The silence at Oakwell was strange. For ten months the stadium had been a cauldron of noise and passion.

But now it was June. The season was over. The players were on beaches in Dubai or Ibiza or in the case of Erik Olsen hiking up a frozen mountain in Norway.

Michael Sterling sat in his office. The window was open letting in the warm summer breeze.

He was not on a beach. He was working.

Because a Dynasty does not sleep. It just reloads.

Michael opened his laptop. The System interface flickered to life. It was time for the final audit. The end of season review.

[SYSTEM ANALYSIS: SEASON 2025 2026]

[CLUB STATUS: RISING STAR]

[FINANCIAL HEALTH: WEALTHY]

[REPUTATION: GLOBAL CULT HEROES]

Michael scrolled down to the player statistics. This was the proof of their evolution. The numbers did not lie.

NAME: DANNY FLETCHER

APPEARANCES: 38

GOALS: 18

ASSISTS: 6

RATING INCREASE: PLUS 4

NOTE: The Captain has proven he belongs at the top level. His finishing inside the box is now rated Elite.

"Eighteen goals," Michael whispered. "Not bad for a boy who cost nothing."

He clicked on the next profile.

NAME: KAI SORA

APPEARANCES: 36

PASS COMPLETION: 94 PERCENT

DISTANCE COVERED: IMPROVING (SLOWLY)

KEY PASSES: 112 (LEAGUE HIGH)

NOTE: The Architect sees passing lanes that do not exist in this dimension. His value has skyrocketed.

And then the fan favorite.

NAME: DIEGO NUNEZ

APPEARANCES: 30

YELLOW CARDS: 8

RED CARDS: 1

TACKLES WON: 95

STRIKERS SCARED: ALL OF THEM

NOTE: The Bull is statistically the most terrifying defender in Europe. His Fear Aura has reduced opponent xG by 15 percent.

Michael smiled. The team was strong. But to play in Europe they needed to be stronger. And bigger.

The door to his office opened.

Arthur Milton walked in. He was wearing a hard hat and a high visibility vest over his Hawaiian shirt. He looked like a construction worker who had got lost on the way to a party.

"It is loud out there Boss," Arthur said dusting concrete dust off his shoulder. "The machines are eating the stadium."

"It is the sound of progress Arthur," Michael said standing up. "Let us go see."

They walked out of the office and down the tunnel.

Usually the tunnel led to a green pitch. Today it led to a construction site.

The East Stand was gone. In its place were giant cranes and steel skeletons.

Julian Thorne the billionaire owner had not been joking. When Barnsley qualified for the Conference League he signed the check immediately.

PROJECT: FORTRESS 2.0

OBJECTIVE: INCREASE CAPACITY TO 45000

COST: 40 MILLION POUNDS

COMPLETION: AUGUST

The noise was deafening. Drills were hammering. Metal was clanging.

Michael looked up at the steel beams rising into the sky.

"It is going to be huge," Michael shouted over the noise. "Fifteen thousand extra seats. We need them. The waiting list for season tickets is longer than the Great Wall of China."

"And the roof," Arthur pointed up. "Leo Volt designed it. It amplifies sound. He says it will make the chanting 30 percent louder."

"Good," Michael said. "I want the away teams to feel the noise in their bones."

They walked along the touchline. The pitch was being relaid. It was just brown earth right now.

Suddenly Michael saw something strange near the corner flag.

There was a group of construction workers standing around. They were cheering.

"Go on! Push it!" they shouted.

In the middle of the circle was a man. A very large bald man. He was wearing a construction vest but no shirt underneath.

It was Diego Nunez.

Diego was pushing a wheelbarrow. But it was not a normal wheelbarrow. It was filled with concrete blocks. It must have weighed two hundred kilos.

"Diego?" Michael asked walking over. "What are you doing? You are supposed to be on holiday."

Diego stopped. He wiped sweat from his forehead. He grinned.

"Hola Boss!" Diego shouted. "I am on holiday. This is my fun."

"Pushing concrete is fun?" Arthur asked horrified.

"The gym is boring," Diego explained. "The weights are too light. This? This is real weight. I am helping build the stand. I am building my own house!"

The workers cheered.

"He is a machine Mr Sterling!" the foreman shouted. "He does the work of three men. And he does not even want payment. He just wants us to throw bricks at him so he can practice headers."

"Please do not throw bricks at my star defender," Michael sighed.

"I tried to head a brick," Diego admitted rubbing his forehead. "The brick won. But next time I will win."

"Diego," Michael said sternly. "Go home. Rest. Eat a steak. Do not lift the stadium."

"Okay Boss," Diego said dropping the wheelbarrow. "But make sure the seats are big. My family is coming from Uruguay for the European games. They are big people."

"We will make the seats extra wide," Michael promised.

They left Diego to terrorize the construction crew and walked back inside.

