Chapter 180: An Ordinary Elf Like Me Is a Popular Star Here? (2) "Goal! Goal! It's a goal! Allensia, the mercenary of Dwarf Team Two, saves the team from crisis!"
The excited announcer's voice boomed through the food truck's speakers and echoed across the stands.
"She did it! Allensia pulled it off! A comeback goal!"
"At this rate, the playoffs aren't just a dream anymore!"
The elves, who had been tearing into chicken while watching the match, leapt up cheering at their comrade's performance.
For the elf farmers who had completed a rewarding week of work, the weekend soccer match had become a newly discovered source of vitality—alongside meat.
They were cheering for Dwarf Team Two, the team to which the league's only starting elf player, Allensia, belonged.
Today's match was the final league game: Raven FC versus Dwarf Team Two. For Dwarf Team Two to advance to the playoffs, victory was mandatory.
Most fans predicted an advantage for Raven FC, last season's runner-up, and by halftime the prediction held true. Raven FC led 0–2.
But unwilling to accept defeat, Dwarf Team Two returned in the second half with fierce determination. Under Captain Kohel's leadership, they stormed the field.
Relentless pressure paid off, and they soon equalized, bringing the score to 2–2. Tension thickened across the field.
With fifteen minutes remaining, a miracle unfolded.
Allensia leapt to meet Kohel's cross and scored with a header, putting them ahead. She embraced her dwarven teammates in triumph, while the opposing goalkeeper stared blankly at the ball resting inside the net.
"Allensiaaaa!"
"As expected of Lady Allensia! We believed in you!"
"You look magnificent with a plow on your shoulder, but scoring goals is when you shine the brightest!"
Her newly formed fan club—women who had rushed to the front of the stands—screamed in ecstatic delight as she celebrated.
"Tsk…"
Charlotte, seated at the food truck enjoying chicken, frowned slightly.
"A soccer player should be judged by skill, not by face."
"Lady Charlotte, that comment is, well…"
Jinseo trailed off as he continued frying chicken. Charlotte narrowed her eyes at him.
"Do not hesitate. Say what you were about to say. We are not the sort to tiptoe around each other."
"You're not wrong, but you sounded a bit like an old fogey."
"Ugh…"
Charlotte flinched and quietly set down her cola.
"And it's not as if Lady Allensia only has looks. Her header just now showed real skill. Korea once had a player who combined striking beauty with outstanding ability."
Watching Allensia's golden hair flow as she ran across the field, Jinseo recalled a player from the 2002 Korea–Japan World Cup, famous for his ring-kiss celebration.
"Oh? Really?"
"Yes. He helped increase attendance in the Korean soccer league. Fans drawn by his appearance eventually fell in love with the sport itself—much like those women cheering Allensia now."
"I see…"
"And thanks to them, the food truck's sales have increased. They keep buying bunsik made with vegetables personally cultivated by Lady Allensia."
"Grr…"
Charlotte could offer no rebuttal.
Even a four-thousand-year-old dragon—the strongest old fogey imaginable—was no match for Jinseo in his thirties.
Beep! Beeeep!
The final whistle blew. Dwarf Team Two secured a 3–2 victory and the long-awaited playoff berth. Exhausted players collapsed onto the field.
"We won…"
Soaked in sweat, Allensia breathed heavily. A centaur who had played on the opposing team approached her and extended a hand.
"You are truly skilled."
"Not at all. Lord Elios, your speed was overwhelming. I could hardly keep up."
If Allensia was the breakout rookie this season, Elios had been last season's.
They shook hands, promised to meet again in the playoffs, and returned to their teams.
"It differs from what the elders said. Watching alone was thrilling."
"It does seem enjoyable, but far too strenuous for us to play."
"If I were two hundred years younger, I might have run on the field. As it stands, I must be content with spectating."
While elder elves remained critical, middle-aged elves found soccer fascinating—though regret lingered that they could not play themselves.
Younger elves, invigorated by meat, embraced physical training. Older elves found such efforts burdensome.
