A Legendary Korean Gamer Stuck in a Japanese Isekai – Chapter 43

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: bchen3
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Saito and his party members looked ahead with bewildered expressions.

It was completely different from the orthodox formation they had seen until now.

The priest Kid was standing at the very front, while Sakaki, who should have been in that position, was standing in front of the Flower Turtle.

And all the remaining members were also in positions to protect the Flower Turtle.

It felt like the Cave Bear strategy often used in shogi.

…Except that the priest who should be protected at the very back was at the front.

‘…What meaning could this possibly have?’

Saito looked at Kid, who wore a relaxed expression before the start.

‘Does he think it’ll be difficult to win and brought an irregular move?’

But he immediately denied that possibility.

Saito’s party’s first opponent.

Rather than the leader, it was the high school alchemist who had left a strong impression in a bad way.

He remembered the match that had caused confusion in an incomprehensible way.

Of course, it was just confusing, and it was a match that practically collapsed on its own since it was a strategy that wasn’t even a strategy, with no substance whatsoever.

It was a type of person that appeared occasionally.

People who couldn’t distinguish between creative acts and groundless eccentricities, and thought such strategies were creative strategies that only they could think of.

‘…But that couldn’t be the case with Kid-san.’

Just looking at the party’s skills shown until yesterday, it seemed unlikely that Saito’s party would win in a head-on confrontation.

There would have been no problem even if they had used their original strategy.

In fact, considering that all the current parties had low levels of training, complex strategies were closer to bad moves.

Moreover, given Kid’s personality shown until now, he didn’t seem like the type to enjoy quirks or eccentricities.

‘Rather, he seemed like the type who focused on fundamentals…’

That’s why it was even more incomprehensible.

Why take such a position when they would have a much higher chance of winning by just doing things as usual.

Not only was the priest, who should be maintaining the team from the rear, in the tank’s position, but all members were gathered around the Flower Turtle, making it seem difficult to come help Kid.

‘…Whatever the intention is, we’ll just do what we’ve been doing.’

No matter what moves the opponent had prepared, Saito’s party didn’t have many options available.

Most of Saito’s party members had received little EXP initially, so their skills and stats were on the lower side, and although they had matched their coordination through training and practice as much as possible, ten days was too short a time even for Saito to coordinate enough to try various tactics.

“Everyone, don’t think too deeply about it. Start with the priest in front of us slowly. As we practiced. You understand?”

Saito’s pleasant voice calmed his party members’ confusion.

Some even looked slightly excited, perhaps thinking that their supposedly strong opponent had self-destructed.

In contrast, Saito wrapped himself in slight tension, gripping the wooden sword and shield he had become sick of over the past ten days, ready to dash out as soon as it started.

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‘He’s not letting his guard down.’

I thought while watching Saito, who alone maintained a tense expression watching me, among the somewhat relaxed opponents.

The appearance of being ready to rush in at once as soon as it started.

‘Maybe I should have stayed a bit further back?’

I was a bit excited, and perhaps my desire to surprise them was a bit too strong.

At this distance, with the speed Saito had shown until now, it might take some time to apply buffs.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter now anyway?’

I raised my staff as I watched Saito rushing in like a surge at the sound of the starting bell.

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Tak-!

The sound of solid wood colliding rang out, and my grip slightly stung.

Though it looked like a simple attack, perhaps because it received additional corrections from [Skills], it felt heavier than expected.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but things won’t go as easily as you planned.”

Saito, who had rushed in at once, warned.

Of course, I couldn’t answer as I needed to chant spells while blocking rather than respond.

Saito didn’t seem to expect an answer either, and while keeping the short wooden sword blocked by the staff, he swung his shield like a blunt weapon.

“[Goddess’s Blessing].”

Light enveloped my body and the party members behind me, making our bodies feel lighter and more energetic.

I twisted the blocking staff diagonally while letting the pressed sword slide off, and stepped backward.

Saito, as if he had predicted that much, pushed in with one foot and then pulled his back foot to sharpen his knee for a strike.

Just 10 days.

He was already adding various options to his attacks, rather than just the simple logic of attacking with a sword and blocking with a shield.

‘He’s really quite capable.’

I watched my movements carefully as his knee drove mercilessly toward my ribs.

I couldn’t know if the Vanguard had skills for close combat, but even without skill corrections, it would clearly hurt terribly if it hit.

Though it wouldn’t incapacitate me in one hit, if my body stiffened from the pain, Saito didn’t seem like he would miss that opening.

Pueok-!

“…!”

“Tch…”

Did the Vanguard have another separate skill that received corrections for close combat?

It hurt more nastily than expected.

Still, while originally the pain should have made it difficult even to breathe, I looked at Saito with an deliberately calm expression.

Saito retreated with a slightly confused expression, clutching his left hand that had been holding the shield.

At that sight, Saito’s party members who were about to rush in with him stopped dead in their tracks.

‘Idiots. Even if Saito didn’t, you should have stuck close and kept pressuring.’

As the opponent’s side momentarily hesitated, I stroked my left ribs that were aching from the skill-corrected knee kick while chanting a spell.

As the DOT heal skill [Revival]’s incantation was completed and light seeped into my body, the aching disappeared.

And then I cast [Goddess’s Protection] and various buffs and self-buff skills on my body.

Similarly, light enveloped Saito’s body according to the spells his priest chanted.

