Inside the changing room, Westminster's youth players were dozing on the long benches, exhausted from the intense warm-up. Once Oswin drifted off on an empty bench, Winston quietly made his way to the showers and settled into a corner of the room.
As he rested, Winston recalled receiving reward points for partially completing the daily challenge during his battle with Maximilian.
I wonder how many points I earned from that challenge...
Ding!
[Core stats]
Name: Daley Winston
Age: 19
Weak Foot: 2
Foot: Right
Profession: Footballer
Team: Westminster F.C. (Under twenty-one team)
Player Rating: 86
Position: Center forward.
Potential: 89
[CORE MERIDIAN]
[Voltage Core: 85%]
Acceleration
Sprint Speed
[Innate Terra: 12%]
Shooting
[Spatial Zenith: 12%]
Passing
[Absolute: 12%]
Dribbling
[Nethen Essence: 88%]
Physical
Reward Points: 165
Acquired skills: 02
Skills shop
Winston stood up, but his feet felt wobbly beneath him. He steadied himself against the wall before looking at the Core System. The interface had changed, that alone startled him.
Before collapsing after his battle with Maximilian, Winston had vaguely seen three new awakenings appear on the system. At the time, he hadn't been able to focus on them properly. Now that he was looking at them again, he realized their names were strange—nothing like the ordinary attributes and skills he had seen before.
These awakenings... What exactly are they?
The Core had shifted its layout, placing the new awakenings into different categories alongside his existing stats. Winston narrowed his eyes.
There has to be a connection.
His thoughts immediately returned to the strange abdominal pain he had experienced. The sensation had always appeared alongside those mysterious changes in his body.
Or maybe it's connected to those sharp, fluctuating sine waves...
For now, Winston was simply relieved. If his thinking was correct, both the Nethen Essence and the Voltage Core were nearing completion. Whatever was happening inside his body seemed to be bringing him closer to another breakthrough.
His gaze shifted downward across the Core System, and his eyes widened. Although Winston had been training relentlessly to improve his attributes, his real motivation had gradually shifted toward something else.
Reward points—whenever the Core presented him with a daily challenge, Winston made sure to complete it whenever possible. Those points allowed him to purchase skill moves from the Skill Shop—something he had begun to consider increasingly important.
If I want to stand out in the league, I need more than just good attributes.
He had already accumulated a significant number of reward points. Winston stared at the total for several seconds, lost in thought. His mind began racing through all the possibilities.
What should I buy next?
He remained seated in the corner of the changing room, completely absorbed in his thoughts. A few moments later, Winston shook himself out of his daydream.
"Right..."
He refocused his attention on the Core System and navigated toward the Skill Shop.
Let's see what I can afford.
Ding!
[User skills shop]
Skill shop
> Finesse Shot: 50 points
> Chip Shot: 25 points
> Outside Foot Shot: 60 points
> Long Passer: 10 points
> Gamecharger: 50 points
> Incisive Pass: 25 points
> Tiki Taka: 10 points
> Technical: 45 points
> First Touch: 45 points
> Quick Step: 50 points
> Low Driven shot: 50 points
For a while, Winston studied the Skill Shop, carefully considering which abilities would help him stand out the most. After weighing the pros and cons, he settled on three skills he wanted to develop.
The first was Technical—technical proficiency focused on manipulating the ball and improving the fundamentals Winston had already begun to master. It enhanced skills such as first touch, ball control, and dribbling past multiple opponents. It also improved the accuracy of his passing and shooting. But the most important aspect was body positioning and movement.
This one could improve almost everything I already know.
The second skill was Game-Changer. As the name suggested, Game-Changer proficiency focused on a player's ability to influence the outcome of a match through superior tactical awareness. Its key aspects were tactical flexibility, forward dominance, and speed and agility. Winston immediately thought about the strange vision he had experienced during his match against Giants Hawks.
If I can become more tactical... maybe I won't have to rely on instinct all the time.
The final skill was one Winston had wanted for a long time.
Finesse Shot—the memory of Dumi bending the ball at an almost impossible angle immediately came rushing back. Dumi had once demonstrated the technique while teaching Winston how to strike the ball. The ball had curved nearly ninety degrees through the air before dipping inside the goalpost. Winston had been stunned—Dumi, however, had merely given him a lazy, bored stare.
"That's a finesse shot. It's one of the most basic shooting techniques."
