Chapter 39: Chapter 38: Fiorentina U23 vs Atalanta U23 [V]
Gabbrielli reacted in panic as the ball fell toward him while he backpedaled frantically, and his clearance attempt came rushed and off-balance as his right foot swung through, and instead of sending the ball to safety, he struck it directly toward where Demien had continued his run.
The ball rolled toward Demien twenty-five yards from goal, and time seemed to slow as every option crystallized in his mind with perfect clarity, and his long shot stat of 66 combined with David Drinkwater’s thirty-seven years of experience told him exactly what to do.
Demien’s right foot connected with the ball as his leg swung through with full power, and the strike was clean and pure as the ball rocketed off his boot with pace that made the air whistle, and the trajectory stayed low and hard as it flew toward the bottom left corner.
Battistini was still on the ground from his earlier save when he saw the shot coming, and his body couldn’t react fast enough as he tried to push himself up while the ball screamed past him, and his outstretched hand was still three feet away when the ball struck the inside of the post before bouncing into the net.
GOAL!
Fiorentina 1-1 Atalanta (43’)
The stadium exploded with noise as Atalanta’s supporters leaped from their seats with arms raised while their screams mixed with groans from Fiorentina’s fans, and Demien sprinted toward the corner flag with his arms spread wide as pure joy flooded through every cell in his body.
He reached the flag and dropped to his knees before pulling his jersey forward and kissing the Atalanta badge with both eyes closed, and the symbolism wasn’t lost on anyone watching as the boy rejected by Fiorentina celebrated equalizing against them while wearing another club’s colors.
His teammates swarmed him in seconds as Luca arrived first and jumped on his back while Riccardo grabbed his head and screamed something incomprehensible, and Costa, Parisi, and Di Luca piled on as the celebration became a mass of blue jerseys and pure elation.
Fweeeeee! Fweeeee! Fweeeeee!
The referee’s whistle cut through the celebration as he signaled for halftime, and the timing was perfect as Demien’s goal had come in the final seconds of the first forty-five minutes.
On the touchline, Coach Rossi clapped his hands above his head as his face showed satisfaction mixed with relief, and the substitutes on Atalanta’s bench were on their feet applauding while several coaches exchanged excited words about what they’d just witnessed.
"That’s what I’m talking about!" Rossi shouted toward the pitch as his players began jogging toward the tunnel, and he clapped twice more before turning to follow them while his assistant practically bounced beside him with enthusiasm.
In the directors’ box, Gasperini stood up slowly as his expression had shifted from entertainment to serious calculation, and he turned to his assistant before speaking in a measured tone that carried weight.
"Call the director of football," Gasperini said while his eyes never left Demien’s retreating form on the pitch below, and he continued, "Tell him I want to offer Walter a first team contract after today’s match."
His assistant pulled out his phone immediately while nodding, and Gasperini kept talking as the ideas crystallized.
"I’ve seen enough," Gasperini said while crossing his arms, and he added, "That Marseille Roulette on their number ten, that vision to find the striker, that long shot under pressure—that’s not U23 quality, that’s professional."
"And Bianchi?" his assistant asked while the phone rang in his ear.
"Give him a contract too," Gasperini decided after a moment, and he continued, "But put him on loan immediately, he needs first team playing time somewhere, and our wing positions are too competitive right now."
The assistant nodded while beginning to speak into the phone, and Gasperini added one more thing before sitting back down.
"And Moretti," he said while pointing at the center-back walking off the pitch, and he finished, "Move him up to the first team, that defensive awareness is too good for U23 level."
His assistant repeated the instructions into the phone while Gasperini settled back into his seat and opened his notepad to write observations that would shape contracts and careers.
Demien walked through the tunnel toward the dressing room with his teammates’ voices echoing off the concrete walls around him, and the adrenaline from the goal still coursed through his veins as his hands trembled slightly with residual energy.
The system chimed softly in his head.
「MISSION UPDATE」
「Mission Name: Proving Fiorentina Wrong」
「Objectives:」 ・Score at least 1 goal ✓ COMPLETE ・Complete at least 5 accurate passes ✓ COMPLETE (14 accurate passes)
「Base Rewards:」 ・4 SP ・100 TP
「Victory Bonus: PENDING」 ・+30 SP ・+300 TP ・(Will be awarded if Atalanta U23 wins the match)
「Mission Status: Objectives Complete | Victory Bonus Available」
Demien’s smile widened as he processed the notification, and before he could dismiss the panel, another chime rang out.
「INCOMING CONTRIBUTION」
「BallisticBunny has sent 3 Golden Tickets to Ultimate Gacha System」
Another chime followed immediately.
「Jaden_Zeke_Monis has sent 4 Golden Tickets to Ultimate Gacha System」
A third chime.
「mud104 has sent 1 Golden Ticket to Ultimate Gacha System」
Demien slowed his walk as warmth spread through his chest, and he spoke quietly while other players moved past him in the tunnel.
"Thank you," he said to the air around him while his voice carried genuine gratitude, and he continued, "BallisticBunny, Jaden, mud—thank you for supporting me even after that rough start in the first half."
The panel updated with calculations.
「Total Golden Tickets Received: 8」 「Total Golden Tickets Accumulated: 10」 「Rewards Calculated: 20 TP + 4 SP (10 Golden Tickets)」
「New Balance: 119 TP | 6 SP | 0 MP」
Before Demien could process the numbers, another series of chimes rang out in rapid succession.
「INCOMING CONTRIBUTIONS」
「Jaden_Zeke_Monis has sent 3 Power Stones to Ultimate Gacha System」
「mud104 has sent 3 Power Stones to Ultimate Gacha System」
「Enzyx11 has sent 3 Power Stones to Ultimate Gacha System」
「Owen_Satrijo has sent 1 Power Stone to Ultimate Gacha System」
「Deathlessgod has sent 3 Power Stones to Ultimate Gacha System」
「miguel_jeann has sent 1 Power Stone to Ultimate Gacha System」
「miguel_jeann has sent 1 Power Stone to Ultimate Gacha System」
「BallisticBunny has sent 3 Power Stones to Ultimate Gacha System」
「mud104 has sent 3 Power Stones to Ultimate Gacha System」
「HikenAce has sent 1 Power Stone to Ultimate Gacha System」
「Royale7000 has sent 1 Power Stone to Ultimate Gacha System」
「Owen_Satrijo has sent 1 Power Stone to Ultimate Gacha System」
「Anonymous Reader has sent 3 Power Stones to Ultimate Gacha System」
Demien stopped walking completely as the notifications kept coming, and his eyes widened as he whispered, "Damn, author, what did you do to make these guys support me like this?"
He paused and smiled while speaking quietly to the system, and he continued, "But seriously, thank you to everyone reading this and supporting me with Golden Tickets and Power Stones, it means everything, and I promise I’ll keep working hard to make this journey worth following."
"What?" Luca’s voice came from beside him as his roommate had stopped when he noticed Demien standing still, and Luca’s expression showed confusion as he asked, "What are you talking about? Who’s the author?"