"Seriously, after getting wrecked like that in this match, what's he still acting all smug for?"
Now that the unlucky master-and-servant duo had left the field, the tense atmosphere finally eased.
The rest of Bastard München's players, unsure if they should've stepped in earlier, began to gather around.
Among them, Raichi Jingo clicked his tongue in frustration. In his mind, one of the biggest reasons they lost so easily was because Kaiser got shut down completely.
"Yeah, he did lose this time," Shinichi replied with a light smile as he greeted his old teammates,
"But life is long. Who knows what'll happen down the line."
"Isagi, that last cover of yours was solid. Looks like you've come a long way lately."
"Still couldn't outplay you, though, right?" Isagi replied with a wry smile and shook his head.
"I didn't read your move. I just figured… knowing you, there's no way you'd throw away your pursuit of victory just for pride. So even if I didn't know exactly what you'd do, I had a feeling you'd win—and that's the only reason I was able to make that play."
"Yeah… back then, that situation felt like a completely unsolvable puzzle," added Hiori, also smiling bitterly.
Like Isagi, he had firmly believed Shinichi would come out on top. But if both of them had jumped in to support, it would've left too many attackers unmarked.
Just like Kaiser had warned—Ubers' ambition didn't stop with Barou. Kunigami and Aiku had also been making dangerous runs. They weren't yet at Barou's level, but they were still a threat.
And like Isagi had realized during his off-ball movement: the one-on-one between Shinichi and Noa only worked because no one interfered.
With Kaiser off the field, if Hiori had also abandoned his mark to double-team with Isagi, it would've opened up too many holes. Shinichi could've just passed and scored easily anyway.
...
"Guess I'm still not on your level, huh, monster," Hiori muttered with a sigh and bumped fists with Shinichi.
Shinichi shrugged, completely unfazed.
"Come on, did you really think you'd catch up that fast? If I lost to you guys, what kind of king would I be?"
"Tch, speaking of kings, it pisses me off," Barou growled, clearly still annoyed.
"First this bastard calls me a 'mad dog,' and then that scumbag Kaiser acts like I'm some kind of servant."
"Ehhh? But little Barou," Lorenzo chimed in with a smirk,
"You really did look like a loyal hunting hound, chasing after your master's lead like a maniac."
"HUH?! LORENZO!! YOU GOLD-TOOTHED FREAK, GET BACK HERE!!"
And so, amidst the loud banter and teasing, a new round of transfer valuations was released.
Niko quickly whipped out his phone, drawing a crowd.
"Come on, come on! Let's see. My marking wasn't bad, right? I'd say I deserve at least a ten-million boost!"
Reiji: "Please. You still needed Isagi to cover for you. My teamwork with Hiori should've gotten more credit."
Yukimiya: "If we're talking contributions, I was the one who opened up the path for Hiori's run."
Gagamaru: "Ughhh… three goals… and I didn't stop any of them…"
Of course, the ones with the biggest value shifts were likely…
Isagi. Hiori. Barou.
Even as everyone laughed and joked, more than a few glances turned toward those three.
As for Shinichi—his market value had basically hit its ceiling. At least for the first phase of the New Hero Battle, there wasn't much room left for it to rise further.
Meanwhile, compared to previous matches, the latest ranking list had several new names.
Now that the Blue Lock players were starting to adapt to the match intensity, they were beginning to replace some of the youth academy players who had traveled with the teams.
31st place: Nijirou Nanase – ¥2.1 million
30th place: Fukaku Gen – ¥4 million
Tied 29th: Nio Kazuma – ¥5 million
Tied 29th: Tanaka Shingen – ¥5 million
27th place: Neru Teppei – ¥6 million
26th place: Tokimitsu Aoshi – ¥7 million
25th place: Igarashi Gurimu – ¥7 million
24th place: Raichi Jingo – ¥10 million
These are the newest names added to the rankings.
Although Kaiser remains an outlier in the overall list, there's still Itoshi Sae, who hasn't participated in the first stage yet.
Excluding the Blue Lock team captain's authority to arbitrarily alter the roster, the top 23 are considered the minimum threshold for qualification into the next U-20 national team.
Anyone ranked below 23rd isn't even worthy of being included in scouting reports.
"I… I made the list!!!"
Even so, upon seeing this near-filler portion of the rankings, a crew-cut boy nearly broke into tears.
Arguably the most ordinary player in Blue Lock, he had poured everything into simply surviving here—pushing himself to the very edge of his limits.
And now, finally, he had his reward.
This was his chance to step into the spotlight—to be noticed by professional scouts.
He had broken free from the path that others had laid out for him—now, he could choose his own future.
Looking at this guy—who always used his goofy antics to mask his inner insecurity—Shinichi didn't say much.
It was undeniable:
In the original story, Igarashi was an unpopular character—
A burden, a benchwarmer, a shameless coward.
Even his looks didn't do him any favors.
But even so—
While it couldn't be denied that luck played a role—
For a minor character to stubbornly keep pace with the rest and survive all the way to the Neo Egoist League was no small feat.
To most, Igarashi looked like a clear bottom-tier player.
Yet to others, he was still a football genius.
After all, he was personally selected by Ego Jinpachi, passed the second stage of Blue Lock's selections, and scored 100 goals against the Blue Lock goalkeeper.
But when faced with monsters who were not only more talented—but also even more hardworking—
That so-called "genius" in the eyes of ordinary people became just another stepping stone. Just another filler.
And that… is the brutal reality of football.
...
In that moment, no one laughed at the foolish monk chasing his dream.
Everyone just silently made a vow in their hearts:
To never let their guard down.
To keep growing stronger—strong enough to take control of their own future.
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