After the shot sailed wide, Diego's goalkeeper wasted no time. He retrieved the ball, placed it down, and immediately restarted play. Spotting Diego making a direct run through the middle, the goalkeeper struck a powerful, accurate long ball. The pass soared high over midfield. As it began to descend, Lukas Hickman burst forward. Five quick strides carried him into position in front of Diego. Without slowing, Hickman launched himself into the air.
Thud!
He met the ball first, powering a header back toward his own teammates. Behind Diego, Winston slowed his run. Rather than charging recklessly into the aerial duel, he anticipated the second ball. His eyes never left the header as it arced toward him. He adjusted his footing, ready to bring it under control before Diego could react.
Winston cushioned the dropping ball with his chest, letting it fall softly into his stride. An opponent rushed in to challenge him. Without hesitation, Winston flicked the ball up and spun with it. The ball sailed over the defender's head while Winston slipped around him, reclaiming possession on the other side.
A murmur spread through the crowd. He accelerated—with dazzling close control, Winston glided through the defenders, weaving between them like a snake slithering through dense branches. One challenge after another was left behind. Within seconds, he found himself just outside the crowded penalty area.
Then—a faint flash flickered across his vision. Hyperfield vision awakened once again. Everything around him sharpened. He could hear the heavy breathing of defenders closing in. The scent of the freshly cut turf filled his senses. Every movement on the pitch seemed to slow. In an instant, Winston spotted Bongani making an unmarked run down the left flank. Using the outside of his left foot, he threaded a perfectly weighted pass into space.
Bongani met it in stride. One touch—a sharp body feint sent the recovering defender the wrong way. Without taking another touch, Bongani unleashed a low, driven shot toward the far bottom corner of the goal.
Thwack!
The scoreline became 3–1. Winston sprinted toward Bongani, who wore a wide grin after finding the back of the net. Their teammates quickly gathered around to celebrate before jogging back into position. The referee blew his whistle, and play resumed.
The match continued at a relentless pace. Both teams created chance after chance, trading dangerous attacks. One shot rattled the crossbar. Another crashed against the post. On several occasions, both goalkeepers produced brilliant saves, throwing themselves across goal and parrying powerful strikes away with their palms.
Neither side was willing to ease off. When the ninety minutes were up, the referee added several minutes of stoppage time. After the last attack fizzled out, he raised the whistle to his lips.
Tweet! Tweet! Tweet!
The final whistle echoed across the football field. The match was over.
Winston gathered his teammates into a huddle. "I just want to thank all of you for accepting my invitation and being part of this one-on-one challenge," he said sincerely. "We couldn't have won without every one of you."
He looked around at each of them before continuing. "If any of you receive a one-on-one challenge in the future, don't hesitate to ask us for help. We'll be there."
Smiles spread across their faces. The tension from before the match had completely disappeared, replaced by excitement and confidence. They all nodded in agreement before making their way toward the changing rooms together.
Walking out of the changing room, Winston, Bongani, Oswin, and Hickman headed toward the cafeteria.
Bongani, still wearing a huge grin, looked at Winston. "Wis, where did you learn those dribbling skills? And how were you making those passes without even looking at me or Oswin?"
Oswin nodded immediately. "I've been wondering the same thing." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Every time I see you play, you've added something new to your game. I can't even keep up anymore. You've got to teach me, Wis."
Hickman was just as curious. Unlike the others, he kept quiet, waiting to hear Winston's answer.
Winston simply shrugged and gave them a weary smile. "Honestly... I don't know. Whenever the ball's at my feet, I sort of blank out."
He searched for the right words. "It's like I enter a zone where everything just... flows naturally."
He scratched the back of his head. "So I'm sorry, guys. I don't really have a proper explanation."
Bongani's eyes lit up. "You know... I think I felt something similar when I scored."
He became more animated as he spoke. "I wasn't thinking about anything. I was just enjoying the game." He paused before grinning. "Maybe I entered the zone too."
He playfully slapped his cheeks. "If that's the case, I need to keep playing more matches. Maybe I'll be able to tap into that feeling again."
He laughed. "I should volunteer whenever someone needs teammates for a one-on-one challenge."
Oswin chuckled. "Or maybe you're just addicted to football now." The four of them laughed together as they continued walking toward the cafeteria.
Ding!
[User Daily Challenge]
[Challenge: Diego Complete]
[Nethen Essence: Level 1]
Physical
Physical: 75
Jumping: 75
Stamina: 75
Strength: 75
Aggression: 75
[Voltage Core: Level 1]
Pace
Acceleration: 75
Sprint Speed: 75
[Innate Terra: 13%]
[Spatial Zenith: 14%]
[Absolute: 14%]
Reward Points: 10
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Winston's lips. He quietly let out a breath of relief as the four of them continued toward the cafeteria, chatting casually about the match and exchanging lighthearted jokes. Just a few steps from the cafeteria entrance… Winston suddenly slowed. His hearing sharpened. The world around him seemed to fade as distant sounds rushed into his ears.
