Winston remained in the changing room showers for nearly forty-five minutes, too exhausted to move. Sitting beneath the steady stream of warm water, he closed his eyes and let it wash over him. Every muscle in his body ached from pushing the Voltage Core beyond its limits.
Gradually, the Core's Nethen Essence spread through his body, restoring his strength little by little. The tightness in his chest faded, his breathing steadied, and the burning in his legs slowly disappeared.
Feeling the last of his fatigue melt away, Winston rose to his feet. Just then, a familiar notification appeared before his eyes. The Core had another update.
Ding!
[DAILY USER CHALLENGES]
[Score goals: Completed]
[Reward: 05]
[Voltage Core: 87%]
[Innate Terra: 13%]
[Spatial Zenith: 13%]
[Absolute: 13%]
[Nethen Essence: 90%]
Still slightly disoriented, Winston stumbled forward, using the wall for support. After changing into the club tracksuit, he stepped into the stadium hallway. Oswin was waiting, leaning against the wall with his arms folded. The moment he spotted Winston, he pushed himself off the wall and walked over.
"You okay? What did the medic say?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Winston rubbed the back of his neck. "They just gave me one of those energy candies you gave me the last time."
Oswin studied him for a moment. "What happened out there, Wis?"
Winston let out a weary sigh. "I tried something I shouldn't have. I got a little desperate."
"You shouldn't do that again, man. We thought you'd injured yourself all over again."
Winston gave a small laugh. "I'll try... but I can't promise anything."
"C'mon. Let's get back to the bus. The coaches are waiting."
Back at the team bus, the club medic gave Winston another quick examination. After confirming there was nothing seriously wrong, the coaches and senior staff finally relaxed. No one wanted to lose him with only two league matches remaining.
Still worried that Winston hadn't fully recovered from the coma he had fallen into just two weeks earlier, the medics handed him a few more energy candies as a precaution. Once everything was settled, Winston and Oswin returned to their seats.
The moment Winston sat down, exhaustion overwhelmed him. His eyes closed... ...and the world faded away.
When Winston finally opened his eyes again, more than thirty-six hours had passed. He blinked repeatedly, unable to believe how long he had slept. As he stood, his legs nearly gave way beneath him. He caught himself on the bus seats before slowly making his way toward the front.
Outside, the team had stopped at a parking area. His teammates and the coaching staff were stretching beneath the blazing afternoon sun. The moment Winston stepped off the bus, every head turned toward him.
Still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he staggered over to the group. The medics immediately ushered him over for another examination. This time, they were far more thorough, checking his heartbeat, reflexes, breathing, and overall condition.
Several tense minutes passed. Finally, one of the medics smiled and nodded reassuringly toward the head coach. The head coach, who had been watching the examination with folded arms, quietly let out a breath of relief.
With a smile, the head coach clapped his hands.
"Alright, Winston. Stretch a bit and do a few laps around the parking lot. The head coach of Western Park F.C. wouldn't let us use their pitch for warm-ups, and the city park is too far from here. So, for now, we'll make do with what we have."
Winston nodded and joined his teammates for the laps. Oswin jogged over with a grin. "Nice to see you back. I thought you'd sleep for another two days."
Winston chuckled. "And miss the warm-ups and today's match? No chance. By the way, what position am I in on the top scorers' leaderboard?"
"The last time I checked, you were third. The guys in first and second are serious forwards. I watched their last match—they both scored multiple goals."
"Who are they?"
Oswin stared at him for a second before shaking his head. "Man, I'd love to be you." He thought for a moment before continuing. "The player in second is Benjamin Kiliko. He scored a hat-trick in his last game. He's sitting on twelve goals, and you've got ten."
"And the top scorer..." Oswin whistled. "That's your biggest obstacle—Sebastian Hallbrook."
"Is Benjamin that good? And who exactly is Sebastian Hallbrook?"
"Seriously, are you sure this isn't your first season playing football?" Oswin laughed. "Benjamin was scouted overseas. I've watched him play, and thank goodness we already faced his team earlier this season."