"The field will remain open until midnight. Please wear proper shoes."
"Yay! Let's play soccer!"
"Pass the ball!"
After the match, the field opened to spectators. Children poured down from the stands, scrambling after a single ball.
The stadium filled once more—not with professional intensity, but with youthful chaos.
Soccer's popularity on the Francia Continent had reached fever pitch.
Yet not every child was engrossed.
"Hm? What is that?"
"They're throwing a much smaller ball using strange gloves… not kicking it?"
While watching the children's impromptu soccer, middle-aged elves noticed Poulton and his son Peter playing catch nearby.
"Mr. Jinseo, what is that game?"
"Catch. It uses a baseball and a glove—related to a sport called baseball."
"Baseball? What is that?"
"Is there another sport besides soccer? Does it also require constant running?"
Curious, they bombarded Jinseo with questions.
Instead of using his smartphone, he turned on the large television.
"This is baseball."
Crack!
The game on screen began with a leadoff home run. The elves leaned forward, captivated.
Soccer required ninety minutes of continuous exertion—too demanding for middle-aged elves.
Baseball, by contrast, allowed pauses between plays and required strategy and thought, appealing to their contemplative nature.
Concluding they could enjoy playing baseball themselves, they constructed a stadium beside Elven Forest.
With dwarven craftsmanship and the aid of spirits from the Keinua Continent, a large-capacity stadium was completed in just three days.
"Wait—he didn't tag him, yet he's out?"
"If there is no base to return to, it is a force out."
"Ah, I see. The rules are quite complex."
The runner accepted Julien's explanation and returned to the dugout.
"Out!"
"The pitcher can throw directly to first like that?"
"Yes. That was a pickoff."
"I didn't even get to try for second…"
Most players were new to baseball. The game progressed slowly as Julien explained each unfamiliar rule.
But elves were accustomed to a leisurely pace. Players waiting in the dugout calmly read rulebooks translated into Elvish.
"Lord Kalito! You may not use magic to stop a flying ball!"
"Oh? That is forbidden?"
"Yes. In sports, only physical strength and strategy are permitted. Magic and drugs are strictly banned in Korean sports."
As in soccer, attempts to use magic emerged.
Younger elves lacked advanced magic, but middle-aged elves instinctively used it.
Before Julien intervened, scenes worthy of a baseball manga unfolded.
In the first inning, a ball struck by an aluminum bat enhanced with magic soared onto Dwarf Town's smithy roof.
Next, a magically enhanced pitch reached 200 kilometers per hour, sending the catcher crashing into the backstop. Jinseo broke into a cold sweat.
Though the catcher rose unharmed thanks to body enhancement magic, a new rule was immediately declared: magic use would result in automatic outs or penalties.
This is like that baseball anime I watched as a kid.
He recalled a series about blazing fastballs and watched this otherworldly spectacle unfold.
Crack!
"What? No magic, yet it went that far?"
"Youngsters truly are different."
"She excels at soccer—and now baseball?"
Without magic, relying solely on strength and technique, Allensia had hit a home run.
"Lady Allensia, how is baseball? As fun as soccer?"
"It offers a different kind of enjoyment. It's fun, but the rules are far more complex. My head is still spinning."
"Still, that was impressive. Even with an aluminum bat, no one in Korea could hit that far."
Scoring in baseball required intricate strategy—but one method stood supreme.
The home run.
Allensia had chosen the simplest solution: let her strength speak.
"But are you certain you can manage? You already play soccer."
"Since I began eating meat, my body has grown stronger. And when my uncles asked, I could hardly refuse."
Baseball, less popular than soccer, struggled to gather players. A minimum of eighteen was required.
Thus, Allensia, who had been diligently growing bananas in the greenhouse, was dragged in as reinforcement.
"Allensiaaaa!"
"As expected! Farming, soccer, and now baseball!"
While her fan club screamed with delight, Allensia herself felt conflicted about where her future might lead.
But the cheers around her showed no sign of quieting.
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