CHAPTER 148: CHAPTER 143: THE PULL [II]

First card flipped.

Orange glow.

COMPOSURE +2

UNCOMMON

His breathing steadied fractionally and the edge of panic that sometimes crept in during high-pressure moments dulled slightly.

Second card.

White light.

LONG PASSING +2

COMMON

Third card.

Orange again.

DRIBBLING +2

UNCOMMON

His feet felt lighter and the ball would stick closer when he moved with it.

Fourth card flipped.

White glow.

SPRINT SPEED +2

COMMON

Fifth card.

Trait shard shimmer.

TRAIT SHARD [BALL WINNER]

Collect 4 to craft: Ball Winner

「Ball Winner Trait: Improves success rate of tackles and interceptions by 20%. Enhances reading of opponent passes. Increases aggression in 50-50 challenges without raising foul risk. Particularly effective in midfield duels.」

「Current Progress: 3/4 Shards Collected」

Another trait at three out of four and Demien’s pulse quickened because he was one shard away from two major trait unlocks.

Sixth card.

Blue glow.

RARE SKILL SHARD [BALL ROLL CUT]

Collect 5 to craft: Ball Roll Cut

「Ball Roll Cut Skill: Advanced dribbling technique combining ball roll with sudden direction change. Effective for beating defenders in 1v1 situations. Creates separation quickly when executed properly. Works best at moderate speed rather than full sprint.」

「Current Progress: 1/5 Shards Collected」

Seventh card flipped.

Trait shard.

TRAIT SHARD [SPONSOR DEAL SLOT]

Collect 4 to craft: Sponsor Deal Slot

「Sponsor Deal Slot Trait: Unlocks ability to negotiate and maintain additional sponsor partnerships simultaneously. Increases commercial value by 10%. Improves leverage in contract negotiations. Opens opportunities for multi-brand endorsements.」

「Current Progress: 2/4 Shards Collected」

「RESULTS APPLIED」

Two Gold Packs down and the pulls had been solid with good progression across multiple stats and several traits sitting at three out of four shards.

"Pull Silver Pack," he said. "Use 200 TP."

「SILVER PACK SELECTED」

「Cost: 200 TP」

「200 TP CONSUMED」

「REMAINING BALANCE: 285 TP | 50 SP | 16 MP」

The silver lever appeared and when he pulled it the Silver Pack materialized and tore open cleanly before five cards flew out.

First card.

White glow.

STAMINA +2

COMMON

His lungs expanded slightly and he’d be able to maintain intensity deeper into matches.

Second card.

Orange.

SHORT PASSING +3

UNCOMMON

Third card.

White again.

SPRINT SPEED +2

COMMON

His sprint speed was climbing steadily and multiple small boosts were adding up.

Fourth card.

Trait shard.

TRAIT SHARD [SET PIECE SPECIALIST]

Collect 4 to craft: Set Piece Specialist

「Set Piece Specialist Trait: Improves accuracy and power of free kicks and corners by 15%. Enhances ability to read goalkeeper positioning. Increases curve and dip on dead ball situations. Particularly effective from 18-30 yards.」

「Current Progress: 3/4 Shards Collected」

Fifth card.

Another trait shard.

TRAIT SHARD [LONG SHOT TAKER]

Collect 4 to craft: Long Shot Taker

「Long Shot Taker Trait: Increases power and accuracy of shots from outside the box by 20%. Improves technique for dipping and curving long-range efforts. Enhances decision-making on when to shoot from distance. Particularly effective from 20-35 yards.」

「Current Progress: 2/4 Shards Collected」

「RESULTS APPLIED」

"Again," Demien said immediately. "Silver Pack. TP."

「SILVER PACK SELECTED」

「Cost: 200 TP」

「200 TP CONSUMED」

「REMAINING BALANCE: 85 TP | 50 SP | 16 MP」

The lever appeared and he pulled and the pack opened before five more cards appeared.

