Blue Lock, I, Kira Ryosuke, Obtain Thunder Breathing at the Start

This strike didn't use the Thunderclap and Flash ability, but with the boost from Total Concentration Breathing, hitting Igarashi Gumon was more than enough.

Kira Ryosuke originally possessed strength beyond his peers, and Total Concentration Breathing further enhanced his power, filling this 'shot' with immense force.

All he wanted was to display his strength in front of everyone in Team Z.

The immense power gave the soccer ball exaggerated acceleration, hitting Igarashi Gumon directly. The latter had no time to react, struck by the overwhelming force, and was sent back several meters, collapsing onto the ground.

Time's up.

The name on the screen froze on Igarashi Gumon.

A piercing bell echoed throughout the room, signaling the end of the game for everyone.

"To all you star prospects, results are everything here. The loser is Igarashi Gumon. You can get lost now, you've lost your qualification."

The screen's image changed again, Ego Jinpachi's gloomy face filling almost the entire display.

"This, this... How can a game like this decide my career! It's utter nonsense!"

Igarashi Gumon retorted in a fit of rage, trying to grasp at any last chance. His body trembled with agitated emotions.

But all he received was Ego Jinpachi's sarcastic mockery:

"Don't you realize? The size of this room is the same as the penalty box, and this game simulates the actions of a forward inside the box, testing reaction time, dribbling speed, and shooting technique while moving! This is genuine football training, you idiot, and you're not up to par! Igarashi Gumon, you were toyed with like prey caught effortlessly."

Ego Jinpachi's gaze seemed to shift to Kira Ryosuke in an instant.

"I, I..."

Igarashi Gumon was still in a daze, wanting to say something, but the overwhelming feelings of unwillingness and regret welling up inside him prevented him from uttering a word, only managing a low groan from his throat.

In the space enclosed by metal walls, all eyes were fixed on Igarashi Gumon.

He knelt on the ground now, like a puppet with its strings cut, motionless. His face was cast in shadow, his teeth clenched, but he couldn't speak. Everything happening felt unreal to him.

Being eliminated in Blue Lock meant the definitive end of his soccer career.

Igarashi Gumon had come here precisely to change his fate. His family wanted him to become a monk in the future, and the only way to alter that was to achieve something in soccer and become a member of the national team.

And that dream had been utterly destroyed by Kira Ryosuke.

At this moment, the room's door opened, seemingly urging him to leave quickly.

Igarashi Gumon shakily stood up, as if waking from a nightmare, and stumbled out of the room.

Inside the room, only the final eleven remained, and an eerie silence spread among them.

"Congratulations, you prospects. You have finally passed the selection and earned the right to live in Blue Lock. There are exactly eleven of you in this room. From now on, you will be a team living together, sometimes helping each other, sometimes betraying... You are Blue Lock's Team Z."

Ego Jinpachi said with a smile.

"In the coming days, you will undergo physical tests. Enjoy your life in Blue Lock."

After he finished speaking, the screen on the wall went black.

In the Blue Lock core control room, Ego Jinpachi sat in his chair, leaning forward, his eyes fixed on the monitor displaying countless small grids. His glasses were almost touching the screen.

"What is it, Mr. Ego? Is there a particular player you're interested in?"

Beside Ego Jinpachi, a woman in uniform asked. She possessed a stunning figure and a delicate face.

She was Aida Reiko, a new staff member at the Football Association. She had collaborated with Ego Jinpachi on the Blue Lock project and was assisting him with various matters.

"No, they are all just raw stones, far from polished to their intended brilliance. There's no one worth noting."

Ego Jinpachi leaned back in his chair, adjusting his glasses as if unconcerned.

Despite his words, his gaze lingered for a second longer than necessary on a certain person in the feed.

Kira Ryosuke.

It seems there's a beast in Blue Lock that I hadn't noticed before.

Chapter 12: Displaying Strength, Gradually Controlling the Team

These three hundred forwards were all carefully selected by Ego Jinpachi, who had thoroughly researched them before they arrived at Blue Lock, including Kira Ryosuke.

