After a brief moment of hesitation, Ho-young ultimately chose to acquire the talent [Versatile Midfield Commander (U)].
'Tactical Genius or Ambidextrous Mastery are both tempting, but those are talents I can obtain from other players.'
'I'm not entirely sure what this talent entails yet... but maximizing playmaking through versatility sounds like a very solid option for now.'
Ho-young didn't just want to be a striker who scored goals. He wanted to be the type of attacker who could control the game.
That's why he selected [Versatile Midfield Commander (U)].
"Thank you for your advice."
"Did it help at all?"
"Of course it did!"
"Haha, that makes me happy to hear."
That wasn't the end of it. Ballack continued to share more advice.
He spoke about the process of becoming a professional, what's needed throughout a football career, and even added:
"If you come to Munich, I'll give you personal training."
"I'm going to start learning German right away!"
"Hahaha."
To top it off, Ballack even gave him his email, saying he could reach out anytime with questions.
It was the perfect final night in Germany.
January 25, 2004.
Carlos, head coach of São Paulo FC U13, visited the director's office at the Barra Funda training center after a long time.
It was because of a summons from Director Victor.
"Come in."
After a brief greeting, Victor got straight to the point.
"I want you to take over Giovanni's position."
"You mean the U15?"
Giovanni, an Italian-Brazilian coach, was currently leading the U15 team at São Paulo FC, but he was about to leave for Milan.
"He's set to join AC Milan."
São Paulo FC had maintained a partnership with AC Milan for years, regularly exchanging players, coaches, and managers.
Giovanni's move was part of that cooperation.
"You want me to fill the vacancy?"
"Exactly."
In blunt terms, it was a stopgap.
In better words, a promotion.
But Carlos wasn't eager to leave U13.
If U13 was a mine where raw gems were unearthed, then U15 was the polishing workshop.
Carlos simply preferred the former. It wasn't because he lacked the ability to lead the higher level.
Quite the opposite.
Carlos was a seasoned manager in youth football and widely respected for his tactical acumen.
"Then would my replacement be Assistant Coach Anderson?"
"Yes. You'll focus solely on U15. Handling both teams would be impossible."
Victor was straightforward, and Carlos accepted it.
'If that's the situation, I have no choice.'
He was a man who worked for the good of the club above all else.
"Then I'd like to bring a few of the U13 players with me. Casemiro, Douglas, and a few others."
"Haha. Of course. U15 will be exciting this year."
The U15 league was second only to the professional league in popularity.
It was the stage where gems honed at U13 began to truly shine.
This year's U15 league looked to be a blockbuster.
"Looks like it's going to be a war. I can't even predict who'll win."
It would be an all-out battle.
It had been that way before.
Around 7 or 8 years ago, during the U15 national league.
Ronaldinho, Kaká, Adriano, Robinho, Fred, Júlio César.
Superstars who now led the Seleção had once played in that intense, exhilarating league.
It felt like those golden days were returning, and Victor's voice grew more excited just thinking about it.
"You've heard, right? About Neymar. He's expected to join Santos FC's U15 soon."
"I've already seen a couple of his matches. It was shocking. Just like the first time I saw Ronaldinho."
Carlos leaned on his desk.
If regional rivals like Santos FC were bringing in a generational talent, they couldn't just sit still either.
"Then I have to consider something."
"Consider what?"
"I'm thinking of bringing that kid up too."
"Ah, that Ho-young? I saw him in the final too. A shame he's not Brazilian, but his talent is undeniable. But isn't he younger than the others?"
"If his physical condition meets the requirements, it shouldn't be a problem. Once he's back in March, I'll schedule a medical test... hmm?"
Bzzzz.
"Ah."
Carlos's sentence was cut off by the vibration from his phone in his pocket.
"Go ahead and take it."
Carlos answered the call after excusing himself.
"This is Carlos. Oh, Ho-young? What? You're coming? Already?"
A moment later.
After the short call, Carlos scratched his balding forehead.
"What's going on?"
"Haha. That kid says he's arriving tomorrow."
"Why? School doesn't start until February."
"He says he wants to start training already. Asked if he can use the training ground."
The next day.
Ho-young arrived at São Paulo Airport and was picked up by Choi Maria before heading back to the dormitory.
The house was old and creaky, but perhaps because he had grown attached to it, he felt glad to be back.
And then—
"Ho-young!"
Monica, who was maturing more with each passing day, greeted him with a smile.
'They say girls change fast for a reason.'
She had changed a lot in many ways.
Especially her talents.
[Monica Stocki]
[Possessed Talents: Gymnastics Prodigy (B+), Natural Language Sense (B), Balanced Body Coordination (B+), Rhythmic Flexibility (C+3), Fancy Dance Step Combinations (C+), Decent Jumping Power (C), Rhythmic Club Windmill Twirl (C)]
(One talent can be acquired once the conditions are met.)
(Condition 1: Converse in a foreign language for over 6,000 minutes)
(Condition 2: Pass the CELPE-Bras test at advanced level or higher)
(Condition 3: Stretch together for over 300 minutes)
'Her Language Sense is still B grade.'
But the conditions remained unchanged.
