After the end of the first half, the whole world was heating up.
Spain in particular was in complete uproar.
On La Liga Mania, a globally famous fan site, a miracle was happening as fans from different sides were becoming one.
[The title is right in front of us!!!!!!!!!!!!!]
└Just as expected, we're winning it~
└We've conquered Europe once again
└Honestly, haven't we conquered the world too? If we win the Euros twice in a row, shouldn't that count for more than winning the World Cup?
└Culers should immediately offer prayers of thanks toward Madrid. This is all thanks to Lord Ho-young.
└Hala Madrid!
└Hala Madrid!!!!
└At least for today, let's get drunk on Madrid pride
└Pérez, what on earth were you raising all this time. I miss you.
└Thinking about Pérez suddenly makes me think of that crazy old man Calderón. It pisses me off. Why can't Pérez just become president again?
└I think so too. I'd rather Pérez came back. If Ho-young is going to return, that's the only way.
└Ho-young coming back...? As a Culer, I absolutely oppose that to the death... Anything but that...
└Forget that, let's win the Euros first! Come on!!
The same people who were always at each other's throats every single day were now cheering for Spain with one heart and one mind.
On top of that, various legendary football figures were posting on social media in real time, adding even more fuel to the excitement.
[Pep Guardiola: The German tank that rolled forward like interlocking gears has finally been smashed. I offer my early congratulations to our Spain on winning the Euros.]
[Gennaro Gattuso: Fuck, what did I tell you? It's not like we lost because we were bad, alright? Stop riding us already! If you're so frustrated, then you go out there and play?!]
[Paolo Maldini: Until now, I used to think I was fortunate not to have played in the same era as him. But now I think differently. I fear that one day I may face him as manager against manager. As a fellow competitor, I hope he leaves football and goes somewhere else. Hollywood, for example...]
[Johan Cruyff: The important thing is not the score. It is Ho-young's football. That is what is becoming a revolution.]
Johan Cruyff, the creator who had implemented revolutionary tactics long ago.
If even a legend among legends like him had said that, then it was possible to roughly grasp just how high the level of the match had been.
The legendary players who had come to the stadium to watch, Maradona, Zidane, Beckham, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and others, were showing similar reactions.
[I saw earlier that a ton of legends came.]
└Yeah. Beckenbauer was there too. Judging by his expression, he looked terrifying. By now he's probably lined the players up in the dressing room and is beating them with a stick.
Der Kaiser.
With the nickname "The Emperor" following him everywhere, he was Germany's greatest player, a World Cup winner both as a footballer and a manager, and one of the greatest defenders in football history.
And yet he could not bring himself to go into the dressing room.
Because he had no idea what advice he should give.
"Heh heh..."
He simply let out an empty laugh and waited for the players in front of the tunnel.
'Ho-young...'
Beckenbauer had played against Ho-young for a short while in that charity match not long ago.
Since that day, he had felt many things.
That football really had undergone enormous changes.
And that those changes were accelerating more and more.
And today's match made him feel it to the bone.
'He's making football look very simple and very easy. If we can't catch up to that, we have no chance at all.'
It was then that the players of both teams came out into the tunnel.
Standing against the corridor wall, Beckenbauer approached the German players to offer them some weighty advice.
But someone stopped his steps.
'That young man...'
It was Ho-young, smiling brightly, looking more cheerful than anyone else.
'Why?'
He did not look like someone playing in a Euro final at all.
Or did he take football that lightly?
As all kinds of thoughts crossed his mind, Beckenbauer unconsciously approached Ho-young and asked outright.
Since they had greeted each other once before, it was not difficult for him to speak first.
"Why are you smiling?"
Then Ho-young turned his head toward him.
Still smiling, he replied,
"Because football is fun."
"...Fun, is it."
Franz Beckenbauer.
"Heh heh."
He nodded and let out a meaningful smile.
Because an old memory had come back to him.
After stepping into the professional world, he had built a global reputation, but somewhere along the way, he had somewhat lost his passion for football.
Whenever that happened, he would always ask himself something.
Do you still love football?
Are you still enjoying it?
'That's right.'
He had.
There was no reason not to.
Wealth and fame can become the goal of football, but they can never become the reason football exists.
Football is a sport.
Something that must be enjoyed before all difficult worries.
Having been reminded of what he had forgotten, Beckenbauer held out his hand to Ho-young and said,
"You're right. I hope you keep doing that."
"Pardon?"
"I mean, thank you for showing such good football."
"Not at all. I should be the one thanking you, for laying the foundation that made this kind of football possible."
A faint smile settled on Beckenbauer's lips.
Standing right before him was Ho-young, smiling brightly.
Enlightenment.
Usually, once someone enters the professional world and reaches a certain level, their interest in football begins to fade.
But if they go beyond that level and come to understand the true essence of football, they can devote themselves entirely to the game without worry.
That was the level Ho-young had reached.
At least, that was what Beckenbauer thought, and with that he silently turned away and walked toward the German players.
The man who had never hesitated to criticize when the German national team underperformed was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, he encouraged them as they prepared to enter the tunnel.
He told them to enjoy this moment, because it would never come again.
And.
'He really is a great man.'
Watching him, Ho-young felt his sincerity.
His heart pounded, and his eyes were fixed on Beckenbauer's gentle gaze.
[Franz Beckenbauer]
[Possessed Talents: Founder's Creativity (L), Astonishing Tactical Understanding (SS), Charismatic Leadership (S), (More...)]
(You cannot view talents that have currently deteriorated.)
(If the conditions are met, you may covet one talent.)
