The invite didn't arrive with fireworks.
No dramatic subject line.
No countdown.
Just an email, plain and official, sitting quietly in Ethan's inbox when he woke up.
England U21 – Training Camp Confirmation
Location: St. George's Park
Duration: Three Days
Assessment Only.
Ethan read it twice, then a third time, slower. It felt different from everything else that had come his way recently. No money attached. No exposure promises. No expectations he could negotiate.
Just football.
The system appeared, restrained as ever.
System:
Milestone Event Detected
Pressure Profile: Elevated
Organic Growth: Maintained
He exhaled. This was what he'd chosen. Now he had to live with it.
Alex Neil didn't make a speech when Ethan told him.
"Good," he said simply. "Go be yourself. Don't try to impress anyone."
Ethan nodded. "I won't."
Alex studied him for a second. "And don't disappear either."
That was the balance. That always was.
St. George's Park felt unreal in a quiet way.
Perfect pitches. Crisp air. Players everywhere who all looked like they belonged. Different accents. Different clubs. Same sharp focus.
Ethan checked the name on his training top once, just to be sure.
Cole. England.
He wasn't the biggest name there. Not even close. A few lads had already made Premier League benches. One had a loan spell in the Bundesliga. Conversations floated around him about appearances, managers, agents.
Ethan listened more than he spoke.
System:
Comparative Level Analysis: In Progress
The first session was positional work. Tight spaces. One-touch drills. Mistakes punished immediately, not with shouting, but with silence.
Ethan settled quickly. He kept things simple. Passed early. Moved intelligently. When pressed, he didn't force anything. He recycled. Reset. Waited.
A coach nodded once.
That mattered.
The second session was where it got harder.
Small-sided games. High intensity. Limited touches.
This was where ego crept in. Players tried to stand out. Shots from bad angles. Dribbles that didn't need to happen.
Ethan resisted the urge.
In one sequence, he could've taken a man on. Instead, he dragged his marker wide and slipped a pass inside that split the pitch open. The goal came two touches later.
No celebration. Just reset.
System:
Decision Efficiency: High
Risk Management: Optimal
Later, a midfielder jogged past him. "Good movement," he said quietly.
Ethan smiled. That felt better than applause.
That night, alone in his room, the noise caught up with him.
Messages piled up. Teammates. Brands. One sponsor reminding him the £25,000 offer was still open.
He didn't answer.
Instead, he FaceTimed home.
"How's England?" his mum asked, trying to sound calm and failing slightly.
"It's… intense," Ethan said honestly. "But good."
"We're proud of you," she said. "Whatever happens."
That steadied him more than the system ever could.
System:
Emotional Stability: Reinforced
The final day brought a full match.
Proper referees. Staff watching from the sidelines. Notes being taken.
Ethan started on the bench.
He didn't mind.
When he came on midway through the second half, the tempo shocked him for a moment. Everything moved half a second faster. He adjusted quickly, dropping deeper, simplifying.
In the seventy-eighth minute, he pressed aggressively, won the ball, and carried it just long enough to draw a foul.
It relieved pressure. Reset the team. Killed momentum.
Not flashy.
But vital.
After the whistle, one of the coaches pulled him aside.
"Good discipline," he said. "You know when to slow things down."
Ethan nodded. "Yes, sir."
System:
External Validation: Logged
Back at Millwall, life resumed almost immediately.
Training. Recovery. Matches.
But something had shifted. Subtly.
Opponents closed him down faster. Commentators mentioned him by name more often. The sponsor emails grew more persistent.
£30,000.
£35,000.
More access. More exposure.
System:
Monetary Pressure: High
Legacy Index: Active
Ethan felt it now — the pull in different directions.
After one session, Jordan sat beside him in the stands.
"You've got leverage now," he said. "England noticed. Clubs notice. But leverage only matters if you don't rush."
Ethan leaned back. "Feels like standing still sometimes."
Jordan smiled. "That's because you're surrounded by people sprinting."
That evening, Ethan walked home instead of taking a car. The air was cold. Streets familiar. Normal.
He checked his phone once.
No new system prompts.
No demands.
Just quiet.
System:
Organic Path: Stable
Identity Drift: Minimal
He liked that.
Success hadn't exploded. It hadn't carried him away.
It was accumulating. Slowly. Deliberately.
And as he reached his door, Ethan realised something that surprised him.
He wasn't worried about being left behind anymore.
He was more concerned about choosing where he actually wanted to go.
END OF CHAPTER 35
Author's Comment
Chapter 35 is about restraint.
Sometimes growth isn't about doing more — it's about knowing when not to.
Question for readers:
Should Ethan accept one of the big sponsor deals now, or keep holding the line?
Thanks for sticking with the journey 🙏