The match resumed with Winston playing as an attacking midfielder. Daemon's team restarted play with a drop ball, immediately returning possession to Adrian's goalkeeper as a gesture of fair play. The goalkeeper trapped the ball beneath his boot, lifted his head, and scanned his back line before passing to the left back. The restart briefly slowed the frantic tempo, but both teams quickly raised the intensity again.
The left back spotted teammates making runs into Daemon's half. With a powerful swing of his leg, he launched a long, arcing through ball toward the right winger, who was making a diagonal run behind the defense. The winger's first touch was heavy, sending the ball several meters ahead of him. He slowed just enough to regain control before whipping a driven cross across the face of goal without even looking up.
The cross caught Daemon's defenders off guard. Several defenders desperately stretched out their legs to intercept it. The ball struck one defender's knee, ricocheted off the near post, and bounced back toward the winger. Stumbling slightly, the winger recovered the loose ball and fought to keep it under control. Looking up, he spotted a teammate arriving late at the edge of the penalty area and slipped a low pass behind Daemon's scrambling defenders. A Daemon defender reacted instantly, throwing himself into a sliding challenge. But the attacking midfielder reached the ball first. With the first touch, he struck it with the inside of his boot, sending a curling shot toward the far post. The ball bent beautifully through the air, clipped the inside of the upright, and nestled into the back of the net. The crowd erupted as Adrian's team celebrated taking the lead.
Thwack!
The rest of Adrian's team rushed over to celebrate the goal. The crowd erupted into thunderous cheers as teammates surrounded the goalscorer. Seeing the prolonged celebration, the referee pointed at his watch before blowing his whistle three sharp times. Realizing they were wasting time, Adrian's players quickly returned to their half. The match restarted—Daemon's forward tapped the ball back to Winston, who immediately laid it off to the nearby midfielder. The ball was recycled through the defense before finding its way to Daemon.
Lifting his head, Daemon scanned the pitch. He spotted both Oswin and Winston making forward runs between Adrian's midfield and defensive lines. Without hesitation, he lofted a perfectly weighted through ball toward Oswin. Oswin timed his jump and flicked a header into Winston's path. Receiving the ball in stride, Winston weaved between two midfielders with a series of quick touches. As they closed in from both sides, he stretched out his arms to shield the ball, forcing them a few steps off balance.
A flicker flashed across his vision.
Hyperfield Vision activated.
With a sharp stutter step followed by a stepover, Winston blended several free-form dribbling moves into one fluid sequence before bursting down the left channel. Just as he reached full speed, his enhanced vision faded back to normal. He immediately noticed the left winger pointing into open space. Without slowing down, Winston threaded a low, curling through pass into the winger's path.
The winger accelerated down the left flank, but Adrian's left back stayed tight, forcing him toward the corner flag. Instead of forcing a cross, the winger spotted Winston arriving in support and laid the ball back to him. Winston met it first time. With a perfectly timed nutmeg, he slipped the ball through the defender's legs before cutting inside toward the middle of the pitch.
Drawing two defenders with him, he calmly slipped a pass into Daemon, who had found space between the lines. As Winston continued his run into Adrian's half, a small translucent screen suddenly appeared before his eyes.
Ding
[User Daily Challenge]
[Innate Terra: 01/05]
[Spatial Zenith: 01/05]
[Absolute: 00/05]
Just as Winston prepared to circulate another stream of Nethen Essence through his body, Daemon slipped the ball back to him. The moment Winston's boot touched the ball, a cool sensation spread across his scalp, washing away every distracting thought. His mind became eerily calm. Without even turning to face the right flank, Winston struck the ball with the outside of his foot.
The pass bent through the air in a beautiful arc, curling over Adrian's midfield before dropping perfectly into Oswin's path on the right wing. Even Oswin was caught off guard by the accuracy of the pass. Keeping his composure, he cushioned the ball with his chest, letting it roll a few steps ahead before accelerating into the penalty area. The goalkeeper rushed off his line, narrowing the angle. Oswin calmly wrapped his foot around the ball and curled a finesse shot toward the far corner. The shot slipped beneath the goalkeeper's outstretched arm, clipped the inside of the post, rebounded off the goalkeeper's back, and trickled over the goal line.
Thwack!
"That Winston guy is a beast. He came on as a substitute and changed the game within minutes. One touch, one pass, one assist."
"Too bad he's already used up his two matches this week. We won't get to watch him play again until next week."
