Chapter 145: Chapter 145: Departure: Hamburg
The heat came first.
It always did.
Julian gritted his teeth, feeling his skin prickle and pulse, his veins burning like molten threads beneath the surface. Every muscle tightened, then loosened—his body expanding, refining, reshaping under the weight of the Potential Syringe.
He drew a breath, slow and steady, then turned his gaze toward the last piece—the small glowing pill in his hand.
[Random Attribute Surge]
Julian smirked faintly. "Alright. Let’s finish this."
He tossed it into his mouth.
One.
Two.
Three.
The burn roared to life again, sharper this time—like a forge igniting in his chest.
"Fuck... why is it always fire?" he muttered through clenched teeth.
It felt as though a flame had been swallowed whole, now clawing its way out from his heart. For a moment, he swore he could breathe sparks.
But he didn’t move.
Didn’t flinch.
Cross-legged on the floor, Julian locked into a lotus stance, spine straight, hands resting on his knees. The room around him blurred, swallowed by the pulse inside him.
The power wasn’t chaotic—not like before.
It was alive.
Like a river bursting through stone, it surged outward, racing through his limbs, his bones, his blood. Every pathway it found, it claimed. Every cell it touched, it reforged.
Julian inhaled. The air trembled.
Exhaled. The current deepened.
He didn’t fight the flow. He guided it. Drew it in. Let it fuse with every fragment of strength already inside him.
It wasn’t just an upgrade—it was fusion.
Old and new, body and spirit, merging into one.
The room began to hum, the faint sound of energy vibrating through the walls. Dust quivered across the floorboards, curtains swaying though no breeze touched them.
His heartbeat thundered, syncing with the rhythm of the surge—steady, unstoppable, divine.
Minutes blurred into silence. The room glowed faintly with golden light, each breath heavier, calmer, more controlled.
And when the last ripple faded...
Julian opened his eyes.
They burned like dawn.
Light shimmered faintly in his gaze, the reflection of something deeper—something forged.
[Congratulations, Host, for gaining +100 to total attributes.]
Julian blinked as the panel unfolded before him, each number carrying the weight of transformation.
...
USER INTERFACE LOADING...
...
User: Julian Ashford
Age: 17
State: Amateur League
Title: None
Exp Point : 30
...
CORE ATTRIBUTES
► Strength : 60
► Agility : 60
► Stamina : 60
► Technique : 80
► Perception : 125
► Instinct : 114
► Charisma : 32
Total Stat: 531 (621)
...
Julian stared at the glowing panel, eyes tracing the numbers like constellations. Then, slowly, he nodded.
"Nice."
It was clear now. His strengths weren’t scattered—they were sharpened.
Instinct. Perception.
The two pillars of his game. His edge wasn’t brute force—it was foresight. Awareness. He could feel it now more than ever, how the world itself seemed slower, each motion around him painted in clarity.
Every faint shift of air, every rustle beyond the wall registered in his mind’s eye. He could almost predict the path of a falling droplet, the beat before it landed.
His body wasn’t faster—his mind was. Time itself felt stretched, pliable, his reactions threading through gaps that others couldn’t even see.
He just needed to learn how to wield that advantage fully.
A chime echoed in his mind.
[Congratulations, Host. You have advanced to Amateur League level.]
Ashi’s voice followed, smooth and instructive.
[Since you’re familiar with the Pro Tier, allow me to reveal the next two stages.]
...
► Elite Pro (1400 – 3500): Starters in top global leagues (EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1).
► World Class (3500 – 4000): National team players. Champions League caliber.
...
Julian’s eyes widened.
Those numbers were massive. He remembered clearly—Pro Tier spanned from 700 to 1400, the level of domestic professionals.
A second-division Bundesliga player likely hovered around that range.
But Elite Pro?
Over 1400.
That was another world entirely—players who weren’t just skilled, but shaped by years of elite academies, discipline, and battle. And above even them—World Class—monsters who led nations, who carved history on the world’s biggest stages.
He pictured them—ghosts of greatness flickering in memory. Midfield generals orchestrating tempo with a glance, strikers who could carve through defenders like storm fronts, keepers who bent fate itself with a fingertip.
Each one had walked the path he now stepped onto. None had done it easily.
[Because. Host, that is where true stars reside. In those top leagues, even one team may have players scattered across tiers—bench players, rising talents, world-class cores. Competition is relentless.]
Julian exhaled slowly.
His total stood at 621—with his passive bonuses.
He wasn’t there yet.
But now, the path was clear.
"At least 1400" he murmured, "before I can truly fight in HSV’s senior team."
For now, Regionalliga Nord awaited him. A battleground suited for his current power.
A proving ground.
He clenched his fist, a grin tugging at his lips.
Six hundred twenty-one would have to be enough—for now.
Because if he did what he always did—if he grew, learned, adapted—then every match would become another step.
And his first mission in Germany was simple.
One match. One goal. Every time.
Julian closed the panel, the glow fading into the dark. His reflection stared back from the window—eyes bright, shoulders squared.
Somewhere beyond that glass lay Europe—
and every challenge it could throw at him.
He welcomed it.
The heat in his veins hadn’t faded—it had only sunk deeper, buried in the core of his being, waiting for the roar of a whistle to wake it again.
Morning came quietly.
No alarms. No rush. Just purpose.
Julian’s breath misted in the early chill as he zipped his bag.
Today was the day.
The flight would take twelve hours—twelve hours between who he had been and who he was about to become.
His muscles still ached faintly, that familiar throb of growth lingering beneath his skin, but he embraced it. Pain meant progress.
When he opened the door, a figure was already waiting.
David stood by the car, luggage beside him, suit crisp, eyes bright with pride.
Behind the wheel—Crest. Calm. Composed. Always ready.
Julian stepped out, the morning air brushing against his face.
David grinned. "You okay? Ready?"
Julian met his gaze, then glanced up at the dawn sky—faint gold bleeding into blue.
A sky that stretched all the way to Germany.
"Yeah," he said quietly, the corner of his mouth lifting. "Let’s start our journey."