The art of defense

After getting the first book in his hands, Kay carefully examined it; he began with the title 'The Art of Defense', he assumed the book was about the position of defense. 

Then Kay continued to investigate through the book, and he discovered the letters 'S.S.C' engraved on the bottom right of the cover. 

When Kay spotted those letters, he wondered if they were abbreviations of the writer's name, the company's name, or something else. 

'It appears that this system is full of secrets' Kay mused as he checked the book. 

 Kay took the book and began reading; it was very interesting because it talked about the defense position from another side. 

On the first page of the book, it said, 'The first responsibility of the defense line is defending the goal and not conceding any goals, so we should have this priority before we think about how to use the defense line in attacking.' 

Kay discovered various defensive strategies, including parking the bus, man-to-man, and zonal marking… 

Kay then found a part that talks about Positions of the defensive line 'The defensive line is composed of four positions: 

Goalkeeper: The final line of defense, responsible for defending the goal, instructing defenders around them, taking goal kicks, catching crosses, saving shots, and doing all possible to prevent the opposing team from scoring. 

Center backs: Positioned in front of the goalkeeper, one to the right and one to the left. They require positional discipline, good game reading, aerial ability to win headers for defending or even scoring, physical strength, smart tackling to tackle at the best time to cut balls and avoid penalties, and technical ability; these days, a center back should be good at short passing, long passing, and ball control. 

Sweeper: He is also known as a libero, puts themself below the defensive line, and has the most freedom among players. Although modern tactics have eliminated the sweeper role, they can still serve as a deep-lying playmaker. A sweeper's key characteristics are a deep understanding of the game, great tackling abilities, effective communication, and the ability to contribute to attacks by exploiting open spaces. 

Fullback: Two players who play near the touchline; they should have defensive and attacking skills as their role is attacking besides defending; they should have high speed, good stamina as they go up and down all the time; positional awareness; 1v1 defending as in the majority of cases they face skilled wingers; technical abilities as they should be good at dribbling and passing; and communication is also necessary for fullbacks as they should inform their teammate when going forward or dropping back. 

The book covered a variety of issues, including positioning, communication among defensive players, and popular formations like the 5-4-1 and 4-5-1. 

Kay was absorbed in reading for hours without losing interest. 

A statement on the penultimate page piqued his interest: 'Keep in mind to not restrict yourself with traditional coaching theories. 

The strongest defensive line is one that can adapt to the opponent's versatile tactics of attack.' 

As Kay read further into the book, he recalled fundamental aspects of football that he had long forgotten. 

After Kay finished reading, he closed the book and stood up to place it back in his library. Suddenly, a message from the system appeared: 

- - - 

The user must keep the system, as well as everything related to or gained from the system, a secret. 

Failure to comply will result in severe penalties. 

Please return the books to your inventory and do not display them outside. 

- - - 

Reading this message, Kay recognized how much responsibility came with using the system, and that the system may have the possibility to harm him. 

Kay was examining the message when he heard a soft knock on the door. It was his mother who delivered his lunch, noting that he had been in his room for quite some time without asking for it. She warmly delivered it to him, ensuring he didn't miss out on lunch while absorbed in his tasks. "I am coming in, I brought your lunch" 

When Kay heard his mother's voice, he swiftly returned the books to his inventory, one by one. However, before he could put them all away, his mother entered the room, preventing him from putting the final book in his inventory, then Kay stood up from his desk trying to go to bed. 

Reina observed Kay trying to stand up from his desk and assisted him into his bed. She thought he preferred to eat while sitting on the bed, unaware that Kay was simply trying to deflect her attention away from the book on the desk. 

"Is eating on the bed more comfortable for you?" Reina asked as she helped Kay move to his bed. 

"Yes, Mom. And thank you for the meal," Kay replied with a small smile. 

Reina was ecstatic to observe Kay's improved condition compared to his time in the hospital; he had recovered swiftly from the incident. 

Reina left Kay on his bed and headed towards the door. 

However, as she approached Kay's desk, she stopped suddenly. 

Something grabbed her attention, forcing her to approach the desk. 

Kay's heartbeat pounded with every step she took. 

When Reina arrived at the desk, she paused and picked up the book, holding it in her hand. 

When Kay saw this scenario, he was terrified of punishment, and as he was contemplating, he heard his mother exclaim, "What a strange book, where did you get it? I never saw it in the house" 

 "No, it wasn't here, Alex gave it to me when he came to visit last time" Kay couldn't say he got it from the system. 

"What a unique book, it seems very expensive, Alex is a good friend," replied his mother.  

"That's true, Alex has always been thoughtful," Kay responded, relieved that his explanation seemed to satisfy his mother. 

"I've never seen a book with such a unique design before. I wonder where Alex got it from," Reina said, surprised by the book's strange appearance. 

"He mentioned getting it from abroad; apparently, it's quite rare, with only a few copies existing globally," explained Kay, improvising to hide the book's true origin. 

"Oh, interesting! It's titled 'The Art of Attack,' so I'm guessing it's about soccer, right?" Reina inquired, her curiosity piqued as she continued to inspect the book. 

"Yeah, it's about soccer tactics and strategies, focusing particularly on the attack" Kay replied, relieved that his explanation seemed to satisfy his mother's curiosity. 

"You have been the same since you were a child, a soccer maniac" 

"Yeah, it's a passion that never fades," Kay replied. 

Kay took a deep breath as his mother placed the book back on the desk and left the room. He felt uneasy, almost as if he were awaiting punishment from the system. 

- - - 

The host wouldn't face any punishment since he hadn't revealed the system's secret, also the origin of the book wasn't exposed. 

- - - 

After the tense moment, Kay breathed a sigh of relief, understanding that he wouldn't face any punishment for keeping the system's secret. 

However, he felt the need to be more cautious moving forward. 

After finishing his meal, Kay used his sticks to reach his desk, where he returned the 'The Art of Attack' book to the system's inventory and retrieved the second one, 'The Art of Midfield.' 

He placed it on his desk and prepared to embark on another book and journey, this time concentrating on the midfield.

See you in the next chapter ...

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