Chapter 6: The Realm Beyond Genius!
"...Ninety-eight... ninety-nine... one hundred!"
Ryosuke Kira exhaled sharply as he completed his seventh set of training.
The moment he finished, a familiar mechanical chime rang in his ears:
[ Congratulations! You've gained 3 Points. ]
Each hour of physical training earned him a certain number of points from the system.
This kind of high-intensity training was exhausting—far tougher than anything his school had ever made him do—but Kira grit his teeth and pushed through with sheer willpower.
He only had one week left. If he wanted to survive in Blue Lock, he had to break past his limits.
Once he made up his mind, there was no room for half-measures.
Watching Kira's relentless effort, Riko Aida nodded in satisfaction. Then she went to her father, Kagetora Aida, asking him to prepare a few specific kinds of food for Kira.
Football demanded extreme stamina; a player needed heavy carbohydrate intake for energy.
Fruit and bread, which digest quickly, were ideal.
He'd also need lean meats for protein, bananas for potassium to maintain electrolytes, and soy or dairy-based alkaline foods to help relieve fatigue.
"These ingredients aren't exactly cheap, you know," Kagetora remarked.
"Then just deduct the cost from his 'advertising fee,'" Riko replied with a grin. "After all, his publicity's worth way more than tuition."
She glanced toward the gym's entrance. Morning had passed, and people were starting to file in as business picked up.
"Wait—is that Ryosuke Kira?"
"The one who won the district championship yesterday? The 'gem' of Japanese football?"
"He trains here? Boss, extend my membership!"
---
By dusk, the sun had dipped low, staining the sky crimson like burning fire.
"Thanks for everything. I'll head back—see you tomorrow!"
Kira waved to Riko and left the gym.
"What a hard-working kid," Kagetora muttered as he watched him go. "Reminds me of myself back in the day."
"Yeah. He's impressive—pretty famous already, but there's not an ounce of arrogance in him. And not a single complaint through that level of training... most adults wouldn't last half a day."
Riko's tone held a mix of admiration and fatigue.
"Honestly," her father added flatly, "when you brought a boy home this morning, I thought you'd found a boyfriend. I almost got ready to kill him."
As he spoke, Kagetora patted his pocket and pulled out a fruit knife.
"What are you talking about?!"
Reiko's face turned bright red as she swung her fist upward—
Bam!
Her father's chin took the full hit.
---
That night, Kira returned home. He'd already eaten dinner at the gym, so after lying down for a bit, the day's fatigue began to fade.
Riko's regimen was undeniably harsh, but it was also the most efficient way to make up for his physical shortcomings in such a short period.
There was no way his old self—or his school's generic training—could have produced results like this.
Opening his system menu, Kira checked his stats.
He'd already reached the daily cap of 10 Competition Points.
"Seven days left... that's 80 points in total," he muttered.
"I still need more to unlock Second Form. Before that, I'll need to max out the proficiency of Total Concentration Breathing and First Form... each upgrade costs points too. Still a long road ahead."
After resting a bit longer, he decided not to waste the night.
He stepped outside and began jogging through the quiet streets near his home.
He couldn't earn any more points today, but that wasn't the goal.
This was about pushing his body further—so that one day, he could fully control the power the system had given him.
Daytime was for ball control.
Afternoons for strength training.
And now, at night—breathing practice.
Jogging was an aerobic exercise that strengthened the lungs and heart, improving oxygen capacity—exactly what Breathing Techniques relied on.
Under the dark sky, Kira ran while rhythmically adjusting his breathing, recalling the sensations he'd felt earlier that day.
Using the Breathing Technique filled his body with explosive energy.
In Demon Slayer, the swordsmen of the Demon Slayer Corps used this technique to battle monsters far stronger than humans—
the elite even maintained Total Concentration Breathing: Constant, sustaining superhuman strength day and night.
But Kira was nowhere near that level yet.
He could only hold the state for an instant—fleeting, fragile.
Still, that only reminded him how far he had to go.
He replayed the memory of that power in his mind, subtly adjusting his rhythm—
Total Concentration Breathing!
He felt the air rushing into his lungs, converting instantly into raw energy that surged through every vein.
His entire body felt lighter, as if gravity itself had released him.
This state massively enhanced his physical performance—but maintaining it was still beyond him. After a brief burst, he had to stop and recover before using it again.
So Kira kept running, testing and refining the technique, trying to shorten the gap between each activation.
On his fifth attempt, something clicked.
Thunderclap and Flash!
The energy gathered in his legs in a split second—
he released it with a powerful kick, launching himself forward.
For an instant, Kira felt like he was flying.
Then the familiar pain hit—sharp, burning through both legs.
But compared to earlier in the day, it was bearable.
Leaning against a wall, he panted, using the recovery method Riko had taught him to ease the soreness.
He glanced back at the path he'd just come from—
and realized he had leapt several meters in a single motion.
Something the original Kira could never have done.
That—
was the realm beyond genius.