July 2014. A training base in Munich, Germany.
"Qin, you are not in my plans for next season. The club wants you to move on. Several Chinese Super League clubs have already made offers, and the board is very satisfied with the terms."
"I believe they will treat you well, so this is a good outcome for everyone involved."
The bald man sitting on the sofa spoke with a nonchalant tone, as if deciding someone's entire future was a mere formality. His name was Erik ten Hag, the current head coach of Bayern Munich's second team. He was coming off a successful season, having just led the squad to a regional league championship.
Ten Hag set down his glass of water and raised his eyes slightly, looking directly at the young man across from him.
The boy looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old, with neat, short black hair and a conspicuous calmness on his face—a composure that seemed far too mature for his age. That boy was Qin Ming.
Just a few days ago, it had been 2025. Qin Ming remembered it clearly; he had been watching the U20 Asian Cup. When the Chinese national team suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Saudi Arabia in stoppage time, he had downed a bottle of cold beer in frustration and lost consciousness. When he finally opened his eyes, he discovered he had joined the ranks of the "time travelers," inhabiting the body of this seventeen-year-old version of himself.
The good news: He was a member of Bayern Munich's second team.
The bad news: Ten Hag wanted to sell him.
Qin Ming did not immediately explode or argue. Instead, he spoke with a calm, serious tone. "Sir, could you give me a little more time? I'd like to think this over carefully."
It wasn't that he was against the idea of making easy money in the Chinese Super League, but he had arrived with the "standard equipment" of any time traveler: The System. However, the system was currently loading and would take another 26 hours to activate.
If he could use a "cheat" to dominate the pitch, only a fool would head back to the CSL. Why settle for less when he could dominate the European leagues?
"Qin, I have already given you plenty of time, yet you still haven't given me an answer," Ten Hag said, his expression turning cold. "From this moment on, you are prohibited from using the team facilities until you provide a satisfactory response."
Qin Ming's spot in Bayern's youth setup was largely due to an exchange program. Without the backing of Chinese sponsors, he wouldn't have been qualified for the second team. Bayern's management was now looking to "export" him back to China for a profit. Ten Hag, a man obsessed with tactical discipline, simply followed orders.
"Fine," Qin Ming replied, leaving the office quietly.
He headed to the players' canteen, only to be told he was barred from entering. Classic Ten Hag, he thought. He called his teammate, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, and asked him to pack a meal.
Fifteen minutes later, Højbjerg watched Qin Ming chew on a piece of bland, overly salty chicken breast. "Qin, why don't you just give in? The CSL is booming. The salaries are higher than the Bundesliga. If you keep fighting the coach, you're the only one who will suffer."
"Yeah, I'll think about it," Qin Ming replied, staring out at the blue Munich sky. He wasn't feeling defeated. He knew that even if football failed, 2014 was a year of massive economic stimulus back home. He wouldn't starve. But his eyes were still on the pitch.
The 26-hour wait was agonizing. Confined to his dormitory, Qin Ming watched the countdown in his field of vision until it finally hit zero. A cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
[The Elite Maverick System has officially launched!]
[Scanning host vitals... Filtering compatible player templates...]
Brilliant light erupted before his eyes, condensing into "Star Cards": Inzaghi, Balotelli, Vieri, Ronaldo... the "Playboys" of football. Qin Ming realized the common denominator: these men lived "fancy" lives off the pitch, but their talent was impeccable.
[Template Extraction Complete!]
[Selected: Ronaldinho "Samba Elf" (Fusion: 65%)]
[Warning: Physical transformation will begin immediately!]
Boom! His consciousness was swallowed by darkness.
When he finally woke the next morning, he bolted to the bathroom. He was terrified he might inherit Ronaldinho's famous overbite, but to his relief, the template had overhauled his physique without touching his face. He flexed his arms, feeling a surging increase in raw power.
He closed his eyes, and the minimalist screen flickered back to life:
[Host: Qin Ming]
[Height: 183cm | Weight: 75kg]
[Template: Ronaldinho (Fusion: 65%)]
Even at sixty-five percent, the potential was staggering. The "Samba Elf" had arrived in Munich