053 Blue Lock: System Ten Years Early

"Shinichi, you played me!"

The first to react was Hiori Yo. He looked at Shinichi with a face full of shock, but Shinichi directly ignored Hiori Yo's displeased glare.

"Kōken Shinichi, you really are surprising."

Perhaps in a good mood, Ego Jinpachi actually curled the corner of his mouth and offered praise.

"That's right, this also fits the definition of luck. It's just that your inevitability completely crushed others' inevitability, leaving no room for chance to occur."

"Look, Nagi Seishiro. Do you still think this is just a coincidental result now? Being toyed with by fate means you're nothing more than a second-rate player. If you believe you've already done everything you could, then hold your head high and accept the final result, then reflect deeply on the pain and start over."

"Luck only descends upon those who give the most for the final result."

"Alright, let's end the small talk here."

The upward curve of Ego Jinpachi's mouth gradually flattened. The screens inside the football field went dark, leaving only the screen in front of Shinichi's group still flickering.

"In this round of selection, you've already learned the principles of creating chemical reactions with your nearby teammates. Next comes the third round of selection."

"As I said before, it's an intensive training camp together with the world's top players. Starting 24 hours from now, you will play 5-on-5 matches against top players selected from all over the world."

A group photo appeared on the screen. Those were Shinichi and his group's opponents for the next match.

From England [Manshine City], a top striker, a perfect hero on par with Noel Noa —Chris Prince.

From Spain [FC Barcha], the league's top scorer, Brazil's pride, a Genius famous for his dazzling dribbling, a dance master —Lavinho.

From Italy [Ubers], the victorious traveler who always leads transferred teams to championships, a mass producer of titles, the crown distributor —Snuffy.

From France [P·X·G], a speed-type striker, the new-generation No.1 supernova currently watched by football fans worldwide, the godspeed prodigy —Julian Loki.

And someone who needs no extra prefix at all, whose title alone explains everything — from Germany [Bastard München], the absolute ace, the current world's No.1 striker —Noel Noa!

"All of you frogs at the bottom of a well trapped in prison… it's time to see the world!"

...

"This is even more outrageous than the original lineup. So that's where all the old man's money went."

Even Shinichi's mouth twitched slightly. This lineup was truly insane — what kind of All-Star match are you playing?

"They're really all world-class players."

Hiori Yo, sitting to the side and hugging a pillow, took a deep breath.

"This is too exaggerated. I thought he'd just pick a few players from the top five leagues and some youth training prospects. I didn't expect him to go all out — he even invited Noel Noa."

Hiori Yo subconsciously pressed his chest, doing his best to suppress his heartbeat racing from excitement.

"This is the best stage to verify my true worth, and also..."

"The First Step for Kōken Shinichi to walk toward the world. To make sure this all-important prologue doesn't become a blemish on Shinichi's legendary journey, even if it costs my life..."

His palm repeatedly loosened and clenched again as Hiori Yo kept psyching himself up, when Shinichi suddenly stepped forward and patted his shoulder.

"Don't get too nervous, Hiori. You can't even regulate your breathing right now — how are you supposed to help me?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just give it your all."

Ranze Kurona stood to the side with his arms crossed, nodding in agreement. Shinichi then looked at the three people in the dorm room.

"Relax. You just need to do what you should do. Leave the rest to me."

"If I had to say it, there's only one thing you need to do — believe in me."

"...Tch, aren't you way too cool, you jerk."

...

Night gradually fell. After leaving, Itoshi Rin finished his recovery and returned to his room. Shinichi, whose consciousness slowly sank as he drifted into sleep, eventually entered an incomparably familiar domain.

[The second-round selection has ended. Settlement successful. Final settlement rating: S-. You have obtained the following rewards.]

[You may choose three rewards. Duplicate traits and skills will automatically merge.]

[Detected some special traits. The host may consume one selection right to convert certain traits. Converted traits have a high probability of advancing.]

[Selectable Traits]

[1]Divine Shooter (Blue → Purple):

Whether it's a bow or football, your shooting accuracy is astonishing. Crowned as a Divine Shooter, you gain a massive accuracy boost in all sports that require aiming. (Locked)

The Divine Shooter trait has undergone a new transformation due to your achievements and others' evaluations. You may consume one selection chance to promote it.

[2]Genius (Gold):

Crowned with the name Genius, all your attributes far exceed the average line. Your learning and comprehension abilities vastly surpass those of ordinary people.

[3]Heaven-Envying Talent (Gold):

Overly defiant talent always attracts various setbacks, but even when shattered to dust, that dazzling talent will still erupt with world-shocking brilliance at the final moment of extinction.

Your injury risk will continuously increase as you create achievements and legends, while all your attributes will greatly increase along with the rise in injury risk. (Convertible)

[Selectable Skills]

[1]Hawk Eye (Purple):

A powerful field-of-vision ability that changes viewpoints within the brain, allowing you to observe the entire football field.

"Is it because the match volume in the second stage was relatively small? The evaluation even dropped a bit. But this trait conversion is..."

Shinichi frowned. This time, there were two traits that could be converted, but why did Divine Shooter have an extra special note?

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"Transformation gained from my achievements and others' evaluations? In other words, compared to other traits, Divine Shooter received an achievement bonus. So instead of the usual high-probability advancement from conversion, it became a 100% guaranteed advancement, while Heaven-Envying Talent is just a normal conversion."

After roughly sorting out his thoughts, Shinichi first experimentally selected Heaven-Envying Talent for conversion. For his current self, one or two trait choices weren't that important. After all, once attributes reach 100 points, raising them by even one more point requires a full 10 regular attribute points. You could say that one or two purple traits were no longer something he needed to care about too much.

For now, understanding the system's functions clearly and improving long-term gains over a longer future was the optimal choice.

A brilliant golden light orb flew out from the light screen in front of Shinichi. As a magic array erupted with dazzling light, the orb gradually dissipated. Then, specks of crimson light seeped out from the array. Immediately after, those threads of red light suddenly exploded, and a blinding red color engulfed the entire space.

[Your pending reward: Heaven-Envying Talent has completed conversion. Heaven-Envying Talent completed one advancement during conversion. Your pending reward Heaven-Envying Talent has been consumed. You have obtained a new pending reward.]

[1]Everlasting Evergreen (Red):

Except for dismemberment, injuries can no longer affect your condition or attributes. Your injuries will always heal within 7 natural days. Your attributes will gradually increase along with your age, achieved accomplishments, and fame.

Your lifespan is greatly extended, and the rate of decline in bodily functions is significantly reduced.

(200-year-old rookie Kōken Shinichi, enters the stage!)