The message had responded to a question he’d thrown out casually.
- Points can be used for raising stats, purchasing skills, and upgrading.
* * *
Up until now, the Points Choi Sang-woo knew were a concept similar to HP.
If he exceeded a quest’s deadline, points were deducted.
So he had been careful to maintain a generous reserve of them.
But Points were something entirely different from HP.
“Raising stats?”
[ Stat +1 = 100 Points ]
It meant he could increase a stat by +1 for 100 points.
Then what were stats?
Before Choi Sang-woo could even ask, the message responded.
Stamina 8 / Passing 6 / Dribbling 4 / Speed 5 / Shooting 8 / Crossing 5 / Balance 4 / Finishing 7 / Jump 5 / Strength 5 / Accuracy 6
Choi Sang-woo could see his abilities displayed as numbers.
His most outstanding stats were Stamina and Shooting, while his weakest were Dribbling and Balance.
‘What’s Strength?’
The message responded to his question.
[ Strength: The ability to withstand contact from opposing defenders or attackers ]
In short, it was a stat related to physical battles.
Choi Sang-woo checked the points he had.
[ 320 Points. ]
The quest currently in progress would cost him 50 points. That meant he needed to keep about 100 in reserve.
‘So I can use around 220? If I convert them to stats, I can raise one by 2 points.’
Choi Sang-woo hesitated over using 200 points.
Should he raise his weaknesses?
Or further strengthen his strengths?
The former would let him adapt to various quests, while the latter could directly help with the quest in progress.
After a brief hesitation, he chose the latter.
‘I don’t have the luxury of worrying about the future yet.’
The moment Choi Sang-woo declared he would invest his points in Shooting, a message appeared.
[ Shooting 8 => 10 (+2) ]
[ 200 Points Deducted ]
The stat increase was not merely a change in numbers.
His shooting was faster and more powerful than the day before.
Thanks to that, Choi Sang-woo managed to clear the quest requiring a successful shot from beyond 20 meters in just half a month.
‘Are quests not trials, but blessings?’
For the first time, he felt positively about quests.
Seven months later, Choi Sang-woo’s stats and skills had improved dramatically.
Stamina 10 / Passing 7 / Dribbling 5 / Speed 6 / Shooting 13 / Crossing 6 / Balance 5 / Finishing 8 / Jump 7 / Strength 6 / Accuracy 7(+1)
Acquired Skills
- Beginner’s Luck (D-Rank): Accuracy +10%
Most of his stats had risen, and his Shooting in particular had hit 13, surpassing the middle school level.
Of course, stats didn’t improve through points alone.
When his skills rose through practice, his stats naturally increased as well.
All stats except Shooting and Finishing had been gained through training.
“Nice assist!”
“Choi Sang-woo, great job!”
The seniors raised their voices toward him.
It was the first time he had been acknowledged by his seniors since joining the Gangnam Middle School soccer team.
It was as if the seniors were saying,
‘What matters most for a soccer player is being good at soccer.’
The second-years on the bench swallowed dryly after seeing Choi Sang-woo’s assist.
“Was Sang-woo’s shooting always that good?”
“The competition for a starting spot next year just got tougher.”
“That kid wasn’t just freeloading after all.”
The gazes that had looked down on Choi Sang-woo changed in an instant.
The Jungin Middle School coach raised his voice at the flustered players.
“Get a hold of yourselves! There’s still time!”
As he said, there was still time to turn things around.
But Jungin Middle School’s momentum had been broken.
Once broken, it did not recover until the game ended.
Beep! Beep! Beeeeep!
Three long, forceful blasts.
It was the whistle signaling the end of the match.
Final score: 2-1. Gangnam Middle School victory.
The Gangnam Middle School players embraced one another on the ground, savoring the victory.
“We won! We’re in the finals!”
“One more win and we’re champions!”
“Let’s go back to Seoul with the trophy!”
“Of course.”
Coach Jang Woon-hyung wore an expression of relief.
A result better than last year’s semifinals.
Even if they lost in the finals, they would be in a position to face the school with their heads held high.
Coach Kwon Tae-soo spoke to Jang Woon-hyung.
“Now there’s only Pohang Middle School left.”
His face was composed.
“Pohang Middle School is a formidable opponent.”
“If they weren’t formidable, it wouldn’t be the finals.”
“You….”
Objectively speaking, Pohang Middle School overwhelmed Gangnam Middle School in raw strength.
But anything could happen in the finals.
Jang Woon-hyung thought that they might actually return to Seoul holding the championship trophy.
He went out in front of the bench with Kwon Tae-soo to greet the players.
“Good work, everyone.”
Choi Sang-woo was the last to return, and Jang Woon-hyung called him over separately.
“Today was your first time playing, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, it was.”
Choi Sang-woo had only played in a few practice matches at his previous team.
As Jang Woon-hyung knew, today was his first official match.
“How did it feel?”
“It wasn’t bad.”
His first official match.
And in the semifinals, no less.
An ordinary player would have felt like their heart was about to burst.
But Choi Sang-woo calmly replied, “It wasn’t bad.”
‘“Wasn’t bad” isn’t something a second-year middle schooler would say. Sang-woo definitely takes after Senior Choi. His heart is no ordinary one.’
Choi Sang-woo possessed the cold composure essential for a center forward.
Jang Woon-hyung thought that perhaps he would become a great player, just as Coach Jo Seung-ju had said.
***
On the bus back to the lodging, Choi Sang-woo checked his points.
Including the 50 points earned today, he had a total of 270.
It was enough to purchase one D-rank skill.
‘A new quest hasn’t appeared yet?’
At first, the next quest would pop up immediately after one ended.
But starting about half a year ago, the next quest stopped appearing right away.
It seemed an interval had formed as the quests grew more difficult.
* * *
‘Since I don’t know how many points the next quest will require, I can’t spend them carelessly.’
Quest failure led to the loss of points.
So when he didn’t know what the next quest was, he couldn’t use his points recklessly.
Choi Sang-woo had never fallen into negative points before.
But he could more or less predict that negative points would lead to bad consequences.
“Sang-woo. About that shot today.”
Jeong Woon, a classmate, spoke to him.
“Today’s shot? Which one?”
“The one that became an assist.”
“Ah, the first shot.”
In addition to the first shot that became an assist, Choi Sang-woo had also taken another mid-range shot that went over the crossbar.
“What about it?”
“How did you think to shoot from that far out?”
Choi Sang-woo tilted his head and answered.
“Why? Was it strange? It was within range.”
Jeong Woon was at a loss for words.
‘That distance isn’t normal. If I had taken it, the goalkeeper would have easily blocked it.’
To Jeong Woon, Choi Sang-woo’s shooting was special.
“You’re a really strange guy.”
“Why am I?”
“Your dribbling and passing are amateurish, but your shot alone is incredible.”
“That’s not a compliment, is it?”
“It is.”
“Really?”
Choi Sang-woo shrugged at Jeong Woon’s answer and turned his head toward the window.
‘Of course my shot is special. I dumped all my points into shooting.’