The U18 players were packing their bags, chatting excitedly about the match. Even the guys who hadn't been picked were riding the high of having played against the First Team.
But Rio Lance sat on his bench, staring at empty space.
To anyone else, he looked like he was daydreaming. In reality, he was reading a floating blue holographic text that had just appeared in front of his face.
[SYSTEM UPDATE 2.0]
[New Feature Unlocked: "The Scout's Eye" (Basic)]
[You can now view Numerical Ratings for yourself and nearby players.]
"Ratings?" Rio whispered. "Like in FIFA?"
He focused his gaze on his own hand. Instantly, a stat card materialized.
It hovered in the air, glowing with a harsh, unforgiving light.
[Name: Rio Lance]
[Age: 18]
[Position: LW/RW]
[Overall Rating: 59]
[Detailed Stats:]
Speed: 92 (S-Rank)
Dribbling: 58 (E-Rank)
Shooting: 51 (F-Rank)
Passing: 55 (E-Rank)
Vision: 60 (D-Rank)
Mental: 65 (D-Rank)
Rio felt like he'd been slapped.
"Fifty-nine?" he hissed.
He looked around the room frantically. His eyes landed on Mateo, who was happily texting his mom on his phone.
A number floated above Mateo's head.
[Name: Mateo Ruiz]
[Overall Rating: 63]
"Sixty-three," Rio muttered. "He's four points better than me. And he's a defender."
It was a cold shower of reality. The nutmeg, the assist, the shot against the bar.. That was all the Items.
The real Rio was a 59-rated scrub. A Ferrari engine in a broken go-kart.
Hand_Of_King: Stop crying over numbers. Fifty-nine is generous. If it were up to me, I'd give you a 12 for that haircut alone.
Total_Football_14: Numbers are useful, Rio. They show you the truth. Your speed is world-class. The rest of your game is... Sunday League. You are unbalanced.
Rio clenched his fists. He looked at the "Speed: 92". That was his lifeline. But everything else was an anchor dragging him down.
If he went to Seville with the First Team like this, without any items left, he would be exposed in five minutes.
The other players started filing out.
"Coming, Rio?" Javi asked, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "We're going to get burgers to celebrate."
Rio hesitated. A burger sounded amazing. But the number 59 burned in his mind.
"No," Rio said, standing up. "I'm staying."
He turned to Mateo.
"Mateo. Don't leave yet."
Mateo looked up, surprised.
"What? Why? Michel gave us the afternoon off. We start hell week tomorrow."
"Exactly," Rio said, his voice serious. "We start tomorrow. Which means we need to be ready today. Stay with me. Just for an hour. I need to work on my touch."
Mateo looked at Rio's intense expression. He sighed, dropping his phone into his bag.
"You're crazy, you know that? We just played 90 minutes against pros."
"Please, Cap," Rio pleaded. "I feel... I feel like I got lucky today. I need to make it real."
Mateo grinned, shaking his head.
"Fine. But you're buying the Gatorade."
The sun was beginning to dip, casting long, orange shadows across the empty training pitch.
It was just the two of them. Rio and Mateo, passing a ball back and forth in the silence.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
"Harder!" Rio shouted. "Pass it harder! Smash it at me!"
Mateo obliged, drilling a low pass at Rio's feet.
Rio tried to trap it instantly. The ball hit his instep and popped up into the air, bouncing away.
"Damn it!" Rio cursed, chasing after it.
King_10: Your body shape is wrong. You are standing too upright. You look like a penguin.
Dinho_Magic_10: Relax the ankles, little cheetah! You are stiff! If you are stiff, the ball bounces away.
Rio gritted his teeth. Easy for you to say! he thought back at the chat. You guys are legends. I'm a 59!
He ran back to position.
"Again, Mateo!"
Mateo wiped sweat from his forehead.
"Rio, take a break. You're overthinking it."
"No breaks," Rio panted. He looked at the chat interface.
"Okay, System. How do I fix this? How do I get my rating to 60?"
Total_Football_14: Triangles. Look at your feet. When the ball comes, do not meet it square on. Angle your foot. Absorb the energy of the ball, do not fight it.
Rio tried to visualize what Cruyff was saying. Angle the foot. Absorb the energy.
Mateo fired another pass. This time, instead of just sticking his leg out like a blockade, Rio turned his hips slightly.
He cushioned the ball, retracting his foot just a millimeter as it made contact.
The ball dropped dead at his feet.
"Yes!" Rio shouted.
"Nice touch," Mateo admitted, looking impressed. "Did you watch a YouTube tutorial while I was getting water?"
"Something like that," Rio grinned.
They kept going. Passing, trapping, turning.
Every time Rio messed up, the chat roasted him. Every time he did it right, they offered a grudging nod of approval.
