---
Chapter 2 — Ding in the Head 2
(continued)
Jeremy bent over, hands on his knees, gasping. The others jogged past him, unfazed. No one else heard the ding. No one else heard the voice.
He whispered under his breath, voice trembling. "Nah man… nah, this is too real. This ain't a dream. This ain't some joke. I'm fifteen again. I'm really here."
The voice chuckled. Low. Menacing.
"Do you understand the gift you've been given? You wasted your first life. You chose tricks over trophies. Fame over greatness. Now you will obey — or you'll rot in mediocrity again."
Jeremy's eyes darted around. The coaches were watching. The defenders reset. A ball rolled his way. His stomach twisted. "What if I don't listen?"
DING!
> [Warning: Mission Failure will result in Stat Loss.]
[Current Mission: Score within next possession.]
[Reward: +2 Finishing. Ego +10.]
Jeremy's throat dried up. "Stat… loss?" He muttered to himself. "Nah, nah, that's crazy—"
"Oi, Lynch!" one of the assistant coaches barked. "Ball's yours!"
The pass zipped across the grass toward him.
Jeremy's mind screamed. Don't mess this up. Don't mess this up. You've already been given one miracle — don't blow it.
He trapped it on the half-turn, Clark already storming toward him again. Another defender — Danny Batth — cut off the angle. Two on him. Nowhere to go.
"Pass! Pass!" someone shouted.
Jeremy's body tensed, about to lay it off. But then—
> "PASS? You dare pass? You dare throw away the chance to be the star? Egoists do not serve. They feast."
The voice roared like thunder in his skull. His feet moved almost without thought. A sharp stepover. The ball flicked right. He cut between both defenders in a blur. The crowd of trialists howled, "OIIIII!" as he burst into the box.
Keeper rushed him. Big frame. Jeremy leaned back, opened his body… and dinked it. A cheeky chip, just high enough.
The ball sailed over the keeper's outstretched hand, kissed the crossbar, and dropped into the net.
The pitch went quiet. Then the sideline erupted. Lads shouting, coaches exchanging surprised glances.
Jeremy stood there, chest heaving, staring at the ball in the goal.
DING!
> [Mission Complete. Finishing +2 → 71. Ego +10 → 100.]
[Trait Unlocked: Swagger Lv . 1 — confidence rises after scoring.]
Jeremy blinked hard, sweat dripping into his eyes. "What… the actual… f***."
His legs trembled. His whole body was like electricity running through him. He felt lighter, sharper, more alive than he had in years.
The voice sneered approvingly.
> "Good. This is only the start. You will become more than a player. You will become a weapon. A monster. An egoist."
Jeremy stumbled backward, nearly tripping. His teammates patted him on the back, laughing. "Oi, Jeremy, man's showing off, yeah?" one of them grinned.
But Jeremy wasn't laughing. His head was spinning. His chest was tight. He had just scored — and heard stats in his brain. He had just leveled up.
He muttered under his breath, words slipping out, almost a confession to himself. "I'm him… homie. I'm actually him."
DING!
> [Affirmation Detected: Egoist Mindset Growing.]
[New Passive Unlocked: 'Self-Belief' Lv . 1 — confidence slightly boosts all actions.]
Jeremy's eyes widened. "It… It's shaping me. It's… changing me."
He looked around at the other fifteen-year-olds. Sweat, mud, nerves. Kids are praying for a contract. Kids who had no idea that one of them had just been rewinded in time and handed a machine in his brain.
His heart thumped. His lips curled into the faintest smirk.
For the first time, Jeremy wasn't just trying to prove himself. He wasn't just scared of failing. He had a weapon.
And if he listens to the voice… he might become HIM.
The coach blew the whistle again. "Next drill!"
Jeremy jogged into line, pulse still racing. He clenched his fists, whispering low so no one else could hear:
"This time… I ain't failing. This time… I take it all."
DING!
> [System Online.]
[Welcome to the Fraud Football System.]
[Path: The Ultimate Egoist.]
Jeremy's stomach flipped. He wasn't sure if he was terrified or addicted already.
But one thing was certain.
There was no going back.
---