34 - Skills

*Knock, Knock!*

"Will you be in there for long, Tanaka?" Tsuyoshi Nishida asked. "I have to go to the bathroom."

"More five minutes!"

"Argh! Never mind, I'll use the bathroom in Kuwabara's room."

After arriving at his hotel room, Lucas locked himself in the bathroom of his room so he could tinker with the Champion System without his roommate, Nishida, thinking he was going crazy.

"I got 10 attribute points for completing the mission to blind Shinto Ishikuno. I had 5 points left... What should I do with those points? My speed attribute is my highest attribute with 25 points, but if I want to be number 10, I don't need to be very strong. I could invest some attributes in passing and the rest in defense..."

The rewards Lucas had earned for completing two missions in a single day were many, but he felt that deciding where to invest his attribute points was a priority.

If he was going to be a professional, every attribute was important. However, he couldn't just think about distributing all the points equally, because he would be trying to become a perfect player, and that was probably unattainable. Therefore, Lucas had to focus on the type of player he wanted to be and invest more in that. Being the best at something would make him stand out much more than just being good at whatever he set his mind to.

Of course Lucas wanted to become a complete player, but that shouldn't be his focus just yet.

"Okay, I've made up my mind."

[You have allocated 5 attribute points to shooting. This attribute has increased from 21 to 26].

[You can now better control the accuracy and power of your shots on goal.]

[You have spent 7 attribute points on Physical. This stat has increased from 17 to 24].

[Running for several minutes is no longer a problem for you.]

[You have 3 Dribbling attribute points. This attribute increased from 17 to 20].

[The success rate of your <Mirage Feint> skill has increased from 20% to 35%.]

"Ouch, for only 3 attribute points, the success rate has increased that much?"

[The skill <Mirage Feint> fights dribbling, so investing in that attribute will greatly increase its success rate. However, the success rate will never be 100% even if you reach 100 attribute points in Dribbling, because complications may occur].

"I see. So if I invest in attributes that match my skills, I'll improve my hit rate? Doesn't that mean that since I invested in Physical, my <Stellar Impulse> hit rate should also improve?"

[No. <Stellar Impulse> does not combine with any attribute, but with the talent called Positioning. When you earn talent points, if you invest them in Positioning, your hit rate will increase].

"That's... a bit wrong, isn't it? How can my positioning be related to my punching power with this skill?"

[It's a matter of sensory elements].

"Haha... Such an evasive answer. Alright, I'll ignore it for now, Céos."

Céos seemed to have answers for almost everything, though sometimes with a cryptic tone that frustrated him.

Lucas Tanaka then opened his inventory and selected the first mysterious card. A new system screen appeared before his eyes, along with a [Reveal] button.

It was always a risk - these cards could give him extremely useful skills or, as had only happened to him so far, skills completely irrelevant to soccer. But there was no reason not to open it.

As Lucas clicked to open it, an elaborate animation unfolded before his eyes. The map spun in the air before revealing itself. Lucas leaned forward, trying to decipher the gray text that began to appear.

[Common Skill <Mastery of Judo (Level 1)> obtained!]

[<Mastery of Judo> unlocked].

Lucas blinked, stunned. He could hardly believe what he saw.

"Judo? Why on earth would I need Judo?"

The frustration was palpable. He wasn't training to be a martial artist; his goal was soccer, and any skill that didn't directly contribute to that seemed like a waste of resources. Still, he knew he couldn't just ignore the skill. It was there, part of his arsenal, and who knew, it might come in handy at some point.

"Okay... come on, next card. I hope its something better." He told himself, trying to keep the hope alive.

The process was repeated, and Lucas held his breath as the second card was revealed.

[General Skill <Garden Expertise (Level 1)> Acquired!]

[<Garden Expertise (Level 1)> unlocked].

This time, he couldn't stop laughing. "Garden? Really? I should give up soccer and open a flower shop now?"

Lucas shook his head, laughing at the irony of the situation. It was ridiculous. Sure, maybe if he wanted to grow the perfect lawn for playing soccer, the skill would be of some use, but on the field, during a game? Unlikely. He knew the system could be unpredictable, but this was becoming a bad joke.

[If you don't like the skills you've obtained, you can destroy them to try to obtain a skill with a higher rarity.]

"Is that serious?"

[Yes. However, the success rate is about 50%. Also, the higher the rarity of the card, the lower the chance of being able to evolve it].

Lucas ignored the second part of Céos' answer, focusing only on the first. "50%? Wait, if I destroy the cards and get cards of higher rarity, what's the chance that they'll be soccer-related?"

[It is impossible to calculate this because the Champion system provides cards of every existing ability. Therefore, it's true that the chances of getting a soccer-specific ability are low, but you can get abilities that help you on the field, such as <Double Strength>].

"Having a chance to get a skill like that is certainly better than having a skill that focuses on gardening." Lucas said with a smile. He was starting to get excited about the possibilities again.