My system allows me to copy talents

An eerie silence lingered in the Betis locker room.

The players sat without uttering a single word, their expressions grim. The smell of sweat and the dirty stench of shocks wafted around the room. Yet none seemed bothered.

The atmosphere was grim and most could feel it.

Kang Joon-Seok wasn’t an exception. He could palpably feel the grim atmosphere inside the locker room. The pressure inside was suffocating.

Frowning, he swept his gaze while covering his mouth.

He jumped his gaze from one teammate to the next, their expression grim. Their eyes looked dull and listless. More than anything they looked exhausted.

The sight around him wasn’t a pleasant one to see.

‘Will we be alright?’ He couldn’t help but ponder.

The sight around him worried him. The more he looked around him, the more he found it difficult to imagine them winning the game.

The first half had only ended.

Yet their expression was filled with defeat.

Their eyes had lost hope. Even the atmosphere inside the room was stifling.

While wandering his gaze, he couldn’t help but recall his mistake. The mistake had cost them the goal. The more he recalled the event, the more he became delirious.

That mistake haunted him. He couldn’t forget that indifferent gaze that looked at him as if he were someone insignificant.

‘Why can’t I reach him?’

The difference in skill earlier made him doubt his abilities. Before entering the field, he had made up his mind. However, right now, his confidence was wavering.

‘I arrived here earlier than him. Yet, I’m the one falling behind.’

While he was engrossed in self-doubt, Manuel Pellegrini entered the room. With an indifferent expression, he stood at the door.

He wasn’t surprised by the atmosphere inside the room.

He had expected it.

Most of them didn’t even notice his presence. He could see them enveloped in self-doubt. The dull and listless eyes were enough to tell him about the gravity of the situation.

With years of managing experience under his wing, he knew exactly what to do in such situations. Hence, he let them contemplate before stepping up to talk.

“It’s difficult, isn’t it?” He addressed their concern, his voice deep and low.

He didn’t raise his voice.

The players turned to look at him, some startled.

“Coach…”

“It’s supposed to be difficult. Did you expect to have an easy match?” He swept his gaze around looking them in the eye.

While he swept his gaze around, some of them avoided meeting eyes with him. Even though he didn’t appear scary, they couldn’t face him.

“I don’t have any complaints about your performance. You all have fulfilled your roles and I’m satisfied with it. However,” He paused. “What I’m unsatisfied with is your attitude.”

“I don’t care if we win or lose. Winning and losing are part of the game. However, continuing the match with such an attitude will only disappoint the fans. Our defeat will hurt them but won’t hurt as much as from a shameless performance.”

“Just think about the fans who have supported you all. Think about their effort and their dedication to the club. Do they deserve such half-hearted effort?”

Pellegrini raised his voice, his expression a little frenzied.

“Look those fans have cried for your success. You will receive bonuses, fame, and respect. But what will they receive even if you win the cup?”

“Just a moment of happiness. Compared to what you will be receiving they don’t get enough. Yet still, they continue to support you. Do you know why?”

Nobody had any answers to his questions. Hence, they remained tight-lipped.

“Because they love the club. To them, the club means the world. If they have such an attachment to the club even when there isn’t much benefit to them then… You, who are entitled to benefits, shouldn’t you have a much deeper attachment?” He asked.

“Even a dog would protect someone who had fed it once,” His tone became calm.

“But you lot who have received a lot from the club, I don’t see even an ounce of attachment to the club. If you did then you would be dedicating yourself right now. But I don’t see that level of dedication in you.”

He was outrightly criticizing them. When it came to pep talk his approach was different. He would criticize them. Most of the time he would make them feel guilty to incite them.

Even though they knew his methods, they couldn’t help but feel frustrated at those words.

He was outrightly labeling them as freeloaders.

Who in their right mind would like to be called a freeloader?

His words stung like a sharp needle, piercing deep into their ego. Their heart ached and they couldn’t help but feel infuriated at the same time.

Emotions raged inside them like a budding storm.

The previously dull and listless eyes ignited with determination. Now even if it cost them their life, they would go all out in the match.

Winning and losing no longer mattered to them.

They wanted to prove this person before them wrong. They wanted to show their worth.

Seeing their expression, Pellegrini smiled. He knew he had achieved the desired outcome. It was much easier to incite them by targeting their egos than motivating them.

This method didn’t work all the time.

It had little to no effect on those lacking the drive to improve. However, he was familiar with the players over here. He was familiar with their personalities.

Most of the bunch gathered here were rejects.

At one point some were even considered failures. Hence, he knew their ego was rather fragile. He only needed a few words to incite them.

“If you have any shame left then go prove yourself.” He added before he ended his speech.

Then the captain of the team took over and the players rallied. They let out a loud determined battle cry before leaving the locker room.

“Let’s win this shit, guys.”

“YEAH!”

Pellegrini felt contended about their flaring determination.

While everybody was on their way out, he stopped Kang Joon-Seok.

Kang felt baffled. He couldn’t help but worry. He worried if the coach was about to rebuke him for his earlier mistake. However, he was prepared to explain.

But before he could speak, the coach looked him in the eye and said, “I believe in you, Kang.”