When morning arrived Winston woke up early, and pulled on his running clothes. He headed downstairs and grabbed some fruit from the kitchen counter before going for a run. While doing body stretches and fixing his running shoes preparing for a run, a sound of a SUV pulling along the driveway startled Winston who raised his head. He saw that it was his father. "I thought you were sleeping in today." he said. "The radio says it's going to rain. Be careful out there.."
"I've got a match in a few days," Winston replied. "I want to prepare better. I won't be long—I'll run around the area." Winston finished tightening his sneakers. And he slipped in his wireless earphones, stood up, and waved goodbye. His father watched him go.
It had been a long time since Winston felt this kind of excitement. Playing in the professional league had reignited something in him—an urge to push harder, to do more.
Today I'll run a bit farther, oh man I am so excited I played in a senior league..
The thrill carried Winston out of the suburb and past the point where he had promised himself he would turn back. Instead of heading home, Winston pushed toward the city. Seeing that there were more people in the city this morning. He chose to run alongside a busy road. The hum of traffic blending with the music in his ears. His pace stayed steady until he reached a narrow bridge—one without a pedestrian lane. Then the rain that his father warned him about started downpouring, crashing like a waterfall. The sound roared around him, loud and overwhelming—like football fans erupting after a last-minute goal. Winston got soaked within seconds, he slowed down and considered turning back. When he heard a sharp screech cut through the rain, when he turned around he saw a car that was losing control tires screamed against the wet road as it swerved violently toward him before Winston could react…
Skrrrrr! Boom!
Wait…. did that car hit me, that impossible didn't I dodge it…
His body was flung across the bridge, weightless for a split second, before plunging into the canal below. As he fell, time seemed to fracture.
A strange blue glow flickered into existence before his eyes— a blue translucent, game-like interface forming midair. A loading line filled across the screen, followed by a glowing blue button pulsing softly in the darkness. Then… water swallowed him whole.
DING!
[User initialize]
[User sign up: Y/N]
Confusion flooded Winston's mind. For a brief, terrifying moment, he thought this was it—one of those before you die moments where life flashes before your eyes. Images flickered through his thoughts. He saw himself as a baby until now. He remembered something his uncle once said, when he was still in high school, he used to talk about seeing his entire life replay in seconds—every memory, every regret. Winston had never believed him or this. His uncle always had stories, and Winston assumed this was just another exaggeration. This was happening right in front of his eyes. Maybe we do live in a simulation world, Winston thought.
DING! DING! DING!
[User initialize]
[User sign in: Y/N]
Whoever was behind this slideshow felt very impatient, I want to see my family.
I don't want to die. My dream was beginning.
Intense emotions hit Winston all at once— sharp and overwhelming.. Fear of his family twisted in chest. Would they find his body, would they even know what happened to him, and beneath it all burned something stronger, the need to live. To keep chasing the dream he had worked so hard for. Winston tried to open his eyes, but they wouldn't respond. His body felt impossibly heavy and drained beyond its limits. The water started pulling his body down, and he realized he was drowning. All his senses started to shut down one by one. His hearing faded, with his last strength he flicked his index finger and pressed Yes and then his feeling also faded. Before his vision turned black he saw.
[User initialized: Active]
[Welcome Host to the CORE]
[Stabilizing the user]
What was that about, what an intense dream. I thought I was died
Winston tried to sit up straight, the hospital ventilator tube and several monitoring wires pulled him back against the mattress. Startled, he began to struggle. A nurse who was on rotation rushed to his side. "Sir, please lie still, you can't move like that.. Let me call the doctor."
Beep beep beep!
Moments later, the doctor entered and checked Winston's pulse, then shined a light into his eyes. The doctor turned to the nurse, "prepare a mild sedative." Before the nurse could inject him, Winston saw something strange. A translucent blue message flickered in front of his eyes—appearing and disappearing..
So it was real, I thought I was dreaming. I wil….
Darkness claimed him again. When Winston woke up the second time, this time the tubes were gone, and when he scanned the room with his hazy vision. No ventilator, no restraints instead, his parents sat beside his bed. When his vision became clearer he looked up and it was still there—the same message of the system was still flashing back and forth. He tried to remove the flashing message, by waving it in front of his face.
Shu shu, How do I remove this message?
His parents tilted their heads in confusion, his mother immediately placed a hand on his forehead. "You're awake," she whispered. Her eyes filled with tears. Before Winston could say anything, she pulled him into a tight hug and began to cry.. "I thought we lost you." Only then did Winston notice how exhausted both his parents looked.
How long was I out?
Winston stopped moving his hand seeing his parents in this state, his mother who was still hugging him thanking god between her sniffing, when he looked at his father who just nodded and tapped his leg. The doctor soon returned and checked Winston's vitals again.
"How are you feeling today Mr Dalely?"
"I feel good doctor, how long have I been asleep."
"Before I answer, tell me what your name is and age. And do you remember what happened?"
"My name is Winston Daley, I am nineteen.. I was running across a bridge….. And then nothing."
"Okay. For your question, you've been asleep for two weeks now"
Hearing this Winston's eyes widened, before he could say anything his father asked quickly "Is our son okay, doctor?"
