freeallnovels Chapter 309: Six weeks
Chapter 309: Six weeks
The Yorkshire sun was doing its best to shine through the clouds.It had been six weeks since the Misfits had shocked the world, securing fourth place in the Premier League and locking in a ticket to the UEFA Champions League.
Six weeks of peace~ Six weeks of quiet...
Michael Sterling sat in his upgraded manager’s office, sipping a perfectly brewed cup of black tea. He had spent the summer studying tactics, negotiating sponsorships with Kenji, and reviewing endless scouting reports. He was a man obsessed with the coming war.
The door violently swung open.
"Boss! It’s a disaster!"
Arthur Milton, Michael’s fiercely loyal assistant, stumbled into the room. He wasn’t holding his usual pile of papers. Instead, he was clutching an iPad like it was a live grenade. His eyes were wide, and a half-eaten red jelly baby was stuck to his thumb.
"Breathe, Arthur," Michael said calmly, not looking up from his laptop. "Did the stadium roof collapse? Did Manchester City bid for you again?"
"Worse!" Arthur gasped, slamming the iPad onto Michael’s desk. "The players, Boss! Look at them! The Champions League money hit their bank accounts, and they have lost their minds!"
Michael sighed, leaning back in his chair. He had preferred standard NovelFire tropes when it came to managing his team—favoring ’telling’ the players exactly what to do rather than ’showing’ them by example. But the off-season was the one time he couldn’t control them.
He looked at the iPad. It was a digital tabloid magazine.
"Let me tell you what your ’Misfits’ have been up to," Arthur groaned, swiping through the pictures.
First up was Jax. The teenage sensation had apparently spent his entire summer in Dubai and Ibiza. The photo showed Jax posing shirtless on the hood of a neon-pink Lamborghini Urus. Next to him was a stunning reality TV star, both of them dripping in oversized diamond chains.
"Jax bought three cars, Boss!" Arthur wailed. "Three! He doesn’t even have a full driver’s license yet! And his new girlfriend has five million TikTok followers! He’s doing dance trends on yachts instead of running sprints!"
Michael swiped to the next page. It was Enzo Moretti.
The Italian maestro was photographed in Lake Como, Italy. He looked like a movie star. He was driving a vintage, cherry-red Ferrari 250 GT, wearing designer sunglasses. Sitting in the passenger seat was a famous Italian supermodel, laughing as Enzo handed her a tiny cup of espresso.
"Enzo spent the last month eating truffles and drinking wine on a boat," Arthur reported grimly. "The paparazzi are calling him the ’King of Como’. He hasn’t touched a football in a month, Boss. Just... pasta and supermodels."
"He looks happy," Michael noted dryly.
"He looks heavy!" Arthur countered. "And then... there’s Kaito."
Arthur swiped to the final page. It was a chaotic collage of Japanese news clippings. Kaito Tanaka, the runner-up for the Golden Boot, had returned to Tokyo as a conquering hero. The photos told a wild story: Kaito ringing the bell at the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Kaito guest-starring on a massive game show where he had to kick footballs at giant bowling pins, and most shockingly, Kaito holding hands with the lead singer of Japan’s biggest J-Pop idol group.
"He bought a custom-built Nissan GT-R that glows in the dark," Arthur practically wept. "Kenji gave them their bonuses, and they went crazy. Love, fun, cars, money... they’ve forgotten the struggle, Boss! They are too comfortable!"
Michael stared at the screen. He knew Arthur was overreacting, but the assistant wasn’t entirely wrong. The hunger that had driven them from the bottom to the top was easily extinguished by luxury.
[Ding!]
A translucent blue screen materialized in front of Michael’s eyes.
[Football Empire System]
[System Alert: Squad Complacency Detected!]
[Average Squad Fitness:] Dropped by 18%
[Average Squad Focus:] Dropped by 25%
[System Note:] Wealth is the enemy of ambition. Your players have tasted the good life. You must break them down to build them back up. The Champions League requires warriors, not celebrities.
Michael swiped the screen away. A cold, dangerous smile slowly crept onto his face.
"Don’t worry, Arthur," Michael said softly. "The vacation ends today."
An hour later, the Barnsley parking lot looked like a luxury car dealership.
Jax’s neon-pink Lamborghini rolled in, the bass from the stereo shaking the windows of the training facility. Enzo pulled up right behind him in a sleek, silver Aston Martin, looking perfectly tanned and relaxed. A few minutes later, a glowing, heavily modified Nissan GT-R roared into the lot, followed closely by Kenji Sato in a solid gold Bentley.
The players stepped out, laughing and greeting each other. They were dripping in designer clothes, expensive watches, and the undeniable aura of young millionaires.
"Enzo~!" Jax yelled, giving the Italian a high-five. "Bro, your Instagram looked crazy! The yacht was elite!"
