The system panel glowed softly in the darkness
「MISSION UNLOCKED」
Demien stared at the text, his heart pounding against his ribs
「MISSION: Breakthrough Performance」
「Objective: Achieve a match rating of 7.5 or higher」
「Secondary Objective: Record at least 1 assist」
「Reward: SYSTEM RATING FEATURE UNLOCKED」
「Failure: No penalty」
His finger hovered over the panel, wondering what System Rating Feature meant
He tapped the notification
「SYSTEM RATING FEATURE」
「Provides real-time performance analysis during matches」
「Tracks passing accuracy, defensive actions, offensive contributions, and positioning」
「Displays overall match rating based on professional football metrics」
「This feature will activate after mission completion」
Demien lay back on the pillow, thinking about the seven point five rating and one assist, knowing tomorrow's match would decide everything
He closed his eyes and forced his breathing to slow, sleep came eventually although his mind kept replaying the sprint drills, the rondo circles, and the 6v6 match that had ended 7-0
Tomorrow would be different because tomorrow he would show them everything
The alarm shrieked through the dormitory at six in the morning
Demien's eyes snapped open and his body ached in a dozen places, feeling his calves tight from yesterday's sprints while his shoulders carried a dull soreness from the physical drills
He sat up slowly, working his jaw as he stretched his neck
Across the room, Luca was already awake, sitting on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands
"You look how I feel," Demien said
Luca glanced up, his face pale and eyes shadowed
"Couldn't sleep, kept thinking about the match"
"Same"
Luca stood and rolled his shoulders
"Wonder if they'll split us up again like yesterday"
"Probably, they want to see how we handle different teammates"
"I hope not"
Luca grabbed a water bottle from the locker
"Playing with familiar faces would help"
They dressed in silence, Demien pulling on his training kit with the fabric sticking slightly to his skin while his muscles felt heavy, like they hadn't fully recovered from yesterday's work
The hallway outside was already filling with players, some looking fresh and energized while others moved like Demien felt—sore, tired, carrying the weight of yesterday's drills in their legs
The morning air was cool and damp when they stepped onto the pitch, dew clinging to the grass and darkening their boots as they jogged slowly around the field
Coach Mancini stood near the center circle with his clipboard
"Light work only, jogging, stretching, keep the muscles warm, no heavy effort, save it for the match"
The players spread out and Demien fell into an easy jog beside Luca, feeling his calves burn for the first fifty meters before loosening slightly as the tightness in his shoulders eased with the warm-up
"Left hamstring's tight," Luca muttered as they rounded the corner
"Same, and my quads"
"Yesterday was brutal"
They jogged two laps before moving to the stretching area, Demien sitting on the grass and reaching for his toes, wincing at the pull in his hamstrings
Matteo Ferrari dropped down beside them
"Everyone's sore, Di Luca can barely walk"
"Where is he?" Luca asked
"Still in the dorm, said his legs locked up when he tried to stand"
Demien kept stretching, working through each muscle group methodically, his body protesting but responding
By the time they finished, the soreness had dulled to a manageable ache
Movement caught his eye near the main gate as people were arriving, not just scouts this time but families, friends, and maybe agents
They filed through the entrance and took seats along the temporary stands that had been set up overnight
"They built bleachers," Matteo said, following his gaze
Luca stood and shaded his eyes
"There's got to be fifty people out there already"
More kept coming, the stands filling slowly but steadily
Demien scanned the crowd, looking for a familiar face
There, near the front, wearing a dark jacket and sunglasses, was Marco Benetti
His agent had come
Demien's chest tightened, remembering how Marco had believed in him when Fiorentina hadn't, how he had set up this trial and answered the phone when no one else would
Marco caught his eye from across the field and raised one hand in a small wave
Demien lifted his chin in acknowledgment
The scouts from yesterday were there too, the older one with the navy jacket sitting in the second row with his notebook already open
The Sampdoria scout was beside him, while others Demien didn't recognize filled the remaining seats
"Big crowd," Matteo said quietly
"No pressure"
Luca stretched his arms overhead
"Just another match"
"Just another match that decides our entire future," Matteo shot back
Coach Mancini's whistle cut through the morning air
