LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 14: Next Selection
We just passed the first selection. That was when I got my rewards. My rewards. For the first reward, for passing the first selection, I received a new skill 'Float'.
Float (Lv.1): Defy gravity and dominate the air!
Increases jump height for headers or aerial challenges. [Cooldown: 3 minutes]
Seems weird that I received a skill for passing the first selection. But we move. For achieving top scorer, I received two, two, Skill Level-Ups. So I chose to level-up the skills 'Fa Jin' and 'Black Whip'.
I checked my stats for the upgrade.
(Stats)
Host: Shizuka Haiji
Team: Team V
Position: Forward
[Rank: SR]
STR: A
AGI: A
SHO: A
SPE: A
VIS: B
END: S
[Skills]
One For All (Lv.3): When the going gets tough, you have to go beyond! PLUS ULTRA!
(Raise all stats by a single rank for 10 minutes) [Cooldown: 7 minutes]
Fa Jin (Lv.2): Build momentum, unleash power!
(Raises shooting stats by one rank for 5 seconds) [Cooldown: 1.5 minutes]
Smokescreen (Lv.1): Disappear in the chaos, reappear in control!
(Opponents within 5 meters lose track of you for 3 seconds.) [Cooldown: 2 minutes]
Black Whip (Lv.2): Command the Ball!
(Control the ball within a 2-meter radius. Increased accuracy for first touch, dribbling, and short passes for 6 minutes.) [Cooldown: 1 minutes]
Float (Lv.1): Defy gravity and dominate the air!
Increases jump height for headers or aerial challenges. [Cooldown: 3 minutes]
[Perks]
Resilient Frame: Resist minor fouls and physical challenges, making it harder for opponents to knock you off balance.
Not bad. Fa Jin and Black Whip's cooldown got cut in half. Makes it easier for me to spam them. Why didn't I level-up One For All? Well, it's already level 3. Seems fair to me to raise the other skills.
Before I could celebrate my new skill level. Ego informed us that we have to go through intense physical training before we moved on to the next selection.
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For 10 days, we went through intense physical training. So much so, my stats actually increased. I don't know how, but it did. My strength and agility went up to S. That was when I finally received the rank-up notification.
During one of our breaks, I ranked up to see my rewards.
[Congratulations to the host successfully ranking up]
SR --> SSR
[You have unlocked a perk]
(Perks are passive skills that give immediate boosts when conditions are met)
[Please choose one of the following perks:]
1. Field Vision: Automatically improves spatial awareness.
2. Tireless Engine: Grants a slight boost to recovery between sprints.
3. Adaptive Playstyle: Adapts mid-match to opponents' playstyles, reducing their effectiveness against the host over time.
Oooh baby, adaptive playstyle. I already know what I'm choosing. There are many players with different styles in the world. This is the best choice, plus the other perks don't seem all that good.
(Perk chosen)
Adaptive Playstyle: Adapts mid-match to opponents' playstyles, reducing their effectiveness against the host over time.
The perks that were given weren't all that good, to be honest, but I chose the best out of the bunch.
Finally, after 10 days, when we were sleeping, they gave out the announcement.
DING DONG¬
DING DONG¬
"As of right now, the first selection of Blue Lock has finished on all strata. All participants who have passed, please wear your training suits and head to the center of the basement in your own stratum."
The announcement repeated while we were groggily putting on our training suits.
After we put on our suits, the entire team was awake enough to fire themselves up. However, they realized that Ego might be lying again. The theory that Ego seems shifty enough for that was, once again, gaining traction among the team.
When we reached the basement, alongside Team Y and the other players that passed, we saw all the other players that passed the selection.
I looked around to find them, and there they were. Yoichi Isagi and Team Z appeared absolutely tired, as expected. He noticed me and I looked away.
The teams started whispering among each other. That was when Ego appeared on the big ass screen. "Heya there, you diamonds in the rough. Good work with all the physical training. 25 people from each stratum have gathered here. Meaning 125 of you managed to pass the first selection."
"Well, I'm sure there are some sharp ones among you who noticed this already, but... There's not a single person here who came from the first, second, third or fourth stratum. None of that ever existed, anyway."
The energy shifted instantly. "Only the fifth stratum existed in Blue Lock. All of you believed to be in the lowest teams, V to Z. And then fought like idiots in the first selection."
