Munchen’s Arc #5 

It is safe to say that all of the matches in the first stage of this selection were completed in a matter of days. Dennis played two matches against each team, and fortunately, their result was just as outstanding as his performance in the Munchen's Cup.

The coaching staff was already aware of the team black's imbalance when it comes to having not-as-great players compared to others. Only Dennis made it past the fourth round of the Munchen's Cup.

But looking down at the papers, the main coach, Johan, could only stare at them with a surprised expression. The video demonstrated how Team Black gained confidence while playing with a brilliant striker like Dennis, who scored goals despite poor assists.

[Team Black 2 - 0 Team White

Team Black 2 - 0 Team Brown

Team Black 3 - 1 Team Purple

Team Black 4 - 2 Team Pink

Team White 4 - 3 Team White…]

However, there were more matches, and in each of them, Dennis scored as many goals as he could in a very short period of time. They haven't lost a single game during this stage, which is unbelievable for such a mediocre team.

"Him scoring the most for the entire team, the team that scored the most during this stage, places Dennis over everyone. His position as the striker in this selection will most likely remain number one."

"Let's not forget that he also has a lot of assists—unbelievable—and is in fifth place in assists as well. Nobody has ever been this close to his statistics, not even the older generation. Kaiser didn't have such statistics."

Johan's eyebrows twitched when hearing the last line. He suspiciously glanced at his fellow coach, who was outright ignoring him and kept praising Dennis while showing all his achievements so far. 'More potential than Kaiser, huh? We'll see about that.'

So far, the coach has always stood against Dennis, as if he didn't like him. Nobody could explain why, but part of the reason was that Dennis was so talented that it overshadowed one of his gems in the academy, Michael Kaiser.

"Dennis is younger, but he is too aggressive for our own good. With his attitude towards the game, I suppose there's nothing much we can get out of him. Kaiser's versatility allows us to target multiple fields to improve, and his logical plays are also way more obvious than Dennis'."

In the end, everything for the staff came down to logic. which Dennis didn't display since his playstyle revolved around taking risks. He would shoot from thirty meters away if he liked, and the chances of him scoring were lower. Dennis didn't like passing around either; he only did it when he was unsure of himself.

He was an egocentric player; he liked to place the game around himself, not around the team. "If he had prioritized it, his team would have been much better."

"So far, the players selected from here will be playing against the U18 team. We'll see what we should do more of there. Walter, I trust you with selecting the best players out of this bunch."

The man in the corner of the room looked at Johan and nodded, saying, "I shall select the best of the best."

… … …

Very early in the morning, when not even the birds chirped, the younglings were up and ready for an announcement. Most of them arrived here with just negative thoughts, knowing that they could be leaving. For an entire week, they couldn't showcase their abilities, meaning that their position in the academy was questionable.

Dennis breathed warm air on his hands since he wasn't wearing the gloves today; this act relieved his skin a little bit. Max, who stood nearby, was also nervous.

'If only I were as capable as Dennis.' Max thought, smiling at his friend and showing an okay sign. Thankfully, during the last few games, the pain in his ankle lessened, and he was able to deliver a good performance. He wasn't going to let go of this opportunity, obviously.

"It's freaking cold here, man." Max shuddered due to the cold outside. Winter was coming, and with it, a new season would arrive soon enough.

Dennis wasn't fazed, although he was a little bit concerned about staying motionless for so long. "Just wait for the announcement, and then we'll probably get heated again. You are confident that you got to the next stage, right?" He asked his shorter friend.

"Yeah, yeah. At the very least, I passed you in the assist... but I wasn't expecting to see so many good playmakers here. Lukas, and then that guy from Stuttgart. I have some competition; it won't be easy. You, on the other hand, truly made it." Max was well aware of his friend's abilities, so this came as no surprise.

Dennis passed everyone in the goals and even some playmakers in assists. Today, at least four strikers will be eliminated from the selection. Max knew without a doubt that Dennis would be staying.

Forty-four players with the worst performances in their positions will leave, and new teams will be formed to continue to the next stage of the selection. The guy from Stuttgart definitely stays here, and if he gets on a team with Dennis, there will be rain because he has the most assists here.

'Fuck…I won't be placed with Dennis, will I?' Most likely, the former teammates won't be placed together. Max gritted his teeth in realization. At that moment, he was thinking only bad things.

Without Dennis, will he manage to perform well? More like, will he manage to perform with pain in his ankle? That was hardly believable, at least for him. 'If I manage, eventually I'll be on the same team as Dennis…'

Max nodded to himself, 'Yeah, I just have to last as much as I can and it will be over.'

… … …

"Everyone line up!"

