Damn... where am I? Oh, yeah... I was playing against Maximilian at the training ground. Ouch... why is my whole body so sore? I can't move. Winston tried to shift his body, but even the smallest movement sent pain shooting through his muscles.
And we're back here again... His thoughts returned to the match. What was that thing radiating from Maximilian's body? It affected me too.
Shit... that was terrifying. A faint grin appeared on his face. And somehow...
Then he remembered. Oh, yeah. The daily cha—pain suddenly surged through his body. Damn! My body hurts. It feels like my organs are being peeled away from my skin.
Winston took several slow breaths before accessing the Core System. His gaze remained fixed on his hands resting beside him. He flexed his index finger, using the familiar motion to navigate the translucent interface. His eyes widened, the Core was already halfway through restoring his body.
It's recovering me...
But something else caught his attention, his hearing had become incredibly sharp. He could hear footsteps echoing through the hallway outside his room. Voices. Doors opening and closing. Even the faint squeak of someone's shoes against the floor.
Winston closed the Core System, his hearing immediately returned to normal. He stared at the ceiling for several seconds, unable to move. He opened it again, the sounds returned. His eyes widened.
That's incredible.
Winston closed the system once more, silence—he opened it. The hallway came alive again. This time, he heard something that caught his attention. Someone was talking outside his room. The doctor who had been treating him was speaking with several people. Winston strained to listen, but before he could make out their words clearly, the familiar sine wave suddenly returned. The strange frequency filled his ears, and suddenly, the voices became clearer. Winston focused.
"...still not fully recovered..."
"...need to ask him what happened..."
"...the Federation needs an explanation..." Before he could hear anything else—
Click.
The door opened, Winston's attention snapped toward the entrance. Three people stepped inside, The first was a doctor wearing a white coat and glasses. Behind him stood two men dressed entirely in black suits, each carrying a small notebook. The two men remained several meters away from Winston's bed while the doctor approached.
He examined Winston carefully, checking his eyes, pulse, and breathing. After several minutes, he stepped back and nodded. The doctor gently tapped Winston on the shoulder. "Don't agitate my patient. He's still not fully recovered." He glanced at the two men. "I gave him painkillers to keep him comfortable without putting him to sleep. You have a few hours."
With that, the doctor left the room, one of the men in black pulled a chair toward Winston's bedside and sat down. The other remained near the door, leaning against the wall like a guard.
"Good evening, Mr. Dalely," the seated man said. "I'm Q. My partner over there is J. We work for the Football Federation Association."
He opened his notebook. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm... good."
Winston was surprised by how easily he could speak. The painkillers had dulled most of the discomfort.
Q nodded. "Good. Then I'll cut straight to the point." His expression became serious. "We're here because of what happened during your last match. The match between you and Maximilian." He leaned forward slightly. "If you can, we'd like you to tell us what really happened two weeks ago,"
Winston's eyes widened. Wait. How long have I been here? Has it really been two weeks? Was I asleep this entire time? Was I in a coma? His thoughts immediately shifted toward football. I need to recover quickly. I wonder if the league has already started.
Q noticed the sudden sadness in Winston's expression. "Don't worry about the league," he said. "It has already started. Right now, you should focus on recovering."
J stepped away from the wall and moved toward the foot of the bed, folding his arms.
"Now, what happened between you and Maximilian?" Q expression hardened.
Winston fell silent, after a moment, he shook his head. "I don't know." Q raised an eyebrow.
"The only thing I remember was seeing strange lights flashing in front of me."
Q quietly wrote something in his notebook. "That's certainly strange. We've interviewed everyone who was on the pitch." He paused. "Nobody remembers what happened either."
Winston stared at him, Q continued. "In your opinion, what caused those flashing lights?"
J walked toward the window, he pulled a cigarette from his pack and lit it before leaning against the frame.
"I wouldn't know," Winston said. "The lights appeared so quickly that they blinded me. That's all I remember seeing."