"We have another stop," Michael said. "The Locker Room."

This was the second part of the upgrade.

The old locker room was fine. It had benches and hooks. But a European team needed more than hooks.

They walked into the new changing area.

It looked like a spaceship.

The walls were sleek black glass. Each player had a designated pod.

Inside the pod was a screen showing their stats for the season.

"Leo Volt went crazy here," Arthur said touching a screen. "Look. It has facial recognition. It knows who you are."

Arthur looked at the screen.

HELLO ARTHUR.

HEART RATE: 75 BPM.

SUGGESTION: EAT LESS PASTRY.

"This machine is rude!" Arthur shouted. "I hate it."

"It is honest," Michael laughed. "Look at the recovery area."

In the corner were four new Cryo Chambers and a Hydrotherapy Pool with underwater treadmills.

"No more excuses," Michael said running his hand along the smooth wall. "We have the best facilities in the country. Now we need the results to match."

He walked to the center of the room. The Barnsley crest was on the floor woven into the carpet. It was huge.

"Last season we were the Misfits," Michael said quietly. "We were the scrappy little team fighting against the giants. But look at this place Arthur. We are not little anymore."

"We are medium sized," Arthur suggested.

"We are giants in training," Michael corrected.

They went back to the office. The sun was starting to set casting a golden light over the construction site.

Michael sat down. He had one more thing to check.

The Finances.

A Dynasty needs gold to survive.

He opened the banking app.

[FINANCIAL REPORT: JUNE]

[INCOME SOURCES]

TV RIGHTS: 120 MILLION POUNDS

PRIZE MONEY (7TH PLACE): 35 MILLION POUNDS

MERCHANDISE: 50 MILLION POUNDS

"Fifty million in merchandise?" Arthur asked looking at the screen. "How?"

"Isaiah King," Michael said.

He clicked on the breakdown.

ITEM: PINK REPLICA BOOTS

SALES: 500000 UNITS

MARKET: SOLD OUT IN TOKYO, LONDON, AND NEW YORK.

"The kid is a goldmine," Michael said. "Adidas are paying us a royalty for every pair sold because he wears the Barnsley kit in his videos."

"And Kai?" Arthur asked.

ITEM: 'THE ARCHITECT' SUNGLASSES

SALES: 200000 UNITS

"We are selling sunglasses in Yorkshire," Michael laughed. "It rains three hundred days a year and we are selling sunglasses. Kai Sora is a genius."

The bank balance was healthy. Very healthy.

"We have money to spend Boss," Arthur said his eyes twinkling. "Who do we buy? A striker? A goalkeeper? A robot?"

"We need depth," Michael said. "Thursday night football is brutal. We play in the Conference League then we play in the Premier League on Sunday. We need two players for every position."

He opened the scouting map.

The world was open.

[SCOUTING NETWORK: GLOBAL]

[BUDGET: 80 MILLION POUNDS]

"We need a midfielder," Michael said. "Someone to help Kai. Someone who can run when Kai is recharging."

"I have a name," Arthur said reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a crumpled napkin.

"A napkin?" Michael asked.

"I met a scout in a cafe in Portugal," Arthur said. "He told me about a kid. In the second division. They call him The Pitbull."

"We already have a Bull," Michael said.

"This one is smaller," Arthur said. "But he bites. He is nineteen. He tackles with his head. He runs until he vomits. He is perfect for us."

Michael took the napkin.

NAME: ENZO SILVA

CLUB: ESTORIL

POSITION: CDM

VALUE: 5 MILLION

"Enzo Silva," Michael read. "The Pitbull."

He typed the name into the System.

The screen loaded. A video appeared.

It showed a small angry player chasing the ball. He tackled one player. Then he got up and tackled another player. Then he intercepted a pass and started a counter attack.

[SYSTEM ANALYSIS]

[POTENTIAL: HIGH]

[COMPATIBILITY WITH DIEGO NUNEZ: DANGEROUSLY HIGH]

[WARNING: AGGRESSION 20/20]

"If we put him and Diego in the same team," Michael said slowly. "We might end up in prison."

"Or we might win the league," Arthur countered.

Michael smiled.

"Book a flight Arthur. Go get The Pitbull. We need some teeth in midfield."

Michael stood up and walked to the window.

Below him Diego Nunez was finally leaving. He was walking towards his car still wearing his construction vest waving at the crane operator.

The stadium was growing. The bank balance was growing. The reputation was growing.

The 8 points deduction from last season felt like a distant memory. A bad dream that had only made them stronger.

Next season would be different.

Next season they were not just fighting for survival. They were fighting for silverware.

Michael touched the Manager of the Month trophy on his desk. It was collecting dust.

"We need a bigger cabinet," Michael whispered.

He turned off the lights.

The summer was just beginning. The transfer window was about to open. The European draw was weeks away.

The Sterling Era was entering Phase Two.

EXPANSION.

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