Hand_Of_King: Better. But you have no left foot. Your left leg is just for standing on. Use it!
Rio forced himself to use his left. It was ugly. It was awkward. But he kept doing it.
An hour passed. Then two.
The floodlights flickered on automatically, bathing the pitch in artificial white light.
Rio was exhausted. His shirt was soaked through. His legs felt like jelly.
"Okay," Mateo gasped, collapsing onto the grass. "I'm done. My legs are gone. If I run anymore, I'll pull a hamstring, and Michel will kill me."
Rio dropped down beside him, chest heaving.
"Yeah. Me too."
He closed his eyes, lying back on the cool turf. He felt... good. Not the fake, magical 'good' from the items. But the real, sore, satisfying 'good' of hard work.
Ding!
A notification sound, louder than usual, rang in his head.
[Training Session Complete.]
[Experience Gained: 150 XP]
[Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!]
[Current User Level: 2]
Rio opened his eyes. The blue screen was celebrating with digital confetti falling over his vision.
Rio_Lance: I leveled up? What does that mean? Do I get a stat boost?
[System Message: Level Up Reward Unlocked.]
[Feature Unlocked: "The Daily Roulette"]
[Description: Once every 24 hours, you can spin the roulette for a chance to win a small item, a consumable, or... nothing. Luck is part of the game!]
"Roulette?" Rio muttered.
Hand_Of_King: Finally! I love gambling! Spin it, kid! Spin it!
King_10: Be careful. The odds are usually terrible.
Rio sat up, intrigued. A colorful wheel appeared in his mind.
It had wedges of different colors:
Grey (Trash), Green (Common), Blue (Rare), and a tiny sliver of Gold (Legendary).
Spin, Rio thought.
The wheel spun wildly.
Whirrrrrrrr!
It slowed down. It passed the Gold (of course). It passed the Blue. It slowed... slowed... and landed on a Green wedge.
[Congratulations! You received: "Stamina Potion (Small)"]
[Effect: Instantly recovers 30% of physical fatigue. Tastes like lemon.]
A small glass bottle icon appeared in his inventory.
"Better than nothing," Rio shrugged. He looked at the chat.
Rio_Lance: I'm Level 2 now. That's good progress, right? What level are you guys?
There was a pause.
Dinho_Magic_10: I am Level 78.
Total_Football_14: Level 81.
King_10: Level 85.
Hand_Of_King: I am Level 84. But only because the System deducts points for my 'off-field behavior'. It's a conspiracy!
Rio stared at the numbers. Level 84?
He was celebrating Level 2. He was essentially a bacteria celebrating dividing, while standing next to dinosaurs.
Rio_Lance: Okay... so I have a long way to go.
Total_Football_14: The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Or in your case, a single decent first touch.
Suddenly, the chat window shimmered. A new color appeared—a deep, royal purple.
[System Notification: A new Legend has entered the chat!]
Rio froze. Another one?
[User 'Zizou_5' has joined the chat.]
Zizou_5: Bonsoir. It is noisy in here. Why is everyone shouting?
Rio gasped. Zizou. Zinedine Zidane.
Dinho_Magic_10: Zizou! My bald brother! Welcome! We found a new toy. His name is Rio. He runs fast but has feet made of bricks.
Zizou_5: Bricks? That is unfortunate. Football is played with silk, not stone.
Zizou_5: I was watching the training. The boy tries hard. I respect that. But his technique... it hurts my eyes. He needs to learn the 'Roulette'. Not the gambling wheel, but the turn.
Rio felt a shiver of excitement. Zidane was going to teach him?
Zizou_5: But not yet. Level 2 is too weak. If he tries a Marseille Turn now, he will break his own ankles. For now... he needs to learn to control the ball in the air.
Rio scrambled to type a thought.
Rio_Lance: Mr. Zidane! It's an honor! I will learn anything!
Zizou_5: Calm down. Emotion is good, but control is better. We will speak later. For now, go home. Rest. You have a big week.
The screen faded slightly.
Rio looked over at Mateo, who was staring at him.
"You're smiling again," Mateo said, raising an eyebrow. "You're weird, man. First you're depressed about your rating, now you're grinning at the air."
Rio stood up, offering a hand to pull Mateo up.
"I just... I just realized something."
"What?"
"I might be a 59 right now," Rio said, brushing the grass off his shorts. "But I have the best coaching staff in the universe."
Mateo rolled his eyes.
"You hit your head on the goalpost, didn't you? Come on. Let's get that burger."
"You're paying," Rio laughed.
"In your dreams," Mateo shot back.
Rio froze. "How did you know...?"
"Know what?"
"Nothing!" Rio said quickly, sweating. "Let's go!"
As they walked off the pitch into the cool night air, Rio took one last look at his status screen.
[Next Level: 150/500 XP]