The floodlights above the empty Exeter City pitch hummed softly, casting long shadows across the grass. The chill in the air made the sweat on Ethan Cross's skin sting. Mud clung to his cleats and socks. His lungs burned, his legs trembled, but his focus had never been sharper. He had spent hours here alone, repeating the same drills again and again. Each shot, pass, sprint, and dribble was an obsession, an experiment.
Then it appeared.
A soft chime sounded inside his mind. He froze. A translucent panel of blue light formed before him, hovering in midair, pulsing softly. Lines of text shimmered across its surface:
FOOTBALL SYSTEM INITIALIZING
Ethan's heartbeat skipped. He rubbed his eyes. The panel didn't disappear. It remained, perfectly real, perfectly solid. His mind raced, but he felt calm. This wasn't fear. This was focus. This was recognition.
The Interface
The panel expanded automatically into three sections, each glowing faintly:
STAT WINDOW
SKILL WINDOW
QUEST WINDOW
Ethan stepped closer. His breath fogged in the cold night air.
STAT WINDOW (Visible Stats)
Physical Stats
Attribute Value
Speed 42
Strength 38
Stamina 51
Agility 47
Technical Stats
Attribute Value
Dribbling 44
Passing 46
Shooting 40
Defending 35
Mental / Tactical Stats
Attribute Value
Vision 52
Game IQ 55
The numbers were a mirror. Weaknesses glaring back at him, but also proof that his efforts had been real, measurable, trackable.
SKILL WINDOW
Five empty slots blinked faintly. A note hovered:
Active skills can be leveled using skill points (max level 5).Passive skills, once unlocked via system quests, are already at maximum level.
No misleading instructions. No hidden conditions. Activation of skills would be entirely under Ethan's control during matches or training.
Ethan stared at the empty slots. He didn't know which skills might appear yet. But one thing was clear: the system responded to effort, not talent.
QUEST WINDOW
A blinking list appeared:
Active Quests
Complete 10 successful dribbles
Complete 5 accurate passes in training
Sprint 500 meters under 60 seconds
Rewards: Stat points, skill points, or skill unlocks
Ethan's eyes widened. Every movement could be tracked, measured, rewarded. It didn't matter that he had no natural talent. All that mattered was effort, execution, and persistence.
Ethan wanted proof. He moved toward a ball left at the edge of the field. Normally, his shots wobbled, weak and clumsy. He focused, recalling every detail he had studied for years: plant foot angle, hip rotation, ankle position.
THWACK
The ball shot forward sharply, hitting the inside post before rolling into the net. A small chime echoed in his mind. A notification floated briefly in the air:
Shooting +1
He staggered back, heart racing. He could feel it. Subtle improvements in his legs, his coordination, the connection between mind and body. Not magic. Not cheating. Just measurable, tangible progress.
He repeated the test. Dribbles. Passes. Sprints. Each success triggered notifications, subtly reinforcing his movements. Each failure provided feedback — though not in words, only through what the system recorded.
Ethan realized the system's rules quickly:
The system tracks effort and progress, not innate talent.
Stat points are awarded through quests and challenges.
Skill points are used only to level up active skills, never to unlock them.
Skills (active or passive) are unlocked by system quests or conditions, not by random chance.
Passive skills, once unlocked, are immediately at max level.
The system is impartial — it does not intervene in matches, only records, rewards, and grows him based on effort.
No sacrifices. No shortcuts. No tricks. Just me.
Ethan moved to another ball, his body screaming from fatigue. He struck it with precision. Numbers floated again: Dribbling +1
He sprinted across the pitch, weaving between cones he imagined as defenders. Each sprint and change of direction produced faint, fleeting notifications: Stamina +1, Agility +1.
The system wasn't granting him power directly. It was recognizing his work and rewarding it. Each improvement felt natural but faster, like the body remembered lessons it hadn't yet learned.
A new window appeared:
Stat Points Available: 5Skill Points Available: 1
Ethan examined his stats. Each number highlighted weaknesses and opportunities. With care, he distributed his points:
Stamina +1
Dribbling +1
Passing +1
Shooting +1
Vision +1
He left the skill point unassigned for now. He didn't yet know which active skill might appear, but he knew that when it did, he could level it later.
Numbers pulsed softly. His body reacted immediately: steps felt lighter, first touch sharper, balance subtly improved.
This… is the start.
The field was quiet. Only Ethan remained. Sweat and mud covered him, muscles aching, lungs burning. Yet something stronger burned inside — a calm, unyielding focus.
Effort counts. Effort is measured. Passion is rewarded.
The system pulsed faintly, acknowledging his determination.
User ambition detected. Potential: Growing exponentially.
Ethan picked up a ball, feeling the cool weight in his hands. He whispered into the night:
One day… they'll notice me.
The floodlights hummed softly above, shadows stretching across the empty pitch. For the first time, Ethan Cross didn't feel invisible. He was being measured, recorded, and recognized.
This is only the beginning.