Opening his eyes, Ryo weighed his options. He was well outside the box, so it was not an easy shot by any means. Compared to the goal, his position was slightly off-center to the left, but he still had a straight shot at the goal. The wall of defenders sealed off the shorter path to the left post, while the keeper repositioned himself, still deciding where to stand.
The obvious choice is to curl it around the right side of the wall… but that's exactly what he'll be expecting. It's too risky, I need to guarantee a goal.
If only his left foot matched the precision and power of his right foot, Ryo could curl the ball over the wall around the outside. His left foot wasn't weak, but from this distance? Too risky. He needed certainty here, not relying on an "if".
However, there is another way to curve the ball around the outside.
Ryo adjusted his position so that he was on a much narrower approach to the ball, slightly to its right. To the spectators, it probably looked like he'd try hitting the ball-head on with his left foot. But to the goalie, this shift probably looked meaningless. But the run-up is key for this shot.
To make his daily quests more interesting, Ryo varied the types of shots he took. So, together with Ren, they had practiced this shot countless times: striking with the outside of the foot—The Trivela. It demanded precision: a tight run-up, the foot planted slightly wide, and the ankle angled slightly inward and down.
When done right, the ball would spin in the opposite direction. With his right foot, instead of curving left like a typical strike, it would arc right, as though he had struck it with his left foot.
It was unforgiving, though. Missing the contact point even a little, or angling the foot slightly wrong, would cause the shot to fail miserably. But I know how to do it. I've hit The Trivela so many times that even though it might not be the most elegant, I will be able to curve it into the goal.
The pitch was now entirely settled. The defenders held their line, the keeper taking his position in the right third of the goal, hoping the wall would block any shot heading their way. Perfect.
The effect of the title was still prominent, his heartbeat steady, the edges of the pitch turning silent.
Fweeet
With the whistle's sharp sound, Ryo exhaled once, then started his run-up. As he started his run towards the ball, his teammates surged forward in unison like a tide rolling toward shore, hoping to get to the rebound.
With a few more strides, he planted his left foot firmly beside the ball and swung his right foot through in one fluid motion. His strike cut low across the ball on its left side, setting it up with a sharp spin, curving almost immediately upon impact. The extra momentum carried Ryo forward into his follow-through, eyes locked on the shot's path.
The wall of defenders jumped together, arms tucked in, desperate to block, but the ball arced cleanly above them.
The keeper reacted quickly, sprinting across the goal line. But hoping the wall would stop any shot hit towards them left him completely out of position. So with little time to react, he dove through the air, extending his hand to block the ball. But he fell short.
His fingertips met no resistance as the ball flew past him and crashed into the back of the net.
With the ball hitting the back of the net, Ryo let out a long sigh, his shoulders relaxing. But on the inside, though, he was screaming.
Let's gooo! What the hell, that was so close. I thought that the goalie would stop that shot for sure.
As Ryo was celebrating his shot internally, a familiar screen popped up.
{Quest Complete!}
(Situational Quest – First Team? No Problem.)
[Rewards: Long Distance Shooting +5]
Now Ryo's Long Distance Shooting was at 36, and his Shooting went up to 33. His joy at his increased stats was short-lived because The System let out another notification.
{Alert!}
[The Player's Exhaustion Has Passed 75. If Exhaustion Is Too High, Strenuous Movements May Cause Injury. If Exhaustion Reaches 100, The Player Will Lose Consciousness Until Their Exhaustion Goes Down To A Safe Level.]
Huh? Ryo read through The System's notification, trying to piece together what it meant. If my exhaustion reaches 100, then I'm out of the game. My movements must get slower and heavier as it increases… so it's best not to let it get that high.
Still, he had questions. He never felt too drained during practices with Ren, and he hadn't pushed himself beyond his limits today—so why had his exhaustion climbed so fast? As if reading his thoughts, another notification popped up.
{New Information!}
[More Information About Player Exhaustion Can Be Seen Within The Exhaustion Menu.]
Before, there wasn't any info on exhaustion… does The System only reveal details after I experience them for the first time? The way it worked often left him puzzled. Why didn't it just lay everything out from the start? Why wait until he stumbled into a situation to explain? Ryo doubted he'd ever get a straight answer from The System—and he had already come to accept that.
I'll think about the rest later. Right now, I need to finish this game.
After his goal, the crowd broke into applause. It wasn't the kind of goal they often saw, especially from someone his age. The opposing team looked crushed, yet unwilling to accept defeat.
Strangely, Ryo's own teammates barely reacted. Most wouldn't even meet his eyes—whether out of reluctance to acknowledge his skill, or guilt for treating him like a liability, he couldn't tell.
Ren, though, was ecstatic. The goal had left even the coaches momentarily speechless, wearing that "how did he score that?" expression. Ren knew his brother was in top form today. Normally, they played on par with each other, but right now, Ren wasn't even sure he could have pulled off that shot. It had come from well outside the box, struck with the outside of his foot, carrying both power and spin to curve neatly into the left side of the net. They had practiced those shots before, but landing one in a match was a completely different story.
The final minutes ticked down without much action. With Ryo anchoring the defense, nothing threatened their goal, but they couldn't create new chances either. The score stayed the same until the final whistle blew.
The players headed back to the sidelines, clearing the field for the next scrimmage. Before they dispersed, Coach Takigawa stepped forward to address them.
"Congratulations, everyone, on a good game. As I said before we started, the result of the scrimmage isn't what matters most. Your performance matters the most. Even if your team loses, if you've shown you deserve a spot, you'll get one. The results will be posted tomorrow after school when club activities begin. For now, you're free to leave or stay to watch the remaining matches. We'll see you tomorrow."