Dynasty Awakening: Building My Own Football Empire-Chapter 268: Wheel of Destiny
"Victory!"
The Barnsley bench stormed onto the field, shouting and hollering in celebration at the victory. The away crowd also raised their voices and applauded, cheering for the winners of the Battle of Anfield.
The first place that Michael ran was straight to the stretcher with his hands in the air, but his joy was tempered by concern. Kaito Tanaka, still lying down, managed a weak thumbs up as the physios carried him off.
Arthur Milton too felt a rush of mixed emotions as he ran towards his Boss to celebrate.
They embraced each other on the touchline, needing no words to express their current feelings of accomplishment and relief.
Kenji and Sarah who were in the tunnel stood up and cheered loudly as the players walked past. Sarah saw Kaito being carried away and a wave of emotions overcame her, causing tears to well up in her eyes.
Kenji on the other hand felt bittersweet. He was happy for what his investments had accomplished, however it was marred by the knowledge that the sharks were circling in the near future.
His protective instincts wished that this squad would stay together forever, yet on the other hand he didn’t want to get in the way of their careers if Real Madrid came calling. If Kenji were to dictate his players’ lives, it may protect the club in the short term, however they would come to resent him.
He stopped himself from sighing, shaking his head to remove the negative thoughts threatening to overcome him. Now was not the time to dwell on such depressing things, it was a time of celebration.
Kenji and Sarah eventually made their way down to the dressing room and greeted their heroes, as did the other staff who were in the tunnel. Of course this was after Michael had finished his emotional speech about statues and hamstrings.
Michael finally laid down on his bed after an exhausting day. The team went and celebrated by going to a luxury sushi joint not far from the airport and stuffing their faces (except Vladimir, who ate a salad). Remembering the antics of Diego Nunez trying to use chopsticks brought a smile to his face as he stared at the ceiling of his room.
’I hope we did enough to get the attention of the world.’ He thought inwardly.
While winning at Anfield was a great achievement in itself, Michael’s main priority was to get entry into the Champions League elite group.
Once he stepped into Europe, he would be able to test himself against the best managers in the world. But he had to be on a team that would allow him to make it to the knockouts in the first place.
In his previous life he had only managed in the lower leagues which had ended rather quickly. Remembering the despair he felt on the touchline that day filled him with a burning desire to redeem himself.
"I will make it to the final," He murmured, gripping his fist tightly.
He was filled with confidence, no matter who they drew in the group stage he would fight his way to the top with his new Misfits.
The reason for his confidence was currently displayed in front of his face, the Premier League System.
CONGRATULATIONS
You have completed mission "The Impossible Fortress"
->Mission Summary
Task 1: Defeat Liverpool at Anfield (Completed; S Grade)
Task 2: Keep a clean sheet (Failed; C Grade)
Task 3: Score 3 goals (Completed; A Grade)
Task 4: Have a substitute score or assist (Completed; A Grade)
Task 5: Win Manager of the Month (Pending; A Grade)
Overall mission rating: A+
Bonus rewards: 2000 Influence points
REWARDS:
Task 1 rewards - S-Grade Elixir (Unknown) [Claim Reward]
Task 2 rewards - None (Failed)
Task 3 rewards - Silver Lottery Ticket + 1000 Influence points [Claim Reward]
Task 4 rewards - Silver Lottery Ticket + 1000 Influence points [Claim Reward]
Task 5 rewards - Platinum Lottery Ticket + 5000 Influence points [Pending]
Michael’s eyes shined as he read the mission summary, trying his best not to scream out in joy. It was a little unfortunate about the clean sheet, however Jan Visser had been way more deserving of the Man of the Match accolade than the defense.
Now that the game was finished, it was currently the international break, yet Michael could not wait for the training ground to reopen. Even now despite being tired, he couldn’t wait a single day before retrieving his rewards.
It seemed that now he had upgraded, he turned into an even bigger system addict than before.
[Congratulations, you have received:
4000 Influence points
1 x S-Grade Elixir (Unknown)
2 x Silver Lottery Tickets]
Like someone who had a serious gambling problem, Michael jumped straight into the lottery wheels and stared at the inventory with passionate eyes. But first, he looked at the S-Grade Elixir.