"He's stable," the doctor said. "All his vital signs are normal. We'll keep him overnight for observation, but he should be able to go home tomorrow."
Winston hesitated, then spoke. "Doctor… are there any side effects? I keep seeing flashing messages in front of me."
What Winston didn't realize was that everyone in the room was looking at him with concern. Winston saw that everyone was looking at him, he immediately regretted saying it. "I'll tell the nurse to reduce your medication dosage." the doctor said, writing down on the clipboard.
Winston nodded, pretending to accept the explanation. Later, when he was alone, Winston focused on the floating message. How the heck do you open this thing?
He tried to inspect the message trying to brush it, Nothing happened, the blue translucent message continued to pulse softly. He paced around his bed side. He pressed at it. Startled, the blue translucent message opened.
[Congratulation you have activated THE CORE]
[Would the user like to open the stats]
[Y/N]
At first, Winston hesitated. None of this made sense. He glanced around the empty hospital room, then slowly stood and closed the door.
Does this thing have a manual and what does "The Core" even mean? The Core of what?
Despite his confusion, curiosity won. He sat down on his hospital bed and clicked yes. Sat comfortably waited for something to happen, voices drifted in from the hallway. The voices were talking about the football match, it dawned on him that he was supposed to be preparing for the match. Rushing to his phone that was on top of the bedside table. When Winston switched it on he was met with a ton of messages from distant families and club. And when checked the date and time, his stomach dropped and he realized he missed his first match. Feeling down he put back his phone, lying on his bed staring at the ceiling. The Core system booted up, a loading bar filled across his vision. Then lines of glowing text appeared, forming a detailed breakdown of his stats attributes. Winston sat up and stared at it in disbelief.
What the hell is this, how did this system break down my stats
Winston Daley Stats
Core Level: 3
Name: Daley Winston Birthdate: 25-11-04
Age: 19 Weak Foot: 2
Height: 176cm (5'9) Foot: Right
Profession: Footballer
Team: Westminster F.C. (Senior team) [Demoted]
Player Rating: 76
Position: Center forward.
Potential: 88
Pace
Shooting
Passing
Dribbling
Physical
Reward points: 00
Skills moves: None.
Advance:
"It even has all my information down to a T," Winston muttered. "my age, height. Everything." His eyes widened. "What does it mean that my Core level is 3. Wow it even says I've been demoted."
Ohh
His gaze drifted lower. "My skills are here too…." Winston murmured. "Pace, passing, dribbling, physical." He frowned. "Can I see what pace I have?" His gaze drifted low again,
[Advance]
"Advance?" Winston said softly. "What does that mean? There's more?"
He pressed it and the entire interface shifted. The rectangular reorganized themselves, branching outward into multiple categories, each section pulsing with soft blue light.
Winston Daley Stats
Core Level: 3
Name: Daley Winston Birthdate: 25-11-04
Age: 19 Weak Foot: 2
Height: 176cm (5'9) Foot: Right
Profession: Footballer
Team: Westminster F.C. (Senior team) [Demoted]
Player Rating: 76
Position: Center forward.
Potential: 88
Pace
Acceleration: 68
Sprint Speed: 69
Shooting
Shooting: 70
Att. Position: 67
Finishing: 57
Shot Power: 66
Long Shots: 67
Volleys: 35
Penalties: 44
Dribbling
Dribbling: 64
Agility: 45
Balance: 55
Reactions: 54
Ball Control: 66
Composure: 45
Passing
Passing: 55
Vision: 40
Crossing: 40
FK Acc.: 30
Short Pass: 45
Long Pass: 45
Curve: 40
Physical
Physical: 66
Jumping: 55
Stamina: 66
Strength: 56
Aggression: 44
Defending
Heading Acc.: 54
Reward points: 00
Skills moves: None.
"Wow… that's a lot," Winston whispered. "It even categorizes my stats."
"my shooting is higher than everything." He murmured. "I have been focusing on my shooting power. When I got promoted to the senior team I neglected everything and I focused on my shooting and now, I need to focus on other skills."
Scrolling down on the core system stats with disappointment in his face, one category caught his attention. Reward points. "I wonder how I earn them. And how do I spend them" Winston murmured. He scratched his head and he shrugged and kept scrolling. That was when he noticed something else.
Skills moves: None.
"...None," Winston muttered. He scrolled up and down, searching for any hint—any explanation on how to gain points, how to unlock skill moves, how any of this actually worked.
Nothing
Creak
The door opened, and a nurse stepped inside. Winston lying upright in bed, absentmindedly swiping his hand through the air.
"Mr Daley, are you okay?" the nurse asked, her brows knitting together concern flickered across her face. For a moment, she wondered if lowering his medication. Earlier had been a mistake. Winston quickly dropped his hand, and sat up straight, and forced a small smile, "Oh—uh—I was counting imaginary sheeps." he said.
The nurse blinked. Then gave a soft chuckle. "Well, I'm here to give your medication. It should help you sleep." After administering it, she dimmed the lights. "Try to get some rest." Winston nodded. As soon as she left, his heart slowed.
That was close. Next time, I have to be more careful about when—and where—I use this core system.