Casteldebole Training Centre.Tuesday Morning. 07:00 AM.(Two Days After Milan Match)
Rio didn't walk into the training ground; he dragged himself. His body felt like it had been run over by a truck, reversed over, and run over again. The Bionic Heart was fine—it hummed perfectly. But his human flesh? It was screaming.
[System Status][Muscle Fatigue: 40%][Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS): Critical][Recommendation: Light Jogging]
"You look like a zombie," a voice said. Rio looked up. Adrian Vance was waiting by the gym entrance, holding a protein shake that looked like industrial sludge.
"I feel like one," Rio grunted. "My legs are dead."
Adrian nodded, scrolling through his tablet. "That's because your Load Management is terrible. You played 30 minutes against Milan at 110% intensity with a Grade-E body. It's a miracle you didn't snap a tendon."
Adrian wheeled himself into the gym. It was empty; the heavy training wasn't supposed to start until 10 AM. "We have a problem, Rio. Next week is Juventus. They are the most physical team in the league. Their defender, Gleison Bremer, is a tank built of Brazilian steel. If you bump into him with your current body, you will bounce off and fly into the stands."
Rio sat on a bench press, groaning. "I can buy Strength from the Shop."
"Can you?" Adrian raised an eyebrow. "You told me the prices. Do the math."
Rio opened the System.
[Stat Upgrade: Strength +1][Cost: 10 Days]
Rio gasped. "Ten days for ONE point?" His Strength was currently 45. To reach a decent Serie A level (say, 70), he would need 25 points. 25 points x 10 days = 250 Days. He would die of old age before he reached average strength.
"Exactly," Adrian said, seeing Rio's horrified face. "Buying stats directly is a scam. It's a trap for lazy users. You only buy stats if you are desperate."
"So what do I do?"
Adrian grinned. "We grind. We cheat the hard way." Adrian pointed at the Consumables tab on Rio's interface (which only Rio could see). "Search for boosters. There has to be something that multiplies effort."
Rio scrolled down. He found it.
[Item: Training Multiplier (x3)][Type: Consumable / Duration: 24 Hours][Effect: Triples the stat gains from physical training. Increases pain reception by 200%.][Cost: 2 Days]
"Two days," Rio muttered. "To triple my gains."
"If you train like a maniac for the next 4 days," Adrian calculated, "you can gain the equivalent of 15 days of 'free' stats. The cost is only 8 days of life... and unimaginable pain."
Rio looked at the dumbbells. He looked at the treadmill. He remembered Theo Hernandez running past him effortlessly. He remembered Bennacer knocking him down like a feather. He didn't want to be a feather anymore.
Rio selected the item. [PURCHASE CONFIRMED][Item Activated: Training Multiplier (x3)][Warning: Pain Receptors Sensitivity Increased]
Immediately, his nerves caught fire. The air felt heavier on his skin. Even gripping the bar hurt. "Let's work," Rio said through gritted teeth.
Wednesday. The Gym.
"PUSHHH!" Lorenzo De Luca (Captain) was standing over Rio, spotting him on the bench press. Rio was lifting 65kg. His arms were shaking violently like leaves in a storm. To Lorenzo, 65kg was a warm-up. To Rio, it was a mountain.
"Come on, Ghost!" Lorenzo shouted. "You want to play with the big boys? Lift the weight!"
Rio roared, pushing the bar up. One rep. Two reps. Every fiber in his chest burned with 200% pain intensity due to the item. It felt like his muscles were tearing apart. But the System notifications were sweet.
[Strength Experience +150 (x3 Boost)][Strength Experience +150 (x3 Boost)][Strength Level Up: 46... 47...]
Lorenzo grabbed the bar as Rio collapsed onto the bench, gasping for air. "Not bad," Lorenzo grunted, handing Rio a towel. "For a skeleton."
The Captain sat down next to him. The hostility from last week was gone. It had been replaced by a rough, grudging respect. Rio had scored against Milan. In a locker room, performance is the only currency that matters.
"Juventus defense," Lorenzo said, wiping his sweat. "They play a low block. They don't leave space behind like Milan. Your 'Ghost' trick... it might be harder to use against Bremer and Danilo."
Rio drank his water, his hands trembling. "How do I beat Bremer?"
