I Am Jose-Chapter 96 - : The True Face of the Modifier

Feeling exhilarated, José didn't bother returning to his office. It was already 5 PM, and there was nothing urgent that required his attention. The players had finished training, and heading home now wouldn't count as slacking off. Sure, leaving Pirri alone at the club to work overtime might seem a bit cruel, but since the guy was happy to do it, José wasn't going to feel guilty about it.

Before leaving, José made sure to instruct the staff on duty to keep an eye on the technical director's office. At the very least, they needed to make sure Pirri had enough tea and coffee—whatever he needed, they should provide.

After taking care of these small matters, José quickly left the training facility and drove straight home. As a young millionaire with considerable assets—though his funds were tied up in running the club—he had still managed to make a decent amount of money over the years. Coaching paid significantly better than a regular office job, after all. So, a while back, he had moved out of his family home and bought himself a two-story villa on Mallorca Island. It was a bit far from the training ground and away from the bustling city center, but it was peaceful. Plus, Mallorca's transportation was convenient, and outside of peak tourist season, the island wasn't too crowded, so it wasn't much of an inconvenience.

Once home, José didn't order takeout as he usually did. Instead, he went straight to his bedroom, locked the doors and windows, and drew the curtains. No, he wasn't about to do anything shady—he had something far more important to take care of.

He slowly opened his right hand and raised it to eye level. This was the source of his initial shock and subsequent excitement. The moment he had signed his contract, he had felt a sudden warmth in his palm—not painful, but distinct. Then, a voice had echoed in his mind, a voice he would never forget—the same damn bull-headed bureaucrat who had let him get eaten by sharks in his past life.

"Conditions met. Modifier activated."

Just two simple sentences, but they had been enough to send José into a frenzy of excitement.

The so-called "modifier," which had been nothing but a useless lump of code until now, had finally come to life!

Ever since he heard the voice, José had been dying to get home and figure out what this thing could actually do. The entire drive back, he was lost in thought, imagining all sorts of possibilities. He even drifted off a few times, nearly causing an accident—thankfully, the roads weren't too busy.

"Is it like that classic football management game? Can I edit players' stats, turning my squad into a team of unstoppable monsters? If that's the case, I could just develop one world-class player every year and sell them for tens of millions. A few years of that, and Mallorca could have the best facilities in the world..."

"Or maybe there are points I need to earn? Some weird-ass missions? If I fail, will I get wiped out? That would be messed up!"

"Wait, this modifier was given to me by that bull-headed guy... so it's not the same as those sci-fi game systems, right? More like a mix of fantasy and sports management? Actually... that sounds kinda fun!"

Lost in these thoughts, José navigated through the winding streets and finally arrived home, eager to begin his experiment.

He already knew how to activate the modifier. The process was simple: raise his right hand, open his palm, face it toward his forehead, and mentally command it to start.

Before today, the modifier had always been a blank slate—nothing happened when he activated it. But now that it was truly "on," there had to be some changes, right?

This time, the screen inside his mind wasn't empty. Instead, large characters appeared in front of him.

"Wait a minute... Traditional Chinese characters? Good thing I can still read them."

Perhaps because this thing was created by that bureaucratic bull-headed ghost from the underworld, all the text was in Traditional Chinese. The first line was straightforward:

"Host has become an official first-team head coach. Modifier's first-stage functions activated."

"So that's why it never worked before!" José suddenly understood. No wonder it hadn't activated when he was coaching the youth team or serving as interim head coach—he had never officially taken full control of a professional club. That must have been the requirement for unlocking the modifier.

"Makes sense. If any random youth coach could use this thing, the football world would be a mess. Besides, youth team players technically belong to the senior squad, not the youth coach. So it only activates once I have full authority over a professional team."

Now that he had figured that out, José turned his attention to something even more interesting—the mention of a "first-stage function."

Before he could explore further, the screen suddenly flashed again, and another change occurred.

"Host identified as Mallorca's majority shareholder... Initiating second-stage functions... Activating..."

José blinked in confusion.

"Second stage? What the hell? I haven't even used the first stage yet, and now it's upgrading? Is it because I own the club? But wait, Li Fatty also got benefits from a modifier before, and he never owned a club... What the hell is going on?!"

Anxiety crept in. If this system had a major downside, he was going to be in deep trouble. After all, he hadn't had time to take advantage of the first stage's perks. If this upgrade turned out to be a disaster, he'd have nothing to fall back on.

As these thoughts raced through his mind, the glowing text gradually dimmed, revealing a new set of instructions:

"Host owns more than 50% of Mallorca's shares. Recognized as the club's de facto owner. Second-stage mode activated. Mission system unlocked. Ultimate objective initiated. Would you like to accept the mission challenge?"

José was stunned.

"Mission system? Challenges? What the hell is this?"

"Hey, can I get a user manual or something? You're just throwing this at me without any explanation. What if it's a trap? I worked too damn hard for this second life—I'm not letting some shady AI screw me over!"

As if responding to his frustration, the screen flickered and displayed another message:

"Due to changes in host status, first-stage functions have been canceled. Modifier is now in its final form. Ultimate objective: Develop Mallorca into a top-tier global club. Conditions for completion: Top-tier reputation, top-tier honors, top-tier financial assets. Missions will be issued every season. Completing them will earn rewards essential for club expansion. Current season's mission: Qualify for next season's Champions League. Accept?"

José almost spat out blood.

"Are you kidding me? No benefits, just a bunch of demands? And you won't even tell me what the rewards are? At least let me see what I missed out on in the first stage!"

The modifier responded with a cold, robotic message:

"No. If you knew, you'd regret it. The first-stage functions were meant for someone who becomes a head coach first and an owner later. You became an owner first—your choice, not ours."

José was speechless. He was now 100% sure—this damn modifier was just another way for that bureaucratic ghost to mess with him.

"What happens if I fail a mission?"

"No immediate consequences. However, if you fail to complete the ultimate objective within your lifetime... your next life will be quite miserable."

José clenched his fists.

"Damn it... fine, you win."

With no other choice, José accepted the challenge. He wasn't about to risk screwing up his next life, and besides, he was curious about what these rewards could be.

Qualifying for the Champions League wasn't an easy task, but it wasn't impossible either. Mallorca just needed to finish in the top four. He had faith that with the right strategy, they could pull it off.

As the modifier's interface faded from his mind, José collapsed onto his bed, staring at the ceiling in frustration.

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"I thought I'd get a game-breaking cheat, but all I got was a glorified mission board... Well, whatever. Let's see where this takes me."