A Legendary Korean Gamer Stuck in a Japanese Isekai – Chapter 20

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: bchen3
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He seemed to want to be alone, but paradoxically, his “don’t approach me” aura made him incredibly noticeable.

Moreover, he was a small, handsome boy with an androgynous charm, the kind that delinquent girls would likely pick on as a plaything, making him stand out even more.

“It looks like someone else has their eye on him too!”

Luna’s words referred to a person who seemed to be hovering around the Japanese kid, waiting for a chance to talk.

I couldn’t even remember his face, so he was probably a C-rank.

He seemed to be part of a party formed with the leftovers who couldn’t make it into the higher-ranked groups.

‘Well, the kid was skilled.’

From what had been revealed, there were two S-ranks and a little over ten A-ranks.

Among them, as Saito’s and my party showed, unfortunately, talented individuals tended to flock together.

In the case of lower-ranked parties, there were bound to be fewer reliable users to take on the carry role.

Even if he seemed a bit socially inept, a talent who overpowered an A-rank in a spar would be highly sought after by lower-ranked parties.

“Let’s go first!” Luna said, quickly tapping her feet and running over.

The other person also tried to move hurriedly, but stopped and sighed after realizing it was Luna.

They must have figured they couldn’t compete.

Seeing their slumped shoulders was a bit pitiful, but it couldn’t be helped.

Even though she wasn’t wearing armor as a Defender, her specialized shield was quite heavy, yet I wondered how she could even think of moving so quickly.

Perhaps because of the surrounding commotion, when Luna approached, the Japanese kid looked up from the bread he was eating and stared at her.

“Were you in the middle of a meal? Eating only bread won’t fill you up,”

Luna said, greeting him with a subtle tilt of her head, the kind that would make any adolescent boy’s heart flutter.

The Japanese kid stared at Luna’s face, momentarily dazed. He then gazed at her, seemingly mesmerized, before slightly lowering his gaze.

“…Tch.”

He clicked his tongue with a look of disgust.

Amazing. Even after seeing that, an adolescent boy’s heart wouldn’t be swayed?

Perhaps he was just too embarrassed by a pretty older girl suddenly approaching him.

If so, he’s making a mistake he’ll regret. Such things should be appreciated while they last.

While he’s young, he can get away with it under the guise of adolescence, but when he becomes an adult, depending on the situation, legally problematic things can happen.

“Kudo-kun. Could we talk for a bit?”

When the Japanese kid didn’t reply, Luna asked again, sitting demurely beside him.

Despite Luna’s polite demeanor, the Japanese kid’s eyes were fixed on me with a hostile glare.

“…dr.”

“Huh? What was that?”

He seemed to mumble something, but neither Luna nor I could hear him clearly.

The way he muttered and stared at me was, how should I put it… resentful?

It was like the look my cousins would give me during Chuseok or Lunar New Year after I’d cleaned them out of their holiday money playing video games.

However, this felt much deeper.

‘…Did I do something wrong?’

Why did he seem so eager to pick a fight with me every time he saw me?

I wondered if he hated me because I’d crushed the Japanese team he was rooting for.

‘…But if he’s mad about me crushing the Japanese team, wouldn’t there be too many people to resent?’

Honestly, since the Japanese teams mostly finished at the bottom every time, I rarely even remembered properly playing against them. If that were the case, he’d have to resent the entire world.

‘…The last time I played against Japan was…’

Honestly, I couldn’t remember.

Besides, even if that were true, it would be sad if he was this hostile just because I won in the cutthroat world of competition.

Still, hey kid. Once we get out of here, I’m the coach of the Japanese team (DFM).

Since they’re the only team that’s made it to Worlds, I’ll lead them to victory, so could you please stop with that look? That’s what I wanted to say.

“…What?”

He said gruffly, putting down his half-eaten bread, his expression wary.

‘…This is tough.’

Including cousins, I had siblings who were married, but they were all younger than me. That meant the little ones I could call nieces and nephews weren’t yet at the age where they’d pester me for holiday money or my game console – those ill-mannered, clueless adolescent brats.

Ah, whatever, it’ll work out somehow.

“Kudo-san. You probably have a good idea why we’re here, right?”

“I don’t know. You haven’t told me, so how would I know? Are you stupid?”

Oh. Could I smack this kid upside the head?

‘No.’

When I looked at Luna with a soft gaze conveying that message, she shook her head firmly.

Joseon Confucianism even states that a child who doesn’t know respect needs a little discipline, but it seemed Teacher Luna’s disciplinary philosophy was similar to Dr. Oh Eun-young’s.

“We’d like to recruit you, Kudo-nim, to our party.”

“No.”

An immediate rejection.

With such bluntness, even Luna seemed a bit annoyed.

“Look–”

“If you really want me to join, kick that guy out.”

He cut Luna off mid-sentence, his eyes filled with hostility towards me.

“I like you. No, I like you. But I can’t have him. He’s dangerous. He’ll make you unhappy.”

“Oh my.”

“Huh.”

Luna, who was about to get angry, was momentarily stunned by the Japanese kid’s words, then rested her chin on her hand, looking amused. I let out a sigh.

The genuine chuunibyou syndrome from its homeland was definitely something else.

