Marco had left an hour ago with promises to follow them to Atalanta in the coming days, and his parting words still lingered in the apartnt as Demien helped his mother clear the dinner dishes.
"I’ve already started working on so comparable salary figures," Marco had said while squeezing Demien’s shoulder, his agent’s mind clearly focused on maximizing the opportunity, and he’d added with a warm smile to Isabella, "You should co too—see where your son will be making history."
The thought of his mother joining them at Atalanta had brightened sothing in Demien that he hadn’t realized needed brightening.
Friday, July 19th, 2022 - Evening
A comfortable silence settled between them as they finished the last of the special dinner she’d prepared for his final night ho before departing for Atalanta.
The pasta had been perfect—her signature recipe that she’d made for every important occasion in his life—and Demien had cleaned his plate twice while savoring not just the food but the normalcy of sitting across from her at their small kitchen table.
"Early start tomorrow," she said as she wiped her hands on a dish towel, and her voice carried both pride and the slightest hint of sadness that mothers reserve for monts when their children take significant steps away from them.
"Yeah," Demien replied while hanging the towel, "The driver will be here at seven."
She nodded, her smile soft in the warm kitchen light, and she reached up to cup his face briefly before saying, "Get so rest, campione. Big days ahead."
Demien hugged her goodnight, the familiar scent of her perfu triggering mories from across two lifetis, and as she retreated to her room, he found himself standing alone in the hallway with the apartnt quiet around him.
In his bedroom, he closed the door softly before sitting on the edge of his bed, the day’s weight settling into his muscles as his mind continued cycling through everything that had happened and everything that was about to happen.
"Hey, UG," he said quietly to the empty room, and the familiar blue panel shimred into existence in front of him, casting its soft glow across his features.
「Welco back, Demien.」 The system’s interface expanded smoothly in the dim light. 「Congratulations on your promotion to Atalanta’s first team.」
"Thanks," Demien replied with a half-smile, still not entirely used to receiving praise from what was essentially an advanced gacha chanism, but appreciating it nonetheless.
"I’m ready," he said after a mont, leaning forward slightly as anticipation built in his chest, "Let’s see what options I have."
「PACK OPTIONS」
「Current Balance: 174 TP | 10 SP | 50 MP」
「Available Packs:」 「Bronze Pack - 100 TP」 「Black Pack - 10 SP」
「Note: Insufficient currency for Silver Pack (200 TP), Gold Pack (500 TP), or Diamond Pack (50 SP)」
Demien studied the options for a mont before nodding decisively.
"I’ll open a Black Pack," he said while his fingers tapped thoughtfully against his knee, and he added, "I need to start saving TP so I can mass pull when I’m ready."
「Noted.」 The system’s response was simple yet sohow conveyed understanding of his strategy. 「BLACK PACK SELECTED: 10 SP」
The familiar lever materialized in the air before him, its tal grip gleaming with potential, and Demien reached out to grasp it, feeling the strange mix of solid and ethereal sensations as his fingers closed around it.
「Current Balance: 174 TP | 0 SP | 50 MP」
He pulled the lever with a smooth motion, and the room seed to darken around the edges as the panel expanded, eight cards appearing face-down in a neat array before him, each one slowly rotating and pulsing with light.
「PACK OPENING」 「Reveal cards one by one」
Demien tapped the first card, watching it flip with a fluid animation to reveal:
Curve 8 — EPICIncreases Curve by 8
His eyebrows raised slightly—an Epic attribute right off the bat.
The second card turned:
Long Shots 8 — EPICIncreases Long Shots by 8
A slow smile began forming as he tapped the third:
Heading Accuracy 7 — EPICIncreases Heading Accuracy by 7
Three Epic attributes in a row—his luck was on fire tonight.
Fourth card:
Crossing 3 — UNCOMMONIncreases Crossing by 3
Fifth:
Trait Shard [Agent Negotiation Perk] 2Collected 3/4 to craft: Agent Negotiation Perk
Sixth:
Trait Shard [Stamina Regeneration Technique] 1Collect 4 to craft: Stamina Regeneration Technique
Seventh—the technique card, always the highlight:
La Croqueta Chain — EPIC Technique
His breath caught and his eyes widened as he stared at the card in disbelief. "La Croqueta," he whispered, his voice filled with reverent awe, "Iniesta’s signature move."
The technique Iniesta had made famous during Barcelona’s golden era—a ball roll followed by a quick touch in the opposite direction that had humiliated countless defenders across Europe. In Iniesta’s feet, it had been art; in Xavi’s words, it had been "impossible to defend against when done perfectly."
Demien leaned forward with his heart racing, images flashing through his mind of how this technique could transform his gaplay—drawing in defenders before shifting the ball rapidly to create space no one expected. With his improved agility, this could beco his signature move at Atalanta.
"This is... incredible," he murmured as he imagined the possibilities unfolding before him.
Eighth and final card:
Agility 6 — EPICIncreases Agility by 6
The system chid as the cards faded, replaced by a notification panel:
「TRAIT COMPLETE」 「Agent Negotiation Perk: 4/4 Shards Collected」 「Trait Crafting Complete」
「TRAIT ACTIVATED: AGENT NEGOTIATION PERK」 「Passive Effect: Enhances contract negotiation outcos by 15-20%. Provides insight into fair market values and contract clauses. Increases chance of favorable terms in all professional discussions.」
Demien stared at the trait description, then broke into incredulous laughter that echoed in the quiet room. He shook his head in amazent.
