The ball clacked against the wall in a tight rhythm, echoing through the alley like a metronome.
Thud. Tap. Tap. Thud. Tap.
Thiago balanced on the balls of his feet, the ball never more than half a second off his skin. Inside his head, the System tracked his every touch. Every angle. Every mistake.
He was already sweating, but he didn't stop.
"Close Touch," he thought.
A subtle awareness flared in his limbs. His movements sharpened. His contact with the ball felt more intentional, cleaner, like invisible lines were drawing ideal angles around each bounce.
He juggled off his right thigh, brought it down with his left foot, and angled a spin off the wall to trap it mid-roll.
The System responded silently:
+0.05 Close Touch+0.02 BalancePassive: Muscle Memory I – Applied
The numbers weren't much. But he didn't care. Because they stacked. Day by day, touch by touch. They were proof he was moving forward—even if no one else could see it yet.
His chest heaved. His feet burned against the concrete. His toes were already raw, the skin splitting where old blisters hadn't healed.
Then came the voice.
"Moleque! You wanna die before you even play a real match?"
Thiago turned to see Caio, arms full of bananas and bottled water, standing at the end of the alley.
"I'm training," Thiago called out.
"You're bleeding."
He glanced down. The side of his left big toe was leaking a thin trail of blood. He hadn't noticed.
Thiago shrugged and grabbed the water bottle Caio tossed him. "Pain is part of it."
Caio dropped the rest of the groceries on the steps and sat down. "You say that now. Wait until someone two heads taller than you comes flying in studs-up."
Thiago wiped sweat off his neck with the bottom of his shirt. "You sound like my mom."
"She's right. You know that, right?"
"I don't have time to play it safe. Not with this."
Caio squinted. "With what?"
Thiago paused. For a second, he thought about telling him. About the System. The stat boosts. The quests. The way everything inside his head had changed since it showed up.
But then he shook it off.
"Nah," he said, smirking. "With the Vila Cup."
Caio snorted. "That again?"
"They're doing the last qualifier this Saturday. Juninho's brother got pulled—so there's an open slot."
"You gonna show off again?" Caio asked, half-joking.
"I'm gonna win."
Caio studied him for a moment. His smirk faded.
"You really think you can go pro?"
Thiago didn't blink. "I don't think. I know."
That night, Thiago sat at the dinner table with his mom and Clara. They had rice, beans, and a single piece of salted meat split between them.
His mom's eyes were tired. Her knuckles were raw from scrubbing floors all week.
"You're playing again this weekend?" she asked.
"Yeah. Vila Cup qualifier."
She stirred her rice. "They say scouts show up sometimes."
Thiago didn't respond.
"You think they'll see you?"
"They will if I make them."
She smiled faintly. "Just… be careful. Football's full of promises. People say things. They disappear fast."
"I won't."
She sighed. "You sound like your father."
He didn't reply.
The morning of the qualifier, Thiago stood in front of the cracked mirror in their hallway. He didn't have a uniform. He wore a green shirt from two years ago, the hem frayed and sleeves stretched. His shorts were borrowed. His boots were second-hand—two sizes too big, stuffed with newspaper in the toes.
Clara peeked out from the doorway. "You look cool," she said.
He turned, grinning. "Yeah?"
She gave him a thumbs up. "You gonna score?"
Thiago crouched in front of her. "More than once."
She giggled and hugged him tightly. "I told everyone at school you're gonna be famous."
"Slow down, menina. I haven't even played yet."
She looked up at him, serious now. "You will. And you're gonna be the best."
He kissed the top of her head and stood. "I'll bring back a win."
The pitch wasn't a pitch.
It was a court of concrete and faded lines, boxed in by chain-link fences and half-flooded with humidity. Rusted goalposts stood at either end. A cracked Pepsi banner hung on one side. Spectators leaned against the mesh, whistling and heckling. Vendors sold sugarcane juice and warm guaraná from faded coolers.
Thiago arrived with Caio, who had a backpack full of tape, water, and an old camcorder he borrowed from his cousin.
"Match starts in fifteen," Caio said. "Warm up?"
"I've been warm since I was born."
"Don't talk like that," Caio muttered. "Makes you sound like a manga villain."
Thiago smiled, then looked at the other team.
They wore matching black kits. Boots polished. Organized drills. Lined up clean.
Botafogo youth reps.
Shit.
He immediately scanned them—mentally activating the System's new feature.
"Opponent scan," he thought.
[Analyzing nearby players…]
Top Threat Identified: João Ferraz – CDM – Age: 15Strength: 74Aggression: 71Positioning: 68Tackling: 72
Thiago exhaled slowly.
He'd played against big kids before. But this one? He had training. Discipline. Probably lived at a proper academy with grass pitches and protein bars.
"System," Thiago whispered in his head. "Status."
Level: 2EXP: 10 / 100Position: UndefinedAttributes:Pace – 67Dribbling – 63Shooting – 54Passing – 58Physicality – 61Mentality – 52
Sub-Attributes:Ball Control – 66Trick Execution – 56Stamina – 59Focus – 54
It wasn't enough.
Not yet.
But it would have to do.
Their coach—just a guy named Neto, mid-thirties, always chewing sunflower seeds—clapped them into a quick huddle.
"Listen up, rapazes," he said. "They're trained. They're clean. You're not. That's your advantage. Play wild. Don't give them time to think. Thiago—you start on the left wing. Marquinhos, center. Paulo at back."
"What about the right?" someone asked.
"Anyone who can still run by minute ten."
They laughed nervously.
"Go make 'em regret coming."
The ref blew the whistle.
The game began.
Thiago's first touch came two minutes in. A chipped ball from Paulo, bouncing unevenly across the pavement. He took it with his chest, killed it with one touch, and turned.
Ferraz was already on him.
Thiago felt the weight, the presence—like a wall.
He faked right, dropped his shoulder, and tried to cut inside.
Ferraz didn't fall for it. His foot snapped out, taking the ball clean.
Shit.
The counter came fast. Three passes, and Botafogo was already in the box. A shot flew just wide of the goal.
The crowd buzzed.
Caio shouted from the sideline, "Stop forcing it!"
Thiago clenched his jaw.
"System," he thought. "Active assistance. Dribble Timing."
A cool sensation flowed through his muscles—small, subtle corrections to his steps.
Next ball came to him wide. He controlled it clean. Ferraz approached again.
"Trick Execution boost," he thought.
This time, he rolled the ball forward, tapped it with the outside of his boot, and launched a sharp inside cut. Not flashy. Just quick.
He slipped past Ferraz by a split second and bolted down the line.
The crowd surged forward, banging on the fence.
"Vai, moleque!"
He crossed it into the box—Marquinhos caught it on the volley.
Goal.
1–0.
Thiago jogged back, heart pounding.
The System buzzed softly in his mind:
Micro Quest Complete: Break Past a Higher-Rated Opponent+1 Trick Execution+10 EXP
Progress: Level 2 → 3Skill Point Earned
He didn't celebrate. He didn't smile.
He just nodded once to Ferraz.
And got ready to do it again.