The morning sun rose slowly over Brookhaven.
Golden rays spilled across the empty football pitch, painting the dew-covered grass with shimmering light.
McCall stood in the middle of the field, still staring at the football beneath his feet.
He gently tapped it forward.
The ball rolled exactly where he intended.
He stopped it with the inside of his boot.
Perfect.
Again.
Perfect.
Again.
Perfect.
His breathing slowed.
A smile crept across his face.
“This…
feels amazing.”
For years, every touch had felt awkward.
The ball used to bounce away from him as though it didn’t want to be near him.
Now…
It obeyed him.
Not because of magic.
Because he could finally feel it.
He closed his eyes.
The words of the First King echoed once more.
“A football is never your servant.”
“Treat it as your partner.”
McCall looked down at the ball.
“…My partner.”
He nodded.
“I understand.”
Just then—
“Well…”
“…that’s new.”
McCall spun around.
Jake stood at the entrance of the park.
Still wearing yesterday’s team jacket.
A football rested under his arm.
He stared at McCall with surprise.
“Dude…”
“Since when do you wake up before sunrise?”
McCall laughed awkwardly.
“I couldn’t sleep.”
Jake walked closer.
“I’ve been watching you for five minutes.”
“You’ve changed.”
McCall’s heart skipped a beat.
“…Changed?”
“You used to chase the ball.”
Jake pointed toward his feet.
“Now the ball follows you.”
McCall forced a smile.
“I’ve just been practicing.”
Jake raised an eyebrow.
“All night?”
McCall scratched the back of his head.
“…Maybe.”
Jake burst into laughter.
“You’ve finally gone crazy.”
The two friends laughed together.
For the first time in months…
McCall laughed without forcing it.
Jake suddenly became serious.
“You know…”
“Coach Williams is holding open trials tomorrow.”
McCall froze.
“…Open trials?”
Jake nodded.
“Yeah.”
“He’s giving one last chance to anyone who wants to join the school team.”
McCall’s chest tightened.
The school team…
The dream he’d almost given up on.
Jake grinned.
“You should come.”
McCall hesitated.
“What if I fail again?”
“Then you fail.”
“So what?”
“You’ll never know unless you try.”
McCall looked down at the football.
His fingers tightened around it.
This time…
He wasn’t alone.
The Legacy was with him.
The System was with him.
More importantly…
His determination was back.
He smiled.
“I’ll be there.”
Jake’s grin widened.
“That’s the McCall I know.”
As they walked toward the school together…
Neither of them noticed a black drone hovering high above the clouds.
Its camera remained locked on McCall.
…
Elsewhere…
Brookhaven High School.
Coach Daniel Williams stood alone inside his office.
A wall filled with trophies stretched behind him.
Pictures of championship-winning teams decorated every corner.
Yet one photograph caught his attention.
It showed a teenage boy holding a golden football trophy.
The face had been scratched away.
Coach Williams sighed.
“It’s been twenty years…”
A knock interrupted his thoughts.
“Come in.”
The assistant coach entered.
“The trial list is ready.”
Coach Williams nodded.
“Anyone new?”
The assistant glanced at the clipboard.
“Mostly freshmen.”
He paused.
“…McCall Johnson signed up.”
Coach Williams looked up immediately.
“The bench kid?”
“Yes.”
Coach Williams leaned back.
“I remember him.”
“He always watched practice.”
“He had heart…”
“…but no confidence.”
The assistant coach shrugged.
“Should we reject him?”
Coach Williams shook his head.
“No.”
“Sometimes…”
“The latest bloom produces the sweetest fruit.”
…
Meanwhile…
Across town…
Inside the luxurious Hartman Estate…
A teenage boy blasted a football into a reinforced training net.
BOOM!
The entire net shook violently.
The speed gun flashed.
132 km/h
The coaches applauded.
“Outstanding!”
“Ethan!”
“Again!”
The boy casually trapped another ball.
His blond hair glistened with sweat.
His sharp blue eyes carried absolute confidence.
He struck again.
BOOM!
135 km/h
His father clapped proudly.
“My son…”
“…the future captain of Brookhaven High.” Find the original chapter at g.com.
The family coach smiled.
“Nobody in the county comes close.”
Ethan smirked.
“I know.”
One of the assistants walked over.
“Coach Williams is holding open trials tomorrow.”
Ethan shrugged.
“So?”
“A lot of students are joining.”
Ethan picked up a towel.
“They can try.”
“It won’t matter.”
“No one is taking my place.”
…
That evening…
McCall returned home exhausted.
He dropped onto his bed.
Before he could close his eyes—
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
NEW QUEST
Prepare for the Open Trials.
Objectives:
• Run 10 kilometers.
• Complete 500 accurate passes against a wall.
• Perform 300 successful first touches.
Time Limit:
18 Hours.
Reward:
+2 Stamina
+1 Passing
Skill Fragment
Failure:
Open Trial Performance Reduced.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
McCall stared at the screen.
“…You’ve got to be kidding.”
He looked outside.
The sun was already setting.
He groaned.
“I just finished training…”
The System remained silent.
McCall sighed.
“…Fine.”
“If becoming the Football King were easy…”
“…everyone would do it.”
He picked up the football once more.
Outside…
Far beyond Brookhaven…
Inside an abandoned castle hidden deep within the mountains…
A hooded man stood before a massive stained-glass window.
The window depicted a crowned footballer raising a glowing ball toward the heavens.
The hooded man smiled.
“So…”
“The next King has begun moving.”
He turned toward the darkness behind him.
“Inform the Hunters.”
“They may watch…”
“…but under no circumstances are they to interfere.”
A voice emerged from the shadows.
“And if another organization reaches him first?”
The hooded man’s smile disappeared.
“Then…”
“We erase them.”
Lightning flashed outside the castle.
Far away, completely unaware of the forces gathering around him…
McCall began kicking the ball against a brick wall behind his house.
One pass.
Two.
Three.
Every strike echoed into the night.
Tomorrow…
His life at Brookhaven High would change forever.
And somewhere else…
A boy named Ethan Hartman smiled confidently, believing he had already secured his place as Brookhaven’s greatest footballer.
Neither of them knew…
Their destinies were already racing toward the same field.