Chapter 24: New Skill Unlocked!

With 110 Competitiveness points, Kira Ryosuke currently has no way to upgrade. It's the perfect opportunity to use these points to unlock a new skill.

[Competitiveness Points: 10]

[Congratulations! Successfully unlocked skill - Thunder Breathing - Rice Spirit]

After unlocking the skill, Kira Ryosuke seemed to see a series of electric flashes flickering in his eyes.

As the system issued a prompt, the interface in his eyes changed as well.

[Competitiveness - Thunder Breathing - Rice Spirit LV1 Proficiency: 0%]

"I've unlocked a new skill, and I'll need to practice and improve its proficiency. This will definitely take some time. I wonder if it will be enough..."

Kira Ryosuke thought to himself, but at that moment, the system's voice rang out again, accompanied by a new image appearing.

[Acquired achievement 'First Goal': Scored the first goal in an official match, slightly increased physical abilities.]

Kira Ryosuke felt a surge of power entering his body, which then quickly dissipated.

[Acquired achievement 'Hat-Trick': Completed a hat-trick in an official match, unlocking the privilege of accessing the practice Space.]

[Practice Space: A unique space independent of the real world. The host can enter it for practice, and within the practice Space, there will be no sensation of fatigue. Time in the real world is temporarily suspended upon entering the competitive Space.]

[Practice Space: 10 Competitiveness points/1 hour]

"There are achievements as well? And this practice space..."

Kira Ryosuke focused his attention on the description of the practice Space and quickly realized how important it was.

Competitiveness points affect the strength of abilities, and another crucial factor is time.

Kira Ryosuke needs time to practice and familiarize himself with these skills. Previously, it took him over a week to master the Full Concentration Breathing and Thunderclap Flash techniques to 100% proficiency. Now, with the skill upgrades and unlocks, he will need even more time for practice.

Although there is usually a gap of several days between two matches for the same team to ensure player fitness and fair competition, it's still not enough for Kira Ryosuke.

However, if there is a Practice Space, that would be a different story. Kira Ryosuke would have extra time for practice.

And most importantly, in that space, he wouldn't feel any fatigue, which would greatly enhance the efficiency of his training. Just one hour in the Practice Space might be equivalent to a day of training for an ordinary person.

At that moment, the screen in the room suddenly lit up again, and the face of Ego appeared on the screen.

"To all the young talents of Team Z, although this was just a match, I must admit that you performed remarkably well."

Ego said slowly, but his gaze seemed to focus on Kira Ryosuke.

"It seems you have found your weapons and discovered the way to create football from scratch. But I have a question for you, Kira Ryosuke. Why did you choose to pass instead of directly attacking when facing the Baro for the second time?"

"Because passing was the right choice."

Kira Ryosuke replied with a smile.

"Although you won, I have to remind you that this kind of thinking cannot continue. A forward should be selfish. Only by continuously scoring goals can one be called the world's number one forward. If you fear on the field or hold the idea of helping others, then you are completely mistaken."

Ego's expression gradually became serious. The others present felt a shiver down their spines and didn't dare to interrupt their conversation.

But Kira Ryosuke's smile remained unchanged.

"I don't agree with that statement, Mr. Ego. A truly formidable forward is not judged solely by how many goals he can score, but by whether he can lead the team to victory. Baro is the best example, isn't it?"

Kira Ryosuke continued,

"I pass, not out of fear or any other reason. I simply believe that doing so will lead to victory. What I want is victory, not just goals. A truly outstanding player makes the right judgment at the right time. In other words, only those who can lead their teammates to victory are truly exceptional players. Compared to Baro, I prefer to cooperate with my current teammates."

Kira Ryosuke's words further increased his influence within Team Z.

"If you don't agree with my ideology, why did you come here?"

Ego pushed his glasses up his nose, and his pitch-black and profound eyes focused on Kira Ryosuke's face, as if trying to see through his inner thoughts.

"Because I'm here to prove that your ideology, Mr. Ego Jinpachi, is wrong."

Kira Ryosuke replied with a smile. That was precisely the reason the original owner of his body joined the Blue lock.

"And wouldn't it be quite ironic if this opponent of yours reaches the end?"

"Interesting."

Ego stared at Kira Ryosuke for a while, and a smile appeared on his face as well.

"Then I hope you can keep winning. By the way, the matches between Team V and Team Y, who are competing alongside you, have also ended. It was 8-0. I hope you can keep going and see who is right and who is wrong between the two of us."

After Ego finished speaking, the screen suddenly disappeared.

"Wow, Kira, you're so cool! You dared to argue back at that guy. That was awesome!"

Raichi patted Kira Ryosuke on the shoulder and said with a smile.

...

On the other side, in the dressing room of Team V, the screen lit up.

"Congratulations, all you young talents..."

Almost the same words, Ego repeated them again.

"...Also, I have to inform you that Team Z has defeated Team X with a score of 8-3."

"Wow, they scored eight goals too?"

A male with long hair tied in a ponytail turned to his companion and asked.

However, standing beside him, a boy with white curly hair lazily raised his head and looked at the screen.

"Can I have my phone back? Otherwise, it'll be boring tonight."

He had a tall figure and a childlike face.

Although the match had just ended, there was not a drop of sweat on this boy's body, as if he hadn't been involved at all.

"I bet you want your phone back just to play games secretly, Nagi!"

"Yeah."

The boy named Nagi Seishio straightforwardly nodded.

"It doesn't matter. We'll keep winning from now on anyway, right?"