CHAPTER 92: CHAPTER 90: WARRIOR’S VISION

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

The two gold cards pulsed in midair, their light painting shadows across the apartment walls. Demien’s heart hammered against his ribs; sweat formed on his palms despite the room’s cool air.

Two legendary cards, he thought, and the reality of it felt surreal. In one Black Pack. After four whiffs.

The fifth card flipped first, the motion slow and deliberate.

AGGRESSION +8

EPIC

Purple light exploded from the card, brighter than any previous boost, and Demien felt something fundamental shift in his mentality—competitive fire burning hotter, willingness to win every duel regardless of consequence, a warrior’s edge that made backing down feel impossible.

The sixth card followed immediately.

BALL CONTROL +6

RARE

Blue glow, and his feet suddenly understood the ball in new ways—trapping, manipulating, keeping possession under pressure all elevated to levels that felt borrowed from technical specialists.

The two gold cards remained, spinning slowly, building tension with every rotation.

The seventh card flipped.

Gold light flooded the room.

ARTURO VIDAL — WARRIOR SPIRIT

LEGENDARY PLAYER SIGNATURE MOVE

The text appeared first, bold and unmistakable, and then information flooded Demien’s mind like a download directly into his nervous system.

「LEGENDARY TECHNIQUE ACQUIRED」

「Arturo Vidal — Warrior Spirit」

「Effect: Passive enhancement to physical duels, stamina regeneration during matches, and mental resilience under pressure. Increases aggression in 50-50 challenges by 15%. When activated during key moments, temporarily boosts all physical stats by 10% for 3 minutes. Cooldown: 15 minutes.」

「Additional Effect: "The Warrior" — When losing or drawing in the final 15 minutes, all physical stats increase by 5% and stamina drain reduces by 20%.」

「Integration: Complete. Technique is now permanently available.」

Demien’s entire body buzzed with new energy—Vidal’s relentless engine, his refusal to accept defeat, that Chilean warrior mentality that made him run until his legs gave out and then run some more.

The eighth card began to flip, gold light intensifying.

MESUT ÖZIL — EYE-OF-NEEDLE

LEGENDARY PLAYER SIGNATURE MOVE

More information downloaded, this time focused on vision and creativity rather than physicality.

「LEGENDARY TECHNIQUE ACQUIRED」

「Mesut Özil — Eye-of-Needle」

「Effect: Dramatically enhances vision and passing creativity. Allows the player to see passing lanes 2 seconds before they fully open. When activated, time perception slows by 30% for 5 seconds, enabling threading of passes through impossibly tight spaces. Cooldown: 10 minutes.」

「Additional Effect: "The Assist King" — Key passes have 20% higher accuracy and receivers gain +10% first touch control on through balls.」

「Integration: Complete. Technique is now permanently available.」

Demien’s perception shifted immediately—the room looked different, angles and spaces suddenly apparent in ways they hadn’t been seconds ago, his mind calculating trajectories and timing with precision that felt supernatural.

The cards dissolved, both legendary techniques integrating simultaneously, and the system chimed one final time.

「RESULTS APPLIED」

"YES!" Demien screamed, jumping off the bed, both fists pumping toward the ceiling. "YES! FUCK YES!"

He paced three steps, turned, paced back, adrenaline flooding every nerve. Four "try again" cards had almost broken him, had almost made him dismiss the interface in frustration, and then the system had delivered two legendary techniques in one pack.

Vidal’s warrior spirit, he thought, and he could feel it in his chest—that refusal to quit, that engine that never stopped running. And Özil’s vision. Threading passes nobody else can see.

"That Black Pack wasn’t a waste," he said aloud, and his voice came out breathless with excitement. "Four blanks hurt, but this... this makes everything worth it."

He grabbed his water bottle from the nightstand, drank half of it in three gulps, tried to calm down enough to think clearly.

Milan is Saturday, he reminded himself, and tactical scenarios started playing in his head immediately. Vidal’s physicality to win midfield battles. Özil’s vision to split their defensive lines. If I get the start...

But would he start? Éderson’s injury opened the door, but Gasperini might not trust an eighteen-year-old in such a massive fixture. Friday would tell. Team selection would be announced Friday morning, and then he’d know whether all this preparation meant anything.

"Let me check the updated stats," he said, and the system responded immediately.

「PLAYER PROFILE - UPDATED」

The panel expanded, numbers glowing brighter than before.

「Overall Rating: 78 → 79 (+1)」

Demien’s breath caught. Seventy-nine. His overall had climbed another point from the pack openings.

PACE

Acceleration: 87 → 91 (+4)

Sprint Speed: 81

SHOOTING

Positioning: 72

Finishing: 63 → 65 (+2)

Shot Power: 69 → 73 (+4)

Long Shots: 80 → 86 (+6)

Volleys: 62

Penalties: 57

PASSING

Vision: 67

Crossing: 78 → 88 (+10)

Free Kick Accuracy: 66 → 73 (+7)

Short Passing: 70

Long Passing: 78

Curve: 79 → 88 (+9)

DRIBBLING

Agility: 78 → 81 (+3)

Balance: 66

Reactions: 67

Ball Control: 82 → 88 (+6)

Dribbling: 64

Composure: 75

DEFENDING

Interceptions: 67 → 73 (+6)

Heading Accuracy: 71 → 76 (+5)

Defensive Awareness: 65

Standing Tackle: 60

Sliding Tackle: 57

PHYSICAL

Jumping: 63

Stamina: 78 → 82 (+4)

Strength: 83 → 92 (+9)

Aggression: 86 → 97 (+11)

