Michael Sterling stood on the balcony of his office, wrapped in a thick coat, watching the morning session.

Down below, the fog was swirling around the players, making them look like ghosts in red bibs.

"He is fast, Boss," Arthur Milton said, standing next to him with a steaming mug of Bovril. "He is very, very fast."

They were watching Isaiah King.

The new signing from London had only been at the club for three days, but he had already changed the energy of the training ground.

He sprinted. He did step overs. He did nutmegs. He played like he was on a concrete cage in South London, not a muddy field in Barnsley.

On the pitch, Isaiah received the ball. Shaun Higgins, The Butcher, was marking him.

Usually, young players were terrified of Higgins. They passed the ball away immediately to avoid being crushed.

Isaiah did not pass. He stopped. He put his foot on the ball. He looked at Higgins, who was twice his size.

Isaiah smirked.

He dropped his shoulder, feinted left, and then exploded right. His acceleration was frightening. He was gone before Higgins could even turn his massive frame.

"Goal!" Isaiah screamed, smashing the ball into the bottom corner past Sam Jones.

Isaiah ran away celebrating like he had won the World Cup, sliding on his knees in the mud.

Higgins stood there, hands on his hips, looking confused. Then, a slow, scary grin spread across his face.

"He has guts," Arthur chuckled. "Higgins is going to enjoy breaking him in."

"Look at Kai," Michael said, pointing to the center circle.

Kai Sora, the Bouncer, was watching Isaiah's celebration with a look of mild annoyance. Kai hated unnecessary running. He hated chaos. And Isaiah King was pure chaos.

Kai walked over to Isaiah, who was wiping mud off his tracksuit.

"You run too much," Kai said, his voice lazy and flat. "It makes me tired just looking at you."

Isaiah looked up, grinning. "It is called speed, old man. You should try it sometime."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "I do not need speed. The ball is faster than you."

"Prove it," Isaiah challenged.

Kai sighed. He really did not want to prove it. He wanted to go inside and eat toast. But the squad was watching. The new kid was challenging the hierarchy.

Kai picked up a ball. "Run," he said. "Run to the corner flag."

Isaiah frowned, but he took off sprinting. He was a blur.

Kai dropped the ball. He didn't run. He didn't even look like he was trying. He just swung his leg.

THUMP!

It was a sixty yard pass. It didn't rise high. It was a laser. It flew through the air, cutting through the wind.

Isaiah was fast. But the ball was faster.

The ball landed exactly on the corner spot, spinning backward to a halt, three seconds before Isaiah arrived there breathless.

Isaiah stared at the ball. He looked back at Kai.

Kai was already walking toward the canteen. "Too slow," Kai called back without turning around. "Try harder next time."

Michael laughed out loud on the balcony. "The dynamic is changing, Arthur. Isaiah is pushing them. And Kai is actually trying just to prove he doesn't have to try."

"Iron sharpens iron," Arthur nodded. "Or in this case, chaos sharpens genius."

The next four weeks were a blur of mud, sweat, and Championship violence.

Week 1: Barnsley vs. Cardiff City

Cardiff were giants. They played long balls. They tackled hard. They tried to bully the Barnsley kids.

It was 0 to 0 in the 70th minute. The game was ugly. It was a war of attrition.

Michael looked at his bench. He saw Isaiah King bouncing his leg nervously.

"Isaiah," Michael said. "You want to play?"

Isaiah jumped up so fast he almost tripped. "Yes, Boss!"

"Go on," Michael said. "They are tired. You are fresh. Run at them. Make them dizzy."

Isaiah ran onto the pitch. The Cardiff defenders looked at him and laughed. He looked like a mascot.

Ten minutes later, they were not laughing.

Isaiah picked up the ball on the wing. The Cardiff fullback, a man with a beard like a Viking, tried to smash him. Isaiah didn't just beat him; he humiliated him. He rolled the ball through the Viking's legs and sprinted into the box.

He squared it to Danny Fletcher.

Danny scored. 1 to 0.

Barnsley won.

After the game, the System pinged.

[ISAIAH KING: SUCCESSFUL DEBUT]

[CONFIDENCE: HIGH]

[CURRENT ABILITY: 64 -> 65]

Week 3: Barnsley vs. Ipswich Town

Ipswich were good. They passed the ball well. They pulled Barnsley apart in the first half. It was 2 to 0 to Ipswich at halftime.

The locker room was quiet. Heads were down.

"We are losing because we are scared!" Michael shouted. "We are respecting them too much!"

He looked at Kai. Kai was sitting quietly, staring at his boots.

"Kai," Michael said. "They are dominating the midfield. Are you going to let them own your house?"

Kai looked up. His eyes were not bored. They were annoyed.

"No," Kai said.

In the second half, Kai Sora evolved.

He stopped walking. He started jogging. For Kai, jogging was the equivalent of a full sprint for anyone else.

