He had not used Thunderclap and Flash for this strike, but with the boost from Total Concentration Breathing, hitting Igarashi Gumon was more than easy.
The original Kira Ryosuke already possessed strength beyond that of his peers. Total Concentration Breathing had further enhanced his power, making this "shot" incredibly forceful.
What he had to do was show his strength in front of everyone on Team Z.
The tremendous force gave the soccer ball an exaggerated acceleration. It struck Igarashi Gumon directly, leaving him no time to react. The impact sent him staggering several meters backward before he collapsed onto the floor.
Time was up.
The name on the screen stopped on Igarashi Gumon.
The ear-piercing buzzer echoed throughout the room, announcing to everyone that the game was over.
"To all you rough diamonds, results come first here. The loser is Igarashi Gumon. You can get lost now. You've lost your qualifications."
The image on the screen changed again, and Ego Jinpachi's gloomy face nearly filled the entire display.
"This... How could a game like this decide my career?! This is absurd!"
Igarashi Gumon angrily retorted, trying to fight for one last chance. His body trembled from his agitation.
But all that awaited him was Ego Jinpachi's mocking sneer:
"Didn't you notice? This room is the same size as the penalty area, and this game simulates a striker's movements inside the penalty area. It tests your reaction speed, dribbling speed, and shooting technique while moving! This is genuine soccer training, you idiot—and you failed! Igarashi Gumon, you were toyed with as easily as prey in someone else's hands."
Ego Jinpachi's gaze seemed to shift toward Kira Ryosuke in an instant.
"I... I..."
Igarashi Gumon was still dazed. He wanted to say something, but the resentment and regret constantly surging through his heart left him unable to utter a word. All he could do was make a low, mournful sound in his throat.
In this space enclosed by metal walls, everyone's gaze fell on Igarashi Gumon.
He was kneeling on the floor, his entire body motionless like a broken doll. Shadows covered his face. His teeth were clenched, yet he could not say a single word. Everything happening to him felt completely unreal.
Being eliminated from Blue Lock meant that his soccer career had been ended for good.
Igarashi Gumon had come here because he wanted to change his fate. His family wanted him to become a monk in the future, and the only way he could change all that was to achieve something in soccer and become a member of the National Team.
But that dream had been completely destroyed by Kira Ryosuke.
At that moment, the room's doors opened, seemingly urging him to leave as quickly as possible.
Igarashi Gumon shakily stood up. It was as though he had just endured a nightmare, and he staggered out of the room.
Only the remaining eleven players were left in the room, and a strange silence spread among them.
"Congratulations, you rough diamonds. You've finally passed the selection and earned the right to live in Blue Lock. There happen to be eleven people in this room, so from now on, you'll be a team that lives together. Sometimes you'll help each other, and sometimes you'll betray one another... You are Team Z of Blue Lock."
Ego Jinpachi said this with a smile.
"For the next few days, you'll undergo physical tests. Enjoy your life in Blue Lock."
After he finished speaking, the image on the screen on the wall disappeared, leaving it completely black.
In Blue Lock's central control room, Ego Jinpachi sat in a chair, leaning forward as he stared intently at the monitoring screens divided into countless small squares. His glasses nearly touched the display.
"What's wrong, Mr. Eikoku? Is there a particular player you're interested in?"
Beside Ego Jinpachi, a woman in uniform asked him. She had an extremely alluring figure and a delicate face.
She was Teieri Anri, a new employee of the soccer association. She had joined forces with Ego Jinpachi to carry out the Blue Lock project and was also helping him handle all sorts of affairs.
"No. They're all just rough diamonds. They haven't been polished enough to shine as they should. There's no one worth paying attention to."
Ego Jinpachi leaned back in his chair and pushed up his glasses, as if he did not care.
Although that was his answer, his eyes involuntarily lingered for an extra second on someone in the footage.
Kira Ryosuke.
It seems there's another beast in Blue Lock that I hadn't noticed before.
Chapter Twelve: Showcasing Strength and Gradually Taking Control of the Team
All three hundred strikers had been carefully selected by Ego Jinpachi, so he had naturally conducted thorough research on them before they arrived at Blue Lock, including Kira Ryosuke.
With outstanding soccer skills, decent talent, and his own personal charisma, Ego Jinpachi believed that, following the normal course of events, Kira Ryosuke would become a highly capable star.
