Early in the first half.
Around 27,000 spectators packed into the stadium were stunned.
They were Málaga fans, the Malaguistas.
No, even more than that.
The number was roughly 27,020.
That included the eleven Málaga players on the pitch and their manager and coaching staff.
They had long since fallen into despair.
Manager Ferreira kept shouting, "Stop them! Stop them!" but he could not offer any concrete solution.
It was unavoidable for him.
Frankly speaking, it felt like only a god of tactics could come up with a way to deal with this.
'Real Madrid's team condition is at its peak.'
Ferreira's thoughts were correct.
Real Madrid had already proven their strength during preseason by crushing several clubs.
On top of that, after Ho-young joined, they even defeated Barcelona and displayed extraordinary form.
There had been rumors that the team was divided after the departures of Raúl and Guti, but those rumors were nothing more than nonsense.
After watching today's match, Ferreira was certain.
'If they maintain even 80 percent of this level, the league title will undoubtedly go to Real Madrid.'
He had already given up on the match.
There was only one wish left.
To keep the number of goals conceded within the fingers of one hand.
5-0.
He just hoped it would not go beyond that.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid were fighting hard to deliver the perfect season opener.
What more needed to be said?
Fernando Gago and Xabi Alonso kept exchanging meaningful passes while communicating with each other.
Last year they struggled to communicate due to language barriers, but now they understood each other even with just eye contact.
Before anyone realized it, the midfield had become Real Madrid's playground.
Thanks to that, ball distribution became smooth, giving Gourcuff more freedom in the second line.
That became the driving force that empowered the wingers on both flanks.
Thud!
[A killer pass from Gourcuff into the right flank!]
[Cristiano Ronaldo runs onto it and collects the ball.]
[Left-back Eliseu closes him down, sliding in with a tackle!]
Swish!
"...!"
Ronaldo, who was dribbling, used his heel to change direction and neutralize Eliseu's tackle.
[He opens up space with a back touch!]
[Ronaldo cuts inside to the left and drives toward the center!]
Ronaldo twisted his direction and charged straight into the center like a man possessed.
He attacked with a fierce determination as if this were the Champions League final.
And then.
[He fires a shoooooot!]
Bang!
[Goalkeeper Martínez makes the save!]
[The ball goes out over the goal line. It's a corner kick for Real Madrid.]
"Hoo."
Ronaldo exhaled heavily.
He wanted to score as soon as possible, but so far the only thing he had recorded was one assist.
'Damn.'
Impatience began to rise in Ronaldo's heart.
Of course, playing with Ho-young was good for him as well.
Competitive spirit and the desire to challenge.
Those things always pushed him to train harder.
But as time passed, it felt like the gap between him and Ho-young kept widening.
And after today's match, he felt it clearly.
This season too, it seemed he would have to give up the role of protagonist to Ho-young.
"Ha!"
An uncomfortable emotion began growing deep inside his heart.
He even briefly wondered if he should have stayed at Manchester United instead of coming to Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid prepared to take the corner kick.
[Corner kick for Real Madrid. Xabi Alonso steps up to take it!]
[The ball swings into the center of the box!]
At that moment, Ho-young quickly dropped slightly deeper from the center of the box.
His intention was to intercept the ball in the middle.
"...Ha!"
Wellington groaned as he momentarily lost track of Ho-young.
Fortunately, Salomón Rondón, who stood nearly 190 centimeters tall, was there.
His positioning was not ideal, but thanks to his excellent jumping ability, he could leap almost as high as Ho-young.
Then it happened.
Thud!
During the aerial duel, Rondón's elbow struck Ho-young's collarbone.
There was no malicious intent.
He was simply too eager to stop Ho-young.
As Ho-young fell, the whistle blew.
Piiii!
A clear foul.
Rondón received a yellow card, followed immediately by a penalty decision.
Some Málaga fans booed loudly, but regardless, Rondón approached Ho-young with a pale face and extended his hand.
"Sorry. Are you okay?"
[Salomón Rondón]
[Possessed Talents: Stable Heading (A+), Superior Jumping Power (A-), Strong Physique (B-), Off-the-Ball Movement Using Space (C+), (More...)]
(You may covet one talent if the conditions are satisfied.)
(Condition 1: Score with a header)
(Condition 2: Play the full 90 minutes)
'Of course I'm okay.'
Ho-young firmly grabbed Rondón's hand.
He knew Rondón had no ill intention.
The striker was known for his good personality and gentle nature.
"I'm fine, so don't worry."
"Ah, thank you."
Only then did Rondón relax.
He whispered quietly.
"By the way, could we swap jerseys after the match?"