He pointed dramatically into the distance. "They call him The Surfer because the way he dribbles makes it look like he's gliding across the pitch. The guy is gifted..." He paused before flashing a grin. "...not as gifted as me, of course."
"I've also heard he grew up playing barefoot in the streets. So yeah, that's one of the guys you have to beat."
Oswin pulled out his phone, scrolled for a moment, then handed it to Winston.
"And number one is Sebastian Hallbrook. The super-rich brat." Winston raised an eyebrow. "His father owns one of the companies that makes those Sweet Energy snacks you've been eating. He also owns businesses all over the country."
"I even heard he once tried to buy a football club, but the federation rejected the deal because they were worried about conflicts of interest. Since Sebastian already plays in the league, they didn't want his father's influence affecting football." Oswin shrugged. "Nobody really knows how Sebastian trains. He barely attends his club's regular sessions, yet he keeps getting better. Oh, and he plays for F.C. Cerceda."
"He already has sixteen goals this season."
Winston let out a low whistle. "Does he have a nickname?"
"Little Shit."
Winston stared at him. "Seriously?"
Oswin burst into laughter. "No. That's just what everyone calls him behind his back. The guy's arrogant as hell. Once you meet him, you'll understand."
Winston wasn't sure he wanted to. The conversation drifted to lighter topics, with Oswin launching into another exaggerated story about girls he had met recently. Winston couldn't help smiling. No matter how stressful football became, Oswin always found a way to lift everyone's spirits.
When the warm-up ended, the team gathered near the bus to rest. Instead of sitting with everyone else, Winston wandered behind one of the nearby buildings until he found an empty bench.
He sat down and silently opened the Core System. His expression fell. The Nethen Essence still hadn't reached one hundred percent. He had pushed himself beyond his limits in the last match. For a moment, he had honestly believed the Core would finally complete its evolution.
Instead... Nothing. He leaned back against the bench with a heavy sigh.
I can't do that again. I nearly collapsed from exhaustion. But when I was playing with Maximilian... I tapped into something unbelievable. That speed... it didn't even feel human. Yet now I can't recreate it. I thought I'd finally figured it out. He clenched his fists. Maybe I forced it too much. If I keep pushing that hard, I might permanently tear my muscles... and I'm too close to achieving my dream to risk that.
His gaze drifted toward the clear afternoon sky. Benjamin... Sebastian... Those two are incredibly talented. They're probably scoring goals today as well. He let out another long sigh. What do I do now? Third place isn't bad... But my goal has always been to finish this season as the league's top scorer.
[DAILY USER CHALLENGES]
[Hat-trick: 00/03]
[Goal Assistant: 00/01]
[Retain a speed rating of: 70]
Winston straightened up and rubbed his tired eyes. He wondered if the Core System was pushing him toward reaching one hundred percent Nethen Essence. He remained on the bench for nearly two hours, lost in thought, until a voice startled him.
"Winston."
He looked up to find the assistant coach standing over him. "You alright?"
"Yeah, Coach," Winston replied, rising to his feet. "I just wanted a bit of time to myself."
The assistant coach studied him for a moment before nodding. "Good. Get yourself ready. The match will be starting soon."
"I will."
The assistant coach walked away, leaving Winston to gather his thoughts one last time.
Like before, Westminster changed into their away kit before beginning their warm-up routine. Outside, the players stretched and jogged in the parking lot before making their way into Western Park F.C.'s youth stadium.
Located only a few kilometres from Western Park F.C.'s senior stadium, the youth ground was modest in size, ranking eighth among the junior league's venues. Covered stands stretched along both sides of the pitch, providing shade for the spectators while leaving the areas behind each goal exposed to the open sky.
By the time Westminster stepped onto the field, the weather had shifted. Thick grey clouds had rolled overhead, swallowing the afternoon sun. A cool breeze swept across the stadium, and moments later, a light drizzle began to fall, speckling the freshly cut grass with tiny droplets.
Winston lifted his head toward the darkening sky before lowering his gaze to the pitch.
Looks like we're playing in the rain today.