"Get out of here! You think you can come back after abandoning us?"
"All she ever wanted was your presence, but look at what you've done!"
"You're a terrible father."
"You're a bad person."
"Go away! Just die!"
Rashid woke up. This was what he hated about sleeping. The dream world only brought him back to memories he wanted to avoid, constantly reminding him of his cowardice in running from reality.
'I need some fresh air.'
Rashid grabbed his jacket and stepped outside. For now, he was staying in a hotel arranged by the club, just under two kilometers from the training center.
Of course, it was only a two-star hotel with basic amenities. Their restaurant, club, and game center were all combined into one space right next to the lobby.
Rashid planned to order a glass of juice and drown his thoughts in the noise of the place. But when he arrived, it wasn't as lively as he had imagined. There were only about seven people present. Maybe because it was already 3 AM, and the only things to do were play billiards or use the old casino machine tucked in the corner.
For some reason, Rashid was drawn to that machine. It looked worse up close—some buttons were even missing, leaving only the skeleton of a small button to press.
Rashid took a coin he had exchanged earlier at the counter and slid it into the slot.
Surprisingly, the machine powered on smoothly. The game was simple. Rashid had to press the only button, and the machine would randomly display five items on the screen. If Rashid could match at least three of the same items in one spin, he would win 15% of his stake.
Of course, the stake would not be returned if Rashid lost. Each coin was worth five euros, and he had one hundred.
Rashid first inserted five coins. He got one banana, two cherries, and two apples.
He tried again, thinking maybe his initial bet was too small. This time, he inserted twenty coins at once.
Again, Rashid failed. This time, he got five different items.
Failure after failure, Rashid grew frustrated. He didn't even know how many times he had tried, but nothing worked.
He kept refilling his coins, but whatever small winnings he earned were used to cover his losses.
Before he realized it, Rashid had spent about 2000 euros and asked himself, 'What am I doing?'
He could feel the bartender, the other customers, and a few staff members starting to look at him with mocking glances.
Rashid wasn't a gambling addict. He didn't even understand how people could enjoy such an uncertain game. But his stress had taken over, and now he was eating his own words.
'I should go back to my room.'
Staying any longer would only drag him deeper into the rabbit hole. But just then, he heard a coin jingling in his pocket.
There was one left. Rashid sighed. "Alright, one last try." He inserted the coin and pressed the button.
The items spun, and each slot started slowing down. Rashid got an apple on the far left, then a cherry, another apple, then a cherry, and…
Rashid swallowed hard. Was he finally going to win something small this time?
He did.
The final item was a cherry. Three matching items in one go. A weight seemed to lift off Rashid's shoulders.
Of course, this win didn't even come close to covering his losses. Still, a win was a win.
But instead of tickets he could trade in, what came out of the machine was... a card?
No, it looked more like an old photograph. It showed a figure that seemed familiar to Rashid.
He took out his phone, intending to search the internet, but suddenly, a floating window appeared in front of him.
[You've spent a total of 500 coins and rolled an A-Class Player Card.]
[Player Card]
[Throw this card at someone and call the name printed on it. That person will permanently gain the abilities of the figure on the card.]
'What kind of empty nonsense is this?'
Rashid had heard of something like this before—augmented reality games were trending lately. But he didn't recall using any related device.
'Could this card be some kind of tool?' By all appearances, it was just a normal card. There were no hidden sockets for any electrical components.
Rashid decided to ask the bartender, but the man didn't recognize what Rashid was holding and certainly wasn't interested in exchanging it for any winnings.
Rashid felt like he'd been tricked. His final win turned out to be worthless. He decided to head back to his room. It was nearly 5 AM, and he had to be at training by seven.
*#*
When he arrived at the training ground, Rashid was surprised to see it was already bustling. All the players were there, and among them was... Luca?
"I-I warned him from the start, but he wouldn't listen. I'm sorry, Mr. Alfaro." Gigi said.
Rashid had expected Luca to act recklessly, but he didn't know the young man had started causing trouble sooner than expected.
Worse yet, Luca had managed to get the entire team, who had been lazing around yesterday to do the training two hours earlier.
'That's a dangerous level of influence for someone his age.'
"I thought I told you not to set foot here for three more days, Luca." Rashid wasn't pulling any punches. He knew that subtle persuasion wouldn't work on someone like Luca.
"Well, your words don't mean anything now."
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"I think you're unfit for this job. You're fired. Got it?"
Rashid frowned.
Luca chuckled. "I told you yesterday, didn't I? You backed the wrong horse. Honestly, I was going to let you think you could kick me out and give you a false sense of security. But after how you acted yesterday, I realized you're just annoying."
Rashid stood there, staring at Luca, thinking it was all just bluster. But then his phone buzzed.
It was an official email from A.C. Aeterna, briefly notifying him that his contract had been terminated as of today.
"You got the message, right? So what are you waiting for? Get lost! Leave!" Luca spat on the ground where Rashid stood and turned away with a sneer.
Gigi, who had been watching the whole exchange, could only clench her fists and look back and forth between them, too confused to react.
"I'm disappointed."
"Huh?" Luca turned back, irritated that Rashid was still standing there. "What now? Do I need to call security?"
"You talk about talent and act like you're number one here."
"Well, because I am." Luca crossed his arms and smirked. "What? Are you going to argue? If you want to blame anyone, blame yourself. You thought your experience at a big club would give you free reign here. Well, it didn't. I won, in the end. So go back to your country, outsider."
"I pity you."
Luca's smile faded, and he looked confused. He took a step back. "P-pity?"
"Won? You've never won anything, Luca. You're just a coward, afraid of change. Hiding behind this ridiculous comfort zone, pretending to be a king. Here's some advice in return for your 'wise words' yesterday: you're not talented—you're just a cheater."
The provocation worked. Luca gritted his teeth, but instead of exploding like Sandro, he replied coolly. "Then how about we settle it on the field? I heard you're an expert in defense and used to be a defender. Coincidentally, I'm a striker. If you manage to stop me even once, I'll retract your firing."
Rashid smirked. "I'm not playing."
"What's this? And you called me a coward?"
"I just hate doing pointless things. No head coach plays on the field during a match."
"So you're going to back out without proving yourself? Do you even deserve to call yourself a man?" Luca knew exactly how to twist the knife.
"I never said I was refusing your challenge. In a game, you put players against players."
Luca crossed his arms. "Then who are you choosing to face me? That is, if anyone even wants to."
Just then, Sandro entered the training complex. He seemed to have just arrived and was warming up. "What's going on? Luca, aren't you suspended?"
Rashid immediately threw his arm around Sandro. "I choose him."
Luca looked shocked, then burst out laughing. "Okay, wow. Are you sure about this choice?"
"A leader must discipline their insubordinate members. Your loss will set an example for everyone."
Luca scoffed. "Heh, don't regret it." He then grabbed a ball, positioning himself for a warm-up.
"Coach, what's really going on? Is Luca giving you trouble again?" Sandro asked, confused.
Rashid just patted Sandro on the shoulder and said seriously, "We're having a special training session today. Get ready."