With excellent ball skills, considerable talent, and personal charisma, Ego Jinpachi believed that under normal circumstances, Kira Ryosuke would become a formidable star player.

However, this was not the type of forward Ego Jinpachi desired. He needed the strongest forward with exceptional scoring ability.

Kira Ryosuke could reach an excellent level, but he didn't meet Ego Jinpachi's expectations. Furthermore, he believed that someone with Kira Ryosuke's personality wouldn't last long in Blue Lock.

But now, Kira Ryosuke's performance had exceeded Ego Jinpachi's expectations. He seemed to have adapted very quickly to the environment and rules here.

His judgment was decisive, without a hint of hesitation. And whether intentionally or not, Kira Ryosuke had indeed showcased his strength in front of the others in the team, and would gradually gain control of this team.

Ego Jinpachi was very curious about how Kira Ryosuke would perform in Blue Lock going forward.

In Team Z's room, some time had passed since Ego Jinpachi's announcement, yet no one had spoken.

The sudden elimination selection had created a significant sense of pressure among them.

Igarashi Gumon. Everyone's impression of him was basically just his name, and his soccer career had been utterly ended.

Although the others didn't think much of Igarashi Gumon, with his mediocre talent, slovenly attitude, and penchant for petty tricks, almost everyone felt a strange sense of unease about directly taking away someone else's future.

Survival of the fittest, that was the law of Blue Lock.

At this moment, the familiar system voice sounded in Kira Ryosuke's ears once again.

[Congratulations! Combat Points gained: 10]

So the demon-slaying game is also counted as Combat Points? It seems like any competitive match related to soccer can earn points.

Kira Ryosuke thought, resting his hands on his chest, Although 10 Combat Points is a bit low, this isn't an official competition, so it's understandable to get this many points. Once the official matches begin, I'm sure I'll be able to earn more points. That way, I can unlock more moves to enrich my offensive options on the field.

Meanwhile, Kunigami Rensuke was staring intently at Kira Ryosuke not far away.

The other person had actually stopped his powerfully kicked soccer ball with his chest and managed to control it. This meant that this person was outstanding in both stamina and skill.

He had heard of Kira Ryosuke's name before, but he never expected the person to be this strong.

"Um, I wasn't aiming for you with that shot 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 unexpectedly hit Kira Ryosuke. This made him, a person who always acted honorably, feel a bit embarrassed.

"It's nothing. The important thing is that we all passed the selection. From now on, we're teammates. Please take care of me."

Kira Ryosuke responded politely with a smile.

He became very serious about the things he decided to do, but in his everyday life, Kira Ryosuke was a cheerful and easygoing person.

"Since we're on the same team now, let's get along well. We'll need to fight side-by-side later. My name is Kira Ryosuke, please take care of me."

Kira Ryosuke extended his hand as he finished speaking.

"Yeah, my name is Kunigami Rensuke, please take care of me."

Kunigami Rensuke could feel that Kira Ryosuke seemed to be a person who wasn't difficult to get along with in general, so he shook Kira Ryosuke's hand.

Soon, Kira Ryosuke gathered the other members of the team and they took turns introducing themselves. After all, they would be a team for a long time, and getting to know each other was a very important step. Moreover, this would help ease the awkward atmosphere from earlier and calm everyone's nerves.

"I'm Isagi Yoichi from Ichinan Middle School, please take care of me!"

"My name is Kuon Shosei, let's all work hard together from now on."

"Chigiri Hyoma."

After a round of introductions, the tense atmosphere had eased considerably. Kira Ryosuke's cheerful personality, occasionally punctuated by jokes, helped him build good relationships with quite a few people.

After chatting for a bit, everyone went their separate ways to explore freely. Without any special arrangements, people in Blue Lock could move freely within designated areas. There were complete facilities like the cafeteria, bathrooms, soccer fields, and gym... they could create their own daily training plans.

Many members of Team Z were now preparing to look around and familiarize themselves with the environment.

"Kira-kun, want to go eat together!"

