036 Blue Lock: System Ten Years Early

"The first round of selection was meant to let you fully understand your own weapons and individuality, to turn your 0 into 1, and to understand the meaning of a striker's existence through matches."

"But from now on, in the most advanced training facilities, you must turn your 1 into 100."

Ego Jinpachi raised his hand, and five numbered pentagonal projections appeared in his palm.

"This is where you are now. In the second round of selection, there will be a total of five stages. Only those who pass the previous stage may enter the next one. And those who pass the second round of selection will be able to participate in an intensive training camp together with the world's top football players that I personally select."

"World-class players? For real?"

"That's insane."

"Now I'm fired up."

...

The tactic of giving a big stick and then a sweet date worked extremely well.

Everyone in the venue was drawn in by the promise of top-class players and couldn't help but start imagining a bright future.

"That concludes the explanation. Those who are ready, walk toward that gate yourselves."

One iron frame after another filled with footballs rose from the ground, and a blue arrow suddenly appeared on the floor, pointing toward a distant door.

"Alone? Is the team phase over?"

Hiori Yo frowned involuntarily.

As if seeing through everyone's thoughts, Ego Jinpachi spoke again.

"Of course. The difficulty of the second round of selection is far higher than the first. Those who survived by luck thanks to one strong teammate should brace themselves now."

"The second round will eliminate all the trash and leave only true egoists... Good luck."

As his words fell, Ego Jinpachi's figure vanished from the screen.

At the same time, Hiori Yo walked straight toward that door.

"Huh, someone's already going? Not going to wait and see?"

That decisive figure stood in stark contrast to the hesitant crowd around him and immediately caught Isagi Yoichi's attention.

"Wait, isn't that Shinichi?!"

"Shinichi! So you really are here."

Isagi Yoichi ran over excitedly to greet him.

"Is that your teammate?"

"You could say that. I told him that completion speed would affect the results of the second round, so he went straight over. Probably afraid I'd leave him too far behind."

Shinichi sat cross-legged on the floor, yawned, and continued scanning the surroundings until he finally found a familiar figure.

This time, Itoshi Rin had no intention of showing off his footwork.

Seeing someone go in before him, his expression tightened immediately as he entered the gate.

"Seeing someone actually go ahead of him, did that make him feel a loss of urgency? Always wanting to be first—such a childish temperament."

Shinichi dusted off his pants and stood up.

"Then I'm going in too. You'd better work hard. Maybe we'll meet again later."

"So that's the Shinichi you mentioned? He seems pretty easy to talk to."

Chigiri Hyoma, who had been waiting nervously nearby, let out a sigh of relief.

Isagi Yoichi and Kira Ryosuke talked about this name every day, saying he destroyed them, so he had thought he must be some kind of dangerous person.

"Ah, yeah... I guess so."

Isagi Yoichi clenched his fists.

For some reason, at the instant he got close, he suddenly smelled something extremely dangerous.

That moment of palpitations made him forget even the declaration of battle he had been wanting to say for so long.

"Damn it, hasn't nothing changed at all?!"

Isagi Yoichi gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Chigiri, I'm going in first."

"You guys really are... all so impatient."

Chigiri Hyoma looked at Isagi Yoichi helplessly.

"Kira rushed in right after seeing that guy, and Bachira too—shouting about monsters and stuff as he ran in."

"Those two actually ran faster than me."

Isagi Yoichi muttered unhappily, then walked toward the gate leading to the second stage.

"Then I'll be going first. Chigiri, and everyone else..."

"Hm?"

"See you in the next stage of Blue Lock. Make sure you catch up."

"As if you need to tell us."

"Isagi, you're way too full of yourself. Who do you think you are?"

"Exactly. You're so weak—you should be worrying about whether you can even pass."

After a round of playful bickering, Isagi Yoichi took a deep breath and walked into the door marked with the words "Second Stage."

"I'm very grateful to everyone. Without your help, I absolutely wouldn't have made it this far, but... from here on, I can only move forward alone."

"I did feel a terrifying aura from Shinichi, but now that I've calmed down, that throbbing keeps stimulating my heart, making me incredibly excited."

"This isn't the kind of excitement that comes out of nowhere like before. It's the exhilaration of knowing the outcome after firmly walking all the way to this point, with everything piling up together."

"That's the confidence I've built through constant victories and continuous improvement during this time!"

"As long as I break through this stage, Shinichi will be right in front of me, within reach!"

"My brain keeps reminding me of this right now!"

"Even if there's still a gap, I'll become stronger here in Blue Lock!"

"Shinichi, I will definitely surpass you!"

...

"Ah... beating a machine really isn't interesting at all."

On a perfectly square green field, Shinichi yawned as he caught the football shot from the wall.

With a casual powerful shot, he easily broke through the virtual goalkeeper's defense.

"Creating training modes tailored to each player's characteristics... So according to this system, what I lack is ball control and shooting ability?"

Shinichi stopped another football fired from the wall behind him with his heel, carefully savoring the intense spin applied to the ball.

"Not bad judgment, but the level's a bit low. No real challenge."

Another easy goal.

As the room's notification sound rang out, the target of 100 balls was achieved.

Bored, Shinichi walked into the opened passage.

As expected, the waiting room beyond was completely empty.

Little Master, there's more after this chapter—please click the next page to continue reading. It gets even more exciting later!

"Ah, so slow."

Shinichi casually found a place to sit, raised his hand, and summoned the system light screen he hadn't seen in a while.

[The first round of selection has ended. Settlement complete. Final settlement rating: S. You have obtained the following rewards]

[You may choose three rewards. Duplicate traits and skills will automatically merge]

[Selectable Traits]

[1]Divine Shooter (Blue → Purple): Whether with a bow or a football, your shooting accuracy is astonishing. As the one crowned Divine Shooter, you gain a massive increase in accuracy in all sports that require aiming (Locked)

[2]Genius (Purple): As one hailed as a Genius, all your attributes exceed the average. Your learning and comprehension abilities surpass those of ordinary people

[3]Diligence Makes Up for Lack of Talent (Gold): Training 20 hours a day, you are the hardest-working person in the world. Exceeding standard training grants you greater returns

[4]Monster (Red-Gold): People often say geniuses stand on the left and madmen on the right. Being far beyond ordinary people, you naturally inspire fear in others. As the Monster, all attributes +2, and your strongest attribute gains an additional +2

Entry Effect: Your performance more easily creates pressure on others; all players matched up against you have stamina consumption +10%

[Selectable Skills]

[1]Serpentine Movement (Purple): Unpredictable movement created by extreme speed, powerful core strength, and exceptional agility. During off-the-ball movement, your trajectory becomes harder to track, allowing you to bypass obstacles more easily

Skill Effect: Chance to use movement to make defending players lose balance

[2]Plunder (Gold): You can imitate and improve abilities whose core attributes are weaker than yours, and cause opponents to lose control over those abilities

[3]Piece Placement – Formation (Gold): When you command and manipulate teammates, if a teammate follows your instructions, that teammate gains one chess piece marker. When the marker reaches three, you and that teammate form a stronger connection, and all of that teammate's attributes increase by 5%. This state is canceled if the teammate refuses to execute your instructions

[Special Reward] (This reward will consume two of your reward selection opportunities)