Winston had been embarrassed—he had tried learning it before. He had watched countless tutorials and practiced the technique repeatedly, but no matter what he did, he couldn't reproduce the same movement. Dumi's version was especially abnormal. The ball didn't simply bend slightly before reaching the goal. It swirled through a massive ninety-degree arc before suddenly dipping inside the post.
No matter how many times Dumi tried to teach him, Winston had never been able to master it. Now, however, he finally had a chance.
Finesse Shot... A grin slowly spread across Winston's face. Something that was completely out of my reach before is finally mine.
Then reality hit him—Winston glanced toward the training ground outside the changing room.
It's matchday.
He let out a heavy sigh, there was no time to practice any of these skills properly. For a moment, Winston considered waiting until after the match. But the thought quickly disappeared.
No. He clenched his fist. I need to use them today.
If he wanted to stand out, this was his opportunity. Scouts were watching. The competition was fierce. And with only a limited number of matches remaining, he couldn't afford to waste any advantage the Core System gave him. Winston took a deep breath and looked back at the Skill Shop.
Technical, Game-Changer. Finesse Shot. His eyes hardened with determination. Let's activate all three.
[User skill move: Acquired]
[Technical]
[Technical: Equipped]
[User skill move: Acquired]
[Gamecharger]
[Gamechargerl: Equipped]
[User skill move: Acquired]
[Finesse Shot]
[Finesse Shot: Equipped]
Reward Points: 20
[Nethen Essence: 88%]
[Voltage Core: 85%]
[Innate Terra: 14%]
[Spatial Zenith: 14%]
[Absolute: 14%]
With the Core System still open, Winston leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.
Everything I've worked for has led to this.
Now he had to put his plan into action. If he wanted to stand out and attract the attention of senior clubs, this was his opportunity. More than anything, Winston wanted to return to Westminster F.C.—his childhood favorite, the club Dumi Crowe had represented before retiring, and the same club where Dumi had already broken records. It was also his father's favorite team. Winston had been sitting in the corner for some time when the assistant coach suddenly clapped his hands.
"Wake up, wake up! Get yourselves ready. The match starts in two hours. Those in the starting eleven, wash up and prepare for warm-ups."
The entire changing room immediately came alive. Some of the youths began talking about their upcoming vacation. Others were relieved that the number of remaining matches was low, while a few were already excited about returning home to their families. Some discussed movies, cartoons, and upcoming video game releases.
One youth stretched loudly before announcing, "This three-month vacation is going to be legendary. I'm finally going to lose my virginity. I've already got three girls lined up!" He enthusiastically fist-bumped Oswin.
Oswin stared at him for a moment before shaking his head. "You're hopeless."
Apparently, Atlas had told Oswin to focus on his training during the upcoming weeks. He hadn't explained exactly why, but he had been firm about it. Oswin assumed Atlas was preparing him for the attention of senior club scouts. Nearby, another player sat with a book in his hands, talking about how he planned to stay home, finish reading, and catch up with his friends. Another youth was already discussing the senior league matches he had missed during the season.
Winston listened quietly. I should probably go home too when the season ends.
He missed his family more than he wanted to admit. Winston eventually moved to the bench and sat down, still wearing his training bib. The room remained lively for nearly another hour before the assistant coach finally called everyone outside for warm-ups.
As the players emerged from the tunnel, Winston's teammates were stunned. The stadium was almost packed. Across the field, the Giants Hawks players were already performing their warm-up drills. The atmosphere was tense and intense.
Giants Hawks sat in the middle of the league table and had struggled to improve throughout the season. They had suffered more losses than wins and desperately wanted to recover from their previous heavy defeat. At the same time, several promising young players in their squad were eager to showcase their abilities. A strong performance today could improve their chances of attracting attention from senior clubs. After completing their warm-ups, Westminster returned to the changing room. The head coach immediately called everyone into a huddle and picked up his whiteboard.
"Alright, boys. We're going with a 1-3-5-2." He pointed toward the players. "Bolten, you'll play up front. Oswin, you'll operate as a roaming striker. Use your dribbling to cut behind their defensive line."
He turned toward Bolten, "Bolten, make aggressive runs in behind the defense." His finger moved toward the wide players, "Daveton and Hulton, hold the flanks and support Bolten." Finally, he pointed toward the center of the formation. "Milton and Dirlo, you'll operate as our central defensive midfielders. We're looking for quick buildup and a high defensive line."
The head coach finished his instructions and lowered the whiteboard. "Let's stay disciplined and play our game."
The players selected for the starting eleven began putting on their club uniforms. Winston remained seated on the bench, waiting patiently for his teammates to finish changing.