The System Has Risen From The Dead Again

On July 20, after two weeks of team training, the club faced its first warm-up opponent—Cottbus.

For Werder Bremen, choosing Cottbus as the first warm-up opponent was clearly a well-considered decision.

This was a club from the 2. Bundesliga. They had briefly been promoted to the Bundesliga for two seasons but were quickly relegated due to a lack of strength.

This opponent wasn't particularly strong, roughly half a tier below Werder Bremen.

Playing against them would help the team's young players build confidence. The new season had seen too many veteran players leave, forcing the team to rely on these youngsters to carry the load.

But young players have unstable mindsets, prone to collapsing in the mid-to-late season—just like Arsenal, the Master of Securing Fourth Place, who charge like tigers in the first half of every season but flounder like dogs in the second, inexplicably falling apart.

Beyond boosting the young players' confidence, choosing a weaker opponent meant their own defensive line wouldn't face too much pressure, allowing them to focus more on offense and better test the results of their attacking tactics.

In this match, both Lin Quan and De Bruyne were included in the squad.

The difference was that De Bruyne made the starting lineup, while Lin Quan was only a substitute.

Lin Quan was perfectly at ease with this. He hadn't expected to earn a starting spot right away, given that his stamina still couldn't handle a full match.

Coming off the bench at a critical moment in the second half, taking advantage of the opponent's fatigue to break the game open, was far easier than starting and battling a fully energized opponent head-on.

"Dindin, go for it! I'm rooting for you!"

Lin Quan pumped his fist in an encouraging gesture toward De Bruyne, who nodded shyly.

The match began quickly. At Weser Stadium, 23,000 spectators showed up, leaving over half the seats empty.

That wasn't surprising. With so many veteran players gone and this being a friendly against a lower-tier team, it didn't draw much fan interest.

Once the match started, Werder Bremen quickly seized control.

Cottbus chose to retreat into their own half and play on the counterattack.

It was a pragmatic choice. Weaker teams facing stronger opponents would be foolish to recklessly charge into an open battle—they'd get torn to shreds.

Especially against a team like Werder Bremen with such strong offensive capabilities, failing to shore up the defense risked a disastrous rout that could severely damage the players' morale for the new season.

"They've chosen to defend after all!"

Assistant coach Rolf frowned, speaking with some tension.

"Yeah, as expected!"

Schaaf was calm, as if he'd anticipated the opponent's choice.

"There are too many defenders in their backline. Our ground penetration won't work; we'll have to cross from the wings, but that probably won't be effective either!"

Another assistant coach, Hennebach, was also worried. Breaking down a packed defense was a universal challenge, and he doubted whether the young lads on the pitch could handle it.

"Now we'll see if these young guys can handle the pressure and break through!"

Schaaf sat on the coaching bench, arms crossed over his chest, calmly observing the players' performance on the field.

This match and the next few warm-ups would be key references for him to determine the starting lineup for the new season.

Who had the skill, who stood out—it would become clear in real combat.

The capable rise, the weak fall. This season, Werder Bremen would firmly enforce that principle.

And even if the team couldn't break through for now, he wasn't worried. He still had a trump card to play.

With that thought, Schaaf turned his head to look at Lin Quan, sitting on the bench, watching the match with full concentration.

He was eager to see what surprises this kid, who had dribbled past so many in training, would bring him in real combat.

On the bench, Lin Quan appeared to be watching the match intently.

But if you looked closely, you'd notice his gaze wasn't focused on the field.

Yes, Lin Quan's mind had wandered.

The moment the referee blew the whistle to start the match, the dog system, silent for two months, had suddenly come back to life.

There was no [ding] sound, no abrupt task assignment.

But a perceptible module had appeared in Lin Quan's consciousness.

Curious, Lin Quan extended his awareness toward it, and the module unfolded in his mind.

Inside the module was something like an interface.

It looked like a game, and the main character seemed to be himself.

He clicked on the player stats tab, and his information popped up.

Name: Lin Quan

Age: 16 years, 153 days

Birthday: February 20, 1996

Nationality: Spain

Position: Undetermined

Club: Barca

League: Bundesliga

League Appearances: 0

National Team Appearances: 0

Current Template: Messi

The first half of the profile was nothing special, but the last line caught Lin Quan by surprise.

"Current Template" was easy enough to understand, but did its presence mean he could swap it out for other Football King templates in the future?

He posed this question to the system.

[Theoretically, yes, but practically, no. The previous Football Kings have all retired, and their abilities have declined significantly. They no longer reach the level of a Football King, so their attributes can't be replicated.]

Well, okay, that made sense. After all, how easy could it be to get a Football King template?

Having the template of Messi in his prime was already more than enough for Lin Quan.

So he turned his attention to the other features on the interface.

Besides the player profile, there were two other modules.

One was a Quest Module, and the other was a System Shop.

This system is way too lazy, he thought. Just these three things, and it still calls itself the Football King System?

Still, curiosity got the better of him, and he tapped on the Quest Module, finding an unread quest notification inside.

When he opened it, a system quest popped up:

[Quest Introduction: A Football King isn't born in a day, just like Rome wasn't built in a day. They grow through match after match, fight after fight. And you are about to take the first step in your professional career!]

[Quest Requirements: Appear in the match between Werder Bremen and Cottbus, lead the team to victory, and earn 1 Point for completing the quest!]

According to the system's explanation, Points were the key to unlocking the System Shop.

Accumulate enough Points, and the System Shop would open.

Not only that, but Points were also the currency for buying items and equipment in the System Shop.

And Points could only be earned by completing system quests and winning matches.

At first, Lin Quan didn't think much of it. With Messi's template already in hand, why would he need anything else?

What could possibly be better than Messi's template?

So even without the junk in the System Shop, he was confident he could become the next Football King.

But after browsing the System Shop, Lin Quan had to admit: it was too good to pass up!

Not to mention the talents on offer—Injury Immunity, Top Prediction, Never Tire, Big Heart, Mr. Clutch—they were all incredibly tempting!