Soccer System: All the Skills, One Player!

Lucas ran towards Team A's field with the ball glued to his foot as if it were part of his body. Adrenaline was pulsing through his veins and sweat was dripping down his forehead, but he remained absolutely focused.

Felix, still dazed by the speed with which Lucas had broken free, tightened his grip, sticking to him like a shadow. People around the pitch began to murmur, theorizing.

Coach Jimenez leaned forward on the bench with his eyes fixed on Lucas' every move.

"Is he going to try a pass or is he going to go it alone?" Jimenez asked himself, without taking his eyes off the action.

Lucas, however, wasn't stupid. He knew he wouldn't have the freedom to go much further with the ball without a direct confrontation. Besides, Felix was determined to stop him, and the space in front of Lucas was starting to close up as other A-Team players moved forward to reinforce the defense. He couldn't rely on speed or technique alone this time.

So Lucas activated his <Risk Analysis> skill. His field of vision seemed to expand, as if every player on the pitch had their intentions drawn in front of them in invisible lines. Felix's possible movements, the other defenders approaching, even the goalkeeper's positioning — everything was processed in the blink of an eye.

'I need a single moment of imbalance to create confusion and score,' thought Lucas.

He slowed down slightly, making it look like he was about to try a simple dribble. Felix fell into the trap, trying to anticipate the move. It was then that Lucas activated <Mirage Feint> once again. His body seemed to vibrate for a split second, creating the illusion that he was going right, while he quickly moved left, leaving Felix perplexed.

The defender stretched out his arm to try and catch Lucas, but it was too late.

He had now passed the midfield, so he saw the last line of defense closing in fast. There was no room for a shot yet. If he wanted to shoot from that distance, he'd have to be the very reincarnation of Roberto Carlos or Cristiano Ronaldo, because he'd need a tremendous amount of strength in his dominant leg.

Soon, the chief defender approached, spreading his arms to try to block his advance.

"You're not getting through!" shouted the boy.

Lucas wasted no time — he activated <Short Dribble> again, adjusting the direction of the ball with a minimal movement of his feet. Thus, a short, quick step saw him slip to the defender's right, leaving the defender behind. However, as he passed through the defense, another defender appeared, determined to stop him from advancing.

"Let's see if you can handle it..." The second defender threw his body at Lucas.

Normally, Lucas would be thrown to the ground by any defender, because he didn't have a natural physique of strength, but at that moment, he used a skill he had been given and had never used before.

'<Titanic Weight>!'

For a second, Lucas' body transformed. He felt his muscles thicken, his weight double and then triple. This ability gave him a body weight of over 120 kilos. It felt strange, as if he were trapped inside heavy armor, unable to move with agility. He knew he couldn't sustain this ability for long, but he didn't need to. Just a second was enough.

The impact happened. The defender tried to push him out of the play, but the defender ran into a wall of sheer force.

The defender grunted at the shock of the contact, feeling unable to move Lucas, who had become an anchor in the middle of the pitch. As a result, he was left behind. At that exact moment, Lucas deactivated <Titanic Weight>, regaining the agility he had lost.

Lucas was closer to the goal than ever.

Team A's goalkeeper was already in position, with his eyes on the ball, anticipating what would come next.

Lucas knew he couldn't shoot from far away; he had to get even closer. But the space was getting smaller and smaller, and every second counted against him. He took a few more steps forward and saw that a third defender was in front of him, lighter and more agile than the other two, because it was Aidan Perry, the left-back.

Lucas knew that this could be the last obstacle before he had a real chance of scoring, but Lucas didn't want to risk it.

So Lucas swung his leg, his whole body synchronized for the perfect shot. His right foot hit the ball hard, and it flew towards the bottom corner of the goal, an almost unstoppable trajectory. Almost.

The goalkeeper stretched as far as he could, his hands outstretched like claws. And then, with a stroke of luck and skill, he managed to touch the ball with his fingertips. The impact deflected the shot just enough for the ball to hit the post and go out over the back line.

The sound of the ball hitting the post echoed across the pitch, a metallic wail that resonated amid the momentary silence of the crowd.

Lucas stopped running, panting, watching as the goalkeeper stood up with a satisfied smile on his face. He had made the save.

Jimenez sank into his seat, his hands covering his face for a brief moment. The coach couldn't believe what had just happened. Lucas had gone through the entire defense, done everything right, and yet... he hadn't finished perfectly.

Lucas rested his hands on his thighs as he tried to catch his breath. But his mind wasn't focused on tiredness or pain. What was bothering him was the fact that he hadn't managed to score. It wasn't the team he blamed. It wasn't his teammates who hadn't kept up with him. No.

It was his fault.

He clenched his teeth, frustrated with himself. He stomped hard on the ground, sinking his boots into the grass and scattering dirt around him. The feeling of helplessness was bitter, but he didn't allow himself to succumb to it. He knew that this mistake couldn't be the end. There was more time, more opportunities. He just needed to pull himself together.

Jimenez watched him intently from the bench. The coach saw something that surprised him in Lucas: the boy wasn't desperate or discouraged. On the contrary. Lucas wasn't railing against his own team either. He wasn't blaming anyone but himself, and Jimenez knew that mentality was rare.

"This kid is going to go far. He knows he's responsible for his own destiny on the pitch."

Nathan and Luiz Fernando stood near the halfway line, their hands resting on their hips as they exchanged glances.

Nathan rubbed his forehead with his forearm, wiping away the sweat running down his tanned skin.

"Did you see that?" muttered Nathan to Luiz Fernando, still trying to process what he had just witnessed. "The bastard is playing like he's alone against the A Team."

Luiz Fernando was a little more empathetic. He was watching Lucas, who was still in the opponent's goal area, his shoulders rising and falling with heavy breathing. Lucas's countenance was tense, as if he was going over every detail of the play in his mind, looking for where he had failed.

Luiz Fernando noticed Lucas' penetrating gaze towards the crossbar and, for a moment, thought he was talking to himself. A silent conversation, but clearly an important one.

"He almost did it... on his own. But we didn't support him."

"We can't ignore him any longer." William suddenly said loudly.

Everyone around him on the pitch heard, including Nathan, who raised his eyebrows in the dugout.

William rarely spoke with such conviction. In fact, he rarely spoke or looked at the people around him. But at that moment, it seemed impossible to contain his feelings.

"If we don't start playing for him, we won't be able to win."

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Daniel, who was standing nearby, ran a hand through his sweat-soaked hair and said:

"He's right. Lucas did what he could... and us? We just watched."

The surrounding players nodded in agreement. The A-Team weren't just any opponents.

Jimenez smiled as he noticed the change in mood among his players. He had always believed that a great team was made up of players who knew when to support each other and when to take a step back to allow someone else to shine. And now, those players were beginning to understand that.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

However, Lucas didn't want that, as he still wanted to go it alone to secure the reward for this mission.

'A Legendary Loot Box... What kind of cards can come in a Loot Box like that? I want this more than victory now. It doesn't matter if I don't pass this sieve. With the abilities of a Legendary Loot Box, I'm sure I'll reach a new level.' Lucas thought as he watched Team A go on the counter-attack. 'I just need to get the ball back behind midfield and do everything I did last time.

Of course, I was very lucky that the dribbling worked and the Titanic Weight are for daily use only. However, they'll hesitate next time, and I certainly won't miss the shot.'