บท 36: [36] Evaluation and New Growth
"The first selection was designed to help you understand your weapons and individuality, guiding you through the process of turning zero into one, while learning the true meaning of a striker's existence through competition."
"But from this point on, in the most advanced training facilities, you will transform your 'one' into 'one hundred.'"
Ego raised his hand, and five pentagonal projections, each marked with a number, appeared in his palm. "This is where you stand now. In the second selection, there are five stages. Only those who clear one stage can advance to the next. Those who pass the entire second selection will have the opportunity to train alongside the world's top players in an elite training camp I've organized."
"World-class players? Is he serious?"
"That's incredible!"
"Now this is motivating!"
The classic "stick and carrot" tactic worked like a charm. The mention of training alongside world-class players captured everyone's attention, filling the room with dreams of a brighter future.
"That concludes the explanation. If you're ready, head through that gate," Ego said. Iron crates filled with footballs rose from the floor, and a blue arrow suddenly lit up on the ground, pointing toward a distant door.
"Alone? Is the team phase over?" Hiori frowned, glancing around. As if sensing the unspoken thoughts of the crowd, Ego spoke again.
"Of course. The second selection is far tougher than the first. If any of you barely survived thanks to a strong teammate, you'd better brace yourselves."
"The second selection will weed out all the weaklings, leaving only the true egoists. Good luck."
With that, Ego's image vanished from the screen. Without hesitation, Hiori started walking toward the gate.
"Whoa, someone's already moving? Not even waiting to see what happens?" His decisive action starkly contrasted with the hesitance of the others, immediately catching Isagi's attention.
"Wait… isn't that Shinichi?" Isagi exclaimed, quickly recognizing the figure.
"Shinichi! You're here too!" Isagi ran over excitedly, eager to talk. "Is that guy your teammate?"
"Sort of," Shinichi replied casually, sitting cross-legged on the ground with a yawn. "I told him the speed at which you complete this phase would affect your ranking in the second selection, so he ran off. Probably didn't want to fall too far behind me."
Shinichi's eyes scanned the room again, finally landing on a familiar figure among the crowd.
A faint smirk crossed his face.
When Rin Itoshi noticed someone entering before him, he didn't bother showing off his skills this time.
His expression grew tense, and he immediately headed through the gate.
"Seeing someone beat you to the punch took away your sense of urgency, huh? Always trying to be first—what a childish trait," Shinichi muttered, dusting himself off as he stood. "Guess I'll head in too. Do your best, and maybe we'll meet again later."
"That's Shinichi? He's not as intimidating as I thought," Chigiri Hyoma remarked, relieved after overhearing the exchange.
Having heard Isagi and Kira constantly talk about how Shinichi had "destroyed" them, he'd imagined someone far more menacing.
"Yeah… something like that," Isagi replied hesitantly, clenching his fists.
For some reason, as Shinichi passed by, Isagi felt a sudden, inexplicable sense of danger—a brief moment of heart-pounding unease that even made him forget the declaration of war he'd been planning for so long.
"Damn it… nothing has changed after all!" Isagi bit his lip in frustration. "Chigiri, I'm going in first."
"You guys… why is everyone so impatient?" Chigiri sighed, watching Isagi march toward the gate. "Kira dashed in right after seeing him, and Bachira too. He was shouting something about a monster and rushed right in."
"Those two managed to move faster than me?" Isagi grumbled before stepping toward the gate leading to the second stage. "I'll be going now, Chigiri, everyone..."
"Hm?"
"See you in the next stage of Blue Lock. You better catch up!"
"Like I need you to tell me."
"Isagi, don't act so cocky. Who do you think you are?" Chigiri retorted with a smirk, watching his teammate disappear through the gate.
"Exactly, exactly! You're so weak; you should be worrying about whether you can even pass this round," someone teased, sparking another round of playful banter among the group.
After the laughter subsided, Isagi took a deep breath and stepped through the door marked "Second Stage."
"I'm grateful to all of you. Without your help, I wouldn't have made it this far. But… from here on out, I have to move forward alone."
"I definitely felt something terrifying from Shinichi earlier," Isagi thought to himself as he walked.
"But now that I've calmed down, that fear has transformed."
"The unease still lingers, but instead of paralyzing me, it's igniting my heart, filling me with an unfamiliar kind of excitement—not the reckless thrill I've felt before, but the grounded exhilaration that comes from knowing I've earned my place here, from every victory and every bit of progress I've made."
"If I can clear this stage, Shinichi will be right in front of me—just within reach! My brain won't let me forget that fact for even a second!"
"Even if there's still a gap between us, I'll keep growing stronger here in Blue Lock. Shinichi… I will surpass you!"
...
"Ugh... playing against a machine is so boring," Shinichi muttered as he caught a ball fired from the wall of the perfectly rectangular grassy field. With a casual yet powerful shot, he easily scored past the virtual goalkeeper.
"This system is supposed to create training modes tailored to each player's traits. So, according to it, my weak points are ball control and shooting?" he mused, trapping another ball that shot out from the rear wall with his heel.
The strong spin on the ball caught his attention, and he took a moment to analyze its effect.
"Well, their analysis isn't wrong, but this setup is way too basic. It's not challenging at all." With another effortless shot, Shinichi hit his 100-goal target, triggering the system's notification sound.
The door to the next room opened, and Shinichi strolled in, already bored. Unsurprisingly, the waiting room was empty.
"So slow," Shinichi sighed, finding a random spot to sit. With a wave of his hand, he summoned the long-absent system interface.
...
[First Selection Complete. Evaluation Finalized: S. You have received the following rewards.]
[You may choose three rewards. Duplicate traits and skills will automatically merge.]
[Available Traits]
1. Sharpshooter (Blue → Purple):
Whether it's arrows or footballs, your precision in striking is jaw-dropping. As a designated "Sharpshooter," your accuracy will significantly improve across all aim-based sports (Locked).
2. Genius (Purple):
As someone hailed as a "Genius," all your attributes exceed the average. Your learning and comprehension abilities are far above ordinary levels.
3. Hard Work Pays Off (Gold):
By training 20 hours a day, you've become the hardest-working person in the world. Your dedication allows you to reap greater rewards from prolonged practice.
4. Monster (Crimson Gold):
They say geniuses stand on one side and madmen on the other. Being far beyond the ordinary has naturally made you an object of fear. As a designated "Monster," all attributes +2, and your strongest attribute gets an additional +2.
Trait Effect: Your performance exerts greater psychological pressure on opponents. Players directly matched against you experience 10% increased stamina drain.
[Available Skills]
1. Serpentine Movement (Purple):
An unpredictable running technique created through exceptional speed, core strength, and agility. During off-ball runs, your movements become harder to track, making it easier to bypass defenders.
Skill Effect: You have a chance to shake off or unbalance defending players through your movement.
2. Devour (Gold):
You can mimic and improve abilities tied to core attributes weaker than yours, causing the opponent to lose control over that ability.
3. Piece Placement - Strategy (Gold):
When you direct and guide your teammates, if they follow your instructions, they gain a "piece" marker. Once a teammate accumulates three markers, your connection with them strengthens, and all their attributes increase by 5%. This state ends if the teammate refuses to follow your commands.
Special Reward (This reward will consume two of your selection opportunities.)
A unique reward offering powerful enhancements or abilities. The specifics of this reward will be revealed upon selection.
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