Back in the final, after scoring that goal, Kaka had vaguely heard a familiar, gentle voice echo in his mind.
At the time, though, he hadn’t had the slightest chance to investigate it.
After winning the trophy, he’d been dragged through one celebration after another, and for several days he hadn’t found a proper moment to sit down and figure out what was going on.
Now that the season was finally over, it was time to take a proper look at his golden finger.
Although he had transmigrated into Kaka, who was right on the verge of entering the prime of his career, he understood his own situation perfectly well.
Kaka’s physical gifts and deeply ingrained muscle memory were enough to guarantee that he could at least become a very good professional footballer.
But becoming a genuine world-class star, let alone one of the best players on the planet, required far more than having an elite body.
Football intelligence.
Reaction speed.
Neuromuscular coordination.
Decision-making.
All of them were indispensable.
Just look at Mario Balotelli.
The man had practically every physical tool a striker could ask for, yet somehow still managed to turn himself into a walking punchline because his brain occasionally seemed to be operating on a different operating system.
As for Kaka himself?
Sure, he was a long-time football fan.
But a fan was still just a fan.
His greatest talent had always been arguing online and winning imaginary tactical battles from the comfort of a chair.
Actually using his limited football knowledge to perfectly control Kaka’s world-class body?
That would be asking to become a joke.
Which meant this was exactly the moment for the cheat to make its grand entrance.
As the voice sounded in his mind, a pale blue interface appeared before his eyes.
A series of data belonging to Kaka was displayed clearly across it.
[Player: Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (Kaka)]
Nationality: Brazil
Age: 22 (Born 1982)
Preferred Foot: Right
Speed: 80 (92)
Shooting: 77 (90)
Passing: 70 (90)
Dribbling: 60 (85)
Defending: 20 (65)
Physical: 65 (70)
Football IQ: 50 (90)
Status: Knee wear and tear; significant hidden injury risk
[2004-05 Season Summary: As the host only participated in one match, the UEFA Champions League Final, this season’s points will be calculated solely from that appearance.]
[Host scored 1 goal.
Points +2]
[Host won the UEFA Champions League.
Points +30]
[Current available points: 32]
[Newcomer Benefits:
Comprehensive Physical Therapy ×1, free use.
Future cost: 50 points per use.
Seasonal Specialised Enhancement ×1, cost: 30 points.
Future cost: 50 points per use.]
The numbers outside the brackets were absurdly low.
He didn’t even need to think about it.
Those had obviously fallen because his own soul had replaced the original Kaka, dragging down the body’s ability to perform.
So Kaka very naturally ignored them and focused entirely on the numbers in brackets.
He only needed to look at Kaka’s original attributes.
A speed rating of 92 might seem a little short of perfect, but that was mainly because the system’s statistics were too broad and didn’t break the category down into more specific attributes.
Kaka’s pure top speed was indeed not quite at the absolute elite level, probably around the low 90s.
But his speed while carrying the ball?
That was definitely above 95.
Possibly even higher.
That explosive, long-striding acceleration with the ball at his feet was one of the most memorable things about Kaka for fans who had watched him in his prime.
A shooting rating of 90 also made sense.
Kaka’s long-range shooting was absolutely world-class, but compared with strikers famous for their finishing, his ability to score from awkward angles and cramped positions inside the penalty area was slightly less impressive.
A combined rating of 90 was perfectly reasonable.
Besides, as an attacking midfielder, Milan didn’t exactly need him camping inside the six-yard box waiting to finish chances.
Passing: 90.
For a world-class attacking midfielder, there wasn’t much to complain about there.
Compared with those numbers, however, a dribbling rating of 85 looked a little low.
It didn’t quite match the stereotype people had of a Brazilian attacking star.
But unlike flamboyant Brazilian dribblers such as Ronaldo Nazário and Ronaldinho, Kaka had never been known for endless tricks or intricate footwork.
His style was far more direct.
He relied on acceleration, stride length, balance, and explosive power to burst past opponents.
Because of that, his ability to beat defenders in extremely tight spaces was naturally a little weaker than those two.
Defending: 65.
Barely a passing grade.
Good enough for an attacking midfielder.
In comparison, the physical rating of only 70 was the truly worrying part.
At his absolute peak, a completely healthy Kaka should have had a physical rating well above 90.
Yet right now, it was only 70.
That could only mean one thing.
The hidden injuries in this body were already serious.
Thinking back to the original timeline, when the Milan Lab later warned of irreversible wear in his left knee meniscus…
Kaka felt a chill.
His meniscus might already be on the verge of breaking down.
Finally, there was Football IQ: 90.
That was also perfectly fitting for a top-level attacking midfielder and playmaker.
Overall, the 2004-05 Kaka was still in the rapid growth phase of his career.
His overall ability was already comfortably among the very best players in the world, but he had not yet fully reached his peak.
There was still room for improvement.
The bigger problem was his body.
The hidden injury risk had already reached the point where it couldn’t be ignored.
If Carlo Ancelotti continued using him like a workhorse season after season, who knew whether he would still reach the same heights as he had in the original timeline?
After all, history had already changed because of his arrival.
No one could guarantee that Kaka’s injuries would still happen at exactly the same time.
After finishing his inspection of the attributes, Kaka shifted his attention to the system functions below.
Thirty-two points.
One goal.
One Champions League title.
The system itself didn’t seem particularly intelligent and hadn’t explained the exact rules for earning points.
He would have to wait until the next season began and slowly figure that part out.
What interested him far more were the final two system notifications.
Two newcomer benefits.
One free Comprehensive Physical Therapy.
And one discounted Specialised Enhancement.
Comprehensive Physical Therapy was more or less exactly what the name implied.
It would perform a complete internal and external treatment of his body, almost like a full medical overhaul.
The process lasted twelve hours and could not be interrupted halfway through, otherwise the effectiveness of the treatment would be reduced.
The first thing that came to Kaka’s mind was obvious.
Could this thing repair his damaged left knee meniscus?
Could it remove all the hidden injuries buried in his body?
After thinking for a moment, he decided there was only one way to find out.
He would use it tonight!
As for the Specialised Enhancement, the system’s explanation made its function easy enough to understand.
By spending 30 points, Kaka could purchase one specialised training session and choose a football-related skill to improve.
Depending on the skill, the enhancement process would take between one and two weeks.
Once completed, that chosen ability would receive a significant boost.
“So this is basically a skill-point system…
The effect isn’t instant, but that’s still ridiculously overpowered.”
Kaka was already twenty-two years old.
By this age, most of his physical traits and technical habits had already taken shape.
From here on, most normal improvement would come through experience, tactical understanding, decision-making, and mentality.
But this system could directly strengthen techniques that were already fully developed.
Didn’t that mean that as long as he kept earning enough points…
He could continue improving indefinitely?
The thought alone almost made him laugh out loud.
Barely suppressing his excitement, Kaka immediately picked up his phone and called his agent, family members, and a few close friends.
He told them clearly that he needed two full days of uninterrupted rest and asked them not to disturb him.
Once that was done, he casually ate something to fill his stomach, took a shower, and returned to his large bed in high spirits.
With a thought, another system window appeared before his eyes.
Begin Comprehensive Physical Therapy now?
“Yes!”
Kaka pressed the button without hesitation.
First, restore his body to its best possible condition.
Then he could worry about enhancement.
The instant he confirmed the choice, a faint green glow appeared out of nowhere and wrapped itself around his entire body.
As the green light flickered softly, Kaka felt his eyelids becoming heavier and heavier.
Within moments, he could no longer resist.
He fell into a deep sleep.
And a strange treatment quietly began.