Q exchanged a brief glance with J, neither man seemed convinced. But neither pushed the question further. After asking several more questions, the two men finally stood.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Dalely," Q said. "We hope you recover quickly."
The men left the room, Winston watched the door close behind them. What happened during that match... He still couldn't explain it. And yet, deep down, he knew there was more to it than flashing lights.
That power... I didn't even know I could do something like that. His fingers twitched. Can a human being really do that? Winston was about to open the Core System when—
Knock. Knock.
The door opened before he could respond. Two members of the club's staff entered. One carried a medical clipboard while the other pulled a chair toward the bedside. The second staff member briefly stepped outside to speak with the doctor.
"How are you feeling, Winston?" the staff member asked.
"I'm starting to feel better."
Winston hesitated before asking, "By the way... how many matches has the team played? And how many do we have left?"
The staff member smiled. "The league has only just begun. We drew our opening match thanks to Oswin's last-minute goal." He glanced at the clipboard. "If I'm not mistaken, we have six or seven matches remaining. I'll check the schedule and confirm."
"Oh... thank you." Winston hesitated. "If you don't mind me asking... how's Maximilian?"
The two staff members exchanged a brief glance. The one holding the clipboard continued writing without looking up. The other shook his head. "Don't worry about that. Just focus on your recovery. Now that you're awake, we need you to heal as quickly as possible."
Winston noticed their hesitation. "...Okay."
"For now, you need to rest. Tomorrow, we'll begin some physical therapy." He stood. "That's all for now. Get some sleep."
The staff members left—Winston tried to remain awake, but the painkillers were beginning to wear off. His body grew heavier, his eyelids slowly closed. And darkness swallowed him once again.
The familiar sine wave suddenly surged through his ears. Winston opened his eyes, he was standing in the middle of a long, empty hallway. The walls stretched endlessly in both directions.
There were no doors, no windows—no people, Only the distant hum of the strange frequency. Winston took one cautious step forward. The sound became sharper, a sharp tone echoed through the hallway. Winston froze—he slowly looked around.
"What...?"
Another tone sounded, the hallway lights flickered. Winston's heart began pounding.
[Vital Restoration: 51%]
Winston glanced behind him and spotted a dark abyss stretching endlessly into the distance. The sight sent a shiver down his spine. His bare feet tapped against the cold floor, the sound echoing through the silent hallway.
He continued walking, A sharp tone rang out.
Beep.
He took another ten steps, The same sharp tone echoed through the corridor.
His eyes narrowed. Every ten steps... Winston continued forward, carefully counting each step beneath his breath. One... two... three... The hallway remained unnaturally quiet. Eight... nine... ten.
Beep.
Another sharp tone pierced the silence, Winston swallowed. What is this place?
[Vital Restoration: 52%]
Winston glanced up at the ceiling. A translucent number hovered above the ceiling, steadily climbing as the Core system continued restoring his body.
The restoration is speeding up...
He picked up his pace, attempting to jog down the seemingly endless hallway. Every movement sent waves of pain through his battered body, but he forced himself forward.
His breathing grew heavier. His muscles screamed with every step. Then, without warning, a small white dot materialized in the distance.
Winston slowed. What is that...?
The white rectangle dot in the middle of the hallway, faintly glowing against the darkness in the distance.
[Vital Restoration: 59%]
After a while, the air around Winston began to feel strangely thick. He slowed his pace, no longer sprinting at full speed. Each breath became more difficult than the last, as though the air itself had grown heavier. His chest tightened as he struggled to draw in enough oxygen.
What is happening...?
Winston pressed his shoulder against the hallway wall and used it to support himself. His steps became slower and more deliberate as he dragged himself forward. The farther he went, the heavier the air became. Every breath felt like he was trying to inhale through water.
[Vital Restoration: 62%]
Then, without warning, pressure began bearing down on him from above. Winston dropped to his knees. His entire body trembled beneath the invisible force pressing against his shoulders.
"Ghh..."
