What Kind of Reward Is This?

Leo Kang and his teammates returned to the hotel where they were staying.

After putting down his luggage, he eagerly opened the system panel, only to find it completely empty.

[Ding! Reward settlement in progress.]

It seemed the settlement would not be completed anytime soon.

Dennis suddenly gave a mysterious smile. "Leo, want to go shopping? Come with me! It won't take too long. I'll help you pick out some gifts for your club teammates."

"Stop dawdling. We're not superstars from the first team. Put on a mask, change into casual clothes, and barely anyone will recognize us!"

That was true enough.

Even if Lingard put on a mask and casual clothes and danced in the streets of Japan, people would only take him for some weird guy.

The two reported their outing to the coaching staff and national team manager.

Then they left the hotel and headed for Ginza.

Half an hour later.

The two arrived at a back street off Ginza Avenue.

"I made plans with a Japanese girl. Do you mind? I heard you don't like European girls."

Little Denis had still been quite handsome during his Villarreal days. His hairline had not yet receded, and he was at the peak of his looks.

As he spoke.

A Japanese girl in the distance waved, then pulled her companion along as they jogged over.

Dennis looked disappointed and muttered, "God, why doesn't she look anything like her photos? Why is she so short? She's completely flat, and her teeth too! She's really not my type!"

"Forget it, Leo. We'll grab something to eat later, then find an excuse to leave."

He had not lowered his voice, though he was speaking Spanish.

Western beauty standards differed greatly.

Leo Kang glanced at his teammate's phone screen, then looked at the Japanese girl who had run over.

They looked like completely different people.

The photo on the phone showed incredibly exaggerated proportions.

But right before him—

His gaze was instantly drawn to the other girl.

She wore an unwilling, cold expression.

Her delicate, petite features were exquisitely pretty.

Very cute.

[Ding! Suppressing dopamine reward neurotransmitters!]

A certain emotion within Leo Kang instantly faded away.

"Leo! Asuka, come over quickly! This is Leo! The Imperial Kirin Beast!"

The ordinary-looking girl was incredibly excited.

The cold-faced girl tugged at the mask that covered nearly half her face and politely greeted him.

Dennis was left standing off to the side, but inwardly he was delighted. Good thing they're more interested in Leo!

There was nothing improper about it.

Dennis lived a very healthy lifestyle. His interactions with the opposite sex were limited to eating and shopping together.

The four walked along the bustling back streets of Ginza Avenue.

The signs and massive advertisements on both sides of the road painted Tokyo's streets in brilliant colors beneath the night sky.

Waves of cold wind swept past.

Yet they could not conceal the prosperity of the city.

The aloof Asuka did not say a word. Only after arriving did she learn that the friend her companion had mentioned was a boy.

The ordinary girl kept pestering Dennis with broken English, while he struggled to force out a perfunctory smile.

Meanwhile, Leo Kang was thinking about what gifts to buy for his Bayer Leverkusen teammates.

Before he knew it, his thoughts had drifted back to buying a house.

The Veltins endorsement fee had been transferred before the commercial shoot. He had used part of it to stockpile Bitcoin, but he still did not know how to spend the rest.

A few minutes later.

He stopped walking and realized he had gotten separated from Dennis.

Amid the crowded streets.

There was no sign of his teammate or the ordinary girl.

Only the cold-faced Asuka remained beside him.

The two exchanged glances. Unable to communicate, the atmosphere became awkward.

"Leo, are you hungry?"

Asuka pointed toward a street food shop, her voice slightly sweet.

She was hungry, but out of politeness, she still asked Leo Kang in broken English.

After all.

Compared to white men, the quiet Leo did not make people feel particularly uncomfortable.

Her resolve hardened further: she would absolutely refuse these vague, unclear outings with her companion in the future.

Leo Kang nodded.

Oddly enough, Asuka did not give off the foul smell common to ordinary girls.

In September Tokyo, the leaves on the trees lining the streets were beginning to turn yellow.

After eating two fish balls, the girl seemed to brighten considerably.

When she saw Leo Kang remove his mask, she became a little uneasy and could not help giving him a shy smile.

Leo Kang smiled as well.

Only then did he have a chance to study her closely from nearby.

Long eyelashes.

Her skin was very fair, like snow—like Hokkaido snow.

"Leo, have you ever been to Hokkaido? The maple leaves there have turned red."

Asuka shed her initial aloofness and began talking much more.

The two strolled beneath the dim yellow streetlights.

Far from the bustle.

They forgot the time.

In the distance.

Two paparazzi excitedly put away their cameras.

"Leo's secretly meeting a Japanese female friend. These photos will definitely sell for a good price!"

"We have to mosaic the face of the girl from our country!"

