The first goal lit the fuse.
Randy's crew regrouped quickly, barking orders and pushing harder. But we held our line. Every pass felt cleaner, every run more synchronized. This wasn't a scrappy team anymore—we were Rebellion FC, and we had become dangerous.
Update: Team Chemistry Level → 4
Bonus Activated: Positional Awareness – +1 to Defensive Transitions
They tied the game minutes later. A fluke deflection. Off a corner, the ball bounced off Brix's shin, ricocheted off Marco's knee, and trickled into our net. It was ugly. But it counted.
1–1.
We didn't panic.
Not this time.
I pulled everyone into a tight huddle during the reset. "We reset. We press. We punish every bad touch."
That's when it happened.
As we jogged back into position, I noticed him—leaning against the fence near half-court. Sunglasses. Clipboard. Baseball cap with a faded logo I didn't recognize. He wasn't cheering. He wasn't filming. Just… watching.
System Alert: Unknown Variable Detected
Tag: Observer – Status: Unregistered Scout
Affiliation: ???
Trigger Condition: Performance-Based Encounter
He wasn't from school. Too old. Too focused.
Optional Quest Unlocked: Impress the Observer
Reward: Unknown
I didn't tell the others. No distractions.
But I felt it now—pressure with a pulse. The game had just changed. Again.
We locked down midfield. Ana—watching from the bench—caught my eye and made a slicing motion with her hand.
Cut the angle. Overlap wide.
I nodded and adjusted our formation slightly. Kenneth drifted inside. Marco widened right. I dropped deep.
The next sequence was art.
Steal.
One-touch pass.
Sprint down the wing.
Through ball.
Cross.
Header.
GOAL.2–1.
The crowd exploded. Even the ref let out a low whistle of surprise.
Randy's team looked shaken.
Bonus Objective Available: Trigger Counter Press
Tip: Use after opponent kickoff to regain possession within 5 seconds
I gave the signal. A sharp whistle and a raised fist. Rebellion FC tightened into formation.
The ball rolled.
They passed.
We pounced.
Kenneth intercepted.
I surged forward. No time to think—only instincts.
Ball at my feet.
One feint.
Two defenders gone.
I saw Randy charging.
Time slowed.
I tapped the ball behind my standing foot, spun, and flicked it with my heel into open space.
A scissor behind-the-leg move I hadn't pulled off since my pre-injury days.
The goal opened.
I hit it clean.
GOAL.
3–1.
Quest Complete: The Underground Match
Rewards:
+2 Reputation (Campus) Special Move Unlocked: "Counter Press" +1 Skill Point (Allocate Now or Later) Stat Boost: Confidence +2
The court erupted. Even some of Randy's own players applauded.
And the scout? He was gone.
I blinked. Scanned the fence line. Nothing. No trace.
Just a clipboard lying where he had stood.
I jogged over after the celebrations, heart still pounding.
It was blank on one side. But on the back—handwritten in sharp, slanted ink:
"Talent blooms in odd places. We'll be watching."
– M.S.
No name. No contact. Just that.
System Prompt: New Thread Unlocked – Hidden Path: M.S. Protocol
Quest line Status: Inactive Until Trigger Event
I pocketed the clipboard. The others slapped my back, hoisted me up, cheered my name.
But in the back of my mind, the mystery festered.
Someone had seen me.
Someone beyond this playground, this game, this life.
Someone who knew the system—or something like it.
I wasn't just playing for redemption anymore.
The game had more layers than I realized.
And I had just leveled up.