Dynasty Awakening: Building My Own Football Empire-Chapter 249: Gamble

"Yes."

His consciousness reappeared in his office once again. Michael didn’t waste time to bring up the system window once more.

PREMIER LEAGUE SYSTEM

SYSTEM LEVEL: 3 (400/5000 Influence points to level up)

NAME: Michael Sterling

ROLE: The Architect

TACTICAL ASSESSMENT: B+

INFLUENCE: S

INFLUENCE POINTS: 400

USER MENU:

-SQUAD STATS

-SCOUTING

-SYSTEM SHOP (Locked)

-MIRACLE ENGINE (Temporarily Unlocked)

-ZONE OF CHAOS

Clicking the Miracle Engine function which was now unlocked, a large digital tactics board appeared, showcasing the rewards for the bronze lottery ticket. With great anticipation, Michael clicked the arrow which took him to the smaller holographic display.

Michael was practically salivating as he looked at the wheel which was no longer locked.

[Would you like to consume a Silver Lottery ticket to spin the Engine?]

[Yes/No]

"Yes..."

A moment later, the tactics board spun at breakneck speed, turning into a blur of formations. The noise was like the roar of a stadium to his ears as Michael watched on with bated breath.

Whir Whir Whir

Soon enough, the board came to a stop on a silver tile with a picture of a megaphone upon it.

’A touchline shout skill!’ Michael almost jumped off his chair in excitement upon seeing it.

[Congratulations, user has drawn the "Hairdryer Treatment" skill.]

[Hairdryer Treatment: Increase player motivation by 3 grades when shouting aggressively at half-time.]

Michael sucked in a cold breath of air through his teeth, this skill was ridiculously good. With the A-grade Charisma Elixir he had taken, his shouting was now at the S- grade. Once this skill activates, his team talk would skyrocket to the Legendary grade.

Of course, there was the drawback of the skill only activating if he was actually angry. If he wanted to utilize this skill as much as possible then he would have to find reasons to be pissed off, like Diego eating pizza before a match.

It just so happened that he had acquired a B-grade Shin Pad Elixir from the Zone simulation rewards a moment before. Yet before he gave it to Diego, he still had a Bronze Lottery ticket to use.

Moving to the large board, he clicked the spin button and the familiar sound of the digital wheel spinning entered his ears.

[Congratulations, user has drawn the "Tactical Eye" skill.]

[Tactical Eye: Visualize opponent’s fatigue levels during certain game scenarios, allowing the user to make perfect substitutions.]

"Oh, not bad not bad." Michael exclaimed softly. He wasn’t sure exactly what game scenarios the skill was referring to, but it was likely in the dying minutes of a tight game. 85th minute, or stoppage time etc.

Michael was satisfied with his haul and decided it was time to leave the office before heading to sleep. The next game was in a week against Tottenham, another tough opponent, it wouldn’t be until they reached the international break that they would face some easy competition.

[You have consumed: B-grade Shin Pad Elixir.]

[Diego Nunez’s Intimidation grade has been increased by 3!]

SQUAD STATS:

Team Chemistry: B+

Defense: A (Vladimir/Diego)

Midfield: B+ 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Attack: A-

Mental: S (Thanks to Chaos)

Skills: 7

INFLUENCE: (Avg. S)

Motivation: S+

Tactics: A-

Negotiation: B

Media: A

Michael woke up the next morning and couldn’t stop staring at his upgraded squad stats with a big dumb smile on his face. Even though a single week had passed, his team had leapt to another level thanks to the System.

He couldn’t wait to get into the next game and show off his newfound tactical genius.

However, Michael was bound to be disappointed. Despite being the hero of Stamford Bridge, the FA had chosen to investigate Diego Nunez for his flag-guitar solo against Chelsea.

Michael was forced to sweat in his office as their legal team once again put on a stellar performance trying to save Diego from a ban. Diego continued his chaotic form, once again being spotted trying to ride a bicycle inside the training center and giving the cleaners a dominant headache going into what would be the final training session.

Being a manager, at least mentally, Michael had chosen not to confront the FA about their lack of humor. If he was his true impulsive self, he had no doubt that he would be throwing a tantrum on Twitter right now.

Also seeing as their team had advanced to the top half of the table after one game, he couldn’t exactly complain.

Yet when he was forced to bench Diego for the final training match against the Reserves, Michael found it difficult to stay quiet. He was about to approach Diego during the break, but the giant bald defender spoke up even before Michael could say a word.

"Have you been watching Vladimir and Lorenzo?" He asked without turning around, while eating a banana with the peel on.

Taken aback, Michael responded affirmatively, yet he had no idea why Diego would ask such a question.

"What do you think of their chemistry?"

"It’s solid most of the time. But every now and then Lorenzo runs away from the mud." Michael replied truthfully. Having watched thousands of minutes in the Zone simulation and being a manager himself, he was able to easily identify the partnership’s faults and habits.

Diego nodded. "Yes, and it gets worse as the rain starts..." he stated, still with his back turned.

Before waiting for Michael to reply, Diego added, "You definitely can’t play me against Tottenham?"

Michael was taken aback once more, not expecting such a question. "I-I’m sorry, the FA decision is pending. I cannot risk playing you until the verdict comes out tomorrow." He responded, bowing his head.

"Mmm that’s okay. I know it’s selfish of me, but I acted like a rockstar in order to feel the vibes. Vladimir is a good defender, but the only chance we have to stop Son Heung-min is with my chaos."

Diego finally turned around and faced him for the first time, his gaze locked onto Michael’s. "Will you teach Vladimir to be crazy? I promise you that as long as you take it seriously, we will win."

Michael pondered for a moment. Diego was right when he said that he was selfish, how could he ask a manager to sacrifice their own sanity in order to help another teammate become unhinged? Perhaps if this was Sunday League one might be able to understand.

However, Michael had to agree with Diego. If Vladimir did not embrace his inner beast and got outpaced, their clean sheet would be dead in the water. The problem was, Vladimir was rather gentle in his nature, so he had not listened to Diego’s teachings about "smashing the tractor".

In the end, he decided to agree with Diego’s request.

"I will do what I can to mentor Vladimir in the art of chaos. But you have to promise me no more eating flags in the future." Michael stipulated, finally deciding to act like an actual adult.

"Hahaha. I’ll behave in every round of the Premier League if you do this for us." Diego promised, feeling his mood improve.

"It’s a promise!" Michael said with a smile before turning to watch the training.