If it was talking about the limit of talent, then it most likely meant TS+3.
And once that was surpassed, one would reach the end.
It matched what Mammon had said, that if he went beyond the limit and even surpassed the transcendent realm, he would be able to see the end.
But that was not all.
-When the flower blooms in full, a new stem will grow and a bud will open.
It was the most meaningful thing Mammon had ever said.
Even now, he could not begin to grasp what it meant.
Did that mean a new ability would manifest?
He could not be sure of anything.
One thing was certain, though. He still had a long and busy road ahead of him.
He had thought he had reached the end, but once the fog lifted, a new path had opened before his eyes.
So from that day on, Ho-young threw himself into training.
He focused on the physical training programme the club had systematically prepared for him, and in the time that remained, he devoted himself entirely to working with the ball.
Like a baby learning to walk, he approached his training step by step with the mindset of starting from the very beginning.
Because if he wanted to use the talent of transcendent ball sense properly, he had to make it fully his own.
The staff at the training ground could only click their tongues at the sight of Ho-young.
Everyone else had gone on holiday, yet he kept coming to the training ground every single day and training, so it was only natural they would react that way.
Especially when it was a player who had already reached the very top of the world.
But Ho-young had no choice.
'If I don't prepare properly, I'll be devoured.'
This was the most important time.
If he did not prepare thoroughly, Tom might devour him and turn him into a madman.
Since his entire remaining life was at stake, he could not let his guard down for even a moment.
Depending on how he spent this off-season, his future would change completely.
"Hoo..."
He had to live harder with each passing day.
"Huaa!"
To truly see the end.
And before long, the chance came to confirm the effects of that gruelling training.
-Hello?
It was a call from Lucci just as he was finishing that day's training.
-You remember the shoot I told you about before, right?
"Right, I do."
-I thought so. I'll be flying back in time tomorrow, so remember it. And don't go forgetting again and head to the training ground.
There was a short filming schedule the next day, and Lucci, who had gone to the United States on a business trip for an advertising contract, was calling to confirm.
There were several reasons he had scheduled a shoot when even training time felt insufficient.
Ho-young had gotten caught up in all sorts of incidents over the past month, so his image had taken a serious hit, but now that the truth had come out, it was gradually recovering.
So they had arranged the shoot in order to build on that momentum and create a clearly positive image.
And there was another reason as well, the talent he could obtain at the filming site.
On the day of the shoot.
The place Ho-young and Lucci headed to was a slum street in Manchester.
There, extravagant filming equipment completely at odds with the neighbourhood was lined up, and in the middle of it stood a film director holding a megaphone.
This was not the set of a simple commercial shoot, but a movie set.
"I'm nervous."
That was right.
Today was the day Ho-young was making his way into a Hollywood film.
The title of the film was Goal 4.
A sequel to the Goal series, its main story followed the growth of a boy who had come over to England.
The setting was England.
The protagonist of the film was an immigrant boy who kicked a worn-out ball through alleys that reeked of filth while dreaming of becoming a footballer.
And he had one wish.
To go to Old Trafford or the Etihad Stadium and watch the players in action in person.
He admired many players, but the one he respected most was Ho-young.
Then one day, the boy received a new football as a birthday present from his single mother.
Overjoyed, he went out into the alley to practise with it, only to run into schoolboys who bullied him, who took the ball away and tormented him.
"And then Ho-young just happens to be driving by, steps out of the car, and becomes the boy's hero."
"Understood."
The scene Ho-young had to film was so simple and short that even the film director did not have much to explain.
"Hm. Like I told you beforehand, you're up against three boys. But for a more dramatic effect, we've cast all three as freestyle footballers. They'll come at you one by one, so all you need to do is calmly win the ball, bring it back, and then show off your skills in return. Well, we'll run through it together first, so don't worry."
And then a few lines of dialogue.
That was all Ho-young had to do.
But after running through it with them, Ho-young carefully offered a different opinion.
"Wouldn't it be better to not stick to the planned movements and just do it freestyle? I think that would look much more natural. And if they're freestyle players, it would come across better if it were real freestyle."
"Hm."
He had a point, the scene was too plain as it was.
They had cast none other than Ho-young, an absolute superstar, for a cameo, so if it was only going to end with this level of action, they might as well have cast someone else.
It lacked impact compared to Ho-young's reputation.
"Then let's at least try it. The alley is narrow, so be careful... ah, am I worrying for nothing?"
"Haha. It's fine."
The director changed his tone.
Ho-young was someone who rarely got injured even on pitches full of brutal tackles, so it felt strange to be worrying about him.
And so the filming began.
While the main boy was being bullied in the alley, Ho-young, who was passing by, could not ignore the injustice, got out of his car, and entered the alley.
Gulp.
The set fell completely silent.
A tense atmosphere that made everyone sweat ran through the air.
Because it was being acted out entirely on the spot without any coordination, no one could predict what kind of scene would come out.
The director had asked for only one thing.
'Overwhelming.'