Ho-young answered by raising his thumb and got back to his feet.
With that, the issue between him and Rondón was resolved.
But there was still one matter left.
Cristiano Ronaldo.
An unusual atmosphere formed regarding the penalty taker.
The score was 2-0.
Honestly, it did not matter who took it.
Normally, the designated taker was Ho-young, but in special cases it could be decided through agreement between the manager and players.
However, Ronaldo's expression looked unusual.
He could not take his eyes off the ball, his nostrils flaring. Anyone could see he wanted to take it.
But he could not bring himself to say it to Ho-young.
There was an unspoken rule among players.
If someone already had two goals, the team usually let him take the chance for a hat-trick.
That was exactly the situation now.
Moreover, it was Ho-young who had earned the penalty.
Ronaldo forced himself to suppress his desire.
He really wanted to take it, but he believed it was right to let Ho-young have it.
Then their eyes met.
Ronaldo gave a serious look and raised his thumb.
"Go get your hat-trick first. I'll catch up soon."
Ho-young slightly tilted his head.
A silent signal.
Piiii.
Right after that, he ran up and prepared to shoot.
Thump!
Goalkeeper Martínez flinched slightly.
But in that brief moment, Ho-young relaxed the power in his lower body and gently pushed his leg forward.
It was not a shot.
It was a pass.
More accurately, he simply rolled the ball lightly.
Right into the perfect spot for Ronaldo.
Ronaldo widened his mouth in surprise, then stepped in and struck a first-time shot.
Martínez had already lost his balance after being deceived.
The net shook violently.
Clang!
[Gooooooal! Ronaldo scores!]
[Oh, why did Ho-young give it away? Giving up a hat-trick chance is not easy.]
[Perhaps their friendship is that deep?]
[Haha. Maybe so.]
[Or perhaps he is confident he can get a hat-trick anytime.]
It was certainly an unexpected play.
Normally, Ho-young would have taken it with a hat-trick on the line.
Even Ronaldo could not understand it.
"Young, why did you give it to me? You could have gotten a hat-trick."
"We're teammates."
"Teammates?"
Ronaldo flinched at the answer.
Ho-young put an arm around his shoulder and said casually.
"We're teammates."
Ho-young had grown by absorbing Ronaldo's talents. Sometimes he wanted to repay that in some way.
And more importantly, there was another reason.
[The vessel of talent is currently full. Ultimate Foot Skills (5 days), All-Rounder's Versatility (30 days) are waiting.]
[Choose a talent to covet in advance after 35 days.]
• Marvelous Dribbling (SS+3)
• Indomitable Fighting Spirit (SS)
• Peerless Individual Skills (SS-)
• (More...)
'Got it.'
He had satisfied the hidden condition:
Once the ongoing processes of Ultimate Foot Skills (W+) and All-Rounder's Versatility (L) finished, he would covet it immediately.
Ho-young chose Marvelous Dribbling (SS+3).
Seeing that he could still covet dribbling talents meant it could probably combine with Fantastical Foot Skills (W).
'If I grow even further from here...'
Even now his footwork allowed him to control the ball freely.
But if he absorbed the dribbling talents of Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona as well...
Gulp.
'Would that be the next stage beyond transcendence that Mammon talked about?'
If there was a true peak, it might be there.
Piiii!
Meanwhile the match resumed.
Ho-young quickly extended his fist toward Ronaldo.
Ronaldo bumped fists and spoke.
"Go."
"I'm going!"
Ronaldo's face looked far lighter than before.
He had realized many things from his conversation with Ho-young.
'What a cool guy.'
Watching Ho-young's back, Ronaldo shook his head.
He realized his earlier thought had been wrong.
'If I had stayed at Manchester United, I wouldn't have grown this much either.'
Just as before, and in the future as well, there was much he could learn from Ho-young.
He was only 25 years old.
He felt he could continue growing endlessly alongside Ho-young.
A pacemaker.
For Ronaldo, Ho-young was a powerful source of motivation.
'Yeah. A comfortable place doesn't suit me.'
Ronaldo always enjoyed new challenges.
His challenge toward Ho-young would continue.
Then, just before halftime.
[Ronaldo attempts a breakthrough down the right!]
[Eliseu follows, but Ronaldo cuts inside once and drives toward the center!]
Entering the penalty area from the flank, Ronaldo looked toward the goal.
His famous cut-inside shot was about to come.
Martínez lowered his center of gravity, preparing for the shot.
But.
Tap!
This time it was not a shot.
It was a lofted pass arcing toward the front of the goal.
And as expected.
Clang!
Ho-young, waiting there, met it with his head and scored.
[Gooooooal! Hat-trick! Ho-young completes his hat-trick with a header!]
