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Extra Chapter: On Every 50 powerstone
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The days that followed were nothing but continuous training.
Only on the day he passed the test did he receive congratulations from his family, but Han Myung-shin, who was still fuming, wouldn't leave Kang Hyun alone.
"Are you really going to act like this just because you can't eat chicken?"
Kang Hyun protested with a voice full of grievance, but Han Myung-shin only barked orders relentlessly.
-Tsk! Do you think I'm doing this because I couldn't eat a piece of chicken? I'm world-class!
"Yeah, yeah. The legendary Real Madrid player who never won a Ballon d'Or…"
-Excuse me? I was going to go easy on you today, but forget it. Another lap!
"Please, no…"
-Another lap!
The training was borderline brutal, but his body noticeably improved.
And it wasn't just his physique.
Ball training finally began.
The kind of training even Messi had to go through when he first started playing football.
Juggling practice.
-Are you really a former pro? How can you not even juggle for five minutes?
"Well, it's been a while…"
Kang Hyun replied meekly as he struggled with the drill.
Juggling wasn't complicated.
Step one: Kick the ball with the top of your foot.
Step two: Keep kicking it.
Step three: Don't let it drop.
That's it.
A simple exercise—just mind-numbingly boring.
-Now that your body's in shape, you're only doing juggling. What kind of pro can't juggle? Brace yourself. I'll turn you into a juggling demon.
"..."
Kang Hyun silently cursed as he continued juggling.
But he knew Han Myung-shin was right.
Juggling was fundamental. Football was built on basics.
No matter how fast or physically fit you were, if your ball control was trash, you were out.
Even if you could step over the ball like Ronaldinho, if you couldn't place your shots, you were out.
And juggling improved those skills. So what choice did he have?
As much as he hated it, he had to push through.
About two weeks into his basic skills training—including juggling—the expected visitors arrived.
The production staff.
They stormed into his house with a giant camera, just as he had anticipated.
Of course, it was all for emotional manipulation—footage to pull at viewers' heartstrings.
"Your background seems pretty ordinary. How did you get into football?"
"Yes. I started after watching the 2002 World Cup. Ahn Jung-hwan's goal against Italy made me want to be like—"
"Wait, hold on. Weren't you born in 2001?"
"...I have a good memory. I remember things from when I was little."
The PD tilted his head in confusion, debating whether to cut and reshoot or just roll with it.
"There's almost no record of you. What made you decide to join this program?"
Honestly, that question ticked him off.
It was like pointing at an ugly person and calling them ugly—of course it stung.
So Kang Hyun answered with a hint of irritation.
"To boost your ratings. Wouldn't it be great if a future national team player came from this show?"
"Huh?"
The flustered PD.
The staff murmured among themselves.
This was probably the first time they'd seen a contestant like him.
Even Han Myung-shin burst out laughing in disbelief.
The PD straightened up and tried to steer the interview with renewed enthusiasm.
If Kang Hyun failed the second round, he'd still be a delusional but confident idiot—good for ratings.
If he passed, that would be an even bigger story.
"You seem very confident in your skills."
"Yeah. I'm planning to go pro."
"You retired at 19 because you weren't good enough, and now you're trying to go pro?"
"...That's…"
The staff struggled to hold back their laughter.
Kang Hyun glared at the PD, but the PD just looked at him like he was an adorable kid.
"I'll prove it with my skills. I'll make sure every single one of you stops laughing."
"Ooh. We'll be watching."
The camera turned off, and the PD extended a handshake with a grin.
"Kang Hyun, you've got a real character. Love it. Hope you pass the second round."
"If I make the national team, I'll credit you, PD-nim."
"Pfft—ha! Ahem. Yeah. Thanks."
-Sigh. Of course they'd think it's just bravado. They'd never imagine this hotheaded idiot has a world-class player and some weird game system by his side.
Han Myung-shin, seemingly amused by Kang Hyun's performance, gave an approving clap.
And so, the grueling training continued until the second test.
Mostly fundamentals.
Strangely enough, grinding these basics actually boosted his stats.
[Continuous training increases dribbling by '1'.]
[Continuous training increases dribbling by '1'.]
[Continuous training increases agility by '1'.]
[Continuous training increases kick power by '1'.]
Then came the day of the second preliminary round.
The venue was Suwon World Cup Auxiliary Stadium—the same place where Misaeng FC Season 1 had begun.
Contestants checked in and entered the field, buzzing with excitement.
And then—
"Uh, hi?"
"Huh? Oh. Hi."
Holy crap, you scared me.
Park Yoo-seung walked right up and greeted him.
"You're the one who took first place last time, right?"
"Yeah."
"Honestly, I thought I'd be first. Didn't expect you to steal it."
"Oh. Okay."
Kang Hyun stared at him blankly, unsure what he was supposed to say.
"Let's have a good, fair competition."
Park Yoo-seung offered a handshake.
Kang Hyun took it.
"Sure."
With nothing else to say, Park Yoo-seung awkwardly walked away.
Soon, the PD appeared as the emcee and explained the rules:
No halves—just 30 minutes straight.
With so many participants, the second round would span three days, played as 7v7 matches.
Former national team players would judge and select the qualifiers.
Without further delay, the second round began.
***
The four judges watched with hawk-like focus.
Legends—a midfielder, a forward, a defender, and a goalkeeper.
They nodded in satisfaction at times, frowned at others.
"Red No. 9 isn't bad."
