Finally, Mystic got what he wanted, him and his father's most prized player in the same room.
The coach of the Bariga Young Boyz sat on his chair, while Mystic and his uncle, Alfred, occupied the two office chairs opposite him, taking their time to observe the player before them.
When the inspect player screen popped up, Mystic didn't hesitate this time, as he choose the Y button with his mind, eager to see what it would do.
[> Due to this being your first time checking an opponent team's player, no charges will be deducted from your account.]
[Player Status]
Name: Adekunle Gold
Sex: Male
Nationality: Nigerian
Rank: Bronze
Talent Rank: Uncommon
Level: 12
Position: Forward
Age: 23
[Attributes]
Strength: 17
Agility: 11
Endurance: 15
[Acquired Skills]
Power Shot (Bronze, Level 1)
Empty
Overall Power: 53
Mystic carefully analyzed the data that appeared before him, absorbing every detail, at this level of street football, he had to admit Adekunle's stats looked impressive, especially his strength, which was nearing the 20 stat point.
Using his special ability, which now seems fused with his system, Mystic could sense something deeper.
When he focused harder on certain stats, he picked up faint hints, as if the system was subtly revealing additional insights.
For example, he realized that when strength reached 20, the difference wouldn't be just a simple +1.
It would trigger an exponential leap, marking a transition into a whole new tier of power.
Then there was Adekunle's rank. Mystic had already confirmed before that the player was Bronze-ranked, but as a forward, he would have been highly sought after.
Had he stayed at Dark Elites, most clubs would have assumed Mystic didn't have the financial means to retain such a player.
Lastly, there was the Talent Rank, something Mystic had never heard anyone talk about before.
But when he focused on it, a new hint emerged: Talent Rank is highly important, the higher the rank, the greater the player's potential and the easier their evolution into the next tier.
This was something he needed to keep in mind, Mystic thought almost instantly.
Then Mystic saw a list displaying the ranks of talents:
Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, and the fabled Mythical rank.
According to the system note that appeared when he accessed this information, Common talent was the most widespread but practically useless, if a player couldn't advance in their talent rank from the common rank, then they were doomed to remain mediocre forever.
Uncommon and Rare talents were harder to come by, but they weren't exactly scarce.
These ranks formed the backbone of any strong team in Lagos street football.
Epic talent, however, had never been seen on the streets, let alone Legendary, players of Legendary rank belonged to the best teams in the world, icons like Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, Frank Lampard, Kaká, Ronaldinho, and R9.
Lagos street football could only dream of producing such players.
The infrastructure simply wasn't there to nurture talent to that level, yet, some Nigerian players had left the streets and gone on to become Epic ranked talents, players like Lookman, Mikel, Moses, and Victor Osimhen.
But only one Legendary-ranked player had ever emerged from Nigeria—Jay-Jay Okocha.
Legendary players were game-changers, they dictated the flow of a match, shifting momentum in an instant, that's why they were called legends.
As for the Mythical rank, also referred to as Demi-God level, only a select few had ever reached this stage in talent.
In the modern era, there were only two players who had ascended to this rank—Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
--
"Mystic."
Alfred's voice cut through the silence.
Mystic had been staring at Adekunle for nearly five minutes, at first, the Bariga Young Boyz coach assumed he was trying to be intimidating by remaining silent.
Even Adekunle was confused, trying to figure out who this young man was, he recognized Alfred but had no idea about Mystic's identity, after all, Mystic had only recently gotten involved with the club after his father's passing.
But as the coach and Adekunle tried to read Mystic, they gradually realized something, he wasn't actually looking at Adekunle.
His eyes were locked in place, unfocused.
He had completely zoned out, staring blankly into the air, thankfully, Alfred's voice snapped him out of it.
Mystic realized he had spaced out from concentrating too much on the system, but he didn't care, he had already gathered in-depth information about Adekunle, and after seeing his talent rank, he was certain he could find someone better—or, at the very least, develop another striker who could surpass him.
"I want to ask you one question, and one question only. If you answer me honestly, I'll be happy," Mystic said, resting his jaw on his right hand as he leaned back in his chair.
"Yeah? What's that?" Adekunle asked immediately, showing no hesitation.
"If I told you that everything you've done could be forgiven and that I'd let you return to Dark Elites with a clean slate, what would you say?" Mystic continued.
"Mind you, we don't have any players right now. I do plan on building a team, but don't expect me to go after experienced street players. I'm bringing in a completely new generation, youngsters with zero experience in street-level competition."
At first, the Bariga Young Boyz coach looked worried, but as Mystic spoke, his approach seemed straightforward and sincere. Seeing that, the coach finally relaxed.
Adekunle, on the other hand, let out a chuckle—then burst into a full-blown arrogant laugh.
"Come back? Hell no, even if you got the old team back together, I wouldn't return, that team is trash now. I have a bright future ahead of me, and I did what was best for myself. Luckily, my agent was smart enough to make my move happen quickly."
Mystic nodded, acknowledging his response.
"Thank you for your honest reply," he said before turning his attention to the Bariga Young Boyz coach.
"Well, considering you've heard everything I had to say, you should have a good idea that I have no intention of poaching your player again, but I do have a request," Mystic said.
"I'm building a new team, and once I do, I'd love for you to allow us an exhibition match against your team."
The request came out of nowhere, catching the coach off guard, but there was no reason to refuse.
Mystic had dropped all allegations against the club after just one response from Adekunle, looking at the young man before him, the coach could tell Mystic was a prideful person, even though he carried himself like a gentleman who didn't hold grudges.
He doubted Mystic would last long in the cutthroat world of street football with that mentality, but at the moment, he didn't care, he was just relieved Mystic was no longer on his case.
"Then you've got yourself a match," the coach replied.
Mystic stood up and extended his right hand for a handshake.
"It was nice talking to you," he said before making his way out of the room, his uncle following behind.
That left both the coach and Adekunle still in shock, the way Mystic had given in so easily didn't sit well with them, they had expected him to do everything possible to pull Adekunle from the club, or at the very least, make them pay for it.
They had been prepared for a bitter new owner hungry for revenge, Instead Mystic seemed oddly laid back about it all.