The pressure had become unbearable.
Coach Drayven's cybernetic eye whirred as he slammed the door to his office shut, locking it with a biometric seal. His voice was low, dangerous.
**"You have one last chance, Oluwaseyi. Tell me the truth."**
Ibukun's throat tightened. He couldn't speak the truth—no one could know about the System. And yet, the weight of deception, the constant fear of exposure, the toll of the Celestial League's scrutiny—it was crushing him.
**>> USER STRESS LEVELS: CRITICAL
>> PSYCHOLOGICAL BREAKDOWN IMMINENT
>> EMERGENCY OPTION AVAILABLE: "DIMENSIONAL RELOCATION"
>> CONDITIONS:
>> - STATS RESET (NO ENHANCEMENTS)
>> - NEW IDENTITY GENERATED
>> - SYSTEM INTERFACE LIMITED (NO FUTURE SIGHT, NO QI MANIPULATION)
>> DESTINATION: EARTH-LIKE DIMENSION (STANDARD FOOTBALL, NO CELESTIAL TECH)
>> WARNING: NO RETURN MECHANISM <<**
Ibukun exhaled. **"I accept."**
---
### **The Fall from Grace**
The transition was brutal.
One moment, he stood in Drayven's office, the next—
—he woke up in a dingy apartment in **Bruges, Belgium**, his body aching, his mind fuzzy. The System's interface had changed entirely.
**>> WELCOME TO EARTH PRIME
>> CURRENT STATUS: TRIALIST, CLUB BRUGGE U23
>> PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES:
>> - SPEED: 72
>> - DRIBBLING: 68
>> - SHOOTING: 65
>> - STAMINA: 70
>> - STRENGTH: 71
>> CURRENT CHALLENGE: MAKE THE BENCH <<**
No qi. No superhuman reflexes. No future-predicting algorithms.
Just raw, unenhanced football.
---
### **The Reality Check**
The first training session was a **disaster**.
The U23 coach, a grizzled Belgian named **Luc Vervoort**, blew his whistle in frustration as Ibukun miscontrolled a simple pass.
**"What the hell was that?!"** Vervoort barked. **"You're supposed to be a midfielder, not a traffic cone!"**
Ibukun's teammates smirked. They were **good**. Not Celestial League good, but sharp, technical, and ruthless in their own way.
**>> PERFORMANCE FEEDBACK:
>> - FIRST TOUCH: POOR
>> - POSITIONING: BELOW AVERAGE
>> - WORK RATE: ACCEPTABLE
>> VERDICT: NOT READY FOR MATCHDAY SQUAD <<**
For the first time in years, Ibukun was **ordinary**.
---
### **The Grind**
Four months passed.
Four months of **dawn runs**, extra gym sessions, and being the last player off the training pitch.
Four months of **watching from the stands** as the U23s played without him.
Four months of **silent humiliation**, as even the youth players whispered:
**"Why did they sign him? He's not even close to ready."**
The System, now stripped down to basic performance tracking, offered no shortcuts.
**>> PROGRESS REPORT:
>> - SPEED: 72 → 74 (+2)
>> - DRIBBLING: 68 → 71 (+3)
>> - SHOOTING: 65 → 67 (+2)
>> - STAMINA: 70 → 75 (+5)
>> - STRENGTH: 71 → 73 (+2)
>> CURRENT STATUS: STILL NOT BENCH-READY <<**
But Ibukun didn't quit.
---
### **The Breakthrough**
It happened in a **reserve match** against Gent's U23s.
A midfielder went down injured. Vervoort scanned the bench, sighed, and jerked his head at Ibukun.
**"Fine. Get in. Try not to embarrass yourself."**
For 20 minutes, Ibukun **ran**.
No System-assisted passes. No qi-enhanced stamina. Just **pure, desperate effort**.
And then—
A loose ball. A defender caught flat-footed.
Ibukun **stole it**, drove forward, and slid a **perfect pass** into the striker's path.
**Assist.**
Final whistle: **1-0**.
Vervoort gave him a curt nod. **"Not terrible."**
It was the **first praise** he'd received in this world.
---
### **The New Path**
That night, the System—now just a faint whisper in his mind—updated.
**>> MILESTONE UNLOCKED: "FIRST CONTRIBUTION"
>> REWARD: MINOR STAT BOOST (+1 ALL ATTRIBUTES)
>> NEXT OBJECTIVE: EARN A STARTING SPOT <<**
No magic. No shortcuts.
Just **hard work**.
For the first time in a long time, Ibukun **smiled**.
---