A light rain was still falling in Utrecht that morning. Dew clung to the dormitory window when Richard opened the curtains. His back and calves still felt heavy—the result of an intense debut match. But today wasn't a holiday. There was no break in the European world.
He turned on the desk lamp and looked at the schedule posted by Coach Bram the night before:
7:00 AM – Recovery Training
9:00 AM – Video Analysis (Team)
11:00 AM – Academy Management Meeting
4:00 PM – Light Technical Drills
"So packed," he muttered with a yawn.
He changed his clothes and jogged to the training facility, the morning air hitting his face like ice.
---
Recovery Training — The Body Isn't Used to It
The recovery session was led by Coach Bram. The indoor court was still silent, except for the sound of the heater rumbling.
"Good morning, boys," Bram said, turning the stopwatch.
"Ready to stretch the muscles you tortured yesterday?"
Everyone chuckled. Richard just smiled tiredly.
The session began with dynamic stretching, foam rolling, and then water therapy. Richard groaned as the roller passed over his calves.
"Does it hurt?" Bram asked, holding back a smile.
"Not bad, Coach…"
"Get used to it. If you want to play regularly in the U-18s, your body has to be able to withstand 90 minutes of pressure."
After that, they entered the cold pool. Rafi groaned, shivering.
"This isn't a swimming pool, it's a graveyard."
Dhio laughed at him.
Richard entered last, the cold piercing his bones. But in the silence, he felt his body slowly recover, his pulse steady.
The recovery session concluded with a short jog on the treadmill at a low intensity. Richard felt his Spatial Awareness Lv. 1 skill working even here—he could sense the positions of people around him without having to turn his head.
This skill is amazing… he thought.
---
Video Analysis — Coach De Vries Never Soft
At 9:00 a.m., all the U-18 players sat in the video-tactics room. The aroma of coffee and wet carpet mingled. A large screen displayed footage of yesterday's debut match.
Coach De Vries stood at the front, tablet in hand, his face as impassive as a statue.
"Okay," he said. "Let's see what went right… and what went wrong."
The first clip: Richard's goal. A through ball from Van Houten, Richard ran past the defender, then placed.
Several players whistled in admiration.
De Vries nodded slightly. "Good timing. Good movement. Efficient finishing."
Then he pressed the button again.
The second clip: in the 72nd minute, when Richard lost the ball after holding on too long.
"This," De Vries said, looking at Richard, "is bad."
Richard nodded. "Yes, Coach."
"You were confident after the first goal. But overconfidence kills the team's structure. See? Our right-back went up too quickly because you lost the ball, and there was almost a counter."
The classroom fell silent.
"If you want to be a regular starter," he continued, "your decisions have to be quick. Your first touch, scanning, and passing have to be automatic. That's why I added an extra tactical session for you."
Richard lowered his head. The reprimand was stung, but he knew it was true.
---
Academy Management Meeting — New Highlights
At 11:00 a.m., Richard was summoned to the academy management room. It was a modern room with large mirrors and stacks of documents on the desk. Inside were the Utrecht Academy Coordinator, a bespectacled man named Mr. Hendrik, and an administrative staff member named Liesbeth.
"Richard, sit down," Hendrik said.
His voice was friendly, but his demeanor was firm.
"We've seen your performance. There's very exciting potential," Hendrik continued. "But with potential… comes attention."
Liesbeth showed Richard a tablet.
On the screen:
A local blog article highlighting the debut of an Indonesian player.
A highlight clip that went viral on a talent analysis channel.
A statistical graph showing Richard's completion rate.
Richard fell silent.
Hendrik linked his fingers. "The media can be a friend... and an enemy. So we want to give you two things."
He pointed to the first document.
1. Academy Player Media & Publication Guidelines
Rules on how to speak to the media, what's allowed and what's not, and limits on social media use.
And the second document:
2. Academy Scholarship Contract Arrangements
Richard read the outline. Monthly allowances increased slightly, disciplinary requirements, and quarterly evaluations.
"We're not pressuring you," Hendrik said softly.
"We want to make sure your head isn't heavy with hype."
Richard nodded. "I understand."
"Good. Keep working, and we'll work for you too."
---
Lunch Break — The Pressure Is Real
After the meeting, Richard left with a heavy head. He sat on a chair outside the academy building, staring at the cloudy sky.
"Bro, you look like you've been scolded," Rafi suddenly spoke.
"No. It's just… a lot of new things."
"Yeah, of course," Dhio sat down with him. "Your goal highlight made the front page of the internal news. Don't forget us if you become a superstar."
Richard chuckled. "A superstar from Lamongan, huh?"
"Oh, that's actually cool."
The laugh was lighthearted, but underneath it, Richard knew: the pressure after debuting was no joke.
---
Afternoon Session — Light Technical Drills
As the clock struck 4:00 PM, the training field came alive again. The afternoon session was led by Coach Bram.
"Just light drills. Focus on accuracy and technique," he said.
They went through triangle passes, one-two touches, control-tap-finish, and crossing-simple finishing.
When the ball came quickly to Richard's feet, he turned his body faster than usual.
Coach Bram raised an eyebrow. "Your movement has changed."
"More responsive," Richard replied.
He wouldn't talk about system skills.
"Stay steady. Don't rush," Bram advised.
In the final session, there was a 4v4 mini-game. Richard scored two small goals: one from a rebound, one from a cut-inside.
Bram blew the whistle. "Good. Full training tomorrow again. Preparation for the second match."
---
Night at the Dorm — The Real System Rewards Begin
Richard returned to his room, physically tired but mentally alert. He opened the system notification that had been hanging since morning.
Ding. Training Condition Improved (Recovery Bonus +15%)
Ding. New Passive Activation: Micro Stamina Regen (Lv. 1)
Richard sat up straight.
This was crazy…
His passive stamina skill meant he recovered slightly faster than other players. Even 10–15% was a huge difference in the youth league.
Then another one appeared:
Quest Progress: "Prove the Debut Wasn't Luck" — 0/3 Matches Started
Full training tomorrow. The second match was coming. The pressure was mounting.
But Richard smiled.
"It's okay. I'm ready."
He held the photo of his young family on the table and whispered:
"Mom, this is just the beginning."