I rejected the school bully’s confession because of soccer.

Four years passed after that.

Twelve years old in Korean age.

Kang Tan had already established himself as a legendary figure even within La Masia.

It became natural for him to break records in every league and tournament he participated in.

He took the MVP and top scorer titles every single year without fail.

It got to the point where people said the winning team was predetermined in games he played.

He solidified his position by leading Barcelona to victory in the Mediterranean Cup CAT D, CAT C, and CAT B.

The stadium was always filled with people chanting Kang Tan’s name.

His play proved the praise of being a ‘supernova’ that appeared like a comet in the soccer world.

Currently, Kang Tan was playing in Cadete A, a team mainly composed of 16-year-old players.

Looking at Kang Tan, people considered it meaningless to argue about age anymore.

However, there was clearly a sense of incongruity.

There wasn’t a single player younger or the same age as him in the games or teams Kang Tan played in.

While solidifying such an absolute throne, he was warming up at the training ground as usual.

At that moment, the coach blew the whistle to grab attention.

“Everyone gather! I’m going to introduce a new teammate who will be joining us from today.”

News of a new player joining is always accompanied by murmurs.

As if a transfer student had arrived.

Everyone gathered in the center with curiosity.

Kang Tan also quietly mixed into that crowd.

Unlike his teammates, having a new teammate wasn’t a special event for him.

It was common for promising players to come up and go down every year.

But this time, a slightly different atmosphere was detected.

The boy standing next to the coach revealed himself.

He had short curly hair and a face with a confident smile.

Rather than a new teammate, his aura was closer to that of a challenger.

“This is ‘Fasu Anti’. He joined La Masia last year and was recognized for his abilities to be promoted to our team.”
“You mean he skipped grades?”

Someone muttered in a low voice.

At those words, the eyes of the players, except Kang Tan, deepened.

From teams formed with 11-player systems, skipping grades was never a common event.

Then someone tilted their head and asked.

“He looks young?”

The coach hesitated for a moment, then looked at Kang Tan.

“He’s the same age as Kang, 10 years old.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the surroundings began to stir.

“Same age as Kang?”
“No way, a kid the same age as Kang Tan is coming to our team? How much of a monster is he?”
“I never thought I’d see Kang play with someone his own age.”

As those words dropped, Kang Tan’s gaze instantly fixed on Anti.

The other introduced himself without tension.

“I’m Fasu Anti. My father was a soccer player, and now soccer is my life itself.”

Kang Tan listened to those words quietly and then smiled slightly.

People felt that a rival to be nervous about had appeared, but Kang Tan’s smile was just peaceful.

‘Same age without regression? Is this really a genius born in the right era… or something like that?’

Kang Tan shook Anti’s hand while suppressing the strange emotion surging within him.

Fasu Anti’s presence was quite intense.

As training began, it became understandable how he had skipped grades to Cadete A.

The cold concentration emanating from his gait, the challenging confidence revealed in his eyes.

There was no luck in that aura.

Fasu Anti drew all attention as if he would seize this moment as an opportunity.

Among the people whose attention was drawn was Kang Tan.

‘It doesn’t feel like a superior newcomer. I even feel the tension of threatening the team’s center…’

Kang Tan couldn’t forget the chilling sensation he felt at their first meeting.

“Kang, you might need to be on your toes?”

Teammates whispered.

Kang Tan just smiled gently.

‘Have the team members already started comparing him to me?’

As training continued.

Fasu Anti looked like a core player in the team, unbelievable for someone who just joined.

His passes, dribbles, shots.

Every movement was precise and sharp.

And that wasn’t all.

During training, Fasu Anti came towards Kang Tan who was doing man-to-man marking while passing the ball.

For a moment, Kang Tan detected the intense aura of competition emanating from his gaze.

It felt as if he was preparing for a showdown with himself.

And he conveyed his sincerity to Kang Tan in a confident voice.

“They say you’re the biggest genius here? Since I came to La Masia… no, actually since I started soccer, I’ve heard your name constantly.”

He added in a low voice.

“But that doesn’t scare me. Is it okay if I catch up to you quickly and go up first?”

Those words sounded like a declaration.

Kang Tan smiled without realizing it.

“Provocative, aren’t you? Go ahead and try.”

As if answering Kang Tan’s words, Fasu Anti handled every single movement delicately throughout the training.

