The most famous sports athlete in Spain.
The most influential sports athlete in Spain.
The most beloved sports athlete among Spaniards.
The man who ranked overwhelmingly first in all those categories.
Rafael Nadal.
Only 24 years old, he was already the greatest superstar in Spain, someone no one else could rival.
His popularity was astonishing.
Once, a nationwide survey asked this question.
Which achievement is more valuable?
1. Spain winning the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship in football
2. Rafael Nadal winning three Grand Slam titles
More than 70 percent chose option two.
It was a natural result.
Football might be more popular than tennis overall, but in the individual category, Nadal's popularity was on another level.
Even Iker Casillas and Fernando Torres, known as the most popular figures in Spanish football, were insignificant in comparison.
Moreover, he was someone greatly cherished by the Spanish royal family, so interest in his future after retirement was also high.
According to his own words, he wanted to become the president of Real Madrid someday.
It was not an empty statement.
He had once been a youth football player and was well known as a passionate Real Madrid fan.
Therefore.
"I really was a fan."
Nadal had been a fan of Ho-young for quite some time, and he had waited eagerly for this moment.
He was already close with players like Casillas, Raúl, and Sergio Ramos, but he had never personally met Ho-young.
After the World Cup he had planned to visit and greet him in person, and now this perfect opportunity had appeared.
"I was planning to storm into the Bernabéu locker room soon and ask for your autograph. But meeting you here at Caja Mágica is such an honor."
"The honor is mine."
Ho-young was also his fan.
Strictly speaking he had originally been a fan of Roger Federer, but living in Spain had naturally turned him into a fan of Nadal as well.
Nadal was the hero of all Spaniards.
If Federer was a player defined by elegance, Nadal was a macho bull who relied on physical strength.
Federer was undoubtedly the emperor of tennis, but the year 2010 clearly belonged to Nadal.
Among the four Grand Slams, the French Open, Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open, he had already won three.
In football terms, it would be like simultaneously winning the World Cup, the UEFA Champions League, and the UEFA European Championship.
"I watched your match against Djokovic in the US Open final recently. It was impressive. And congratulations on the title."
"Then you must have seen my celebration too."
Nadal had performed the "Siu" celebration after winning the final.
"Haha. Of course. I felt thrilled just watching it."
Technically it was Ronaldo's celebration.
Still, the fact that a superstar like Nadal had thought of him made Ho-young feel excited and strangely pleased.
"Well then, I look forward to working with you today."
"Haha. Same here."
Nadal laughed cheerfully and extended his hand.
Then he spoke in a thin, playful voice.
"We're brothers now."
A man who carried both masculinity and boyish charm.
Ho-young began to understand why he was especially popular among women.
It felt like this would be a good meeting.
[Rafael Nadal]
[Possessed Talents: King of Clay Courts (T), Monarch-Level Body Rotation (SU), Unrivaled Court Coverage (SS+3), Innately Gifted Astonishing Upper Body Muscles (SS+), Incredible Stamina (S+3), Shocking Sprint Speed (S+2), (More...)]
(You may covet one talent if the conditions are satisfied.)
(If you covet a T-grade Title talent, you can acquire part of the sensory ability. However, you must be at least 18 years old.)
(Talents of S grade or higher can only be covet after achieving hidden conditions.)
(Condition 1: Film a commercial together)
(Condition 2: Return Nadal's ball more than 10 times in a single rally)
(Condition 3: Win a match that Nadal attends)
(Condition 4: Record three attacking points in a match that Nadal attends)
(Hidden condition will unlock after coveting at least one talent)
'Body rotation.'
If one had to list Nadal's strengths, stamina, defense, speed, and mentality would immediately come to mind.
But above all, his greatest strength was rotation.
When he hit the ball, nearly every part of his body rotated.
His ankles, knees, hips, chest, shoulders, wrists, and elbows all rotated.
Everything except his head and the soles of his feet.
Then he concentrated all that rotational force into his wrist at the moment of contact, maximizing power.