At this moment, Isagi Yoichi walked up to Kira Ryosuke and asked quietly.

"Sure, I was just thinking of checking out the cafeteria anyway."

Kira Ryosuke nodded with a smile and then left the room with him. They arrived at the cafeteria, a shared area for the five teams in this building, which was spacious and impeccably clean, without a speck of dust.

The operations here were handled by high-tech equipment. There were no other staff members in the cafeteria, and when players placed their trays in front of the self-service machines, they would automatically receive different meals based on their rankings.

The higher the ranking, the better the food. Kira Ryosuke knew this was one of Ego Jinpachi's clever tricks.

He had instilled a concept in all the players: those with ability would enjoy privileges in Blue Lock. He wanted to use this class disparity to ignite the players' competitive spirit.

Kira Ryosuke scanned the surroundings, his gaze finally settling on a sign.

'One goal = 1 point, which can be exchanged for desired items.'

'1 point: Steak, Massage.'

'3 points: Return of mobile phone.'

'5 points: Premium bed.'

'10 points: 1-day outing pass.'

In Blue Lock, the more goals you scored, the more points you could earn, and the better treatment you would receive within the facility.

Kira Ryosuke wasn't particularly interested in the food. The only things that appealed to him were the return of his mobile phone and the so-called outing pass.

He would need at least 13 points, which meant Kira Ryosuke would have to score 13 goals in matches.

For Kira Ryosuke now, this was not impossible.

Chapter 13: Thunderclap and Flash, LV2!

After dinner, Kira Ryosuke rested for a bit before heading to the gym to train. The equipment here was very complete, and he could still follow the training methods previously set by Aida Reiko.

Jogging, advanced versions of push-ups and planks, flexibility training... Kira Ryosuke didn't slack off at all. Unconsciously, several hours had passed.

[Congratulations! Combat Points gained: 4.]

After several hours of training, Kira Ryosuke had successfully earned his daily quota of 10 Combat Points. For him, this had become something akin to a daily check-in.

[Current Combat Points: 50]

Previously, after upgrading Total Concentration Breathing to LV2, Kira Ryosuke arrived at Blue Lock with 30 Combat Points. Including the 10 points earned from playing tag and the 10 from his recent workout, he now had 50 Combat Points.

This was just enough to upgrade Thunderclap and Flash to LV2.

Nearly a week of hellish training had significantly improved Kira Ryosuke's physical condition. However, it had only been eight days, so the improvement was still limited. He still couldn't use Thunderclap and Flash indefinitely while in Total Concentration Breathing state; each use still resulted in very noticeable soreness.

Currently, in a 90-minute match, he could use Thunderclap and Flash with Total Concentration Breathing once with each leg for shooting, giving him a total of two uses. If he were to use it for sprinting and dribbling, he could only release it once, requiring him to use Total Concentration Breathing with Thunderclap and Flash simultaneously with both legs.

While the skill's effect was powerful, it was meaningless if he couldn't use it multiple times during a match.

One or two uses for both shooting and breakthroughs were far from enough.

Although Ego Jinpachi hadn't said anything, Kira Ryosuke knew that in a few days, they would be competing against other teams, and he would definitely need to score a lot of goals then.

This was precisely when Thunderclap and Flash would come into play.

While accumulating Combat Points to unlock new skills was an option, new skills would certainly require practice and familiarization. Moreover, he might not even have the chance to unlock them before the first match. Therefore, upgrading Thunderclap and Flash was currently 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. He still had some time left today, so he decided to see how the LV2 Thunderclap and Flash performed.

He quickly arrived at Team Z's exclusive football field. Each team was equipped with a dedicated football field, allowing them to train freely.

Kira Ryosuke took a football from the side and placed it about thirty meters from the goal. This was a considerable distance even for the genius players in Blue Lock; only a few could reach thirty meters with their shots.

He quickly adjusted his breathing, entering the state of Total Concentration Breathing, feeling the flow of air in his lungs, allowing oxygen to merge with his blood, converting into strength, and then concentrating it in his right leg--

Shoot!