Chapter 9: This System 2.0 Actually Triggered a Quest?

Because Lin Hao had suddenly signed with the Schalke 04 first team, the domestic reporters who had been stationed in Gelsenkirchen to follow Hao Junmin swarmed the club like madmen.

Schalke 04, initially assuming that the signing of a U20 player would attract little attention, had not even planned to hold a press conference. They never expected that a simple update on the official website would bring nearly twenty reporters clamoring at their doors, including those from CCTV-5 and Titan Sports.

Hughes, who was sipping coffee in his office, learned of the influx and quickly contacted old Gassen to bring Lin Hao in. They set up a respectable, last-minute press conference in the same room where they had previously signed Raul. Naturally, to publicize Schalke 04's commitment to both the Chinese player and the domestic market, Hughes also invited local German reporters with whom the club had good relations.

At three o'clock that afternoon, the impromptu signing ceremony began in front of dozens of cameras. It must be said that Lin Hao, standing at 1.88 meters tall and possessing striking good looks, captured everyone’s attention the moment he appeared.

"Click!"
"Click!"
"Click!"

The reporters pressed their shutters incessantly, while Lin Hao, appearing completely at ease, even struck a few poses. As this was merely a simple signing ceremony, Schalke did not schedule much time for questions. After Lin Hao gave a formal statement about how he had always been a die-hard Schalke 04 fan and pledged his unparalleled loyalty to the club, the event concluded.

"Hey! Lin, your performance just now was fantastic! I saw the photos the sports newspaper reporter took of you; you looked so sharp!" Once the press conference ended, old Gassen walked up to Lin Hao with a beaming smile, praising the young man who had brought such a massive turnaround to his own life.

Indeed, Lin Hao’s salary had skyrocketed sevenfold, and by extension, so had Gassen’s commission. More importantly, since the club's official announcement at noon, several Chinese companies had already called him. Although Gassen had not yet discussed commercial endorsements with any specific companies, he knew that any deal would be lucrative for both of them. Still, despite his desire to earn more, he decided to hold off on those endorsement requests for now.

He knew that one should only pursue endorsements once Lin Hao had truly established himself at Schalke 04. Otherwise, letting Lin Hao endorse obscure companies—the kind he couldn't even find on Google—would only harm him. When Gassen explained his reasoning, Lin Hao felt a genuine sense of gratitude. At the very least, he realized that while the old man might have limited capabilities, he was truly looking out for his best interests. In that moment, Lin Hao decided that as long as Gassen continued to work hard, he would never look for another agent, even if he one day became a world-class superstar.

By four o'clock that afternoon, Lin Hao had finished his training and duties at the club. With his work done, Hao Junmin invited Lin Hao and Raul out to welcome him to the team. Initially, Hao planned for the three of them to just have a casual meal, but Atsuto Uchida, who had been following the trio since the morning practice, cheekily hopped into Hao's car. Seeing Uchida smiling and insisting on treating everyone to Japanese food, Hao had no choice but to upgrade the dinner from a party of three to four.

Everyone knew what Uchida was thinking, but truthfully, having him around was quite convenient. He carried Raul’s bag and took care of the menial tasks like pouring water and serving food. By the end of the meal, even Lin Hao felt that having Uchida around wasn't so bad after all.

Meanwhile, at the club, Felix Magath and his coaching staff were in a different state of mind. The German Supercup final against Bayern Munich was in three days. Magath, who had already finalized his roster, found himself wavering after witnessing Lin Hao’s stunning display in training that day.

"Should I bring Charisteas or that kid, Lin?" Ever since the training scrimmage ended, Magath had spent the entire afternoon reviewing footage of Lin Hao’s past matches. Honestly, he had grown fond of this incredibly well-rounded young man.

"Boss, why don't we switch it up tomorrow? Let Lin and Raul try out on the A-team?"
"No, no! Huntelaar is in great form right now; making random changes like that will only disrupt his mentality!"

Müller's suggestion was not adopted, and Magath’s mind remained undecided. After all, Charisteas had scored seven goals the previous season.

However, perhaps it was simply Lin Hao’s lucky day. Just as the registration for the Supercup was about to close the following day, Charisteas accidentally strained his back while stretching in the gym. Following his cry of pain, the other players nearby stopped their workouts. When the team doctor arrived and examined him, a report prescribing a month of recovery was placed on Magath’s desk.

With that, Magath, who had been agonizing over the decision in his office, wrote Lin Hao’s name onto the Supercup roster without a second thought.

"Ding!"
"Congratulations to the host for being named to the German Supercup roster!"
"Main quest triggered: First-team debut!"
"Rewards will be granted based on the host's performance in the debut!"

As Magath signed the paper, Lin Hao, who had just finished changing in the locker room, suddenly heard the long-silent system announce a main quest.

Damn! Lin Hao was immediately electrified. Ever since the system was activated, it had never issued a single task. Upon reflection, he figured that perhaps the previous timeline disruptions had caused the system to evolve. This was great; not only were there tasks and rewards, but the previous debuff had also weakened significantly.

Lin Hao was confident he could reap some benefits in this Supercup final. Even if there were no task rewards, just by being on the roster, he would earn match points. Having grown tired of the meager three or four points he received from the third division and the Asian Youth Championship, he was very eager to see just how generous the point rewards for a match like the Supercup would be.