Bologna. Rio's Apartment.Sunday Night. The Milan Derby.
The living room was dark, lit only by the cold glow of a 65-inch TV and Adrian's multiple monitors. On the screen, the San Siro was burning with red flares and smoke. Inter Milan vs AC Milan. The Derby della Madonnina.
"Look at him," Adrian whispered, pointing at the Milan lineup. The camera panned across the players. Leão, Giroud, Hernandez... and then, the new signing. Silas. He was 18. Brazilian. He had bleached blonde hair and a smile that looked too wide, too bright. He was chewing gum with a frantic, manic rhythm. He didn't look nervous about his debut. He looked like he was at a carnival.
"I hacked the Serie A central data server," Adrian said, typing rapidly. "You know how Tyler Stone installed those new trackers everywhere? Well, San Siro has them too. Look at Silas's biometrics."
Adrian projected a graph. Silas Heart Rate: 55 bpm. It was flat. Calm. Unnatural. "Normal heart rate for a teenager in a Derby debut is 120 bpm due to adrenaline," Adrian noted. "He is either high on sedatives, or his heart is artificial. Just like yours."
Rio gripped a cushion, his knuckles turning white. "Can the System scan him through the live feed?"
"Try it," Adrian challenged.
Rio focused on the TV screen. He narrowed his eyes at the pixels of Silas's face. [System Scan Initiated...][Target: Silas "The Dancer"][Connecting...]
Suddenly, the text on Rio's retina turned Red. [ERROR: INTERFERENCE DETECTED.][WARNING: Another Host Signature is present.][Access Denied.]
Rio gasped, clutching his head. A sharp static noise pierced his brain like a needle. "It blocked me," Rio said, sweating. "It knows I'm watching."
The Match. Minute 25.Score: 0 - 0.
The game was tight. Inter's defense (the same iron wall that Rio struggled to break) was suffocating Milan. Nicolo Barella and Henrikh Mkhitaryan were bullying the Milan midfield physically.
Silas received the ball on the right wing. He was marked by Federico Dimarco (Inter's Left Back). Silas stopped the ball dead. He stood still. He smiled at Dimarco. Then, he started to... dance. It wasn't a feint. It was a literal Ginga step. A rhythmic swaying of the hips, taunting the defender.
"What is he doing?" the commentator asked. "Is he mocking Inter in a Derby?"
Dimarco lunged in to tackle. Silas moved. He didn't just dribble. He glitched. One moment he was in front of Dimarco. The next, the ball was over Dimarco's head. The Rainbow Flick. But performed at full sprint speed.
WHOOSH.
Dimarco tackled empty air. Silas caught the ball on his chest, still sprinting. Hakan Calhanoglu came to cover. Silas didn't let the ball touch the ground. He flicked it with his knee, then his shoulder. Juggles. In the middle of a professional match.
Rio watched in horror. "That's not normal physics," Rio whispered. "That's a Skill. A high-grade Skill."
[System Analysis (Visual)][Skill Detected: The Joga Bonito (Ronaldinho Grade)][Effect: 100% Dribble Success Rate when 'Rhythm' meter is full.]
Silas volleyed the ball toward the box without looking. Giroud headed it in.
GOAL.Inter 0 - 1 Milan.
Silas didn't celebrate with the team. He ran to the corner flag and did a backflip. Then another backflip. Then a third. He was bursting with energy. Unbounded. Manic.
"Adrian," Rio asked, his voice trembling. "If he buys skills... what is he paying with?"
Adrian zoomed in on Silas's face. The Brazilian's eyes were dilated. He looked ecstatic. "You pay with your Life," Adrian theorized. "Maybe he pays with something else. Or maybe... maybe he simply doesn't care about dying."
Minute 70.The Duel.
Inter equalized in the second half. The game was 1-1. The tension was at maximum. Silas received the ball again. This time, Alessandro Bastoni (Inter's giant defender) went to crush him.
Silas laughed. He performed a move Rio had never seen before. He rolled the ball back, then snapped his leg like a whip. The Elastico. But it was executed at superhuman speed. Bastoni tried to turn his massive body to react. His ankle buckled under the torque. Snap. The giant defender fell to the ground, grasping his leg. A non-contact injury caused by pure deception.
Silas stepped over the fallen defender. He didn't look back. He didn't show mercy. He shot from 30 meters. A knuckleball. No spin. It swerved left, right, then dropped. Yann Sommer didn't even move.
GOAL.Inter 1 - 2 Milan.
The camera focused on Silas. He winked. Not at the fans. At the camera lens. Directly at Rio.
Post-Match Interview.
Milan won the derby. Silas was the Man of the Match. He stood with the reporter, sweat glistening on his forehead, looking like he could play another 90 minutes. "Silas, that dribble... that goal... incredible. You are the new King of Milan."
Silas shrugged, chewing his gum loudly. "It's easy when you hear the music," Silas said in Portuguese. "The music?" the reporter asked, confused. "The fans singing?"
"No," Silas tapped his head. "The beat inside. The Rhythm. It tells me when to move." Silas paused. His playful expression turned dead serious for a split second. "But I hear there is another... musician. In Bologna."
Rio froze in his apartment.
"Rio Valdes," Silas said the name clearly. "They say you scored a nice curl. But your rhythm is slow. You play like you are afraid to break the instrument." Silas leaned into the microphone, staring into the lens. "I'm coming for you, Rio. Let's see whose song ends first."
The Apartment.
Rio turned off the TV. The room plunged into darkness. His chest felt tight. His Bionic Heart wasn't thumping like a human heart. It was revving. A high-pitched mechanical whine, like an engine redlining from stress. Hummmmmm.
"He knows," Rio said. "He has a System. And he just declared war."
Adrian spun his chair around. "He is dangerous, Rio. He plays with zero inhibition. He broke Bastoni's ankle and didn't blink. He is a sociopath with superpowers."
Adrian pulled up the league schedule. "We play Milan in December. Two months from now."
Rio looked at his lifespan. [315 Days.]
"He called my rhythm slow," Rio muttered. "He thinks I'm afraid." Rio clenched his fist. "He's right. I am afraid. I want to live."
Adrian closed his laptop. "Fear is good. Fear keeps you alive. Silas plays like he is immortal. And immortals... usually die young."
Adrian stood up. "But before Silas... we have a bigger problem." "What?"
"The Coppa Italia starts next week. Tyler Stone wants to stress-test you." Adrian looked grim. "Our opponent is Atalanta. They are the most physical team in Italy. They are not artists like Milan. They are butchers." "And Stone isn't letting us rest Kenjiro. He wants to see if the 'Symbiotic Contract' holds up when Kenjiro is kicked for 90 minutes."
Rio looked at his hand. It was still shaking from the encounter with Silas's aura. "One enemy at a time," Rio whispered.
[System Notification][New Rivalry Detected: The Dancer vs The Ghost][Objective: Defeat Silas in the upcoming duel.][Reward: Unknown Skill (S-Grade)][Failure Consequence: -50 Days Lifespan]
Rio stared at the penalty text. Minus 50 Days. If he lost to Silas, he would lose almost two months of life instantly. The Gacha game had just raised the stakes. It wasn't just about football anymore. It was about dominance.