World football system-Chapter 43: Shadows of the Climb

The Valencia training ground was colder than usual that morning. A wind swept in from the sea, curling around the goalposts and whistling through the netting. But Tobi didn’t flinch.

He was first to arrive. Again.

As the sun broke over the trees, he was already halfway through his second lap around the pitch, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead.

It wasn’t just discipline.

It was fear.

Not the loud, crippling kind. The quiet fear. The kind that whispered in his ear every time he read the matchday squad. The fear that told him one bad month and they’ll move on.

Because now... he mattered.

Now... he was expected to deliver.

---

SYSTEM OVERLAY

> [CAM: Tobi Oliveira – Age 17]

Form: High

Morale: Steady

Overall Rating: 84

Mental Load: Moderate

Recent Feedback: \n- Praise from Manager \n- Media attention rising

Trait Status: "Big Game Blood" (Active), "Silent Engine" (Passive)

---

Later that day, Ramos pulled him aside.

"Sporting wants you back."

Tobi blinked.

"What?"

Ramos nodded. "Loan. Six-month offer. They think you’ll start every match."

Tobi hesitated. Sporting CP. His boyhood club. His first club. His escape and his beginning.

"They want me now?" he asked softly.

"They see what we see. You’re starting to shine. But you’ve got competition here, Tobi. Big contracts. Experienced internationals. And we need you to play."

Tobi sat in the corner of the staff room after the meeting, head in hands. For a full hour.

When he got home, he didn’t say a word to his mother. Just passed her the envelope.

She didn’t say anything either. She just read, brows furrowed, lips tight.

Leonor watched quietly from the stairs.

After dinner, Tobi sat on the couch, still in his tracksuit.

"You’re not scared of going backward," his mother said, sitting beside him. "You’re scared of going alone."

He nodded.

"But you won’t be alone," she added. "Wherever you play, we follow."

He looked up at her.

And then, for the first time in months, let himself cry.

---

A WEEK LATER – LISBON

Tobi stepped off the plane and into the past.

Lisbon smelled the same. The salt of the sea. The warmth of the sun on cobblestones. But he wasn’t the same.

Sporting’s director met him personally. Smiles. Handshakes. Cameras flashing. He wore the green and white kit again — but this time with different expectations.

This time, he was loaned from Valencia — not an academy hopeful.

This time, he was the one the others looked at and said, "That’s the guy."

---

FIRST TRAINING

The coach didn’t waste time.

"Tobi, ball recovery drills. Match simulation. Take midfield."

He slipped into the old patterns — except nothing felt old anymore.

He was stronger. Smarter. His passes had bite. His tempo faster.

In a practice match, he set up two goals and scored a third — a delicate left-footed chip from the top of the box after baiting two defenders into a trap.

> SYSTEM PING:

"Welcome Home" Buff Activated – Familiar surroundings enhance concentration, decision-making +2 for 3 matches

---

MATCH DAY: Sporting CP vs Braga

The stadium was buzzing.

Tobi started.

He was back.

But it wasn’t magic from the start.

His first two passes were intercepted. He was flattened in the 12th minute by a Braga midfielder twice his size. The fans murmured — unsure.

But then, the game changed.

23rd minute.

Ball came to him at the halfway line. He flicked it around his marker, darted forward, and slid a pass between defenders.

Goal.

The stadium erupted.

41st minute.

He danced into the box. Fake shot. Dragged back. Foul.

Penalty earned.

Not taken — but converted.

2–0.

Full time: 2–1.

---

Post-match press:

> "Tobi Oliveira is home — and Portugal is watching."

---

Back in the locker room, he sat quietly while others cheered.

A text buzzed on his phone.

Leonor:

> "I watched every second. You’re fire."

Inês:

> "Remember who you are. Never just where you play."

He smiled.

---

NEXT MATCH: Sporting vs Estoril

Tobi was targeted. Fouled early. Marked tight.

But he didn’t panic.

33rd minute.

He found space. One-two with the striker. Fired a curling shot into the top corner.

3–1 win.

Another assist.

---

THIRD MATCH: Sporting vs Benfica (Derby)

This was the test.

National TV. 40,000 fans. Old rivals. Pressure like lead on his chest.

The match was brutal. Fast. Tackles flying. Benfica scored first. Then again.

Down 0–2.

Halftime.

Coach looked at him.

"You ready?"

Tobi stood.

"I’ve been ready."

---

SECOND HALF.

52nd minute: Tobi wins the ball in midfield, skips two players, and releases a through ball.

Goal.

67th minute: Tobi intercepts a Benfica pass and drives forward. Gets fouled. Free kick.

Not taken by him.

But the rebound lands at his feet.

He shoots.

Goal.

2–2.

The stadium shakes.

85th minute: Benfica counters.

Tobi races back — 60 meters in a dead sprint.

Slides in.

Cleans the ball off the attacker.

Roar.

Game ends 2–2.

---

After the match, the Sporting coach claps him on the back.

"You left as a boy. You came back a weapon."

---

SYSTEM UPDATE:

> Overall Rating: 85

Trait Synergy: "Return of the Flame" unlocked

> Boosts performance when returning to old clubs or under personal pressure.

Dribbling +1, Stamina +2 in comeback environments.

---

That night, Tobi walked the Lisbon streets alone for an hour.

Not to remember.

But to let go.

He was no longer the boy who quit.

