Chapter 12 – Back to the Pitch
Sunday morning.
It started slow, like most of my weekends. I didn't set an alarm. Didn't plan anything. I let my body rest. No system drills. No simulations. Just sunlight sneaking through the blinds and the sound of birds outside.
But when I checked my phone and saw the time, I blinked.
11:47 AM.
That was usually around the time the guys from the Sunday league would start warming up.
I stared at the screen a little longer. Then turned over.
I wasn't planning to go.
Not because I didn't like the game—I did. But the hospital stay, the scenarios, and the whole leveling system had made me feel... like I was somewhere in between two worlds.
Real football. And system football.
But around noon, I started getting texts.
> [Giorgio]: "Yo, Carlos, you coming today? We're one man short already. Don't ghost us."
> [Michele]: "You back from the dead or what? I miss watching you trip over the ball."
