Dynasty Awakening: Building My Own Football Empire-Chapter 250: The Gentle Giant

Despite the chaos and the adrenaline of the stoppage-time winner, Barnsley were able to come out with the win against Chelsea with a final score of 2 to 1.

Vladimir Petrovic had been a mountain at the back, winning every aerial duel against the billion-pound attack.

It was not as evident during the match thanks to the fans screaming their lungs out, but Vladimir was hesitating in the moments after the violence. Now that Diego Nunez had drawn his attention to it, Michael could see the Serbian’s killer instinct waning when the whistle blew.

As the team was heading onto the luxury bus to head back to Yorkshire, Michael pulled Vladimir aside and had a chat with him.

"Hey big man, nice work today." He said with a smile.

Vladimir seemed a little out of it, holding his small potted plant on his lap, but he still replied with his thanks. He currently had a small scratch on his cheek, something that looked like a papercut on his massive face.

"Are you feeling any guilt or regret when you smash into them?" Michael asked in a low voice, ensuring that no one would be able to pick up on their conversation.

Vladimir’s eyes widened in shock, staring at Michael as if he had two heads.

"H-How did you know?"

Michael’s features softened, "I know more than you think about hiding such things. I saw you apologize to Enzo Fernandez after you flattened him." He responded wistfully.

Vladimir looked extremely nervous and pleaded with Michael to not tell Diego what was going on. He had finally gotten an opportunity to showcase his abilities in the Premier League, even being moved up to the Vice-Captain role.

If Diego were to find out, he would no doubt get mocked for being a "soft teddy bear" in a heartbeat.

"Don’t worry, Diego asked me to help you out which means he has an idea of what’s going on."

"Really?" This was the biggest shock to Vladimir. He had only begun feeling bad about the violence towards the end of the first half, yet the Bull had already noticed.

"Yeah, so don’t stress too much." Michael replied with a smile, putting the giant at ease a little.

"It’s Monday tomorrow, we have a recovery session. Are you free? If so let’s meet up at the private training pitch around 8am. What do you say?"

Vladimir pondered for a while before eventually nodding. The fact that the manager had agreed to personally oversee his "attitude adjustment" spoke volumes. Not only did it highlight the trust Michael had in his potential, but also in Vladimir’s ability to change.

"Great, I’ll meet you there with Diego." Michael gave a thumbs up before getting further onto the bus and finding a seat next to Arthur Milton.

The group traveled home in high spirits after securing the win and moving into the top half of the table. This was the final big hurdle of the month, as they would be too busy preparing for the transfer deadline day to worry about tough fixtures.

Michael and Arthur arrived back at the complex, then Michael drove home to see Kenji Sato waiting in his living room. The billionaire had returned from a tech conference in Silicon Valley this morning but was suffering from jet lag so he was drinking an espresso martini on Michael’s sofa.

"Kenji! Welcome back." Michael called out, receiving a tired smile in return.

"Well? How did the game go?" Kenji asked, seemingly more interested in their football results than his billion-dollar deals.

"Hehe, we’ve got the world’s fastest mouse on the squad. How do you think it went?" Michael said proudly, throwing his suit jacket over a chair. Despite how exhausted he was, he still found energy when talking about the Misfits.

"We won 2 to 1. Kaito scored a zigzag goal." Michael said simply, even though he was inwardly pleased about Kenji’s interest.

"Did you hear that Sarah? Our boys have made it through the first test! Hahaha." Kenji tilted his head back and laughed, shouting out to Michael’s wife who was only a few feet away in the kitchen making tea.

"Yes yes I heard. Congratulations Michael." She chuckled, bringing a tray of mugs.

"So did either of you get sent off?" Kenji asked enthusiastically.

"Ah, well... We didn’t actually get any red cards." Michael said a little awkwardly, yet his tone changed in the next moment. "Diego also didn’t get sent off, but he ripped the corner flag out and played it like a guitar!"

Kenji raised an eyebrow, yet he didn’t comment on the potential fine so as not to rub salt in any administrative wounds. "Nice work Diego!" He said with a thumbs up.

"Oh I almost forgot. Are you free tomorrow Kenji?" Michael asked.

"Yup! I’ve got the next 5 days off before I buy a satellite company. Why, what’s up?"

"It’s about our defender Vladimir. He is too nice. Would you mind helping us with a special training setup?"

"Oh? You mean the kind of intense psychological training you refused to use last season?" Kenji said, causing Michael to feel attacked. Yet he could only smile wryly in response.

If he had listened to Kenji’s ruthless business advice earlier, he could have probably avoided the softness in the squad altogether.

"Yes that one..." He said shamelessly. "Since Vladimir is hesitant to embrace the chaos, Diego asked if I could mentor him. But I’d say that getting resources from you would be much better than just my shouting." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

A small bit of flattery at the end of his words seemed to work wonders. Kenji who had been giving him a condescending look suddenly brightened and began to laugh heartily.