(For S-grade and above, you must achieve the hidden condition to covet it.)
(Condition 1: Defeat Bayern Munich)
(Condition 2: Score a hat-trick against Bayern Munich)
(Condition 3: Score a hat-trick against Germany)
(Condition 4: Win the UEFA Euro)
(Condition 5: Hear Franz Beckenbauer's know-how)
(Hidden Condition: Opens when you covet at least one talent)
Back in the charity match, he had not been able to gain any talent because of the difficult conditions, but today it finally seemed possible.
Beckenbauer's talent, no less.
Was he not a legend among legends?
Matthäus, Gullit, George Weah, and the other participants were certainly incredible legends as well, but that level could still be found in modern football.
If compared, they were around the level of Xavi and Iniesta.
But Franz Beckenbauer was different.
'The founder of the libero.'
The first libero in history, a defender who was also an attacker.
He had created an entirely new position, and because of that outstanding creativity, he had been called both "The Emperor" and "The Founder."
He was not a legend on the level of Gullit or Matthäus, but one more properly compared with Alfredo Di Stéfano or Johan Cruyff.
That was why his talent was one Ho-young absolutely had to covet.
A chance that would never come again.
Determined not to let it slip away, Ho-young stepped onto the pitch.
The second half soon began.
[The match is becoming more and more dynamic. The players' movements are incredibly lively!]
[Both teams have put their lives on the line. It's tense and thrilling, very exciting.]
Second half.
The players on both teams burned with fighting spirit.
Germany in particular, despite having poured out all their stamina in the first half, squeezed out even their very last bit of strength to take on Spain.
They were prepared to die on the pitch if they had to.
"Keep running to the end! It's not over yet!"
"Aaaaaah!!"
Even with control of the match already having shifted to Spain, Germany did not give up until the very end.
[Their mentality is truly incredible. Their organization, which had come apart, is coming back together again.]
[The driving force behind it is their desire to win the title. They are showing even more passionate and impressive football than in the first half. This is literally war.]
A remarkable will to win.
But there was someone even more intense than they were.
[La Pelopina turn! Ho-young escapes Mesut Özil's pressure!]
Ho-young crushed all of their determination.
The moment he received the ball, he suddenly attempted to drive forward, and in an instant he had carried it 20 meters on his own.
From Germany's point of view, it had not even been such a dangerous situation, yet suddenly it developed like this.
Mesut Özil was only the beginning, and then as the feast of individual skill continued, one after another they were sent flying out of the play.
Swoosh.
With a sharp La Pelopina turn, Ho-young opened space on the right, then immediately spun back 180 degrees and switched the direction of attack to the left.
And that was not the end.
From there, he linked it smoothly into a Marseille turn, deceiving Sami Khedira and Toni Kroos at the same time as they came toward him.
Next came the knock-and-run.
Taaak!
[Ho-young is running!! Philipp Lahm is right in front of him!]
[Hummels is there too!]
Once again, the distance to the defenders closed.
For Ho-young, that distance meant nothing.
Thunk!
A rainbow flick.
Popping the ball into the air, Ho-young shifted it from right to left before it even came back down, shattering Hummels's composure.
It was a creative piece of skill, combining his own specialty with Ronaldinho's flip-flap.
And the finish was a phantom dribble.
Tap, tack!
As the ball dropped back onto the grass, he moved it from left to right while throwing in a body feint, successfully breaking Philipp Lahm's balance.
All that remained was the last guardian, Manuel Neuer.
But before even his hand could reach out, Germany's net rippled.
Because Ho-young's off-beat toe-poke was far faster than anyone could imagine.
Clang!
[Gooooooooooal! It's in!!]
[Well... there's not much to say. He scored without missing the slightest opening as Germany's defensive organization wavered. At least, that's how it looked to me.]
That was exactly right.
Germany's defensive organization had begun to collapse as their stamina drained away, and only then did Ho-young truly begin to put on his performance.
It was at that very moment that he came to covet Philipp Lahm's Title.
[You covet Magic Dwarf (T). You partially acquire Philipp Lahm's experience and senses. It will take 13 days to fully assimilate the experience and senses.]
The reward for breaking down Philipp Lahm's defensive organization.
And the gains did not stop there.
Midway through the second half.
Ho-young roamed all over the pitch and showed all kinds of play, and in particular there were many scenes where he created chances through combination play with his teammates.
From that, he was able to covet Mesut Özil's Title.
[You preemptively covet Chance Maker (T). You partially acquire Mesut Özil's experience and senses. It will take 12 days to fully assimilate the experience and senses.]
And when he added another goal through a run into space, he was able to covet Thomas Müller's "Space Performer (T)."
And so, the match surged toward its end with everything completely tilted to one side.
Germany did pull one goal back in the end, but the outcome of the match could no longer be changed.
6-1.
That was the score when the final whistle blew.
Ho-young, who recorded 3 goals and 3 assists, was selected as MOM, and the Spanish players, who had earned the glory of victory, finally stepped up onto the podium.
The captain of the team, Casillas, was the first to lift the trophy.
And after that...
"Young, it's your turn."
The eyes of the Spain players all turned toward Ho-young.
It was the highest honor that could be given to the youngest member of the team.
At the same time, as the stadium's main camera zoomed in on Ho-young, he raised the silver trophy high above his head with all his strength.
It was the moment a thunderous roar erupted.
"Waaaaaaaaaaaah!!"
As an Asian, from this moment on, having become the first in history to lift the Euro trophy.
Woo Ho-young.
That name would remain in European history for a long, long time.
(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.)