I was Thrown into an Unfamiliar Manga

"Yes. I'm a Korean named Kim Yu-seong."

"……."
That’s me.
I had no idea what the woman sitting across from me wanted or why she came looking for me.

This was my first time seeing her today.
I wondered if she had some connection to the original Kim Yu-seong from before I possessed his body, but no matter how much I racked my brain, I couldn’t recall anything about this woman.
I opened my mouth a few times silently before asking,

"And why exactly are you looking for that person?"
The Chinese woman chuckled softly and snapped apart a pair of wooden chopsticks.
"It’s for my personal training. I’ve always wanted to test myself against the man who defeated the great evil, the God of Destruction Ivan—someone even my master couldn’t overcome in her entire life."

Ivan.
That guy again.
No matter how I looked at it, meeting that man was probably the biggest mistake of my life.

Then she looked straight into my eyes and said,
"So, will you accept my challenge?"
"……."

Did she already know who I was from the start and just pretended not to?
As I stared back into her rather provocative gaze, I hesitated over how to answer.
Honestly, I wanted to avoid getting involved with underworld types as much as possible.

Just then, my father's voice rang out from the kitchen.
"Yu-seong! Bring out the meat!"
"Coming!"
After answering briefly, I turned to the woman in front of me and said,

"Would you mind giving me a little time to think it over? This is all a bit sudden, to be honest."
The woman nodded and replied,
"I’ll give you as much time as you need. After all, it’ll take a while to finish eating."

Wow, thanks a lot.
I muttered that internally and decided to focus on my role as a part-time waiter for now.
***

"Excuse me, more meat, please."
This mysterious Chinese woman who had suddenly shown up asking for a spar—
She ate well.

No, not just “well.” She ate ridiculously well.
Ten full portions of meat gone just like that, and she still ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ kept ordering more?
Anyone watching would’ve thought she was a professional food fighter.

She said she came alone, but with the way she was going through those orders, even Im I-ja, who’d stepped out from the kitchen out of curiosity, was left speechless at the growing pile of meat vanishing into this woman’s stomach.
Watching her devour enough food for three or four grown men all on her own really drove home that this woman was definitely a martial artist.
Consuming that many calories in one sitting isn’t something just anyone can do.

By the time she finally finished her meal, over an hour had passed.
She’d truly looked like someone born to eat, demolishing mountains of meat and rice like it was nothing. Then she asked me:
"So, have you decided?"

"Ah, about that… are you planning to fight on the street or something?"
Without even a second of hesitation, the Chinese woman nodded.
"Yes. There are no alternatives, after all."

"There’s a dojo run by someone I know. If we’re going to fight anyway, how about doing it there?"
The woman paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
"The location doesn’t matter. Very well, let’s do that."

I thanked her for understanding and handed her the bill.
"Then, the total comes to 18,150 yen. Miss."
"Do you take cards?"

"Of course we do."
If nothing else, I had to make sure the bill was settled properly.
***

The place I took this challenger—not quite an assassin—from the continent to, was a judo dojo reportedly run by none other than Yaguchi Maiya’s father—Maiya being one of the heroines from Scramble Love.
I only remembered it because Ryuji had mentioned not too long ago that she lived nearby.
Honestly, I was also curious about that ancient jujutsu style called “Mujin-ryu” that Ryuji supposedly trained in, but that would probably have to wait.

“Whoa! It’s Li Mei Ling!”
“The Fist Saint of China!”
“This is the first time I’ve seen a famous person from TV in real life!”

“Please give me an autograph!”
As soon as we stepped inside the dojo, we were completely surrounded by the students of the Yaguchi Dojo.
“Seems like you’re pretty famous.”

I asked, dumbfounded, and Li Mei Ling nodded with her arms crossed.
“I won the latest GOF.”
“GOF?”

I’d heard of that.
It was that international tournament hosted by the Easter Egg Company—founded by Ivan, Sasha’s father. No weight classes, no age or gender limits. A full-contact martial arts competition.
Winning that meant she had to be insanely strong. But why someone like that would come all this way to challenge me was beyond my understanding.

Was I really someone worth that kind of recognition?
Still, if a man draws his sword, he ought to slice a radish at least. I’d go along with her for now. Maybe she’d be satisfied and go home.
Just then, Maiya’s father approached us.

He bowed to the Chinese woman and said,
“It’s an honor to meet you, Miss Li Mei Ling. I’m Yaguchi Genjiro, the head instructor of this dojo. To think we’d get to meet such a world-renowned fighter here in our little neighborhood.”
“Please, you’re too kind.”

She accepted his handshake with a gracious smile, playing along with his flattery.
At this point, I was convinced she was truly famous. But since I didn’t watch much TV, I had no way of knowing what she was famous for.
That’s when Yaguchi, the assistant instructor of the dojo, approached shyly and bowed deeply, handing something over to Li Mei Ling.

“Miss! I’ve been your fan for a long time! Could I please get your autograph?”
Apparently this wasn’t her first time being asked. With practiced grace, she signed the notebook and asked,
“What’s your name?”

Even with her clipped Japanese, the message came through. Yaguchi beamed and answered,
“To Maiya, please!”
“Got it.”

Ah, so she’s older than Maiya. Lately I’ve seen so many people lying about their age, I’ve gotten suspicious even when someone looks their age.
Like a proper superstar, she smoothly signed not only for Yaguchi but also for all the other kids in the dojo. Then, realizing I’d been waiting for quite a while beside her, she bowed in surprise.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to get so distracted.”

“It’s alright. I understand.”
I was honestly surprised to see how polite and sincere she was. Not bad at all.
At the very least, she didn’t seem like the kind of person who’d pull a classic Ivan move and go full villain.

Eventually, the two of us stood face-to-face in the center of Yaguchi’s dojo.
From the quiet gleam in her eyes, I could feel her fighting spirit.
Even though we were just making eye contact, it felt like standing on thin ice.

Then she took the traditional Chinese martial arts salute pose and introduced herself.
"My name is Li Mei Ling. I’m the direct disciple of Li Senxun, one of the famed Seven Fist Masters of the East, known for his unbeatable fists."
After that brief introduction, she raised her fists slightly and brought both arms forward in front of her chest.

Unlike the Russian guys I’d fought before, there wasn’t a single opening in her stance.
This must be what they meant by the composure of a GOF champion.
I took a light breath and gave a short self-introduction of my own.

"My name is Kim Yu-seong. As you’ve probably heard, I once defeated that Ivan guy from Russia. I did, but…"
Explaining everything from the beginning was awkward.
I’d have to explain the whole thing in English, including how Fuma-senpai helped me—and that wasn’t easy with my limited vocabulary.

Thankfully, she was sharp enough to understand even my clunky explanation.
“So, you're not in the same condition as you were back then. No matter. You still seem plenty strong now.”
With that, she beckoned me forward with a taunting gesture.

“I’ll show you four thousand years of Chinese history. Come at me, Kim Yu-seong.”
"……."
I felt like I was completely swept up in her pace, but there wasn’t much I could do about it.

I chose not to hesitate and decided to make the first move.
I’d never learned proper martial arts, but I’d figure something out.
"Here I come."

With that, I drove power into both calves and charged forward.
Like a predator aiming for its prey, I slammed my fist downward from above.
But—

Slam!
My strike was effortlessly blocked right in front of her.
Even if I wasn’t going all out, it was still a hit most people wouldn’t be able to defend.

But Li Mei Ling, with a calm expression, caught it and said,
“This can’t be your full strength, right? Show me your true power.”