Life is like a glass of wine—first bitter, then spicy.

  But until you get used to that spice, you might never discover its true depth.

  These were the philosophical realizations Boujellab had recently come to.

  At Schalke 04’s training ground, Boujellab darted across the pitch, executing countless fluid two-on-one and two-on-two combinations with Su.

  The B-team’s defense was utterly helpless against the duo of Su and Boujellab!

  There was no denying Boujellab’s talent—after all, he had been the heart of Schalke 04’s midfield last season.

  But his mistake had been clinging to his old, stuttering style of play, stubbornly viewing it as a hallmark of his "classic attacking midfielder" identity.

  It wasn’t until Su schooled him this season that Boujellab finally woke up.

  "Su!"

  Boujellab called out as he sprinted into space, and the ball arrived perfectly at his feet from Su’s pass.

  A powerful strike.

  The ball rocketed into the B-team’s net!

  After scoring, Boujellab walked over to Su and raised his hand for a celebratory slap.

  On the sidelines, Magath watched with relief as Boujellab and Su developed real chemistry.

  But then, thinking about the upcoming UCL semifinal in two days, his frustration returned.

  Without Baumann’s midfield interceptions and with the right-back position exposed, this was a match he no longer knew how to approach.

  Defensive counterattacks—that was all they had left.

  He was even considering a five-back formation now.

  Just then, Raul finally appeared on the sidelines in his training gear.

  "Boss!"

  After greeting Magath, Raul moved to the other side of the field with the fitness coach, slowly working on ball drills.

  Though Raul was recovering, expecting him to play on Wednesday night was still unrealistic. Still, at the very least, Magath’s Schalke 04 would finally have him back for the final stretch of the league.

  After finishing the training session, Su and Hao walked over to Raul.

  "Thank you, Su! That medicine of yours really worked. My doctor said I recovered at least a third faster than expected! It’s just… you guys give so little each time!"

  "Eh?"

  "That’s not right, I clearly..."

  Su was confused—he had specifically asked Hao to bring Raul several bottles.

  Ahem!

  "To celebrate Big Brother Raul’s return, I’ll treat everyone to a good meal tonight!"

  "Hao!"

  One look at Hao's guilty expression, and Su immediately knew who was responsible.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "No, let's wait until after the match. I need to focus on recovery—there's still a chance I might play on Wednesday!"

  "This might be my last time facing Bar?a!"

  Raul gazed toward the goal on the training pitch.

  Memories flooded back—countless El Clásicos, when he was still the crown prince of Madrid.

  Back then, he was Bernabéu's darling!

  But now...

  The Bernabéu had long forgotten him.

  Yet even so, he still wanted to give his all against Bar?a. He wanted to prove to them that he remained the Prince of the Bernabéu!

  After training, Su and Hao climbed into the Passat, planning to head home together.

  "Vroooooom!"

  However, on the way back, Hao was unusually aggressive with the accelerator, pushing the old car to its limits.

  "Hao, what's gotten into you? Are you this excited about Raul returning from injury?"

  Su teased, smirking at Hao's uncharacteristic behavior.

  "Go to hell! I was just testing the car—I forgot I had the engine upgraded this morning! The power really does feel different now!"

  "Oh!"

  "Hiss—"

  "Hao, what did you just say?"

  "I said go to hell!"

  "Not that part!"

  "What the hell, then?"

  "That line after it!"

  "I upgraded it a bit..."

  "Yes!!! That's the one!"

  "Hah!"

  Hao froze.

  His little brother had gone completely mad.

  Just because he'd upgraded his Passat's engine, Su was losing his mind.

  He pressed the accelerator even harder.

  A trip that normally took twenty minutes was over in just ten.

  And as soon as they arrived, Su bolted out of the car without even saying goodbye, sprinting straight home.

  "This guy's insane! They say geniuses are half-crazy, and damn if that isn't true! Wait—could that female team doctor still be at his place? What a pervert! Ugh!"

  Watching Su disappear, Hao deftly pulled a pill from his trouser pocket.

  "Heh heh! Half an hour to play my part!"

  "Ten minutes to get home, fifteen minutes to shower—perfect timing!"

  "Vroom vroom!"

  Hao drove off toward home.

  Meanwhile...

  Su was already lying excitedly on her bed, the bedroom door firmly closed.

  With practiced ease, she accessed the SYSTEM.

  Her fingers flew through the virtual interface as she rummaged through her system backpack.

  Shit!

  It was still there.

  The orange card lay obediently in her backpack, just waiting to be used.

  "Upgrade Card: Can upgrade any HOST skill card or equipment by one rank!"

  "50% chance of triggering an instant upgrade!"

  Damn, how could I have forgotten about this?

  Su had been struggling with her speed lately. Just today at training, Magath had asked why she seemed slower than before.

  She'd brushed it off, claiming fatigue.

  While the [Flash of Genius] trait was useful, its side effects were becoming problematic.

  Carlos' powerful shots were now unusable—which she could excuse by saying such strikes were hard on the knees. But her decreased speed? That was harder to explain away.

  If not for Magath covering for her during the last press conference, she wouldn't have known how to justify it.

  With a grimace, Su pulled up the piece of equipment she loathed: [Broken Boots].

  She reluctantly placed the boots in her equipment slot.

  The moment they were equipped...

  A foul stench immediately emanated from Su's feet.

  The smell was...

  Even within the SYSTEM's virtual space, Su nearly gagged. She dreaded to imagine what would happen if she wore these on the pitch—she'd probably knock out opponents with the odor alone.

  The boots came with a new status effect:

  "[Stench Aura]!"

  "-Emits such a revolting smell that it nauseates everyone nearby!"

  Su shuddered at the description.

  Without hesitation, she quickly opened her backpack and tapped the upgrade card.

  "Ding Dong!"

  "Please select upgrade target!"

  A new interface appeared, divided into two sections:

  At the top—her equipment:

  ? Broken Boots

  ? Iron Underpants

  ? La Masia Film Mask

  Below that—her skills:

  ? Beckham's Crescent Moon Curved Shot

  ? La Croqueta

  Pathetic.

  Absolutely fucking pathetic.

  Su's heart ached as she surveyed the meager rewards from her entire season's efforts.

  An entire season's worth of matches, all that exhaustion - and for what? Such meager rewards.

  Without hesitation!

  Su selected the [Broken Boots] as the upgrade target.

  "Ding Dong!"

  "Upgrade substandard equipment: Broken Boots!"

  "Confirm selection?"

  As if worried Su might choose wrong,

  the SYSTEM issued one final confirmation prompt!

  The unbearable stench still lingering, Su didn't hesitate another second - she clicked CONFIRM!

  At that moment...

  It felt just like a mobile game gacha pull!

  The SYSTEM interface suddenly went dark.

  Then slowly...

  A tiny white light began to glow.

  One second...

  Two seconds...

  Three seconds...

  Su watched with bated breath as the white light grew steadily brighter!

  Until finally—

  The white light suddenly transformed into brilliant gold!

  "Ding Dong!"

  "Congratulations HOST for triggering Instant Upgrade!"

  A triumphant fanfare sounded!

  The entire SYSTEM space became bathed in golden radiance!

  .................