My Football Legends Chat Group-Chapter 23: Not today, old man

Rio stood in the center circle as the second half was about to begin, yet instead of being terrified, he was itching to try out the "Tactical Overlay" feature he had spotted in the System menu earlier.

He had waited patiently through the halftime speech for this very moment.

[NOTICE: IT IS ADVISED THAT USER ACTIVATES TACTICAL OVERLAY WHEN HE IS NOT UNDER DIRECT PRESSURE.]

DOES THE USER WISH TO ACTIVATE TACTICAL OVERLAY?

[YES/NO]

Rio mentally clicked yes without hesitation, yet he was met with another notice.

USER’S MENTAL CAPABILITIES HAVE NOT MET THE CRITERIA.

REQUIRED MENTAL GRADE: C+

PLEASE COME BACK ONCE YOU HAVE MET THE MINIMUM GRADE... 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Rio’s mouth gaped open, and he was instantly dissatisfied.

’What the hell? Why didn’t you say so in the locker room!’ he screamed internally, watching Vinicius Jr. stretch his hamstrings a few meters away.

Yet before he could wallow in despair or vomit from nerves, he suddenly remembered that he had received a B-grade "Focus Mint" as a reward from the daily login spin three days ago.

"Hehehe. If it’s B-grade, it should be enough to bump me up a few grades, right?" He rubbed his sweaty palms together and moved through the menu and into the inventory section of the System.

[Are you sure you wish to consume: B-grade Focus Mint?]

[Yes/No]

Rio quickly said a prayer, hoping with all his heart that it wouldn’t make him hallucinate or fail a drug test.

He wasn’t sure how to increase his mental grade otherwise, so this was his only shot at unlocking the vision he needed to beat Real Madrid.

He clicked the Yes button and waited patiently.

DUE TO USER’S INEPT MENTAL GRADE, THERE MAY BE SOME ADDITIONAL CEREBRAL SHOCK WHILE THE SYSTEM ADMINISTERS THE MINT.

Seeing the bold writing flash in front of him, Rio blinked a few times, yet he steeled his heart in the next moment. He had just been body-checked by Stefan Savic last week, so he was confident that he would be able to deal with some momentary brain freeze.

Yet in the next moment, he felt his head throb before a splitting and agonizing headache shocked his brain. It was like someone had stuck an ice pick directly behind his eyes, threatening to blow his skull to pieces.

Rio did not see, but another notification appeared on the System while he was writhing in standing silence on the pitch.

SYSTEM HAS DETECTED ABNORMAL LEVELS OF STRESS IN THE USER. COMMENCING MUTE FUNCTION.

Rio howled out in pain internally, unable to keep his jaw from clenching from the pure agony he was experiencing.

However, it sounded like a whisper, blending in with the deafening roar of the fifty thousand fans at Montilivi.

The internal screams did little to help alleviate the pain that was wreaking havoc on his mind, yet he found some solace in staring at the grass, albeit a small amount.

Hand_Of_King: Rio? Why do you look like you just swallowed a lemon whole?

Total_Football_14: Quiet, Diego. The boy is recalibrating.

After what seemed like an eternity, Rio felt the torture receding slowly until it was gone altogether. His body was now soaked in cold sweat under his jersey as he stared at Dani Carvajal after the intense battle inside his own head.

Despite the stadium floodlights being blinding, he felt as if he could see things much clearer, even picking up on the small details he would have either missed or ignored previously.

The slight twitch in Carvajal’s calf muscle, or the dust particles floating around the referee’s whistle.

[You have consumed: B-grade Focus Mint.]

[Mental grade has been increased by 6!]

USER STATS (TEMPORARY BOOST):

Speed: 92

Dribbling: 59 (65)

Shooting: 61

Physicality: 55

Mental: C+ (B)

Skills: 3

"6!?" Rio shot up in fright, almost jumping out of his skin. He had jumped 6 grades from D all the way to B, and all it took was what seemed like an eternity of torture...

Although he was happy, he now grew a little warier towards the System’s consumables. Rio could already feel that his mind was many times clearer, which included his vision and thinking capabilities.

He even had a feeling that he would be able to achieve twice the results while interpreting Leo’s advice about the "pocket of space." Not only this, he felt that his memories of the tactical briefing were easier to access, especially Michel’s angry instructions.

"Now that that’s done... It’s time for the Overlay."

[NOTICE: IT IS ADVISED THAT USER ACTIVATES TACTICAL OVERLAY WHEN HE IS NOT UNDER DIRECT PRESSURE.]

DOES THE USER WISH TO ACTIVATE TACTICAL OVERLAY?

[YES/NO]

"Yes."

Rio suddenly felt his consciousness waver as the world around him shifted. His surroundings were dark for a moment before light particles started to appear all around him, overlaying the green pitch.

In the next moment, the light particles assembled themselves into a grid on the field. But this was no ordinary grid; he recognized these lines as the passing lanes he had seen on TV but never understood.

PLEASE CHOOSE A TACTICAL OBJECTIVE.

#MATCH MISSION MENU:

DEFENSIVE TRACKING (Locked)

COUNTER ATTACK

POSSESSION

Rio was a little disheartened upon seeing that the defensive section was locked, however, he had been expecting it. It would have been nice to at least know how to stop Vinicius, even if it was just a hint.

However, what he needed now were skills that would allow him to become a weapon and change the result of the match.

Now that they had 45 minutes of hell left, Girona would likely concede a third goal if they didn’t strike back immediately.

He debated for a little while before choosing to focus on the Counter Attack. The biggest difference between him and the Madrid defenders was speed.

While they could position themselves perfectly, Rio was capable of moving faster than logic should allow.

#COUNTER ATTACK MISSIONS:

Complete 5 Progressive Runs - 100 XP + Bronze Skill Card

Burn Dani Carvajal (Speed Dribble) - 200 XP + B-grade Agility Elixir

Force a Yellow Card - 150 XP + Silver Lottery Ticket

Don’t lose possession for 10 minutes - 100 XP

Score or Assist against the Champions - 1000 XP + A-grade Skill: ’The Ferrari Engine’ + Gold Lottery Ticket

PLEASE CALL FOR THE BALL AND HEAD TO THE FLANK TO BEGIN THE REAL MATCH SCENARIO. PLEASE NOTE THAT TIME HERE IS ALIGNED WITH THE REFEREE’S WATCH.

The whistle blew.

PHEEEEEET!

"Give it to me!" Rio screamed, his voice cutting through the noise like a knife.

Mateo, standing in the center circle, looked shocked by the sudden aggression. But he didn’t hesitate. He rolled the ball backward to Aleix Garcia, who looked up and saw Rio sprinting toward the "Pocket."

The ball flew through the air.

Carvajal turned. He saw the kid in pink boots coming. He stepped forward to intercept.

"Not today, old man," Rio gritted his teeth.