The Law of the Jungle, and Total Football
"Begin."
Instead of blowing a whistle, Scout Jansen gave a short wave of his hand.
There was no referee. The rules were simple: steal the ball and put it into the mini goal visible ahead.
"Uwaaaah!"
The moment the signal dropped, Ryan charged in like a bull.
The intimidation pouring off his frame—well over 180 cm—was savage. The turf looked ready to tear free under the force of his rush.
The watching kids held their breath. Get hit by that body check and you wouldn't even collect your bones.
But Gang-cheol stood rooted in place, as if waiting for a charging bull like a matador.
Straight-line. Simple.
The instant the distance to Ryan closed inside a meter, Gang-cheol's eyes flashed.
Precise Ball Control (A) + Flexibility (B+)
Tok.
Gang-cheol flicked the ball lightly to the right.
Ryan's gaze followed the ball. His body tilted that way on instinct.
That was the moment.
Whoosh.
Gang-cheol's foot wrapped the ball again and dragged it the opposite way.
Flip-flap. The signature move of the Brazilian alien, the legendary trademark technique.
"Wha...?"
Ryan already had too much speed; he couldn't stop.
His massive frame cut through empty air, his center of gravity collapsing as he staggered.
In that gap Gang-cheol ghosted past Ryan's side.
"Looking the wrong way? The ball's over here."
Gang-cheol walked all the way to the empty goalmouth and casually rolled the ball in.
1 : 0
It was over in a blink.
Ryan turned around in a daze, the look of a man who still didn't understand what had just been done to him.
"You... you little rat bastard!"
"Not a rat. Technique. You rely on size alone, so every move is readable."
Gang-cheol picked up the ball and tossed it to Ryan.
"One more?"
"Obviously! This time I'm attacking!"
Ryan snatched the ball with pure venom in his eyes.
He planned to put his back into Gang-cheol and shove him off—the classic "back-to-goal hold."
With the physical gap so overwhelming, he was certain he would never be moved.
Thud! Thud!
Ryan drove his hips and back into Gang-cheol.
But something was wrong.
He should have been shoving him back, yet the boy behind him only swayed like a reed, never losing his balance.
What the hell? Why won't he budge?
Gang-cheol never took Ryan's power head-on.
The instant force arrived, he shifted his center of gravity a fraction backward and let the power flow past him.
The principle of judo or wrestling.
"Ease up. You're so stiff you're going to snap."
Gang-cheol's cold mockery stabbed into Ryan's ear.
The moment Ryan flared and tried to spin hard—
Slip.
Gang-cheol's foot stabbed between Ryan's legs.
The ball slid cleanly through the gap—a panna—and rolled out behind him.
"......!!"
The most humiliating skill in football: the nutmeg.
Ryan clamped his legs shut in panic, but it was already too late.
Gang-cheol strolled around, collected the ball, and rattled the net again.
2 : 0
Silence settled over the training ground.
The watching U-15 players' jaws hung open.
The team's physical king was being toyed with by some kid from Asia without even getting a hand on him.
"That... wasn't luck."
"His balance is insane. Ryan shoves him and he doesn't even flinch."
A deep smile spread across Scout Jansen's lips.
He knew. Ajax wasn't looking for "the strong kid."
They wanted the "smart kid"—the one who understood space and knew how to use an opponent.
Gang-cheol fit that condition perfectly.
"Enough."
Jansen clapped and stepped in.
Ryan was fuming, face flushed crimson, looking ready to throw fists if it went any further.
"The match is decided. Ryan, you lost completely."
"But...!"
"No excuses. In a real match you'd already have earned a red card or gifted them a goal. You let emotion collapse the defensive line."
Under Jansen's sharp rebuke, Ryan dropped his head.
Gang-cheol walked over. Ryan flinched and tensed.
But Gang-cheol held out his hand.
"Keep the promise. Clean my boots so there's not a speck of dirt on them."
"......"
Ryan hesitated a moment, then roughly clasped Gang-cheol's hand.
His pride stung, but skill had to be acknowledged. Here at De Toekomst, ability was rank.
"Damn it... fine. I'll clean them."
The other players' eyes changed as they watched.
Wariness faded; recognition and curiosity took its place.
That afternoon.
The official training session.
Gang-cheol joined the U-15 team and completed his first session.
The training method was completely different from Korea.
Fitness work? None.
Weight training? Optional.
Only the ball and tactics.
Especially the rondo—Ajax's signature keep-away drill—dominated the session.
In tight spaces, 4v2, 5v2, stealing and being stolen from.
