Chapter 109: The Challenger from the Continent
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 109: The Challenger from the Continent
"Yes. A Korean man named Kim Yoo-Sung."
"..."
That's me.
I had no idea what this woman sitting in front of me wanted.
I'd never even seen her before today.
I wondered if she had some connection to the Kim Yoo-Sung from before I was transmigrated, but after searching through my memories, I couldn't find anything about her.
My mouth hung open for a moment before I finally asked, "Why are you looking for him?"
The Chinese woman let out a small laugh, hmph, and split her wooden chopsticks.
"For my personal training. I wanted to face the man who defeated the God of Destruction, Ivan—a great evil my master couldn't even overcome in his entire lifetime."
Ivan.
That guy again.
No matter how I thought about it, meeting him was probably the biggest mistake of my life.
She stared at me intently as she spoke.
"So, will you accept my challenge?"
"..."
Did this woman know who I was from the start and just pretend not to?
I met her provocative gaze, hesitating on how to respond.
Honestly, I wanted to avoid getting involved with people from the underworld as much as possible.
Just then, my father's voice called out from the kitchen.
"Yoo-Sung! Come get the meat!"
"Yes!"
After a short reply, I turned back to the woman.
"Could you give me some time to think? To be honest, this is all a bit sudden."
The woman nodded. "I can give you plenty of time to think. It will be a while before I finish my meal."
Wow, thanks a bunch.
I muttered inwardly and decided to focus on my job as a restaurant employee for the time being.
*
"Excuse me, more meat over here, please."
This mysterious Chinese woman had shown up out of nowhere, demanding a duel with me.
And she could eat.
Not just eat well—she ate an incredible amount.
As if ten servings of meat weren't enough, she was ordering more.
Anyone watching would think she was a competitive eater.
She'd definitely said she was alone, but as she kept ordering, Lee Mi-ja came out from the kitchen to watch, her eyes wide with shock as piles of meat vanished into the woman's stomach.
Watching a single woman demolish a portion that would feed three or four grown men, I was reminded that a martial artist was truly a martial artist.
Consuming that many calories in one sitting was no easy feat.
By the time she finally finished her meal, a full hour had passed.
After devouring a mountain of meat and rice as if she were born to eat, she asked me, "So, have you made your decision?"
"Ah, about that. Were you planning on fighting in the street?"
The Chinese woman nodded without a moment's hesitation.
"Yes. There are no other options."
"I know someone who runs a dojo. If we're going to fight anyway, why don't we do it there?"
The woman seemed to hesitate for a second before agreeing.
"The location doesn't matter. Very well. Let's do that."
Thanking her for her understanding, I handed her the bill.
"That will be 18,150 yen in total, ma'am."
"Do you take cards?"
"Of course."
Whatever else happened, I had to make sure the bill was paid.
*
The place I took the assassin from the continent—no, the Chinese woman who'd suddenly appeared—was the judo dojo run by the father of Yaguchi Maiya, one of the heroines from Scramble Love.
I'd actually thought of this place because I'd recently heard from the protagonist, Ryuji, that she lived in the same neighborhood.
I was also hoping to get a peek at the old-school jujutsu style called 'Mujin-ryu' that he'd learned, but that seemed like it would be difficult.
"Wow! It's Li Meiling!"
"The Fist Saint of China!"
"This is the first time I've seen a celebrity from TV in person!"
"Please sign this for me!"
The moment we stepped into the dojo, the students of the Yaguchi Dojo completely surrounded us.
"You seem pretty famous," I said, bewildered.
Li Meiling crossed her arms and nodded. "I'm the winner of the recent GOF."
"GOF?"
I'd heard of it.
It was an international openweight fighting tournament hosted by the Easter Egg Company—the company founded by Sasha's father, Ivan—with no age or gender restrictions.
The winner of a tournament like that was bound to be extraordinarily skilled. I honestly couldn't understand why someone so incredible had come looking for me.
Am I really rated that highly?
Anyway, once you've drawn your sword, you have to at least cut a radish. I figured I'd just go along with the spar for a bit.
She'd probably be satisfied and go home after that.
Just then, Maiya's father approached us.
He bowed his head to the Chinese woman and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Li Meiling. I am Yaguchi Kenjiro, the master of this dojo. It is an honor to meet such a world-famous fighter in person."
"The pleasure is mine."
When Yaguchi's father offered his hand with a stream of flattery, she kindly accepted it for a handshake.
At this point, there was no doubt she was a celebrity, but since I rarely watch TV, I had no way of knowing what she actually did.
Then, Yaguchi, the dojo's assistant instructor, sidled up to us, bowed deeply to Li Meiling, and held something out.
"Miss Li! I've been a fan for so long! Could I please have your autograph?"
As if this were a familiar situation, Li Meiling skillfully signed the notebook she was offered before asking, "Name?"
It was short and in Japanese, but the meaning got across. Yaguchi replied joyfully, "Please write 'To Maiya'!"
"Got it."
So she's older than her. I'd seen so many people who lied about their age lately that I was starting to doubt even those who looked their age.
Like a true superstar, she skillfully signed autographs not just for Yaguchi but for all the kids in the dojo who asked. When she realized I'd been waiting for a while, she looked startled and bowed her head.
"My apologies. I got distracted."
"It's fine. I understand."
I was surprised to find that her character wasn't as bad as I'd thought, given her honest apology.
At least she didn't seem like the type to act like a jerk, unlike Ivan.
Finally, the two of us stood facing each other in the center of the dojo run by Yaguchi's father.
I could read the quiet fighting spirit in her eyes.
Just from our gazes meeting, I felt as if I were standing on thin ice.
She then assumed the traditional Chinese cupped-hand salute and spoke.
"My name is Li Meiling. I am the direct disciple of Li Senshun, one of the Seven Fist Masters renowned as Dongfang Bubai."
After her brief introduction, she clenched her fists lightly and held her arms out in front of her chest.
Unlike the Russian men I'd met before, there were no openings in her stance.
This must be the caliber of a GOF champion.
I took a light breath and gave a simple introduction of my own.
"I'm Kim Yoo-Sung. As you know, I've defeated that guy from Russia, Ivan. I did, but..."
Explaining the whole story was complicated.
I'd have to include Fuma-senpai's involvement and how he helped, and explain it all in English.
For someone with a limited vocabulary, it was a daunting task. Fortunately, she had the comprehension skills to understand me perfectly, no matter how poorly I explained it.
"So you're saying you're not in the same condition as you were then. But it doesn't matter. You seem plenty strong enough as you are now."
After saying that, she beckoned to me with her hand in a taunting gesture.
"I will show you the 4,000 years of Chinese history. Come at me, Kim Yoo-Sung."
"..."
I felt like I was being dragged into her pace, but I guess it couldn't be helped.
I decided to attack first without hesitation.
I'd never properly learned any martial arts, but I figured it would work out somehow.
"Here I come."
With those words, I pushed off hard with my calves and charged.
Like a wild beast pouncing on its prey, I brought my fist down from above.
But—
Thwack!
My attack was stopped effortlessly right in front of my face.
I wasn't going all out, but it was a blow most people wouldn't have been able to block. Li Meiling, however, had caught it with a calm expression.
"Surely this isn't all you've got? Show me what you can really do."