That was why Nadal's shots spun more than twice as much as those of ordinary players.
And this physical principle applied directly to football as well.
Humans are vertebrates, so simply extending the leg does not produce a sharp and precise shot.
The arms and legs are only the beginning.
The lower body, upper body, core, and waist must all rotate together and focus their force at the tip of the foot.
Only then can a precise and powerful shot be produced.
'It's an advanced concept of shooting that every forward should understand.'
But very few players could execute it skillfully.
How could someone control every part of their body in that brief moment while shooting?
It had to be innate.
Like Rafael Nadal, it required natural talent to perform it perfectly.
But if that principle could be perfectly applied to football...
'I could execute kicks on a much higher level.'
Perhaps meeting him would help break through the limits of being a footballer.
Before filming began, the director gave a detailed explanation.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Michael, the Senior Creative Director who led this project. It's a great honor to work with both of you."
"Nice to meet you."
"Looking forward to working together."
The explanation continued immediately.
Since they had already received a brief overview beforehand, everything proceeded smoothly.
"As you all know, this commercial is part of a large series project. Today is the first episode."
The first episode would depict two of the strongest humans on Earth facing each other before eventually becoming allies.
In other words, Ho-young and Nadal were the protagonists.
"The most important scene is the duel inside the court. There are no special lines. Just act naturally within the framework while imagining that you are actually competing. The concept is breaking human limits. Difficult scenes such as overhead kicks or tennis shots throwing the racket will be filmed separately and handled with CG. So please do not overexert yourselves. Just exchange rallies freely."
The commercial would be two minutes long, along with a four minute making film.
Filming began shortly afterward.
The concept was that Ho-young, the World Cup Golden Ball winner, had come to challenge Nadal, who had achieved three Grand Slam titles that year.
The first scene showed Ho-young entering the stadium.
"Good. Let's try that again with a slightly more determined expression."
Then came the real moment.
Ho-young stepped into the court, exchanged a fist bump with Nadal, and stood on his side.
From that moment, the atmosphere changed.
The two stared at each other, engaging in silent psychological tension.
Nadal lifted one corner of his mouth in a faint smirk.
Ho-young wore a serious expression with no hint of a smile.
'Perfect. That's it.'
Director Michael watched the two athletes with satisfaction.
'Athletes really belong on the field.'
Now it was the most important moment.
The main scene.
The start came with Nadal's serve.
Thump.
A slow ball.
Nadal swung his racket widely toward the left side.
But Ho-young had no racket.
Instead.
Tap.
He lightly received the tennis ball that bounced off the ground with the side of his football boot and balanced it on the top of his foot.
"Oh."
"Wow."
Gasps filled the stadium.
It came instinctively from the staff.
Michael felt the same.
'Good. We already got a great shot.'
This project.
Choosing Ho-young had definitely been the right decision.
Once world class editing and CG were added, it would become an incredible piece.
Then it happened.
"!"
Ho-young bounced the ball on his foot several times, then unleashed a sharp spinning kick.
It was as precise as if struck by a tennis racket.
"Oh!"
But it was too early to be amazed.
Smack.
The ball bounced off the ground with a sharp deflection, and Nadal sprinted over and returned it with a backhand.
"Hahaha!"
"My goodness."
"They're monsters."
Laughter spread at the magical scene.
How often could anyone witness something like this?
The staff watched in genuine admiration.
But.
Thud.
Tap.
Smack.
Thud.
As the rally continued, even laughter disappeared.
It was pure wonder.
A rally that needed no CG.
Everyone stared with mouths open as the duel continued.
The footage alone could have been used as the advertisement without any editing.
The rally continued for more than a minute.
"Is Ho-young really doing this with his feet?"
"He must have a transparent racket attached to his leg."
"His legs are alive."
Most people were too stunned to react.
But someone spoke casually.
"Other footballers could probably do that too. Isn't Nadal going easy on him?"
"Are you blind? Does that look easy to you?"
Smack.
"Hoo!"
Thud.
Rafael Nadal.
He was not taking it lightly.
