"People are going to die!"
"We just finished training! Give me a break! How about we put on a good show when Kira comes to our school?"
"Another kilometer!"
After finishing his call with Aida Reiko inside Blue Lock, Kira Ryosuke rested for a while before preparing for the final set of training.
"Kira, are you free?"
Kira Ryosuke turned toward the voice and saw Isagi Yoichi standing behind him.
"What is it, Isagi?"
Kira Ryosuke asked. Isagi Yoichi looked like he had something to say.
"Um... I have a request that might be a little too much."
Standing before Kira Ryosuke, Isagi Yoichi clasped his hands together and bowed deeply.
"Kira, could you train me?"
"What's so excessive about that?"
Kira Ryosuke smiled and quickly helped Isagi Yoichi back up.
"Um... Because Mr. Eikoku said... although we're on the same team, we'll also be rivals in the future..."
"That's only a rule of Blue Lock. When I spoke with Mr. Eikoku last time, I already made my views clear. His way of thinking is wrong. Besides, shouldn't we be focusing on the match in front of us? We're teammates on the same team, so helping each other is only natural. Though I don't know whether I'll actually be of use."
Kira Ryosuke patted Isagi Yoichi on the shoulder.
"Th-thank you so much!"
Isagi Yoichi spoke with deep gratitude. In his eyes, Kira Ryosuke not only had extraordinary soccer skills, but also an excellent personality.
"Isagi, what do you think you need help with?"
"It's like this... During today's match, I saw Niko Ikki launch an attack himself. If not for you, Kira, that attack would have been extremely dangerous... At that moment, I felt that Niko could really score. I think I need to gain at least the same attacking ability as Niko."
Isagi Yoichi pursed his lips hesitantly.
"Earlier, I saw the young lady training with you, Kira, and then she shone in this match. I want to perform well in matches too and contribute to the team."
After speaking, Isagi Yoichi raised his head and stared at Kira Ryosuke, waiting for his advice.
Kira Ryosuke only smiled.
"You've got it wrong, Isagi. The young lady's outstanding performance had nothing to do with my help. It was the result of her own talent. In Mr. Eikoku's words, that's her weapon. So what is your weapon?"
"My weapon..."
After hearing Kira Ryosuke's words, Isagi Yoichi fell into deep thought.
"The premonition of scoring that you just mentioned. You also understood Niko Ikki's attacking route. That means you may possess a similar ability—the ability to observe the movements of every player on the field, something no one else has."
Kira Ryosuke continued.
"The specifics depend on you. How to use your weapon is your own concern. But one thing is certain: if you want to perform better, you'll definitely need to improve your stamina. So train your physical fitness with me later."
"Yeah!"
Isagi Yoichi nodded.
"Hey, you two! Are you planning to secretly train behind our backs?"
Just then, the other players came out as well. Bachira Meguru, at the front, spoke with a grin.
Although everyone had been free to do as they pleased earlier, once they remembered that Kira Ryosuke was still training, almost all of them returned to the field in unspoken agreement.
"If we don't train, Kira will leave us farther and farther behind."
"We can't hold Kira back!"
"Kira steals the spotlight every time!"
The others joined Kira Ryosuke's training as well.
Before long, three days had passed.
The match between Kira Ryosuke's Z Team and W Team had also ended.
7:1
Kira Ryosuke had played as an attacking midfielder in this match. He had not only created four goals, but also provided three assists for his teammates.
Like the teams from the previous two matches, W Team's players were completely crushed by Z Team and had no chance to fight back.
Not only was Kira Ryosuke exceptionally strong, but the other members of Z Team had also improved considerably. On top of that, their teamwork had become extremely well-coordinated.
"This guy... He's just as terrifying as that person from V Team..."
Akimichi Keisuke, W Team's ace player, watched Kira Ryosuke leave surrounded by his teammates, his eyes filled with despair.
In the original story, they had colluded with Kuon Shosei from Z Team and nearly forced Z Team into a desperate situation.
But Z Team had already won three matches by an overwhelming margin, and Kuon Shosei had been infected by the atmosphere within the team. It was impossible for him to betray them, so W Team posed no threat to Kira Ryosuke.
Now, Z Team's only remaining opponent was V Team.
Kira Ryosuke soon returned to the locker room. As expected, the system's voice rang out, and he opened the System Interface at the same time.
[Congratulations! Obtained Combat Points: 160] [Host: Kira Ryosuke] [Current Combat Points: 180] [Combat · Thunder Breathing · Total Concentration LV3 Proficiency: 11.17%] [Combat · Thunder Breathing First Form · Thunderclap and Flash LV2 Proficiency: 100%, Upgrade: 100 Combat Points] [Combat · Thunder Breathing Second Form · Rice Spirit LV2 Proficiency: 36%]
Over these three days, Kira Ryosuke had upgraded his Total Concentration Breathing and Rice Spirit, further increasing his strength.
Chapter Forty-Three: Goal Completed, Long-Lost Blue Sky and White Clouds!
Kira Ryosuke had obtained 170 Combat Points from his match against Y, plus 30 Combat Points from three days of training, for a total of 200 points.
