The match resumed.
Basel had basically surrendered. Their tempo slowed to a crawl, fearful of inviting yet another Bastia counterattack. Hadzibegic responded by withdrawing Julien and De Bruyne—his two attacking fulcrums.
There was no need to risk them further in a decided contest.
Bastia was sounding the retreat. Basel followed suit, substituting their key players. After this European disappointment, domestic honors still beckoned them.
"This match is over as a contest," The commentator said.
Yet there was one minor surprise. In the 88th minute, Elneny tried a speculative long-range effort from outside the box. Martinez reacted and should have saved it comfortably—but Van Dijk inadvertently deflected it, altering the trajectory.
The ball found the net. Basel had pulled one back, but it changed nothing.
Finally, when stoppage time expired, the referee's whistle pierced the night air.
Phweeeeet—!
The moment that sound cut through St. Jakob-Park, the stadium fell into an eerie silence—all except for the few hundred Bastia traveling supporters, who erupted into absolute pandemonium.
6-2.
They'd done it. Semifinalists. Just one step away from their greatest-ever European achievement.
Modoso led the chants, his voice was hoarse: "FORZA, BASTIA!"
Their few hundred voices, screaming themselves raw, somehow filled the silent Swiss night with thunderous clarity.
Like the burning expectation in their hearts—it became impossible to ignore.
Bastia's substitutes charged onto the pitch, embracing their teammates. Julien first hugged Hadzibegic, then joined the celebration. He even found Salah, offering a consoling pat on the shoulder.
Of course, this was someone else's ground. Bastia kept their celebrations respectful and not too ostentatious, not long.
The French TF1 commentator's voice brimmed with pride: "6-2. I can assure you, at the start of this season, such a result would have been unthinkable. Absolutely unthinkable!
"Bastia—this promoted side from Corsica—on Swiss soil, they have utterly crushed Basel's faint hopes of a comeback! They march into the Europa League semifinals with heads held high!
Listen to that sound! A few hundred Bastia supporters, yet their roar sounds like thousands.
This is the Corsican hunger for history—they stand just one step away from their greatest European achievement!
Tonight, with an indisputable performance, they've shattered the Swiss giants' European dream. Now, a place in the final four belongs to Corsica.
It belongs to Bastia."
Tonight truly belonged to Bastia.
Whether the traveling army at St. Jakob-Park or the fans back on Corsica—all were consumed by euphoria. The bars overflowed. This would be another night where nobody went home sober.
Supporters refreshed their phones obsessively, reading Basel players' admissions of defeat, Yakin's simple "we lost," and Hadzibegic's declaration: "We have one goal and one goal only—to be the last team standing."
But most of all, they read about Julien.
His performance tonight hadn't dominated the highlight roll, but he'd delivered the decisive blow that sealed Basel's fate. After his runaway Golden Boy Award victory, French media were now unanimous: "Julien continues proving he deserves Ballon d'Or consideration."
Last year's Ballon d'Or—awarded this past January 7th in Zurich had gone to Messi, who retained the FIFA Ballon d'Or with the highest vote count. Ronaldo and Iniesta finished second and third.
This year's award would announce its longlist around October, narrow to three finalists in December, then crown the winner in January. Not just Bastia supporters, but French fans nationwide hoped Julien would emerge as a serious contender.
The external noise didn't touch Bastia's players. Especially not Julien.
After bidding farewell to his teammates, he returned quickly to his quarters. His victory points had hit 100. He could barely contain his anticipation about what enhancement ability this treasure chest might yield.
Once everything was sorted, Julien settled onto his bed, ready to open the reward.
Victory points were hard to accumulate. He desperately hoped the chest wouldn't produce something mediocre. So far, every chest had delivered but there was always a first time for disappointment.
Staring at the 100 victory points displayed before him, Julien rubbed his hands together excitedly. No more delay. He selected the exchange option.
Then clicked to open.
[Opening Victory Chest x1]
[Obtained Random Enhancement Ability: Comprehensive Advanced Enhancement: Balance]
'Hmm?'
