As Ho-young's shot rippled the back of the net, smiles bloomed across the Dream Youth Expedition Team's bench.
Except for one person.
Cha Du-ri.
It was understandable, considering Eintracht Frankfurt was his home team. He found himself in an awkward position.
Still, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.
"Dad. The future of Korean football looks bright. When do you think he'll get called up to the national team? In 7 years? 8?"
The current record for the youngest player to debut for the national team was held by Kim Pan-gon, who made his debut in 1983.
He was just 17 at the time.
"Hmm. It's possible, I suppose..."
"Worry about yourself first, kid."
Cha Bum-kun replied with a chuckle.
"All of that's pointless."
It was far too early to discuss things like that.
Like a ball that can bounce in any direction, the future was unpredictable.
A man working in a factory could become the Premier League's top scorer.
And a supposed once-in-a-generation prodigy could fade into obscurity.
No one knew what the future held.
"But Dad, you must have a feel for it, right? I mean, you played the game too."
"Just look at Pelé. He got it all wrong."
"Ah. Right."
Cha Du-ri immediately shut his mouth.
Then Cha Bum-kun spoke again.
"But that kid does feel promising."
"Why?"
"He works hard. At least for now."
There's no cure for a lazy genius.
In that regard, Ho-young showed real potential.
Splash!
9 minutes into the first half.
Before 10 minutes had passed, the second goal came.
Another mid-range shot from Ho-young's right foot.
'The ball's sticking to my feet today.'
His mid-range shooting, now upgraded to [Powerful Long Shot (C+3)], had reached a more complete state.
'That leveled up fast. Only about three months?'
Even with the same skill, it felt like experience and match context affected how fast it progressed.
It felt like using it in real matches helped more than just practicing alone.
Which meant this expedition was a great opportunity to experiment with different situations.
If he could maintain this rhythm, he might even reach the next tier before the start of next season.
B-grade!
It was within reach.
...If he worked hard.
The flow of the match was fascinating.
The first half was dominated one-sidedly by the visiting team, but the second half saw the home side mount a counterattack.
That change came thanks to one boy.
"Ho-young, that kid. He's conserving energy."
That was a comment from Frankfurt's coach, pointing at Ho-young.
Energy management.
In the first half, Ho-young had been flying up and down the pitch on both ends, but in the second, he focused only on attacking.
He was saving strength for the matches ahead.
He could've gone all out if he wanted to, but he didn't see the point in pushing himself to the limit in a friendly.
There were plenty of promising players who had ruined their careers due to overworking and injuries.
'No harm in being careful.'
With that in mind, Ho-young received the ball again.
14 minutes into the second half.
He received the pass from a full-back and used his footwork to wriggle free from pressure.
Even though his [Fairly Flashy Footwork (C+2)] wasn't elite, there were plenty of players here who didn't even have that.
Plus, his dribbling was backed by the Brazilian-born [Rhythmic Flexibility (C+2)].
Every time Ho-young touched the ball, his opponents felt despair.
Tap.
Slide!
"Ugh!"
With a slight body feint, pretending to dribble one way then changing direction, he caused a defender to lose balance and fall.
From the boy's expression, Ho-young could see the frustration clearly.
'I was like that last year.'
He remembered the despair he felt when facing Stuttgart.
Now, he was returning the favor to another German team. In a way, it was a form of revenge.
'I've improved a lot.'
He hadn't noticed during the season, but now he could feel it for certain.
Just how much he had grown in a year.
And it hadn't happened overnight.
His body feints using balance control and basic dribbling, seemingly simple movements had taken endless hours of training.
The same applied to his shooting practice.
Ho-young poured out the skills he had built through sweat and effort.
Crash!
And with that, his third goal—completing his hat-trick—came from a clean finish right in front of goal.
"Suiiiiiiiiiiii!!!"
He even pulled off a rare celebration. A complete showcase.
While Ho-young's talent played a major part, the lower level of Eintracht Frankfurt U13 also contributed.
Most of their top players had already moved up to the U15 squad, leaving their U13 team weakened.
"Nice~."
The Dream Youth players started congratulating him.
"Did he score again?"
"Football in Brazil really hits different, huh?"
"No."
"Then what?"
"He's always been good…"
Suk Hyun-jun, who had already provided two assists to Ho-young, spoke up.
"He was always good. He just got better… that freak…"
Suk Hyun-jun couldn't help but be jealous.
While he had the height, he knew he couldn't match Ho-young's skills. And now, Ho-young had grown another 15cm in a year.
"You monster…"
"Oh, hyung! Did you call me?"
"Yeah, punk! Let's get one more!"
The match loosened up near the end of the second half.
And in that opening, Peniel Mlapa managed to score a header, giving the home side their only goal.
The problem was, the final whistle blew right after that.
Fweeeet—
The match ended 4-1 in favor of the Dream Youth Expedition Team.
Though it was only a friendly, if there had been a Man of the Match, it would've obviously gone to Ho-young, who finished with 3 goals and 1 assist.
But he didn't need any of that.
He had earned something far more valuable.