[Ah, that looks great. Since Ho-young gave up the penalty earlier, Ronaldo returns the favor.]
[One thing is certain. The chemistry between Ronaldo and Ho-young keeps improving.]
Ronaldo silently gave Ho-young a thumbs-up.
There was no need for words.
Their performance continued afterward.
Their combination reached its peak, relentlessly hammering Málaga's net.
It was a completely one-sided game.
Because of that, centre-backs Pepe and Raúl Albiol had almost nothing to do.
Occasionally when the ball dropped below the halfway line, they would quickly build up play and send it forward.
Other than that, they had little to do.
Except chat.
"If it weren't so hot, I wouldn't even need a shower after the match."
"They say it will rain next weekend, so the weather might cool down. What do you think, Albiol? Want to have a beer on my terrace?"
"To watch the quarterfinal?"
"What quarterfinal? Is there some football match?"
Pepe's words made Albiol widen his eyes.
"The US Open tennis quarterfinal is next week."
"So what?"
"My goodness!"
Raúl Albiol, being Spanish, looked incredulous.
"Tennis is practically a national sport in Spain! And his match is scheduled!"
"Who is he?"
"You don't know? Spain's hero!"
"Ah, of course I know."
"This is his year. In two weeks he will definitely return to Madrid with the trophy. He's a huge Real Madrid fan."
While they chatted, a familiar sound came from the front.
Clang!
"Oh, another one."
"Ronaldo scored again."
"Looks like today belongs to those two."
"Terrifying guys."
Then near the end of the second half.
Ronaldo completed his hat-trick, signaling the end of the match.
The final score was 7-0.
Ho-young and Ronaldo both scored hat-tricks in a perfect opening match.
The remaining goal belonged to Marcelo.
As a result, Ho-young covet Salomón Rondón's Stable Heading (A+), upgrading his existing talent.
[Peerless Heading (S-) ↑]
Now not only his feet, but also his head.
Ho-young was becoming an increasingly flawless footballer.
After the match, the press conference began.
In the underground conference room, Ho-young, who was selected as Man of the Match, attended with Scolari.
Meanwhile on the first floor in the media zone, Ronaldo was giving an interview.
"Many people are curious about the penalty in the first half. Was it a pre-planned strategy?"
"No. Young just gave it to me."
"Why?"
The reporter asked with a puzzled expression.
Ronaldo shrugged.
"He said it's because we're teammates."
That interview quickly became a hot topic.
[Ho-young sees Ronaldo's expression and gives him the penalty, fans praise his outstanding team spirit]
[Ho-young has such a human side too?]
[The terrifying Ho-Ro duo is born. Perfect teamwork silences rumors of team conflict]
[Real Madrid remain the strongest team, no signs of internal conflict]
In truth, the action was meant to obtain Ronaldo's talent, but it ended up calming various rumors.
It also helped improve Ho-young's image.
In other words, his brand value had risen.
Eventually, that influence reached Nike headquarters.
Nike Spain's Zaragoza branch.
Camacho, the head of the brand sponsorship department, received an important call from Nike's European headquarters in the Netherlands.
It was about a project to make Ho-young, whose contract with Adidas would expire at the end of September, Nike's new flagship model.
It would not be easy to change Ho-young's mind after three years with Adidas.
However, since the project had been prepared for a long time, they were determined to succeed.
Negotiations with Lucci had already been ongoing since six months before the contract expiration, which was the earliest legally allowed time.
Now only one month remained until the contract ended.
They had also prepared several projects to increase Ho-young's popularity and brand value.
Puma had interfered along the way, causing difficulties, but they had pushed through.
Now they were almost at the final stage of the contract.
Camacho, the person in charge, called Lucci again today to check in.
After congratulating him on Ho-young's hat-trick, he naturally brought up the main topic.
"If we finalize the contract in September, we would like to reveal the deal worldwide through a commercial shoot in early October."
"During the international break?"
"Yes. La Liga matches stop for two weeks. Since this is a project we have prepared for a long time, that timing is the most suitable for us. Honestly, no matter how we look at it, Ho-young is the only player who perfectly fits this advertisement."
"What's the theme?"
"Breaking the limits of humanity."
"Interesting. I'll review it and contact you again."
The positive reaction was a relief.
Then Lucci asked another question.
"By the way, is it a solo advertisement?"
"No. There will be one more partner. He specifically said he wants to appear with Ho-young."
"Is he a Real Madrid player?"
Lucci assumed it was a typical football ad and asked.
Camacho answered confidently.
"Haha. He isn't a football player."
Perhaps.
A meeting of the century might take place.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)