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Gasan Ecological Park.
The match was being held here.
Though it was called an ecological park, it had plenty of sports facilities and various other amenities.
There was a bicycle rental area.
A long walking trail.
And even a soccer field.
Not just any soccer field—it had natural grass, not artificial turf.
Being able to play soccer in such a nice place was luckier than I'd thought.
Especially for an early-morning soccer game.
Most people played on sandy school playgrounds—that was practically the national standard.
"Whew."
It had been so long since I'd played on real grass.
The well-maintained field was enough to bring back old memories.
Specifically, memories of my past failures.
Kang Hyun shook his head as he kicked the ball, erasing those thoughts.
He didn't want to think about that time.
The violence that had been justified as "training."
The adults who shamed him, saying his parents wouldn't pay up…
His parents had been wise.
Honestly, even if he'd bribed his way onto the team, his skills were so poor that the outcome would've been even more miserable.
He shook his head again.
Enough thinking about the past.
Kang Hyun slowly walked toward the goal.
Their team's goalkeeper stood in front of it.
He was the same guy who'd once taught him the ropes.
The man nodded and wiggled his gloved fingers, signaling for him to take a shot.
Kang Hyun first kicked with his non-dominant left foot, aiming for the left side of the goal with all his might.
The ball flew weakly.
Still, it was decently fast.
But it was blocked.
Too predictable.
"Wow, Kang Hyun, you really haven't played in a while, huh?"
Another guy watching from the sidelines commented.
Kang Hyun chuckled and nodded.
"It's just warm-up."
"Just kidding, just kidding."
When he got the ball back, he tried again with his dominant foot.
Blocked again.
…Again?
He hid his flustered expression.
He's better at blocking than I expected.
-Wow. You really can't shoot for crap. You sure you were a starter?
"It's been years since I last played," he muttered under his breath.
Technically, he'd played in the military, but after getting discharged, he'd barely touched a ball, so it wasn't entirely a lie.
When he got the ball again, this time he tried dribbling before shooting.
Click.
This time, it went in.
With his confidence growing, Kang Hyun kept practicing.
Maybe his body had just needed to warm up, because now every shot was finding the net.
He finally felt a little relieved.
Since he was at it, he wanted to try using his [Skill], but he held back.
He wanted to test it in a real match.
Instead—
"I'll pass it to you—try receiving it."
"Sure~"
He passed to the older guy.
His position in the match would be midfielder.
So, he shifted his practice focus to passing and receiving.
Luckily, the older guys had played a lot of early-morning soccer, so they had no trouble handling the ball.
'Ah… I really want to try using my Skill.'
Hold back…
Han Myung-shin, watching from the sidelines, gave his commentary.
-Well, not bad. Strictly amateur-level, but nothing worse than that.
It was a backhanded compliment.
The truth was the truth, but it still stung.
When Kang Hyun shot him a glare, Han Myung-shin added:
-But for someone who hasn't played in a while, your fundamentals are solid. The foundation's well-built. The problem is whatever's built on top is a mess.
"So you're saying I suck."
-Yep. You're garbage. But you could still make a living playing soccer. Know why?
"Why?"
-You've got that insane game ability! If it's real and not just some fluke, you'll definitely surpass me. No—you'll blow past me. The key is not giving up and staying consistent.
Hmm. That's tempting.
Especially coming from Han Myung-shin—his idol, a legendary soccer player.
-You're just working at a factory anyway, and you're still young. Why not give it another shot? Even if that game ability turns out to be useless, if I coach you one-on-one every day, you could at least make it to some lower-tier second division, right?
"Hmm…"
He wasn't wrong.
The factory job paid well, but he wouldn't last a year there anyway. And in the real world, he had no real skills or confidence in anything—so going back to soccer wasn't a bad idea.
It was the only thing he could really do.
'Who knows how long Han Myung-shin will stick around… but if it's for life…'
Even if this ability was just a facade and all he had was Han Myung-shin's guidance, the advice of a soccer legend would still be invaluable.
Just parroting Han Myung-shin's words could make him a decent coach.
As his thoughts spiraled, a plausible future unfolded before him.
But first, he needed to see if this Skill really worked in the upcoming match.
That would help him decide.
---
*Right Before the Match*
An unfamiliar holographic window popped up in front of him again.
*[Quest: First Match]*
*[Objective: Play your first match.]*
*[Mission 1: Achieve a match rating of 8.0 or higher in a practice game.]*
*[Mission 2: Successfully complete 50 passes in one match (0/50).]*
*[Mission 3: Contribute to two or more attacking plays (0/2).]*
*[Reward: 10 points per mission.]*
'This is…'
A game system.