"You don't," Lorenzo laughed, slapping Rio's back. "Bremer eats strikers. You stay away from him. You find the 'Half-Spaces'. The pockets between the center back and the fullback." Lorenzo poked Rio's shoulder. "Build some muscle, kid. So when Bremer hits you, you don't break. You just bend. Like bamboo."
[Relationship Upgraded: Lorenzo De Luca][Status: Mentor (Tough Love)]
Friday. The Pitch.
It was raining. A cold, miserable Turin-style rain. Coach Rossi was running a tactical drill. Rio was running laps with a weighted vest. Adrian monitored him from the dry dugout, holding a stopwatch.
"Knees higher!" Adrian shouted over the rain. "Your form is degrading! Don't waste the multiplier!"
Rio was gasping. The Training Multiplier was active for the 4th day in a row. He had spent 8 Days total on these multipliers. His body felt heavy, but also... denser. He felt a strange sensation in his core. Stability.
He finished the lap and checked his stats.
[Status Update][Strength: 45 -> 51 (E+)][Stamina: 40 -> 48 (E+)][Balance: 55 -> 60 (D-)]
He had gained +19 Stat Points in total across different attributes. If he had bought these directly using the "Stat Upgrade" option, it would have cost him 190 Days. He paid 8 Days (plus incredible pain). Profit.
"Stop," Rossi blew the whistle. He called Rio over. "Take off the vest. Join the attack team."
Rio threw the vest off. He felt light. Incredible light. Like Rock Lee taking off his weights in the anime.
Rossi threw a ball into the air. "Duel!" Rio sprinted. A defender (Stefan Posch) challenged him shoulder-to-shoulder. Normally, Rio would fly away. But this time, Rio planted his foot. He engaged his core. Impact. Rio stumbled, but he didn't fall. He kept his balance, shielded the ball with his hip, and laid it off to Zirkzee.
Rossi nodded silently. "Good. You are no longer made of paper. You are made of plywood. Improvement."
Friday Evening. Tactics Room.
The lights were dimmed. A projector showed the black-and-white stripes of Juventus. Dusan Vlahovic. Federico Chiesa. Gleison Bremer. Wojciech Szczęsny.
Adrian Vance sat at the front, next to Coach Rossi. This was a rare sight—the Coach allowing the "Data Boy" to speak. "Juventus concedes 0.6 goals per game," Adrian said, his laser pointer highlighting the defensive line. "They are disciplined. They don't make mistakes."
"So we play for a draw?" a defender asked.
"No," Adrian smirked. "Disciplined teams are predictable. They follow a rhythm. One-two-three. One-two-three." Adrian looked at Rio in the dark room. "We need someone to break the rhythm. Someone who plays... off-beat."
Rossi stood up. "Sunday is simple. We survive the first 60 minutes. Then, we unleash chaos." He looked at Rio. "Valdes. You start."
The room murmured. A start against Juventus? "Zirkzee is injured," Rossi explained grimly. "Minor hamstring strain in training. Rio is our False Nine."
Rio felt a pit in his stomach. False Nine. He wouldn't be hiding in the midfield. He would be playing centrally. Right in the jaws of Bremer.
The Bus to Turin.Saturday.
The Alps were visible in the distance, capped with snow. Rio sat quietly, checking his lifespan.
[Current Lifespan: 343 Days] (Minus 8 days for Training Multipliers).
He had less than a year. But he felt stronger. His legs were harder. His lungs were deeper. He wasn't a fragile tourist anymore. He was a professional athlete.
"Hey," Lorenzo kicked Rio's seat from behind. "What?" "Bremer likes to pinch," Lorenzo warned. "When the ref isn't looking. Under the armpit. Don't cry. Pinch him back."
Rio smiled. "I'll do better than pinch him."
Rio opened his Shop. He had a plan. A new skill he had been eyeing. One that didn't require Strength. One that turned the opponent's Strength against them.
[Skill: The Judo Turn (Dennis Bergkamp)][Effect: Uses opponent's momentum to spin around them. Grants 100% Ball Control during the turn animation.][Cost: 12 Days (Permanent)]
It was expensive. But against "The Wall" Bremer, he needed to be water.
Juventus Stadium awaits.