"You’ve got to be kidding ," he said, running a hand through his hair as the implication sank in. "A negotiation trait right when I’m about to sign my first pro contract?"
He stood up and paced a few steps, unable to contain the energy suddenly coursing through him. This wasn’t just a stat boost or a fancy technique—this was sothing that could fundantally change his entire career trajectory. Better contract terms ant better security, more recognition, potentially millions more over a career.
"Fifteen to twenty percent better outcos," he whispered, calculating what that might an in practical terms. The difference between a two-year deal and a three-year deal. The difference between standard bonuses and performance escalators. The difference between being treated as a prospect and being valued as an asset.
David Drinkwater’s thirty-seven years of experience understood exactly how valuable this could be—how many players had been shortchanged by bad deals early in their careers.
The system responded with another panel showing his updated stats:
UPDATED STATS
SHOOTINGLong Shots: 66 → 74 ( 8)
PASSINGCrossing: 65 → 68 ( 3) Curve: 66 → 74 ( 8)
DRIBBLINGAgility: 71 → 77 ( 6)
DEFENDINGHeading Accuracy: 52 → 59 ( 7)
STATUSOverall Rating: 70 → 73 ( 3)
TECHNIQUES • Andrea Pirlo: Deep-Lying Playmaker (Legendary) • Curve Run Timing (Epic) • Marseille Roulette (Epic) • La Croqueta Chain (Epic) • Lofted Dink (Rare)
TRAITS • Agent Negotiation Perk (Active) • Press Resistant (1/4) • Recovery Boost (2/4) • Speed Dribbler (1/4) • Stamina Regeneration (2/4) • Long Shot Taker (1/4) • Set Piece Specialist (1/4) • Big Match Temperant (1/4) • Leadership Badge (1/4)
Before Demien could fully process the improvents, the system chid again with a rapid series of notifications:
「INCOMING CONTRIBUTIONS」
「defintely_not_you4 has sent 3 Power Stones to Ultimate Gacha System」 「mud104 has sent 3 Power Stones to Ultimate Gacha System」 「HikenAce has sent 1 Power Stone to Ultimate Gacha System」 「danjuma has sent 3 Power Stones to Ultimate Gacha System」 「defintely_not_you4 has sent 3 Power Stones to Ultimate Gacha System」 「Shaan_Uthappa has sent 3 Power Stones to Ultimate Gacha System」 「Enzyx11 has sent 3 Power Stones to Ultimate Gacha System」 「Ventallion has sent 3 Power Stones to Ultimate Gacha System」 「miguel_jeann has sent 1 Power Stone to Ultimate Gacha System」 「Tenma_Hayate has sent 1 Power Stone to Ultimate Gacha System」 「Tenma_Hayate has sent 1 Power Stone to Ultimate Gacha System」 「Singularity21 has sent 3 Power Stones to Ultimate Gacha System」
「Total Power Stones Received: 28」
「CURRENCY UPDATE」 「Current Balance: 202 TP | 0 SP | 50 MP」
A warm feeling spread through Demien’s chest that had nothing to do with stat improvents or techniques, and he found himself smiling at the screen.
"All these people," he whispered, his voice barely audible in the quiet room, "still believing in ."
He thought about the journey ahead—Atalanta’s first team, the pressure, the expectations—and sohow knowing these strangers were investing in his success made the path ahead feel less daunting.
He dismissed the panel with a gesture and was about to prepare for bed when his phone buzzed on the nightstand, the screen illuminating with a ssage notification.
Sophia.
He picked it up, pulse quickening slightly as he opened the ssage.
"Hi," it read simply.
Demien typed back: "Hey, how’s it going?"
The response ca quickly: "Good. Getting ready for our trip back to Bergamo tomorrow."
They exchanged a few more ssages about travel plans and preparations before Sophia’s next text shifted the conversation:
"If Luca hadn’t volunteered , who would you have asked to go to the match with you?"
Demien hesitated, his thumbs hovering over the screen as warmth spread across his face. The question cut straight to what he’d been wondering himself—had Luca actually stolen his thunder by suggesting Sophia when she might have been his choice anyway?
"Honestly?" he typed, then deleted it. "I was thinking..." Delete. "Maybe you..." Delete.
After several attempts, he finally settled on: "I hadn’t really thought that far. But I’m glad it’s you."
He hit send before he could overthink it further.
Sophia’s reply ca quickly, a simple: "Really? You’re not just saying that?"
Sothing in her directness made him smile. This wasn’t the casual, cool Sophia that she showed around others—this felt more real.
"Really," he typed back. "Looking forward to it."
There was a longer pause before her next ssage appeared: " too. But don’t tell Luca I admitted that."
Demien found himself grinning at the phone as he typed back: "Your secret’s safe with ."
He set the phone down and prepared for bed, the day’s events and tomorrow’s possibilities cycling through his mind as he slipped under the covers, but just as his consciousness began drifting toward sleep, his phone buzzed again.
Reaching over automatically, he squinted at the bright screen in the darkness, but his drowsiness vanished instantly when he saw the na displayed on the notification.
A text from his ex.
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