As if sensing a predatory gaze, Isagi Yoichi spun around. His eyes locked instantly with Yoru Ryoshu's—a gaze so saturated with invasive pressure that Isagi instinctively recoiled a step.
It was a primal reaction to an inexplicable threat.
That guy... his eyes are terrifying, Isagi thought, his heart hammering against his ribs.
He wasn't the only one feeling the chill. Even the translucent "bullet comments" scrolling across Aki's vision were reacting in real-time.
[Whoa... this guy looks like trouble!]
[Terrifying or not... he's hot. That 'bad boy' vibe is insane. He makes Isagi look like a helpless white rabbit by comparison.]
[Changing my flair. I'm a fan now!]
Aki hadn't expected a single glance to trigger such a reaction. In his mind, the chime of accumulating Emotion Points became a continuous hum, skyrocketing to 10,000 in a matter of seconds.
The sheer speed of it left him momentarily stunned.
[User "Kind Big Sister" has developed a favorable impression of you. Emotion Points +10.]
[User "Don't Come In" has developed a favorable impression of you. Emotion Points +20.]
The notifications were relentless, and the crowd of comments before his eyes grew denser. Aki let a thin smile play on his lips. As expected, asserting dominance in front of the "protagonist" was the fastest way to seize the spotlight. To truly devour Isagi Yoichi's protagonist halo, however, he would need more than just a scary look. He would need to crush him with absolute skill.
[Congratulations, Host. You have gained your first followers.]
[Newcomer Reward: "S-Rank Constitution" unlocked.]
[(Note: S-Rank Constitution grants high-intensity athletic endurance, accelerated recovery, enhanced physical strength, and explosive speed.)]
In an instant, a wave of dry heat washed through Aki's body. For someone who maintained a rigorous training schedule, the sensation was akin to sinking into a perfect hot spring. Every fiber of his being felt revitalized, optimized.
He had just been granted the physical foundation of a world-class athlete.
The sensation passed quickly, leaving him in a state of heightened equilibrium. Aki retracted his gaze. In a few heartbeats, he had undergone a metamorphosis that others would spend a lifetime chasing. He found himself looking forward to the next stage with predatory hunger. After all, he was the wildcard in this story.
By the door, Isagi Yoichi finally regained his composure, though a lingering tremor remained. That feeling just now... it wasn't like anything he'd felt on a pitch before. Just from a look, he knew that man was strong. Unimaginably strong.
The comments agreed.
[It's over... the MC just ran into a final boss at the starting line. I can't imagine what kind of monsters are waiting inside.]
[Anyone got spoilers from the manga?]
[Upstairs, don't you know this is an original production? The devs haven't even officially confirmed who the MC is yet... if the camera wasn't stuck on Isagi, I'd have sworn that other guy was the lead.]
A debate broke out in the scrolling text over who truly held the "Protagonist" mantle.
Aki moved into the hall, passing through a sea of elite high school players. Most were whispering about the Japan Football Association's sudden training camp. A few of the more observant ones had already realized the strange commonality among the crowd.
Bachira, a regular consumer of football matches at all levels, began recognizing faces from recent tournaments. Every single one of them shared a specific role.
"Aki... this is weird," Bachira whispered. "They're all forwards!"
Aki nodded. The realization didn't surprise him. While his memory of the original plot wasn't perfect, he remembered the core premise. This wasn't a team-building exercise; it was a ritual.
Suddenly, a brilliant spotlight cut through the dim hall, centering on the main stage. A thin, lanky figure emerged from the shadows—Ego Jinpachi, sporting his trademark "dead-fish" eyes and bowl cut.
"Congratulations, you unpolished gems," Ego began, his voice flat yet commanding. "Every one of you was selected based on my personal criteria. Three hundred players, all under the age of eighteen."
He leaned forward slightly. "As you've likely noticed, every person in this room is a striker."
Aki watched calmly. The "Gu-pot" experiment—the ritual of raising a poison king by letting venomous insects devour each other—was officially beginning. The goal: to forge the world's greatest striker.
The room erupted in hushed shock, and the bullet comments accelerated to a blur.
[Holy crap, this really is a Gu-pot scenario!]
[Forget the insects, he called it a 'Blue Lock.' They're basically prisoners.]
Aki's eye twitched slightly. The audience was right. Entering this place meant treating it like a prison—forgetting the outside world and focusing solely on one thing: scoring.
Ego finished his speech, throwing his arms wide. "So... my future superstars. Will you choose the chance to stand on the world stage, or will you scurry back to your boring, mediocre lives? The choice is yours."
Before the silence could settle, a voice rose in protest. "Football is a team sport! It's not some 'egoist game' like you're describing. I don't agree with this at all!"
Ego's lips curled into a smirk, but he didn't deign to answer.
Instead, it was Aki who moved. He stepped toward the opening doors of the facility. As he passed the protesting player, his lips moved. In the sudden silence of the hall, his voice rang out with crystalline clarity.
"Your 'team spirit' is pathetic. If you can't handle this, go play on the Baby Bus."
The insult hung in the air, freezing the protester in his tracks.
With Aki as the catalyst, the dam broke. A flood of players followed in his wake, charging toward the unknown. Ego watched them go, his grin widening into something manic and delighted.
A fleet of blue buses ferried the players toward the heart of the "Blue Lock" facility.
Aki sat in the back row, staring out the window. He wasn't looking at the scenery; he was browsing the [Emotion Store].
His earlier stunt had caused his popularity to explode. His Emotion Points had surged to nearly 100,000, finally unlocking the shop interface.
The inventory was vast—almost absurdly so. Every imaginable athletic technique and physiological enhancement was listed with a price tag.
But they weren't cheap.
[Pro-Level Dribbling]
[Cost: 100,000,000 Emotion Points]
[(Note: Skills are ranked: Amateur, Common, Proficient, Substitute, Professional, and Champion. Each rank offers a tier of dominance that must be experienced to be understood.)]
Aki looked at the staggering prices and sighed inwardly. To even make it into Blue Lock, most of his skills were already at the "Proficient" level. But to stand at the top of this hellhole, he would need to reach the Professional tier.
While the system was a shortcut, Aki knew he couldn't rely on it entirely. He would have to carve out his own path, goal by goal.