He was the young man who came back.

---

March – Three Months into the Loan

Sporting CP was surging.

With Tobi Oliveira pulling strings in midfield, the club had gone unbeaten in seven matches — five wins, two draws. The media was already speculating about Sporting demanding to buy him outright.

Valencia had issued a firm no.

But pressure was growing. The closer the season came to its end, the more it felt like every match was a final. And for Tobi, every minute on the pitch felt like a battle against not just the opponent — but the version of himself who had once failed here.

---

Training Ground, Lisbon

"Push higher, Tobi!" the assistant coach barked. "You’re dropping too deep!"

Tobi was drenched in sweat. His lungs burned. But he didn’t slow down.

He had stopped arguing with coaches. Stopped defending himself. Now he just worked harder.

The system buzzed quietly.

> [Mental Load: Elevated]

Suggestion: Recovery required within 48 hours or risk of fatigue-related stat penalty.

But Tobi ignored it.

His mother called that evening. Her voice was soft.

"You’re not sleeping enough," she said. "Leonor says you text her at 3 a.m."

Tobi looked down at the notepad beside his bed — full of tactical diagrams, match notes, and his own personal "fail list."

"I’ll be fine," he whispered.

---

Matchday: Sporting CP vs Marítimo

The stadium was full. A win would push Sporting to 3rd in the table — within reach of Champions League qualification.

Tobi started as CAM again.

But from the opening whistle, something was wrong.

---

6th minute:

He misplaced a pass — his first in three games.

12th:

His shot flew wildly over the bar.

21st:

He was late on a tackle. Yellow card.

He bent over, hands on his knees, breathing hard.

> [System Alert: Morale – Dropping]

Trait "Pressure Resistant" auto-activated.

Still, he pressed on.

---

Second Half

Sporting was trailing 0–1. Tobi tried to push the tempo, but his legs felt like stone.

In the 60th minute, he received a ball in the box. Perfect chance.

He faked the shot. Defender slid past. He turned to shoot —

Blocked.

The crowd groaned.

---

66th minute – Substitution.

His number went up.

He jogged off to polite applause.

Inside, he was burning.

---

Post-Match

He skipped interviews. Turned off his phone. Ignored his mother’s messages. Didn’t even check Leonor’s voice note.

He sat alone in the empty locker room long after the lights went out.

---

The Breakdown

That night, he collapsed into bed — fully dressed. The system flickered faintly.

> [Mental Load: CRITICAL]

Stats Affected: -2 Stamina, -1 Decision Making, -1 Composure

New Trait Unlocked:

"Overtrained" – When pushing beyond mental capacity, performance may suffer. Longer recovery required unless rest protocol initiated.

Tobi stared at the blue screen. Then shut his eyes.

---

A Wake-Up Call

Two days later, Inês arrived.

She flew in unannounced from Valencia.

He opened the door and just stared at her.

"You look like a ghost," she said.

He didn’t argue.

"You forgot something," she added, stepping inside. "You forgot why you play."

She didn’t give a speech. Didn’t stay more than 24 hours.

Just left a note before she left.

> "Don’t lose yourself trying to become someone else."

---

Recalibration

Tobi showed up at training the next day.

He didn’t sprint. Didn’t overdo the drills. He just passed. Talked. Joked with teammates.

Coach raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

The system pinged.

> [Recovery Protocol Accepted – Mental Load: Reducing]

> Stat penalties lifted within 72 hours.

---

Sporting CP vs Vitória SC

Tobi didn’t start.

He sat on the bench, hoodie over his head, eyes scanning every movement.

He came on in the 65th minute.

Vitória led 1–0.

Tobi played like silk.

71st minute:

One-touch pass to set up a winger.

78th:

Intercepted a counter and launched a cross-field ball to switch play.

85th:

Nutmegged a defender, drew two more, and flicked a pass behind them.

Goal. Equalizer.

He didn’t celebrate. Just walked back, head low.

But the fans roared.

They saw him.

---

Press Conference

The coach smiled.

"Tobi learned something more important than scoring. He learned rhythm."

---

Back in Form

Over the next two games, Tobi slowly built momentum.

2 assists.

1 pre-assist.

91% passing accuracy.

7 key passes.

12 recoveries.

He wasn’t just flashy.

He was effective.

---

Late April – Return to Mestalla

Valencia announced his return for preseason.

Sporting fans begged the club to keep him. Chants of "Oliveira fica!" echoed in the stands.

But he was going back.

His time in Portugal — his test — was done.

---

Last Match in Lisbon: Sporting vs Porto

The final game of the season. Tobi’s farewell.

And he delivered.

Assist in the 29th minute.

Scored in the 67th — a curling shot from outside the box.

Final score: 2–1 win.

As he walked off the pitch, the fans stood.

Chanted his name.

Some cried.

His eyes welled up too.

---

Locker Room Farewell

His teammates clapped. The coach hugged him.

"You were more than a player here. You were an example."

---

Final System Report – Loan Period Summary

> Matches Played: 18

Goals: 5

Assists: 8

Average Rating: 7.6

Traits Gained:

"Return of the Flame"

"Silent Engine"

"Overtrained"

"Composed Catalyst" (unlocked after completing comeback streak)

> Insight Points Earned: +5

Overall Rating: 86

---

Tobi boarded the flight to Spain alone.

But this time, he carried no fear.

Just purpose.

And memories.

-

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