The heavy oak doors of the home locker room had barely swung open before two cold streams of liquid hit Leon Vance squarely in the face.
Wiping the stinging foam from his eyes, he blinked through the blur to see Naldo and Ivan Perisic grinning like schoolboys, each holding a half-emptied bottle of club-provided champagne.
“Welcome to the first team, kid!” Naldo roared, shaking the bottle to unleash another spray.
“Locker room tradition!
You don’t break a Bundesliga record without getting drenched!” Once the bottles ran dry, the veteran defender wrapped Leon in a heavy bear hug, setting off a chain reaction across the squad.
Even Bas Dost stepped forward with a tight, professional smile to offer a brief handshake.
Leon accepted the gesture smoothly, entirely unconcerned with whatever frustration the starting forward was masking.
“Leon,” Perisic said, tossing his empty bottle into a laundry bin.
“We’re heading into the city center tonight.
You broke the record and saved the three points—you’re anchoring the table.
Let the older brothers show you how Wolfsburg celebrates a win.” Dirk Bremser, the assistant coach, cut in with a dry chuckle from the doorway.
“Leave the boy alone, you lot.
He’s sixteen.
Don’t go dragging our newest asset into the nightclubs.” Bremser walked over, throwing a clean towel onto Leon’s shoulder.
“You’re heading straight home tonight, aren’t you, Leon?
I expect your parents are already watching the replays.
Don’t let these miscreants ruin your discipline before Dieter notices.” “I appreciate the offer, everyone,” Leon replied, keeping his tone light and respectful.
“But Coach Bremser is right.
My family is waiting.
Next time we secure a crucial three points, the dinner is on me.” Eager to clear his head, Leon showered quickly, washing away the sticky champagne and sweat.
He changed into a simple gray tracksuit, slung his gear bag over his shoulder, and wheeled his bicycle out through the stadium’s side exit into the crisp December evening.
The five-kilometer ride toward the quiet residential suburbs of Wolfsburg offered a familiar backdrop.
The neat, orderly streets had been constructed largely by the Volkswagen Group to house its mid-level and senior corporate management.
Leon’s parents were part of that exact corporate fabric—both working as mid-level executives at the nearby Volkswagen headquarters.
They had studied together, moved from the States, and settled deep into the local football culture.
Naturally, they had enrolled Leon in the Wolfsburg youth academy the moment he turned six.
In his past life, Leon’s natural talent had been thoroughly ordinary.
He was just a standard, hardworking academy boy who managed to grind his way up to the U16 squad through sheer repetition, chasing a dream that always felt slightly out of reach.
Then, the summer of 2014 had shattered everything.
While celebrating Germany’s World Cup victory in the streets, a reckless driver had struck him, fracturing both of his legs.
A grueling year of rehabilitation followed.
Though he eventually walked without a cane, the residual joint stiffness cost him his explosive acceleration.
The academy dropped him before the winter break ended.
He had accepted that reality, transitioning into an ordinary life until November 23, 2022.
While watching the Qatar World Cup group stage from his living room, furious at Germany’s collapse against Japan, a sudden chest pain had caused him to black out.
When he woke up, he was back in his sixteen-year-old body.
It was the early summer of 2014—weeks before the World Cup, and weeks before the car accident that should have ended his career.
The initial shock of rebirth had left him balanced between relief and historical dread.
He was glad to have his legs intact, but as a fan who had watched the sport progress until 2022, he knew the structural rot facing German football over the next decade.
If things follow the old timeline, the national team won’t just fail; they’ll become a global punchline by 2018, Leon had muttered to himself during those first few days.
Am I supposed to just sit here and watch the decline?
Right on cue, a cold, mechanical chime had echoed in his mind.
[Core Protocol loaded: The All-Around Football System is now operational.
Mission parameters initialized: Revive the standard of German football.] Leon had literal ghosts of his past life attacking him then.
A system?
To revive German football?
Why not send me back to the States or China if you wanted a real project?
The internal politics in the DFB are a disaster.
How is a single forward supposed to fix a broken machine?
[Ding!
System parameters conform to host status.
Please select from the following three paths within the standard countdown:] [Option 1: Accept the mandate to revitalize German football.
Condition: Secure at least one European Championship and one World Cup title during your active career.
Penalty for failure: Comprehensive humanitarian termination.] [Option 2: Shift regional mandate to Chinese football.
