Jinpachi Ego replied coldly.
"Yes, that's right."
"To shatter your half-baked confidence!"
"To forge the hunger that will drive you to become the world's best—everything is part of my design."
His words only stoked the anger in the room. Voices erupted all at once.
"What the hell is this?!"
"We're not your damn toys!"
Ego's tone turned even more mocking.
"Idiots! That attitude itself is half-baked!"
"Listen well. Take Noel Noa, for example."
"Currently known as the world's top striker—he grew up in the slums of France."
"Born in poverty, surrounded by crime, football was the only way he could change his fate."
"This isn't a metaphor—soccer was literally his only path forward."
"There are countless strikers around the world who grew up in that kind of environment. Their hunger to score is unimaginable."
"In Japan, you can still live comfortably even if you lose a match. People like you, who live such privileged lives, will never understand that hunger for goals."
"Blue Lock exists to make you feel that hunger!"
"In truth, you came here because you want to defeat those ranked higher than you—because you believe you can win."
"That hunger can turn into the selfish desire that changes the world."
On the large screen, Jinpachi Ego paused for a moment, then smirked.
"Hmph. The second round of Blue Lock's selection trials is about to begin."
"The goal of the first round was to turn zero into one—to make you understand what it truly means to be a striker."
"Next…"
As he spoke, the display changed, and his voice continued to echo.
"You will fight in state-of-the-art training facilities, evolving from 1 to 100!"
"The second round consists of five stages, and only those who clear each one can advance."
"Those who pass this round will train alongside me and the elite players I've chosen from around the world in a special intensive program!"
The room erupted in excitement.
"Huh? For real?!"
"That's crazy!"
"We get to train with top players from other countries? We're gonna win every single time, Ryū!"
"Yeah, Hiori. We'll keep winning."
Ryūma Banjō's excitement grew as he listened. He couldn't wait to see how far he was from the world's best.
"The explanation ends here. Whoever's ready, step through that door—alone."
As Ego finished speaking, a door appeared before them.
"Huh? Alone? Not together?"
"Oh no~ I'm doomed, Partner. I'm definitely getting eliminated T﹏T"
"Are we splitting up, Ryūma?"
"Hang in there, Hiori. See you in the next stage!"
Ego added calmly,
"As you can see, the difficulty of the second round far surpasses the first."
"If you only made it this far because of good teammates or luck—be prepared!"
"In the second round, the trash will be the first to go."
"Only true egoists will remain. Good luck to you all."
Daiwa Putian looked miserable.
"Partner, Rin, Hiori… I'm really glad I met you guys. I'll go home and keep cheering for you. I probably won't make it through this second round T﹏T"
Ryūma Banjō looked at him, patted his shoulder, and laughed.
"Alright, kid. Don't lose hope. You might just get lucky and advance."
"Hmph. Still talking nonsense."
Rin Itoshi snorted coldly. While everyone else was still hesitating, he stepped forward, picked up two balls, and placed them at his feet.
He kicked the first one sharply, then waited a beat, adjusted his stance, and kicked again.
To everyone's astonishment, the second ball collided perfectly with the first midair.
[Thud!]
Rin walked to the door and said calmly,
"Open up. Warm-ups are over."
He stepped through, and the large screen lit up, displaying his avatar and name.
"Itoshi… Rin?"
Hearing Yoichi's surprised voice, Ryūma Banjō turned to Yo Hiori, visibly annoyed.
"No way, Hiori! That Rin kid's such a show-off!"
"Damn it! He pulled it off!"
"No way—I'm gonna try it too! Watch me blast this door open and blow everyone's minds!"
Yo Hiori quickly grabbed him.
"Alright, alright, Ryūma. Just go in. It's embarrassing with so many people watching."
"Yeah, you're right. I'll head in first, Hiori. See you at the next stage~"
Ryūma Banjō rolled his shoulders, then walked through the door.
A vast green field of artificial turf spread out before him.
(So this is the first stage. Let's see how long it takes me to score 100 goals.)
As he thought that, a ball shot out from the wall, and a blue holographic opponent appeared before him.
Easily trapping the ball, Ryūma grinned.
"Whoa, this hologram's pretty realistic."
"Let's test out its defense, then."
He flicked the ball up, and as it dropped to the perfect height, he struck cleanly.
[Thud]
The projection reacted quickly, diving for the ball—but the shot, which had been heading for the top-right corner, suddenly dipped and slammed into the net.
GOAL!!
The screen flashed:
Stage 1 – Time: 89:30. Remaining goals to clear: 99.
"Heh, better pick up the pace. No way I'm letting that kid Rin clear this first."
As soon as he said it, another ball fired from the wall. This time, Ryūma kicked before it even touched the ground.
[Thud!!]
Before long, he had scored 30 goals. The display changed to LV.2, and three yellow humanoid figures appeared in front of the goal.
"Now that's more like it. Would've been boring otherwise."
Even after 30 goals, he wasn't sweating at all.
He adjusted his angle and fired a sharp curve shot, sending the ball spinning around the three obstacles and straight into the net.
The projections leapt precisely toward it, but the ball ricocheted off the post and still went in.
GOAL!!
"Phew~ That was close."
A grin stayed on Ryūma's face. To him, this was nothing more than a game.
He'd mastered every type of shot—and if none of them worked, he still had his Heavy Cannon.
There's nothing a Heavy Cannon can't solve. And if there is, just fire two!
After some time, his goal count reached 60. The level display shifted again—LV.MAX!
"Here we go—the highest level!"
The three humanoid obstacles began to move. Balls shot from the wall even faster, now spinning wildly through the air.
"Hmph. Break 'em all—I'm not paying for repairs!"
A flash of purple light crossed Ryūma's eyes. He dashed forward and launched a fierce shot.
[BOOM!]