The conversation followed him now.
Ethan heard it outside the stadium first. Two fans arguing near the turnstiles after a narrow home win.
"Cash in while he's hot."
"No way, he's the reason we're here."
Ethan kept his head down and walked past them, heart steady but mind busy.
That was new too.
He wasn't just a player anymore.
He was a decision.
The system logged it quietly.
Public Debate: Active
Identity Pressure: Increasing
Inside the training ground, the atmosphere shifted again. Not hostile. Just different. Teammates joked about it more openly now.
"Half a mil, yeah?" someone said, half-smiling.
"More than that," another replied.
Ethan laughed it off, but it stuck.
Numbers followed him into every drill.
Jordan Graham caught him after training that afternoon.
"Second bid came in," he said casually, like they were talking about dinner plans.
Ethan stopped walking.
"How much?"
"Four hundred thousand pounds," Jordan replied. "With add-ons that could push it past five."
£400,000.
The system reacted immediately.
Market Value Updated
Current Range: £500,000 – £700,000
Jordan continued. "Wages would be about five and a half grand a week. Appearance bonuses too. Thousand per start. Promotion bonus clause — fifty grand."
Ethan exhaled slowly.
Five and a half thousand a week.
Fifty thousand if they went up.
That wasn't survival money anymore.
That was life-shifting.
"What did Orient say?" Ethan asked.
"They're listening," Jordan said carefully. "They don't want to sell now, but they know summer might be different. They're protecting their position."
Protecting him.
Protecting themselves.
Both.
Saturday arrived with no mercy.
Another League One fixture. Another team that knew exactly how important he was. He was marked tightly from the first whistle. One early pass went astray and the crowd murmured.
Ethan felt the weight instantly.
He responded by simplifying. One-touch passes. Quick movement. No risks until the moment demanded it.
In the second half, he felt a knock. Not serious. Just enough to remind him that staying carried risk too.
The system flashed briefly.
Physical Load Warning
Risk: Manageable
He stayed on.
Orient won again. 1–0.
Of course.
After the match, Wellens stood beside him in the tunnel.
"You feel it now?" he asked.
Ethan nodded. "Yeah."
"Wellens looked him in the eye. "If you stay, stay properly. If you go, go for the right reasons. Don't let noise rush you."
That was as close as permission would ever get.
Coach Trust: Unchanged
Autonomy: Player-Controlled
That night, Ethan sat alone at home. No recovery boots. No TV. Just his phone on the table in front of him.
He opened the system.
Financial Overview
Current Weekly Wage: £1,200
Projected Championship Wage: £5,500
Potential Bonuses (Season): £60,000+
Estimated Summer Transfer Fee: £600,000 – £800,000
Then another update.
Commercial Interest Update
Sponsorship Tier: Entry-Level
Monthly Value: £2,000
Growth Potential: High (Conditional)
A couple of grand a month now.
Tens of thousands later.
Hundreds of thousands eventually.
He thought about the future without meaning to.
Better places. Bigger stadiums. Better facilities.
More cameras.
Different life.
The system added one final line.
Decision Window: Narrowing
Ethan locked the phone and leaned back on the couch.
He wasn't scared.
He was aware.
Aware that staying meant responsibility.
Aware that leaving meant risk.
Aware that the wrong move could stall everything.
And that the right one could change his life completely.
Before going to bed, he opened the app again.
Not the system.
The comments.
Names everywhere.
Different clubs. Different arguments. Different visions for his future.
He didn't scroll long.
He didn't need to.
The choice wasn't made yet.
But it was coming.
And this time, it wouldn't just be his.
END OF CHAPTER 19
Author's Comment
Big moment in the story here.
So I'll ask you directly.
If Ethan moves on from Leyton Orient…
Where should he go?
Name the club. Championship or higher.
And explain why you think it fits him.
Your answers will shape what comes next.