He gritted his teeth and planted both hands against the floor. Slowly, painfully, he pushed himself back to his feet.
I have to keep going.
The pressure intensified with every meter. His body temperature began to rise rapidly. Sweat poured down his face and soaked through his hospital clothes, while heat fluctuated beneath his skin in strange waves. Winston wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and stared ahead. There it was a door, only a short distance away.
I'm so close...
He forced himself forward, fighting against the crushing pressure above him and the thick air surrounding his body. His breathing became ragged, his muscles burning as his body struggled to regulate its rising temperature.
Another wave of heat surged through him. Winston staggered but caught himself against the wall.
Just a little farther.
The hallway seemed determined to stop him, but Winston kept walking.
[Vital Restoration: 70%]
At that moment, the pressure bearing down on Winston suddenly doubled. His knees slammed against the glossy floor. His arms buckled beneath him, and for several seconds, he could do nothing but breathe heavily.
"Ghh..."
He gritted his teeth and forced himself forward. Unable to stand, Winston began crawling toward the door like a toddler taking his first steps. He dragged one knee forward, then the other, using his hands to pull himself across the floor.
Squeak...
The sound of his palms and knees scraping against the polished surface echoed through the empty hallway.
Squeak...
Every movement felt as though an enormous weight was crushing his body into the ground. Sweat poured from his face, dripping onto the floor beneath him. His clothes were completely soaked, and his muscles trembled uncontrollably beneath the strain.
I... can't stop. Winston clenched his jaw and continued crawling. The pressure wasn't merely slowing him down anymore. It was crushing him, Every inch forward felt like a battle against the entire hallway itself.
[Vital Restoration: 80%]
His body heat made his vision blur. Sweat streamed down Winston's face, stinging his eyes as his entire body felt like it was reaching its limit. For a brief moment, he stopped. His chest heaved violently.
I can't stop here...
After catching his breath, Winston forced himself forward again. This time, he pushed harder than before. His palms dragged against the glossy floor as he crawled forward on his stomach. His elbows scraped against the surface, pulling his body inch by inch toward the distant door.
"Ghh..."
A low groan escaped his throat with every movement. His arms trembled beneath him. His legs felt almost useless, weighed down by the invisible pressure crushing his body into the floor. Sweat dripped from his chin, leaving small drops scattered across the polished surface. He pulled himself forward again.
The sound echoed through the endless hallway. His vision continued to fluctuate between sharpness and darkness. For a moment, the door ahead seemed close enough to touch. The next moment, it appeared impossibly far away.
Just... keep moving.
Winston clenched his teeth and dragged himself forward once more. The pressure continued crushing down on him, his body was screaming for him to stop—but he refused.
[Vital Restoration: 90%]
The pressure increased with every step. Five more steps, That was all Winston had left. His body was barely recognizable. His skin clung tightly to his frame, drenched in sweat and streaked with dirt. His hair was plastered against his forehead, and his limbs trembled beneath the relentless pressure. He looked like a corpse that had been dragged from an ancient tomb—a living mummy refusing to surrender.
His breathing became ragged, but his eyes remained fixed ahead. The pressure suddenly eased. Winston staggered forward, ahead of him was no door. Instead, the hallway opened into a vast, white, doorless passage that stretched endlessly into the distance. There were no walls separating it from the surrounding space, no ceiling, no visible exit—only blinding white emptiness.
[The Core: Vital Restoration Complete]
He slowly pushed himself out of bed and stood—there was no pain. Winston touched his arms, then his chest and legs, inspecting himself as though he couldn't believe what he was seeing. The injuries from the previous match—the bruising, the soreness, the weakness—were completely gone.
My body... fully recovered? He flexed his fingers, then his arms. He bent his knees, stretched his back, and rotated his shoulders. Everything moved perfectly, the full moon outside illuminated his body through the hospital window, casting a pale glow across his skin. A grin slowly spread across Winston's face.
Instead of returning to bed, Winston glanced toward the empty room. He quietly stepped away from the bed and began his nightly routine.