15 - Troubleshooter

[To make the most of your new skills, it might be wise to make a big impact with your first touch of the ball,] Céos said.

'You don't have to tell me. I know.' Lucas thought and took a deep breath.

The game restarted with a subtle touch of the ball that had come out of the back. Wushia High School had possession, so it didn't take long for the ball to reach the center of the field.

Kenji was number 5, so he moved close to the defenders to receive the ball and continue the attack.

One of the Kasaro midfielders quickly moved forward to press Kenji, who played the ball to Lucas.

Lucas raised his head as the ball rolled toward him, positioned his body, prepared to receive the pass, and instead of holding the ball and attempting a dribble, did something few expected. In one fluid motion, Lucas made a cross with his first touch of the ball, sending it in a perfect arc to Yukihiro Kasahara, who was positioned further forward on the left.

"It's yours, Yukihiro!" Lucas shouted.

Yukihiro was number 11, an agile and experienced striker, so he didn't even have to think before picking up the ball and cutting through the opposition defense. Lucas' precise cross allowed Yukihiro to reach the opposition's penalty area in a matter of seconds, leaving much of Kasaro High School out of position and the defenders confused.

The crowd frowned in anticipation as Kasahara unleashed a right-footed shot on the goal. The ball flew like a rocket, past the opposing goalkeeper and into the net with a satisfying thud.

Even Lucas was surprised at how easy it was to finish this time. In fact, several screens appeared as Lucas raised his arms in celebration.

[You have completed the "First Step to Stardom" mission!]

[You have received +10 Star Points.]

[You have received +5 Attribute Points.]

[You have received +1 Uncommon Loot Box.]

On the bench, Tsukada watched with a mixture of frustration and surprise. He couldn't deny that Lucas' pass had been brilliant, but that didn't ease the pain of the substitution.

At the same time, two middle-aged men in the stands were discussing the goal that had just been scored.

"What kind of pass was that, boss? How did he know where number 11 was?"

The man next to the first, looking only slightly older, had a hand on his chin, analyzing. "I think I saw number 8 lift his head and look around just before the ball arrived. Most spectators just follow the ball with their eyes and don't see these little details on the pitch."

"Still, the pass was perfect, and he didn't even stop the ball before kicking it."

"Yes, his pass was almost perfect."

"It wasn't perfect." Suddenly, a third person interrupted the conversation between the two friends.

They looked over and saw a blue-haired girl in a winter gym uniform.

"What do you mean? The pass was perfect, it reached the number 11."

"That's because number 11 is a fast player, and he managed to catch the ball after it hit the ground. For young players, it was indeed a good pass. But a perfect pass is not like that. Perfect passes are very rare, especially first-time passes like the one made by No. 8. I think in the world only midfielders like Tony Kross, Kevin De Bruyne and others at the same level can do that."

One of the men laughed at the girl's answer. "Haha! But you can't expect that in a championship like this."

"Why not? The chances of a future great Japanese player being here today are slim, but not zero. Besides, most of the players here want to become professionals, so excellence is the minimum expected."

"Hey, boss, let's go to the bathroom." One of the men said to the other, who was already getting up.

"Yeah, let's go."

As the men walked away from the blue-haired girl, they looked back briefly and commented.

"What's cute about her is scary. Let's find somewhere else to sit."

Turning our attention back to the field, the score was 1-0 to Wushia High School.

"Good pass, Lucas!" Yukihiro shouted as he passed Lucas and patted him on the back. "Keep it up and we'll win this game."

Lucas Tanaka smiled and agreed.

Karaso High School's high marking was smothering Wushia High School at the start of the second half, and Lucas knew exactly how to break it down. When the game resumed and Lucas' team was defending an unsuccessful attack, Lucas received the ball to lead a counterattack and without hesitation raised his head. He saw the space between the defenders and, with a first-time pass, launched the ball, forcing Nishida to run to catch it.

The ball sailed through the opposing defense, taking everyone by surprise.

"Ha! Lucas, you bastard!" Nishida said as he raced against an opposing defender.

Nishida ran in, got the ball, and shot from a distance, hitting the crossbar with a powerful shot.

On the next play, Lucas received another pass and again, with a subtle, quick touch, played the ball into the middle of the field, where a teammate was already on the move.

"What a vision of play!" exclaimed one spectator.

Once again, Nishida collected the ball, evaded his defender, and fired a high shot that forced the goalkeeper to make a spectacular save.

"Come on, come on! Don't let up!" shouted Kenji, encouraging the team.

Lucas knew he was making a difference with those first passes, but it still wasn't enough for him, definitely not enough. He wanted more; he wanted to humiliate his opponents. Only then would he be able to stand out enough to become a professional.

[New Bonus Mission!]

[Name of the bonus mission: Troubleshooter

Description: You gave an assist against Karaso High School, which gave you the advantage for the time being. But you want more. You have a real striker's hunger for goals.

Goal: Score a goal against High School Karaso.

Rewards:

+ 1 Uncommon Loot Box.

+ 1 Mysterious Reward].