Instantly, the tension in the room heightened. The players started yelling at him for his lie. As for my team, however, they let out sighs. Someone said, "I knew it."
Ego silenced all the yelling. "It was for the sake of killing any shitty shred of confidence you softies might have had."
"I devised this trick to nurture a hungry mindset in each of you, so that you might become the best striker in the world. There are many strikers in the world who grew up in the slums or lived in horrible conditions. Their 'hunger' for goals are incomparable..."
"That 'hunger' will become the ego that changes the world."
"From here on, the second selection will begin. The first selection where you fought so far was to make strikers understand the meaning of turning 'zero' to 'one'. From here on out, you will make use of a state-of-the-art field so that you can fight and turn your 'one' into a 'hundred'."
"The second selection will be divided into five different stages. Your next goal is to clear the mission in the first stages, and those cleared all the stages and finish the second selection will participate in a strengthening training camp with top world players of my choosing."
"That's all for the explanations. Warm up how you will. Those who feel ready move on through the gate alone. Those of you who lucked out with strong teammates and managed to survive, get ready."
Ego's eyes turned intense as stared at the players. "This second selection will weed out the trash. And only true 'egoists' will remain. I wish you all luck."
With that, Ego finished his explanation, and the screen turned off. The players started murmuring with each other. I walked towards the gate just as Rin Itoshi was walking towards the balls.
"I'm ready." This was how Rin did it, right? Just as I was wondering that, the door opened up.
The players were whispering to each other about me now. I turned to my team. "See you guys in the next round. Or not." I shrugged at them.
My own thoughts occupied me as I walked down the hallway. I realized I haven't utilised all my skills properly. In these next stages, I'll have to use them to conquer the entire next selection.
My thoughts came to a halt when I arrived at a big square room. I was looking around when a section of the wall opened and a ball shot at me.
I stopped the ball, and the goalkeeper hologram appeared. Blue Lock man. Just as the holo keeper appeared, the circle on the ground started shrinking.
I unleashed a shot towards the top corner against this so-called amalgamation of world class keepers. The ball sailed harmlessly towards the goal without any issues.
On top of the goal. A display of the first stage appeared. I only needed 99 goals left. That seems easy enough.
For the first 30 goals, I used the newly leveled-up skills Fa Jin and Black Whip.
When I reached level 2, I still only used those two skills. Mainly Black Whip because it lasts longer.
I was cruising easily when I reached the max level of the stage with 80 minutes left on the time.
I wanted to finish this quickly, so I activated One For All. After that, it took me only 10 minutes to score the remaining 40 goals.
I finished the first stage in just 30 minutes, which is insane now I'm thinking about it. Maybe. I don't have a proper comparison.
When I arrived at the next stage, I saw that I was the first person to finish. I read the sign above the next stage door 'Move Forward In Teams Of 3'.
I sat down to wait for the next players when the system notification popped up.
[Congratulations to the host for completing the first stage]
[Performance Reward: Skill Box]
[Congratulations to the host for being the first to complete the first stage]
[Performance Reward: Level-Up One Skill]
I raised my eyebrows at the prizes I received. I opened the skill box to see what I would receive.
[Congratulations to the host for receiving the 'Gearshift' skill]
Gearshift (Lv.1): Switch speeds on a dime, leave defenders in the dust!
(Raises speed stat by one rank for 15 seconds) [Cooldown: 4 minutes]
Hmm, not bad. This is useful seeing as how I only use Fa Jin for shooting stat. Besides the higher use time.
Just as I was ruminating over my skills, the second person to finish showed up. It was Rin Itoshi.
He noticed me and clicked his tongue in frustration. He read the sign above and walked over to me.
"Team up with me if you want to finish quickly." He said to me.
I pretended to look around. "You talking to me?" I pointed to myself. "'Cause I'm pretty sure I finished before you. If anything, I should be saying that to you."
His frustration bubbled over to his features. "If you don't want to win, then fine!"
He walked over to the other side of the room.
Well, I know who I'm beating after this.
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{Authors Notes}
Hello people, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I'm going to be honest with you, my energy to write these chapters is fizzling out. At some point, I'm just writing to finish the chapter.
On another note, I'm just chucking the skills for Haiji to get. Whatever reason I can, I'll just give him a new skill until he gets all the abilities from One For All.
This fic is so scuffed.