CHAPTER 89: CHAPTER 87: SYSTEM UPDATE I

Tuesday Evening, August 20th, 2022 - Demien’s Apartment, Bergamo

Demien set the phone down and stared at the ceiling. The apartment felt too quiet; his mind kept cycling through Marco’s text about Nike, Adidas, and Puma, three giants competing for a kid who’d been completely broken two months ago.

The irony sat heavy in his chest.

He sat up slowly. His body still hummed with post-training fatigue, muscles loose but not dead, the kind of tiredness that meant he’d worked but not overworked.

The Milan match is Saturday, he thought, and his eyes moved to where the system interface would appear when called. Four days. I need upgrades now, let them settle before the game.

"Hey, UG," he said quietly to the empty room.

The familiar blue panel materialized instantly, text appearing in clean lines.

「Hello, Demien. How are you doing?」

"I’m good," he replied, and he meant it, the word feeling strange because two months ago ’good’ wasn’t in his vocabulary. "I’m ready."

The panel flickered, text scrolling faster than before.

「GACHA SYSTEM LOADING」

The screen expanded, filling more of his vision than usual, and a progress bar appeared at the bottom—bright blue, moving steadily from left to right.

「1%... 15%... 32%... 58%... 74%... 91%... 100%」

「SYSTEM UPDATE COMPLETE」

「NEW FEATURES AVAILABLE」

Demien leaned forward. Something had changed; the interface felt sharper, more responsive, like the system had upgraded itself while he wasn’t paying attention.

「CURRENT BALANCE」

「334 TP | 20 SP | 366 MP」

The numbers glowed brighter than before, each currency type marked with a small icon—training points in white, special points in gold, match points in blue.

「SYSTEM UPDATE: CURRENCY FLEXIBILITY」

「Match Points can now be used to purchase packs」

「New threshold requirements implemented」

The panel shifted, new information flowing across the screen.

「AVAILABLE PACKS」

「BRONZE PACK」

「Cost: 100 TP OR 50 MP」

「Status: AVAILABLE」

「SILVER PACK」

「Cost: 200 TP OR 100 MP」

「Status: AVAILABLE」

「GOLD PACK」

「Cost: 500 TP OR 200 MP」

「Status: AVAILABLE (MP only - TP does not meet threshold)」

「BLACK PACK」

「Cost: 10 SP」

「Status: AVAILABLE」

「DIAMOND PACK」

「Cost: 50 SP」

「Status: UNAVAILABLE (Insufficient SP)」

Demien stared at the Gold Pack line, processing the implications. He’d been sitting on 366 match points since his debut, wondering when he’d actually use them, and now the system was telling him he could convert that performance into immediate upgrades.

"Hmmm," he said, and a small smile crossed his face. "I’ve been wondering how I was going to use the MP. This is nice."

The match points had felt abstract before, just numbers accumulating without purpose, but now they represented real opportunity—a Gold Pack cost 200 MP, and he had enough for one with currency left over.

Milan is in four days, he thought again, and his jaw set. Time to gamble.

"UG," he said clearly, his voice steady. "Let’s start with Gold Pack."

「COMMAND ACCEPTED」

「GOLD PACK SELECTED」

「Cost: 200 MP」

The panel updated immediately.

「200 MP CONSUMED」

「REMAINING BALANCE: 334 TP | 20 SP | 166 MP」

The interface shifted, the pack selection menu disappearing as a new animation filled his vision—a lever materialized in front of him, glowing gold at the base, the handle wrapped in what looked like leather but moved like light.

「Please pull the lever to initiate pack opening」

Demien reached forward. His hand closed around the grip; it felt solid despite being pure interface, warm against his palm like it had been sitting in sunlight.

He pulled.

The lever moved smoothly, clicking down through its arc with mechanical precision, and the moment it locked at the bottom position, the space in front of him exploded with golden light.

The glow condensed, forming a rectangular pack that rotated slowly in midair—premium packaging, edges sharp, the surface shimmering with that distinctive gold sheen that marked higher-tier rewards.

The pack tore open.

Seven cards flew out in sequence, each one spinning before settling into position, face-down, arranged in a perfect arc around him.

The first card flipped.

FREE KICK ACCURACY +3

UNCOMMON

The text glowed orange, the card pulsing once before dissolving into particles that flowed directly into Demien’s chest. He felt it immediately—a slight tightening in his right foot, like muscle memory adjusting, his body suddenly understanding angles and curves it hadn’t considered before.

The second card flipped.

STAMINA +4

UNCOMMON

Orange glow, same dissolution, but this time the sensation spread through his entire cardiovascular system—lungs expanding slightly, heart rate settling into a more efficient rhythm, legs feeling lighter despite the training fatigue.

Third card.

INTERCEPTIONS +6

RARE

Blue light this time, brighter, and Demien’s mind sharpened as the boost integrated—reading patterns faster, anticipating passes before they happened, defensive instincts that had been decent now elevated to something more refined.

Fourth card.

ACCELERATION +4

RARE

Blue again, and his legs buzzed with new energy—fast-twitch muscle fibers responding quicker, that first step off the mark suddenly explosive in ways it hadn’t been even with his previous boosts.

Fifth card.

TRAIT SHARD [BALL WINNER]

Collect 4 to craft: Ball Winner

The shard glowed white, floating into his inventory counter. He’d had one before; now it read 2/4.

Sixth card.

RARE SKILL SHARD [HEEL-TO-HEEL FLICK]

Collect 5 to craft: Heel-to-Heel Flick

Another white glow, a different shard. 1/5 appeared next to the skill name. Not enough to unlock the full technique yet, but progress toward something flashy.

Seventh card, final card.

RARE SKILL SHARD [LOFTED DINK]

Collect 5 to craft: Lofted Dink

White light again. 1/5 next to the skill name, another technique he’d need more shards to complete.

「RESULTS APPLIED」

The cards vanished, the golden light fading, and Demien felt the changes settle into his body completely—stamina deeper, acceleration sharper, free kicks suddenly intuitive in ways they hadn’t been an hour ago.

He exhaled slowly. That was one pack. Seven cards. Real improvements he could feel in his muscles and bones.

Let’s keep going, he thought, and adrenaline started building in his chest because gambling always felt like this—win or lose, the rush came from not knowing.

"Let’s go again, UG," he said. "Bronze Pack."

「BRONZE PACK SELECTED」

「Please select currency: 100 TP OR 50 MP」

"Let’s try MP," Demien replied, curious to see how the new system handled the alternative currency.

「50 MP CONSUMED」

「REMAINING BALANCE: 334 TP | 20 SP | 116 MP」

The lever appeared again, this time copper-colored at the base, less dramatic than the gold but still glowing with that same interface luminescence.

「Pull the lever to initiate pack opening」

He pulled.

The bronze pack materialized—smaller, simpler, no premium sheen—and tore open immediately. Three cards flew out, spinning in sequence before settling face-down in front of him.

First card flipped.

TRY AGAIN

The text appeared in dull grey, no glow, no particles, just the words hanging there like a taunt before the card dissolved into nothing.

Second card.

TRY AGAIN

Grey text, same dissolution, same feeling of wasted currency sinking into his stomach.

Third card.

TRY AGAIN

All three. Complete whiff. Fifty match points turned into absolutely nothing.

"What the fuck," Demien muttered, and he ran his hand through his hair, frustration bubbling up. "This again... I totally forgot this can happen."