AGGRESSION +1 – Common

REACTIONS +2 – Uncommon

SPRINT SPEED +3 – Uncommon

TRAIT SHARD [LONG SHOT TAKER]

「Current Progress: 3/4 Shards Collected」

RARE SKILL SHARD [DRAG-BACK EXIT]

Collect 5 to craft: Drag-Back Exit

「Drag-Back Exit Skill: Deceptive dribbling technique using drag-back to create space before explosive directional change. Effective for escaping pressure in midfield. Creates shooting or passing opportunities after execution. Works best when defender commits weight forward.」

「Current Progress: 1/5 Shards Collected」

「RESULTS APPLIED」

Demien lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling for a moment while the adrenaline settled, and his mind processed everything he’d pulled because the stats were adding up across multiple categories and the trait shards were stacking closer to unlocks though he hadn’t gotten any legendary techniques yet.

Good pulls though, solid value, consistent improvement across the board.

The Diamond Pack sat there in his peripheral vision and 50 SP was exactly what he had, and he could pull it once for everything or save it but the memory of his last Diamond Pack pull surfaced because that had given him multiple legendaries and game-changing techniques.

"Nah, fuck it," he said aloud. "Let’s pull a Diamond Pack. UG."

「DIAMOND PACK SELECTED」

「Cost: 50 SP」

「50 SP CONSUMED」

「REMAINING BALANCE: 85 TP | 0 SP | 16 MP」

The diamond lever materialized and it wasn’t gold’s elegance or silver’s utility but pure luxury because the surface was crystalline and refracted light into patterns, and when Demien grabbed it the weight felt different like it was almost weightless yet somehow heavier than everything before.

He pulled.

The resistance fought back and the lever descended slowly with deliberate movement, and the mechanical sound that accompanied it was deeper and more resonant than any pack before—CLUNK-CLUNK-CLUNK—each movement ceremonial.

The Diamond Pack appeared and the packaging made Gold look cheap by comparison because the crystalline surface caught every angle of light, and when it tore open the sound was beautiful like glass chimes in perfect harmony.

Twelve cards flew out.

Not seven like Gold or five like Silver but twelve cards spinning in perfect formation before settling into an arc that stretched across his vision, and each one was face-down and glowing with potential that felt heavier than any pack before.

The first nine cards flipped simultaneously.

Blue light burst from the first:

STAMINA +5

RARE

Blue from the second:

SHORT PASSING +4

RARE

Blue from the third:

BALANCE +6

RARE

Purple erupted from the fourth and Demien’s breath caught:

AGILITY +6

EPIC

Blue from the fifth:

SHORT PASSING +4

RARE

Trait shard from the sixth:

TRAIT SHARD [CLUTCH FINISHER]

Collect 4 to craft: Clutch Finisher

「Clutch Finisher Trait: Improves finishing accuracy in high-pressure situations by 25%. Increases composure when one-on-one with goalkeeper. Enhances decision-making in critical moments. Particularly effective in matches decided by one goal.」

「Current Progress: 1/4 Shards Collected」

Trait shard from the seventh:

TRAIT SHARD [BALL WINNER]

Collect 4 to craft: Ball Winner

「Current Progress: 4/4 Shards Collected」

「TRAIT UNLOCKED: BALL WINNER」

The notification flared bright and Demien felt something shift because it wasn’t dramatic or transformative but a sharpening of instinct when challenges came.

Legendary shard from the eighth and the gold shimmer made his chest tighten:

LEGENDARY SKILL SHARD [HEADER POWER/PLACEMENT]

Collect 12 to craft: Header Power/Placement

「Header Power/Placement Legendary Skill: Elite aerial ability combining power and precision. Improves jumping timing and header accuracy by 30%. Enables better reading of cross trajectories. Increases power generation through neck and shoulder technique. Particularly effective in both defensive and attacking situations.」

「Current Progress: 1/12 Shards Collected」

Nine cards down and all of them had been solid with multiple rares and one epic and a trait unlock and a legendary shard started.

But three cards remained.

Three cards that glowed differently because pure gold light emanated from each one bright enough that Demien had to squint slightly, and the weight of potential hung in the air because golden cards in a Diamond Pack meant something special beyond normal progression.

The first golden card began to turn.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

The edge caught the light and started rotating—