Still finding it strange and thinking his head might have reached it's limits over the amount of stress he's had over the years on his decline.
He grabbed his phone and opened search engine.
Search: hallucinations, football stress
Results flooded in: "Athletes and Mental Breakdowns," "Burnout: Are You Seeing Things?" and some overly dramatic blog post titled "The Ball is Not in Your Court (It's in Your Head)."
Then he searched:
Search: Game like talking interface, hologram system
Nothing. How to write a system fantasy. Just a bunch of nerdy threads about fantasy novels where "loser protagonists awaken cheat codes to turn their lives around."
Dylan snorted. "What am I, some pity-protag in a webnovel?" He shook his head. "Did some writer toss me a second chance like I'm their failed redemption arc?" He paused. "Or is this… a blessing?"
DING!
The air shimmered. Again.
[Legacy System: Back online, drama queen. Thought you'd sleep through your comeback?]
He leaned back, smirking. "Mate, you're either a glitch in my head or proof my brain's got dark humor."
[Brain? Nah. I'm Legacy, your career's last duct-taped hope. And trust me, it's a fixer-upper. Let's chat business.]
A holographic HUD flared up. Pixelated, cheap, looking like it belonged on an old PlayStation menu. His stats glowed like bad karma.
⚽ LEGACY PLAYER PROFILE – DYLAN ALLEN ⚽
Age: 29
Mental Age: 65 (Cynical Grandpa Mode)
Position: Central Midfield
Preferred Foot: Right (used mostly to trip over regrets)
Stamina: 52/100 (Rusty enough to creak)
Speed: 58/100 (Turtles laugh at you)
Passing: 65/100 (Decent, your one redeeming skill)
Discipline: 68/100 (That red card? We'll call it 'passion')
Confidence: 15/100 (Battery dead, mate)
Reputation: -10 (You are less popular than a Monday Morning)
Special Traits:
• Long-Range Passes (When you are not sulking)
• Partying (Former life)
• Ruining your career (World class)
Dylan let out a low whistle. "You are brutal."
[Not bad for a has-been with hamstrings like dried noodles.]
He rolled his eyes. "So, what's next O wise microwave?"
[New Quest Unlocked: "Basic Grind"]
[Task: 3km run. 30 drills on any pitch. Reward pending.]
"Pending?" Dylan raised a brow. "No spoiler this time?"
[Nope. You'll earn it. Like a grown-up. Now move.]
Dylan threw on a hoodie and jogged through Dagenhall's narrow streets, past smoky corner shops, graffiti walls, and takeaway joints. No one paid attention. A kid kicked a ball nearby, didn't even look twice. So much for fame.
At a worn-down pitch behind the rec center, he set up cones with bricks. The system tracked him with a glowing HUD like a low-budget sports anime. He started the drills. Flick. Spin. Pass. His lungs burned, legs shook, but something old stirred in him. Something fierce.
DING! Quest Complete.
Level Up: 1 → 2
Stats Improved. You'll see them when it matters.
[Congrats. You didn't collapse. New Quest Unlocked: "Reputation Resurrection"]
[Task: Appear on "Goal Gossip" podcast. Talk about former legend Roy "Rock Bottom" Rutherford after he mocked your career last week. Be bold. Be real. Be you. Reward: Classified.]
Dylan scrolled through football podcasts. One invite had come days ago—from Goal Gossip, a trashy online show where retired legends gossiped like housewives on espresso.
Host: Jamie Vance, former keeper with no clean sheets but a loud mouth. Guest analyst: Roy Rutherford, ex-defender with a career full of own goals and one infamous celebration where he tore his hamstring trying to knee-slide.
"Allen? Still trying to be relevant? Man got dropped by Como and vanished faster than my Wi-Fi in 2009."
Dylan cracked his knuckles. "Alright, let's play."
The podcast background was neon green and headache-inducing. Dylan joined via webcam, sitting on his couch with a neutral hoodie, hair buzzed.
Jamie (grinning): "Dylan Allen. Back from the dead."
Roy: "Hope he brought a shovel. 'Cause his career's six feet under."
Dylan leaned into the mic. Calm. Controlled. Then snapped.
"Roy. You're talking like you weren't responsible for more own goals than some strikers have full careers.
You remember '07? You slid in and scored against your own keeper twice in a single game. You were voted Player of the Match, for the opposing team."
"I may have been benched, but I've got more flair in my pinky toe than you had in your entire 400-game accidental comedy career."
The chat exploded. Jamie choked on his drink. Roy blinked.
"And for the haters online, those keyboard warriors who think a Sunday League pass means they can judge pros?
I see you. Still living with your mum, typing hate with ketchup-stained fingers.
Let me make this simple: I belong at the top. I've trained with the best, played with stars, and I can still sit at the same table as half the top midfielders in Premier Division today. So buckle up. 'Cause I'm not done."
By nightfall:
#DylanAllen was trending.
Clips of the roast hit a million views.
Comments split:
🔥 "He's delusional. Perfect for hate-watch."
🧠 "He's right tho. Roy really was trash."
⚽ "Bro's got villain arc energy. I'm tuning in."
Even his old agency DM'd him like nothing happened:
"Hey Dylan, we'd love to talk again. Let's chat soon?"
Clubs started sniffing around. Mostly second-tier, some low-tier top league clubs with more PR hunger than trophies.
...
Dylan ignored the DMs. He cooked himself a cheap steak, added some fries, even lit a candle. Sat in his worn chair, plate in hand, scrolling the hate.
"Clown."
"Allen thinks he's prime Modrić."
"What's next? He joins a reality show?"
He chewed. "Mmm. Delicious tears."
[Quest Complete: Reputation Resurrection]
[You will be notified of new quest shortly.]
[Passive Skill Unlocked: "Crowd Igniter" – Boosts performance by 10% when audience is engaged (cheering or booing).]
Dylan toasted the air with his soda, and snapped a picture for Binstagram. And then uploaded the picture with a caption "Here's to the haters. You're fueling my comeback. One roast at a time." and hit post. He felt refreshed, a feeling he had missed for a long time, even if he fails to make it, this day deserves to be remembered forever. And now, he is determined to make that come back for the books, and not end up as a streets will never forget player that he is now.