CHAPTER 149: CHAPTER 144: LEGENDARY PULL I

Monday, September 9th, 2022

Demien’s Apartment, Bergamo

5:23 PM

The first golden card completed its rotation and the light shifted from gold to something brighter, something that made the air in Demien’s apartment feel different, and when the card face finally revealed itself the glow was pure diamond—not gold, not purple, not blue, but crystalline white light that pulsed with intensity.

PAUL POGBA — LONG SWITCH FLAIR

LEGENDARY

The text appeared first and then expanded with details that scrolled across the panel:

「Long Switch Flair: Elite long-range passing combined with artistic flair and playmaking vision. Enables deadly cross-field switches, creative trajectories, and instant tempo shifts that destabilize defenses. Transforms the player into a deep-lying creative weapon capable of launching attacks from anywhere on the pitch with signature elegance and swagger.」

Demien’s hands went to his head and his fingers dug into his hair because this was Pogba’s technique, the same cross-field switches that had destroyed teams across Europe, those forty-yard diagonal passes that bent physics and created chances from nothing, and suddenly his chest felt tight with something between disbelief and pure euphoria.

"No way," he whispered, and his voice cracked slightly. "No fucking way."

The legendary technique settled into his consciousness and it wasn’t just information or muscle memory but understanding that went deeper, like his brain had suddenly rewired to see the pitch differently, to recognize spaces and angles that hadn’t existed before, and when he closed his eyes he could feel it—that instinct to hit the switch, to launch the ball sixty yards with perfect weight and trajectory.

His Long Passing was already 80 after the pack pulls but this technique would elevate it beyond just numbers, would add artistry to accuracy, would let him play passes that defenders couldn’t predict because the angles were too creative and the execution too elegant.

The second golden card began to turn.

Demien’s heart hammered against his ribs and his breath came shallow because one legendary was incredible, two would be impossible, yet the card was rotating with that same deliberate movement and the light emanating from it was the same diamond-white glow.

The card flipped.

N’GOLO KANTÉ — EVERYWHERE AT ONCE

LEGENDARY

「Everywhere at Once: Terrifying defensive dominance combined with unmatched work rate. Provides instant coverage of large areas, elite ball-winning capability, stamina boost, rapid reactions, and a presence that suffocates opponents. Transforms the player into a mobile defensive wall capable of doing the work of two midfielders simultaneously.」

"Oh my God," Demien said, and the words came out strangled because his mind was racing back to the friendly match Atalanta had played against Chelsea during pre-season where he’d watched Kanté cover every blade of grass at Stamford Bridge, and it had seemed impossible how one player could be everywhere at once—cutting out passes, winning tackles, appearing in defensive positions before attacks even developed.

"It’s really happening," he continued, and his voice rose with excitement. "I’ve always wondered how N’Golo always did this when we played that friendly against Chelsea, how he was just everywhere all the time, shutting down everything, but I can’t believe the system actually gave me the skill."

The technique integrated immediately and Demien felt his defensive awareness expand like his mental map of the pitch had suddenly grown, and reading opponent movements became clearer, anticipating where the ball would go felt instinctive, and somewhere deep in his muscles his stamina reserves deepened because Kanté’s engine was legendary for a reason.

His Interceptions had jumped to 70 from the pack pulls but this technique would make him a nightmare to play against in midfield, would let him cover spaces that normally required two players, would turn him into the kind of defensive presence that coaches built systems around.

The third golden card sat there still face-down and glowing with that same diamond-white light.

Normally the last card in any pack was common or maybe rare if luck was good, but Demien’s luck today had already broken every expectation, and the card was glowing too bright to be anything less than extraordinary.

The God of luck is on my side today, he thought, and somewhere in the back of his mind a small voice added, the readers’ luck too.

[Author’s Note: If you’re wondering how I determine the gacha pulls for skills and stats—I actually created a small website that simulates the gacha system with proper RNG. Every pull in this story is generated through that system, so Demien’s luck (good or bad) is genuinely random.]

The third card began to turn and Demien leaned forward on the bed until he was sitting up completely, and his eyes locked onto the rotating card while his pulse thundered in his ears because three legendaries in one pack would be insane, would be the kind of luck that defied probability.

The card flipped.

CLAUDIO MARCHISIO — BALANCED ENGINE

LEGENDARY

The system chimed and additional text appeared:

「Balanced Engine: Complete all-round midfielder enhancement. Improves positioning, dual-phase efficiency, stamina conservation, transitional intelligence, and polished passing. Transforms the player into a versatile, intelligent, hard-working midfield general capable of excelling in both defensive and attacking phases.」

Demien exhaled slowly and the breath came out shaky because Marchisio had been the perfect box-to-box midfielder during Juventus’s golden years, the player who could defend like a destroyer and create like a playmaker, and now that understanding was settling into his consciousness alongside Pogba’s creativity and Kanté’s defensive dominance.

Three legendary techniques in one Diamond Pack.

The probability had to be astronomical but the evidence was right there on the panel, three legendary player signatures that would fundamentally change how he played football, and suddenly Napoli this weekend felt less like an impossible challenge and more like an opportunity to show what he’d become.

I’m going to Napoli to show a new me, he thought, and determination settled over the euphoria. Can’t wait.

The system chimed three more times in quick succession as the legendary techniques fully integrated, and then the familiar updating sequence began:

「LEGENDARY TECHNIQUES ACQUIRED」

「APPLYING STAT ADJUSTMENTS」

「UPDATING PLAYER PROFILE」