The tiny apartment in Bruges was barely livable—cracked walls, a mattress on the floor, and a fridge that hummed like a dying engine. Ibukun sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the peeling wallpaper, counting the euros left in his pocket.
**17.50.**
Not enough for proper boots. Not enough for a decent meal.
Then—
**>> SYSTEM NOTICE: "PERSEVERANCE REWARD UNLOCKED"
>> SHOP FUNCTION ACTIVATED
>> SIMULATION CHAMBER ACCESS GRANTED (BASIC)
>> CURRENT BALANCE: 0 STAT POINTS / 0 CREDITS <<**
A flicker of hope.
---
### **The First Mission**
The next morning, as Ibukun laced up his battered trainers for training, the System pulsed:
**>> DAILY MISSION: "COMPLETE TRAINING WITHOUT MISTAKES"
>> REWARD: +1 DRIBBLING STAT / €100
>> FAILURE: NONE <<**
Simple.
But harder than it sounded.
Coach Vervoort's drills were relentless—sharp passing sequences under pressure, timed sprints, tactical positioning.
Ibukun **focused**, moving with raw determination rather than System-assisted precision.
One mistouch. One miscommunication.
But by the end—
**>> MISSION COMPLETE
>> DRIBBLING: 71 → 72
>> CREDITS EARNED: €100 <<**
The money appeared in his pocket like magic.
---
### **The Simulation Room**
That night, the System activated fully for the first time since his arrival.
**>> ENTER SIMULATION? (Y/N) <<**
Ibukun selected **Yes**.
His vision blurred—
—and suddenly, he stood on a **perfectly recreated training pitch**, alone under floodlights.
**>> BASIC SIMULATION OPTIONS:
>> 1. PASSING ACCURACY DRILLS
>> 2. FINISHING PRACTICE
>> 3. DEFENSIVE POSITIONING
>> NOTE: 1 HOUR SIMULATION = 5 MINUTES REAL TIME <<**
He trained until his legs burned.
No qi. No superhuman recovery.
Just **repetition**.
---
### **The Grind Continues**
Days turned into weeks.
- **€100** for a flawless training session.
- **€250** for completing 50 accurate long passes.
- **+2 Stamina** for outworking everyone in conditioning drills.
Slowly, **painfully**, he improved.
His bank account grew. His stats crept up.
And then—
**>> MILESTONE: "FIRST PROFESSIONAL START"
>> REWARD: +3 TO CHOSEN STAT / €1000 <<**
The team sheet was pinned to the locker room wall.
**#14 - IBUKUN OLUWASEYI - MIDFIELD**
---
### **The Match**
Anderlecht U23s were **monsters**—big, technical, ruthless.
Ibukun's first touch was **heavy**. His positioning **questionable**.
But he **ran**.
And in the 63rd minute—
A loose ball. A burst of speed.
A **perfect through-ball** sliced the defense open.
**Assist.**
Final whistle: **1-1**.
Vervoort clapped him on the shoulder. **"Not bad, kid."**
That night, Ibukun bought **real boots**.
---
### **The System's Whisper**
As he lay in bed, the faintest flicker of text appeared:
**>> YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE.
>> KEEP IT THAT WAY. <<**
No one knew.
No one **could** know.
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