Diago glared at Winston with open hostility.
He had never seen Winston as a threat—not even as competition. To him, Winston was simply a forgettable player everyone had made too much of a fuss about.
Sure, Diago had watched Winston's performance in the Supreme League, but he hadn't been impressed. Even though Lucas had warned him not to look down on his opponents, Diago's confidence had prevented him from taking the lesson seriously.
He had always believed his opponents were beneath him.
Until now—Diago walked over to Eli and Diego.
"Make sure someone marks him tightly," he said. "Don't make the mistake of allowing him to find open space again."
Eli and Diego exchanged a glance before looking back at Winston. Then they nodded.
This is fantastic. I don't feel nearly as exhausted as I did last time. I'm not dizzy, and my vision isn't blurry either.
That means I didn't use up all my Nethen essence. Thank goodness. For now, though, I need to take it easy. I'll have to rely on my remaining strength for the rest of the match.
Winston gritted his teeth as pain spread through his muscles and joints.
Good lord, everything hurts. Thanks to Ethan, I can rely on the wingers to provide goal-scoring opportunities.
After reassuring Oswin in the stands, Winston straightened up and swept his gaze across the field.
Several players were staring at him with wide eyes. A few even had their mouths hanging open.
What they had witnessed had clearly shocked them.
"Damn, I didn't know you were that fast," Ethan said, "Are you sure you're in the right sport? You should be a runner!"
Winston gave him a wry smile, "It was just explosive speed. Nothing special." He paused. "But I have my limits. I'm already at my last reserve, so I'll have to rely on the wingers from now on."
"No problem, man. Come on, let's finish this match."
Ethan jogged back toward his position. However, before he left, he glanced over his shoulder.
If you weren't enemies with Sebastian and his friends, we could have been best friends. Such a shame—in this world, you have to use people—even good people—to get what you want.
I hope you can forgive me, Winston. I really need Hallbrook Corporation to sponsor me when the scouts arrive.
With a saddened expression, Ethan shook his head and continued toward his position. Winston lifted his arms and wiped the sweat from his forehead. That was when he noticed the system notification. A translucent screen appeared in front of him.
Ding!
[User Daily Challenge]
[sprint speed: 90 km/h: Completed]
[shot: 90 km/h: Completed]
[Goals: 02/03]
Yes! One more goal, and I'll be done with my daily challenges for now. Now that I've shown my speed, I suspect Eli will send players to close me down.
Winston gave a wry smile before stopping at his position and waiting for the referee's whistle. The referee didn't keep him waiting long. As soon as Winston crossed the halfway line into his own half, the whistle sounded.
Eli's striker immediately played the ball to Eli, who sent an aerial pass toward Diego on the flank.
Diego used the outside of his foot to tap the ball forward before dribbling toward the midfielder. Just as he was about to accelerate in a straight line, a full-back slid in and knocked the ball out for a throw-in.
Not wanting to wait for his teammate to take it, Diego grabbed the ball and took the throw himself.
The match had reached the seventieth minute, and Diego didn't want to suffer another defeat against Winston. He knew that losing this challenge would leave him vulnerable to the Group C and D players, who would treat him as a stepping stone to climb higher.
With a firm throw, he sent the ball to a midfielder, who trapped it before immediately returning it to Diego.
Diego then blasted the ball in a high arc toward Diago, who was completely unmarked.
However, the moment Diago controlled the ball with his chest, Ethan's players closed in and boxed him in.
Diago clicked his tongue before passing the ball to the full-back.
I could take those two players on by myself. But I need to stick to the plan.
For once, he chose to become a team player. The ball remained at the back for several minutes as Eli's defenders passed it between themselves, with Winston and the wingers closing them down.
Ethan and the two midfielders covered the middle, preventing any easy passes forward.
Annoyed by what he saw, Diego realized they were parking the bus. He jogged deeper into his own half before raising a hand, calling for the ball.
As soon as he received it, Diego performed a body feint before suddenly sprinting back toward his position, leaving the midfielder marking him behind.
His bold movement prompted his teammate to push farther into their opponent's half. With a couple of quick dribbling moves, Diego cut inside, forcing his striker to cover the space he had left behind.
Diego then passed the ball to Diago, who was making a run down the right flank. With a quick touch, Diago chipped the ball toward their striker, who trapped it with his knee.
Without wasting time, the striker performed a step-over before sending a high cross into the box. Diago, Diego, and two midfielders all leaped for the ball.
Using the same technique that had allowed him to gain extra elevation earlier, Diago rose above the others and headed the ball toward the far corner.
CLANG!
The ball struck the inside of the post.
The goalkeeper had been caught off guard, but one of his defenders quickly blasted the rebound away from the box. Ethan reacted first and passed the loose ball to Winston.
Instead of sprinting forward like he had before, Winston calmly passed the ball toward the winger on the flank. The defenders were caught by surprise. They had been concentrating on the center, terrified of Winston's explosive speed.
The winger was completely unmarked. He sprinted down the flank at full speed, forcing Eli and his defenders to scramble. Two defenders moved toward him while another kept his eyes on the opposite winger.
When the winger reached the corner, he immediately sent a long, low cross across the face of goal. The goalkeeper moved to come off his line, but then he noticed the other winger closing in on the ball as it rolled across the goalmouth.
Sensing that the winger was about to take the first shot, the defenders threw themselves into a desperate slide tackle.
The winger stumbled but managed to keep his balance. He glanced toward the center of the box.
Winston was there.
He had slipped behind Eli's defenders and was making a dangerous run. The winger immediately laid the ball into Winston's path.
Winston didn't hesitate—he struck the ball with a finesse shot, sending it curling toward the far bottom corner. The goalkeeper stretched desperately, but the ball flew beyond his fingertips.
Thwack!
Haruto leaned against the stadium railing, a cigarette resting between his fingers.
His gaze settled on the lone building standing far away from the academy. From its elevated position, the building overlooked the entire academy grounds.
Haruto chuckled softly. Kid, you've done it now. You just made my job a lot harder.
He sighed before bringing the cigarette to his lips and taking a drag. Smoke escaped his mouth as he stared at the distant building.
"The world is about to change," he muttered. "For better or for worse."
Just as he was about to take another drag, his phone rang. Haruto glanced at the screen, his expression immediately changed. He tossed the cigarette aside and walked away.
Inside the lone building, two instructors dressed in black suits stood before a large screen.
The screen displayed Winston's attributes alongside his vitality readings. Another measurement was displayed beside them—the estimated concentration of the Divinity Pill within his body.
"Sir, the tester's Divinity Pill measurement has spiked," one of the men reported.
"How much?" their boss asked through the phone.
"Sixty-eight percent, sir. What should we do? Should we ask Haruto to perform a blood test on him?"
"No." Their boss's voice remained calm. "Sixty-eight percent is too low. Don't do anything yet. Wait until he reaches one hundred percent."
"But, boss, what if he doesn't use it again?" one of the men asked impatiently. "He could be running out. I think this is the right time to act."
"No. He hasn't even reached one hundred percent, which means he still has Divinity Pills stored away somewhere." The man fell silent. "He slept for three days, which means his body needed time to recuperate. He'll continue using the pills until he reaches the number one spot."
The boss paused, "Make sure you send me today's copy."
The call ended—the two men in black looked at each other and sighed. Neither of them said a word—they turned back toward the screen and began making copies of Winston's data.