The next morning, 6:02 a.m.
Madrid was just waking up. Vendors were setting up carts, traffic was beginning to hum, and a faint breeze danced through the alleyways. But inside the Real Madrid Castilla training facility, the world already felt like a battlefield.
Nico Valen stood on the pitch, dressed in Castilla's all-white training kit, boots tied tight, his breath visible in the cold morning air. Around him, teammates yawned, stretched, and joked quietly with each other.
He stayed silent.
It wasn't shyness, not anymore.
It was clarity.
He was here for one thing: evolution.
"Alright," Coach Emil Sandberg barked as he strode out with a clipboard. "Today we're doing positional drills. Attack and midfield focus. Tactical awareness, movement without the ball, and decision trees. You boys think it's just talent that wins games? Think again. This"—he tapped his temple—"this is where the magic happens."
Nico's eyes narrowed. Tactical awareness. That's my next quest.
A system prompt glowed faintly in the corner of his vision:
[Quest In Progress: Tactical Training]
Learn the foundations of movement, angles, and support roles. Stay in optimal positioning 80% of the time. Impress coaching staff.
A nearby assistant coach placed cones across the field in diamond formations.
"Valen, central pivot," Emil barked.
Nico moved into the central attacking midfield spot—his favorite. A place where space was tight, touches had to be perfect, and vision had to stretch two plays ahead.
The drill began. Pass from full-back to pivot, pivot to winger, winger back to striker, back to pivot—shoot.
Nico's first touch was velvet. His second, a no-look pass that split defenders clean in half.
Coach Emil raised a brow.
Again.
This time, a feint with his shoulder, a quick step forward, and then a disguised pass to the left. The defenders turned late. The winger broke through, one-on-one with the keeper.
Goal.
Nico wasn't even breathing hard.
The system pulsed.
[Tactical Mastery: 47% → 58%]
Your anticipation and spatial awareness are growing. You're reading patterns seconds before they happen.
The assistant coach whispered something to Emil. The older man glanced at Nico again, rubbing his chin.
But it wasn't about impressing them anymore.
Nico's mind was sharp. His body remembered. But more importantly—his vision was different.
It was like seeing the field in layers. He knew when the full-back would push forward. He could sense the hesitation in the defensive line before the striker even moved. The ball wasn't just at his feet anymore. It was part of his rhythm.
He had time. And in football, time was the deadliest weapon.
After training, sweat clinging to his skin and his heart still beating with adrenaline, Nico sat alone in the locker room. The others had left.
He opened the system.
[Quest Completed: Tactical Training]
Skill Unlocked: Tactical Awareness I
Enhances off-ball movement, positioning intelligence, and spacing understanding by 10%.
Trait Gained: On the Half Turn — Receive passes at better angles, with a 5% bonus to immediate transition plays.
He stared at it.
Tactical Awareness I… It was just the beginning. But it was his foundation.
Just then, footsteps echoed in the corridor.
"Valen," Coach Emil appeared, clipboard tucked under his arm. "I don't know what you've been doing differently, but I like it. You see things most kids your age don't."
Nico stayed silent.
The coach smirked. "Don't get cocky. You've earned a spot on the extended squad list for Sunday's match against Rayo Majadahonda. That's not a guarantee you'll play. But if you keep this up, I won't be able to ignore you."
Nico nodded once. "Understood."
As the coach turned to leave, he added, "Your silence used to worry me. Now it feels dangerous."
Later that day — at home
The small apartment smelled of cooked lentils and garlic. His mother stood at the stove, humming softly to the radio. His father was out working extra shifts. Lucia was doing her homework, legs swinging under the kitchen table.
Nico stepped inside quietly, hung up his bag, and just watched them.
A feeling hit him—a wave of love, guilt, hope. A strange knot in his chest.
He'd failed them once. He remembered it all—injuries, wasted chances, clubs that didn't care.
But now? Now he had another chance.
His mother turned, smiling when she saw him.
"You look tired."
"A good kind of tired," he said, stepping forward to kiss her cheek.
She raised an eyebrow. "That's new."
He laughed. It felt strange, rusty in his throat.
Lucia looked up from her books. "Are you famous yet?"
"Almost," he grinned. "You'll see."
That night, in bed, Nico opened the system again. A new tab flickered at the edge of the interface.
[Path of the Chosen]
He clicked it.
"You are not just a player. You are the answer to a prayer.
This gift was not granted to you by chance — it was mercy. A second life.
God doesn't give blessings freely. Prove you deserve it."
Next Path Unlock: Complete your first professional match (Minimum rating: 7.5)
He sat there, the weight of that truth pressing on his shoulders.
This isn't just about football.
It was bigger. Divine, even. But he welcomed the pressure.
Because pressure made diamonds. Or monsters.
And Nico Valen was ready to find out which one he was.