— "Gabi! The bread is warm! If you don't get up now, you'll eat it cold!" — Eliena's voice echoed from the kitchen, sweet but firm, the tone of someone who's raised many children.
Gabriel woke up with his heart racing, sweat dripping from his forehead, as if he had just run a marathon. The small room, with greenish walls and soft morning light filtering through the curtains, felt like a scene pulled straight from the past.
He sat up slowly. His hands were small. His bare feet touched the cold floor. Everything felt... off.
'This can't be real...'
Timid steps took him to the door. As he opened it, he saw Eliena smiling warmly. The middle-aged woman bent down to fix his shirt collar.
— "Good morning, my angel. Did you sleep well?"
— "Yeah… I did..." — he replied, almost on autopilot, his eyes scanning every detail of what looked like a dream.
In the kitchen, the smell of fresh coffee, toasted bread, and heated milk filled the air. Gabriel sat at the table, hypnotized by the living nostalgia.
Moments later, a familiar figure walked down the hallway: Camila, his sister, five years older, already dressed for school with a backpack slung over her shoulder and a grin on her face.
— "Gabi, finally awake, huh? Gonna stay here eating while I face that boring teacher alone?" — she teased, kissing the top of his head before rushing out the door.
His smile was faint, almost hidden. But inside, his mind was spinning.
As he finished breakfast, the voice returned — cold, mechanical, impossible to ignore:
[Ego System active. Initializing data transmission.][Attention, player: Ego System glossary unlocked.]
["Since you love anime and manga, this might seem familiar. But make no mistake… this is real. And far more brutal."]
[Term: Weapons — Unique talents, either innate or learned through extreme difficulty. They shape a player's playstyle. You currently have two starting weapons:— Instinctive Dribble (Rank E – Level 1)— Meta Vision (Rank E – Level 1)**]
[Term: Skills — Learned abilities similar to weapons. Result from intense training, effort, and personal development. Example: Direct Shot, Kaiser Impact. Like weapons, they are directly linked to your attributes.]
[Term: Attributes —• Speed• Endurance (stamina and injury resistance)• IQ (game intelligence)• Strength (kicking power, physical impact)• Dexterity (dribbling, passing, precision, flexibility)Weapons and skills evolve according to your attributes. Train to improve.]
[Proficiency System —Ranks: E, D, C, B, A, SLevels: 1 to 10 within each rank.]
[Term: Ego — The core of your existence in this world. It's your drive to win, your pride, your refusal to be average. Ego shapes your mindset. Feed it or fade away.]
Gabriel felt a chill run down his spine. This was no longer fiction.
'So… I've been reincarnated. And given this…'
["And before you ask… yes, there are special weapons only obtainable through the system. But… they're rare. You'll need to win. Accumulate victory points. Survive gacha draws. They don't come for free."]
He closed his eyes for a moment.
'If this is my game... I'll play it to the end.'