The forest fell silent.
Not a single bird sang.
Not a single leaf moved.
Everything seemed to hold its breath.
McCall stood frozen as golden energy poured from Master Rowan’s body.
The old man’s worn jacket fluttered in the wind.
The wrinkles on his face remained.
His gray beard remained.
But the gentle grandfather McCall had met in the park…
Was gone.
In his place stood a warrior.
A guardian.
The three Ravens instinctively took a step back.
Victor laughed, though there was tension in his voice.
“So…”
“The old lion still has claws.”
Rowan smiled calmly.
“My claws are more than enough for scavengers.”
One of the younger Ravens growled.
“You arrogant old man!”
He kicked his black football into the air.
Dark flames exploded around it.
The ball shot toward Rowan like a missile.
McCall’s eyes widened.
“It’s too fast!”
Rowan didn’t move.
Not until the very last second.
Tap.
He lifted one foot.
The burning football landed softly on the top of his boot.
The flames disappeared instantly.
Silence.
McCall couldn’t believe it.
“He…”
“He stopped it?”
Rowan looked down at the football.
“You’ve forgotten.”
His voice carried across the clearing.
“A football answers the heart of the player.”
“It does not belong to darkness.”
With a gentle flick…
The black flames shattered like broken glass.
The football returned to its original white color.
The young Raven staggered backward.
“My Shadow Flame…”
“It vanished!”
Victor’s smile disappeared.
“So you’ve perfected Purification.”
Rowan tossed the football back.
It rolled harmlessly to the young Raven’s feet.
“I have no interest in fighting children.”
The insult hit harder than any punch.
The young Raven roared.
“I’m not a child!”
He charged.
Another followed.
The third circled through the trees.
Three against one.
Adrian immediately moved.
“I’ll help!”
Rowan raised one hand.
“No.”
Adrian stopped.
“But Master—”
“Protect McCall.”
“That…”
“…is your mission.”
Adrian clenched his fists.
“…Yes, Master.”
The first Raven attacked with incredible speed.
A spinning volley.
The football curved toward Rowan’s head.
Without looking…
Rowan leaned slightly.
The ball missed him by inches.
The second Raven arrived from behind.
Slide tackle.
Perfect timing.
Rowan jumped.
The tackle missed completely.
He landed lightly on the football itself.
Balancing effortlessly.
McCall stared in disbelief.
“That’s impossible…”
Rowan smiled.
“No.”
“It’s balance.”
The First King’s voice echoed inside McCall.
“A true player never fights the football.” This chapter is updated first at g.com.
“He dances with it.”
For the first time…
McCall understood.
Victor finally joined the battle.
Unlike the others…
He didn’t rush.
He observed.
Calculated.
Then…
He kicked his football.
Nothing flashy.
Nothing explosive.
Just one clean pass.
The ball traveled silently.
Too silently.
Rowan’s eyes widened.
“So…”
“You learned Silent Passing.”
At the last possible moment…
Rowan twisted his body.
The ball brushed past his shoulder.
BOOM!!
A massive oak tree behind him exploded into splinters.
McCall swallowed hard.
“That wasn’t even a shot…”
Victor lowered his foot.
“You’ve slowed down, Rowan.”
The old guardian chuckled.
“And you’ve become impatient.”
Suddenly…
A blue notification appeared before McCall.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Emergency Quest
Observe a Master’s Battle.
Objectives:
• Identify three advanced techniques.
• Remain calm under pressure.
Reward:
King’s Insight (Level 1)
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
McCall focused.
“Three techniques…”
He watched every movement carefully.
Rowan wasn’t wasting energy.
Every step was precise.
Every touch had purpose.
No unnecessary movement.
No panic.
The battle looked less like a fight…
And more like a football lesson.
Victor suddenly smiled.
“I’ve seen enough.”
He snapped his fingers.
McCall frowned.
“What…”
The ground beneath Rowan cracked open.
Black chains shot upward.
They wrapped around Rowan’s legs.
The old guardian frowned.
“A trap.”
Victor nodded.
“We knew direct combat wouldn’t work.”
The two younger Ravens attacked simultaneously.
One from the left.
One from the right.
Dark footballs spinning toward Rowan’s chest.
Adrian’s eyes widened.
“Master!”
Without thinking…
McCall ran.
Adrian shouted,
“McCall, stop!”
But he didn’t stop.
He remembered something.
The scattered footballs at Brookhaven.
Using the field.
Using the environment.
Thinking instead of overpowering.
His eyes landed on a loose stone beside the creek.
An idea formed instantly.
He kicked it.
The stone skipped across the water.
Splash.
Splash.
It struck one of the Ravens in the ankle.
His balance broke.
His shot drifted wide.
The second Raven turned in surprise.
That single distraction…
Was enough.
Rowan smiled.
“Excellent.”
Golden energy burst from his legs.
The chains shattered.
He trapped the remaining dark football with his chest.
Then…
With one elegant bicycle kick—
BOOM!!
A wave of golden light swept across the clearing.
The two younger Ravens were launched backward.
Their masks cracked.
They crashed into nearby trees.
Victor skidded several meters before stopping.
Silence returned.
Only the sound of leaves falling remained.
Rowan landed gracefully.
He looked at McCall.
“You didn’t attack.”
McCall shook his head.
“I created an opening.”
Rowan’s smile widened.
“Exactly.”
“A King doesn’t always score the goal.”
“Sometimes…”
“He creates the chance.”
The System chimed.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Quest Complete
Observation:
✔ Balance Control
✔ Silent Passing
✔ Creating Space
Reward Granted.
New Skill:
King’s Insight – Level 1
Allows the host to recognize high-level techniques more quickly during matches.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
McCall smiled.
“I’m learning…”
Rowan nodded.
“And learning is what will keep you alive.”
Victor slowly stood.
A crack ran through his raven mask.
Golden blood seeped from beneath it.
Instead of anger…
He laughed.
“Marvelous.”
He looked directly at McCall.
“The First King truly chose well.”
He began walking backward into the shadows.
“This isn’t over.”
“The Tournament is approaching.”
Rowan’s expression darkened.
“So…”
“You’ve decided to start it early.”
Victor spread his arms.
“The world has waited centuries.”
“It’s time to crown a new King.”
With that…
The three Ravens disappeared into the darkness.
The forest became quiet once again.
McCall looked at Rowan.
“What tournament?”
The old guardian sighed deeply.
“The greatest football competition in history.”
“It isn’t played for money.”
“It isn’t played for fame.”
He looked directly into McCall’s eyes.
“It is played…”
“…to decide who will inherit the complete Legacy of the Football King.”
McCall felt a shiver run through his body.
Somewhere in the darkness…
Unknown players.
Hidden organizations.
Ancient rivals.
Were already preparing.
And without realizing it…
He had just entered the most dangerous match of his life.