He demanded the ball. Every time Ipswich tried to pass, Kai was there. He intercepted passes. He dictated the tempo.

He found Isaiah with a no look pass. Isaiah scored. 2 to 1.

Then Kai found Danny. Danny scored. 2 to 2.

It ended in a draw, but it felt like a win.

That night, Michael sat in his office. The blue screen appeared.

[PLAYER EVOLUTION DETECTED]

[KAI SORA]

[ATTRIBUTE INCREASE: LEADERSHIP +2]

[ATTRIBUTE INCREASE: WORK RATE +1]

[NOTE: THE SUBJECT IS BEGINNING TO CARE.]

Michael smiled. "He is beginning to care." That was the most important stat of all.

Week 4: The Halloween Massacre

It was the last game of October. Barnsley vs. West Bromwich Albion.

West Brom were third in the league. They were favorites for promotion. They came to the Fortress expecting an easy win against the surprise package.

But something had happened to the Barnsley squad over the last month. The grueling schedule, the mud, the fights in training... it had bonded them.

Isaiah King wasn't the new kid anymore. He was the little brother that everyone protected.

In the 20th minute, a West Brom defender put in a nasty tackle on Isaiah. It was late. It was dangerous. Isaiah rolled on the grass, clutching his ankle.

Before the referee could even blow the whistle, a shadow fell over the West Brom defender.

Shaun Higgins.

The Butcher grabbed the defender by the shirt. He lifted him onto his tiptoes.

"You touch him again," Higgins snarled, nose to nose with the terrified opponent, "and I will turn you into a pretzel."

Sam Jones sprinted forty yards to join the argument. Jamie Weston pushed another West Brom player. Even Kai walked over, looking mildly interested in the violence.

They were a pack. A family.

The referee gave Higgins a yellow card, but the message was sent. You do not touch the Kids.

The game restarted.

West Brom were rattled. Barnsley were angry.

Minute 40.

Kai Sora got the ball. He saw Isaiah limping slightly on the wing. He saw Higgins making a run from the back (for some reason).

Kai didn't pass to them. He saw a gap.

He drove forward. He dribbled past one midfielder. He dribbled past another.

The crowd gasped. Kai never dribbled.

He reached the edge of the box. He wound up his right foot.

THWACK.

He curled it.

It wasn't a power shot. It was pure placement. The ball bent around the goalkeeper's fingers and nestled into the top corner.

GOAL.

1 to 0.

Kai stood there, arms outspread. Isaiah jumped on his back. Higgins lifted them both into the air.

The Fortress erupted.

They won 1 to 0.

November 1st.

Michael walked into the training ground. The fog was gone. The sun was shining, cold and crisp.

He walked into the tactical room. The league table was on the screen.

3. Leeds United - 32 pts

4. Barnsley - 30 pts

They were fourth. They were in the playoff places. They were genuine contenders.

Arthur was already there, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Look at this, Boss," Arthur said, sliding a report across the table.

Michael picked it up. It was a summary of the month's progress.

[SQUAD DEVELOPMENT REPORT]

Isaiah King: Integrated. 2 Goals, 1 Assist. [CA 66]. Trait Unlocked: [Fearless Dribbler].

Shaun Higgins: The Enforcer. Yellow Cards: 4. Tackles Won: 45 (League High).

Kai Sora: The General. Assists: 8. Goals: 1. Distance Covered: Improved (Slightly).

"They are growing up, Arthur," Michael whispered.

"They are," Arthur agreed. "Isaiah has given them a spark. He is like a puppy that annoys the big dogs until they wake up. Higgins is protecting him. Kai is competing with him. It is a perfect ecosystem."

Michael sat down. He thought about the three contracts sitting in his drawer.

Diego Nunez. Kenji Sato. And the official start of Isaiah's permanent contract in January.

"We are fourth with a thin squad," Michael said. "Imagine what we will be when the reinforcements arrive."

"Scary," Arthur said. "We will be scary."

Michael looked at the calendar. November and December were brutal. Games every three days. Injuries would happen. Suspensions would happen.

But he looked out the window at his team.

They were laughing. Isaiah was trying to jump on Higgins' back. Kai was teaching Finn how to spin a ball on his finger.

They weren't just colleagues. They were a Dynasty in the making.

"Boss," Arthur said, breaking his reverie. "I have a question."

"Yeah?"

"Since we are rich now... can we get a new coffee machine? This one tastes like mud."

Michael laughed. "Arthur, if we beat Sheffield United next week, I will buy you a coffee machine made of gold."

Arthur's eyes lit up. "Deal."

Michael turned back to the screen. The blue light of the System flickered in the corner of his vision.

[DYNASTY STATUS: RISING]

[NEXT OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE WINTER]

"Winter is coming," Michael whispered to himself.

But for the first time, he wasn't worried about the cold. He had plenty of fire right there on the pitch.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.