LEGENDARY TECHNIQUES

• Andrea Pirlo: Deep-Lying Playmaker

• Mesut Özil: Eye-of-Needle

• Arturo Vidal: Warrior Spirit ✨ NEW

TECHNIQUES

• Curve Run Timing (Epic)

• Lofted Dink (Rare)

• La Croqueta Chain (Epic)

• Near-Post Dash (Rare)

TRAITS (SHARDS COLLECTED)

• Agent Negotiation Perk: UNLOCKED ✅

• Ball Winner: 2/4 (+1)

• Nutritionist Upgrade: 2/4 (+1)

• Aerial Threat: 2/4 (+1)

• Set Piece Specialist: 2/4 (+1)

• Recovery Boost: 2/4

• Press Resistant: 1/4

• Speed Dribbler: 1/4

• Stamina Regeneration: 2/4

• Long Shot Taker: 1/4

• Sponsor Deal Slot: 1/4

「Current Balance: 35 TP | 0 SP | 16 MP」

Demien stared at the profile for a long moment. Overall 79. Three legendary techniques. Stats that would make him competitive against anyone in Serie A.

Strength 83. Aggression 89. Ball Control 82. The numbers told a story—he could fight physically now, win duels against bigger midfielders, and still have the technical quality to create chances.

And two new legendary skills that would completely change how he played.

His phone rang, the sound cutting through his thoughts. He glanced at the screen.

Mom ❤️

He smiled and answered immediately. "Hey, Mum."

"Demien!" Isabella’s voice came through warm and bright. "How are you, love? I haven’t heard from you since Sunday."

"I’m good," he said, and he meant it completely. "Training’s been intense, but good. Really good."

"Are you eating properly? You know how you get when you’re focused—you forget meals."

"I’m eating, Mum. The club provides everything at the cafeteria. Three meals a day, all balanced."

"And you’re not overtraining? Your body needs rest too."

Demien laughed softly. "I’m resting. Promise. How are you? How’s work?"

Isabella sighed, but it sounded content rather than stressed. "Work is... actually wonderful. You remember I told you about the promotion possibility?"

"Yeah, at the hospital. Administrative coordinator position."

"They confirmed it yesterday," she said, and pride colored her voice. "Starting next month. Better hours, better pay, and I’ll be supervising the scheduling department."

"Mum, that’s amazing!" Demien sat up straighter, genuine happiness flooding through him. "You deserve it. You’ve worked there for what, eight years?"

"Nine in November." A pause, then her voice shifted slightly. "And there’s something else. I bought a car."

Demien blinked. "A car? When?"

"Last week. A BMW 3 Series—nothing too flashy, but comfortable and reliable. With the promotion and your contract, I decided it was time to treat myself properly."

"That’s great," he said, and warmth settled in his chest because this was what he’d wanted—his success creating opportunities for her too, life getting better for both of them. "What color?"

"Dark blue. Very practical." She laughed. "Your Uncle Marco helped me negotiate the price. He’s quite good at that."

They talked for another fifteen minutes—her telling him about learning to drive again after years without a car, him describing training sessions without mentioning the system or supernatural abilities, just normal mother-son conversation that felt grounding after the intensity of pack openings and stat boosts.

"I’ll let you rest," Isabella said finally. "But Demien? I’m so proud of you. Everything you’re accomplishing... your father would be proud too."

His throat tightened. "Thanks, Mum. Love you."

"Love you more. Get some sleep."

The call ended, and Demien set the phone down slowly, warmth still lingering from hearing his mum’s voice.

He picked the phone back up and opened TikTok, needing mental downtime after the emotional conversation and the gacha session’s intensity. His feed loaded immediately—football highlights, tactical analysis videos, memes about Serie A.

One video caught his attention: a compilation of Haaland’s first three Premier League goals for Manchester City. The Norwegian striker looked unstoppable, clinical finishing that made every chance count.

Twenty-two years old and already world-class, Demien thought, and the comparison felt less demoralizing than it would have a month ago. I’m eighteen. Still building.

He scrolled further and Twitter posts appeared in his feed—screenshots embedded in TikTok videos, reactions to transfer news and match previews.

@FabrizioRomano: "Casemiro to Manchester United, here we go! €60M + add-ons, four-year contract. Medical scheduled for Friday. 🔴 #MUFC"

@BBCSport: "Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes continues exploring options for client’s departure from Manchester United with less than two weeks remaining in transfer window."

@SkySportsNews: "Barcelona register Jules Koundé and Andreas Christensen after activating fourth ’economic lever.’ Financial crisis continues despite summer signings."

Demien kept scrolling, football news washing over him—the transfer window chaos, teams scrambling for final additions, managers frustrated with boards, fans demanding signings.

Then a tweet appeared that made him stop scrolling.

@AtalantaFanTV: "Per @nagumo_1, Braga SC have sent loan bid for Luca Bianchi. U23 performances caught Portuguese club’s attention. Club considering offer. 🇵🇹⚫🔵"

Demien smiled. Luca. Loan to Portugal.

Good for him, he thought, genuine happiness spreading through his chest. Braga’s a solid club. He’ll get regular minutes, develop in a good league.

They shared an apartment in Bergamo—had moved in together after signing their Atalanta contracts—and while Luca had never complained about playing time, Demien knew the club wanted him to gain more first-team experience somewhere he’d actually play.

Smart move from the club, Demien thought. Let him develop properly instead of sitting on the bench. He’ll come back stronger.

He closed TikTok and set the phone on the nightstand, exhaustion finally catching up to him. The pack openings, the stat boosts, the legendary techniques, the phone call with his mum—it all crashed down at once, and his body suddenly felt heavy.

Milan on Saturday, he thought one more time before his eyes closed. Friday I’ll know if I’m starting. Until then, just rest and train.

Sleep came quickly this time, dreamless and deep.