Football Card System

When Gao Bo returned to his apartment, it was already midnight.

After their big win, the coaching staff celebrated at a bar near the stadium, drinking heavily in high spirits. Even Haruko, the beautiful Japanese team doctor, had flushed cheeks from the alcohol.

Gao Bo rubbed his face, stiffened by the chilly night breeze, as he took out his key and unlocked the gate to the yard.

"Hey... boy!"

Gao Bo jumped. The yard lights were off, and Old Sol was sitting on a bench in the middle of the yard.

"What's up with you, Uncle Sol?" Gao Bo asked nervously. Even though nothing had happened between him and Miss Roy, he always felt a bit guilty when facing Old Sol.

"Come over and have a drink!"

It was only then that Gao Bo noticed several empty bottles at Old Sol's feet. The old man had clearly been drinking quite a bit on his own.

"This late?"

"Stop your nonsense!" Old Sol raised an eyebrow.

Gao Bo muttered under his breath about how the daughter took after the father and walked over. Old Sol grabbed a glass, filled it with whiskey, and handed it to him.

"I haven't seen the team play this well in a long time," Old Sol said, his voice slurred.

Gao Bo sat down on the bench, resigning himself to the fact that he'd be listening to an old man ramble in the middle of the night.

"You'll see it often in the future..." Gao Bo replied, raising his glass and taking a sip.

"I believe you're a good coach," Old Sol said. "Those boos today were because of the twisted reports from those hateful media outlets..."

"I know." Gao Bo didn't care much. He saw Luton as a stepping stone in his career—a platform to achieve something significant. What the fans thought didn't concern him too much.

"That's good," Old Sol said, easily convinced. "If I can see games like that every week... I'd have no problem with you and Roy." He winked at Gao Bo.

Gao Bo didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Miss Roy and I don't have the kind of relationship you think..."

"Come on," Old Sol scoffed, taking another swig from the bottle. "My daughter's so beautiful, you're not tempted?"

"Hah... she is beautiful," Gao Bo admitted, leaning back on the bench and taking another sip from his glass.

---

When Gao Bo woke up the next morning, his temples throbbed with a dull ache. Though he was usually a good drinker, last night's celebrations at the bar, followed by drinking with Old Sol, had taken their toll. He'd barely made it to his bed before passing out.

Glancing at the clock on the bedside table, he saw it was past nine in the morning.

He sat up, staying on the bed for a while. After a win, Gao Bo typically gave the team a day off. If they had lost, however, the players would definitely be feeling his wrath today.

After sitting idly for a few moments, he remembered something: he hadn't checked the football card system since the win.

A light curtain appeared out of thin air, but Gao Bo was used to it by now. He was a pragmatist—so long as the system benefited him, he didn't care about its origins or principles.

"Congratulations on winning the first official game of your career! You've earned 300 experience points and a chance to draw a card!"

The familiar syrupy voice sent shivers down Gao Bo's spine.

"Can you change that voice?" he asked.

"Okay!" The voice switched to a mechanical tone, like that of a robot.

Finally, Gao Bo felt normal again.

He opened his attribute panel. After the win, his stats remained unchanged except for the experience bar:

Level 1: 300/3000

It seemed each win in the second division was worth 300 experience points. Ten wins would get him to the next level.

"What are the benefits of leveling up?" Gao Bo wondered aloud.

"You can unlock an additional card slot," the system replied.

The fact that the system could read his thoughts was unsettling, but Gao Bo couldn't do anything about it. Still, unlocking an extra card slot was enticing. After seeing the effects of his current cards, he was eager to draw more.

"I get one draw, right? Does that mean I can save it for two draws?"

"Yes," the system confirmed.

"You can also use two lottery chances to exchange for a white card exchange coupon," it added.

"A white card exchange coupon?" Gao Bo was intrigued.

"With the coupon, you can select a specific card instead of relying on random draws."

That piqued Gao Bo's interest. "Can I see the cards available for exchange?"

"Of course!"

The interface flashed, showing the available cards. Gao Bo first opened the purple card section, curious about the highest-level cards.

When he saw the first card, his jaw dropped.

Player Card (Maradona): Grants a designated player all the attributes of Maradona at his peak for 90 minutes. Can be used ten times with a one-week cooldown.

A team with Maradona at his peak?! Gao Bo couldn't help but imagine the possibilities.

He scrolled through more purple cards, seeing similar options for legendary players like Ronaldo, Messi, Zidane, Maldini, and even Beckenbauer.

Aside from player cards, there were team-enhancing cards like:

"Passing success rate +15%"

"Shot save probability -15%"

"Team stamina +20%"

Gao Bo was awestruck. It was no wonder purple cards were so rare—they were practically game-changers.

He then turned to the white cards, which mainly focused on individual player attributes, like boosting headers or long-range shooting by 5%.

Though tempted to exchange his lottery chances for a white card, Gao Bo hesitated. Advanced cards seemed much more worthwhile.

"How can I get higher-level cards?" he asked.

"By exchanging lottery chances," the system explained. "A yellow card requires four lottery chances, a green card requires sixteen, and so on."

Gao Bo did some quick mental math and nearly fainted when he realized how many chances it would take to get a blue or purple card.

"Don't panic," the system reassured him. "You can also earn cards by completing missions!"

The mission interface popped up.

Main Mission: Save Luton!

Relegate Luton successfully: 3,000 experience, a green card exchange coupon, and 10 lottery chances.

Promote Luton to a higher league: 5,000 experience, a blue card exchange coupon, and 10 lottery chances.

Win the Second Division Championship: 8,000 experience, an orange card exchange coupon, and 100 lottery chances!

Gao Bo's eyes lit up. "I have to win the championship!" he thought.

For those rewards, he decided, it was worth dedicating himself fully to the challenge.