"This kind of gossip would be even more profitable if we sold it to Chinese media!"

"I bet South Korean media will claim the girl is Korean! Then they'll make up all sorts of reasons to say Leo Kang has Korean blood too. Hahaha."

Late at night.

The related news quickly made the front pages of Chinese football media.

<Chinese descendant prodigy secretly meets an island nation girl in Tokyo!>

<On the self-discipline of young players! The destruction wrought upon professional careers by women and junk food!>

<Shocking! Leo Kang actually did this with a Japanese girl on the street!>

Tokyo Love Song

The numbers of comments, likes, and shares soared wildly.

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[Disgusting. He sees a foreign woman and starts groveling. What a disgrace to us Chinese!]

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[I think it's pretty nice. Going shopping while having a sweet romance is perfectly normal, isn't it?]

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[It's not too bad. I always thought Leo Kang was GAY. He's always getting hugged and having his ass slapped by a bunch of big men on the pitch. Now I'm relieved.]

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[Wouldn't it only count as being obsessed with women if she were some big white European beauty or an island nation adult film actress? Hahaha, that girl looked short and skinny. Even though her face was mosaicked, it must be true love.]

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[I don't like Leo Kang anymore. How could he get a girlfriend?!]

Two days later.

Leo Kang returned to Bayer Leverkusen.

The first thing he did was transfer money to Asuka. Of course, nothing had happened between them—he was a respectable man.

The girl had paid for the food and drinks during their shopping trip that night.

Naturally, he had not eaten or drunk anything too stimulating the entire time.

They exchanged social media accounts before parting and occasionally sent each other a few messages.

As for the gifts for his club teammates?

Dennis had helped buy them. A huge box was packed full of them, and Leo Kang had not even had time to inspect it yet.

Brandt burst excitedly into the dormitory. "Leo! Hurry up and get your medical checkup. Spain's team doctors are unreliable—you only need to look at Alonso. Are those gifts for us?"

He impatiently tore off the sealing tape and lifted the lid.

He was stunned.

E-body Chasing Bullets!

STARS: Time Stop!

IPX: Tropical Night!

The box was filled with unspeakable video discs.

Leo Kang was about to explain.

Brandt gave him a huge hug.

"Das ist toll!"

Then he hoisted the huge box onto his shoulder and dashed back to his dormitory.

He ran even faster than when he was through on goal.

The system notification quietly sounded.

[Ding! National team mission settlement complete!]

[Congratulations, Host, for completing the mission: Crush the Pride of the Blue Samurai!]

[Personal evaluation: SSS!]

[Mission reward obtained: Binding Rope.]

[Binding Rope: A one-time consumable and bond item. After binding with a teammate, the Host may receive a bonus to the teammate's strongest attribute. The teammate will randomly share one incomplete version of the Host's passive modules.]

[Note: This takes effect only when both players are on the field at the same time. The bond will automatically be removed after a transfer.]

The light faded.

Leo Kang looked at the thick rope that had appeared out of nowhere in his hand.

Rope bondage?

What kind of ridiculous reward was this?

Wasn't this a little perverted?

"Leo, why didn't you close the door? Let's go practice together!"

Son Heung-min ran in carrying a football. Seeing the rope, he exclaimed, "Is this something you brought back from Japan—"

He reached out and touched it, then suddenly jolted as if struck by lightning!

[Ding! Bond formed with Son Heung-min!]

[Host has gained an additional attribute boost: Speed +5.]

[Son Heung-min has obtained passive module: Injury Immunity Physique (Incomplete).]

Leo Kang: "..."

He had still been wondering how to use it and who to use it on.

In an instant.

Son Heung-min shook his head as if he had lost his memory and asked in confusion, "What happened? I clearly saw a thick rope just now..."

Barcelona.

Robert stared at the news on the television.

He slapped the table and said angrily, "Bastard! That damned Del Bosque! He didn't even call up any of our Barcelona players for an international A-level friendly. He'd rather take players from Real Sociedad and Sevilla—"

Youth academy director Roura smiled. "Look at how outstanding our La Masia children are. You personally sent them away back then—especially Little Denis and Leo Kang. The coordination between the two of them is flawless!"

Robert rubbed his face, adjusted his mood, and said calmly, "It's fine. The Champions League group stage is coming soon. Bayer Leverkusen will learn what cruelty means at Camp Nou. What does a team without a championship have to compete with Barcelona?"

"Before the winter transfer window, Leo Kang will be just like Fàbregas back then, dreaming of returning!"

A few days later.

Bundesliga matchday arrived.

Bayer Arena was packed with spectators.

"CCTV-5! CCTV-5! Good evening, viewers! Welcome to the fourth round of the 2015/16 Bundesliga season!"

