The morning of January 2, 2015, arrived with a crisp, biting wind that whistled through the iron gates of Melwood. Abdul Azim cycled through West Derby, his breath forming silver clouds in the cold air. His old mountain bike groaned under the weight of his heavy bag containing six footballs, but he barely felt the strain. His mind was elsewhere - half lost in memories of a failed future, and half buried in the glowing blue status window that only he could see.
"System, check total points."
[System Points: 240]
[Current Fame: 6 / 10,000]
Not enough, he thought, jaw tightening. If I want to become a monster in the first team, I need to start breaking records.
As he approached the entrance, the atmosphere at Melwood felt heavier than usual - grey and somber. Azim didn't need his Observation Haki to understand why. Every newspaper stand and phone screen he had passed featured the same headline: GERRARD TO LEAVE LIVERPOOL.
He parked his bike neatly and walked toward the Academy building. As he passed the main entrance, his Haki pulsed - Level 3 extending 15 meters around him. He "felt" the emotional states of people before he even saw their faces.
In the canteen area, Alex Inglethorpe, the Academy Director, was nursing a coffee with a look of profound exhaustion. Nearby, Neil Critchley, the U18 manager, kept checking his watch.
"Azim! You're early," Critchley called out, his voice sharp but not unkind. "Good. We're doing a hybrid session with some of the U21s today. Brendan's watching the main pitch, so I want no passengers. You hear me?"
"Loud and clear, Gaffer," Azim replied, a confident smile playing on his lips.
In the dressing room, the mood was funereal. Azim sat next to a skinny 16-year-old with sharp eyes and quiet intensity - Trent Alexander-Arnold.
"You okay, Trent?" Azim asked, pulling on his training top.
"He's actually leaving, Azim," Trent whispered, staring at his boots. "The Captain. I thought he'd be here forever."
Azim patted his shoulder firmly. "The era changes, Trent. But that just means someone has to step up and start a new one. Why not us?"
Trent looked up, surprised by the sheer conviction in Azim's voice. Through his Haki, Azim felt Trent's aura flicker from sadness to a spark of ambition.
The afternoon session at Melwood was relentless. Neil Critchley didn't believe in "light" days.
"Rondo! Two in the middle! Fast, one-touch, move the ball or you stay in!" assistant coach Mike Garrity barked.
Azim was placed in the middle group. At 189cm, a striker would normally struggle in tight spaces, but today he was a glitch in the system. Every time a pass was about to be intercepted, he was already there. His Observation Haki let him read muscle tension and body language before movements even happened. When needed, he used microscopic pulses of Telekinesis to make the ball "stick" or change its spin slightly.
"Whoa! Technical, Azim!" Harry Wilson laughed after Azim stole the ball cleanly.
Next came the 1v2 Passing and Movement drill. Azim was the lone striker against two U21 centre-backs.
"Hold it up, Azim! Link the play!" Critchley yelled from the side.
As the ball fizzed into his chest, Azim cushioned it with a touch so soft it looked like the ball had hit a pillow. He shielded with his strong frame, turned smoothly, and played a no-look through-ball to Trent that carried perfect backspin.
On the sidelines, match analyst Bradley Wall was tapping furiously on his iPad.
"Neil," Bradley whispered, "look at Azim's reaction data. His first three yards acceleration has jumped. And his ball control… the sensors are reading it as elite."
Critchley squinted. "He looks taller. Stronger. Is he having a late growth spurt?"
Whatever it was, Azim was playing like a completely different player.
The session continued with high-intensity Gegenpressing, positional rotations, burst speed training, and finishing under fatigue. Azim operated as a complete False 9 - dropping deep to link midfield, creating space, winning duels, and making dangerous runs in behind. He scored multiple goals with a mix of powerful strikes, delicate chips, and curling finesse shots.
Even Caoimhin Kelleher, rotating in goal, shook his head after one effort. "Mate, you're not supposed to make my job this difficult today."
As the sun began to set over Melwood, most players headed for the showers. Azim stayed behind.
"Hey, Tom!" he called to Tom Brewitt. "Do me a favour? Film this on your phone. I want to check my striking posture later."
"Sure, mate. Don't take too long," Brewitt replied, pulling out his iPhone.
Azim stood 30 yards from goal. He took a deep breath.
Control (5). Telekinesis (Level 3).
He struck the ball. It hissed through the air and slammed into the crossbar with a loud CLANG. As it bounced high, Azim didn't use his hands. He looked at the ball and used telekinesis to pull it toward him. When it reached his foot, he performed an Air Elastico - flipping the ball around his ankle mid-air. He then hit the crossbar two more times in succession without the ball touching the ground.
"Are you kidding me?!" Brewitt shouted, nearly dropping his phone. "Azim, that's Ronaldinho stuff! I'm posting this. People need to see this."
"Just a bit of luck, Tom," Azim winked, though his head was throbbing from the mental exertion.
The video Brewitt posted didn't just go viral - it exploded.
In the early days of 2015 social media, high-quality skill clips were rare. The "Magic Boy of Melwood" became a sensation overnight. The official Liverpool FC Twitter account reposted it. Then LFCTV. Then major fan pages and football accounts worldwide.
Azim spent the next ten days in a focused trance of training and recovery.
During this period, notifications kept appearing:
[Fame Points Earned: 940,364]
[Converting…]
[+94 System Points]
Daily Gacha Spins gave him steady small rewards. On Day 10, he hit a checkpoint and received a Loyalty Bonus.
By the evening of January 14th, Azim sat on his bed, the blue screen glowing.
[Current System Points: 1,034]
He now had enough for an Additional Gacha Spin Ticket or to start saving for bigger purchases.
Earlier that day, Neil Critchley had pulled him aside after training.
"Azim. Brendan Rodgers saw the video. He thinks it might be camera tricks. He wants you in the first-team session tomorrow morning. He wants to see if you can do that against Martin Skrtel and the senior defenders."
Azim's heart hammered.
Training with the first team. Training with Gerrard.
He looked at his stats again.
Endurance: 5Control: 5
I want to join the first team, he thought. But not yet. Klopp isn't here. I need to wait for the right moment.