Condition: Lead the national team to a World Cup trophy.
Penalty for failure: Comprehensive humanitarian termination.] [Option 3: Terminate athletic career immediately and accept immediate humanitarian termination.] [Countdown initialized: 10, 9, 8…] Stop the clock, Leon had thought sharply, his jaw tightening.
Option one.
Obviously, option one.
You call this a choice?
That’s just an ultimatum with extra steps.
[Ding!
Selection confirmed.
The All-Around Football System has been formally bound.
Attributes initialized.] Leon slowed his pedaling as he turned down his street, calling up the archived memory of that original attribute sheet.
Power: 67 | Acceleration: 65 | Top Speed: 60 Dribbling: 58 | Ball Retention: 58 | Short Passing: 62 Finishing: 60 | Shot Power: 60 | Heading Accuracy: 57 Long Range: 60 | Off-the-Ball: 54 | Penalties: 64 Long Passing: 57 | Crossing: 56 | Vision: 54 Balance: 70 | Vertical Leap: 63 | Tactical IQ: 59 Stamina: 65 | Defensive Pressing: 61 Overall Rating: 60 OVR (Lower-tier Bundesliga 2 depth player) It was a sobering set of numbers.
At 60 OVR, he would have been lucky to secure a backup slot for a team fighting relegation in the second division.
With attributes like this, the system might as well take my head right now, Leon had told the interface.
I wouldn’t survive a single half against a proper Bundesliga defense.
[Host requires no undue anxiety.
The integrated interface provides all necessary mechanisms to reach world-class standard.] [System Overview: The host has been granted the Newbie Compensation Package, containing one elite superstar template and two baseline traits.
This data has been compiled from historical performance metrics up to the year 2022.] [Once a template is active, the host inherits the technical profile, physical distribution, and tactical instincts of that specific player at their absolute competitive peak.] The tier mechanics were exceptionally straightforward: Star Player (80 OVR): Standard key asset for a regular Champions League side.
Requires one signature skill.Superstar (85 OVR): Top-tier pillar for elite European clubs.
Requires two signature traits.Legend (90 OVR): Core talisman capable of winning a Ballon d’Or.
Examples include peak Kaká or Luka Modrić.
Requires three signature traits.Master of the Era (95 OVR): Generation-defining talent.
Limited historically to names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Franz Beckenbauer, or Johan Cruyff.
Requires four signature traits.King of Football (100 OVR): Globally acknowledged historical pinnacles—Pelé, Diego Maradona, and Lionel Messi following his 2022 coronation.
Requires five signature traits.
[Additional templates are unlocked exclusively through competitive trophies.
Regional cups award Superstar profiles.
Domestic leagues and Europa League titles award Legend status.
The Champions League, European Championship, and World Cup unlock the highest tiers.] [Progression Mechanics: Inherited traits are immediately operational at full efficiency.
Core attribute increases require Skill Points, which are accumulated through match performance, system missions, and scientific training.
Every 8 hours of system-guided training yields 1 Skill Point.] Leon dismounted his bike, pushing it up the neat brick driveway of his house.
The logic was clear.
He had to maximize the Fernando Torres superstar template he currently held, accumulate skill points to fill out his physical ceiling, and solidify his position in Wolfsburg’s first team.
According to his memory of this season, Wolfsburg was on the verge of an incredible run.
They would finish second in the Bundesliga, secure the DFB-Pokal, and reach the deeper knockout rounds of the Europa League.
The only missing piece in Hecking’s setup was a truly lethal, vertical threat up front.
Bas Dost was too stationary, and Perisic was more comfortable operating from wide positions.
If Leon could insert a prime-level template into that attack, challenging Bayern for the domestic crown wasn’t an impossibility.
Even if they fell short of the league, winning the DFB-Pokal would guarantee him a secondary superstar template to stack onto his current build.
System, Leon inquired mentally as he reached for his front door key.
Can I support multiple templates simultaneously?
And what happens when my base attributes hit the cap of my current template?
[Multiple loading is fully supported.
Each newly integrated template provides its unique traits and technical skill sets.] [Attribute ceilings are fluid.
The maximum threshold for any specific stat is determined by the highest value present among all unlocked templates in the host’s collection.] Leon turned the key, the faint sound of the television from the living room reaching the hallway.
The system parameters were set, his attributes were climbing, and his first senior goals were already on the books.
The foundation was laid.
It was time to build.