Chapter 35: Eat First!

The match was over. Mostar Zrinjski defeated FK Željezničar Sarajevo 3-1. This victory not only helped them break free from the awkward situation of being tied on points with multiple teams, but also allowed them to smoothly climb into the upper ranks. More importantly, it greatly eased the pressure on head coach Van Stoyak. During the post-match handshake, the two teams lined up to greet each other. Suke followed at the end of the line, panting heavily, and high-fived the players from the FK Željezničar Sarajevo. After high-fiving Suke, Boskjenoch turned his head to look at the little guy. This kid had left a deep impression on him—and also made him look extremely embarrassed during the match. "Stop staring, we'll win next time!" Vukocic patted Boskjenoch on the shoulder to comfort him. Boskjenoch was silent for a moment before saying, "He's not very old. He's probably still growing." "Huh?" Vukocic was puzzled. Boskjenoch looked down and said, "If he gets taller and gains the ability for physical duels and headers..." They both fell silent. Neither of them dared to imagine that future. Fortunately, Suke was still just a little bean sprout for now. "Come on, let's thank the fans!" With both vice-captains absent, goalkeeper Kish acted as the on-field captain. He scooped up Suke and placed him on his shoulders, laughing loudly: "Let's show them our best player!" Suke, afraid of heights, clung tightly to Kish's neck at first. But soon, faced with the enthusiastic crowd, he let go of his fear. "Suke, you played awesome!" "We'll come support you again next game!" "That was a great last-minute clearance!" "Kish, Suke saved your ass!" Kish laughed and shouted, "I know! That's why he's sitting on my shoulders!" Everyone burst out laughing. Suke, thrilled, kept waving to the crowd. Gaining the fans' approval in his first game meant a lot to Suke. When they returned to the bench, Coach Van Stoyak gave Suke a big hug. He didn't say anything, but Suke could feel his heart pounding fiercely. Finally, Van Stoyak patted Suke's back hard before moving on to the other players. But that hug was only for Suke—a clear sign of his appreciation and affection. "You played great!" Kosovic walked over and held out his hand. Suke jumped up and gave him a high five. "Captain, I avenged you, hahaha!" Everyone nearby couldn't help but laugh. Mashovich even teased, "Kosovic was nearly driven mad by Boskjenoch , and you drove him crazy. That makes you stronger than the captain!" Laughter broke out again. Winning was always a joyful thing—especially a match played with such intensity. They had faced difficulties and challenges, but had overcome them and won. Most importantly, their new tactics had passed the test. Though they had only tried it a few times, the results were surprisingly good. Coach Van Stoyak, in high spirits, waved and said, "Day off tomorrow! Training resumes the day after!" "Woooo!!!" —Everyone cheered again. They sang joyfully all the way back. On the bus back to the training base, most of the players had fallen asleep after the intense game. Sitting next to Suke, Modric had his head tilted, already dozing off. Suke wasn't sleepy—he had more energy than most people. Taking advantage of the time, he pulled up the card draw system. His first draw since entering the Bosnian Premier League. As Suke opened the draw system, the screen shimmered slightly, like ripples spreading from a water droplet. As the ripples spread, subtle patterns appeared on the system panel, occasionally lit with flowing light—giving it a more high-tech feel. System upgrade? Suke was intrigued. He checked the system. Not much had changed, except for a new panel. Previously, there were only three: Personal Panel, Attributes Panel, and Card Draw Panel. Now, there was a fourth—but it was locked behind two thick iron chains crossed over each other. Its function and traits were unknown. It was clearly inaccessible for now. Suke tried a few times, but nothing could break the chains, so he gave up. He figured it probably required a higher league level to unlock. Still, it was encouraging to see that as the league level increased, the system would evolve too—potentially adding features that could even solve his issue of only being able to equip six cards. Shaking off thoughts of the future, Suke focused on the present. He pulled up the draw panel and prayed silently. Shuffle shuffle shuffle!Familiar card sounds and animations followed. Soon, five cards appeared before him. Four of them glowed faint red—clearly red cards. He checked them one by one: [White Card (Skill) — Barry's Footwork]Barry, who played in South Africa, had excellent footwork thanks to his rapid foot frequency.Effect: +5 Speed. Meh. Suke rolled his eyes. He already had Andre's Flying Legs, so he didn't care about this. Next up: all red cards. [Red Card (Skill) — Vukocic's Shooting]As Željezničar Sarajevo's key player, Vukocic had excellent finishing skills, especially at aiming for the far corner. Suke raised an eyebrow. Vukocic had caused them plenty of trouble earlier in the match. Good passing and shooting—his long shots were especially threatening. Suke's current shooting skill cards were weak, so this could be a good replacement. He tried equipping it—click!—nothing. The card floated in midair. Gritting his teeth, he tried again. click! Still wouldn't go in. Suke was losing it. A good red card, and he couldn't use it? He checked his stats. All requirements were met—except Strength, which showed a red "-2". He was two points short in Strength. Frustrated but determined, Suke resolved to eat well and train hard. He was going to use that card—no matter what! Then he looked at the remaining three cards—and his jaw dropped. Three recovery cards! Three of them!? System, are you that worried I'll get injured!? He'd already drawn two in the Bosnian Cup, plus a previous one—now he had six in total. Six recovery cards! Was this even normal anymore? Suke felt both amused and exasperated. If the drop rate stayed this high, he could afford to use them more freely. Around 6 a.m., the bus returned to the base. Since they were dismissed early, only a few players were still on board. Suke, Modric, Boame, and Skolk—all of whom lived in the team dorms. The rest rented or owned homes in town. Modric groggily woke up, only for Suke to grab him by the arm. "Let's go! Time to eat!" Still half asleep, Modric was dragged off to the cafeteria by Suk. Suke grabbed a huge bowl of rice and two slices of beef. Just as he was about to dig in, someone stopped him. Van Stoyak held his shoulder, frowned at his plate, and scooped out half the rice. Then he added more beef and vegetables. "Focus more on meat and vegetables—that's where the real nutrition is." Suke had lived hard times for too long—his body clearly showed signs of malnutrition. Rice has calories, but little nutrition. Still, Suke loved rice. Watching half his portion scooped out made his heart ache. He returned to the table and reluctantly took small bites of rice and big mouthfuls of beef. The match had drained him, and his stomach was rumbling. Modric, watching Suke eat like a starving man, soon joined in—mimicking his wild eating style. And honestly? It tasted great. As the two of them devoured their meals like starving wolves, a timid voice called out: "Hi, can I sit here?" They looked up. Modric gave a glance and went back to eating. Suke, mouth full of beef, nodded nonchalantly: "Sure." Skolk happily sat down. Suke didn't remember much about him—looked around 19 or 20, about 175 cm, lean and strong. And fast. Not as fast as Suke, but definitely quick. "You were awesome today," Skolk said, trying to make conversation. Suke just kept eating. Skolk pressed on, "Since tomorrow's a day off... do you guys have any plans? Can I come?" Still no response. "I won't be any trouble, I swear." This time, Suke finally reacted. Still chewing, he picked up a fork and tapped it on the edge of Skolk's plate. "Eat first!"