Conditions 1 and 3 had already been met. Only Condition 2 remained.
If he studied hard, it seemed possible to earn the advanced certificate within the year.
'First I'll acquire Language Sense, then go for Body Control.'
Just then, Monica raised her right arm over her head.
"At this rate, I'll have to look up to you soon."
"Why do you look disappointed?"
"I can't pat your head anymore!"
"Then I'll pat yours instead."
"Huh? Umm~."
She turned her head shyly, clearly embarrassed.
About a month passed, and the sweltering heat began to take over.
February 17.
It was a good day for Ho-young, who had been juggling school and football training.
[You are acquiring 'Versatile Midfield Commander (U).']
[Your talent slots are expanding.]
[The time required to acquire the talent has been reduced.]
[Time to complete: (60 days) → (30 days). You cannot acquire another talent during this period.]
"… Whoa!"
This was the very definition of an unexpected gift.
[Versatile Midfield Commander (U)] from Ballack.
'So it's a talent that influences other talents!'
Ballack's gentle face flashed in his mind.
Who could dare call him "Second Place-lack"?
Though he was known for always being the runner-up, to Ho-young, Ballack was number one.
He had a good feeling about this.
And that feeling soon became reality.
Three weeks into his focused talent development training.
'Is this the effect of Football Genius?'
Ho-young realized his talent growth had accelerated noticeably.
Especially with his C-grade talents, which had improved dramatically.
[Ho-young]
[Possessed Talents: Football Genius (A), Versatile Midfield Commander (U), Chaminator's Run and Drive (U), Legs Faster than a Lamborghini (A+2), Clever Space Penetration (A+), Iron Body (B+2), Sharp Interceptions (B+), Open Growth Plates (B+), Powerful Long Shot (C+3), Fairly Flashy Footwork (C+3), Rhythmic Flexibility (C+3), Fitness Enthusiast's Muscular Build (C+3), Decent Heading (C+3), Fairly Sharp One-two Pass (C+3), Stylish Curved Free Kick (C+3), Precise Ball Distribution (C+2), Reliable Ball Stopping (C+2), Delicate Ball Touch (C+)]
The three most noticeably improved talents were:
Legs Faster than a Lamborghini (A+2), Iron Body (B+2), and Fitness Enthusiast's Muscular Build (C+3).
'They all have one thing in common—physical traits. They must be enhancing each other's growth.'
Like how students good at math often do well in science too.
It was a clear case of synergy.
The stronger the body, the more muscular the build. And the more muscle, the faster the legs.
'With this kind of physical condition, dominating the U13 league should be easy.'
It was shaping up to be an exciting season.
The U13 team was scheduled to regroup soon.
It was time to get into peak condition and begin preparing in earnest for the league.
And just then, a familiar voice called out at the entrance of the training ground.
"Woo!"
"Oh, Coach!"
Carlos had come to the training ground.
He asked Ho-young,
"Do you have any plans after school tomorrow?"
"I was planning to come here to train."
"Then be at the physical testing room by 2:20 PM."
The next afternoon.
As scheduled, the medical test began.
Aside from Ho-young, players like Casemiro and Douglas were also present. Everyone looked visibly tense.
They were putting everything they had into the test.
'Well, they're older. To move up to U15, they probably need to meet today's standards.'
Today's test would determine their future.
The same was true for Ho-young.
He had hopes, but didn't expect it to be easy.
Moving up early.
Scoring a lot of goals didn't automatically guarantee a promotion.
So he didn't expect much.
Once the test began, it was clearly more detailed than when he had entered U13 last year.
Cardiac function, cardiopulmonary endurance, blood, protein levels, and a 25m sprint were just the basics.
Tests also included musculoskeletal condition, isokinetic muscle strength, and body fat composition.
By 4:10 PM, as the tests wrapped up, the team doctor who came to give Carlos a mid-report had a curious expression.
"Haha... This is hard to believe."
"What is?"
"One of the Asian boys just broke the 4-second barrier."
"What?"
The doctor handed over the test results.
"25-meter sprint. Look here."
"… 3.97 seconds?"
"That includes the reaction to the starting gun too."
"What? Last year, it was…"
"Yes, a huge jump."
Both looked at the numbers in disbelief.
"Wait a second. We should have Ricardo's record from back then. Here it is, 3.78 seconds."
Kaká's record at age 12 was 3.78 seconds.
Ho-young's was 3.97.
Sprint times can vary depending on the method used, but by São Paulo's standards, this was top-tier.
"He could do track and field at this level. He'd probably rank among the top talents in the country."
The world record for 100m by an elementary school student hovered in the low 11s.
That was similar to Cha Du-ri, one of the fastest Korean internationals.
In other words, Ho-young was already faster than most adult footballers.
"He's faster than Pato and Douglas too."
"This is unbelievable."
Carlos couldn't hide his astonishment.
He had never seen such dramatic growth before.
"So what's the result?"
"He passes. He's at the level to play 31 matches this season. He easily exceeded the standard."
"Whew."
Carlos let out a laugh.
'What on earth happened to him over the break?'
Whatever it was, one thing was certain.
'He worked hard.'
That was the only possible explanation.
(To be continued.)