September 10, 2023.
The last day of the holidays arrived quickly; tomorrow was the first day of school.
Diego spent his Sunday evening sprawled on his bed, coloring a picture book of modern football club logos.
His favorite was Manchester United because of the red devil, its trident, and the bold framing, but it annoyed him how little freedom the design allowed his crayons. Too much red, too much order; that was why he preferred coloring clubs like Barça, Newcastle, and Valencia.
His room was tidy, as if it were preparing for something new. To one side sat his school bag with a new water bottle clipped to it, while fresh textbooks and exercise books were stacked neatly beside it.
It felt like the start of a new life, arriving right after a fun summer that had flown by. There was the unforgettable Copa Escolar and the fun experiences he'd had afterwards, plus all the football matches he'd watched on TV.
Manchester City had lifted the Super Cup, and Leipzig had defeated Bayern to be crowned DFL-Supercup winners. There truly had been no dull moment!
From the football matches he'd watched recently, Diego still found it hard to believe this was the same sport.
The movement was clinical, executed with a synchronicity that felt almost supernatural. The players hunted in order like a single organism, moving the ball in patterns so complex they looked pre-programmed by a computer.
Compared to this, the football he had grown up watching felt unpolished and chaotic. It opened his eyes to how wide the gap was and how unforgiving the standard had become. An average player from his time would be ground to dust within minutes. They wouldn't stand a chance!
Diego set down his coloring book and crayons, staring at the wall as if trying to process a glitch in the universe.
"And they even have women's football," he muttered to the empty room.
"Last I remember, women weren't even allowed to wear trousers!"
Diego slipped off the bed and opened his drawer. He picked up a printed photo he retrieved for free at a cyberhub in town two weeks ago. The photo showed the Spanish women's team lifting the FIFA Women's World Cup, faces frozen in joy, August still fresh in their smiles.
Diego studied it for a long moment, understanding that things had indeed changed in this world. Doors once shut were now wide open. If they could rise, claim space, and be celebrated, then maybe his own dream didn't sound so foolish after all.
From San Gregorio Elementary School to EDM San Blas, an official grassroots club under the RFEF, Diego was moving forward one step at a time. Progress, his father, who was in full support, called it.
Standing by the bed, he remembered the system that had followed him since the Copa Escolar.
Without a word, he called it up, excited for the next chapter of his small but growing career.
[Name: Diego Montoya]
[Rank: 1★—Copper Tier]
[System Lv. 1: 4750/1000]
[Age: 9>>11]
[Height: 134 cm>>145cm]
[Position: LWB]
[Foot: L]
[Career: EDM San Blas (Local Club)]
[OVR: 26>>29]
[Physicality: 25>>32]
[Technicality: 29>>30]
[Mentality: 26]
[Defense: 21>>24]
[Skills: Basic Long-Range]
Almost hitting an OVR of 30 felt like a milestone that bridged the gap between a "schoolboy with a dream" and a legitimate "youth prospect!"
Throughout the Copa Escolar tournament, Diego had felt his body becoming sharper and his movements more fluid, but seeing the figures on the translucent screen made that progress tangible.
He was becoming a child soldier.
His eyes immediately darted to the Physicality section, the trait he had strategically assigned to his 10x Binding.
[Pace: 27>>34]
[Strength: 24>> 30]
[Stamina: 24> 31]
[Agility: 28>> 35]
[Balance: 26>> 31]
"Haha! Thank you, Damian!" Diego barked, punching the air with a triumphant fist.
Every sprint his classmate had run in the heat of the summer had been siphoned directly into Diego's own bones!
"...and Modric," he added, his voice dropping.
He had used his mother's phone to research his Physicality frame model idol, Luka Modric, and he hadn't been impressed.
The Croatian was small, almost frail-looking compared to the giants of the game. Once again, Diego felt a pang of disappointment. He stared at the screen, wishing that particular trait had been modeled after the powerhouse physique of CR7 instead.
However, whenever he remembered he was armed with the technicality of Iniesta, the legendary left leg of Maradona, and the thunderous right leg of Didier Drogba, Diego felt like he was overcompensated.
Those traits were absolutely overpowered enough to render a small body frame irrelevant!
With a grin, he turned his focus back to Damian.
As much as he looked for a superior subject, Damian remained his best battery for now.
He had considered bonding with those talented rivals from the tournament, but he couldn't exactly track them down every seven days to renew a handshake.
For now, Damian would have to keep working hard—and Diego would be right there to suck every drop of it.
Apart from the increased stats, Diego noticed that there were new additions to the interface. His position was now officially listed as Left Wing Back, and his career status proudly displayed his first club: EDM San Blas.
Most exciting, however, was the ranking system.
The path to greatness was divided into tiers: Copper, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and the legendary Black, each containing five stars.
Diego stared at his current status: 1★—Copper Tier.
It was the very bottom of the mountain, but the visual confirmation sent a jolt of adrenaline through him. The climb was real, and he was officially on the map!
Diego decided to finally level up, the glowing exp bar reminded him enough. With a sharp inhale, he tapped it, and the interface blossomed into a sprinkle of light.
[Congratulations, you have leveled up to Level 2!]
[System Lv. 2: 3750/5000]
[You have received: (1) Utility Point]
Diego's eyes widened at the new reward. "What are utility points?" he asked.
[Utility Points are system points for upgrading and evolving all kinds of skills.]
Utility Points? More like evolution points!
What a revelation! This alone could change Diego's entire game. His mind raced with possibilities as he realized that he could use these points to bypass months of training that could be overwhelming.
He hadn't even started officially yet, and the system had given him a way to accelerate his growth actively. At this pace, the gap between him and the world's best was shrinking—-no matter how wide it is.
To test it, Diego decided to assign his single utility point to his innate skill, <10x Trait Binding>, hoping to see what new features it could unlock or enhance.
[Do you wish to spend (1) Utility Point on <10x Trait Bind>?]
"Yes," he whispered.
[Congratulations! You have upgraded: <10x Trait Binding> to Level 2!]
Quickly, Diego pulled up the description to see the changes for himself.
[10X TRAIT BINDING: By making physical contact with a target, you create a binding link to one of their attributes. From that moment on, every point they gain in the chosen field will be mirrored to you at ten times (1000%) the value. Their progress remains untouched; only you gain the multiplied reflection.]
[Currently Level 2: Two persons can be bound at a time. The bond lasts for a month before expiring, after which new contact is required to renew it.]