[S-Grade Elixir of Eternal Fitness]
Effect: Permanently cures one chronic injury or physical limitation for a single player.
Michael gasped. He sat up in bed.
"Kaito..." he whispered.
The hamstring. The tear. The injury that was supposed to keep him out for months.
With this Elixir, he could fix it. He could bring the Samurai back before the Asian Cup. Before the next big game.
"I will give you a statue," Michael remembered his promise. "And I will give you your legs back."
He carefully stored the Elixir. He would use it tomorrow when he visited Kaito in the hospital. It would be a miracle. A purple miracle. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮
Now, it was time for the Lottery Tickets.
"Here goes nothing." He murmured, pressing the spin button without hesitation on the Silver Wheel.
The sweet sound of the digital wheel spinning entered his ears, filling him with expectation.
Finally, the wheel began to decrease in speed until it finally stopped in place.
[Congratulations, user has acquired the skill "Media Darling"]
[Media Darling: The press will be significantly less critical of your mistakes and more likely to praise your successes.]
At first Michael had been mildly pleased, however after reading the skill description he suddenly had a change of heart. While it may not sound very helpful tactically, media pressure was directly tied to his job security and player morale.
It could help him control the narrative better, which could increase his reputation, contract offers and even prevent him from getting fired in the future. He could also make minor controversial statements and get away with it.
As Michael’s mind was wandering, another notification suddenly appeared in front of him, snapping him out of his reverie.
[With the addition of the new skill, Media Handling grade has been adjusted accordingly.]
[Congratulations, user has acquired his first S+ grading in Media Handling.]
"Huh? What!?"
Michael quickly went to his status windows and investigated.
MANAGER STATS:
Tactical Knowledge: A+
Man Management: A
Media Handling: S+
Negotiation: B
Influence: S+
Tactical Insight: A+
"Holy crap, I am basically Mourinho with a smile..." Michael mumbled, staring at the blue screen with awe.
Originally he had thought that he would have to wait a long time in order to ascend to the S+ Grade in any of his attributes besides Influence. However, it turned out that skills could also have an effect on his attributes.
If Michael’s mood could be summed up in one word right now, it would be euphoric.
A big dumb grin was currently painted on his face, showcasing how truly happy he was right now.
"I can’t wait to get in a press conference and say something stupid..."
However, he still had one Silver Lottery ticket left to use and then it was time for bed. He brought up the silver wheel and clicked spin.
[Congratulations, user has acquired the skill "Super Sub"]
[System has deemed that the skills Super Sub and Tactical Eye are compatible, would you like to combine the two? It will cost 500 Influence Points to complete.]
[Yes/No]
"Combine?" Michael was a little confused, however the system would probably not have mentioned it if doing so was not beneficial. So after a moment of hesitation, he clicked the yes button.
[500 Influence Points have been deducted. New skill "Game Changer" has been created.]
[Game Changer: Increases the impact of all substitutes by 3 grades for the first 15 minutes they are on the pitch. Also allows you to see the exact moment an opponent’s stamina drops to critical.]
"Oh. My. God." Michael’s jaw opened wide, suddenly feeling giddy.
It was almost football nature to struggle in the final minutes, with only a select few managers being able to change the game with a sub. With this Game Changer skill, he would be one of those managers, a tactical genius who could pull a win from the fire.
Michael’s heart could almost not handle all of the dopamine that was currently rushing through his body at this moment. Winning at Anfield first, now being granted these incredible skills.
He felt as if he had somehow won the lottery. Well, that might actually be the case.
Michael let out a big yawn, feeling the effects of the dopamine wear off and revealing his fatigue. It had been a long day full of stressful moments within the game, then there was also the celebrations afterwards.
It was time to get some sleep. But first, he decided to check his phone one last time.
A text from Arthur: "Boss, the internet is going crazy. They are calling you ’The Purple Klopp’. Also, Diego is currently streaming Fortnite in his full kit."
Michael chuckled.
"Never change, Diego. Never change."