Every time he received the ball, it looked as if everything was moving in the palm of his hand.

He boasted the ability to quickly create space and overwhelm opponents.

Even after this training ended, teammates couldn’t close their mouths about his play.

“Wow, Kang… it seems like a real rival has appeared?”
“Is this the time for us to worry about Kang Tan?”
“Hah… I want to quit soccer.”

Listening to their words, Kang Tan felt his pride scratched for the first time in a long while.

After training ended.

Fasu Anti was standing alone in front of the goal.

He was following his own routine, rolling his feet without rest.

Kang Tan watched him from a little distance.

Looking at that figure, one thought came to mind.

‘Not settling… he’s just like me…’

Kang Tan took a step closer and said to him.

“You… even do personal training?”

Fasu Anti looked at him for a moment, then nodded and answered.

“I have to do more than anyone else. Everyone knows, just talent alone doesn’t cut it. At the pro level, everyone is talented.”

Those words weren’t something that should come from a child.

“You think quite deeply.”
“Not particularly… it’s just what my dad tells me every day.”

Kang Tan started rolling the ball next to Anti and continued the conversation.

“Ah, you said your father was a soccer player?”
“Yeah. Dad played in lower leagues, but I’m definitely going to be a world-class player.”

Kang Tan looked at him and nodded.

“Everyone here is probably dreaming the same dream. They’ll be full of expectations that they’ll make it.”
“Really? They didn’t seem that desperate to me.”

At those words, Kang Tan lightly bounced the ball and shot it at the goal.

“We don’t know the circumstances each person has. Let’s not talk carelessly.”
“I understand what you’re saying. You mean they might be approaching it desperately in their own way?”
“That’s right.”

Anti didn’t seem to agree much, as there was no further reply.

“Today is an internal practice game.”

The training ground became noisy.

The coach immediately started dividing the teams.

“Today we’ll focus on testing the side attackers. But don’t slack off. It hurts the kids taking the test. Understood?”
“Yes!”
“Kang Tan, you’re on Team A, Fasu Anti is on Team B.”

When they were placed on different teams, an unexpected tension enveloped the training ground.

“Kang, as you know well, you and Fasu Anti are in a situation competing for the same position. We’ll check whose choice is more effective through this training today.”

At those words, Kang Tan and Anti smiled.

“Those bastards are both smiling…”
“Neither of them is nervous.”
“They’re training monsters. They must be confident.”

As soon as the game started, Kang Tan’s team quickly passed the ball to him.

Kang Tan lightly increased his speed and penetrated the opposing defenders.
His unhindered dribbling continued.

Thwack!
In an instant, the goal net shook.

“Nice, Kang!”

Team A quickly took a 1-point lead.

The ball started moving from the center again.

Team B also chose the strategy of sending the ball to Fasu Anti.

Fasu Anti also had no difficulty in narrowing the distance to the goal.

Kang Tan shrugged and smiled.

‘He’s pretty good.’

He shook his head a few times, then left his position.

“Kang! I said this game was a position test! You’ve strayed too far!”

Kang Tan didn’t care.

And he quickly approached Fasu Anti through a full sprint.

“What if there’s one more defender?”

Kang Tan smirked and blocked Anti’s front.

“You know why it’s tricky to face teams that quickly switch between offense and defense based on good stamina, right?”

When Fasu Anti showed a surprised face, Kang Tan stole the ball without hesitation.

And immediately sprinted.

Fasu Anti, who came to his senses belatedly, thought as he followed behind, not wanting to lose.

‘Is he going to drive it all the way from here to the end?’

Anti, who had been following a little, stopped, thinking to leave the rest to the defenders without pushing himself too hard.

‘You talked about how desperate the teams are, but in the end, you don’t trust them and try to do it alone.’

Strangely, he felt like he trusted the team more than Kang Tan did.

‘You come down here gritting your teeth because you can’t trust the defenders, and you run up without a single pass?’

He was thinking of at least passing to the team to keep the ball alive if he saw an opportunity.

While Fasu Anti was thinking this.

“Goal!!”

The second goal was scored.

Fasu Anti’s eyes widened.

Kang Tan shrugged towards such a Fasu Anti and opened his mouth.

“My teammates kept saying things like ‘I should be nervous from now on’, ‘I can’t be half-hearted’, so.”