As Ho-young watched their backs retreating from the stadium, he began to wrap things up.
First up was Busquets.
[Select the talent you wish to obtain.]
-Excellent Spatial Awareness (A+2)
-Razor-Sharp Decision Making (A+)
-Excellent Passing (A)
Ho-young chose Excellent Spatial Awareness.
Having superior spatial awareness improves positioning and vision on the pitch. It was the talent that would benefit Ho-young the most at this stage.
Next was Bojan's talent.
[Select the talent you wish to obtain.]
- Piercing Space Penetration (A+2)
- Fantastic Positioning (A+2)
(See More)
Ho-young chose Fantastic Positioning (A+2).
In the past, he might have chosen Space Penetration, but with his recent shift in playing style, he realized the increasing importance of positioning.
The pitch is like a chessboard. Where you stand matters immensely.
Whether you're a midfielder or a forward, you must always position yourself where you can pose a threat to the opponent.
That's what makes penetrating runs even easier.
So positioning was the top priority.
[Fantastic Positioning (A+3) ↑]
'Good. One by one, they're nearing S-tier.'
It felt like he was slowly approaching the threshold of S-grade talents, but there was still no clear sign of a breakthrough.
It felt like being stuck in traffic on a jam-packed highway.
'Just shows how vast the gap is between A and S.'
The answer was steady progress.
Whether it happened next month or tomorrow, the day would surely come.
The important thing was that it wasn't far off.
'And I'll get Coach Cha's talent before the season ends too.'
A time of upheaval.
A tectonic shift was coming.
Once the season ended, many things would change.
Which meant his dream of playing in La Liga was getting closer.
And that made one thing more important than ever—football talent.
At the heart of it all was Football Prodigy (S+3).
Ho-young looked after the retreating figure of Bojan with a satisfied smile.
(Hidden Condition: Surpass Bojan Krkić by January in goals, assists, MOMs, and team standing)
'Done.'
It was a condition that could be fulfilled without playing in the same match.
Currently, Ho-young was ahead in goals, assists, MOM awards, and team standing.
In other words, as long as he kept up this pace until January, he could obtain Bojan's Football Prodigy (S+3).
'About a month to go.'
It was December 23rd.
From tomorrow, Spain would enter the winter break.
For this season, the break lasted from December 24th to January 4th, but that only applied to the first division.
The second division, with its 42-match season, continued playing weekly right to the end.
Which meant, for Ho-young, there was no vacation.
His idea of a break was going home after a match to watch La Liga games on TV with his family.
But today was different.
Miguel, Callejón, and Marcos Alonso came along as well.
"Hello."
"Welcome, boys~."
Ho-young's grandmother, Kim Hee-sun, welcomed Miguel and Callejón like family.
They had already visited the house several times over the past five months.
Not only was Ho-young's house close to the training ground, but it was also spacious and comfortable, making it popular with his teammates.
Marcos was still with the Juvenil team, but thanks to Ho-young, they'd grown close.
Whenever they visited, Ho-young's grandparents welcomed them warmly.
Especially his grandfather, Kim Jae-kyum.
"My boys! That was one hell of a match today!"
A Real Madrid fan of 40 years, to him, they were like his own children.
"You're the pride of our future. Gotta kick some Cule ass to feel alive. Well done. Tsk tsk."
"Hahaha."
Just then, his grandmother brought out snacks along with soft drinks and beer.
On the TV, El Clásico was being broadcast live.
El Clásico and beer.
A perfect evening for any football-loving Spaniard.
Gulp.
Ho-young glanced at the beer can but opted for juice, focusing on the screen.
'Just four more years…'
That's what he kept telling himself...
The El Clásico at Camp Nou was a surprise to all.
Barcelona dominated.
"Come on! How did he miss that? That bald eagle…"
"When I make it to the first team, I'm gonna tell everyone Callejón called Robben a bald eagle."
"Ah, wait…"
"Pfft."
As Miguel and Callejón bantered, Ho-young kept his eyes on the screen in silence.
Even without being there in person, there was a lot to learn from watching carefully.
'Truly, the reputation is well-earned.'
Barcelona at Camp Nou was on another level.
It was as if they had awakened, shaking off all their past criticisms with a powerful performance.
And one player stood out above all.
It wasn't Ronaldinho, Henry, or Eto'o.
'Messi…'
What more could be said?
To Real Madrid, he was a nightmare.
Because of him, the match ended in a 2-2 draw, leaving Real fans disappointed.
"Still, they did well. Our guys looked sharp! I'll be up there soon too!"
A bold declaration from the 16-year-old Marcos.
It wasn't just empty talk.
Even though he was still in Juvenil A, Marcos had improved rapidly and was already training with Real Madrid C.
Plus, being under 21 and an EU national, he had the advantage of being eligible for promotion to the first, second, or third team anytime.
In other words, he could join Castilla as early as tomorrow.
'Lucky bastard.'
That kind of privilege was enviable.
Ho-young couldn't help but think so.
Had he held European citizenship, he might have already been called up to the first team.
"Sigh."