Though it was a faint light, soon all the holy magic spells that a low-ranked priest could cast poured onto Saito’s body.

“How…?”

Meanwhile, Saito was looking at me with an unbelieving expression while maintaining his stance.

That was understandable, as the knee Saito had just thrown was a strike that received skill corrections.

For a priest who didn’t inherently have skills that increased defense or pain resistance, they should normally have folded in half and been unable to breathe.

Even with mental strength to endure the pain, it shouldn’t have been enough to launch a powerful counter-attack.

[Stone Skin].

And several other passives.

These were passive abilities possessed by the Barbarian job.

“That’s how it is.”

After smiling once at Saito, I chanted the next spell.

“Valheim. I dedicate this battle to you.”

With that, I planted my wooden staff in the ground.

The head of the ordinary crooked wooden staff creaked and changed, transforming into something like a roughly carved eagle statue.

And impressive-looking particles of light spread from the center of the statue in a circle of about 4m radius.

[Totem Pole].

Since it was just planting a small staff, it wasn’t enough to call it a totem pole, but that was the skill name anyway.

While not as grand as [Holy Territory Declaration], which appeared to be the priest’s ultimate area buff skill, it was an area buff skill that provided quite powerful buffs within this domain.

6 enhancement buff skills from the priest side.

3 enhancement passives including [Stone Skin] from the barbarian side, and 2 enhancement buff skills including [Totem Pole].

A total of 10 buffs enveloped my body.

The thickly applied buffs brought a pleasant sense of elation.

What would happen if this was combined with [Holy Territory Declaration] unlocked from Holy Magic EX and other buff skills?

Honestly, I was a bit excited.

“…You were a priest?”

“I’m still a priest. Just that after last night, I’m not ‘only’ a priest anymore.”

“…You’ve already unlocked a sub-class? How did you get the EXP…”

“Well, honestly I don’t know the reason for that part either yet.”

“Just how-”

“I understand you have many questions, but is this really the appropriate place for conversation right now?”

Saito fell silent at those words.

Then he looked at the Flower Turtle and nodded.

“I was wondering what you were thinking, but it was to minimize variables that could break the fruit.”

Then he sighed and took his stance.

“…You came forward because you calculated you could handle everyone alone, right?”

Since it would seem a bit arrogant to say yes, I just answered with a smile.

“This will be tough. We’ll need to rush in all at once, everyone please get ready.”

The people who had worn confused expressions at the sudden development came to their senses at Saito’s words and began moving to surround me.

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The battle that occurred after I watched them complete their encirclement was one-sided.

The first to thrust in was a wooden spear.

However, it seemed that 10 days wasn’t enough time to create the mental wear needed to swing a weapon that could hurt people with full force without any resistance.

After catching the hesitant spearhead with my armpit, I pulled it in and very lightly placed my hand on his abdomen, that was all it took.

The man who had taken the Lancer job couldn’t endure the nausea rising from his abdomen and his body folded inward.

When the party member at the very front collapsed so easily, cracks also formed in the morale of those following behind.

Feeling their feet faltering, I approached the nearest opponent.

“Hik-!”

The woman who shrank back rather than swinging her wooden sword at my approach.

Since I couldn’t knock her unconscious by hitting the back of her neck like in manga, I apologetically placed my fist lightly on her abdomen like the previous lancer man.

Seeing the woman clutching her stomach and crouching down, I honestly felt a bit guilty.

If this were a different genre, it would certainly be a controversial scene.

When two people were taken down in an instant, the remaining members came to their senses and rushed in.

Whisk-!

Wooden arrows whistled past around me.

It felt like they were aiming for my head, but the arrows fell in completely different positions.

However, rather than turning my gaze toward the trajectory the arrows had come from, I rushed toward the opponent charging at me.

“Ugh!”

After diving into the distance in one breath, I grabbed their waist and lifted.

Even while losing balance, they seemed to try to strike my back, but I threw them toward the opponent approaching from the opposite side.

Pueok-!

Strike.

“…This is perplexing.”

Saito, who had been waiting for an opening while expecting the previous members to create a gap, spoke as if dumbfounded.

“…I think this is a bit unreasonable.”

He spoke with an unusually disgruntled voice for Saito.

I smiled sympathetically and said.

“I thought it was a trash game from the start too.”

Simultaneously, I rushed toward Saito.

Saito’s body moved his shield forward, and his sword hand took a thrusting stance.

A stance obviously looking for just one counter.

A fist was swung.

Pagaak-!

The solid shield made of wood with leather overlaid crumpled into the shape of a fist and finally shattered with a loud noise.

And Saito’s wrist that had been holding the shield wasn’t in good shape either.

While enduring the pain of his broken bone, Saito thrust forward with the sword he had drawn back like a bowstring.

Puk-!

“…I’d like an explanation later.”

“Honestly, I don’t know how to explain since I don’t know the reason either.”

Before finishing hearing my words, Saito hung his head while hanging on my body.

I carefully put down Saito who was draped over my body, and approached the rear.

“Hik-!”

“…”

Passing by the rear members who shrank back with terrified faces as I approached, I destroyed the Flower Turtle’s fruit with my fist.

“The winner of the first semifinals match is… Hero Yun Sihu’s party.”

The knight serving as referee announced our party’s victory in a quiet voice.

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