As long as he showed an overwhelming performance, that would be enough.
His opponents were three of the world's best freestyle footballers, all of whom had placed in freestyle football competitions.
Following the director's instructions, they smirked as they faced Ho-young.
Since Ho-young was wearing a mask and a cap, the setup was that they did not know who he was.
"Mate, just keep walking."
"Nice car you've got, but what brings you to a dump like this? And as an Asian too."
The three surrounded Ho-young, even throwing out racist remarks.
As they did, they started threatening him with dazzling tricks.
It was then that Ho-young moved.
Tap!
"...?"
The atmosphere on the set turned cold in an instant.
Ho-young moved quickly and, after only a few motions, took the ball away.
It was a scene that showed an overwhelming obsession with the ball.
"Director. Should we start over?"
"No, keep going."
Without stopping, the director continued the shoot.
The three freestyle footballers facing Ho-young felt their pride sting.
Even if their actual football ability was lacking, they took pride in handling the ball even better than professional footballers.
Especially Glen, the recent freestyle competition champion, whose stubborn pride flared up and who came at him seriously.
"Hup!"
From that point on, it was no longer acting.
They were going all out.
But.
"Haa... haa..."
Far from taking the ball, they could not even get close to it. It was no longer about the script, but about the gap in class.
It was completely one-sided.
Yet the shoot continued.
No one thought of stopping it, they only stared blankly.
A spectacular scene unfolding in a narrow alley.
Ho-young literally toyed with the three players charging at him and kept the ball under control.
If they tackled to the left, the ball was on the right. If they tackled to the right, the ball had somehow moved to the left.
And if they tried to block both sides, it was above his knee.
It was unbelievable even while watching it with their own eyes.
Ho-young was minutely adjusting the angles as he handled the ball, perfectly controlling both the speed and direction of its spin.
The ball was everywhere and nowhere.
"Ugh...!"
Then the three of them charged in frantically, and the result was a scene that was both dynamic and natural.
One of them even lost his head and tried to use his hands to steal the ball.
But it was all useless.
Whoosh!
In an instant, the ball rose above Ho-young's head, then rolled down and settled neatly on top of his foot.
It was as though he were controlling the ball with telekinesis.
"Wow..."
"This is insane..."
Exclamations burst out from all around.
There had been a joke that if you cast Ho-young, you could save on computer graphics costs, and now they could understand why.
A supernatural phenomenon.
Many footballers had appeared in cameos before, but Ho-young was doing things as naturally as breathing that they could not even attempt.
"Was Ho-young always this good...? The ball doesn't leave his body at all."
"I don't know... He's way more impressive than he looked on TV. No, how is that even possible? But can we really use this as it is?"
It felt so unreal that they wondered whether they could even put it into the film.
Even so, the filming went smoothly.
The next scene.
A man walking by watched what was happening and then stepped into the alley.
He was the lead actor playing the role of the school's football coach, the handsome English actor Orlando Bloom.
Famous for playing Legolas in The Lord of the Rings, he was known less for his acting or other strengths than for having looks so outstanding he had been named one of the most beautiful men in the world.
His talent was also [Ollie Obby's Golden Ratio (SU)], and the conditions were as follows.
(Condition 1: Film a movie together)
(Condition 2: Talk for 60 minutes)
(Condition 3: Complete the shoot in one take without an NG)
They were perfect conditions for coveting the talent.
There was no way an NG could happen.
After such an excellent scene had just been created, it was more than enough to immerse himself in the emotions.
As a result, by the time filming ended, Ho-young had not only gained the talent, but also strengthened his connections.
[You covet Ollie Obby's Golden Ratio (SU).]
[Ollie Obby's Golden Ratio (SU) and Unrivaled Sculpted Looks (S-) have successfully fused.]
[Perfect Sculpted Looks (SU)↑]
Was it because he had started coveting Transcendent Versatility (TS)?
Even though other talents were on standby, he was able to covet it immediately without any waiting time.
It was only a matter of time before he rose to become the top advertising model in the sports world.
A few days later, the election for FIFA vice president was held in Doha, Qatar.
[President Mohammed Bin Hammam openly supports Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan]
[Ali bin Al Hussein, FIFA executive committee member now split off, and vice president Chung Mong-joon clash over the next vice president position]
Having become like a duck's egg washed downstream, Chung Mong-joon ended up leaving FIFA after losing the election for FIFA vice president held in Doha, Qatar.
It was the downfall of a giant figure in Korean football.
At that, a certain joke started to spread in some circles.
-Anyone who goes against Ho-young is doomed.
It was a joke, but when one looked at it closely, it was all true.
Chung Mong-joon, Chung Hyun-kyu, Calderón, Mourinho, and so on.
Many of those who had challenged Ho-young had been forced to swallow a bitter cup.
Pep Guardiola was one of them as well.
He had still been on holiday recently, and even this season he had no intention of returning to football.
But then he received an interesting phone call.
Surprisingly enough, the caller was Ho-young.
(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.)