Football singularity

Chapter 317 317 System Maintenance

*FWEEEEEEE*

The referee's whistle cut through the noise of Hampden Park, signalling the end of the Scottish Cup final. The cheers of the Celtic fans erupted, rising to a deafening crescendo as their team secured the coveted trophy. In contrast, Hearts players crumpled to the ground in despair, faces etched with the pain of failing at the last step. That was the game though, there always had to be a winner no matter how good both sides played or deserved to come out victorious.

They had thrown everything they had into the last 15 minutes, pushing for a late comeback that never materialized. All that running as if their life depended on it and flying into tackles just trying to bring some life into the game was all for nothing in the end. No number of tears or desire to right their wrongs from earlier in the match could change the feeling of defeat that now enveloped them.

The bitter taste of defeat was all they were now left with as all the glory went to their opponents who had completed their mission. Involuntary tears welled up even in the toughest of them as they watched the happy faces of their opponents embrace each other in celebrations. Some pounded the turf in frustration, others hung their heads, hands on knees, trying to process the heartache. The sight of their opponents celebrating, arms draped around one another in elation, only deepened the sting.

Some of the softer-hearted of them even had full-blown tears trickling down their faces as they tried their best to remain composed. Their eyes burned as they watched Celtic players leap into embraces, their faces radiant with victory. None of them wanted to be that image—the one caught in a vulnerable, broken moment, splashed across tomorrow's back pages for all to see immortalised in print. Yet, despite their efforts to remain stoic, grief and exhaustion won over.

Seeing his teammate's defeated expressions Berra pushed down his own feelings and started making his rounds. Offering silent embraces to some and words of encouragement to the younger ones who were experiencing their first cup game, he perfectly did his job as captain. "It's tough, I know, but you'll come back here soon kid," he told the 17-year-old Aaron Hickey who had played his heart out throughout the 90 minutes he was on the field.

Aaron nodded slowly, his lips pressed into a thin line. He didn't say anything, but Berra could see the pain behind his eyes, the way his chest heaved as he struggled to keep his emotions in check. Berra gave him a light squeeze before standing up and moving on to the next of his teammates who needed a comforting word.

~~~

[MC POV]

On the other side of the field, a completely different scene unfolded as the boys in green ran around in pure joy, letting the adrenaline and the thrill of victory fuel their wild celebrations. Celtic had done it they had won the Scottish Cup after 96 minutes of hard work and a final score of 2:3. In the last period of the game they had really felt the determination fuelled wrath of their opponents.

They no longer had control of the match as they faced a much more desperate Hearts side, who were relentless in trying to score. It was in the 85th minute after a spectacular breakthrough dribble from Hickey on the wing, whereby he dribbled past 3 Celtic players before delivering a dangerous pass into the feet of MacLean. The striker didn't disappoint, as he held off Ajer and then proceeded to slot the ball past an alert Bain.

We barely had time to recover from that blow before Hearts came charging again, trying to press their luck for a late equalizer. They got their chance too in the final minutes when Edwards was taken down in the penalty box by Mcgregor before he could let loose a shot. 'I still can't believe Bain saved that shot,' I found myself thinking as at that moment it felt like they were snatching our victory in the last moment.

However, like the beast he is Bain did what he did best diving to the top right corner to deflect Harring's shot and secure our victory. {I wouldn't be surprised if he receives the Man of the Match award for the game he's had today. With 8 shots on target saved, a 50% penalty save rate and an overall 80% save rate, stats like that are hard to come by even for the best keepers in the world.} Eva stated sounding genuinely impressed by Bain's performance, which if you know her is a hard thing to achieve.

'Yeah, he was great today, unbelievable honestly,' I responded with a light smile as I took a seat on the grass letting the moment sink in. After spending the first few moments running around in celebration the high of that feeling is finally beginning to wane.

I am a champion, a Scottish cup winner but a champion nonetheless, and it's not like one of those times when Mum crowned me the king of the universe after winning a pick-up game on my birthday. This time it's something I can put on my CV, (haha) I've finally made my mark in the world of football after starting my journey.

{You were great too, played some of the best football I've seen you play in a while,} she told me her words sounding warm with a hint of pride in my head. Almost as if on cue the familiar sounds of notifications rang off in my head and from the sounds of it, they were a lot.

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[Ding: Post-Match Review]

>Goals scored: (1) = 10Sp

>Assists: (1) = 10Sp

>Cards: 0 = 0Sp

>Final Match score: 2:3 Win: 30Sp

>Match Rating: 9.0

[Ding Mission: Help your team win the Scottish Cup Completed]

Rewards:

1. +1000 Singularity Points

2. Shop Update

[Ding: It is detected that the host has won his first major professional trophy meeting the requirements to open the trophy cabinet function of the system. The host will gain a slight boost when playing in that same tournament in the future.

(Note: Congratulations, now get back to work to fill your cabinet,)]

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'Wow that's a lot, is it Christmas already, because I can't remember the last time the system has shown me so much love,' I thought to myself not at all expecting to receive that extra notification which was monumental for the system. Because it meant that it was going to update its functions, something it hadn't done since I got it, and it chose football as my career.

{Hmm, it's only to be expected, since it finally completed one of its primary goal's which is getting you to become a certified professional. Winning any trophy on the professional level would have triggered the same update as it would mean you finally proved yourself as a player.} Eva stated clearing up some of the confusion as to why I was only getting this update now instead of earlier.

'You're right as always, let's check out the trophy cabinet,' I responded but was quickly disappointed with a buffering loading screen as the systems seemed to be undergoing maintenance. 'Did I forget to update my insurance or something?' I questioned but didn't get to wait for an answer as I was doused in a wet liquid snapping me out of my thoughts.

Cold water splashed down on my head, soaking my jersey and sending a shock through my system. I blinked, momentarily disoriented, before realizing what had just happened. I wiped my eyes clear to see a grinning Forrest jumping in front of me grinning from ear to ear joy plastered all over his face. "haha looking at you I almost thought we lost, you need to enjoy this they don't come around every day y'know."

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To Be Continued...