Chapter 80
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: vs SL Benfica (2)
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After Jesus Joo shifted to the right flank, Kim Dong-jun's suffering continued unabated.
"Heh heh. Come at me if you dare, kid."
Jesus Joo, casually clasping his hands behind his back and beckoning with a finger in the middle of the match.
Kim Dong-jun's eyes, fixed on him, were bloodshot red.
'Fuck. Fuck. Just let me steal it once. Just once.'
"Heh heh, kid. Your head must be filled with thoughts of the Demon Army."
Kim Dong-jun's movements grew wilder under the relentless provocations from Jesus Joo. No matter how desperately he charged, he couldn't take the ball, and his anger turned to frustration.
"Tsk tsk. You're too impatient, kid. I told you to always keep a calm mind."
"Fuck! I'm a year older than you—cut the 'kid' crap!"
Jesus Joo sharply scolded Kim Dong-jun for bringing up his age.
"How dare you! I'm 236 years old! How can you judge a man by appearances alone? Your training is clearly insufficient! Heh! To think a fool like you is one of Korea's rising stars—Korea's future looks bleak!"
Kim Dong-jun was dumbfounded by Jesus Joo's words.
'This guy's concept is unbreakable. What the hell?'
The moment Kim Dong-jun tried to ignore him and focus on the game, his eyes lit up. While Jesus Joo was busy lecturing him, SL Benfica's defensive midfielder Tanaka Hideyoki cautiously approached Jesus Joo.
"Hoo—Jesus hyung, you still don't have an assist, do you? Means I'm doing my job right. You're just getting antsy and running your mouth—I see right through it."
Kim Dong-jun tried to draw Jesus Joo's attention to buy time. Unfortunately, his opponent was Little Jesus Joo, enlightened to the truths of the universe.
"Heh... You think this petty feint can fool me?!"
"...!! Tanaka, stop!"
Kim Dong-jun sensed danger in Jesus Joo's words and tried to halt Tanaka, but it was too late.
Thwack—!
"Iron Mountain Strike!"
"Chiksho—!"
Tanaka Hideyoki, struck by Jesus Joo's body blow, crumpled to the ground and raised his hands appealing for a foul. But the referee, witnessing the scene, deemed it a fair challenge.
'Damn it! Is the ref bribed or something!?'
This was already the second time an SL Benfica player had gone down to Jesus Joo's body strike. Yet the referee saw no foul, not even issuing a verbal warning.
From the referee's perspective, though, it looked perfectly understandable.
Both clashes appeared as two East Asians charging at Jesus Joo—who had the ball with his back to them—only to bounce off and act aggrieved.
'What's with these guys? Why do they charge in and bounce back looking all innocent?'
It was due to Jesus Joo's masterful Iron Mountain Strike skill. Both Kim Dong-jun and Tanaka Hideyoki had closed in for a challenge, only to get lightly tapped on the back in that split second and sent flying.
Unaware of this, Kim Dong-jun was seething inside, while Jesus Joo piled on the mockery toward the mentally frayed defender.
"Heh heh... So fragile. Modern kids have impressive physiques, yet they skip training. How else do you fly off like an empty shell so easily? What a shame! Such a shame!"
Kim Dong-jun's hands and feet began to tremble from the endless taunts.
"Heh... Flushing red from just this? What a poser! Poser!"
'Should I? Close my eyes and just swing once?'
As Kim Dong-jun agonized,
Jesus Joo's expression suddenly changed.
He put on a stern face and stroked his nonexistent beard.
"I have foreseen the future. You shall be breached by me!"
With those words, Jesus Joo began dribbling in earnest.
True to his prophecy, he breezed past Kim Dong-jun.
Kim Dong-jun, losing balance from three consecutive body feints, tumbled to the turf.
Wearing a haunted expression, he watched Jesus Joo—who had nutmegged him—loft an early cross toward Roberto Fabianski infiltrating the penalty box.
Splash—!
The cross arrived precisely and swiftly at Roberto Fabianski's head, who merely redirected it into the net for the goal.
Roberto Fabianski sprinted full-tilt toward Jesus Joo, who had assisted his own goal, and let out a roar.
"Vamos!!!"
Real Madrid's players swarmed around the roaring Jesus Joo and Roberto Fabianski, sharing the joy. Behind them loomed Kim Dong-jun, lost and dejected, along with the heads-down Benfica players.
Jesus Joo glanced at them and muttered softly.
"You guys know shit about soccer?!"
[Jesus Joo has possession again, staring down Kim Dong-jun. No idea how many times this matchup has occurred in this game.]