"Gather up, tactical briefing in five minutes"
The players crowded around Mancini near the halfway line, where he had a whiteboard set up on a portable stand with tactical diagrams already drawn in blue and red marker
"Listen carefully," Mancini said
"This is an eleven-versus-eleven match, full field, two halves, thirty minutes each, and we will not stop play except for injuries or serious fouls because the scouts want to see how you handle game situations, how you think under pressure, and how you work with teammates"
He tapped the whiteboard
"I've divided you into two teams based on yesterday's performance, Team 1 will wear blue bibs while Team 2 will wear red"
He pulled out a sheet of paper and began reading names
"Team 1, Goalkeeper, Marco Leone"
Leone straightened, his face unreadable
"Defenders, right back, Esposito, center backs, Jonathan Müller and Rinaldi, left back, Federico Rossi"
Four players stepped forward
"Midfielders, right midfield, Matteo Ferrari, central midfield, Luca Bianchi and Demien Walter, left midfield, Paolo Martinez"
Demien's heart kicked up a notch at the mention of his name, a 4-4-2 formation with three central players and him in the middle alongside Luca
"Forwards, Alessandro Moretti and Di Luca"
Di Luca limped forward slightly, his face tight
"Substitutes, goalkeeper Omar El-Sayed, and midfielder Sergio Alvarez"
Mancini moved to the second list
"Team 2, goalkeeper, Bellini"
The opposing keeper nodded
"Defenders, right back, Liam Hughes, center backs, Roberto Costa and Marco Valenti, left back, Diego Marquez"
Four players moved to the side
"Midfielders, defensive midfield, Gianluca Romano, central midfield, Enzo Bianchi and Julian Weber"
Gianluca stepped forward, his eyes locking on Demien for a brief second
"Forwards, right wing, Martinelli, center forward, Ferrari, left wing, Paolo Gallo"
"Substitutes, midfielder Chukwu Emeka, and defender Oliver Smith"
Mancini set the paper down and looked at both teams
"Team 1, you will focus on possession and control, build from the back, and use your midfield numbers to dominate the center while Team 2 will press high and counter quickly, exploiting space behind their midfield"
He pointed at Luca
"Bianchi, you're captain for Team 1, the armband is yours"
Luca blinked, then nodded
"Yes, Coach"
"Romano, you captain Team 2"
Gianluca's expression didn't change
"Understood"
"Warm up separately, match starts in twenty minutes"
Mancini folded his arms
"This is your moment, do not waste it"
The teams split, Demien following Luca toward the far touchline where blue bibs waited in a pile
POV: Marco Benetti
Marco Benetti sat in the third row of the bleachers, close enough to hear the scouts but not so close that they'd stop talking
The two men in front of him were already deep in conversation, one wearing a dark blue jacket with Atalanta U23 stitched across the back while the other had a Sampdoria crest on his notebook
"That Walter kid from yesterday's six-versus-six," the Atalanta scout said, tapping his pen against his notepad
"Seven to nothing, two goals, two assists, complete control of the tempo"
The Sampdoria scout nodded
"I saw it, his passing range is exceptional for his age, but what caught my attention was the tactical intelligence, he knew where to be before the ball arrived"
"Fiorentina reject," the Atalanta scout said, shaking his head
"Doesn't make sense"
"Maybe they focused too much on his physical profile at sixteen and missed what he was developing mentally"
Marco's chest tightened, keeping his face neutral while gripping the edge of the bench
The Atalanta scout flipped through his notes
"Four point eight seconds in the forty-meter sprint, that's not academy reject speed, that's professional level, Serie B minimum"
"You thinking what I'm thinking?"
"If he delivers today like he did yesterday, we're making an offer for the Under 23 setup"
The Atalanta scout's voice was firm
"I don't care what Fiorentina's file says, what I saw yesterday tells me everything I need to know"
The Sampdoria scout smiled slightly
"You'll have competition, I'm recommending him to our youth director"
"Let them come, if multiple clubs want him, that's a good problem for the kid to have"
The Atalanta scout closed his notebook
"Wonder if he even has an agent yet, most academy rejects don't"
"We'll find out after the match, if he doesn't, someone will snap him up fast"
Marco allowed himself a small smile, knowing they didn't know about him yet
That was fine, let them watch Demien play first, let them see what he could do
Then Marco would make his presence known
If Atalanta made an offer, other clubs would follow
That's how it worked, one offer created momentum, and momentum created competition
Demien just had to play