[Select the talent you wish to obtain.]
Decent Heading (C+)
'Decent Heading, perfect.'
And that wasn't all.
[Select the talent you wish to obtain.]
- Iron Body (B+)
- Decent Stamina (C-)
Cha Du-ri's talents.
'No need to hesitate.'
Ho-young selected [Iron Body (B+)].
As he expected, it was a talent that would enhance his overall physical strength, likely helping with injury prevention too.
[It will take 4 days to fully acquire the talent. You cannot select another talent during this time.]
"Oh."
As soon as he chose the talent, he felt a strange energy well up from within.
It was a similar sensation to when he had acquired [Legs Faster than a Lamborghini] from Douglas.
'Alright, time for a mid-season review.'
[Ho-young]
[Possessed Talents: Football Genius (A), Chaminator's Run and Drive (U), Legs Faster than a Lamborghini (A+), Sharp Interceptions (B+), Open Growth Plates (B+), Iron Body (B+), Powerful Long Shot (C+3), Fairly Flashy Footwork (C+2), Rhythmic Flexibility (C+2), Fitness Enthusiast's Muscular Build (C+), Stylish Curved Free Kick (C+), Delicate Ball Touch (C+), Reliable Ball Stopping (C+), Precise Ball Distribution (C+), Decent Heading (C+), Fairly Sharp One-two Pass (C-)]
It had been almost a year since he began acquiring talents.
1 U-rank, 2 A-rank, 3 B-rank, 10 C-rank.
A total of 16 talents.
He was starting to wonder if his list would eventually grow so long it wouldn't even fit on the screen.
'That'd be nice.'
The more, the better.
He wanted to obtain every talent that existed in the world.
For now, his plan was simple—start with Germany's youth players and take it one step at a time.
'I'm looking forward to the next opponent.'
Their next destination was a four-hour bus ride south, to Bavaria's largest city and capital.
Munich.
Upon arrival, the expedition team first settled into their accommodations.
The very facility attached to FC Bayern München's training center—Sabener Straße.
The colossal engine behind German football, a titan not only in the Bundesliga but across Europe.
The expedition team would be staying there until the start of the Four Continents Tournament.
They now had a bit more free time in the schedule.
So, aside from training, many other activities had been planned.
In four days, they would be attending a Bayern Munich first-team home match, and this morning they were set to visit some football-related attractions.
The goal was to inspire and motivate the young players to chase their dreams.
Under the supervision of parents who had personally covered their own expenses to join, the expedition players toured various local attractions.
Of course, Ho-young didn't have his own parents there.
But that didn't matter—he was incredibly well looked after by the other parents.
Despite having their own children to care for, they happily took turns making sure Ho-young was taken care of.
That's how popular he was.
Aside from his mature and dependable nature, the fact that he was simply excellent at football made all the difference.
For parents of aspiring footballers, having their kid be friends with the top-ranked student was invaluable.
They could feel it instinctively.
This boy was destined to become a star.
"Our Ho-young is so mature. Ho-young, would you like a sausage?"
"Yes. Thank you."
The street-sold German sausage was absolutely delicious.
Firm and juicy.
'Yeah, this really does feel like Germany.'
Only now did the scenery begin to truly register.
The city, known as a toy-town, had the feel of an old European village.
It was his first time here, and everything felt new.
Being in such a place, he realized just how hard he had been running without pause.
That afternoon, the team had plans to visit a museum, but he excused himself, saying he was tired, and returned to the accommodation with the VJ right after lunch.
Art museums, history museums, monuments...
Not really his thing.
Instead, he wanted to have a conversation with Cha Bum-kun about his future.
Sabener Straße, Bayern Munich's training center.
On the tactical training field, the first team was going through preparation for an upcoming league match.
But among them, a young man in his late twenties was clearly excited.
"Is it really true?"
"I'm telling you, I heard he's coming to our next match."
The legendary East Asian footballer who once dominated the Bundesliga.
Cha Boom.
The young man was thrilled to hear that Cha Bum-kun was currently at Sabener Straße.
"But is he really that amazing?"
That question came from Bastian Schweinsteiger, who had made his debut with the team last year.
The young man responded.
"He's a legendary player. You're too young to really get it, but I grew up watching Cha Bum-kun play. He was my idol."
Unlike Schweinsteiger, the young man was a devoted fan of Cha Bum-kun.
He had even mentioned in interviews that he idolized him.
As soon as morning training ended, the young man headed straight to the accommodation where Cha Bum-kun was staying.
He had already passed on a message that he wanted to meet him, and Cha Bum-kun had accepted, telling him to come by anytime.
So the young man borrowed a motorized cart from the training center and headed to Building D, where Cha Bum-kun was staying.
"Hmm?"
'Looks like someone else is already waiting.'
Outside the building.
A boy was standing by the intercom, waiting for a response.
The young man got off the cart and walked over to the boy.
Then, he greeted him in German.
"Hi there."
"...Huh."
As soon as he saw the young man's face,
Ho-young's eyes widened in shock.
(To be continued.)