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

Thunderclap and Flash!

Kira Ryosuke kicked the ball, the power in his leg converting into kinetic energy for the soccer ball, sending it charging out like a cannonball. Even Kunigami Rensuke's proud cannon shot from his left foot seemed like a trivial bird gun compared to Thunderclap and Flash.

Whether in range or power, Thunderclap and Flash under Total Concentration Breathing was superior.

The cannonball-like ball hit the top right corner of the goal, but it still possessed immense kinetic energy, like a beast struggling to break free from its cage, constantly tearing at the net, as if it would burst out the next second.

After a few seconds, the beast's fury was finally quelled, and it slowly landed on the ground.

"Precision and power have both improved, but it's still not enough. There's still a few centimeters difference from my intended target. However, it's definitely stronger and easier to control than at LV1. Most importantly..."

Kira Ryosuke lowered his head, carefully feeling the condition of his right leg.

As expected, the soreness soon hit, but it was much better than at LV1. The load on his right leg was significantly less, and the recovery time would definitely be shorter.

However, he definitely couldn't use Thunderclap and Flash continuously on the same leg in a short period. If he forced it, he could easily strain his muscles, affecting future matches and training, which would be a net loss.

Now that he could use Thunderclap and Flash with both legs, and if he allocated his time and stamina reasonably, he could use it twice with each leg per match. This meant Kira Ryosuke could contribute at least four goals in the initial matches.

But this was only theoretical. The prerequisite for achieving this was reasonable allocation of stamina and time. For example, if he scored using Thunderclap and Flash under Total Concentration Breathing at the start of the first half, he would need a period of rest and adjustment before he could use the skill again with the same leg in the second half.

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

And getting a shooting opportunity wasn't as simple as breaking through the opponent's defensive line; even teammates could become obstacles.

What Kira Ryosuke planned to do, including revealing some of his strength during the tag selection, was to gradually gain the trust of others in the team and then lead them.

Although only one person could ultimately stand out from Blue Lock, at this stage, they first needed to ensure they could successfully pass the first selection. In the original story, Team Z managed to break through, but it was very close. Excluding the so-called protagonist's halo, there were too many uncontrollable factors.

Kira Ryosuke didn't want the outcome to be determined by these uncontrollable factors; he wanted to grasp the victory in his own hands.

"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 decided to come here to practice together.

Chapter 14: This is called a physical test? Not worth mentioning.

"That shot just now was at least thirty meters away!"

Bachira Meguru's face was filled with an excited smile as he quickly ran to where Kira Ryosuke had been standing. He first looked at the goal, then stared intently at Kira Ryosuke.

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

Isagi Yoichi, standing beside him, also looked at Kira Ryosuke with a gaze full of surprise and admiration.

"I've done a lot of practice with long shots before. I'm still a bit lacking in accuracy right now," Kira Ryosuke said with a smile.

"You two aren't sleeping? It should be quite late by now."

"Yeah," Isagi Yoichi nodded, his gaze also fixed on the goal.

He stood at the spot where Kira Ryosuke had just shot from. For Isagi Yoichi, it was too far, and maintaining the same level of power as Kira Ryosuke was impossible.

"In that case, let's practice together, the three of us~" Bachira Meguru said with a smile.

"Okay." Kira Ryosuke didn't object. Practicing with a few more people was indeed more efficient than practicing alone. Although his legs were still sore, it was fine for basic positioning and practice.

He also wanted to take this opportunity to learn Bachira Meguru's excellent dribbling skills, which would be very useful when breaking into the penalty area.

Even with the system's boost, Kira Ryosuke wouldn't be satisfied; he had to further improve his strength.

After about an hour of training, the three of them stopped to rest for a bit.

At this moment, Bachira Meguru turned his head to look at Kira Ryosuke, narrowing his eyes slightly, deep in thought. After pondering for a moment, he spoke:

"Kira, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Why did you choose to eliminate Igarashi Gumon?"

"My answer might be a bit boring for you. On one hand, he provoked me, which allowed me to gain possession of the ball," Kira Ryosuke said slowly.

"On the other hand, I believe he was the one who should have been eliminated in this round?"

"Should have been?" Isagi Yoichi asked with some confusion.

"When I first came in, I counted the number of people. There were twelve in total, and the tag game required eliminating one person, leaving eleven, which is exactly the number of starters for a soccer team. So, I basically concluded that the remaining eleven of us would form a team and play against other teams, and the losers would be eliminated. Although Ego Jinpachi hasn't said it yet, I believe this is the subsequent process."

Kira Ryosuke explained, "Since we're forming a team, we naturally need to eliminate the worst player. And as you saw, Igarashi Gumon, who ranked last, is still very poor in both physique and technique. So, I ultimately chose to eliminate him."

"You thought that much about it..."

Isagi Yoichi was a little surprised, but seemed to have thought of something.

"Although eleven people is fine in terms of numbers, we're all forwards, so how will this be divided... It's bound to be chaos during the match!"

Beside him, Bachira Meguru smiled, as if guessing Kira Ryosuke's thoughts.

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

Bachira Meguru was a very intelligent person, and he also possessed intuition that surpassed others—in his eyes, this intuition was seen as a monster within his heart.

