Chapter 30: I'll Guard the Team's Rear

During this period, Kira Ryosuke, along with the other members of the team, engaged in tactical training. In the eyes of the others, Kira Ryosuke was completely obsessed with training.

They truly regarded Kira Ryosuke as the leader of the team and believed that he could lead them to further success.

"The third match was played yesterday, and Team W defeated Team X with a score of 4-1."

With one hour left before the next match, everyone was preparing in the locker room, and Kira Ryosuke was briefing them on the situation in the Blue lock.

It was expected that Team X would lose to Team W. Team X only had Baro Shoei as the standout player, while the rest of the team couldn't keep up. Moreover, after the devastating defeat against Team Z, the morale of the other players was shattered. Combined with Baro's frustrated performance in the first match, the entire team fell apart.

This team was basically doomed to be eliminated, and Baro could only rely on himself as the team's top scorer to advance to the next round.

"Our next opponent is Team Y. Although they suffered a crushing defeat in the first round, it doesn't mean they are weak. Okawa may seem like the main attacking threat, but Niko is the most important player. Don't forget that."

Kira Ryosuke continued,

"They have already lost one match, and another loss would essentially mean elimination for them. So Team Y will definitely go all out to face us, and we cannot afford to let our guard down."

"Niko Ikki really worth paying attention to?"

Kunigami, who was standing nearby, was a bit puzzled.

"From watching the vdo, although he didn't score, all the threatening attacks in the offensive end were created by Okawa."

"That's right. Okawa is the attacker, but Niko is the one who truly organizes the defensive counterattacks," Kira Ryosuke replied.

"So, for this match, we need to slightly change our tactics. I'll take charge of guarding the rear, and I won't give the opponent any chances for defensive counterattacks."

"Kira, you'll be responsible for the rear?" Kuon Wataru asked in surprise.

"Then who will be in charge of the attacking?"

Kira turned his gaze towards the corner of the locker room, where Chigiri was sitting silently.

"Leave it to the Princess."

"Huh?"

Everyone was surprised, and even Chigiri himself didn't expect this.

"Can the Princess really handle it?"

"He was basically slacking off in the last match."

"I also have some doubts, but if it's Kira's idea, then I'm fine with it."

The discussions among the team members continued, and Chigiri was left speechless by this sudden turn of events.

"I believe in Chigiri, and the opposing team will definitely adopt a completely defensive stance in the first half to face us. You can launch attacks freely. If the team relies solely on me to move forward, then everyone won't have a chance to improve, and it wouldn't be fair to the players who have always played as defenders. Who knows, I might even play as a goalkeeper later," Kira said with a smile.

They were a team, and if they wanted to keep winning, they needed improvement in all aspects.

After all, the opponents they would face in the future would become stronger, especially Team V, whose strength was on a completely different level from the other teams.

The difficulty of the team advancing wasn't too great, but Kira also wanted to "greedily" learn and improve during this period.

The stronger the opponents and teammates, the more points one can obtain, and the faster they can strengthen their own abilities.

It's not just about the forward position. Kira also wants to take this opportunity to verify whether his unlocked abilities can be effective in other positions as well.

According to the previous system introduction, using skills such as steals and assists would also earn a significant number of points.

"But can I really do it?" Chigiri's eyes still showed a hint of confusion.

"Don't worry. As long as you increase firepower and attack freely, I'll take care of the defensive duties in our half of the field," Kira Ryosuke said.

"And in the first half, you need to create openings in their defense and drain their stamina. And if the score doesn't widen in the second half, I'll move forward and completely destroy their defense along with all of you."

...

In Team Y's locker room, Niko had already gathered the other teammates to discuss the upcoming strategy.

"We must win this match!" Although his thick bangs covered his eyes, everyone knew that his expression must be serious and determined.

"Team Z is formidable, but they can be dealt with. The difference between Team Z and Team V is quite apparent Team V has three players with excellent attacking abilities, which makes our defense vulnerable. But Team Z only has Kira Ryosuke as a threat, the rest aren't much to worry about."

As Niko finished speaking, he clenched his fist, his tone becoming even more resolute.

"I will use these eyes to lock down all of Kira Ryosuke's attacking routes! He won't score, guaranteed! We must win this match!"

"Yes!"

Under Niko's words, the morale of Team Y soared.

They had no retreat. If they were eliminated in this match, their chances of advancing would be practically non-existent.

...

An hour later, both teams arrived at the match venue as instructed by the broadcast.

The momentum of both teams was unprecedentedly high, and even before the match officially started, a fierce battle atmosphere engulfed the two squads.

Kira could feel the opponents' gaze focused on him, but he didn't mind and opened the system interface.

[Host: Kira Ryosuke]

[Competitiveness Points: 0]

[Current Skills:]

[Thunder Breath - Full Concentration Breathing LV2 Proficiency: 88.07%]

[Thunder Breath - Thunderclap Flash LV2 Proficiency: 75.11%]

[Thunder Breath - Rice Spirit LV1 Proficiency: 100% (Upgrade: 50 Points)]

After several days of daily training and efficient practice in the practice space, Kira had already raised his proficiency in the recently unlocked skill, "Rice Spirit" to the maximum level and was about to level up to LV2.

After this match, he should be able to earn enough points.

At the same time, Kira also wanted to see if his unlocked skills could be effective in other positions.