Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 269



Only Noblemtl

Episode 269: The Royal Goalkeeper

The game has completely come to an end.

As my extra goal went in, the stadium went from being a furnace to a volcano, somewhere between a furnace and a volcano.

Of course, the Hannover supporters are silent.

Hannover tried their best to attack as if they could not afford to lose the game like this, but they were powerless against Giovanni’s sophisticated catenaccio.

The Manchester United players drove Hannover away as if they were red blood cells.

There was nothing for me to do. There was nothing dangerous. And as the end of the game approached, the Hannover players’ strength also diminished proportionally.

In the end, the referee was left to helplessly watch the Manchester United players pass the ball around, and then glance at his watch—

Beep— beep— beep!

The game ended.

Immediately, the players’ emotions were mixed.

My former colleagues look at me with bewildered expressions.

My current colleagues each expressed their joy in their own way.

Some violent fans seemed ready to storm the pitch as soon as the win was confirmed, but were stopped by security guards inside the stadium.

“You won.”

I wasn’t as excited as I was at Hannover. It wasn’t my first trophy, and I’ve won quite a few trophies in my career.

Of course, it was a bit overwhelming as it was the club’s first international victory.

‘Is it because Hannover collapsed with my two clicks? I just feel like I won a game I was supposed to win.’

As I was clapping my hands indifferently, a familiar figure suddenly came walking towards me.

And then he holds out his hand with an awkward smile.

“You know I have no feelings, right?”

“Why haven’t you changed?”

A guy who seems sinister but is also full of absurdity.

I held Corsic’s hand, meaning that what happened on the pitch was buried.

“I couldn’t help it.”

“I understand. I’m the other person.”

Korsic, who seemed a little apologetic, shook his head as if he was dumbfounded by my words.

After that, other Hannover players also came up to me and said a few words to me.

Congratulating him on his win, trying to mentally attack him but it didn’t work…

The feeling of disappointment remains, but on the other hand, I understand. How desperate must it have been? Also, trash talking in sports can hurt the opponent’s mentality, no matter what the sport is.

“Kim. You did really well. Thank you for your hard work.”

Giovanni also looked quite excited about the achievement of winning the Europa League. He hugged me for a long time and gave me some encouraging words.

‘Oh my. There’s still the league and FA left, but you’re acting like the season’s over.’

Well, it is true that Giovanni is also feeling mixed emotions as he has lifted the international trophy for the first time since Mourinho, something he had only dreamed of.

Next, surprisingly, was the defeated Yan.

Jan Lytle hovered near me and offered to shake my hand as soon as I left Giovanni’s embrace.

“It’s been a while, Kim. You’ve become more skilled than when you were in Hanover.”

“I heard from you too, Director. Hannover is now on track.”

We exchanged words of encouragement and created a warm scene.

It wasn’t just Jan. The coaching staff that I worked with when I was in Hannover, and some high-ranking officials that I had known before, also came out to the ground to say hello.

and….

“Congratulations on winning, Kim Min-woo!”

Even Sophie. She was wearing a badge around her neck that proved she was a club official. Since everyone was paying attention, I greeted Sophie like I would any other person.

“Thank you. You’re not upset, are you?”

“I knew this would happen. Instead, let’s meet up as late as possible at the World Cup.”

“Haha. Sure.”

“There’s not much time left now, right? I’m looking forward to good news from all the remaining games.”

And we finished our greetings. I knew instinctively that if I didn’t stop the conversation here, there would be gossip.

Also, the most important thing appeared before my eyes.

[You have won the Europa League finals and become the champion. As a reward, all stats increase by 3.]

[Running Mate ‘Kim Jun-young’ will receive a reward for increasing all stats by 1.]

[Running Mate ‘Bruno Fernandes’ increases all stats by 1 as a reward.]

‘Hey. Don’t be silly. Are you going to call it a day?’

After winning the Champions League, you won the most prestigious international tournament?

Fortunately, my worries were unfounded.

[You have acquired the trait ‘Adrenaline’.]

Finally, I received the trait I had been waiting for. But wait.

‘Isn’t this a trait I already possess?’

As soon as I thought that, another message appeared.

[Since you already have the trait ‘Adrenaline’, it will be strengthened to ‘Adrenaline 2.0’.]

What is this? You can get duplicate traits?

I stood still and tried to read the enhanced traits, but because there were people who wouldn’t leave me alone, I had no choice but to read the explanation later.

* * *

The next thing I knew, it just flowed by.

We received our medals on the podium and lifted the Europa League trophy.

After always receiving round trophies from Germany, I felt like this was the real trophy when I lifted a proper trophy.

“It’s heavier than I thought.”

Sophie said the Europa League trophy weighed about 15kg. It wasn’t too much to be a burden, but it was quite heavy.

When he held the trophy and waved it in front of the fans, they responded with a cheer.

Also, on days like this, I can’t miss out on interviews, and perhaps because of the strong impression I made with my multiple goals in the final, I was awarded the MVP of the tournament as well as the final.

“It was a wonderful game, Kim. You scored multiple goals as a goalkeeper in the finals of the tournament and led the team to victory. How do you feel about it?”

My answers were limited. Why are you asking me this? Of course it’s good!

“As if by some twist of fate, you ended up winning against your former team in the finals. Didn’t you feel uneasy before the game?”

The world of competition is a cold one. Even if it was Suyang High School instead of Hanover, I would have done my best.

Then the reporter nodded and continued with the next question.

“I can’t help but ask this question, Kim. How on earth do you take free kicks so well? Not only are you good at saving, but you’ve taken many free kicks in real games, and you’ve never missed a single one! This is also an incredible record. Do you have a secret?”

That’s a trade secret, and I’ll tell you in detail when I retire. Hmm.

