Blue lock: the true egoist

[Jude's POV]

[Congratulations on completing the special quest "approval (1)"!]

[Estimated success rank: D]

Unsurprisingly coming from Rin, that much wouldn't be enough to get any kind of approval.

Even that, was more than I expected.

When I think of it, I probably got a D thanks to the beginning of the game. 

Or perhaps because of the conversation about his older brother, Itoshi Sae.

…Either way, the reward was still nice. 

[Congratulations on receiving 5 pro points!]

[Congratulations on receiving 15 random pro points!]

Without much thought, I immediately used them. I was feeling too excited to gatekeep them anymore. 

And above all, I knew I was going to need it for what was to come.

And so, I watched as a set of notifications appeared in front of me.

[Shooting accuracy: 63->64

Short pass: 52->53

Volley: 58->59

Free kick: 54->55

Curve: 54->55

Centering: 48->49

Weak foot: 56->57

Stamina: 63->64 

Acceleration: 62->63

Top speed: 57->58

Power: 57->59

Ball control: 57->58

Play field of vision: 56->57

Feint: 59->60]

..

It could be called an investment. 

Even if it'll be harder to grow my stats by training when they're higher, I'll be able to complete harder quests and thus get better rewards. 

But for now, it was time to get stronger. 

And if Rin's quest gave me nice rewards, Bachira was even more generous. 

[Congratulations on completing the special quest "approval (2)"!]

[Estimated success rank: B]

This time the reward wasn't random points, or even normal points. 

It didn't give me a choice. 

It's as if I took in the best from Bachira. It was the same feeling as when I got a weaker version of Otoya's special weapon.

I wonder if I got a higher success rank, maybe I would've even gotten a special weapon.

Though, I was satisfied with what I received.

[You have received +5 dribbling!]

[Dribbling: 55->60]

[You have received +5 ball control!]

[Ball control: 58->63]

[You have received +5 agility!]

[Agility: 57->62]

[You have received +5 balance!]

[Balance: 56->61]

[You have received +5 assertiveness!]

[Assertiveness: 60->65]

[You have received +5 reaction speed!]

[Reaction speed: 58->63]

That's a total of 30 stats. It was way more than I would've expected. 

Added to the previous stats from Rin's quest, I got a total of 50. Quite a nice boost for such a seemingly unimportant quest.

"Greed is definitely the defining factor."

'Status.' I willed as a translucent screen appeared in front of me. 

[Player status:

Name: Jude Sanchez

Age: 16

Permanent titles: "Stamina Freak"

Temporary titles: "Osaka's Emperor"

Version: Professional

Total: C (61) 

Offence: C (63) 

Shooting: C (60) 

Dribble: C (61) 

Speed: C (60) 

Defence: D (52) 

Pass: D (52) 

Pro points: 20

Random pro points: 0

Special Weapons (6/6): Greed (Z), Eyes of the Lord (Z), Flow State (B), Shadow Walk (B), Emperor's Aura (C), Quick pass (D)]

With just this much, I was confident that I could be a professional player in Japan.

Perhaps even be one of the best on some teams. 

However, when I looked at the bigger picture, it was far from good enough. Japan is nothing, even in my past life as far as I remember it wasn't much, but in this world it's even worse. 

If I were to compare my stats with professional players in European teams, I'd be below average.

Probably playing in a second division team. Or a benchwarmer in some stronger teams. 

Although it was good enough for a living, it was far from what I was aiming for. 

.. 

.. 

//////////////

Once I got back to our dorm I was bombarded with questions. 

"I heard from Hiori that you've faced the number one. How was he?" Otoya asked as he laid down in his bed in a weird position, his head dangling from the edge of the bed. 

Or maybe he was stretching? I couldn't tell. 

"He isn't just number one in name." I sighed. Rin was a level above everyone in blue lock.

Isagi's biggest rival. 

If every story has a final antagonist, I'd say Rin was fit for the role.

The rate at which he evolves is way beyond anything humans should be capable of. 

"So he's some sort of genius or prodigy?" Yukimiya asked, his hair still slightly wet from the shower he was taking earlier. 

"The word genius doesn't feel anywhere near enough to describe someone like him."

I replied in a humorous tone, but I wasn't joking in the slightest. 

"I didn't think I'd end up seeing the day our little emperor would be glazing someone." Otoya joked before bursting out laughing alongside Yukimiya. 

It seems the two of them also got closer while we were away. 

"It's not like I didn't score on him. In fact, at first we were evenly matched. I'm confident the next time I play against him, it will play out differently." 

But I doubt this opportunity will come anytime soon. 

I already saw Isagi on my way back to the dorm, he was obviously searching for the place Rin and Bachira stayed at. 

With Otoya still injured, it was useless to pursue it. 

And it's not like I'll lose out on too much, there's still another team I want to play against. 

"Hey, we only need to wait 2 days before we can finally play again. How do we choose who to go against?" As if reading my mind, Otoya spoke. 

His injury would be fully healed by then. 

"I think we should go for a team who has someone we want." Yukimiya stated. 

"Should we wait for Karasu?" Hiori chimed in. 

Knowing him, Karasu will most likely join us soon. 

But he's not the one I want. 

Since I already chose talent over ego by taking Hiori, I might as well go all the way. 

"I already have someone in mind. The only problem is that knowing him, his team is going to be extremely strong. But this also means we have the opportunity to pick up many strong players."

After talking for a little while, they took my request into consideration. 

Now all that's left is to wait. 

.. 

.. 

//////////////

And so, two days flew by. 

We spent most of our time training together, as a way not to get rusty, while also hoping to create some team chemistry — which horrible failed.

At least, the more we know about each other's weapons, the better we'll be able to play together. 

The 4vs4 relied mostly on individual strength, but it also put a big emphasis on chemical reactions. 

Another funny thing which happened in those two days is Yukimiya getting extremely surprised by how quickly my dribbling skills improved. 

An expert like him was able to immediately notice the change.

And everything around them too. My agility, balance, ball control. 

I gained yet another weapon. 

…And this was just the beginning.

As soon as we walked up on the field of the 4vs4 a new quest appeared. 

A main quest. 

.. 

.. 

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Author: Having to catch up to Uni classes is hell, wish me luck. 

Anyway, Jude finally got his Valentine's Day gift!