"Daemon really hit the jackpot getting Oswin and Winston on his team. Without those two, I don't think they'd have created chances this quickly."
"Their chemistry is unreal. It's like they already know where the other is going to be before the pass is even made."
The two youths sitting in the stands watched the match with admiration, their eyes following every movement Winston and Oswin made. The understanding between the two on the pitch was something every player hoped to build with a teammate.After the celebrations died down, Winston jogged back into position, his breathing steady despite the intensity of the match.
Just then, another translucent notification flickered into existence before his eyes.
Ding!
[User Daily Challenge]
[Innate Terra: 01/05]
[Spatial Zenith: 01/05]
[Absolute: 01/05]
Damn... I'm running out of time. The match had already entered the seventieth minute, and the score was still tied at 1–1. I'm afraid I won't finish this daily challenge in time. These awakenings were frustrating. Since they hadn't fully awakened yet, he couldn't pinpoint where they resided within his body. Without knowing their exact location, circulating Nethen Essence to them was like trying to pour water into an invisible container.
Worse still, he had already used nearly a quarter of his Nethen Essence without relying on the Voltage Core. At least with the Voltage Core, he knew exactly where to channel the essence, even though it consumed far more Nethen Essence than his other awakenings. Winston shook his head, pushing those thoughts aside. Surprisingly, he wasn't amazed by the supernatural techniques he had just performed. What occupied his mind wasn't the incredible pass or the assist—it was maintaining his daily challenge streak. He knew that if he completed today's challenge, the Core would reward him with another glimpse into how these mysterious awakenings truly worked. That knowledge was worth more to him than any single moment of brilliance on the pitch.
With a sharp blast of the referee's whistle, the match resumed. Adrian's team immediately seized the momentum, pressing high up the pitch. They kept the ball moving with quick one- and two-touch passes, refusing to let it linger at anyone's feet. It was the same relentless pressure they had shown before their teammate was forced off through injury.
Wave after wave of attacks crashed toward Daemon's penalty area. Crosses rained into the box from both flanks, forcing Daemon's side to retreat into a compact defensive block. The defenders stood firm—headers, clearances, and last-ditch tackles kept Adrian's attacks at bay. Whenever the ball dropped loose, Daemon's midfielders booted it away, even if it meant conceding another throw-in.
Winston pushed up with the forwards, helping press Adrian's defenders. As Adrian's fullback prepared to take the throw-in, he tossed the ball toward a nearby teammate. The receiver immediately headed it back, allowing the thrower to volley it toward Adrian, who was waiting unmarked as the deepest center-back. Adrian cushioned the ball with ease before calmly passing it back to his goalkeeper. The goalkeeper trapped the ball beneath his boot, patiently waiting for Oswin, Daemon's striker, and Winston to close him down.
Only when they reached the edge of the penalty area did he strike. The ball soared toward midfield. Winston accelerated, timing his jump perfectly. He met the ball first, directing a firm header to his left.
Daemon collected it in stride. He lifted his head, searching for a passing lane. Most of his teammates were retreating from offside positions, leaving him with few options. "Winston!"
Daemon heard the shout over his shoulder. Without hesitation, he slipped the ball into Winston's path. Winston burst forward. His first touch knocked the ball a few meters ahead. His second exploded into space, carrying him between two retreating midfielders. Seeing an opening outside the penalty area, Winston struck the ball with the inside of his boot. The finesse shot curled toward the far corner. The defenders froze. The goalkeeper reacted just in time, diving full stretch to parry the ball away. It spilled beyond the goal line.
Corner kick.
Daemon sprinted to retrieve the ball. As he placed it inside the corner arc, he glanced at the stadium clock.
90:00.
Only stoppage time remained. He raised one arm before whipping a dangerous inswinging cross into the penalty area. Players from both teams surged toward the dropping ball. Like fish scrambling for feed, everyone leaped into the air. Winston and Oswin rose among the crowd despite being tightly marked.
A defender reached it first. The header sailed beyond the penalty area toward midfield. Just as both teams prepared for one final attack...
Tweet! Tweet! Tweet!
The referee blew for full time. The match ended in a draw. Disappointment settled over Winston. The result stung, but what bothered him most wasn't the draw. It was the daily challenge. He had failed to complete it. Feeling a reassuring pat on his back, Winston looked over. Oswin extended a hand with a tired grin. "Come on." Winston accepted it, pulled himself to his feet, and together they walked toward the changing room.