The chapter begins with an old man lying on a hospital bed.
The room was quiet—too quiet. The faint, rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor echoed like a countdown he could no longer ignore. The sterile smell of medicine filled the air, cold and indifferent, just like the life he felt he had lived.
His body was weak, fragile… barely responding to his will anymore.
But his mind—his mind was loud.
"I had no one…"
The thought came slowly, heavily, as if even thinking required effort now.
"No family… no one waiting for me… no one who would even notice I'm gone…"
His dry eyes stared at the ceiling, unfocused, as memories—or rather, the lack of meaningful ones—drifted through his mind like fading smoke.
"I didn't follow my dream of becoming a football player…"
A faint tremble ran through his fingers.
"I loved that game… more than anything. But I ran away from it… I gave up."
His breathing grew uneven.
"I didn't accomplish anything… I just existed."
Tears slowly formed, then slipped down the sides of his face, disappearing into the pillow beneath him.
"No happiness… no purpose…"
The silence of the room felt heavier than ever.
Then—
A voice.
From the TV.
"…I'll become the best striker in the world!"
His eyes shifted weakly toward the screen.
The anime Blue Lock was playing. Another patient must have left it on before leaving the room.
On the screen, Yoichi Isagi stood there—determined, evolving, refusing to give up on his dream.
The old man watched.
At first, without much thought.
But then… something stirred.
Isagi kept moving forward. Kept adapting. Kept fighting for his goal, no matter how many times he failed.
Something the old man had never truly done.
"…He's still chasing it…"
His lips trembled slightly.
"…even now…"
A deep ache formed in his chest—not physical, but something far worse.
Regret.
His eyelids began to grow heavy.
The sounds of the hospital started to fade.
The beeping.
The air.
Everything.
"I wish…"
Darkness slowly crept into the edges of his vision.
"…I had another chance…"
And then—
Silence.
Time passed.
Or maybe it didn't.
There was no way to tell.
When he opened his eyes again, he was no longer in the hospital.
He stood in an endless white space.
No walls. No ceiling. No floor.
Just… white.
Pure, infinite white.
"…What…?"
His voice came out clearer than he expected.
His body felt… light.
No pain.
No weakness.
No weight.
He looked at his hands, slowly clenching them.
"…I feel… fine?"
More than fine.
Calm.
Completely calm.
In front of him, something stood out against the endless white.
A single structure.
Simple.
Unremarkable.
And yet—
Impossible to ignore.
A sign above it read:
"The Shop."
"…A shop?"
He frowned slightly, confusion replacing the emptiness.
"Where am I…? Is this… death?"
No answer came.
But strangely—
He wasn't afraid.
"…And why do I feel so calm?"
It didn't make sense.
By all logic, he should be panicking.
But instead, he simply… accepted it.
After a moment, he began to walk.
Step by step, approaching the strange place.
Each step felt natural.
Effortless.
Like he had been here before.
Or like he belonged here.
When he reached the entrance, he hesitated for only a second…
Then walked inside.
The interior was even simpler than the outside.
A single counter.
And on top of it—
A tablet.
Nothing else.
No clerk.
No explanation.
No instructions.
"…Seriously?"
He let out a quiet breath, almost amused.
"…Guess I'll figure it out myself."
He picked up the tablet.
The screen lit up instantly.
Two options appeared:
Buy
Sell
Below them—
Coins: 0
"…Of course."
He tapped on Buy first.
The screen shifted.
Categories appeared:
Talents. Powers. Worlds. Characters. Status.
His eyes widened slightly.
"…This is… insane…"
He stared at the options, his mind racing.
"…So this is like… building a life?"
A faint spark lit inside him.
For the first time in a long while—
Interest.
Real interest.
"…I think I understand…"
Then he switched to the Sell tab.
Memories. Talents. Status. Achievements. Karma.
"…This one's clearer."
His expression slowly hardened.
Because now—
A decision had to be made.
"…If I'm starting over…"
His grip tightened slightly.
"…then I don't need most of this."
One by one—
He began to sell.
All of his positive karma—years of doing good, of being kind… gone.
All of his achievements as a teacher—his entire professional life… gone.
All of his memories—
He paused.
His finger hovered over the option.
"…Not everything."
Two things remained.
Football.
And Blue Lock.
His eyes softened slightly.
"…These… I'm keeping."
Because those—
Were the only moments he ever felt alive.
"…I want to go there."
His voice was quiet.
But firm.
"That world… I want to try again there."
Next—
Talents.
The screen displayed what he once had:
Fast Learning.
Quick Calculation.
And then—
The one that made his eyes freeze.
Sharp Turning at Maximum Speed.
His breath caught.
"…That…"
Memories surfaced.
Running across the field.
Cutting past defenders.
The feeling of freedom.
"…That was mine…"
A bitter smile appeared.
"…I almost made it…"
But then—
Laziness.
Lack of discipline.
And finally—
Injury.
"…I lost it all…"
His eyes hardened again.
"…Not this time."
He sold the other two talents.
But kept that one.
"I'll build everything around this."
Finally—
Status.
He looked at them carefully.
Defense = B
Speed = A+
Dribble = B-
Shot = C+
Pass = D+
Attack = B+
"…This is my limit, huh…"
He exhaled.
"…No."
He chose not to sell them.
Because limits…
Could be broken.
Coins obtained: 1639
"…Now…"
He switched back to Buy.
And began.
Blue Lock World (-250)
No hesitation.
"That's where I'm going."
Hard to Break (-200)
"…No more injuries ending everything."
Spatial Awareness (-300)
"…I need to see the field… properly this time."
Photographic Memory (-120)
"…I won't waste experience again."
Then—
He upgraded his limits.
Pushing them beyond what he once was.
Defense = S-
Speed = S+
Dribble = S
Shot = A
Pass = B-
Attack = S+
His heart beat faster.
"…This is… me?"
No—
This was who he could become.
Coins remaining: 9
"…One last thing…"
He selected:
Random Talent
The screen flickered.
Then—
Perfect Aim
A talent similar to Shintaro Midorima.
"…Perfect aim?"
He blinked.
"…I don't fully get it…"
A small smile formed.
"…But I'll take it."
More tools.
More chances.
More possibilities.
This time—
He wouldn't waste them.
He looked at everything one last time.
Then—
Without hesitation—
He confirmed.
The screen went white.
Brighter.
Brighter.
Until—
It consumed everything.
A light from beyond.
Warm.
Endless.
Calling him forward.
And for the first time in his existence—
He didn't feel regret.
Only anticipation.
"…This time…"
His voice faded into the light.
"…I won't fail."
To be continued in the next chapter.
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