Ridgegate.
The name had weight — enough to squeeze nerves and steal sleep. As Leon tightened his boots in the tunnel, the murmurs in the stadium swelled behind the concrete. He tuned it out. All of it.
He tapped his temple twice.
A cool flicker of light flashed across his eyes. PlaySight booted up in a ripple of blue.
Player: Leon Vale
Level: 2
EXP: 115 / 200
Skill Progress: Agile Step – 74%
Condition: Optimal
Stats:
Dribbling: 48
Passing: 56
Shooting: 42
Vision: 14
Mental: 43
Speed: 49
Stamina: 47
Active Systems:
— Minimap: Basic Mode (Spatial radius: 10m | Update Delay: 1.2s)
— Agile Step [incomplete]
— Legacy Echo [passive]
The minimap hovered in the corner of his vision — a soft ring showing colored pings of players within ten meters. Teammates in green. Opponents in red. It was slow, and sometimes lagged by a second, but it helped.
Kael jogged by, glancing at him.
"Don't trip over your GPS, rookie."
Leon didn't respond. He didn't need to.
This match was more than just competition. It was a test of awareness.
Kickoff
Ridgegate's press hit immediately — hard, aggressive, unrelenting. Their midfield operated like gears in a machine, turning and closing gaps within seconds.
Leon activated his minimap in pulses — letting it sync every few seconds to avoid overload. It was subtle, but helpful. A flash told him when a passing lane was closing. Another showed a defender drifting behind him.
In the 14th minute, under pressure, the ball came to Leon near the right touchline. His vision blurred for a microsecond, then sharpened.
A faint ghost flicker trailed across the grass — a legacy echo path, passive, like a ghost's idea of a pass.
He trusted it.
Leon chipped the ball gently over Ridgegate's fullback, into space.
Kael, already sprinting, caught up to it.
The crowd gasped — the pass looked lucky. It wasn't.
Kael cut it in. No goal. But the tension shifted.
Ridgegate had seen something they didn't expect.
+6 EXP
+1% Agile Step Progress
Passive Echo Assist Recognized
EXP: 121 / 200
Agile Step: 75%
Leon's heart thudded harder than his sprint had earned. The pass had felt like his own — but guided. The system was still evolving.
His minimap pinged again — a red dot flared near his shoulder.
He sidestepped, just before a tackle came in.
Kael turned from downfield and stared.
"You saw that coming?"
Leon just nodded, breath steady.
Halftime
The locker room buzzed with adrenaline and irritation. The score was still 0–0, but Ridgegate had come close twice. The team's legs were wearing down.
Coach Davor paced quietly while the others hydrated. His eyes swept across the bench — and landed on Leon.
"You're not rushing," he said, voice low. "You're… absorbing."
Leon didn't answer. He didn't lie either.
Coach stepped closer. "Either you've studied every Ridgegate match from the past two years or you've got something in that head of yours no one else does."
Still, Leon said nothing. But inside, he felt it.
Coach was beginning to notice.
Second Half
Kael and Leon swapped flanks. It was Coach's decision — one that confused the Ridgegate defense just enough.
In the 62nd minute, Ridgegate finally broke through. A long diagonal pass, one touch, and a chipped finish.
0–1.
The home crowd went quiet.
Then something inside Leon's interface blinked. A soft orange lock.
System Hint:
Minimap: Tactical Mode Detected (Locked)
Unlock Conditions:
— Mental ≥ 50
— Tactical Overlay Sync ≥ 20%
His minimap shimmered momentarily, then returned to normal. Just 10 meters. Just a ring.
There's more, Leon thought. I just can't reach it yet.
The match pressed on.
In the 70th minute, Ridgegate overcommitted. Leon received the ball near midfield. His minimap blinked green on his left — Theo. Red dot closing behind.
Leon tapped and burst forward, using Agile Step patterns — not yet system-activated, but practiced through hours of motion drills.
He shifted weight.
A body feint. A sidestep.
Two players bypassed.
Ball slipped to Theo, then whipped across the box.
Kael.
Volley. Goal.
1–1.
+12 EXP
+2% Agile Step Progress
+1 Vision
Minimap Assist Recognized
Echo Path Registered
Kael didn't celebrate. He just jogged past Leon and muttered:
"You're not guessing anymore. You're reading."
Leon replied, "And you're finally shooting."
Kael gave a half-smile and sprinted back to position.
EXP: 133 / 200
Agile Step: 77%
Final Whistle
The match ended in a draw, but it felt like a win. Ridgegate had been tested, hard.
Coach Davor didn't speak much in the debrief. He just nodded toward Leon once, then to Kael.
That was all the praise he gave.
And it was enough.
That Night
The room was dark, lit only by the cool glow of PlaySight floating in front of Leon.
Player: Leon Vale
Level: 2
EXP: 135 / 200
Skill Progress: Agile Step – 78%
Stats:
Dribbling: 47
Passing: 57 (+1)
Shooting: 42
Vision: 15 (+1)
Mental: 43
Speed: 50 (+1)
Stamina: 48 (+1)
Minimap: Basic Mode (Active)
Tactical Upgrade: Locked
Echo Residue: Stable (ZANE-003)
He tapped on the tactical lock prompt again, reviewing the conditions.
Tactical Upgrade Unavailable.
Suggestion: Develop Mental stat + System Stability.
Leon closed the tab and opened Zane's legacy file.
Still just flickers. Still passive.
But every match, the shadows lingered less. They were becoming… echoes.
A path. A whisper.
A warning.
He stared at the numbers on the interface. He wasn't there yet.
But he was moving.
Step by step.
And the next one was close.