The golden pitch glowed beneath McCall’s feet.
For a long moment…
Nobody spoke.
He slowly turned in a circle, taking in the breathtaking Sanctuary.
Twelve towering thrones surrounded the stadium.
Each throne carried a unique crest.
A lion.
An eagle.
A wolf.
A phoenix.
A dragon.
And others McCall had never seen before.
Only one throne remained cracked and empty.
The Twelfth Throne.
The throne waiting for the next Football King.
King Arthur stepped down from his throne of light.
Although he appeared elderly, every movement carried elegance.
He picked up an ancient football resting beside the throne.
“Come.”
McCall walked toward him.
Arthur placed the ball at the center of the glowing field.
“What is the first thing you see?”
McCall looked down.
“A football.”
Arthur smiled.
“No.”
McCall frowned.
Arthur pointed at the ball.
“What do you really see?”
McCall stared harder.
At first…
Nothing changed.
Then…
The golden symbol on his chest began to burn.
The football slowly transformed.
Instead of leather…
He saw countless tiny lights swirling inside it.
Each light became a face.
Children.
Teenagers.
Adults.
Old men.
Women.
Players from every era.
Every nation.
Every generation.
McCall gasped.
“What…”
Arthur nodded.
“That…”
“…is football.”
“A football isn’t just leather and air.”
“It carries dreams.”
“The dreams of everyone who has ever loved the game.”
McCall remained speechless.
Arthur looked into his eyes.
“Tell me.”
“Why do you want to become the Football King?”
McCall answered without hesitation.
“Because I love football.”
Arthur shook his head.
“No.”
McCall blinked.
“What?”
“That’s not enough.”
The old King’s voice echoed across the Sanctuary.
“There are millions who love football.”
“What makes you different?”
McCall lowered his head.
He didn’t know.
The First King had asked him something similar.
Back then…
His answer had been enough.
Now…
It wasn’t.
Arthur smiled kindly.
“Good.”
“You don’t know yet.”
“That means your journey has only begun.”
Suddenly…
One of the remaining thrones lit up.
Then another.
Then another.
Golden spirits slowly appeared.
One…
Two…
Three…
Each looked completely different.
One wore medieval armor.
Another wore robes.
One looked barely older than McCall.
Another was a woman with silver hair tied into a long braid.
Every single one carried the same calm confidence.
McCall couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“The previous Kings…”
Arthur nodded.
“The Eleven Kings.”
The youngest stepped forward.
He grinned.
“So…”
“You’re our successor?”
McCall scratched the back of his head.
“I hope so.”
The young King burst into laughter.
“I like him already.”
The silver-haired Queen rolled her eyes.
“You’re always too friendly, Leo.”
Leo shrugged.
“I’ve been dead for four hundred years.”
“I’m allowed to enjoy meeting people.”
Even Rowan chuckled.
The First King’s throne remained empty.
Arthur looked toward it.
“Our brother…”
“…still watches.”
McCall looked confused.
“But he isn’t here.”
Arthur smiled.
“The First King no longer belongs to this place.”
“He exists inside the Heart.”
McCall instinctively touched his chest.
“So…”
“He’s always with me?”
Arthur nodded.
“If you listen.”
The System suddenly chimed.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Training Mission Available
Instructor:
Second King Arthur
Objective:
Complete the Trial of Balance.
Difficulty:
★★☆☆☆
Reward:
+3 Ball Control
+2 Agility
Legacy Synchronization +0.5%
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
McCall looked up.
“A trial?”
Arthur smiled.
“Your first lesson.”
Without warning…
The beautiful football field disappeared.
The grass dissolved into golden mist.
A narrow stone bridge appeared.
It stretched over an endless abyss.
McCall’s eyes widened.
“There isn’t even room to run.”
Arthur calmly placed a football on the bridge.
“The trial is simple.”
“Dribble the ball across.”
McCall looked at the bridge.
It was barely wide enough for one person.
“If I fall…”
Arthur smiled.
“You won’t die.”
“But you’ll fail.”
McCall swallowed.
“That’s not very comforting.”
Leo laughed loudly.
“I told you Arthur never makes easy tests.”
McCall stepped onto the bridge.
Immediately…
Strong winds blasted against him.
The bridge swayed.
His balance almost disappeared.
He quickly trapped the football.
Steady…
Steady… Visit g.com for the full chapter.
One touch.
Another.
Slowly…
He moved forward.
Halfway across…
The wind doubled in strength.
The football bounced unexpectedly.
McCall nearly lost control.
“No…”
The ball rolled toward the edge.
He lunged.
His fingertips brushed it.
His foot stretched…
Tap.
He saved it.
But his own balance disappeared.
“No!”
He fell.
Everything faded into golden light.
McCall landed back at the starting point.
Leo burst into laughter.
“Told you!”
Arthur remained calm.
“What did you learn?”
McCall frowned.
“I rushed.”
Arthur nodded.
“What else?”
“I focused more on reaching the end…”
“…than controlling the ball.”
Arthur smiled.
“Exactly.”
“The goal isn’t the destination.”
“It’s every touch along the way.”
McCall stared at the football.
The words sank deep into his heart.
He picked it up again.
“I want another try.”
Arthur smiled proudly.
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
Far away…
Inside the Raven Headquarters…
Victor knelt before the Crown Mask.
“The boy has entered the Sanctuary.”
The chamber fell silent.
The Crown Mask slowly stood.
“So…”
“The Kings have accepted him.”
Victor lowered his head.
“What are your orders?”
The Crown Mask raised one hand.
A giant map of the world appeared.
Golden lights glowed in different countries.
Japan.
Brazil.
Spain.
Nigeria.
Germany.
Argentina.
England.
Each light represented a Legacy Candidate.
Only one…
The light over Nigeria…
Burned brighter than the rest.
The Crown Mask pointed toward it.
“Send invitations.”
“The King’s Tournament begins in thirty days.”
“And make sure…”
His voice became cold enough to freeze the room.
“…that McCall Johnson survives until then.”
Victor looked surprised.
“You want him alive?”
The Crown Mask smiled beneath his broken mask.
“Of course.”
“A tournament…”
“…is far more entertaining when the strongest prey is allowed to run.”
Across the world…
The greatest young footballers began receiving mysterious invitations.
Some smiled.
Some laughed.
Some immediately began training harder.
One by one…
The future rivals of the next Football King started moving toward the same destiny.
And none of them intended to lose.