Chapter 33: I Guess Your Gun Has No Bullets

Player Name: Robert Baggio

Talent: Natural Ball Sense

Skill: Dreamlike Footwork (Increases dribbling ability and success rate of breaking through defenses. If the host already has this skill, the effects do not stack.)

Card Effect: Upon use, the player's talent and skill are granted for 30 minutes. The card disappears after use but can be repurchased and used again.

Price: 5 Honor Points

From the moment Kaka stepped onto the pitch, his greatest weaknesses were only two: physical challenges and ball sense. One could say that among all the items in the system shop, the "Natural Ball Sense" was what he coveted the most. With this talent, even if he had to forgo everything else in the shop, he was confident he could dominate the game.

If one had to choose the football player with the best ball sense in the world, many would hesitate between legends like Pele, Maradona, and George Best. Some might waver between the prodigies Ronaldo and Messi. But apart from these few universally acknowledged masters of ball sense, a small group of die-hard fans would undoubtedly bestow this honor upon Baggio.

If Kaka was a South American playing European football, then Baggio was a European playing South American football. His ball sense might not match those at the very pinnacle, but he was undoubtedly among the elite on this planet.

The effect was almost instantaneous. The boundary between mere mortals and geniuses seemed to shatter the moment Kaka used the card, though without fanfare or cosmic light shows. A wondrous transformation, akin to a metamorphosis, had occurred within him.

Before Vanpeta could close in, Kaka touched the ball and immediately attempted a move he had tried countless times on the street courts but never succeeded. He flicked the ball with his left foot, sending it flying past his side while smoothly spinning around from the other side, evading the incoming Vanpeta like a ballet on ice, leaving the defender behind.

The Bergkamp turn. Fluid, natural, and pleasing to the eye.

The entire stadium seemed to have been muted, even the most fanatical Corinthians fans only unconsciously opening their mouths before making indistinct sounds.

The phrases "wide-eyed" and "jaw-dropped" are often exaggerated, but for the spectators who witnessed the whole process, live or on television, those words accurately described their state.

Vanpeta had no idea what had happened. He instinctively looked down at Kaka's feet, intending to intercept the ball, but he couldn't find any trace of it. By the time he saw the ball bouncing towards Kaka's feet, the next second, Kaka had already left him behind.

If this were a fantasy realm, the scene would likely depict Vanpeta coughing up fresh blood, struggling to ask, "What technique was that?"

And correspondingly, the onlookers would exclaim, "This child is terrifying!"

The subsequent dialogue from the Corinthians players would undoubtedly be, "The warrior ahead..."

Ahem... you know what I mean?

Kaka didn't linger, ignoring the call for the ball from Harrison and Franza, continuing his dribble towards the penalty area.

Even with just a two-point increase in dribbling skills on his attribute list, the enhancement in ball sense directly elevated his combat ability by several levels. The same technical moves, when executed now, were not only smoother and more natural but also felt more instinctive, even appearing graceful and pleasing to the eye, with an aura of effortless flow.

Techniques like the Roulette, Marseille Turn, and Tornado Spin might have their technical difficulties, but after watching the recordings a dozen or twenty times, one should have a good grasp of them. However, how many could actually pull them off, let alone use them effectively in a match?

Kaka, of course, knew how the Tornado Spin should unfurl, how the Roulette should be executed, and how the Stepover should be performed. In the absence of pressure or against weaker defenses, he could mimic them passably. But the moment he faced a competent defender, it fell apart.

It was like understanding many principles yet still struggling to live a good life.

But now, guided by the enlightenment of natural ball sense, his feet smoothly overcame all obstacles.

The next to confront him was Cesar, Corinthians' center-back. Instead of immediately challenging, he positioned himself in front of Kaka, tightly holding his ground and retreating slowly.

Kaka didn't distribute the ball wide or accelerate as expected. Instead, he gently nudged the ball and rapidly began a Stepover sequence.

This version of Kaka was unprecedented.

However, the faces of Falcao, Fred, and Sanchez in the stands wore knowing smiles.

They had seen this Kaka before, frequently.

Only, in the past, Kaka's execution of these moves lacked the naturalness and vividness of the present moment.

It was simply beautiful.

"One, two, three, four... Kaka performed five consecutive Stepovers, poor Cesar, he's been dazzled. Someone tell me, is this really the Kaka we're familiar with? He's still dribbling, does he intend to take on Corinthians' entire backline alone?"

Of course, this wasn't the Kaka they knew, nor was it the Kaka familiar to himself.

That feeling of being one with the ball, that reassuring sensation that the ball would never inexplicably disappear no matter how outrageous the move, that intuitive synchronization as if the ball itself was cooperating with his movements – it was indescribable.

If Kaka's previous dribbling exuded a visible aura of dominance, now his entire being emanated an ethereal presence.

A Roulette feint past the last two defenders, face-to-face with the goalkeeper.

One-on-one.

Everyone was on the edge of their seats, not just the live audience but every viewer in front of a television.

In countless bars across São Paulo state and innumerable households, everyone fixated on Kaka.

Such dribbling demanded a goal as its conclusion.

The goalkeeper was tense.

And most goalkeepers, when facing a one-on-one, often employed a similar mantra: "I guess you won't shoot."

Guess wrong, and it's death. Guess right... it might also be death.

The Corinthians goalkeeper guessed correctly; Kaka's motion wasn't a shot. But as he dived, his hands grasped only air.

The moment the goalkeeper committed, Kaka dragged the ball back, dribbled past him, and tapped it into the open net.

As one of the planet's elite exponents of the "no goalkeeper expects a shot" technique, second only to Ronaldo, Baggio's ability to shift and maneuver inside the penalty area was undoubtedly among the finest. His dreamlike footwork surpassed the tricks Kaka had honed on the five-a-side courts.

Ricardo "No Goalkeeper Expects a Shot" Kaka was online.

His dribbling skill was only 81, increased to 84 after the skill boost, certainly not as outrageous as Ronaldo and Baggio. He couldn't quite enter the penalty area as if it were an empty field. However, the sudden stylistic shift caught Corinthians off guard, leaving them unable to mount a proper defense.

Even Costodio, who had been calmly applauding moments ago, was now on his feet with everyone else.

He believed the Samba squad wouldn't have to worry about their attacking midfield position for at least the next decade.

(End of Chapter)