"London Earthquake! Crystal Palace Pulls Off Comeback to Defeat League Leaders!"
"16-Year-Old 'Barça Reject' Shines in the Championship!"
"Midfield Genius from La Masia! A Perfect Debut! Hat-trick of Assists Ignites the Stadium!"
"Crystal Palace's New No. 10 Shows His Edge! Vows to Make England Remember His Name!"
"Outrageous Claim from 16-Year-Old Star! Crystal Palace's Goal This Season: Premier League Promotion?!"
"Confidence or Arrogance? Crystal Palace Faces a Gauntlet of Tough Matches Ahead!"
"Leeds United Coach: In the Next Match, We'll Wake Crystal Palace's No. 10 from His Dream!"
...
Overnight,
the media across London exploded!
Kai's name spread throughout the streets of South London.
Even deep into the night, the entire southern district of London was still brightly lit!
Excited fans roamed the streets, joy beaming from their faces.
They hadn't tasted victory like this in a long time.
If England is the banner of European football,
then in recent years, Spain is its center.
The footage of this match
was immediately sent to Spain.
La Masia, the world's most renowned youth academy—
known for spotting talents from all over the globe—
had its scouts place Kai's video and a report right on the desk of their sporting director, Pablo.
A few lines were highlighted:
"Terrifying vision."
"Exceptionally accurate long passes."
"Displays leadership potential."
Pablo didn't even open the video.
The moment he saw Kai's name, he burst into sarcastic laughter.
"What the hell is this?"
"I just offloaded this freak, and now I'm getting a scouting report on him?"
"Can these brain-dead scouts be a little more serious?"
Inside the office,
Youth coach Garcia stood by the side, hesitant to speak.
"I warned you before," he said carefully,
"That kid has enormous potential, he just needed more time to be developed...
But you insisted on selling him off for a mere 500,000 euros..."
"It's not too late. He's a La Masia product.
Crystal Palace is facing financial issues; their signing fee is being paid in installments.
We still have a buy-back clause..."
Pablo impatiently waved him off.
"Again with the buy-back? Buy back what?!"
"Didn't you say the same thing to Vilanova before? Wanting Guardiola to personally observe this 'freak'?"
"You think Pep Guardiola would fancy a player so out of place?
You underestimate our first team's standards!"
Pablo scoffed.
"It's just a Championship match—nothing convincing at all!"
He snorted and stormed out of the office.
Garcia opened his mouth,
but could only sigh helplessly.
He opened the video on Kai's Championship debut—
the one Pablo refused to watch.
As the footage ended,
the former coach who had trained Kai at La Masia
felt his scalp go numb.
"This... this..."
"This is real talent! His progress is visible to the naked eye!"
"Damn it! That idiot Pablo—what a drunken waste of space!
Letting this kid go will absolutely be a massive loss for both La Masia and Barça in the future!!"
...
Back in London,
at Crystal Palace Club,
Kai didn't care much about the heated discussions outside.
After celebrating with teammates in the locker room,
he returned home.
Pintus was already waiting for him there.
"You performed well tonight.
But your physical training tonight still has to be completed."
Pintus said sternly.
"Got it!"
Kai nodded.
Ever since he hired Pintus, the top fitness coach,
physical conditioning had become a non-negotiable part of his daily life.
Tedious and dull—
but remarkably effective.
Under the night sky in London, on the rooftop of the villa,
Kai followed Pintus through his workout.
Two hours later,
Pintus left the villa with his training equipment.
After showering, Kai collapsed on his bed, drained.
But there was one last important thing to do—
System settlement!
> Ding! Side mission completed: Debut – The Beginning of a Legend!
Reward: +10 Custom Attribute Points!
England Random Star Treasure Chest ×1!
> Ding! Match Performance Grade: SSS! Hidden Reward Triggered!
Hidden Reward: Set-Piece Guaranteed Goal Card ×1 (Auto-destroys after use)
The electronic voice echoed in his mind.
Kai's eyes widened in shock!
A hidden reward?!
He had received a one-time-use card that guaranteed a goal from a set-piece!
Totally unexpected!
"Open the England Star Treasure Chest!"
he commanded mentally.
A flash of light lit up before his eyes—
his scalp tingled slightly.
In front of him, multiple treasure chests floated in mid-air!
Each chest bore the emblem of a different English football club.