But he was not going all out either.
Still, it was far from easy.
The matchup itself was absurd.
Naturally Nadal had the advantage with a tennis racket.
Moreover, Nadal's powerful serves exceeded 200 km per hour.
Humans could react to a 300 km per hour badminton smash, but receiving such a shot without a racket was extremely difficult.
The tennis court itself stretched over eight meters across.
Running that distance repeatedly while receiving Nadal's shots with the body was extremely difficult.
Perhaps it could happen once or twice.
But continuing like this was nearly impossible.
Yet.
Smack.
An incredible reaction speed.
The fastest instantaneous acceleration among footballers.
Explosive agility that allowed him to change direction freely.
And ball control that had reached the limits of human capability.
Ho-young used every part of his body from head to toe to return Nadal's shots.
In addition, he read Nadal's movements with anticipation and wide vision, responding quickly.
'Unbelievable.'
Nadal was shocked.
Even after years of tennis, he had never felt this bewildered.
'Then what about this?'
Smack.
Curious about the limits, Nadal aimed precisely at the far left corner.
From Ho-young's position on the right edge, it seemed impossible to reach.
But that too was a mistake.
Smack.
"Holy."
"That's insane."
"Goosebumps."
It was a scorching summer day, yet chills ran through the spectators.
Ho-young moved as if teleporting, trapping the ball with his foot and lifting it onto his knee.
It was an unbelievable motion.
'Does he have magnets in his feet?'
Nadal wiped cold sweat from his forehead.
Ho-young was an even bigger monster than he had imagined.
The only way to describe it was that he was playing with the ball.
'Seriously.'
Even Nadal, famous for his court coverage, was astonished.
'Now I understand why the concept is breaking human limits.'
The commercial had clearly been designed with Ho-young in mind.
As a fellow human, it even felt frightening.
Still.
'This is fun.'
He was not afraid.
Ho-young was focused on receiving the ball and had not launched any real attack.
A footballer beating a tennis player holding a racket was unrealistic.
But then.
Whoosh.
Ho-young lifted the ball with his knee, flicked it above his head, and something unbelievable happened.
Scissors kick.
He leaped into the air, crossed both legs, and struck the ball downward with force.
Boom.
The tennis ball shot forward with incredible speed and landed exactly on the line.
Not only was it accurate, the power was tremendous.
The ball bounced high into the sky.
It was breathtaking.
"...!"
Caught off guard, Nadal frowned.
But showing world class reaction, he sprinted forward and returned the ball with force.
Smack.
Nadal's trademark forehand.
Not an ordinary shot, but a deadly topspin strike.
It was pure instinct.
The ball spun at over 4000 RPM and landed precisely on the opposite court.
The long rally finally ended.
And then.
Clap.
Clap clap.
Clap clap clap.
Applause erupted.
Every staff member in the stadium reacted the same way.
"You could play tennis instead of football."
"If you hadn't done that scissors kick at the end, you might have returned the next shot too."
"Seriously."
"What did we just watch? Hahaha."
It was literally the limit of humanity.
A masterpiece.
Later during the break.
While Ho-young was drinking a sports drink, Nadal approached him.
"That was incredible."
"I learned something today. I couldn't react to that last spin shot."
"If you reacted to that from that distance, you wouldn't be human. Besides, you didn't even have a racket."
"Haha. I want that racket of yours."
"This? Here, take it."
"What?"
Nadal handed over the racket as if he had been waiting.
"This is the racket that made Djokovic cry at the US Open. Instead, I'd like one of your player issue jerseys and football boots."
"Hahaha. Of course!"
They shook hands immediately and exchanged phone numbers.
"Please visit the Bernabéu sometime. I'll prepare a celebration just for you."
"Then I should book a ticket right away. The end of the ATP World Tour in late November would be perfect. The next day is El Clásico."
Nadal planned to visit on November 29.
The day of the final El Clásico Ho-young would play before leaving Spain.
It was also the time when the integration of Field-Dominating Versatility (W+3) would begin.
(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.)