And what's a game without quests?
Kang Hyun smirked and nodded.
The hologram disappeared as he accepted the quest.
Han Myung-shin scoffed beside him.
-You're really coasting through life. If I'd had something like this… ugh.
This match was just early-morning soccer, but it had proper referees—a main and an assistant.
Maybe that's why these missions popped up.
Either way, it was motivating.
His whole body buzzed with excitement—but only for a moment. Then, his gaze sharpened as he scanned the opponents.
According to the older guys, the opposing center-back was also a former starter.
Like him, he was just a fill-in for this match.
'I'll play it safe in the first half.'
If he conserved energy, he could go all out in the second half and easily clear the quests.
That was the plan.
And then—
Peeep!
The whistle blew, signaling the start.
The opponents passed the ball around, beginning the match.
They played as if they were professionals.
For an early-morning team, their passing was impressive.
Their back passes were almost national-team level.
The meaningless possession continued.
-What is this, a training drill? They're just passing around. Aren't they gonna attack?
Han Myung-shin grumbled.
Kang Hyun lazily jogged around, just tracking the ball with his eyes.
And then—
Thump!
While they were all lulled into complacency by the endless back passes, the so-called "starter" center-back suddenly launched a long ball forward.
"Long ball play?"
Dumbfounded, Kang Hyun watched the ball sail over his head.
One of the opposing strikers made a sharp run, controlling the ball with his chest.
The striker, belly jiggling, dribbled past all the defenders.
Then, one-on-one with the goalkeeper…!
The striker calmly planted his foot and struck the ball with his right.
The goalkeeper barely grazed it as it flew past.
And then—!
-Pffahahaha! Wow! His foot's a triangle!
"Nice shot! Almost had it!"
One side burst into laughter.
Another gave half-hearted praise.
Another sighed in relief.
Kang Hyun, meanwhile, wore a conflicted expression as he watched the striker.
The man looked both satisfied and disappointed as he gave his teammates a thumbs-up.
-There was a guy like that on the national team too. Gives me PTSD…
Thankfully, the pointless possession ended after that.
True to early-morning soccer form, the game started seriously but soon devolved into a casual neighborhood match.
Around the 25th minute of the first half.
Still 0-0.
Kang Hyun focused solely on distributing the ball to raise his performance.
If the ball came to him, he pushed it forward. If it looked risky, he recycled it.
As Han Myung-shin had said, it was strictly amateur-level—but for early-morning soccer, it was decent enough to earn praise.
"Good! That's why you're a starter—your passes are different! Nice, nice!"
One of the louder guys gave him a thumbs-up.
Kang Hyun just smiled in response.
-Hey. Kang Hyun.
"Yeah?"
-Are you doing that on purpose?
"The passing? Yeah. I'm still…"
-No, not that.
"Huh?"
-Do you always play like this? You're barely running.
Kang Hyun rubbed his brow.
His strategy was to conserve energy for the second half, but even so, he wasn't sweating much.
Just a little warm, with a few drops of sweat.
In contrast, everyone else was drenched.
He joked in response:
"If I went all out, the game balance would break."
(Balance break = game imbalance)
Boom!
Just then, the ball came to him, and he sent it forward.
His pass reached the winger sprinting down the sideline.
The winger, stumbling, barely managed to pass it back before losing it.
-First half's almost over. I'll watch your performance, so go all out in the second half.
"Yeah. I was planning to."
Soon, the whistle blew for halftime.
Both teams looked exhausted but still smiled as they took a break.
They drank water, sports drinks, and joked around.
First half: 0-0.
With starters on both sides, it was an even match.
The opposing center-back had shut down most attacks, while Kang Hyun, true to his starter status, dominated the midfield with solid pressing and distribution.
*[Quest: First Match]*
*[Objective: Play your first match.]*
*[Mission 1: Achieve a match rating of 8.0 or higher (7.2/10).]*
*[Mission 2: Successfully complete 50 passes in one match (31/50).]*
*[Mission 3: Contribute to two or more attacking plays (0/2).]*
*[Reward: 10 points per mission.]*
Kang Hyun checked the quest while drinking water.
He hadn't been counting his passes, but the quest tracker had updated.
-Wow. This is real.
Han Myung-shin stared at the quest in amazement.
When Kang Hyun gave him a questioning look, he added:
-I was counting your passes.