But that was not the kind of striker Ego Jinpachi wanted. He needed the strongest striker, one with overwhelming scoring ability.
Kira Ryosuke could reach an excellent standard, but he did not meet Ego Jinpachi's expectations. Moreover, Ego Jinpachi believed that someone with Kira Ryosuke's personality could never make it far in Blue Lock.
Yet Kira Ryosuke's performance had now exceeded Ego Jinpachi's expectations. He seemed to have adapted to this environment and its rules remarkably quickly.
His decisions were decisive, without the slightest hesitation. Whether intentionally or not, Kira Ryosuke had indeed displayed his strength in front of the other members of the team. He would gradually seize control of the team.
Ego Jinpachi was very curious to see how Kira Ryosuke would perform in Blue Lock from this point onward.
In Team Z's room, quite some time had passed since Ego Jinpachi's speech had ended, but no one spoke.
The sudden elimination selection had placed considerable pressure on them.
As for Igarashi Gumon, everyone's impression of him was basically limited to his name, yet his soccer career had already been ended completely.
Although the others had no particular fondness for Igarashi Gumon—his talent was average, his personality careless, and he was always playing petty tricks—nearly everyone felt something strange about directly depriving another person of their future.
The strong preyed on the weak. That was Blue Lock's law of survival.
At that moment, the familiar system voice rang out beside Kira Ryosuke's ear once again.
[Congratulations! Obtained Combat Points: 10]
The demon-catching game counted as Combat Points too? It seems that as long as it's a competitive event related to soccer, I can earn points.
Kira Ryosuke folded his hands over his chest and thought,
Ten Combat Points is a little low, but this wasn't an official match, after all, so that amount makes sense. Once official matches begin, I should be able to earn more points. Then I can unlock more techniques and enrich my attacking methods on the field.
At that moment, Kunigami Rensuke was staring intently at Kira Ryosuke from not far away.
He had actually caught the soccer ball that Kunigami Rensuke had kicked with all his strength directly with his chest, and had even completed the trap. That proved that this person was outstanding in both physical ability and technique.
Kunigami Rensuke had heard the name Kira Ryosuke before, but he had never imagined that the other man was this strong.
"Um, I wasn't aiming that ball at you just now. I'm very sorry."
Kunigami Rensuke walked up to Kira Ryosuke and apologized. Although the test was over, the ball he had originally aimed at Igarashi Gumon had accidentally struck Kira Ryosuke instead. As someone who always acted with integrity, Kunigami Rensuke felt rather embarrassed.
"It's nothing. We all passed the selection, and that's what matters. From now on, we're teammates on the same team. I look forward to working with you."
Kira Ryosuke smiled and responded politely.
Once Kira Ryosuke set his mind on something, he became extremely serious about it. In ordinary circumstances, however, he was also cheerful and easy to get along with.
"Since we're on the same team now, let's get along well. We'll need to fight side by side from now on. My name is Kira Ryosuke. I look forward to working with you."
As Kira Ryosuke finished speaking, he extended his hand.
"Yeah. My name is Kunigami Rensuke. I look forward to working with you."
Kunigami Rensuke could tell that Kira Ryosuke really was fairly easy to get along with normally, so he shook Kira Ryosuke's hand.
Soon, Kira Ryosuke gathered the other members of the team together and had them take turns introducing themselves. After all, they would be a team for quite a long time, making it very important for them to understand one another. It also eased the awkward atmosphere and helped everyone relax.
"I'm Isagi Yoichi from Ichinan Middle School. Nice to meet you!"
"My name is Kuon Shosei. Let's all work hard together from now on."
"Chigiri Hyoma."
After everyone had introduced themselves, the tense atmosphere relaxed considerably. Kira Ryosuke had a cheerful personality, occasionally slipping a joke into the conversation, and he managed to build decent relationships with quite a few people.
After chatting for a while, everyone split up to act freely. Unless there were special arrangements, the people in Blue Lock could move freely within the designated areas. The cafeteria, bathrooms, soccer fields, gym... The facilities were fully equipped, and they could create their own daily training plans.
Many members of Team Z were planning to look around and familiarize themselves with the surroundings.
"Kira, want to go eat together?"
Just then, Isagi Yoichi walked over to Kira Ryosuke's side and asked quietly.