"Ah, the water was perfect, my friend," Enzo smiled, adjusting his designer shades. "Much better than the rain here. And you? Pink is a... very brave choice for a car."
Kaito jogged over, wearing a limited-edition streetwear hoodie. "Guys! Did you see my TV show? I hit all the bowling pins!"
"We saw it, superstar," Kenji laughed, stepping out of his Bentley holding a cup of green tea. "My merchandise sales in Tokyo have tripled! You are all my golden boys!"
The atmosphere was light, joyful, and completely completely devoid of competitive tension.
Then, the doors to the training center banged open.
Bastion King, the offensive coach, stood at the top of the steps. He looked like a mountain troll that had been woken from a deep slumber. He was wearing muddy boots, tight black training gear, and holding a massive stopwatch.
Beside him stood Michael, dressed in his sharp gray suit, his face completely unreadable.
The laughter in the parking lot died instantly.
"Good morning, gentlemen," Michael called out, his voice echoing across the tarmac. "I hope you enjoyed the yachts. I hope you enjoyed the supermodels and the glowing cars."
The players exchanged nervous glances.
"Boss..." Kaito started, stepping forward. "It was just a little fun..."
"I’m glad," Michael interrupted, stepping down the stairs. "Because the fun is over. In exactly four weeks, the Premier League begins. And shortly after that, we draw our group for the Champions League. Do you think Erling Haaland spent his summer doing TikTok dances, Jax?"
Jax swallowed hard, looking at his pink Lamborghini with sudden regret.
"Do you think Real Madrid’s Endrick and Vinicius Jr. are eating truffles in Italy, Enzo?" Michael continued, his voice sharp like a blade.
Enzo slowly took off his sunglasses. "No, Boss."
"We are entering the shark tank," Michael said, pacing in front of them. "We are no longer the cute underdog. We are the target. Teams are going to try and crush you. They are going to test if you are a one-season wonder. So..."
Michael gestured to Bastion.
Bastion grinned, revealing a terrifying set of teeth. "Tracksuits. Now. We are doing the ’Hill of Death’ until somebody throws up. And then we do it twice more."
"The Hill of Death...?" Kaito whispered, his face turning pale. "But... I am a national treasure now..."
"Get moving!" Bastion roared, blowing his whistle so hard Kaito actually jumped.
As the players scrambled over each other to get into the locker room, Arthur walked out, happily chewing on a jelly baby. "You handled that beautifully, Boss. Showed them who is in charge."
"I told them what they needed to hear," Michael corrected, turning back toward the building. "But yelling at them isn’t going to be enough, Arthur. The System warned me. The difficulty multiplier is going up. We need reinforcements."
"Reinforcements?" Arthur blinked. "But Boss, the transfer budget... Kenji spent most of it on the new stadium expansion and the bonus cars."
"I don’t need Kenji’s money," Michael murmured, walking back into his office and locking the door.
He sat at his desk and pulled up the System interface.
It was time.
[Accessing Inventory...]
[Item Selected: 1x S-Rank Player Ticket]
Michael stared at the golden ticket glowing on his holographic screen. The reward from last season’s impossible run. He needed a player who could push Kaito to the next level. He needed someone who could stand toe-to-toe with the titans of Europe. He didn’t want godhood; he wanted a human weapon.
[Would you like to use the S-Rank Player Ticket? Y/N]
"Yes," Michael said aloud.
[Processing...]
[Connecting to Global Database - 2026 Season...]
[Filtering by S-Rank Potential...]
The screen flashed rapidly, showing names of wonderkids and superstars from across the globe. Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain... the System was searching through the elite.
[Target Found.]
[Analyzing Contract Status at Real Madrid CF...]
[Status: Unhappy with playing time. Seeking to be the main star.]
Michael leaned forward, his heart pounding against his ribs. Real Madrid? The System had found an S-Rank player at the biggest club in the world who was actually willing to move?
The golden light on the screen faded, revealing the player’s profile card.
[Name: Arda Güler]
[Age: 21]
[Position: Attacking Midfielder / Right Winger]
[Current Club: Real Madrid]
[System Evaluation: Generational Playmaker. Elite vision. Perfect synergy fit with ’Kaito Tanaka’.]
"Arda Güler..." Michael breathed out, a massive grin spreading across his face. The Turkish wonderkid. He was struggling for minutes behind Madrid’s massive constellation of stars, but his talent was undeniable. If Michael could bring him to Barnsley... it would break the internet. It would terrify the Premier League.
[Quest Generated]
[Objective: Convince Arda Güler to leave Real Madrid and sign for Barnsley FC.]
[Time Limit: 14 Days (Before Transfer Window Closes)]
"Kenji~" Michael said the moment the billionaire answered. "We are going to Spain."
"Spain?" Kenji asked over the line, sounding confused.
"What is in Spain? We already bought Enzo a Ferrari!"