Chapter 15: Don't Like It? Then Beat Me
Ten minutes later, even Jingo Raichi's stamina gave out.
Panting heavily, sweat pouring down his forehead, his legs trembling, he staggered off the treadmill—his glare fixed squarely on Kira, burning with frustration and disbelief.
At this point, only Kira was still running.
Everyone else had already collapsed onto the floor, staring at him in disbelief.
"Is this guy… a monster?"
"He's still going?! What kind of endurance is that…?"
"That's insane…"
Whispers rippled through the room.
No matter how unwilling Raichi was to admit it, he had to face reality—Kira Ryosuke's physical ability was terrifying.
Several minutes later, Kira finally stepped down from the treadmill.
He, too, was drenched in sweat—but compared to the others, he didn't look exhausted at all.
His body wasn't anything extraordinary to begin with, but over a week of hellish training had sharpened his stamina significantly.
Yet the real key wasn't just physical strength—
it was breathing.
During exercise, the rhythm and method of breathing matter immensely.
Incorrect breathing starves the body of oxygen and throws off the tempo of one's movements, draining stamina and breaking form.
After unlocking the system and mastering its breathing technique, Kira learned a far more efficient breathing method—one that allowed him to sustain high performance far longer than anyone else.
---
Three days had passed since the tag game.
Kira was still in the gym, training relentlessly—even after earning his "daily check-in" competition points.
Just then, the Blue Lock broadcast system crackled to life.
"Physical assessment results are out. All players, return to your rooms immediately to view your new rankings."
Kira wiped the sweat from his face and returned to Team Z's quarters.
After changing into the standard blue training outfit, he noticed the pentagonal badge on his shoulder had changed—
from 289 to 264.
That was because each team had lost one member during the tag round—twenty-five players eliminated in total.
"Tch."
Raichi glanced at Kira's new ranking, then at his own. His face twisted in irritation, though there was nothing he could do.
At that moment, the wall monitor flickered on again—
Anri Teieri's superior, Jinpachi Ego, appeared onscreen, his gaunt, sharp features cast in cold light.
Kira raised his head. He knew Ego was about to announce the first official selection—the true start of Blue Lock.
And in that round… more than half the players would be eliminated.
Blue Lock had five buildings, each containing teams V, W, X, Y, and Z.
The first selection would be a round-robin tournament between these five teams—ten matches in total.
Each win earned 3 points, a draw 1 point, and a loss 0.
The top two teams would advance in full.
From the remaining three, only the top scorer—the one with the most goals—would survive.
The rules were simple… but brutally so.
They didn't just test teamwork—they tested human nature.
In the original story, Wataru Kuon believed Team Z had no chance of advancing.
So he betrayed his teammates, leaked strategies, and sabotaged matches—
in exchange for ensuring he alone would advance as the team's top scorer.
After Ego's explanation, the screen faded to black.
The first match was announced: Team Z vs. Team X—starting in two hours.
With no time to waste, Team Z began hurriedly discussing strategy.
"We're all forwards. What are we supposed to do…?"
"Can we even form a team like this?Team X's ranking is higher, right?"
"How about deciding positions by rock-paper-scissors?"
The suggestion sounded fair, and several players nodded in agreement—
except for one.
Ryosuke Kira.
"Sorry, but I don't agree."
Everyone turned to him at once.
"Kira, isn't that the fairest method?" asked Kuon with a frown.
"Yeah," Kira nodded, "it's fair—but we're not here for fairness. We're here to win.
And more than fairness, it's luck.
If we let luck decide, a skilled striker might end up stuck as a defender.
This match could decide our careers—I refuse to let 'luck' dictate my future."
His calm, steady words carried weight. A few teammates nodded in quiet agreement.
After all, elimination meant the end of their professional dreams.
No one wanted to gamble on that.
"And even if we do use rock-paper-scissors," Kira continued, "how many of you would actually stick to the roles you draw? Remember—only the top scorer from losing teams advances. That rule will magnify everyone's selfishness."
As he spoke, he turned his eyes toward Raichi.
In the original, Raichi had been the first to steal the ball from a teammate, sparking chaos within the team.
"Hey! What's that look supposed to mean? You wanna die?!"
Raichi shouted, his voice echoing through the room.
But deep down, he felt a pang of guilt—
because just moments ago, he'd been thinking the same thing:
"If I get stuck as a defender, I'll just steal the ball."
Can he read minds…?
Raichi bit his lip, frustrated.
"So then, Kira," asked Kunigami from the side, "how do you suggest we decide positions?"
"This guy just wants to show off!" Raichi barked again.
"It's simple," Kira replied evenly. "We let strength decide. We still have two hours—plenty of time."
His gaze swept through the room, sharp and steady.
"The strongest among us becomes team leader—and assigns everyone's positions."
Then he stepped forward, standing at the center of the group.
Isagi swallowed hard.
There was something in Kira's presence—a quiet, commanding pressure that made the air tighten.
"We'll decide the leader with one-on-one king-of-the-hill matches," Kira declared, his voice cool and steady.
"For now, I'll stand as the first challenger.
If any of you think I'm unfit to lead—"
His eyes glinted, sharp as a blade.
"Then come and defeat me."
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〔TL〕
Every 100 powerstones = 1 bonus ch.
Every 2 review after 100 ps = 1 bonus ch.