Using my experienced insight to peer into the Japanese kid’s mind, I guessed he’d probably concocted a story in his head, wanting to monopolize the pretty older girl. I was probably the villain, and Luna, the heroine captured by the villain.

“…Wait. Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t mean it like that.”

The Japanese kid seemed to reconsider his words, realizing they could be misinterpreted, and started explaining himself in a fluster.

Luna and I simply nodded in agreement. It was a delicate time. There was no need to embarrass him further.

Even if we didn’t tease him, the time would eventually come when he’d remember this moment and writhe in embarrassment, kicking his blankets.

“Well, I guess so.”

“No, don’t misunderstand! More than anything, I!”

“I?”

“…”

The Japanese kid mumbled something, then fell silent for a while before slowly opening his mouth.

“Anyway, I’ll refuse the party invitation. I don’t want to be with the likes of you.”

“Do you already have another party in mind?”

“Persistent, aren’t you?”

He growled, but because of his appearance, it sounded like a chihuahua barking.

“I had a feeling you’d be going solo.”

“That’s right.”

“Huh?”

“I plan to go alone. So get lost.”

Then he started gnawing on his bread again. How rude.

‘Just as I feared.’

Luna and I sighed.

It wasn’t strange for a teenager in the midst of a delusional phase, whose talent allowed him to surpass the adults around him, to mistakenly believe he was the main character. However, just like the conversation Luna and I had during our meal, the price of that arrogance was too heavy for a boy who looked to be in elementary or middle school to bear.

Being rude wasn’t a sin worthy of death. Though maybe he deserved a beating.

Besides, even if this Japanese kid, Kudo, didn’t join our party, he was still a talented child. If he was hostile towards me, he could join another party and fulfill his role there. And the more competent parties there were, the higher the probability of clearing the game.

Whether as an adult or a gamer, I couldn’t stand idly by and watch the Japanese kid’s arrogance.

“Hmm. Kid. You seem too young to understand.”

“I’m not a kid.”

“You may say that, but your actions and appearance scream ‘child’.”

“I’m a high school student! And…”

“And?”

“…”

Why did he keep starting to say something then stop? But a high school student with this appearance? Boys usually start growing taller around middle school. If he’s still this small in high school…

‘…How unfortunate.’

He would’ve been a winning lottery ticket if he’d grown properly.

“I don’t mind if you don’t join our party, but at least form a party. If something happens while you’re alone, it’ll be too late when you realize you have no one to help you.”

“That’s right. It’s dangerous to think of this situation as just a game.”

“Game?”

The Japanese kid let out a hollow laugh, then looked at me with a chilling expression.

“You think this is a game? This situation?”

“…Or do you really think we’ve come to another world?”

“…Was that it? Is that why you did that? Because you thought it was a game?”

The Japanese kid muttered to himself without answering my question.

He said he wasn’t a kid, but every action reeked of chuunibyou.

Luna started mouthing words to me.

…Understanding Japanese through lip-reading was a bit tough.

‘…What did you do here?’

‘No, nothing really. Except for the spar we had earlier?’

‘Really? Kudo-kun is acting like this because of something Kid-nim did.’

‘I swear I’m innocent.’

We stopped our silent conversation as the Japanese kid, who had his head down, muttering to himself, looked up.

He looked up at me with a blank expression, showing no emotion.

“You said you really wanted me in your party, right?”

“Well, not really. I’d like to have you, if possible, but…”

“Okay.”

“Wow.”

The Japanese kid pushed Luna away as she excitedly tried to hug him, then spoke in a calmer voice than before.

“But I have a condition.”

“A condition?”

“Fight me. If you beat me, I’ll join your party. But if you lose, you have to grant me one request.”

It was a wager straight out of a Japanese manga.

“That’s absurd!”

And so was this reaction.

“Kudo-kun is a Samurai, and Kid-nim is a Priest!”

“What’s the problem?”

“Huh?”

“That man already beat a Samurai as a Priest, didn’t he?”

“That’s…”

“I just have to win too. It’s simple.”

“…That doesn’t sound simple at all…”

Luna said, glancing at me.

I thought for a moment.

I was able to instantly kill the Manga-Ripped Delinquent not only because of my superior specs, but also because the Manga-Ripped Delinquent was a one-trick pony who relied on his draw-slash attack. On the other hand, the Japanese kid was presumed to be S-rank and had demonstrated exceptional skill throughout the training and sparring sessions, among the top players. He wasn’t someone I could beat with a sloppy build like the Manga-Ripped Delinquent.

‘It’s not impossible to overwhelm him with pure stats, without any variables…’

But that meant I’d need the stats to do so.

‘That would look suspicious to anyone.’

It was still the early stages of the game, and a Priest who could overwhelm a Samurai, a damage-dealer class, with pure stats, without a single offensive skill? It would inevitably raise suspicions about what methods I was using.

I didn’t intend to hide it forever, but I wanted to keep it under wraps until I adapted more to this game. That meant I had to beat the Japanese kid, who was at the level of a pro trainee who chose the Samurai class, using a staff and stats that seemed reasonable on the surface.

“Okay.”

It shouldn’t be impossible. I readily agreed to the Japanese kid’s wager.

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