"Haa… Haa…"
Ryo bent forward, hands on his knees, trying to steady his breathing as the ball rolled out of play. Ever since Ryusei's last goal, Takayama had gone on the offensive, forcing the game into a vicious exchange.
The game went on for about twenty minutes without either side relenting. During this time, all of the substitutions were made. Ryusei had used up all three substitutions to cycle out exhausted players. Although this brought in some fresh energy to their team, Takayama also had their substitutions, so both sides were evenly matched.
"I really need to end this soon," Ryo muttered, opening The System as he caught his breath.
[Exhaustion: 73]
I'm on the brink of Over-Exhaustion, yet there are still at least ten minutes left. He'd been everywhere, switching between attack and defense relentlessly, and as a result, his exhaustion climbed rapidly. Each sprint felt heavier, and Ryo was approaching his limit.
If I don't finish this quest soon, I'll be too worn out to move properly.
This most recent action, Takayama had gotten a dangerous attack in; fortunately, it resulted in a goal kick after their shot drifted wide. As Ryo prepared himself, he heard a familiar voice call out.
Ryo nodded immediately. It could be advantageous; at this point in the game, we need to strike hard and fast.
"Good idea. I'll let Ken know. See if you can get the ball off the goal kick."
"Got it." Taiga headed back into position. Ryo scanned the field, searching for Ken. When their eyes met, he gestured toward the left flank and raised three fingers.
Ken looked puzzled for a second, then his expression sharpened. A brief nod confirmed he'd understood Ryo's intentions.
Great. Everything's in place now; we just need to get the ball into our formation. After that, it's just as we practiced.
Fweeet
The whistle signaling the game restart rang out. Kenta, Ryusei's goalie, sent the ball downfield. Unfortunately for Ryo, Taiga was not the intended recipient of the pass. Instead, the ball was sent to the right flank, and the Takayama players all swarmed after it.
Wait… this could still work. If Taiga manages to get a pass, it would be easier to break through. With more players going to the right, there would naturally be more space on our side.
Ryo looked around. Ken lingered on the left side, intentionally not getting too close to the action. On Ryo's other side, Taiga was securing the open spaces, ready to receive a pass if their teammates felt too pressured.
Sure enough, Takayama, desperately trying to equalize the score, became very aggressive in their playstyle. As a result, they pressed much higher than they usually did, and so the defense quickly shifted the ball around, finally ending up at Taiga's feet.
Ryo, not letting scarce opportunities go to waste, was already in a good position to receive the ball. So without delay, Taiga passed the ball to Ryo, and immediately followed up, intending to keep up their formation.
A midfielder closed in on Ryo from behind. Ryo had seen him, and although he wasn't keen on humiliating others, the clearest path forward was through the player's legs. So Ryo did just that. He flicked the ball cleanly through, while he arced around the player, regaining control just a split second later.
Ken was running towards him, his positioning perfect, ready to receive the ball. Without breaking his stride, Ryo sent the ball to Ken, his pass cleanly avoiding the opposing players.
The three of them continued their dance up the field, moving in perfect sync, eventually reaching the defensive line. And just like they had done many times before, they tore through Takayama's defense. In fact, their attack seemed even more lethal than usual, likely because of the novelty of the play.
Most players on Takayama's defense have never seen a triangle so effective; its pace and precision were unmatched. So without any prior experience against the trio, they stood little chance of stopping them.
Ryo reached the defensive line first, passing the ball back to Taiga. Ken cut diagonally across the box just as Taiga sent the ball forward again, drawing two defenders away in panic.
Although he was past the defensive line, Ken did not have an ideal shot on goal. However, he had done his job. As the defenders lunged toward him, he simply redirected the ball across the box, right into Ryo's path.
With the defense in shambles and the ball heading to the center, the excitement of the crowd was at an all-time high.
Now!
{Skill Activated!}
—(Crowd Support – E)
——[Based On Current Cheering Levels, Shooting Temporarily Increased To 45.]
It was Ryo's first time truly activating Crowd Support. Until now, the skill had always been dormant, never boosting his stats since he was never cheered on. But now, the cheers surged all around him, all of them contributing to his skill.
An increase to 45 meant all his shooting stats had each approximately increased by 10. Although the increase wasn't groundbreaking, Ryo still noticed the difference. All of a sudden, his foot placement, his balance, his windup—all of it had improved.
In his improved state, Ryo met Ken's pass in stride and struck the ball without hesitation, not even trying to control it. Ken's pass was good enough that with his improved shooting skill, he didn't need to delay his shot.
