The following morning…
Brookhaven High School was louder than usual.
Students crowded the main hallway long before the first bell.
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on a single sheet of paper pinned to the notice board.
BROOKHAVEN HIGH FOOTBALL TEAM
FINAL SELECTION RESULTS
“Move!”
“I can’t see!”
“Who’s on the list?”
Jake pushed through the crowd.
“Excuse me!”
He squeezed between two seniors before finally reaching the front.
His eyes raced down the names.
Captain…
Vice-captain…
Starting midfield…
Reserve players…
Then…
His eyes widened.
“No way…”
Jake spun around.
“McCall!”
McCall slowly walked toward him, his stomach tied in knots.
“What happened?”
Jake grabbed both of his shoulders.
“You made it!”
McCall froze.
“…What?”
“You actually made the team!”
For a few seconds…
He couldn’t hear anything.
The voices around him faded away.
The world became silent.
“I…”
“I made it?”
Jake laughed.
“You idiot!”
“I’ve been telling you!”
“You belong here!”
McCall slowly looked at the list himself.
There it was.
Reserve Squad
McCall Johnson
His name.
Written among the players he had admired for years.
His vision blurred.
Not from sadness.
From relief.
After years of sitting on the bench…
He had finally taken his first step.
A small smile spread across his face.
“I did it…”
“Congratulations.”
McCall turned.
Coach Williams stood behind him.
The crowd quickly moved aside.
“Coach.”
Coach Williams folded his arms.
“Don’t celebrate too much.”
McCall nodded.
“Yes, sir.”
“You earned a place on the team.”
Coach’s expression became serious.
“But earning a place…”
“…and keeping it…”
“…are two different battles.”
“I understand.”
Coach stared into McCall’s eyes for several seconds.
“Tell me something.”
“What changed?”
McCall’s heart skipped.
“What do you mean?”
“Last month…”
“You couldn’t control the ball.”
“This week…”
“You read Ethan Hartman’s movements.”
Coach shook his head.
“That kind of improvement usually takes years.”
McCall hesitated.
“I…”
“I just decided to stop making excuses.”
Coach watched him quietly.
He knew there was more to the story.
But he also knew every player carried secrets.
Finally…
He smiled.
“Keep working.”
“Don’t waste your opportunity.”
“Yes, Coach.”
Training began immediately after school.
Twenty-four players stood in a straight line.
“Football isn’t won by eleven talented players.”
“It’s won by one united team.”
His eyes swept across everyone.
“If your ego is bigger than your effort…”
“Leave.”
Nobody moved.
Coach smiled.
“Good.”
He pointed toward the equipment room.
“Five laps.”
“Then fitness testing.”
Groans spread through the team.
Even Ethan sighed.
Jake whispered,
“I hate conditioning.”
McCall chuckled.
“So do I.”
The whistle blew.
Everyone started running.
At first…
McCall stayed near the back.
But something felt strange.
His breathing remained steady.
His legs didn’t burn.
His heartbeat stayed calm.
One lap…
Two…
Three…
Players around him started slowing down.
Jake panted heavily.
“Dude…”
“…how are you still fresh?”
McCall looked surprised.
“I don’t know.”
He genuinely didn’t.
The System quietly appeared.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Passive Effect Active
+2 Stamina
Fatigue Resistance Increased
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
“So that’s why…”
Without realizing it…
McCall gradually moved toward the front of the group.
Only Ethan remained ahead.
Ethan glanced sideways.
“So…”
“You’ve got endurance too.”
McCall smiled.
“I’m just trying to keep up.”
“Hm.”
Ethan looked forward again.
“Don’t fall behind.”
For Ethan…
That was almost a compliment.
After conditioning came passing drills.
Coach divided everyone into pairs.
“Jake.”
“McCall.”
“You two.”
Jake grinned.
“Perfect.”
The drill looked simple.
One-touch passing.
Accurate.
Fast.
Coach walked between players, correcting mistakes.
Then…
He stopped beside McCall.
Again.
“Interesting.”
McCall looked up.
“Sir?”
“Do that again.”
McCall trapped the ball.
One touch.
Pass.
Perfect.
Again.
Perfect.
Again.
Perfect.
Coach’s eyes narrowed.
“Your first touch…”
“…is already among the best on the team.”
Several players overheard.
One of them scoffed.
“Lucky.”
Another rolled his eyes.
“He’ll mess up eventually.”
Not everyone was happy about the newcomer receiving praise.
Standing nearby…
A muscular third-year student folded his arms. This story is hosted at g.com.
His name was Ryan Cole.
Starting defender.
Vice-captain.
For three years he had fought for his position.
Now…
Coach kept watching the new kid.
Ryan didn’t like it.
Not one bit.
Later that afternoon…
The team gathered for a practice match.
Starters.
Versus.
Reserves.
Coach blew the whistle.
“Play.”
The ball moved quickly.
McCall stayed calm.
He remembered every lesson from the trials.
Don’t chase.
Think.
Observe.
Then…
Jake intercepted a pass.
“McCall!”
The ball rolled toward him.
Ryan charged immediately.
“So the rookie wants the spotlight?”
Ryan lunged into a hard tackle.
McCall barely escaped.
The crowd around the training pitch gasped.
“That was dangerous.”
Ryan smirked.
“Welcome to real football.”
McCall got back up.
His heart raced.
This wasn’t a trial anymore.
This was competition.
Ryan leaned close enough for only McCall to hear.
“Listen carefully.”
“I don’t care what Coach sees in you.”
“You’ll never take my place.”
Before McCall could respond—
Coach Williams’ whistle pierced the air.
“Ryan!”
The vice-captain stepped back.
“Yes, Coach?”
“We play hard.”
Coach’s voice was cold.
“Not dirty.”
Ryan nodded.
“Understood.”
But inside…
His jealousy had only grown stronger.
That evening…
As McCall walked home…
The System appeared once again.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Emergency Quest
Objective:
Earn the respect of one teammate through your actions.
Reward:
Skill Fragment
+1 Leadership
Warning:
Future challenges will require allies.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
McCall smiled.
“So even teamwork matters.”
The First King’s voice echoed faintly in his mind.
“A king who stands alone…
…will always fall alone.”
McCall looked up at the evening sky.
“I understand.”
“I won’t become the Football King by myself.”
Hidden on a nearby rooftop…
The silver-eyed watcher lowered his binoculars.
“He passed the first stage.”
A voice crackled through his earpiece.
“What now?”
The man smiled.
“Now…”
“We see whether he survives the second.”
Behind him…
Another shadow appeared.
Unlike the others…
This one carried a football wrapped in black flames.
“The Ravens have entered Brookhaven.”
“The hunt…”
“…has officially begun.”