
「HairLossTreatment has donated 30,000 Won」
「Can you do this one too?」
「(Attached image)」
「SpankMaster has...」
Wait. It was more than just good reactions—they kept pouring in. Was it all catching up at once? All sorts of images filled Sulbbang’s stream.
The next one involved keeping my chest and arms flat on the ground while lifting my hips. Was this yoga? This could put a lot of strain on your back in real life. But it seemed doable, so I slowly raised my hips.
“This is easy. You guys are underestimating me.”
“Wait, wait! Stop!”
“What now?”
“Do you even realize what you’re doing?”
What was he talking about? Wasn’t I just showing a few poses?
Using gymnastics or yoga for sexual arousal is just plain wrong. These are exercises, methods of self-improvement. If someone displays a beautifully executed pose, it should be met with applause, not lewdness.
I wasn’t the one who should feel ashamed.
The ones who should be embarrassed are those zooming in on my handstand pose or taking screenshots of my split stance. And the ones who got banned for typing “I want to bury my face in Gawol’s thighs” as soon as I arched my back.
Sending lustful glances toward an athlete is rude. It’s unfathomable. I have no reason to feel ashamed.
“Haaaah…”
My rational mind knew that. But my fragile mind had already crumbled under the weight of embarrassment.
I felt like I was going to die from the shame. My face burned so much I couldn’t help but try to hide it. I felt like if I took my hands away, steam would start rising from my face.
It’s not like I haven’t shown some skin before. In the arena, there were times when my clothes were torn, and assassin costumes tend to have a lot of exposure anyway. But this felt different.
That was in battle. This time, I’d done it on my own excitement.
‘Plus, seeing them all together like this… it does look a bit…’
Gymnastics naturally reveals the body’s lines. And even to my own eyes, Gawol’s body was strikingly beautiful.
In the photo, I was stretching out, exposing my side and underarm. The pale skin and sleek lines of my body were emphasized. When those images were zoomed in with such overt intent, it was hard to view them innocently.
If even I felt this way, how must others feel?
I was a man once, so I knew—this would stick around for a while. Especially those photos where my legs and hips were visible; they wouldn’t leave people’s minds. Gawol’s appearance was based on my real body with a few tweaks, which made it even more embarrassing.
Sulbbang walked over, looking worn out after finally ending the stream.
Thinking back, he’d tried to stop me a few times. I just hadn’t noticed in my frenzy.
“Hey. I ended the stream, but I’m deleting the recording, okay?”
“It’s fine…”
“What?”
“Deleting it won’t make it disappear completely. I was feeling good when I did it, so if I delete it, only the bad parts will remain.”
Sometimes, people talk about loss with optimism. They’ll say, “It wasn’t all bad,” or “I learned something,” because otherwise, it’s just a loss.
I couldn’t do that quite yet… but I could relate a bit.
For the first time, I enjoyed being the center of attention in a stream. It wasn’t like before, where I borrowed someone else’s light. It felt like I had something that sparkled all on my own.
Maybe it was just a sweet dream. But that was okay. I wouldn’t have nightmares tonight. Even though Han Da-eun in real life was a mess, tonight, at least, I could sleep peacefully.
So, this was just a small incident. If someone went too far… well, I could always track down their game nickname later.
I wanted to keep this memory, even if it embarrassed me.
But, yeah, I still felt pretty embarrassed.
“Haaah…”