So with a strong flick of his foot, not only did Ryo put power, he also put spin into the ball. As such, it curved up and around the defenders that stood in his way, and it was completely out of reach of the goalie.
Then, without any resistance, the ball made its way into the back of the net. As it did, the sound Ryo had been filtering out suddenly came rushing back at him. It's almost like the skill ate up all the noise coming from the crowd.
Ryusei's supporters—parents and students alike—all cheered at their third goal, flooding their home pitch with overwhelming support. Takayama's side, however, reflected the same look as their players, disbelief washing over them. Although nobody wanted to accept it, there was little they could do to win now. Barely seven minutes were left in the game, and even with stoppage time, they'd have to pull off a miracle to score twice.
Ryo, amidst all this, was swamped by his teammates, and Taiga was the first to reach him, putting his hands on Ryo's shoulders.
"Ryo, that was an incredible shot!" Taiga said excitedly next to his ear. "How does it feel scoring your first goal ever?"
My first goal ever… Ryo couldn't even answer out loud. This feeling… It's unlike anything I've ever experienced. It's exhilarating.
Ryo felt his heart racing, adrenaline coursing throughout his body. For a moment, he forgot all about how tired he was, soaked in the emotion of the moment. It was a feeling he had never experienced in his past life, but now he was able to live it. And he wasn't going to let it go.
"Thank you," He whispered, so softly that it was drowned out by the commotion around him.
As all of his teammates reached him, singing their praises, an enigmatic entity loomed above them all.
[...]
The System, throughout its eons of existence, had interacted with many mortals before Ryo. Some became figureheads of their people, while others fell. Yet none of them had ever thanked it.
Watching over this human, who had barely existed for 24 years, playing football as if he were still a child, The System felt… satisfied.
Perhaps, this time, it had chosen well.
—————————————————————————————————
"Ryo, are you gonna get up?" Ren asked, looking down at his brother sprawled out on the grass near the bench. "We're ready to go."
"I don't think I can," Ryo groaned, not moving an inch. "Can you carry me?"
"Geez, really?" Ren sighed, though he looked amused. "You can't move at all?" Ren was in surprisingly good shape, though he hadn't run as much as Ryo.
"I can't even move my arm," Ryo muttered, trying to lift it—only for it to flop back down.
Seriously, this over-exhaustion is no joke. By the time they'd lined up to thank Takayama for the match, his exhaustion had climbed to 89, much higher than he had anticipated. His legs felt like lead.
On the bright side, his suffering was being rewarded by The System.
{Quest Complete!}
—(Situational Quest – Football Debut)
——[Reward – New Skill: Misdirection (B)]
{New Skill!}
—[Misdirection (B) – By Amplifying False Intent Through Subtle Shifts In Stance And Footwork, The Player Hides Their Real Movement Or Target From The Opponent's Mind. Can Be Activated Three Times In A Game.]
—[Bonus Activation – When A Direct Opponent Loses Sight Of The Ball, The Ball Temporarily Vanishes From Their Field Of Vision. This Bonus Activates Automatically And Has No Limit.]
Not only that, but his career info was also updated for the first time.
{Career Info}
—[Career Assists: 2]
—[Career Goals: 1]
—[Current Team: Ryusei Elementary First Team]
—[Fame: Key Player]
—[Past Teams: None]
"Ugh, whatever," Ren said, preventing him from checking his stats, "I'll carry you, but at least try to climb on my back."
"Thanks Ren-nii!" Ryo shouted, suddenly full of life as he jumped on Ren's back, making it obvious he could still walk on his own.
Their coach, seeing how exhausted everyone was, had dismissed them quickly, saying they'd review the match on Monday after school. So until then, Ryo could take it easy for the rest of the weekend.
Ren carried Ryo toward the exit, their parents following close behind. The brothers spoke excitedly, reliving the game and talking through their goals. Their parents smiled, simply glad to see their sons doing what they loved.
How much I'd kill to get into the bath right now.
At the sudden thought, A devilish grin crept across Ryo's face.
"Ren-nii, can you hurry up?" he said, poking his brother's cheek. "The bath's waiting for me."
"Oh? Want me to put you down then?" Ren teased right back. "It'll be faster if you run."
"Nope, it's fine. I'll wait," Ryo replied, tightening his grip around his brother's neck. I'd rather stay on my steed; the bath can wait a few minutes.
"Right. That's what I thought."
Not long after, Ryo sank into the tub, the hot water wrapping around him like a blanket. The steam rose in slow curls, and all the aches from the match began to fade away.
Yeah… this might be the most relaxing bath of my life.