Maybe it was the draw, but he felt more regret than usual.
Callejón turned his head at the deep sigh.
"Hey, what's with the sigh?"
"Just wondering if I'll ever be one of those 25 men. I'm not just a youth player, I'm a foreigner too."
"You idiot!"
Callejón, chugging beer, playfully smacked Ho-young on the neck.
He was a blunt and honest guy.
"You worry too damn much. You're thinking about the next match during training, the second half in the locker room, and your whole future at home. I'm amazed your hair's still full. If it were me, I'd be bald from stress already."
"Hahaha!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Ho-young laughed too.
He understood where Callejón was coming from.
But a sparrow can't understand the mind of a stork.
Ho-young's worries weren't unfounded.
Since Pérez took charge, Real Madrid's first team had always been overloaded.
A full 25-man squad and a system built around domestic talents.
Players like Mata, Granero, and Negredo, who would have been regulars at other clubs, couldn't shine at Real and had to move elsewhere.
To make matters worse, Ho-young was a foreign player.
That meant unless he was registered in the 25-man squad, he couldn't play.
'My competition would be Raúl, Robinho, Sneijder, and Baptista.'
Which meant, realistically, looking for a loan might be the smarter option.
"Hahaha."
"Ho-young, why are you laughing like a maniac? Did you drink after all?"
"Right now, I want to make a promise."
"A promise?"
"I'm going to La Liga. No matter what."
Whether it was Robinho or Sneijder, they might have skill, but Ho-young had something they didn't.
Demonic talent.
'I still have one more year.'
That made this season all the more important.
'First things first, I need to get the MOM today.'
That evening.
Just as they finished dinner, good news hit the internet.
An official article from the Segunda División office.
[Castilla vs Barcelona B – 'Superb Foreign Prospect' Ho-young Named Official MOM]
Through this, Ho-young secured Bojan's potential.
[Potential (S+)]
He decided not to use it just yet.
He would save it for the day he acquired Bojan's Football Prodigy (S+3).
Just then.
"Ahem, ahem."
Miguel Torres gently set his fork down and asked.
"What are you guys doing tomorrow? It's Christmas Eve."
"Hmm… probably staying with family?"
"Christmas Eve is for couples. Christmas Day is for family."
"Then... Winning Eleven?"
"..."
The four of them.
Complete solo squad.
Still, Ho-young had something close to a relationship.
On Christmas Eve, a letter from Monica arrived by international post.
It had been sent about a week ago and mostly talked about the recent national high school tournament she had participated in.
"Haha."
Reading the letter, Ho-young lay back on the bed and closed his eyes.
'Maybe it really is fate.'
That heartwarming message brought a smile to his face.
The new year of 2008 dawned.
Across the football world, the winter transfer window was heating up enough to melt the cold.
Especially in the Premier League, where deals were flying in and all eyes were on Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo.
Don Balón magazine was already stirring the pot with some bold headlines.
[President Laporta sees C. Ronaldo as Ronaldinho's successor.]
[Laporta prepares €80 million for Ronaldo, expected to break the previous record set by Zinedine Zidane's €75 million.]
[Ronaldo's move to Barcelona confirmed? Decision expected as early as this summer...]
Of course, none of it was official.
Laporta was courting Ronaldo, but it was still tabloid talk.
Nothing had been confirmed.
Meanwhile, Pérez had little interest in signing Ronaldo.
Though he acknowledged the talent, he didn't believe Ronaldo was worth that kind of price.
And so, as the noisy winter window began winding down, Castilla held steady in 5th place.
Then came the long-awaited news for Ho-young.
[Football Prodigy (S+3) has been selected for acquisition.]
[Time to fully acquire the talent: 80 days → 40 days. No other talents can be acquired during this time.]
'Maybe because I've leveled up? S+3 doesn't even take that long now.'
And the day finally arrived, on Wednesday, March 12.
[Successfully acquired Football Prodigy (S+3).]
[Football Prodigy (S+3) ↑]
His current and Bojan's talents merged into one, Football Prodigy (S+3).
But it didn't end there.
[Applying Potential (S+) to Football Prodigy (S+3).]
[Football Prodigy (S+3) is evolving.]
Just as he expected.
'Yes!'
The talent he had long been waiting for had finally leveled up.
So what would it be?
Would it become SS(-) grade?
What would the name be?
Just as he was wondering—
Ho-young's eyes widened.
[There is no precedent for Football Prodigy exceeding (S+3). As a reward, additional potential is granted. A one-of-a-kind talent in football history will now awaken.]
[Unprecedented Football Prodigy (W) ↑]
A special boost raised it above SS-tier to W-grade.
A talent no one in football history had ever possessed.
Of course, W didn't automatically mean it was better than SS.
But one thing was certain—it was above the SS tier.
"Whoa…"
It felt incredible.
Yet.
He was still stunned by the completely unexpected result.
But the messages didn't stop.
[You can transfer the effects of Unprecedented Football Prodigy (W) to another talent. Proceed?]
'Are you insane?'
Ho-young chose to keep the Unprecedented Football Prodigy as his own.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)