Chapter 27: New Function Unlocked — Practice Space!
Inside the monitoring room, Ikki Niko led Hibiki Ōkawa and the rest of Team Y as they watched the match between Team Z and Team X. One by one, expressions of shock rose on their faces.
There was no doubt—Shoei Barou possessed overwhelming technique and physical power. His offensive strength was monstrous, to the point that even Ōkawa, the former top scorer of his region, felt inferior.
Yet even with such a powerhouse, Team X lost.
And it wasn't just because their team fell apart from internal conflict.
It was because of Ryosuke Kira.
"That Kira Ryosuke… I've heard of him. Lots of people call him a gem of the football world. I've watched his matches before—he really was strong, but I didn't expect him to become this strong inside Blue Lock…"
Ōkawa murmured in disbelief, his voice even faintly trembling.
"Ōkawa, could you pull off that kind of shot?"
Niko pointed at the frozen frame on the large monitor—a perfect image of Kira dribbling past Barou and firing a shot.
"N–No way… His first shot used the right foot, and the second one was just as natural with his left. Even that alone is incredible."
Ōkawa swallowed hard.
"And he kept both the speed and power behind them. The keeper didn't even have time to react. Barou was already a monster, but Kira is… a monster among monsters."
"Not only that. Unlike Barou who insists on solo play, Kira willingly passes at the perfect moment. That's what makes him terrifying. He practically controlled the entire match by himself."
Niko rubbed his chin thoughtfully, analyzing every detail.
"Still… the defensive strategy we drafted should work against someone like him."
He lowered his hand, his tone becoming resolute.
"Kira is Team Z's absolute core. If we shut him down, Team Z won't be hard to beat. We will win—we must win."
...
"Basically just like the first match: once our forwards cross the halfway line, Raichi and the others push up according to rotation…"
On Team Z's training field, Kira had already finished the most basic tactical drills with everyone. The others soon left to rest.
But Kira remained alone on the field to continue his individual practice.
He still hadn't tested the effect of the newly unlocked Thunder Breathing: Second Form, and more importantly, he was extremely curious about the so-called Practice Space.
With that thought in mind, Kira opened the system interface again.
[Practice Space: 10 Points / 1 hour]
He currently had exactly 10 points left—just enough to test it.
[Exchange successful. Preparing to enter Practice Space.]
[3… 2… 1…]
[Entering]
Kira felt the world distort. The surrounding scene shattered like scattered puzzle pieces and began to reassemble.
In the next instant—
He stood in a completely new space.
A vast green football field spread out before him, and a football rested quietly at his feet.
[The Practice Space provides all football-related training equipment. You may open the system menu to select any items you require.]
Following the prompt, Kira opened the menu—and countless training devices filled his vision: mannequins, cones, weighted balls… even equipment he had never seen before.
Not only that—every item's size, color, and model could be freely customized according to his thoughts.
In the air above the field, a massive countdown appeared:
60:00
59:59
59:58
Kira instantly understood: this was the one-hour timer for the Competitive Space.
It had cost him 10 points—an entire day's worth of hard training exchanged for this single precious hour.
Not wasting a second, he ran to the goal, entered Total Concentration Breathing, and unleashed Thunderclap and Flash into a shot.
After the shot, he immediately checked his legs.
No soreness.
"Great. My training efficiency will massively increase like this."
Kira smiled. Using Total Concentration while training skills allowed him to raise proficiency in both simultaneously, and the growth rate was even faster than practicing them separately.
After each shot, the ball in the goal vanished—and a fresh one materialized in front of him.
"Tsk, this is actually pretty considerate. Saves me a ton of time."
He practiced shots with both legs. Still no soreness.
"As expected… there's no stamina restriction here. I can train freely and push skill proficiency as much as I want."
He muttered, then paused Thunderclap and Flash training to focus on the newly unlocked ability.
Second Form — Rice Spirit.
Thunderclap and Flash boosted explosive leg strength. But Rice Spirit—what did it do?
Maintaining Total Concentration, Kira let the fresh memories flow into his mind and instinctively moved his body.
He sprinted—and the ball followed his movements perfectly.
With a swift sideways tap from his foot, the ball bounced up and landed precisely on his chest.
All of this he executed while running at high speed.
Kira continued dribbling, seamlessly weaving in flashy, fluid movements. The small ball seemed almost alive—like a contracted spirit circling him: leaping, spinning, dancing between his feet with perfect control.
It was reminiscent of street football—flashy, stylish, but most importantly, extremely fast. Any defender attempting a tackle would likely get their center of gravity broken and lose position entirely.
"So that's what it is… this kind of skill."
Kira stopped, the corners of his lips lifting.
He now fully understood the nature of Rice Spirit—
It granted him extraordinary dribbling technique.
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〔TL〕
Every 100 powerstones = 2 bonus ch.
Every 2 review after 100 ps = 1 bonus ch.