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Date: February 3rd, 2025
Location: Liverpool, England – Melwood Training Ground
The cold February wind bit through Diogo Jota's jacket as he stepped out of the tunnel and onto the pitch. The sun was only a pale glow behind grey clouds, and a lazy drizzle had started to fall, making the grass glisten. His breath came in short, steaming puffs, but he barely noticed the chill.
Because he wasn't supposed to be here.
Just hours earlier, he had opened his eyes in a familiar bedroom, gasping for breath, heart pounding as if it had been yanked out of another reality. And it had been. He remembered everything. The Nations League final in June. The Premier League trophy lift at Anfield. The quiet wedding with Isabela. And the crash—the sound of metal shrieking and fire devouring the car.
His death wasn't a dream. This was.
Or so he thought, until he saw the date on his phone: Monday, February 3rd, 2025. And then… the screen.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]
⚽ Welcome, Diogo Jota
🎯 Skill Tree: Locked
📈 Base Attributes Scanned
STATS (RAW):
– Pace: 84
– Dribbling: 82
– Shooting: 80
– Passing: 75
– Stamina: 78
– Mental: 72
Note: System has identified underutilized potential. Progression path activated.
Now he stood among his teammates again, many of whom had mourned his death in a future they hadn't lived. Cody Gakpo jogged over, cheerful despite the weather.
"Oi, Diogo! You good, man? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Jota chuckled under his breath. If only you knew. "Didn't sleep much," he replied.
"Coach said light session today. Cold-weather stuff. Probably short sprints and touch drills."
"Sounds good." Jota nodded, his heart starting to slow. He could do this. No—he had to do this.
He looked around. Salah was stretching near the halfway line. Szoboszlai tied his laces while humming under his breath. The same squad. The same energy. But Jota felt different—charged, like there was something awake inside him now that had been dormant for years.
10:00 AM – Training Begins
Warm-ups flew by. The first sign that something had changed came during a close-quarters passing drill. Jota's feet moved with unexpected sharpness. He didn't overthink—his body just knew what to do.
[MICRO QUEST UNLOCKED]
🎯 Perfect Passing Drill (10/10) – Reward: Precision Boost +0.5
He nearly stumbled when he saw the text flash across his vision.
I'm getting quests… for training?
Every time he connected a pass flawlessly, the counter ticked upward. It wasn't like a video game—not exactly. It was seamless, like an overlay only he could see. His muscle memory felt enhanced. His awareness extended beyond his normal range. By the time he completed the tenth pass, another screen appeared.
✅ Quest Complete: Passing Accuracy +0.5
Bonus Effect: Boosted Ball Control (Temp – 30 minutes)
He exhaled slowly. He could feel it. The passes were cleaner. The ball stuck to his foot like glue.
"Oi, bro," Darwin Núñez said, eyeing him as they moved to the shooting drill. "You're flying this morning."
"Just focused," Jota said.
11:00 AM – Shooting Drill
"Cut in from the left, shoot low!" barked Coach Slot.
Jota sprinted into position. As he struck the ball, his foot met it with near-perfect timing. The shot zipped past the keeper into the bottom right corner.
⚡ New Skill Unlocked: Lightning Shot (Lv. 1)
Trigger Condition: Full Sprint + Clean Touch + Perfect Strike
The system rewarded him again. Not just stats—actual skills. This one, he could feel tingling in his right foot.
He ran the drill again. Same result.
By the fifth repetition, the keeper stopped diving.
Slot raised an eyebrow. "Someone's had a proper breakfast."
Salah grinned at him. "Or someone's trying to steal my spot."
Jota smiled back but didn't respond. He wasn't here to steal anything. He was here to survive.
12:00 PM – Locker Room
He sat on the bench, toweling sweat off his neck. Around him, the team bantered, scrolled on their phones, or lounged under heaters. To Jota, it all felt like he was watching a recording of a moment he had once lived—and lost.
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
📅 Time Remaining: 150 Days
⚠️ Fate Thread Detected: Muscle Tear Event – Probability: 62% (Window: Next 14 Days)
Recommendation: Daily Recovery Protocol
🔓 Quest Available: Prevent Fate Event – Reward: Passive Skill "Resilience"
His stomach clenched. A muscle tear? That was serious. That could derail everything.
So this wasn't just about power. It was about staying healthy. Staying alive.
1:30 PM – Apartment
He made a protein shake, forced himself to stretch on the living room rug, and stared at the ceiling. He felt like he was in a different body—not because of the stats or the system, but because of what he knew. What was coming.
July 3rd.
His death wasn't distant. It had a date. A time. A place. And every day he woke up from now on was one less day to beat it.
His phone buzzed. A message from Isabela.
"Boa sorte hoje. Eu te amo."
("Good luck today. I love you.")
He swallowed hard. He hadn't even told her about the dream—no, the truth. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
But he would live to see her again. To marry her again. To play in the Nations League final. To win the Premier League. To live beyond it all.
The road back to greatness had already begun.
And this time, Diogo Jota was going to run through it like a man on fire.