"Faster! Think, then give it! Turn your head before you receive!"
The coaches' shouts never stopped.
Technique was the baseline; what they demanded was constant awareness of the surroundings and the optimal decision—judgment.
Many prospects floundered, unable to adapt to the blistering tempo.
But Gang-cheol was different.
He was a fish in water.
Tok, tok, thook.
Before the ball even arrived he already knew where it was going and connected with a single touch.
When pressure came he killed the tempo, drew the opponent in, then slipped the ball into open space.
"Good! Ma!"
"Nice pass!"
Praise from teammates followed. The moment Gang-cheol entered, the training tempo jumped a full level. Dead passing lanes came alive; clogged spaces opened.
Watching from the side, U-15 head coach Van der Beek asked Jansen,
"Where did you dig up this piece of work? You said Asia, but he looks like he was born with Ajax DNA."
"Right? His tactical understanding isn't fifteen-year-old level. He already has a full map of the pitch drawn in his head."
Jansen smiled with quiet satisfaction and added,
"He'll probably skip a grade next year—to U-19 or Jong Ajax. U-15 is too small a bowl for him."
After training ended.
In the locker room, freshly showered Gang-cheol was packing his bag when Ryan approached.
In his hands were Gang-cheol's boots, polished to a gleaming shine.
"Here."
Ryan thrust the boots out gruffly.
"Promise kept."
"Oh, nice work. After you retire you could shine shoes for a living."
"Shut it. Next time I won't lose. I'll beat you with football, not body checks."
Ryan was still grumbling, but the murderous edge from earlier was gone. If anything, he now looked at Gang-cheol as a rival and a teammate.
"Sure. Looking forward to it."
Gang-cheol slipped the spotless boots into his bag.
Then the system notification chimed.
✔ Quest Complete:The Law of the Jungle
Description: You established the hierarchy by force in a foreign land.
Reward: Increased influence within the team; teammates' pass frequency rises.
Hidden Piece Discovered: Gaining experience for Ajax-Style Spatial Perception... (5%)
Spatial perception...
Gang-cheol replayed the day's training in his mind.
He was covering with past-life experience, but the kids here had been systematically learning "space" since childhood.
Movements that built triangular shapes. Third-man runs.
If he absorbed all of that and fused it with his system stats?
I'd become a monster.
Gang-cheol clenched his fist.
In Korea he had been the one teaching the kids. Here, there was a world of things to learn.
Joy welled up inside him.
On the road back to the dorms, Gang-cheol's phone vibrated. An international call.
The caller ID read Queen Bee. Lee Ye-rin.
"Hello? Ma Gang-cheol? Did you arrive safely?"
"Yes. Thanks to you I rode first class and got here comfortably."
"Hmph, of course. Hey, but I heard you went to Ajax? Why didn't you go to Real? Do you know how disappointed my grandfather is?"
"I'll go there later. When I'm king, I'll make them roll out the red carpet and come fetch me."
"...Ha, seriously. You really are something else."
"Fine. I'll give you the confidence. Oh, and I sent you a dedicated manager. Someone already based in the Netherlands—handles things cleanly. He'll come see you tomorrow."
"A manager? Se-hui's going to worry. It's not a woman, is it?"
"And what if it is? Is Han Se-hui even your girlfriend? Anyway, it's a man, so relax. He's someone who's spent his whole life in Dutch football."
"Understood. I'm hanging up. Training wiped me out—I need sleep."
"Hey! Hey! Wait a sec—"
Gang-cheol hung up without a second thought.
A dedicated manager, huh.
If it let him focus purely on football, there was nothing wrong with that.
The next morning.
Someone knocked on the dorm room door.
Knock-knock-knock.
"Who is it?"
When he opened the door, an East Asian man stood there.
Scruffy beard, thick-rimmed glasses, looking a bit shabby overall—yet his eyes were sharp and alive.
"Nice to meet you. Ma Gang-cheol."
The man grinned and held out his hand.
"I'm the one who'll be your manager. First-generation graduate of Chae Geun-beom's soccer school, and former top scorer in the Dutch third division..."
He paused for effect, then held out a business card.
"Jang Ho-seok. From now on, I'll be your shadow."
The moment Gang-cheol heard the name, his eyes went wide.
Jang Ho-seok.
In his previous life, the legendary agent known as "the man who knew everyone in European football." The future heavyweight who would one day manage players like Shin Min-heung and Kang Jae-min... standing right in front of him now.
Lee Ye-rin... just how far did you reach?
The final piece for conquering Europe—a capable ally—had just joined the board.