Egoistic Behavior

Aoi calmed down his fury.

At the same time, a series of knowledge washed over his mind and body, feeling like he had experienced dribbling a football ball before, and even shooting it with no problem.

It lessened Aoi's wrath, somewhat.

He asked the system to show the status of the Techniques after receiving the enlightenment.

[Techniques: Instep Drive (E+) and Basic Dribble (E)]

As expected, he had to upgrade even the techniques with Ego Points.

He was infuriated.

Even then, it made sense.

Aoi tried to calm himself as he turned to the third corner, clearing his mind.

He was about to add points on the Techniques when the system's genderless voice thundered in his mind.

[Ding! The Egoistic Ace System has finished computing the points the host acquires after exhibiting an egoistic behavior.

"I won't pass the ball and shoot it." 5 Ego Points.

"That's not an option. I won't miss." 10 Ego Points.

The host, driven by a need to prove his superiority and boost his own ego, faced his fear and stood his ground against the Smiling Demon. 10 Points.

The host eagerly accepted the warm-up challenge from the Smiling Demon, not out of a sense of duty or courage, but because he craved the recognition and praise that would come from succeeding. 5 Points.

Congratulations! The Egoistic Host has finally displayed his egoistic behavior, amassing a total of 30 Ego Points in a single moment. 

This is a historical feat!

Host, please continue to exhibit egoistic behavior!]

Aoi was stunned, halting his jogging.

Thankfully, he returned to his previous position, accomplishing the challenge of jogging around the football field without stopping.

He stood there frozen.

Nakahara, on the other hand, was waiting for him, staring at the stupefied Aoi, on the bench, sitting as he was watching the football match.

Aoi took some time to process what had just happened and exhaled a sigh of relief.

It calmed him down, somewhat.

Amassing 30 Ego Points out of the blue was exhilarating and astounding at the same time.

It was a massive amount of Ego Points, which would solve his problem of not showing off later on in the match.

Then, without hesitation, he asked the system to pour five points each of the Techniques.

However, he received a rejection from the system.

[The grade of the techniques is highly dependent on the grade of the Technical Skills.]

Aoi was stunned and understood what he meant.

Felicity crawled on his heart, filling his emotions with boundless joy.

'If it is the case, then it saves me Ego Points to upgrade the skill. It is an enormous bonus for my technique to upgrade with the skill!'

He almost jumped in delight, but he held himself back.

With his long hair covering his side face, as he was standing without moving, his emotions would always be ambiguous to others.

He promptly poured ten points each on his Technical Skills – Dribbling and Shooting.

[Shooting: E+>D+

3 Ego Points have been deducted.

To upgrade to the C grade, the system will consume two Ego Points.

The system informs the host that the remaining seven points to be consumed will change to six points.

Shooting: D+>C+

…

Dribbling: E>D+

4 Ego Points have been deducted.

Two points will be deducted to upgrade the C grade.

Dribbling: D+>C+]

Aoi was stunned once again.

This time, he was accustomed to having been taken by surprise by the system, so he quickly managed to gather his thoughts.

He pondered.

'As expected, the system is not that generous. The higher the grade to be upgraded, the higher the cost.'

He acknowledged the cons of the system.

But then again, it was already magnanimous – only that, not the point it would quickly answer his desire to become a striker in a single day.

To upgrade his dribbling and shooting skills from E grade to C grade in an instant was already a boon.

Suddenly, enlightenment washed over him.

He felt like he had played football since years ago, acquiring experience and knowledge of how to dribble and shoot.

It was a stimulating feeling, causing a gleeful smile on his face.

Now, he had to face another problem – more like a serious realization.

He instantly wasted his points, not contemplating on how to distribute them properly.

He had upgraded his shooting and dribbling skills, great, but not for the other technical skills, even his physical capabilities were lacking.

What if he had A-grade shooting and dribbling skills if his endurance was E-grade?

By then, the high-grade shooting and dribbling skills would deteriorate as he continued to play on the football field.

Hence, he knew how crucial balancing the grade of all the physical capabilities, as well as the technical skills.

'Hmmm… Since upgrading to a C grade costs two points. I must upgrade all to D- grade first.'

Aoi decided.

Since he had 17 Ego Points left, he first added points to each Technical Skill, upgrading them all to a D- grade.

[The system has deducted two Ego Points.

Ball Control: E>D-

The system has deducted one Ego Point.

Passing: E+>D-

The system has deducted two Ego Points.

Tackling: E>D-]

Aoi lost five Ego Points, leaving him 12 Ego Points.

Since only his Coordination has an E grade, he upgraded it to a D- grade.

[The system has deducted two Ego Points.

Coordination: E>D-]

Now, he was left with ten Ego Points.

Aoi contemplated on how to distribute them again, thinking whether to prioritize physical capabilities or technical skills, when an infuriated voice shouted at him.

"Aoi! Do you want to play or not?"

The familiar voice caused his body to shake in fright.

Aoi simmered himself down, turning his head, and stared at the incensed Nakahara with an indifferent expression.

He instantly jogged towards him.

He arrived in front of the Nakahara, sitting on the bench. 

The latter trembled in rage.

He barked.

"Why are you covering the football field? I am watching!"

Aoi quickly got to the side, not complaining at all, treating Nakahara's infuriated roaring like air.

"What are you waiting for? Do fifteen push-ups now!"

Aoi hastily positioned himself on all fours.

At this moment, a grin appeared on his face.

He added points to his Endurance…