The moment Julien read those words, his eyebrow smoothed.
Another advanced enhancement!
Perfect!
He'd opened enough chests by now to recognize the pattern. Hidden attributes and advanced enhancements were premium rewards. The standard enhancements, while useful, were noticeably inferior by comparison.
Anything with a prefix was guaranteed quality.
Julien focused on the comprehensive advanced enhancement, examining what exactly it meant.
[Comprehensive Advanced Enhancement—Balance]
Balance is the absolute mastery of your body at the edge of losing control. It transforms every threat of disequilibrium into a prelude for your next fluid movement. It is one of the foundational pillars separating elite players from the merely good.
Upon reaching the corresponding attribute thresholds, you will unlock the respective branch abilities of "Balance."
Symmetrical Coordination
Requirements: Flexibility ≥70, Ball Control ≥85, Strength ≥75
Effect: Left and right limb movement synchronization rate fixed at 100%. Non-dominant side technical precision automatically matches dominant side. This ability encompasses not just left/right hand and foot balance, but also left/right body balance and equal proprioception for turning in either direction.
Equilibrium Dominance
Requirements: Flexibility ≥75
Effect: Automatically activates when body center of gravity shifts beyond 10°. Eliminates 65% of inertial imbalance, while neural recruitment capacity increases by 150% during activation.
Fatigue Distribution
Requirements: Strength ≥80, Stamina ≥80, Injury Resistance ≥70
Effect: Distributes localized muscle fatigue across adjacent muscle groups, with each group bearing ≤12% of the load. Additionally optimizes metabolism—lactic acid clearance rate increased by 150%.
Julien read through each ability carefully. This enhancement was considerably more complex than previous ones.
However:
Upon closer analysis, he realized he'd struck gold. Because all his previous enhancements had featured just a single ability. Only the last one—the shooting advanced enhancement had provided two.
But this time, the comprehensive advanced enhancement offered three distinct abilities.
Julien genuinely felt like he'd won the lottery.
Moreover, all three abilities were phenomenal, each authentically belonging under the "balance" conceptual umbrella.
The first was nothing short of a GOAT-tier ability. Left-right body balance—not limited to feet, but including hands, torso rotation, everything. Essentially making both sides equally dominant. The concept of a "weak foot" would cease to exist.
If that wasn't GOAT-tier, what was?
And the critical detail: the non-dominant side would automatically match the dominant side's ability. That meant he didn't need to train his weaker foot at all—activation would instantly max it out. Whether shooting, or executing skill moves during dribbles, every aspect would improve comprehensively.
With perfect left-right balance, he could genuinely play anywhere across the front line. Not as a target man, obviously—but his tactical versatility would skyrocket.
Opponents would find him exponentially harder to defend.
Julien's excitement surged just from reading the first ability. If he'd pulled only this one, it would already constitute an incredible result. Yet there were two more.
The second ability seemed unremarkable at first glance. But deeper consideration revealed its significance—direct enhancement of center of gravity control.
In any athletic sport, the human center of gravity directly impacts stability, explosiveness, and balance. Center of gravity stability is a crucial factor in maximizing athletic efficiency.
An unstable center of gravity during movement forces certain body parts to bear excessive weight, leading to injuries and increasing injury probability. Even among ballet dancers, there's a saying: "Your entire career is spent training your center of gravity."
What this ability did: eliminating inertial imbalance and enhancing neural recruitment essentially allowed instant center of gravity recovery after intense shifts.
Imagine during a dribble: executing an extreme change of direction. Would the defender commit or not? If they committed, Julien could realign his center of gravity in minimal time, immediately executing his next action.
If they didn't commit, then it wasn't a feint at all—he'd already gone.
Combined with his previous flexibility enhancement, Julien suspected this ability would produce extraordinary synergy.
His excitement continued building.
By the third ability, Julien could only manage one thought: "System, you absolute legend."
________________________________________________________
Check out my patreon where you can read more chapters:
patreon.com/LorianFiction
Thanks for your support!