Lee Yong, sipping his americano, made the comment.
Red No. 9, a fullback, had decent dribbling skills.
"The pros who joined really stand out. The gap between them and the regular qualifiers is pretty big."
Ahn Jung-hoon clicked his pen, sounding almost disappointed.
All were former pros, but the active players—those above the rest—dominated the field.
Even if they were just from K4 or former K3 players who'd fallen off, their skill was undeniable.
Then, in the third match, one player caught the judges' attention.
"Park Yoo-seung's here."
One of Korea's top three prospects.
But reality had humbled him—now without a place even in the K League.
Park Yoo-seung.
Ahn Jung-hoon studied him closely, then noticed another player the PD had mentioned nearby.
"Is that Kim Kang-hyun?"
"Kim Kang-hyun? Never heard of him."
At Ahn Jung-hoon's muttering, Lee Yong-jae, the goalkeeper coach, flipped through the documents.
Kim Kang-hyun's profile was painfully average—utterly unremarkable.
"Ah, here. The one the PD said had 'character.' Mentioned something about an inexplicable sharpness?"
"Sharpness? What?"
The judges looked unimpressed.
Kim Kang-hyun was on the red team.
Park Yoo-seung, the blue team.
Kang Hyun played as an attacking midfielder; Park Yoo-seung, a winger.
Ahn Jung-hoon focused intently.
Like the other matches, this one was fierce.
With only 30 minutes to impress, every player gave their all.
And in the midst of it all, Kim Kang-hyun was… unusual.
Even among the K3 and K4 players, he stood out.
"That Kim Kang-hyun you mentioned? Red No. 11. Not bad."
"His passing's solid."
The other judges agreed.
Kang Hyun's passes were sharp.
He held his own in physical battles and, brimming with confidence, frequently attempted heel passes even without clear vision.
"This kid's opening up all the red team's attacks."
Lee Yong, the midfielder, nodded approvingly, eyes locked on Kang Hyun.
True to his words, Kang Hyun was everywhere.
His dribbling and press resistance were uncertain, but his passing was on another level.
Boom—!
"Oh, that pass was nice."
A laser-guided through ball straight to the striker.
"He's gotta score this."
Ahn Jung-hoon glared at the striker who received the pass.
Three touches later, the chance was wasted.
Too slow—the keeper closed the angle, and the shot was blocked.
"Ugh! How do you miss that?"
All four judges groaned.
A one-touch finish would've buried it.
Even two touches would've been enough.
The match continued. By the 20-minute mark, Kang Hyun was still sprinting relentlessly, creating chances.
Another killer pass led to an assist.
The judges exchanged nods, unanimous in their verdict.
"The PD knows what he's talking about."
"Red No. 11. Kim Kang-hyun's an automatic pick."
His performance had sealed the deal.
Then there was Park Yoo-seung.
His dribbling was exceptional, constantly threatening the red team's goal.
But thanks to Kang Hyun's tireless defending, none of his attempts found the net.
Still, his movement was undeniably special.
"Park Yoo-seung's still got it. Let's take him."
"Okay."
Then, near the end of the match—
"Wow…"
"Impressive."
"Great passing, great finishing. With a little polish, this kid could be really good."
Lee Yong couldn't stop praising him.
The other judges scrutinized Kang Hyun's profile, jotting down notes.
The more they watched, the more they liked him.
***
[Quest: Journey I]
[Objective: Pass the preliminary round.]
[Task 1: Qualify for the next round.]
[Reward: 50 points.]
Even without the quest, Kang Hyun was determined to give his all.
The moment the starting whistle blew, he ran like a madman.
And he finally understood why Han Myung-shin wasn't worried.
-Hey! Your teammate's behind you! If you can't beat the defender, pass back!
-Left side's open! Play a low pass there!
-Right midfielder's making a run! Lead him with the pass!
Han Myung-shin was practically playing alongside him.
He covered Kang Hyun's blind spots, pointing out the best passing lanes.
Thanks to that, Kang Hyun dominated the match.
'Silk Road!'
Another tip:
You could activate skills just by thinking their names.
Golden strands appeared, and Kang Hyun sent a threaded pass along a faint stripe.
The clueless striker somehow messed up the easiest of finishes.
But it didn't matter.
The judges seemed impressed anyway.
For 30 straight minutes, Kang Hyun sprinted, tackled, intercepted, and distributed.
Officially an attacking midfielder, but in reality, he was an all-rounder.
He defended like a defender and attacked like a forward.
If this were a 90-minute match, he'd have collapsed by the second half.
But 30 minutes?
He could run himself into the ground.
-Left side's open! Low driven pass!
Following Han Myung-shin's instruction, he fired a low cross.
Finally—a goal.
He was thrilled, but with qualification still uncertain, he kept pushing until the final whistle.
Then, in the dying minutes—
Exploiting the opponents' exhaustion, Kang Hyun unleashed a long-range shot.
A thunderous strike, fueled by his investment in Finishing.
No one could stop it.
The ball rocketed into the net.
"Yeah!"
-Hey, hey. Tone down the celebration…
And then—
[Quest: Journey I]
[Objective: Pass the preliminary round.]
[Task 1: Qualify for the next round.]
[Reward: 50 points.]
[Quest Complete.]
[Additional reward for near-perfect completion.]
[Stone Roulette x1 granted.]
[Current points: 85.]
With the final whistle came rewards beyond his expectations.
*
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