"Sure. I wanted to take a look at the cafeteria anyway."
Kira Ryosuke nodded with a smile, then left the room with him and arrived at the cafeteria. This was a shared area for the five teams in the building. It was spacious and immaculately clean, without even a speck of dust.
High-tech equipment handled all the cafeteria's operations. There were no other staff members, and when the players placed their trays in front of the self-service machines, they automatically received different meals according to their rankings.
The higher the ranking, the better the food. Kira Ryosuke knew that this was one of Ego Jinpachi's little tricks.
He had instilled an idea in every player: those with ability could enjoy privileges in Blue Lock. He wanted to use this class difference to stimulate the players' competitive spirit.
Kira Ryosuke looked around, and his gaze eventually landed on a sign.
One goal = 1 point. Exchangeable for goods of your choice.
1 point: Steak, massage.
3 points: Return of your cellphone.
5 points: Premium bed.
10 points: One-day exit pass.
In Blue Lock, scoring more goals allowed one to exchange them for more points while also granting better treatment.
Kira Ryosuke did not have much interest in food. The only things that attracted him were the return of his cellphone and the so-called exit pass.
He needed at least 13 points, which meant Kira Ryosuke had to score 13 goals in matches.
For Kira Ryosuke as he was now, that was not impossible.
Chapter Thirteen: Thunderclap and Flash, LV2!
After dinner, Kira Ryosuke rested briefly before heading to the gym to train. The equipment there was extremely comprehensive, allowing him to continue training according to the methods Aida Reiko had previously assigned.
Jogging, advanced push-ups and planks, flexibility training... Kira Ryosuke did not slack off at all. Before he knew it, several hours had passed.
[Congratulations! Obtained Combat Points: 4.]
After several hours of training, Kira Ryosuke successfully earned today's 10 Combat Points. To him, this had already become something like checking in every day.
[Current Combat Points: 50]
He had previously upgraded Total Concentration Breathing to LV2. When Kira Ryosuke arrived at Blue Lock, he had possessed 30 Combat Points. Adding the 10 points obtained from the demon-catching game and the 10 he had just earned from working out, he now had 50 Combat Points.
That was exactly enough to upgrade Thunderclap and Flash to LV2.
Nearly a week of hellish training had improved Kira Ryosuke's physical abilities considerably. However, it had only been eight days, so the improvement was ultimately limited. He still could not use Thunderclap and Flash infinitely while in the Total Concentration state, and each use still produced a distinct aching sensation.
At present, during a ninety-minute match, he could use Thunderclap and Flash in the Total Concentration state once with each leg for shooting, giving him two opportunities in total. If he used it for sprinting while dribbling, however, he would need to use Thunderclap and Flash with both legs under Total Concentration Breathing, allowing him to release it only once.
This ability was extremely powerful, but if he could not use it multiple times during a match, it would be meaningless.
One or two shots or breakthroughs were far from enough.
Although Ego Jinpachi had not said so, Kira Ryosuke knew that in a few days, they would have to play against the other teams. By then, he would definitely need to score a large number of goals.
That was precisely when Thunderclap and Flash would show its value.
Accumulating Combat Points to unlock new skills was also an option, but new skills would certainly require practice and familiarity. Moreover, by the time the first match arrived, he might not even have the opportunity to unlock one. For now, upgrading Thunderclap and Flash was the best choice for Kira Ryosuke.
Kira Ryosuke immediately chose to upgrade Thunderclap and Flash.
[Upgrade successful! Combat: Thunder Breathing First Form: Thunderclap and Flash has reached LV2. Proficiency reset.] [Current Combat Points: 0]
After spending all his Combat Points, Kira Ryosuke stopped training as well. There was still some time left today, so he decided to see what LV2 Thunderclap and Flash was like.
He soon arrived at Team Z's exclusive soccer field. Every team had its own dedicated soccer field, allowing them to train freely.
Kira Ryosuke took a soccer ball from the side and placed it roughly thirty meters from the goal. Even for the genius players in Blue Lock, that was an extremely long distance. Not many could shoot from thirty meters away.
He quickly adjusted his breathing and entered the state of Total Concentration Breathing. At the same time, he felt the flow of air through his lungs, allowing oxygen to dissolve into his blood and transform into strength before concentrating it in his right leg—
Shoot!
Before you continue