His enhanced hearing stretched outward, covering nearly a hundred-meter radius. Among the countless overlapping noises, three unfamiliar voices stood out. One voice carried an unmistakable air of authority. The other two listened in silence. From the fragments Winston managed to catch, it sounded as though the authoritative figure was handing something over to the other two. Winston stopped walking altogether and concentrated harder. He strained to make out the conversation.
Suddenly— Hummmm… A deep humming resonated inside his ears. It was followed by a piercing, high-pitched ringing that shot through his head like a sine wave. Winston winced in pain and instinctively clamped both hands over his ears.
Hickman stopped and turned toward Winston. "Winston, you okay?" he asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. A few steps ahead, Oswin and Bongani were still laughing and chatting, completely unaware that Winston had fallen behind.
The ringing in Winston's ears gradually faded. He looked up and forced a small smile. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said. "A bug flew right past my ear and caught me off guard."
Hickman gave him a skeptical look before nodding. "If you say so." The two caught up with Oswin and Bongani before entering the cafeteria. Inside, they were soon joined by the rest of the teammates who had played in the one-on-one challenge. The group spent the meal reliving moments from the match, laughing about missed chances and congratulating Bongani on his goal.
After lunch, Winston returned to the training ground. For the remainder of the day, he focused on recreating the Hyperfield Vision he had awakened during the match. Again and again, he pushed himself. Sometimes the awakening responded. Sometimes it didn't—even when it did, it lasted for barely a minute before fading away. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't extend its duration. After hours of repeated attempts, exhaustion finally caught up with him. With no breakthrough in sight, Winston decided to call it a day. He slung his bag over his shoulder and headed back toward Building D, determined to try again tomorrow.
As Winston reached the third floor, his wristwatch let out a sharp beep. He raised his wrist and checked the notification.
>Promotion Successful. Group C. Diego had been relegated to Group D.<
A chuckle escaped Winston's lips. He tossed himself onto his bed. Only then did he realize how exhausted he truly was. The fatigue he had ignored all day crashed over him like a tidal wave. His eyelids grew heavy as he drifted toward sleep. Somewhere in the distance, he heard a muffled voice calling his name.
He ignored it at first—the voice called again. And again—on the third call, someone shook his shoulder several times. Winston frowned and slowly opened his eyes.
Standing beside his bed was Jamison. "Were you asleep?" Jamison asked.
Winston wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth before sitting up. "No... I was just resting." He yawned. "What's up?"
"Instructor Smith asked me to call you down to the lounge." Jamison tilted his head toward the staircase. Still exhausted and slightly disoriented, Winston forced himself to his feet and followed him downstairs. When they reached the lounge, Winston stopped. The room was packed with youth players. Almost everyone from Building D had gathered there.
As soon as he entered, dozens of eyes turned toward him. Some gazes were filled with admiration. Others acknowledged him with respectful nods. A few carried unmistakable envy. Too tired to care, Winston walked straight to Instructor Smith.
The instructor smiled faintly. "Congratulations on winning your one-on-one challenge. I assume you've already received your ranking points."
Winston nodded.
"Good. Since you've been promoted, you no longer belong in Building D. Go pack your belongings and report to the instructor of Building C. Congratulations."
"Thank you, Instructor," Winston replied. He headed back upstairs, gathered his belongings, and returned to the lounge. This time, he noticed the players watching him more carefully. Some looked genuinely happy for him. Others stared with jealousy. Winston simply adjusted his bag over his shoulder.
He was too exhausted to think about any of it. As he stepped outside Building D— "Winston!" He turned—Bongani jogged over with a huge grin. "Congratulations! Wait for me, okay? I'll be joining you soon."
Winston smiled. "Sure. Just don't make me wait too long."
Then a thought crossed his mind. "By the way, what rank did you finish in your group?"
He had been meaning to ask ever since the match ended. Bongani scratched the back of his head.
"Third place." He laughed sheepishly. "But after earning this extra point from your challenge, I've got even more motivation to get out of Group D."
"I'll be waiting for you in Group C," Winston said before waving goodbye. He turned and began walking toward Building C. The long tiled walkway was quiet. Halfway there, he came face-to-face with Diego.
For a brief moment, Diego looked surprised. Then he continued walking until they stood shoulder to shoulder.
Without looking directly at Winston, Diego said, "Don't think you've beaten me. I'll challenge you again. Next time, I'll be the one walking into Building C."
Winston chuckled. "Then make sure you've improved before we meet again."
He glanced sideways at Diego. "I don't want our rematch ending the same way." Without waiting for a reply, Winston continued walking. Diego remained standing on the path, watching Winston's figure disappear toward Building C.
He clenched his fists. "We'll see about that."