"Hah..." The handsome young man let out a long breath, straightening his posture and focusing with unwavering concentration...
...
"Ah! That was a close one! Thank goodness for you, Shinichi. How many times has it been now? You're just too amazing!" The other boys couldn't hold back, shouting excitedly as Shinichi, looking calm and composed, placed yet another medal into his display case.
"Yeah, kendo, chess, volleyball... I remember people were even waiting outside the classroom, begging you to join the track team. And now, after just a few months, you've won another championship. Unbelievable…"
"Maybe that's just what being a genius is."
...
While his peers showered him with praise, the young man called Shinichi simply shook his head calmly.
Fortunately, his lively classmates soon shifted the topic, eagerly reliving the thrill of victory.
Meanwhile, the club president, wearing glasses, walked over to him.
"As much as I'd like you to stay, I figure you're probably getting bored by now, aren't you?" The president adjusted his glasses. "Got anything in mind you want to try next?"
"Yeah, I already decided." Kanzaki Shinichi put down his phone after a long pause. Strangely, his usually calm eyes now sparkled with excitement, something even winning hadn't managed to stir.
"Oh? Looks like you finally found something interesting, 'jack-of-all-trades'?" The president couldn't resist his curiosity, eager to know what could possibly excite this prodigy—someone who rarely showed interest in anything and could effortlessly outshine those who'd spent years mastering their crafts.
"Yeah… I finally found it." Ignoring the president's playful remarks and the hint of frustration in his voice, Shinichi quickly changed his clothes, waved goodbye with a grin, and called out, "I'm off! Don't forget to submit my withdrawal form!"
"What? Huh?" The president was dumbfounded by the boy's sudden announcement, and before he could even raise a hand to stop him, Shinichi's figure had disappeared around the corner. But he caught a glimpse of the headline on Shinichi's phone—
"Noel Noa Voted World's Top Striker!"
...
Finally! I've found it!
Back home, lying on his bed, Shinichi clenched his fists in excitement. The last time he felt this thrilled was when he first discovered the Legendary System after transmigrating.
Yes, Kanzaki Shinichi was a transmigrator, reborn into this world from another life. His past identity and cause of death weren't worth mentioning—mere details that didn't belong in a story. In this life, he had started with the classic "orphaned with a house and car" background.
At age five, he sensed a hidden system within him and successfully activated it, establishing himself as an athletic prodigy in various sports and even amassing a decent fortune thanks to his foresight.
But despite his success, a sense of emptiness nagged at him.
After all, if he was given a new life, he ought to make something of it.
Yet, he hadn't found a meaningful goal, and his system was clearly geared toward sports.
Although he saw familiar names while browsing online, they were mostly fictional figures in this world.
This had frustrated Shinichi—until now, when he finally saw a glimmer of purpose. "Football, Striker, Noel Noa… This must be Blue Lock. No wonder I couldn't find any familiar school or club names. It's not your typical sports series with traditional clubs!"
"Interesting. I'm not exactly aiming to be the world's top striker, but at least it'll bring me some excitement. Let's shake things up in Blue Lock, shall we?"
"So the next step is to secure an invitation to Blue Lock…" Shinichi recalled a detail from the story. "When Noa argued with that guy, he mentioned that he won the top striker vote last year, meaning the national tournament next year is where the story begins."
Shinichi jotted down some notes, piecing together his plan. "Looks like I have two options: join the football club, perform well in matches to get noticed, or buy my way in by funding the project? I remember they had a tight budget."
"Or maybe I could do both? Once the U-20 arc hits live broadcasts, any money I invest will double in returns. Now, all that's left is dealing with the football club. Right!"
A spark of inspiration hit him, and he picked up the phone. "I've decided on my high school… I want to play football… Yes… Check the tournament schedule. Find a school in the same bracket as Ichinan High School. Okay."
After finishing the call, Shinichi lowered his phone and looked toward the distant sky, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Oh, innocent Blue Lock geniuses, let's see how much fun you can bring me before the story truly begins."
With that thought, Shinichi raised his hand and waved it through the air. A luminous screen, visible only to him, appeared before his eyes.
Character: Kanzaki Shinichi
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Height: 181 cm
Attributes:
Strength: 91
Speed: 97
Agility: 86
Flexibility: 97 (87 + 10)
Mentality: 84
Intelligence: 93 (88 + 5)
Traits:
Mamba Physique (Purple): Inherited from a legendary figure's best ability, your core strength, coordination, and stability are greatly enhanced (Flexibility +10).
Genius (Gold): Recognized as a genius, your attributes exceed the average by far. Your learning and comprehension abilities are significantly above normal.
Machine-Like (Purple): Your stability and calmness are renowned. This trait improves your physical stability and reduces fluctuations in your performance.
Dual Dominance (Purple): With exceptional coordination between both brain hemispheres, your body's left and right sides are perfectly synchronized, eliminating any preference for one hand or foot.
Versatile Athlete (Purple): Having excelled in multiple sports at the youth level, your versatility shocks others. Your physical stats are evenly enhanced, and you can transfer extra stat boosts from one skill to another every six months (to adapt to the changes, a cooldown of six months is required after each adjustment).
Strategist (Blue): Your achievements in board games have sharpened your strategic thinking. Your situational awareness and vision are improved, allowing you to manipulate the flow of play more effectively (Intelligence +5).
Skills: [Main storyline not yet unlocked; function currently locked]
This is the Legendary Athlete System, Shinichi's "cheat."
Inspired by the power system from the Fate series, where legendary figures become heroic spirits after their deeds are immortalized, Shinichi's system operates in a similar way.
He can select a time frame ranging from one day to three years.
During this period, any accomplishments or praise he garners are distilled into traits or abilities. At the end of the period, he can "settle" and solidify one of the traits he earned.
For example, after winning a chess championship last year, Shinichi's accomplishment resulted in the Strategist (Blue) trait.
Additionally, his general excellence earned him the Genius (White) trait.
When settling the past year, he could only choose one trait, so he selected the higher-rated Strategist (Blue).
Through experimentation, Shinichi realized that short periods limit his traits' potential to surpass the Blue level, while extending the duration doesn't guarantee Gold-level traits.
He concluded that, with his current visibility, an annual settlement is the most efficient.
Shinichi speculates that if he were to win a world championship instead of a high school tournament, he could potentially achieve Gold-level traits even with an immediate settlement, as the exposure and recognition would be on a much grander scale.
It's worth noting that trait levels progress in the following order: White, Blue, Purple, Gold, and Red.
Shinichi's Genius (Gold) trait originally started as Blue, but through a "three-in-one" fusion mechanic, he repeatedly selected the Genius trait each year.
After multiple years of refinement, he was finally able to elevate it to Gold status.
"My current attribute panel is decent, but Blue Lock's attributes scale up fast in later stages. I'm not sure if my stats align directly with those in Blue Lock—and those flashy, borderline supernatural abilities they use are something I lack."
Shinichi's gaze shifted to the locked options in his system.
It was one thing to dominate weaker players, but getting defeated by them would be no fun at all.
He suspected that the real key to becoming "invincible" lay within that locked section.
"Don't let me down, Blue Lock. A bunch of loudmouths—if I can't crush them with pure strength, I won't even be able to shut them up."