Upgrading Rice Spirit to LV2 required 50 Combat Points, while upgrading Total Concentration Breathing to LV2 required 100. After subtracting the points spent training in the Combat Space over the past few days, he had not had enough points to upgrade Thunderclap and Flash.
However, after the third match, he was able to upgrade Thunderclap and Flash to LV3.
Kira Ryosuke quickly upgraded Thunderclap and Flash to LV3, spending 100 Combat Points and leaving him with 80.
As an inexplicable power surged into his body, Kira Ryosuke's Thunderclap and Flash evolved.
This meant that it had a longer range, greater explosive power—and lower stamina consumption.
Kira Ryosuke could use the skill more frequently during matches and shoot from farther away.
Just then, the system's voice rang out again.
[Achievement Obtained: "Outstanding Midfielder": Appeared as a midfielder in an official match for the first time and won the match. Combat Points obtained: 40] [Achievement Obtained: "Organizing Center": Provided at least three assists to three different players in an official match for the first time and won the match. The skill with the lowest level gains 25% proficiency.] [Achievement Obtained: "Trinity": Appeared in three different major positions during matches. The efficiency of Combat Points obtained through daily training has increased, and the maximum has risen to: 20]
These newly unlocked achievements brought Kira Ryosuke considerable benefits. Besides the direct gains of points and proficiency, the most important change was that the Combat Points obtained through daily training had doubled. This would greatly accelerate the speed at which Kira Ryosuke could upgrade and unlock skills.
Kira Ryosuke had originally planned to maintain only these three skills, but after the daily Combat Point limit doubled, he could train more skills.
Because of today's match, Kira Ryosuke had not yet obtained all of today's points. He now had 120 points remaining, so he could unlock a new skill tomorrow.
But to Kira Ryosuke, that was not the most important thing right now.
He had already scored ten goals in total, which was exactly enough to exchange for an opportunity to go outside. Tomorrow was also the day he had arranged to meet Aida Reiko.
Kira Ryosuke soon arrived at the cafeteria and exchanged his points for an exit pass.
It was an ordinary-looking access card, but a line of text was written on it.
"When you need to go outside, proceed to the Fifth Building's main entrance. The entrance will unlock automatically."
In the original story, no one in Blue Lock had exchanged for this privilege.
For one thing, no one had needed it. More importantly, hardly anyone could score ten goals so early.
In the original story, only Barou Shoei had managed to do so in the first round.
But Kira Ryosuke had already contributed thirteen goals in three matches, along with quite a few assists and steals. Barou Shoei could not compare to him at all.
Outside Blue Lock, at the Itoshi family home.
Itoshi Sae was sitting at a table, bored as he watched the Blue Lock footage sent to him by the association president.
He had originally been somewhat interested in the Blue Lock project. But so far, these so-called top potential forwards from across the country were nothing more than a bunch of useless fools. Even his own younger brother was no exception.
There was no need to watch these matches at all.
"Trash."
"No technique."
"Wasting chances."
In Itoshi Sae's eyes, every one of them was worthless.
Expressionless, he skipped through the match footage one by one, pausing only briefly on a single person.
"Shido Ryusei? That name is barely worth remembering."
Itoshi Sae raised his eyebrows slightly before continuing to skim through the remaining footage.
A player's level and ability could be seen from a single clip, or even a single shot.
But just then, Itoshi Sae pressed the pause button and narrowed his eyes slightly.
Someone had caught his attention.
Kira Ryosuke.
He carefully watched one particular clip: Kira Ryosuke facing off against Barou Shoei and shooting with his left foot using Thunderclap and Flash.
"His dominant foot is his right, but he just created such a powerful shot with his left. That's somewhat interesting. Kira Ryosuke? Blue Lock actually has someone like him? I didn't notice him before."
Itoshi Sae muttered to himself as he called his agent.
"Send me more footage of that person named Kira Ryosuke."
He spoke in a tone of absolute command.
Early the next morning, Kira Ryosuke got up and completed his morning training. He successfully obtained that day's 20 Combat Points.
Not only had the limit increased, but the efficiency of the points gained through training had also improved considerably.
After finishing his morning training, Kira Ryosuke exchanged a few words with his teammates before arriving at the entrance of the building.
The entrance was tightly shut. Ordinary people could not leave through it.
Blue Lock was exactly as its name suggested.
But when Kira Ryosuke reached the entrance, the screen above it suddenly lit up, and the image of Ego Jinpachi appeared.
"Although I set up this reward, I didn't expect anyone to achieve it at this point."
Ego Jinpachi carefully observed Kira Ryosuke. After falling silent thoughtfully for a few seconds, he continued.
"You can go outside for twenty-four hours, starting from the moment you officially leave the building. If you fail to return on time, your eligibility will be revoked. It's almost noon now, so your free time will last until around noon tomorrow. Your travel expenses can be reimbursed afterward. If you have no questions, swipe your card and leave."
"Understood."
Kira Ryosuke nodded without saying more. He pressed the access card against the entrance, and the tightly closed doors slowly opened.
What entered his view was a bright blue sky and dazzling sunlight. A cool breeze gently brushed against his face.
Kira Ryosuke had not seen this sight once during the more than half a month he had spent inside. He had lived in a completely enclosed environment the entire time, so calling it long-awaited was not an exaggeration.
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