This Is a Fitness Test? No Big Deal / You Don't Accept Me? Then Beat Me If You've Got the Guts

Thunderclap and Flash!

Kira Ryosuke kicked the ball, converting the strength in his leg into kinetic energy and sending it out like a heavy cannon shell—even Kunigami Rensuke's famed left-footed cannon shot seemed like a feeble blunderbuss before Thunderclap and Flash.

In both range and power, Thunderclap and Flash under Total Concentration Breathing far surpassed it.

The cannonball-like soccer ball struck the upper-right corner of the goal, yet still retained tremendous kinetic energy. Like a beast struggling to break out of its cage, it tore at the net relentlessly, as though it might burst free the next second.

Several seconds later, the beast's fury was finally quelled, and it slowly fell to the ground.

"Both accuracy and power have improved, but it's still not enough. It's still a few centimeters off the direction I aimed at. Still, it's much stronger than at LV1 and easier to control. Most importantly..."

Kira Ryosuke crouched down and carefully felt the condition of his right leg.

Sure enough, soreness soon swept over him, but it was much better than at LV1. The burden on his right leg was clearly much lighter, and the recovery time would definitely be shorter.

However, he still couldn't use Thunderclap and Flash repeatedly with the same leg in a short period. If he forced it, he might strain a muscle and affect his later matches and training. That would be more loss than gain.

He could now use Thunderclap and Flash with both legs. With a reasonable allocation of time and stamina, each leg could use it twice in one match. That meant Kira Ryosuke could theoretically contribute at least four goals during the early matches.

But that was only theoretical. To achieve this, he had to allocate his stamina and time properly. For example, if he scored with Thunderclap and Flash under Total Concentration Breathing at the start of the first half, he would need time to rest and adjust before using the skill with the same leg again in the second half.

In other words, if he didn't get a shooting opportunity in the first half, then after Kira Ryosuke used Thunderclap and Flash in the second half, he wouldn't have enough time to adjust the condition of his leg. This meant he had to obtain a shooting opportunity during the first half.

Obtaining a shooting opportunity wasn't as simple as breaking through the opposing defensive line. Even his teammates could become obstacles.

What Kira Ryosuke intended to do included revealing part of his strength during the tag-selection game. His goal was to gradually win over the others on the team and then lead them himself.

Although only one person could ultimately stand out from Blue Lock, at this stage, he first had to ensure that he successfully passed the first selection. In the original story, Team Z had broken through successfully, but only with great difficulty. Setting aside the so-called protagonist's halo, there were simply too many uncontrollable factors.

Kira Ryosuke didn't want victory or defeat to be controlled by such uncontrollable factors. He wanted to hold the outcome in his own hands.

"That was an amazing shot!"

Just then, a familiar voice came from behind Kira Ryosuke. Bachira Meguru and Isagi Yoichi walked onto the field together.

It was already very late, and they couldn't sleep, so they had come here to practice together.

What Was That Fitness Test Supposed to Be? Nothing Worth Mentioning

"That shot was at least thirty meters, right?"

Bachira Meguru wore an extremely excited smile as he hurried to the spot where Kira Ryosuke had just stood. He glanced at the goal before staring intently at Kira Ryosuke.

"By the way, how did you make that shot just now? Even from thirty meters away, it still retained such exaggerated power after entering the net... Amazing! As expected of the strongest person on our team!"

Isagi Yoichi, standing nearby, also looked at Kira Ryosuke with astonishment and admiration.

"I practiced long-range shooting quite a lot before. My accuracy is still somewhat lacking."

Kira Ryosuke smiled.

"Did you two not sleep? It should be pretty late already."

"Yeah."

Isagi Yoichi nodded, his gaze still fixed on the goal.

He also stood at the spot where Kira Ryosuke had shot. For Isagi Yoichi, it was simply too far away. Maintaining power on Kira Ryosuke's level was impossible.

"Since that's the case, let's practice together, the three of us~"

Bachira Meguru said with a smile.

"Yeah."

Kira Ryosuke didn't object. Practicing with several people was indeed more efficient than practicing alone. His leg was still sore, but basic positioning and drills were no problem.

He also wanted to use this opportunity to learn Bachira Meguru's outstanding dribbling technique, which would be extremely useful when breaking into the penalty area.

Even with the system's bonuses, Kira Ryosuke wasn't satisfied. He had to continue improving his strength.

After nearly an hour of training, the three stopped to rest briefly.

Just then, Bachira Meguru turned to Kira Ryosuke and narrowed his eyes slightly, deep in thought. After considering for a while, he spoke:

"Kira, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah."

"Why did you choose to eliminate Igarashi Gumon?"

"Your answer might find mine boring. On one hand, he provoked me first and gave me possession of the ball."

Kira Ryosuke spoke slowly.

"On the other hand, I thought he was the person who most deserved to be eliminated in this round."

"Deserved it the most?"

Isagi Yoichi asked, puzzled.

"After entering, I counted the people. There were twelve in total, while the tag game would eliminate one person. The remaining eleven would be exactly the number of starters on a soccer team. So I basically determined that the remaining eleven of us would form a team and play against other teams. The losers would be eliminated. Ego Jinpachi hasn't said so yet, but I believe that's what comes next."

Kira Ryosuke explained.

"If we're forming a team, then we'll definitely need to eliminate the weakest person. You all saw that Igarashi Gumon ranked last. His physique and technique were both extremely poor, so I ultimately chose to eliminate him."

"You considered all that?"

Isagi Yoichi was surprised, but then seemed to think of something.

"Although eleven people is the right number, we're all forwards. How will that be arranged? Won't the match become chaotic?"

