27: Vanity Shutdown and Total Elite Collapse
618 Words
The stadium’s laughter echoed endlessly across the turf, drowning out São Paulo Royal’s pre-game hype entirely. The live-stream chat exploded with nonstop laughing emojis, scrolling so fast it blurred the screen as viewers flocked to mock the humiliated prodigy.
Santo Antonio’s bench lost all professional composure. Carlos clutched his stomach and bent over laughing, nearly rolling off the sideline bench. Tiago’s snickers were loud enough to be picked up by field microphones. Even the always-stoic Coach Ferreira hid a grin behind his clipboard, his shoulders shaking with suppressed amusement.
“He put on a whole circus act just to embarrass himself!” Carlos howled. “This is the best halftime warm-up show in regional history!”
Ethan scrambled to his feet, his face burning bright red with embarrassment and rage. He frantically fixed his lopsided headband, brushed furiously at his stained uniform, and glared daggers at Leo. Refusing to admit his own over-the-top dramatics caused the fall, he blamed Leo for deliberately ruining his moment.
“Pure luck!” Ethan snapped sharply, his voice tight with defensiveness. “You just guessed the route! Don’t get cocky over a one-in-a-million fluke!”
Leo did not waste a single word on retorts. He tossed the ball to the referee and jogged back to defense with calm composure, making Ethan’s petty tantrum look even more ridiculous to the entire stadium.
From that moment on, Ethan’s ego completely crumbled. Plagued by embarrassment and anxiety, he overcompensated wildly on every route. He spammed unnecessary fakes, rushed his bursts, and second-guessed every movement, erasing his usual sharp offensive rhythm entirely.
Leo capitalized perfectly on his opponent’s collapse. His maxed Predatory Read shut down every single one of Ethan’s attempts effortlessly. On one play, Ethan’s endless fake moves confused himself, sprinting straight into his own teammate and knocking both of them off balance. On another, he attempted a fancy spin move to break coverage, only to spin directly into Leo’s stationary defensive stance.
By halftime, Ethan’s stats were abysmal: zero catches, two self-inflicted route errors, and one iconic public face-plant that had become the match’s biggest meme. His headband stayed crooked, his elite uniform was covered in scuffs and grass stains, and his teammates refused to cheer for him, utterly embarrassed by his chaotic performance.
São Paulo Royal’s sideline devolved into quiet frustration. The once-confident elite team stared daggers at their own star, furious that his vanity had turned their dominant pre-game showcase into a public farce.
In contrast, Santo Antonio’s locker room was filled with relaxed laughter and playful teasing. All the pressure of facing a top-tier elite team vanished, replaced by unshakable confidence.
“Remind me again,” Tiago joked while chugging water, “who swore they’d crush us by three touchdowns?”
Carlos snickered loudly. “Dude came here to be a supermodel. Turns out he’s our personal match comedian.”
As his teammates celebrated, Leo’s system blazed with golden light, officially completing the special mission.
[Special Mission: Humble the Peacock Completed!]
[Adversity + opponent humiliation bonus applied! Permanent full attribute growth boosted!]
[Exclusive Passive Talent: Vanity Shutdown Lv.1 Unlocked!]
[Talent Effect: Arrogant, underestimating opponents, suffer a 15% reduced on-field focus and 10% increased movement error rate when facing the host.]
A faint smile tugged at Leo’s lips. Beating elite teams with strength was satisfying, but crushing their inflated egos and turning their vanity into comedy was the sweetest victory of all.
The second half kicked off with São Paulo Royal seething with embarrassed rage, desperate to salvage their lost dignity. But Leo stood calm and ready. The more the arrogant elites panicked and struggled, the stronger his adversity growth became. The underdog’s hilarious suppression of elite arrogance was far from over.
- Writer
