Chapter 803: Familiar Place

[Warning! Warning!]

[The host’s condition is deteriorating.]

He could hear it. The notification in his ears. But he couldn’t bring himself to respond.

Despite his inattention, the screen continued to flicker.

[Immediate medical examination recommended.]

Even as the system continued to blast one notification after the other, he tried to focus.

System...

He forced himself to command the system.

[Unable to provide definitive diagnosis.]

Hiro’s brow twitched as those words rang in his ears. This wasn’t the kind of response he wanted to hear.

[External medical assessment required.]

For the first time since obtaining the system, Hiro felt something he hadn’t experienced in a very long time.

Helplessness.

The system had always been there.

Whenever he lacked information, it gave him answers.

Whenever he needed guidance, it showed him the path.

But now...

It couldn’t tell him what was wrong. It couldn’t tell him whether he’d return. It couldn’t promise him anything.

Despite its presence, the system felt absent.

He closed his eyes, and darkness enveloped him. The light of the stadium faded into the distant horizon.

He stared into the darkness behind his eyelids.

Then a single thought surfaced in his mind.

What if...

He tried to reject the thought. He couldn’t bring himself to accept it.

Don’t think about it.

Despite his resistance, another thought seeped into his mind.

What if I can’t play anymore?

His heart tightened at the thought. He had once been in this place, this same condition. He had experienced it before.

He thought he had forgotten the feeling.

But now, as he remained there motionless, writhing in pain, the same feeling he once felt crept into his heart.

This feeling of helplessness.

The darkness.

The despair.

He didn’t want to go through it again.

"No..." The word escaped his lips.

The medic immediately leaned closer, concerned. Frowning, he stared at him.

"Hiro?"

He called out.

He could see the suffering he was going through. Even without putting it in words, he could tell that he must be under great distress.

His condition didn’t look fine to begin with.

The paling complexion, the expression twisted in pain, and the groans that escaped his lips.

Hiro didn’t respond.

He couldn’t hear him either. The words fell on his deaf ears.

The sight of the stadium had now vanished. Even the sight of his teammates was fading, almost as if all of it were a dream.

He was seeing a future without football.

The same despair he had endured once.

The darkness.

The lifeless apartment.

The listless life he lived.

Those memories washed over him like a tidal wave, drowning him in the depth of despair.

His chest tightened.

No—

He tried to reject it. But he couldn’t bring himself to reject those thoughts. For a moment, it felt as if his world was crumbling before his own eyes.

Like whatever he had built up to this moment was reducing to dust.

Just like it had been before.

This time, he thought he had changed the outcome. This time, he expected it to be different.

It was supposed to be different.

This life... This moment.

It was supposed to be his time to shine.

Yet, right now, the same outcome had followed him.

His fingers curled into a fist as he thought about those memories. The image of his past self flickered as he thought of those moments.

He hated his past self.

No...

The knot in his chest continued to tighten.

That can’t be—

He cried out.

Football had been more than a career.

Had it been just a career, he would accept this outcome without further protest. He had achieved enough in his age after all.

He had achieved something that might not be replicated again.

He had won the Champions League.

He had won the Golden Ball.

He had lifted the La Liga and the Copa Del Rey.

Just these achievements alone were enough to cement his legacy in the world of football.

He had achieved more than in his previous life.

Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to part from the sport.

Football meant more to him than just a career. It was his life, his lifelong obsession. There was still more to achieve.

It was his identity.

His reason for waking up in the morning, and the thought of losing it was more frightening than the pain itself.

The stretcher passed through the tunnel.

He still appeared to be suffering.

The medics grew more concerned as the time passed.

Soon enough, the noise faded behind the concrete walls, and the world around him got eerily silent.

The silence, however, wasn’t calming at all.

He could hear his own heartbeat.

Rather, the silence was nerve-wracking. The silence gnawed at his suffering, mocking him for his efforts to cling to the little bit of hope he held.

Back on the pitch, the game continued as if nothing had happened.

The game returned to normal.

Though some people still talked about the incident, most people just became occupied with the match unfolding on the pitch.

On the sidelines, Diego stood with his arms folded.

"Move up." He barked orders.

Before, he remained poised and didn’t get involved much in the game. He trusted his players to do his bidding, refraining from participating in the match.

But now, something has shifted.

The players seated behind him couldn’t help but steal glances at him. But none of them said a thing.

"Higher."

His voice continued to resonate in the stadium.

"With a player down, do you think the Vikings can stop the Champions?" One of the commentators asked.

The other rolled his eyes down to look at his microphone before facing the screen.

"It’s going to be difficult. But the Champions now look more ruthless than ever. Perhaps the earlier incident has triggered something inside them, and now the entire team just wants revenge."

On the pitch, Guiliano moved into the space Hiro once occupied. He received the ball, his composure intact.

For half a second, he hesitated before he passed the ball.

Had it been Hiro, he would have attempted a breakthrough.

But he wasn’t Hiro.