Chapter 70 69 - Attack & Analysis

Raphael shook his head impatiently. Raphael preferred immediate action, constant pressure, and wasn't happy about having to wait."Let's get this over with," he said with his eyes still fixed on Mark, who was now exchanging a quick pass with Daniel.

The touch between them was agile, fluid, with no wasted movement. They didn't know each other, but they were above-par players, otherwise they wouldn't even be in this competition.

Mark received the ball back and moved quickly through the middle. In a few seconds, he had covered most of the distance to the opponent's penalty area.

Daniel was just behind, ready to offer support. However, Mark liked to attack and smiled broadly because, with only two players defending, he had the space to use the best: short dribbles, that kind of movement where the ball seems glued to the feet.

However, Raphael, although anxious, was no fool and knew he couldn't let his opponent get too close to the goal. His body seemed to react on its own and, in one abrupt move, he ran to press Mark. It was risky, of course, but Raphael was never the type to stand back and watch.

His aggressive, almost impulsive style of play always got him into tricky situations, but it also generated impressive results.

When Raphael approached, wanting to disarm him, Mark turned his body with his back to Raphael, protecting the ball like a futsal pivot.

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Raphael tried to push him away, forcing pressure, but Mark was like a concrete wall, using his own body to block any attempt to steal the ball. His feet, almost imperceptible, moved slightly, as if they were waiting for the right moment to react. And that's what happened. With a quick twist of his hips, Mark made a beautiful pivot, spinning on himself and out of Raphael's grasp.

The move was so quick that it knocked Raphael off balance for a second, just enough time for Mark to set up the shot. The ball was positioned in front of him, and he didn't hesitate. With his right leg, he fired a powerful shot straight into the corner of the small goal.

However, Lucas had seen it coming. The moment Mark turned, Lucas read the play and stretched out his right leg as far as it would go. The tip of his boot made contact with the ball, deflecting it upwards. Then Lucas lowered his gaze and scanned the field, identifying where everyone was.

That's how he saw that the opponent's goal was unguarded, with Mark in attack and Daniel in the middle of the reduced field. So Lucas didn't even wait for the ball to hit the ground before kicking it. He kicked it at half-height and over the top, putting enough force into it.

The ball sailed over the heads of Mark, Raphael and Daniel, and it was clear that the target was the opponent's goal.

Daniel couldn't believe his eyes. "He... he really kicked it..." he muttered to himself, his heart racing.

Daniel started to run, almost by reflex, but he knew there wouldn't be enough time to reach the ball.

Lucas, on the other hand, felt a chill in his stomach when he realized that the trajectory was almost perfect. He barely blinked, absolutely focused on every movement of the ball. But as it began to descend, something was off. The ball, which was supposed to fall gently towards the center of the goal, began to curve slightly to the right because of the wind.

Lucas clenched his teeth, his breath caught in his chest. It was close, but... perhaps too close.

Then, in an instant, the ball reached the apex of the arc and began its final descent. For a moment, everyone held their breath. It grazed the right side of the crossbar.

Daniel, standing a few meters from where the ball landed outside the goal, shook his head slowly, still processing what had just happened.

'He almost hit it. This guy... he's dangerous.' Daniel thought with his hands resting on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

Mark, who was normally a well of confidence, was now staring at Lucas, his eyes narrowed. It wasn't just the impressive shot, but how quickly Lucas had read the play. That wasn't luck. It was something else.

"He read us like a book." Mark muttered, almost in disbelief.

Lucas didn't have time to let himself feel the frustration of the ball striking the crossbar.

"Watch out, Lucas!" Raphael shouted, making a gesture with his hand, warning of Mark's movement.

Mark looked for the right side of the pitch, where he knew he would have more room to maneuver. He made a quick feint, making his body look like it was going to go left, but quickly changed direction, which made Raphael slide a little, almost off balance.

The confidence in Mark's eyes was growing by the second.

"If he makes it, it'll be a sure goal," thought Daniel, now more focused on his defense than before.

In the end, Lucas managed to save. With the last moments approaching, the players began to move frantically around the pitch. The ball went from side to side, with each player trying their best to keep possession, but the defense was solid and determined. So the game ended without any more goals being scored.

The referee's final whistle blew, and the match ended 1-0 to Lucas and Raphael, with that early goal from Raphael.

"Next pair, get ready!" The monitor announced.

Lucas took a deep breath as the final whistle echoed across the pitch. He let himself fall onto the soft grass outside the reduced pitch.

Soon, someone from the sieve coordination team came up to him, and he saw a bottle enter his field of vision. Lucas took the bottle, looked at the person and said:

"Thank you."

He just didn't expect that the person who handed him the bottle would be the same girl he had signed up with. She had pink hair and a nice body even though her sports uniform didn't suit her, but the expression on her face was still rigid.

"It was nothing. I'm just doing my job." She said and with other bottles in a bag, she went to deliver water to the other boys from the last game.

Lucas sighed. 'At least the system isn't giving me those strange missions from the beginning anymore... Well, they were fun and took me out of my comfort zone, but it seems to know that now things have to be pretty serious.'

The next matches began shortly after the end. As Lucas was one of the first, there were still two matches left, after all the ten players who passed the first round were divided into five pairs.

The two doubles who played second also had to follow the same rules, the minute and the reduced field, but as the game rolled on, Lucas realized that their level was lower than expected. Sure, they had excellent physiques and were perfect for playing soccer, but they were clearly inferior to several players Lucas had played with and against in the Chubu Regional Championships.

Considering that to get into this screening you needed a referral from someone, either these kids were being sponsored or someone believed they were talented enough to be in, which they most certainly were not.

Nevertheless, one of the players caught Lucas' eye. Curiously, this boy was the one with glasses and black hair.

Lucas examined the bespectacled boy on the pitch. He had a completely different posture from the others. Although physically he wasn't as impressive as the others — his slender build and discreet manner seemed to give him away as someone more reserved — there was something about the way he moved that caught the eye.

His sunglasses matched his short, well-combed black hair, and the eyes behind the lenses always seemed to be one step ahead, analyzing every detail of the game.

Lucas couldn't take his eyes off him. It was as if the boy saw the pitch uniquely, almost as if he could see future moves before they even happened. The way he positioned himself, without wasting unnecessary energy, was impressive.

"Who is he?" Lucas muttered, frowning, still sitting on the edge of the pitch.

Raphael, who was next to him, also catching his breath, followed Lucas' gaze. "That one over there? He looks a bit out of place. He won't be able to keep up with these guys for long."

But Lucas wasn't so sure.

"Take a good look," he said, his eyes squinting. "He hardly runs, but he's always in the right place."

The boy, whose name Lucas still didn't know, made simple but precise passes, as if his every touch was part of a complex equation that only he could solve. He didn't run after the ball; the ball seemed to come to him. And when he received it, he knew exactly what to do with it.

Lucas realized that this boy was always one step ahead of the others, not because of his physical speed, but because of his speed of thought.

With every move, it became clearer. The boy's name was finally revealed by his double.

"Hey, Otto, come over here!"

And without hesitation, Otto made the pass. It was then that Lucas was surprised by a mission after several days.

[The Main Mission "Eagle Eyes" was granted.]

[Main Mission: Eagle Eyes

Description: Otto can see everything on the pitch with a rare talent. He looks like a good prey.

Objective: Copy Otto's ability.

Rewards:

+50 Stars Points

+1 Epic Loot Box

+500 Credits.]