The mood in the Liverpool camp was... complicated.
Preseason had begun just two weeks after the crushing 1–0 loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League final. Vinícius Júnior's lone goal still lingered in the minds of many, and the squad carried a weight they couldn't quite shake. Yet the structure, the professionalism, and Jürgen Klopp's relentless energy gave them direction.
For Noah Ramsey, everything was surreal.
He wasn't just training with the first team—he was eating with them, stretching beside them, and sharing locker room banter with the very legends he'd once idolized from a secondhand TV in a Manchester flat.
"Oi, Ramsey!" came a voice across the dining hall. "You play FIFA?"
Noah looked up to see Harvey Elliott waving him over. Beside him sat Curtis Jones, scrolling on his phone, and Stefan Bajčetić, who gave a subtle nod as Noah approached.
"Depends," Noah grinned, taking a seat. "Are you trash or just average?"
"Oooh!" Curtis laughed. "The kid's got teeth!"
Harvey shook his head, smiling. "I'll wipe the floor with you after dinner."
The table laughed, and for the first time, Noah felt like he belonged.
---
Later that day, during recovery pool sessions, Noah found himself beside Luis Díaz, who floated in the water, eyes closed, headphones in.
Suddenly, the Colombian forward pulled one side of his earphones off and looked at Noah.
"You're quick with your feet, chico," Díaz said, accented but clear. "But your eyes... they're striker's eyes."
Noah blinked. "Striker?"
"You scan the box, not the midfield. You're always ready to turn and finish. You smell goals."
That thought stuck with him.
---
That evening, Noah sat on his dorm bed, legs crossed, pulling up the Blue Lock Template System.
> Current Template: Kaiser – 13% Integrated
Suggested Role: False Nine / Free Forward
System Message: Your instincts no longer match a traditional CM profile. Adapting playstyle to "Emperor's Path" (Kaiser Role).
Would you like to switch your position to: Striker (False 9 / Hybrid)?
[Yes] / [No]
He hesitated.
Central midfield had been safe. Creative, involved, but unglamorous. But something in him—Kaiser's ghost, perhaps—was screaming to move forward.
Be the king. Not the messenger.
He pressed [Yes].
---
The next morning, he approached Klopp during a break in training.
"Boss," he said, catching the German mid-discussion. "I want to try playing up front."
Klopp paused, adjusting his cap, studying him.
"You're a midfielder."
"I was," Noah said. "But the way I move, think—it's... something else now. I see space up front. I see goals."
Klopp squinted, then cracked a half-smile.
"Young players and their revolutions. Alright. You'll get ten minutes at the nine in tomorrow's friendly. If you embarrass yourself, you go back to CM and polish boots for a week."
"Deal."
---
Matchday – Preseason Friendly vs. Olympiacos (in Austria)
Klopp's strategy was clear: rotate the squad, test young talent, and shake off post-final fatigue. Salah, Núñez, and Firmino were all rested. That gave Noah his opening.
He was handed the number 67 shirt—a modest number, but in his mind, it gleamed like gold.
The stands in the Austrian stadium were half-full, mostly locals and curious tourists. But every pair of eyes would see this debut. And more importantly—so would the cameras.
Noah watched from the bench, heart hammering, as the first half unfolded. The game was cagey. Liverpool led 1–0 through a set piece, but their play lacked spark.
At the 72nd minute, Klopp turned.
"Ramsey! You're in. False nine. Float between the lines. Be chaos."
Noah nodded, stripping off his jacket.
This was it.
---
The first few touches were simple. He dropped deep to receive, played a one-two with Bajčetić, and found rhythm. But it wasn't until the 78th minute that he made his mark.
Olympiacos pressed high, leaving space between the lines.
Noah drifted into the channel, checking behind him once.
A pass came from the center-back—hard, low, fast.
With a graceful touch, he let the ball roll across his body, spun the defender, and exploded forward. One-on-one with the keeper, he delayed half a second, then dinked it over the diving gloves.
2–0.
The crowd rose. Even Klopp stood, arms crossed but smiling.
The bench erupted. Elliott shouted something unintelligible. Even Van Dijk, resting in the stands, offered an approving nod.
Noah didn't celebrate like mad.
He just raised one hand, Kaiser-style, and pointed to the sky.
---
After the match, in the locker room, Jordan Henderson came over.
"Nice finish, lad," he said, handing Noah a protein drink. "Good awareness. You've got flair, but keep your head on."
"Yes, Captain," Noah said respectfully.
Henderson smirked. "Don't call me Captain. Just Hendo."
Curtis Jones came over next, mock-stern. "You trying to steal my minutes?"
Noah grinned. "Only if you let me."
---
Later that night, lying in bed, drenched in adrenaline and sweat, Noah checked the system.
> Match Rating: 8.2
Goals: 1 | Key Passes: 2 | Successful Dribbles: 4
System Bonus: +2% Template Sync (Kaiser)
Skill Unlocked: Outside Curl Shot (Lv. 1)
New Trait Activated: Aura of Dominance – Temporarily increases pressing pressure on defenders nearby
He exhaled.
Everything was changing.
He was no longer just surviving in this new life.
He was becoming someone.
A hybrid striker, a modern forward, a blueprint of Blue Lock theory molded into real-world tactics. The system wasn't just enhancing his game—it was reshaping it.
And he liked what he saw.
---
Next Morning – Team Meeting
Klopp stood in front of the squad, arms crossed.
"That goal yesterday," he said, scanning the room, "came from someone with instinct. Not fear. Ramsey, step up."
Noah blinked, walking to the front.
Klopp turned to the rest of the team. "This kid asked me to play up front. I thought it was madness. But then I saw why."
He paused.
"Liverpool needs hunger. We lost a final, but the season is long. Anyone who shows this hunger, this movement, this willingness to risk—gets minutes. I don't care about names. I care about actions."
He turned to Noah.
"You want to be the new nine? Earn it. Every day."
---
Outside the facility, as the team walked toward recovery training, Darwin Núñez jogged beside him.
"You've got fire, hermano," he said, nudging Noah playfully. "Let's see if it lasts."
Noah smirked.
"Oh, it will."
---
End of Chapter 2