Chapter 32
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: If Park Si-hyun Isn't a God, Then Who Is?
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Lukas, the ace and defender of KFC Uerdingen 05, felt utterly bewildered.
'What the hell is this place...'
All the spectators were wearing uniforms emblazoned with Park Si-hyun's face, singing hymns in unison.
He was starting to wonder if he'd really come here to play soccer.
Honestly, even setting aside racial differences, Park Si-hyun had one of those faces that made you want to bow your head involuntarily if you passed him on the street. With his image plastered everywhere, it created an overwhelming pressure all on its own.
Lukas even thought Essen must be aiming for his forehead too.
'Focus. To stop Park Si-hyun, we can't afford even the slightest mistake.'
KFC Uerdingen 05 was having a solid season, sitting in third place, and naturally, they'd figured out how to deal with Park Si-hyun.
It boiled down to one thing: don't engage him at all.
Park Si-hyun was a disaster for the third division.
It was like a Bundesliga-dominating striker had dropped down to play here.
Instead, they planned to exploit his striker position.
Simply keep the ball away from him entirely.
Block every pass to him at the source and completely seal off the routes from midfielders to the forwards.
That's why they'd rolled out a 3-5-2 formation.
Three defenders and five midfielders.
A suffocating press that blocked every route to him, not even letting him breathe.
'If we survive the opening, victory is all but guaranteed.'
With Essen kicking off at home, Lukas was certain that blunting Park Si-hyun's first attack early would shatter their rhythm completely.
But he'd overlooked something.
Park Si-hyun was pissed off right now, and what they'd studied was a very mild-mannered version of him.
The match kicks off with Park Si-hyun—wait, what the hell is going on here?!
Park Si-hyun passed the ball slightly to the side and immediately got it back before exploding forward.
He started dribbling right from the center circle.
Normally, this was as good as forfeiting the game.
Since his teammates hadn't set up their formation yet, he'd have to shoulder the entire press alone.
Even those "breaking through the entire defense" highlights you see were usually exploiting gaps in a broken formation.
But this situation was different.
Charging straight from kickoff made it fundamentally impossible.
Right now, Park Si-hyun looked like a dumb fish stupidly throwing itself into a perfect net.
'What the hell is that guy trying to do?'
Lukas's eyes narrowed.
In that instant, Park Si-hyun blew past the forward.
With nothing but a simple body feint.
"Incredible..."
The words slipped from Lukas's mouth in admiration.
But admiration was just that—he wasn't worried yet.
No matter who Park Si-hyun was, this challenge was practically impossible.
Yet as Park Si-hyun pushed further forward, an inexplicable anxiety made Lukas's heart pound.
That dribble was explosive enough to remind him of Ronaldo, the current pinnacle of the game.
Players were stretching out legs before they could even react, collapsing one after another.
Park Si-hyun breezed past them mockingly, carving his path.
Unbelievable! Park Si-hyun has beaten every midfielder less than 30 seconds into the game! This isn't soccer on the pitch right now—it's magic!!
"No way..."
Cold sweat trickled down Lukas's neck.
It was an inexplicable scene.
What player—right after kickoff—could pull off something like this?
Only then did Lukas realize.
Park Si-hyun wasn't some dumb fish caught in the net—
He was a megalodon, the apex predator ripping the net apart.
"Werner."
"Yeah, Si-hyun? What's up?"
I called out to Werner, and he responded with a friendly tone.
It was hard to believe he was the same guy I'd clashed with at first.
Unlike Michael, Werner didn't open up easily as person to person, but as player to player, he clearly showed respect.
His attitude had cleaned up nicely since the practice match, and after my speech the day before about respecting the team, we were getting closer even on a personal level.
"When it starts, I'll pass to you, so send it right back. I'm gonna score first thing."
"Got it."
Beep—
And with the referee's whistle, the match began.
I immediately nudged it to Werner, and true to his word, he sent it straight back.
'Time to get started.'
Today, I'd show our fans and the Red Faithful what Park Si-hyun was made of.
That he was one man, not many.
I surged forward without hesitation.
First came Uerdingen's forward.
'Too late.'
But I was already at full acceleration.
Lean left with a body feint, then push the ball right.
I shook off the forward with just an upper-body fake and looked ahead.
'A lot of them.'
The opponent had all five midfielders locked on me, their feet converging.
But I didn't panic and pulled off a step-over.
Normally, a step-over slows you down big time or requires stopping.
But my ankle control kept my core balanced even while shaking my upper body—no need to slow down.
The first midfielder whiffed.
As the second charged, another step-over. Pretend to touch with my left, slip right.
The third tried a sliding tackle, but I chipped the ball over him.
The fourth tried to body-block, but a smooth shoulder shrug sent him stumbling back off-balance.
The fifth made a desperate lunge as last hope, but I step-overed him completely.
I can't believe it! Park Si-hyun has beaten all five midfielders! It's like watching that Ronaldo moment from the '98 World Cup!
Do you know why defenders fear Ronaldo? Dribbling, skills, stamina, shooting, one-touch, post play—all terrifying. But the real fear is his play has no predictable pattern. That genius improvisation based on the moment—that's scary. And we're seeing it from Essen's No. 9, Park Si-hyun! The greatest play of this generation is unfolding in third-division Rot-Weiss Essen!!!!
Now only the three center-backs remained.
Defeat was already etched on their faces—opponents like that were no match for me.
'Can't slow down.'
Even a slight dip here, and the swarm chasing from behind could steal it.
I hit the defender line at full speed and ripped a quick Marseille turn.
As I spun, the next defender lunged, but I ghosted past with a phantom dribble.
Now just the last defender and the keeper racing out behind him.
But I had no intention of beating them anymore.
An angle had opened.
Of course, the central and side spaces were blocked.
The keeper and defender had the angles covered perfectly.
But I saw it.
The one angle they couldn't block: under their legs.
In full stride, I hammered the ball low with my right foot.
It rocketed across the grass like lightning, threading straight between the defender's legs.
The keeper dove, but too late.
It slipped between his legs too and sucked into the net.
Splash~
The whistle blew—just 50 seconds in.
The stadium was dead silent, no cheers, no applause, pure hush.
3,000 fans, commentators, teammates, opponents—all jaws dropped, staring blankly at me.
This 50 seconds at Potsipalais Stadium was that shocking.
The human brain can't react instantly to something too astonishing.
It needs time to process.
Five seconds, ten, fifteen passed.
Then they started grasping it, murmurs swelling.
"Wha... how...?"
"What did we just see?"
"Is this soccer? For real?"
It's a goal! Park Si-hyun! An unbelievable goal! From kickoff, he beat all nine opponents and scored!
"Wooooaaahhhhh!"
Instead of celebrating, I grabbed the ball from the net.
Then walked slowly to the center, pressing a finger to my lips.
The roar cut to silence.
I raised my right hand, spreading all five fingers.
With every eye glued to my hand, I folded one down.
Aaarggh! Park Si-hyun!!! He spread five fingers then folded one! Like promising five goals! And he's carrying the ball back! How ruthless can he be! He's returning the fans' event in full!
You've moved me, so I'll give you even greater emotion! Is he really a god, Park Si-hyun!!!!
Everyone watching this match thought the same.
A true god had descended here.