[Yes... There's been a lot of talk about Jesus Joo lately. Online, he's earned nicknames like 'Prospect Crusher' or 'Youth Slaughterer,' and this match shows why. He's relentlessly targeting Kim Dong-jun.]
[Indeed... But Jesus Joo has other nicknames too. Prospects who survive him—like Yoo Young-beom the keeper or Paolo Nesta—become world-class, so he's called the 'World-Class Detector.' Will Kim Dong-jun pass the test and reach that level...?]
[And as I speak, Kim Dong-jun steals the ball from Jesus Joo for the first time this match! SL Benfica counters at speed!]
[Kim Dong-jun! Links up with Tanaka in a 2v1 and enters Real Madrid's box! Cuts back for Raphael!!!]
[...!! Raphael taps in Kim Dong-jun's cutback! SL Benfica equalizes!! They've regained momentum!!]
[Wow... Kim Dong-jun! Great movement dismantling Real Madrid's defense, but that vision to cut back to Raphael instead of shooting? Even World-Class Detector Jesus Joo nods and thumbs him up! Brilliant, Kim Dong-jun!]
[...Isn't Jesus Joo the opponent?]
[Sportsmanship and fair rivalry, even from the foe— that's the magic happening right here at the Santiago Bernabéu!]
After SL Benfica equalized, Kim Dong-jun's rotten-glazed eyes regained some spark.
"Hmm... Stage 1, Shaolin Jesus passed. Time for Stage 2, Gungye Jesus."
I closed my eyes, clasped my hands, and began chanting.
"Om mani padme hum!"
As the chant flowed, the sealed power of Maitreya deep in my dantian slowly began to unbind.
"Hoo—!"
Eyes shut, chanting for 30 seconds.
Finally, the Maitreya within me fully awakened.
I took a deep breath, gathering the power steadily.
Kim Dong-jun looked tense.
"...Jesus hyung, you okay?"
"Do not casually invoke this one's name."
My dignified words left Kim Dong-jun flustered.
"...You're actually nuts."
Ignoring his mutter, I loosened up and waited for my chance.
It didn't take long.
Raphael Obrador intercepted a pass to Vladimir Rzovic, who laid it off to Luka Savić.
As Luka Savić shielded the ball from SL Benfica's pressure,
I read his mind with mind-reading.
I surged forward immediately.
Toward Kim Dong-jun blocking my path.
"The wicked blocking Maitreya's path shall fall! Om! Mani! Pad! Me! Hum!"
I fed him Buddha's Palm,
took a comfortable first touch on Luka Savić's pass, shrugged off the covering center-back,
cut centrally, and curled a left-footed shot from the penalty arc into the net.
Splash—
The ref hesitated to award the goal due to Kim Dong-jun's sudden collapse,
but I ignored him, sprinting to the corner flag.
With a benevolent smile, I sat in lotus position and formed the Buddha mudra.
"Namu Amida Butsu. Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva."
As I celebrated at the corner flag, the ref reviewed VAR, smirked, approached, and showed me a yellow card.
"Jesus cautioned."
Namu Amida Butsu.
My training was still lacking.
Caught by a mere machine.
...Wait, but it's not a red?
What's up? Bribed ref?
Whatever, good is good. Let it slide.
More importantly, the ref ruined my immersion.
Hard to get back into character once broken.
Title: No way lololol wtf lmao Dung-joon gets nailed with Buddha's Kidney to the solar plexus and it's just a yellow? Lmaoooo
(Jesus Joo's Buddha ceremony .jpg)
And this Jesus bastard is so shameless lmao
Look at Jesus hyung's benevolent face lmao
Lmaoooooooo
Stranger would think he's a saint for real lmao
I doubted my eyes watching this madman lmao
Hand of God was one thing, now Buddha play? Lmao
Dung-joon looks pissed af?
Storm dribble insane!! Go Dung-joon!!
Why is this guy a fullback? Should convert to winger no?
We tease him as K-League Dung-joon, but his defense improved tons at Benfica.
Yeah, waste of defensive talent, but his finishing is dice roll—only scores on 5+ lol
...lol don't be too harsh. Excluding Jesus and Ko Seok-jun, he's Korea's top A-match scorer.
Dice-roll fullback Dung-joon!! Roll well at the World Cup pls!!
At the very moment Jesus Joo unleashed Buddha's Kidney Strike,
Joo Yoon, watching the Real Madrid vs SL Benfica match at home with his mom, felt his eyes blaze with fervor.
Whoosh—! Whoosh—!
"Palm thrust—! Palm thrust—!"
Song Yu-na watched Joo Yoon wildly swinging his palms at the air, her eyes filled with worry.
"Joon-ah, don't do that to Patrasche?"
"Maa—?"
"...Don't do it to Mom either."