"Hahaha, yeah I think you’re right. After all, I used to negotiate with sharks on Wall Street. I know how to make people tough." He said with a dumb smile.

Sarah, who was busy sipping tea, could only shake her head as Michael expertly manipulated the billionaire into funding his crazy training scheme. That was the problem with Kenji, he was too unguarded against simple flattery involving his ego.

Michael felt a little relief wash over him.

"But seriously Michael," Kenji said, putting his drink down. "The press is going crazy. They are calling it ’The Miracle at the Bridge’. But I saw the stats. Vladimir won 100% of his duels."

"He did," Michael admitted, sitting down on the sofa. "But he helped the opponent up every time. He patted Nkunku on the head. It’s polite, but it’s not... dominant. We play Tottenham next. They are soft. If Vladimir is nice to them, they will play with confidence. I need him to be a fucking nightmare."

"A nightmare?" Kenji mused. "I can buy a nightmare machine. Or maybe just some very scary speakers."

"No machines," Michael said. "We need to break his politeness. Diego has a plan. He calls it ’The Bull Pen’."

"The Bull Pen?" Sarah asked, raising an eyebrow. "That sounds dangerous, Michael. Should I have the legal team on standby?"

"Maybe," Michael grinned. "But that’s the Misfit way."

"By the way," Kenji added, looking at his phone. "I saw the transfer rumors. Real Madrid really wants Lorenzo. 80 million pounds. Are we selling?"

Michael’s face hardened. The light-hearted atmosphere vanished for a second.

"Fuck no," Michael said, the word slipping out with venom. "We don’t sell our family. Not to Madrid. Not to anyone. Lorenzo stays."

"Good answer," Kenji clapped. "I told them to fuck off already, but I wanted to hear you say it."

Michael felt a surge of gratitude. Having a billionaire owner who didn’t care about profit was the greatest cheat code in football.

"I’m going to bed," Michael announced, standing up. "I have to wake up early to watch a giant bald man teach a giant bearded man how to be mean."

"Have fun," Sarah kissed his cheek. "Try not to break any bones."

"No promises," Michael said.

He walked up the stairs, leaving Kenji and Sarah talking about stock markets and tea.

In reality, he wanted to leave the comfortable atmosphere and jump into some system management. Having participated in the game today, he could finally realize just how beneficial the Zone of Chaos had been to him overall.

Plus he had yet to claim any of the rewards for the missions he had completed, wanting to get a baseline for his influence level before the upgrades.

#NOTICE: IT IS ADVISED THAT USER ENTERS THE SYSTEM MENU WHEN HE WILL NOT BE DISTURBED.

DOES THE USER WISH TO ENTER SYSTEM MENU?

[YES/NO]

"Yes."

Michael was once again transported to the empty Anfield field in his mind. Due to coming here every night for the past week, he was no longer in awe and quickly chose the Squad Management tab.

#SQUAD MISSIONS:

Win the opening game - 200 Influence points + Bronze Lottery ticket [COMPLETE] Claim rewards

Activate Zone of Chaos successfully - 300 Influence points + B-grade Adrenaline Elixir [COMPLETE] Claim rewards

Have a defender score a goal - 150 Influence points + Silver Lottery ticket [COMPLETE] Claim rewards

Keep a clean sheet - 100 Influence points [FAILED]

Have Diego Nunez not receive a yellow card - 500 Influence points + A-grade Discipline Elixir (Failed)

Michael’s eyes shined as he saw the shimmering claim rewards option. He had been patiently waiting for this day for months now. Without hesitation, he accepted the rewards and watched his screen fill with notifications.

[Congratulations, you have been awarded 200 Influence points and 1x Bronze Lottery Ticket]

[Congratulations, you have been awarded 300 Influence points and 1x B-grade Adrenaline Elixir]

[Congratulations, you have been awarded 150 Influence points and 1x Silver Lottery ticket]

[Are you sure you want to leave the System Menu?]

[Yes/No]

Michael paused. The B-grade Adrenaline Elixir. He read the description.

Effect: Temporarily removes the user’s inhibitions and fear for 24 hours. Causes extreme confidence and mild aggression.

A wicked idea formed in Michael’s mind.

"Vladimir is too nice," Michael whispered to himself in the empty simulation. "He needs a push. A chemical push."

He looked at the Elixir. It glowed a dangerous red color.

"If I slip this into his water bottle tomorrow... Diego won’t have to teach him anything. The Bear will wake up on his own."

He debated it. It was unethical. It was cheating. It was exactly the kind of thing a Misfit manager would do to build an Empire.

"For the Dynasty," Michael muttered.

He clicked [Claim] and watched the digital vial materialize in his inventory.

Tomorrow morning was going to be interesting. Very fucking interesting.

[Yes]

His consciousness faded from the stadium, returning him to his dark bedroom.

The clock read 11:30 PM.

"Looks like I need to adjust my morality if I want to survive this season," He mused before turning over, falling asleep only a few minutes later. It seemed that the managing had taken its toll on his mind.