The night after the Mini-Clásico was far from quiet. Before the Barcelona B team bus could even depart from Madrid, a figure intercepted Lorenzo outside a small, quiet coffee shop near the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium.
Julen Lopetegui, the head coach of the Spain U-21 national team, didn't look like a man who had just watched his former academy (Real Madrid) lose. He looked like a man who had found a gold mine.
"Listen to me, Lorenzo," Lopetegui said, leaning across the table as the steam rose from his espresso. "We have a joint training session starting in forty-eight hours."
Lorenzo sat back, looking at the older man with a calm, analytical gaze. "Mr. Lopetegui, I appreciate the interest, but I've only just secured my B-team spot. And my heart... well, I am still an Argentinian."
"I know your heart," Lopetegui said, his voice lowering with intensity. "But I also know your head. The Argentina National Youth Team is calling you for the FIFA U-20 World Cup. Let me be blunt: in Europe, the U-21 Championship is the real battleground. It's where the best talents gather. The U-20 World Cup? It's a shadow of what it used to be. You want to grow? You play against Pogba and Verratti. You play for Spain."
Lopetegui leaned in further. "Representation in a U-21 tournament doesn't lock your senior nationality. You know the rules. You can lead us to the Euro title, and if the AFA finally cleans their house and begs for your return for the World Cup in Brazil next year, you're still eligible. But right now? Spain is where the professional growth is."
Lorenzo considered it. The logic was sound. In 2013, the U-21 Euros were essentially a mini-European Championship for future superstars. "I want the number nine jersey," Lorenzo said suddenly.
Lopetegui blinked, then let out a sharp laugh. "The number nine? Morata thinks it belongs to him. But after what I saw tonight... I tell you what. You report to the camp in Madrid tomorrow afternoon. You show me that intensity in the joint session, and the jersey is yours."
The following morning, the sun broke over the Mediterranean, casting a golden hue over Lorenzo's Barcelona villa.
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for completing today's rest cycle. You have gained 1 Free Attribute Point.]
Lorenzo slowly opened his eyes. The mechanical chime of the System was a familiar, grounding presence. He sat up and stretched, feeling the renewed density in his muscles.
After the historic hat-trick at the Alfredo Di Stéfano, his physical state had reached a new plateau.
He walked to the elliptical machine in his home gym, beginning his routine morning warm-up. Today was destined to be a turning point in his career.
In the afternoon, he was scheduled to travel to Madrid to join Julen Lopetegui's Spain U-21 camp.
He would be participating in the final preparations for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Israel. But the morning held an even more significant event: the official signing of his first-team contract at the Camp Nou.
Under the direction of Tata Martino, the club had moved with uncharacteristic speed. They had prepared a professional contract with a promotion clause that skipped the standard B-team waiting period. To protect their new asset, the club was keeping the details, especially the staggering 100-million-euro buyout clause confidential. In the summer of 2013, setting such a price for a seventeen-year-old was a bold declaration of faith.
Ding!
Lorenzo stepped off the scale. The display read: 80kg.
"Five kilograms in a week," Lorenzo noted, a satisfied nod to his reflection. Through a relentless "Weight Gain" cycle of high-calorie nutritional intake and targeted powerlifting, he was rapidly approaching the physical threshold required for the "Beast" profile.
He closed his eyes and summoned the System interface.
[Ding! Free Attribute Point applied to: Heading.]
Lorenzo was methodically shoring up his weaknesses. While his positioning and finishing were already elite, he knew that a true world-class striker needed to be a threat in the air.
As his weight increased, the Drogba template integration had surged to 89%, pushing his Physicality to an elite 91. He was no longer just a "promising kid"; he was physically capable of competing in the top flight of Spanish football.
Then, he focused on the final reward from the Mini-Clásico Gold Chest.
[Ding! Gold Treasure Chest opening...]
[Congratulations! You have received: Gabriel Batistuta's "Batigol" Long Shot Template (80% Integration)!]
[Note: To reach 100% integration, the Host must complete 500 successful Long Shot repetitions in the Training Simulation.]
A surge of violent, aesthetic power flooded his consciousness. In an instant, the mechanical secrets of the "Batigol" were etched into his muscle memory, the way to lock the ankle, the exact strike point on the ball to generate a "cannonball" trajectory without the need for delicate curve.
Gabriel Batistuta, the legendary Argentinian "God of War," was famous for scoring from thirty yards with a ferocity that goalkeepers feared. With this template, Lorenzo's Long Shot attribute had jumped from a mediocre 65 to a terrifying 87.
I am becoming a complete weapon, Lorenzo thought. I have the movement of Inzaghi, the strength of Drogba, and now the strike of Batistuta.
Name: Lorenzo
Age: 17
Height: 185cm | Weight: 80kg
Nationality: Argentina (Spanish Passport)
Club: FC Barcelona (First Team)
Finishing: 80
Positioning: 93 (Inzaghi Template)
Speed: 81
Heading: 72
Physicality: 91 (Drogba Template 89%)
Ball Control: 67
Passing: 68
Long Shot: 87 (Batistuta Template 80%)
Stamina: 80
Overall Rating: 74
Activated Skills: King of the Penalty Area
New Mode Unlocked: Stadium Codex (Alfredo Di Stéfano 1/3)
Downstairs, the scent of breakfast filled the villa. Lucia had already prepared a high-protein meal, her eyes bright as she watched the morning news reports from Argentina on her laptop.
"The AFA is in total damage control," Lucia said, sliding a plate toward him. They're begging your father for a meeting. But more importantly... look at the local headlines here."
She showed him a copy of Mundo Deportivo. The headline was a simple, bold statement: THE BEAST IS OURS. Lorenzo finishing his meal with professional efficiency.
An hour later, Lorenzo arrived at the Camp Nou administrative offices. He was met by Gerardo "Tata" Martino and the club's sporting director. The air was thick with the weight of expectation.
"The paperwork is finalized," Martino said, sliding a folder across the desk. "This is a professional first-team contract. You skip the B-team waiting period. We've set a 100-million-euro buyout clause. We aren't telling the media that yet, they'd call us crazy but we know what you're worth." Lorenzo signed with a steady hand.
"You'll wear the number 19," Martino continued. "It was Leo's old number before he took the 10. Think of it as a motivator".
I've spoken to Lopetegui; I've agreed to let you join the Spain U-21s for the Euros this month. It will 'harden' you before the La Liga season starts in August. Go to Madrid, win the trophy, and come back here ready to lead our line."
As Lorenzo boarded the high-speed train back to Madrid, his mind drifted to the Stadium Codex.
[Current Status: La Liga Illumination (1/3)]
[Next Scan: Santiago Bernabéu (Potential) / Camp Nou (Locked until First Appearance)]
The "Stadium Codex" rewarded him for every three famous stadiums he lit up with a legendary player chest from that league. He had already scanned the Di Stéfano. If he could perform in the Euros, perhaps the System would recognize the international stages as well.
He looked out the window. He was heading to the Spain training base as a "foreigner" in the eyes of some players. He knew Morata, Isco and De Gea would be waiting for him to see if the "La Masia Beast" was real or just a media invention..
Let them wait, Lorenzo thought, his hand resting on the folder containing his first-team contract. I'm coming for the number nine.
[System Note: First Team Status Activated.]
[Status: Traveling to Spain National Team Training Base.]
For Advance/Early Chapters:
patreon.com/Shadownarch_
If you're enjoying the story, consider dropping some Power Stones.