"You could say that."

Kira Ryosuke didn't hide anything and nodded.

"Interesting."

The smile on Bachira Meguru's face became more pronounced, and he leaned forward slightly.

"Do you know? There's a monster in my heart, and it tells me that among these people, there's one who is like me."

As he spoke, he glanced at Isagi Yoichi out of the corner of his eye, but quickly refocused on Kira Ryosuke's face.

"And the monster tells me there's someone even he is afraid of... that's you, Kira."

"Is that so?"

Kira Ryosuke maintained his smile.

"Kira, why did you join Blue Lock?"

"To win."

Kira Ryosuke replied.

Although he had previously thought of taking things as they came, once Kira Ryosuke set his sights on a goal, he would strive with all his might to achieve it.

He considered this to be the stubbornness he possessed as a former manga artist.

In reality, he had an unparalleled desire to win.

Looking at Kira Ryosuke, the smile on Bachira Meguru's face seemed to become even more pronounced.

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

"Yeah."

The next morning, Kira Ryosuke woke up early.

Even though he only had eight days, he had already developed the habit of waking up before sunrise to practice.

However, in the confined environment of Blue Lock, one couldn't see the sunrise.

"This bed board is really hard... I'll put a high-quality bed on my goal list for now."

Kira Ryosuke got up and stretched. Although all the soccer equipment was readily available, the accommodation conditions were really not ideal. Ten people slept in the same room, with each person having only a mattress, a blanket, and a pillow.

After washing up, he did the most basic warm-up exercises to earn some competitive points. An hour or two later, the others also started to wake up, officially beginning the first day in Blue Lock.

On the first day, Ego Jinpachi arranged physical tests for them. The intensity was high, and there was no time for rest. Many people in the team couldn't sustain it throughout.

"Kira, you can still continue...?"

Isagi Yoichi was holding a bucket and retching, almost completely drained. Kira Ryosuke, on the other hand, looked like nothing had happened and continued to run on the treadmill.

"I'm fine."

Kira Ryosuke replied.

Although the physical test is quite intense, it's still gentle compared to the training Reiko arranged.

He thought to himself.

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

Raichi Jingo had a fiery temper and immense competitiveness, and he was unconvinced by everyone in the team.

Yesterday, after seeing Kira Ryosuke's performance in the tag game, Raichi Jingo already felt annoyed with him and had mentally marked Kira Ryosuke as his rival.

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

Chapter 15: You Don't Like Me? Then Have the Guts to Beat Me.

More than ten minutes later, even Raichi Jingo's stamina gave out, and he had to get off the treadmill, panting heavily. Sweat covered his forehead, and his legs felt weak. He looked at Kira Ryosuke with eyes full of anger and confusion.

Now, Kira Ryosuke was the only one still persisting in the entire testing room; everyone else could only sit on the floor and watch him.

"Is this guy... a monster?"

"He can keep going? What kind of stamina is this...?"

"This is too much..."

The crowd buzzed with discussion.

No matter how annoyed Raichi Jingo was, he had to admit Kira Ryosuke's terrifying physical endurance.

A few minutes later, Kira Ryosuke finally stepped off the treadmill. Although he was also covered in sweat, he looked far less exhausted than everyone else.

The original body's physical fitness was passable, and coupled with over a week of hellish training, Kira Ryosuke's stamina had improved somewhat.

However, the most crucial factor wasn't just physical ability, but the way one breathed.

When a person exercises, their breathing rate and method are extremely important. If breathing is improper, the body cannot receive sufficient oxygen supply, which naturally affects physical stamina. Furthermore, breathing rate is linked to the rhythm of a person's movements; an incorrect breathing rate can even disrupt one's actions.

After unlocking the system and mastering the breathing technique, Kira Ryosuke learned a more efficient way to breathe, which is why he was able to achieve better results in the physical tests.

Three more days had passed since the "tag" game.

Kira Ryosuke was still training in the gym, even though he had already earned his daily 'check-in' competitive points.

Just then, the Blue Lock broadcast chimed.

"Physical test results are out. Please return to your rooms immediately to check the latest rankings."

Kira Ryosuke wiped the sweat from his brow and returned to Team Z's room. He changed into the blue uniform he usually wore during rest periods. The number on the pentagonal badge on his shoulder had changed from the initial '289' to '264'.

This was because one person from each team had been eliminated during the tag segment, reducing the total number of participants by 25.

"Tch."

Raichi Jingo glanced at Kira Ryosuke's ranking, then at his own, a clearly displeased expression on his face, but he could do nothing about it.

At that moment, the screen on the wall lit up again, and Ego Jinpachi's gaunt, gloomy face reappeared.

Kira Ryosuke looked up at the screen, knowing that Ego Jinpachi was about to announce the rules for the next selection stage.

That would be the true first selection, where more than half of the participants would be eliminated.

Blue Lock had a total of five buildings, and each building housed five teams: V, W, X, Y, and Z. The content of the first selection would be a single round-robin tournament among these five teams, totaling ten matches.

The winning team would receive 3 points, a draw would earn each team 1 point, and the losing team would receive no points.