“You also kept a clean sheet today. Now, if you concede a goal, the whole world will be paying attention. When do you think you will concede a goal, Kim?”

It won’t be like that forever!

… … I was about to say that, but I thought that was a bit too arrogant, so I replied that it could be done tomorrow.

However, he added that the reason he does not concede goals is because the level of the attackers is not high.

‘If we do this, there will definitely be kids who get scratched.’

First of all, Holland will definitely get scratched.

“There are now two Premier League games left, and one FA Cup final game left. Coincidentally, the teams you have to face are Manchester City and Liverpool, both very strong teams and rivals within the league. Do you think you can win against them?”

Let’s give it a try!

Honestly, I don’t know about Man City, but I was confident about Liverpool. Klopp had a history of being scared of me and backing down.

And the interview ended around that point.

After entering the locker room, the players who had been waiting for me poured me some beer while cheering. I giggled like a rat soaked in the rain.

* * *

Since then, I have had to receive countless congratulatory messages.

My family, my high school friends, and even my homeroom teacher.

In particular, Kim Shin-ah even called me internationally to congratulate me. I felt my spirits race when I heard her voice after only exchanging messages recently.

[Real Madrid vs Manchester City, clash in the Champions League final!]

There was also news from Europe’s top competition, the Champions League.

The two teams, who are known for putting up a good fight whenever they play, ended up facing each other in the final.

Real Madrid won the last tournament and are now challenging for a Champions League winning streak like in the old days of Zidane.

‘Hmm. That might be fun.’

It didn’t really matter who won.

If Man City wins, they win, and if Real wins, they win.

Well, it would be more interesting to tell the story next year if Real Madrid wins.

Kim Min-woo and the kids are challenging the champions of the Champions League, Real Madrid. Doesn’t it feel like the Demon King vs. the Hero?

‘Mbappe probably wants to win the Champions League and this year’s World Cup to firmly secure the Ballon d’Or.’

Of course, I won’t just sit by and watch that happen.

Just as Mbappe desperately wanted the Ballon d’Or, I also had a huge desire for the Ballon d’Or.

First of all, the public had a strong perception that I was the goalkeeper who should have won the Ballon d’Or after Yashin.

The perception was that if Kim Min-woo couldn’t receive it, who would?

In comparison, Mbappe… … .

‘You probably think this is your last chance.’

It will be nerve-wracking.

I think if I were nominated for Ballon d’Or once, I would be able to win it in succession like Messi or Ronaldo.

If that happens, Mbappe and Holland will have to give up on winning the Ballon d’Or forever.

Before I hear it, I have to hear it before that.

And in fact, if I just maintain my current performance, I will have no choice but to receive the Ballon d’Or even if I don’t want to.

Otherwise, the controversy over racial discrimination will arise right away.

“Ugh!”

I kept stretching.

They achieved one of United’s biggest goals this season, but there was still a lot of work to be done.

‘There are only three games left until the end of the season.’

37th round Bournemouth match. FA final. 38th round Man City match.

And then after a short break, I returned to Korea and prepared for the final evaluation match for the World Cup.

It’s a really tight schedule with no time to catch your breath.

It felt even busier because I was in Germany, which was pretty relaxed until last season.

“There’s no time to rest.”

And it was the same now.

I went out to the training ground and warmed up.

The joy of victory did not last long.

Because I had to prepare for the next game right away.

I wanted to try out the newly enhanced trait ‘Adrenaline’ this time more than anything else.

[Attribute: Adrenaline]

[Description: The chance of getting injured during a match is significantly reduced.]

If this was the existing version.

This trait was strengthened by winning the Europa League this time.

[Trait: Adrenaline 2.0]

[Description: Significantly reduces the risk of injury during matches and training situations.]

The phrase ‘training situation’ was added to the sentence. If we just look at the expression, it means that I am now less likely to get injured during training.

Now you don’t have to worry about your wrists popping out while training like before.

Or even if you get injured, you recover quickly.

‘Yeah. What’s the point of blocking it well? Not getting injured is also a skill.’

The reason why Messi and Ronaldo are so highly regarded compared to other players is not only because of their unique skills, but also because they are both steel kings.

Since there are not many gaps due to injuries, the upward trend can be maintained steadily.

Now that I have this, I don’t have to worry about missing games because of injuries.

‘It’s time to say goodbye to the occasional rest using injury as an excuse.’

I don’t know. I have to try it sometime.

Beep- beep-!

“How is everyone doing?”

The coach blew the whistle and gathered the players. And we continued training as usual.

Since joining Man U, I haven’t trained as hard as I used to because of the frequent injuries, but today was different.

I trained like I did when I was a Hanoverian kid.

‘… … But can this trait shine through just by training hard for a few days?’

I don’t know.

But now I don’t have to use injuries as an excuse to be lazy during training.

This way, I can get a lot of stats and kill two birds with one stone. The only thing that’s difficult is my stamina.

“Whoa, whoa. Kim. Why are you working so hard today? Stop. Stop.”

But then a problem arose.

The coaching staff tried to restrain me from getting too excited.

“are you okay.”

“No. We’re not okay. I told you that if you get hurt like that, you’ll be in big trouble.”

Despite the coaches’ earnest dissuasion, I had no choice but to train as before.

‘Fuck. This isn’t it… .’

This way, we won’t be able to verify it for a while, but it’s not too bad.

A boost in injury prevention before an important match (even a dream tournament like the World Cup)? In fact, it was the best trait I could have gotten right now.

‘Besides, you can also get special features from FA and the league.’

I got just the right trait right now.

I just warmed up my body a little while watching the field players training while sweating profusely.

Well, maybe this is the right treatment.

How would a royal goalkeeper fit into the training that field players receive?