"Bayer Leverkusen host Darmstadt!"

"To cope with the demands of multiple competitions, Coach Top has heavily rotated his starting lineup for this match! The entire front line has been replaced by young players from the youth team—"

"Darmstadt are newly promoted to the Bundesliga this season. They reached the 2. Bundesliga in the 2014/15 season, then completed a remarkable double promotion! Truly astonishing!"

China livestream chat.

The viewers were largely uninterested.

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[What's so interesting about a match where they're just bullying weaker opponents?]

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[Fun fact: Gu Guangming, a famous Chinese footballer, had his leg broken at home in the 1980s. He decisively immigrated to Germany, joined Darmstadt, scored in his debut, and began a glorious career in the 2. Bundesliga!]

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[Gu Guangming played in the 2. Bundesliga for seven years, right? After earning a degree from the Cologne Sports Academy, he immediately regained Chinese citizenship and returned to serve his country.]

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[How did he serve? He was only an assistant coach for the China National Football Team in the early 1990s. Now he coaches a German team, and they play quite well.]

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[Watch the match properly. Keep talking like this and the comment section will get shut down.]

With the referee's whistle.

The match officially began.

Feeling waves of warmth rising from the turf, Leo Kang could not help but marvel. Germany's stadium turf heating systems were among the best in Europe.

There were not many twists and turns.

Darmstadt's tactics were simple: defend at all costs!

Their first three Bundesliga matches this season had all ended in draws.

Henrichs kicked off and passed sideways to Havertz.

Havertz decisively passed the ball back to Leo Kang.

Bayer Leverkusen's formation quickly pressed forward.

They pinned Darmstadt down in front of their penalty area and laid siege to them.

By the pitch.

Darmstadt's manager, Dirk Schuster, stood on the sidelines with a grave expression, constantly directing his players' defense.

Before the match, he had thoroughly analyzed Leo Kang's characteristics and assigned two players to mark Bayer Leverkusen's number ten throughout the game.

Unfortunately, Bayer Leverkusen's players at the back were still all starters.

His team had only a slim chance of succeeding on the counterattack.

On the other side.

Old Topp sat on the bench with a worried expression. He was not concerned about the result of this match; all his attention was on the Champions League.

Dino held a tactics board.

The coaching staff gathered together, discussing tactical details for the Champions League.

The first two group-stage matches would both be away games.

Neither Camp Nou nor Olympic Stadium was a place one could easily escape from unscathed.

Back on the pitch.

The match was somewhat dull.

Bayer Leverkusen had the advantage but could not score.

Darmstadt held firm in defense.

In the 17th minute.

Havertz pulled open space on the right.

Leo Kang threaded through a pass.

Henrichs received the ball in the box and unleashed a powerful shot.

The ball sailed over the crossbar.

In the 26th minute.

Havertz charged through the right side of the opposing penalty area.

He squared the ball to Henrichs in the six-yard box.

The latter once again blasted a sky-high shot.

Passing the ball to his girlfriend in the stands.

In the 45th minute.

Defender Papadopoulos could not stand it anymore. He pushed up into the opposing penalty area.

He received Leo Kang's pass.

Then swung his leg and fired furiously!

Unfortunately, the shot was hit too centrally.

The opposing goalkeeper Mathenia easily gathered the ball.

Darmstadt immediately launched a quick counterattack.

Rosenthal carried the ball past the center circle.

Fortunately, Kramer anticipated it accurately and won the ball back.

The cheers at Bayer Arena gradually faded, replaced by angry rebukes.

Bayer Leverkusen's fans were somewhat displeased.

One after another, they complained about their own team's manager.

Countless lighters and cans landed on the grass near the bench.

Old Topp did not care.

MSN, Totti, and Salah filled his mind.

It was all Maldini's fault!

What kind of draw had he gotten for them?!

As the match reached the final moment of stoppage time.

Dirk Schuster raised his hand, ready to celebrate.

He thought the match was secure!

For a weak Bundesliga side, a draw might have been a practical and wonderful result.

Suddenly.

He frowned.

After defending for so long, his players had burned through their stamina rapidly, and their movements were beginning to lose shape!

Leo Kang sent a lofted long ball from the half-space.

Havertz charged into the penalty area, brought the ball down with his chest, and struck it on the volley!

The ball ripped into Darmstadt's net!

1:0!!!

The entire stadium erupted!

The fans at BayArena were ecstatic.

At that moment, the referee blew the final whistle.

I have to go to work, so I don't have time to thank everyone for the tips and votes. Time is too tight; I type out everyone's IDs by hand every day, so I'm sincere about it. I'll thank everyone together in the next chapter. Thank you, everyone.