Bachira Meguru smiled, as though he had guessed Kira Ryosuke's intentions.

"So your actions during the day were basically a show of force, right? As long as there's a leader, this situation can be avoided. Am I right?"

Bachira Meguru was extremely intelligent and also possessed intuition beyond that of ordinary people. In his eyes, that intuition was regarded as the monster in his heart.

"You could say that."

Kira Ryosuke didn't hide it and nodded.

"Interesting."

The smile on Bachira Meguru's face grew more pronounced as he leaned forward slightly.

"Do you know? There's a monster in my heart. It tells me that one person among this group is my kind."

As he spoke, he glanced at Isagi Yoichi from the corner of his eye, but soon focused on Kira Ryosuke's face again.

"And the monster tells me there's an existence that even it fears... That's you, Kira."

"Is that so?"

Kira Ryosuke simply maintained his smile.

"Kira, why did you join Blue Lock?"

"To win."

Kira Ryosuke answered.

Although he had previously intended to take things as they came, once Kira Ryosuke set his mind on a goal, he would do everything he could to accomplish it.

He believed this was the stubbornness he had developed when he was a manga artist.

In reality, he possessed an unparalleled desire to win.

As he looked at Kira Ryosuke, the smile on Bachira Meguru's face seemed to grow even more obvious.

"It's getting late. We should go back and rest."

"Yeah."

The next morning, Kira Ryosuke rose early.

Although only eight days had passed, he had already formed the habit of getting up before sunrise to train.

Of course, in the enclosed environment of Blue Lock, he couldn't see the sunrise.

"These bedboards are so hard... I'll add a high-grade bed to my target plan for now."

Kira Ryosuke got up and stretched. Although all the soccer equipment was available, the living conditions were truly poor. Ten people slept in the same room, and each person had only a mattress, a blanket, and a pillow.

After washing up, he did the most basic warm-up exercises to obtain some Combat Points. One or two hours later, the others gradually got up, officially beginning their first day in Blue Lock.

On the first day, Ego Jinpachi arranged a fitness test for them. The events were intense and offered almost no rest, so many people on the team couldn't make it through the entire test.

"Kira, you can still continue?"

Isagi Yoichi was vomiting into a bucket, practically exhausted, while Kira Ryosuke beside him continued running on the treadmill as if nothing had happened.

"I'm fine."

Kira Ryosuke answered.

The fitness test is indeed intense, but compared to Reiko's training, it's still rather gentle.

He thought this to himself.

On the other side of the fitness room, Raichi Jingo was also running on a treadmill.

Raichi Jingo had a fiery temper and an intense desire to win. He refused to accept anyone on the team.

After seeing Kira Ryosuke's performance in the tag game the previous day, Raichi Jingo had already found him irritating and made him his imagined rival.

Stamina was Raichi Jingo's greatest advantage. Although this wasn't a match, he wanted to beat Kira Ryosuke in the fitness test.

Don't Like Me? Then Beat Me If You've Got the Guts

After more than ten minutes, even Raichi Jingo ran out of stamina and had no choice but to step off the treadmill. He panted heavily, his forehead covered in sweat, and his legs even trembled slightly. At the same time, he glared at Kira Ryosuke with anger and confusion.

Kira Ryosuke was now the only one still continuing in the entire fitness room. Everyone else could only sit on the floor and watch him.

"This guy... Is he a monster?"

"He can keep going? What kind of stamina is that?"

"That's ridiculous..."

Everyone discussed it noisily.

No matter how displeased Raichi Jingo was, he had to admit that Kira Ryosuke's physical ability was terrifying.

Several minutes later, Kira Ryosuke finally stepped off the treadmill. He was also covered in sweat, but he looked far less exhausted than the others.

His original body had decent physical qualities, and more than a week of hellish training had increased Kira Ryosuke's stamina somewhat.

But the key wasn't merely physical endurance. It was his breathing method.

When people exercised, the frequency and method of breathing were extremely important. If one breathed improperly, the body couldn't obtain an adequate oxygen supply, naturally affecting endurance. Breathing frequency was also connected to the rhythm of one's movements, and an incorrect breathing frequency could even affect one's actions.

After unlocking the system and mastering the breathing method, Kira Ryosuke had learned a more efficient way to breathe. That was why he could achieve better results in the fitness test.

Three days had passed since the tag game.

Kira Ryosuke continued working out in the gym, even though he had already obtained that day's Combat Points from checking in.

Just then, the broadcast inside Blue Lock sounded.

"The fitness test results are out. Everyone, return to your rooms immediately and check the latest rankings."

Kira Ryosuke wiped away his sweat and returned to Team Z's room. He changed into the blue clothes he usually wore while resting. The number on the pentagonal badge on his shoulder had changed from 289 at the beginning to 264.

That was because every team had lost one person during the tag round, reducing the total population by twenty-five.

"Tch."

Raichi Jingo glanced at Kira Ryosuke's ranking, then at his own. An obvious look of displeasure appeared on his face, but there was nothing he could do.

Just then, the screen on the wall lit up again, revealing Ego Jinpachi's thin, gloomy face once more.

Kira Ryosuke raised his head and looked at the screen. He knew that Ego Jinpachi was about to announce the rules for the next selection.

That would be the first selection in the true sense of the word. More than half the people would be eliminated then.

Blue Lock had five buildings in total, and each building contained five teams: V, W, X, Y, and Z. The first selection consisted of a round-robin tournament among those five teams, for a total of ten matches.

A victorious team received three points, while both teams received one point in a draw. The losing team received no points.