Coach Johan spoke as the kids obeyed his command and formed a line in front of the coaching staff. The air was thick with anticipation as the 110 players stood in front of the coaching staff. All their hard work that took years will be rewarded here, or either not.

They couldn't say that they weren't nervous; most of them were. The coaching staff looked solemn as they held the papers in front of their chests, reviewing them multiple times before the head coach spoke up once more.

"First of all, I would like to thank everyone else who participated in the selections; however, as you know, we'll have to eliminate some of you due to the high standards this facility holds." His cruel words were heard too clearly by the youngsters. They shuddered in fear.

Johan took one of the papers from his assistant, "You have showcased enough abilities for us to judge you. We'll be calling out players and handing out colored sports vests to you, in the end, those who are left are eliminated. So, let's start."

Johan signaled one of the coaching staff to start the procedure. "Dennis Kemp!" Instantly, he loudly called out the first person who passed this stage of the selection.

'Of course…' Dennis blinked, surprised that they started particularly from him. Nevertheless, he followed the line in a casual manner and approached the man with the colored vest. Again, he was handed the black one.

"Good luck."

They shook hands, and Dennis was then instructed to do whatever he wants as long as he doesn't cause turmoil during the procedure. He decided to just leave the field, as they would be free from anything today. Before he left, Dennis gave his friend a thumbs-up to reassure his unconfident mentality.

"I should go inside; it's still freaking cold."

Dennis muttered before entering the giant complex located on the fields of this facility. While the football fields took up most of the space here, aside from dormitories, the main academy building was still large. It had a lot of other mini-facilities to offer. 'Very nice indeed.' Dennis finally felt warm.

The temperature inside was comfortable for any human being, and in this comfort, Dennis also wanted something sweet. When our cultured little guy noticed the vending machine nearby, he decided to get himself some choccy milk.

Sip.

"Sigh… That's so good. Choccy milk is so good, especially after being cold." Its taste wasn't so good, considering it was from a vending machine, but it didn't matter after standing in the cold for so long. The warmth from choccy literally engulfed Dennis' heart.

It's kind of ironic how youngsters are able to find joy in small things like this. Dennis kept on sipping the warm drink while sitting in the lobby of the academy building. He scrolled through his phone after catching the free wifi and saw some football news. His social media accounts were also filled with unread notifications.

'All of these messages came from the past week?'

He wanted to check all the messages while he still remembered them, but a certain occurrence happened. Some people arrived in the same place he was sitting, and by the look of it, they were also in the academy.

They looked just a bit older than him and had the full sports uniform of a club. Dennis guessed they were at least 2 years older than him.

"It appears that the new batch has arrived. What do you think about them?" One of the two, with pinkish hair, asked his fellow with blond hair. The question went past the second's ears as he ignored everything around him, including Dennis, who sat nearby.

The blue eyes of the thirteen-year-old observed the two, and instantly, by sensing the confidence in them and the aura of superiority, Dennis came to the conclusion that these two were quite good players.

Especially the one with the blonde hair.

He sipped once more on his choccy milk, and they took notice of his presence immediately. Surprised to see a person escape their vision for a short period of time.

"Well, hello. Are you one of the selectionists?" Both turned towards him, and the pinkish-haired one waved a hand. His question wasn't out of place, so Dennis only nodded while sipping on his drink.

"Oh, so you've already passed the stage," the person said, raising his brows in surprise. "That must be cool for you, right?"

"Not really; it was quite easy. I would say that I'm even disappointed."

The two chuckled, "You wouldn't be so sure after some time, I guarantee you that. By the way, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Alexis Ness, a middlefielder here." Ness introduced himself and left an immediate impression on Dennis.

Ness, to be honest, was peculiar due to the weird smile he could pull out of his ass, which made even Dennis feel weird. With his enlarged eyes and friendly demeanor, Ness appeared to be someone Dennis would have difficulty getting along with.

The second one, meanwhile, was different; the feeling Dennis got from him wasn't anything special either. But the eyes usually tell more than the body, so Dennis could only guess that he was strong. The blond-haired boy had a similar look in his eyes, just like Dennis.

"And he is Michael Kaiser. He's the ace of the U18 team already, and you might already know him; I'm not sure though."

"Nope, never heard of him."

"Ness, no need to introduce me to people who won't be here for long," Kaiser scoffed. "We have better things to do."

Dennis paid them no mind at all and only took another sip of his choccy milk. (He had his priorities straight). 'Who the fuck are they?' He thought and followed the duo with his eyes as they walked away.

Partially, even Dennis agreed with the previous statement by the guy, though. 'I won't last long here on my own, obviously; I'll just fuck off if pricks like him keep bothering me. If they think I'll make myself fit their standards…

…only over my dead body. They will be the ones trying to fit my style.'