Chapter 4: The King of the Restricted Zone! The Path to the Camp Nou!
[Ding! Opening the Newbie Gift Pack... Received: Black Gold Treasure Box x1!]
[The Black Gold Treasure Box is opening...]
[Ding! The Black Gold Treasure Box has been successfully opened. Congratulations to the host for obtaining the skill: King of the Restricted Zone!]
[King of the Restricted Zone: Your first shot taken inside the penalty area in any match is guaranteed to score! Once triggered, the skill becomes inactive for the remainder of the match.]
The voice faded.
Viktor Gyökeres suddenly snapped his eyes open.
His expression was instantly filled with excitement!
A skill?
The first shot in the penalty area is a guaranteed goal?
Doesn't that mean...
As long as he is on the field and managed to pull the trigger inside the box, he is guaranteed at least one goal per game?
Even if the skill deactivates after the first trigger, it's practically the same as starting every match 1-0 up!
The only difficulty would be whether he could find the space to complete a shot within the opponent's penalty area.
That was it!
It had to be said, this skill was perfectly suited for his position. Since he first started playing football, Viktor had always played in the attacking line. He had played as a winger and a playmaker, but as his body grew and his height became an advantage, he had transitioned into a center-forward.
For a true "number nine," getting a shot off in the penalty area wasn't a Herculean task!
Viktor could already see it. A future where he averaged at least one goal per game, galloping across the green fields of Europe!
There are many superstars in the football world, but even the greats like Messi or Ronaldo can't claim a 100% scoring record in every single match of every season.
As expected of a reward from a Black Gold Treasure Box...
"Besides the Black Gold boxes, what other rewards can I get?" Viktor asked.
The system's mechanical response quickly echoed in his mind.
[Treasure boxes are random rewards, triggered periodically based on the intensity and level of the competition the host participates in!]
[Rewards are divided into four tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Black Gold!]
[Bronze Treasure Box: Contains auxiliary items, such as injury recovery, stamina restoration, and other consumables.]
[Silver Treasure Box: Contains attribute-enhancing potions that can add points to the host's personal attribute panel!]
[Gold Treasure Box: Unlocks a "Template," revealing a specific legendary ability of a world-class football star!]
[Black Gold Treasure Box: The rarest tier. It unlocks extremely powerful, "causal-level" skills. These skills maximize the host's impact on the game!]
Listening to the introduction, Viktor understood. The "King of the Restricted Zone" skill he just obtained was a top-tier ability from the highest level of rewards.
However, such Black Gold boxes would be extremely difficult to acquire. At the very least, playing in low-level youth leagues wouldn't trigger them. Even in the "Big Five" European leagues, the probability of a Black Gold drop wouldn't be high.
[Ding! The Host Attribute Panel has been opened!]
Another prompt sounded, and a holographic panel appeared in Viktor's mind.
* Name: Viktor Gyökeres
* Age: 17
* Height: 184cm
* Weight: 74kg
* Club: None (La Masia Youth)
* National Team: None
[Current Position: Center Forward]
(Note: Only attributes relevant to the current position are displayed)
* Shooting: 78
* Positioning: 69
* Speed: 81
* Heading: 68
* Jumping: 71
* Shot Power: 75
* Physical Strength (Confrontation): 69
* Ball Control: 65
* Passing: 68
* Long Shots: 65
* Free Kicks: 60
* Curve: 64
* Stamina: 79
[Current Overall Rating: 70]
* Template Loaded: None
* Activated Skill: King of the Restricted Zone
It was clear that, except for a few decent stats, most of his attributes were hovering around or below 70. If 70 was the "passing grade" for a professional, then in many areas, he was currently failing.
Immediately afterward, another voice rang out.
[Ding! Main Quest released...]
[Main Quest: Dream Set Sail! Land a spot in one of the "Big Five" European leagues and score 20 goals! Reward: Black Gold Treasure Box x1!]
[Time Limit: One year!]
[Sub-quests are being generated, stay tuned...]
After digesting the system's functions, Viktor gained a clear understanding of his "cheat" code.
"A Black Gold box? The reward is enticing. But landing in the Big Five and scoring 20 goals?"
Viktor raised his eyebrows, lost in thought. With the "King of the Restricted Zone" skill, he wasn't worried about the act of scoring. And since he was already at La Masia, the most logical path to the Big Five was the Barcelona first team.
But being discovered and appreciated by the Barça senior squad—and getting the actual minutes to score—was not going to be easy. The one-year time limit meant he had essentially one season.
Scoring 20 goals in a debut season is a massive challenge. To put it in perspective, 20 goals would usually place a player in the top five of the La Liga Golden Boot race. Even legends like Messi and Ronaldo didn't hit those numbers in their very first seasons!
With the departure of Pep Guardiola, the current Barcelona was transitioning away from the "Dream Team III" era. This summer, David Villa had left for Atletico Madrid, but Neymar—the "Light of Samba"—had just joined for a record fee.
The first team was star-studded: Messi, Fabregas, Xavi, Iniesta. It would be incredibly difficult to break into that rotation.
However, there was a glimmer of hope. Luis Suarez, who would eventually become Barcelona's legendary #9, was still at Liverpool. In the current Barça lineup, true center-forwards were scarce! They had world-class attackers like Messi, Neymar, Sanchez, and Pedro, but no specialist target man. For a long time, Messi or Pedro had to fill that central role.
For Viktor Gyökeres, this was his opening. This was his chance to prove himself!