THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Juju Dead Ball Specialist
"That's five goals for you in three games" Olav Brusveen, TV2 Sporten correspondent, continued his post-match interview. "You seem to fly. This is quite surprising, especially since it has only been a week since you made your debut. Zachary, how did you do it?"
"Well, I practice a lot" Zachary replied in a flat voice. "I also feel good when I'm on the field. So, it's easy for me to convert the odds when they come to me during the game."
"Isn't it because you eat well?" Olav asked while joking.
Zachary smiled hearing that. "Of course there is that" he said. "Eating well is one of the most important requirements for a professional footballer." He added, his facial expression turned serious.
"Oh, good to know," said Olav, still smiling. "Tonight, Rosenborg took another step to get back to the top of the table and maybe the title. Your team has accumulated 16 points, equal to Toppfotball Stromsgodset. Rosenborg was only in second place due to Stromsgodset's goal difference advantage. Are you sure about winning the Trophy this season?"
"The current atmosphere of the team feels incredible" Zachary replied immediately. “We are the strongest team in Norway. There's no doubt about that. So, we are confident that we can continue to win until we win Cupen and Tippeligaen this season. Of course, that's if we keep defending.our best."
"The best team in Norway, you say!" olav said, his eyes flashing as if he had finally caught something newsworthy. "Not Molde, not Stromsgodset! Tippeligaen fans might disagree. One team was the champion for last season, while the other became one of the leaders of the standings since the season began."
"Of course, we're the best" Zachary replied, his voice flowing with confidence. “We will soon surpass Stromsgodset and return to the top of the standings. And there's no need to mention Molde. If I remember correctly, they should still be at the bottom of the table with two points from seven games this season, right?"
"Yes, you're right" replied Olav, a Cheshire cat grin adorning his face. "They haven't won any games since the season started. Two points they got from two draws."
"Then, there's no need to compare," said Zachary seriously, wanting to resolve the issue. He already felt that the reporter was focused on non-issues rather than asking about the match that had just finished.
Olav nodded, still beaming. "Thank you, Zachary, for your time" he said, extending his hand. "It's great that you're here again. I look forward to seeing you once again next week."
"Thank you too, for accepting me," Zachary replied, grabbing his hand and ending the post-match interview. He then exchanged handshakes and a few words with several other media people before heading to the dressing room.
Late at nine o'clock, Zachary quickly cleaned up, dined the team, and bid farewell to his other teammates before leaving Lerkendal in haste. He boarded the bus late back to Stjrdalsveien, and by 22:15, he had already returned to his apartment.
All he had in mind was to continue his post-match recovery routine and go to sleep. He could not allow himself to succumb to exhaustion before he completed his post-match physical conditioning to speed up his recovery. He should be ready for the away game against Honefoss Ballklubb the following Monday.
But not long after he entered his living room, a system sounded in his mind.
"DING"
"Congratulations," the apathetic voice of AI soon followed.
"Users have completed the mission of the hidden system— by staying consistent and successfully scoring in three consecutive games by relying on dead balls. The user has gained 100 Juju points and unlocked a new passive skill: Juju Dead Ball Specialist, effective immediately. "
"Users can see the details of the skills in the system interface. Do users want to see the details now?"
Zachary paused mid-step, trying to process the new information. "Dead Ball Specialist!" He muttered, pondering the name of the new skill. "Isn't that similar to Bend-it like-Beckham Juju?"
"Not at all" replied the AI. "Juju Dead Ball Specialist is purely a passive mental skill. On the other hand, Juju Bend-it like-Beckham is an active skill related to controlling the body accurately to start the posture to take the perfect free kick. Two different skills."
"Oh!" Zachary said, stroking his chin. "I need to see this for myself. Bring skill info immediately." He added, throwing his gym bag to the side before sitting on the sofa.
"DING"
Zachary nodded to himself before perusing the details of the skill on the transparent blue screen that appeared before him.
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# 1 new message.
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New (Passive) Skill: Juju Dead Ball Specialist (100% mastery)
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Skills Details
->Users will have the courage of steel before taking any set piece, whether a penalty, corner kick, or free kick. The user will enter a state of extreme focus, undisturbed by outside distractions at that point.
->When the user activates the skill, he will get a brief boost in the core attributes of spatial awareness and risk analysis before taking the set-piece. Both stats will rise to the next small rank after the user activates Juju Dead Ball Specialist.
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note:
->Users can only use the skill before set-piece.
->Skill will always make users lose ten Juju-points to activate for 10 seconds before taking a set-piece.
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Hope blossomed within Zachary after reading the details of the skill. One of the most challenging requirements for any professional footballer is to remain calm amid game-changing opportunities on the field. Pressure born from intense periods, can easily affect a player and hamper his ability to perform in such moments. For example, a top player can miss a penalty or a free kick due to pressure, even when he has converted every dead ball on the training ground. The Dead-Ball Specialist Juju is just an ideal cheat to help any footballer get through that kind of pressure.
Zachary believes he can stay consistent and continue to perform at his best in set pieces with such cheats. His free-kick conversion rate would increase significantly as he would not face any pressure with such a cheat in his repertoire. Moreover, two of his game-intelligence stats would rise to S-grade as long as he activated the skill. Zachary was looking forward to that, as being in that state for even just ten seconds would give him a glimpse of how top athletes usually view the game. That way, he will be able to adjust and develop his skills to the next level.
Zachary's heart leaped in excitement as he thought of the various advantages of the skill. Despite this, he still had one worry.
"System," murmured Zachary, starting to take off his sneakers. "Will activating the skill have any impact on my statistical development or other attributes?"
"Negative," replied the AI immediately. "Rather than slowing down the user's rate of progress, activating the skill will allow the user to develop the attribute of leaning on the mental side faster than before. Users need not worry."
"That's good then." Zachary smiled after hearing the AI response. As long as the skill had no adverse side effects, he would happily use it to win the game. He was looking forward to using the Juju Dead Ball Specialist.
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