THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Enhanced System
As Zachary was about to start perusing through the system's user interface, his phone bell rang like an annoyed rattlesnake. He took it, glanced at his screen, and noticed that his grandmother was calling.
"Zechari!" Her grandmother's hoarse but soothing voice rang out from the phone as she placed it near her ear. "Are you there?" He speaks in Swahili.
"Ndio, aunty," she spoke on Motorola's Moto-G phone. "Are you settling in well? How's the new place?" He asked in a humble tone, maintaining a clear Swahili accent.
Zachary managed to move him from Bukavu after saving half of his allowance for a year. With 84,000 Norwegian Kroner, he rents him a sizable house in Lubumbashi— and hires several freelancers to work on his farm in Bukavu. Zachary could not return to Congo in the summer due to his busy training schedule. However, he had sent money to Coach Damata and assigned him to put him in a new city. He even bought her a new phone, similar to his, for easier communication.
"You know me" said his grandmother. "I don't want to move to the city. It's boring here. And my cow, my animal may be dying." He complains. The old woman loved her farm. It took a relentless defense from Zachary's side in conjunction with Coach Damata's extraordinary people skills to convince him to move on from Bukavu.
"But we agreed that you would set up a craft store in Lubumbashi" Zachary said. "That's gonna keep you busy. After all, don't you think Lubumbashi is safer than the environment in our village?"
Grandma Zachary sighed softly. "Enough about me" he grumbled. Zachary could see a depressed melancholic tone in his voice. It seems like he is not used to living in a new city. "Are you studying and training hard? When can I see you on television?" She asked.
Zachary spent the next five minutes telling his grandmother about his life in Norway. She talked about classes, training, the weather, and some other topics to convince her grandmother that she was safe.
He is happy that he has a way to communicate with the only parent figure he has known in both of his lives. Zachary never got tired of hearing his voice because it took away all the longing he felt while in Norway.
He has realized that going back in time does not turn him into a machine with only one goal; playing football. Occasionally, some of the feelings that he sometimes suppressed in his previous life would threaten to drown his mind.
During the Christmas holidays the year before, he spent hours gazing at the white snow that had fallen through his window, thinking of his grandmother, alone in Bukavu. The snow that covered the earth that winter, as if it were an endless cushion of feathers, had left him homesick, making him long for home. That was why he felt he had to buy a phone to communicate better with her.
Zachary has yet to achieve the sort of nerves of steel that allow him to turn off everything else and just focus on football. Perhaps, that's why the system is still assessing his mental abilities at B -.
However, Zachary does not want to lose all his emotions and become a football maniac. He wants to experience all that his new life has to offer while also being one of the best in world football. That's the goal.
After talking to his grandmother, Zachary returned his attention to the system. He reopened the user interface after putting his phone on the bedside table and started—flipping through the system menu.
****
GOAT FOOTBALL SYSTEM
SYSTEM LEVEL: 2 (367/1000 Juju-points to level up)
USER: Zachary Bemba
AGE: 16 years
TALENT ASSESSMENT: Grade-B
JUJU POINTS: 367 (2 msg)
(Evaluation: A beginner soccer player)
----
USER MENU
*USER STATUS
*GOAT MISSION (4 msg)
*SYSTEM SHOP
*LOTTER SYSTEM (locked)
*PEEKING TOOLS
----
NB: Please upgrade the system to open more functions.
****
Zachary does not take much time to scan the contents of the interface. He had upgraded the system a year ago and was already familiar with the level-2 interface. He immediately stretched out his index finger and tapped on the GOAT mission tab, already flashing red at the interface.
"DING"
****
4 new messages
CONGRATULATIONS
-> You have completed the mission (One Year Progressive Overload Fitness Training).
----
->Misi-gift
1) Elixir C-grade Physical Conditioning (Already available to users.)
2)260 Cumulative Juju Points.
----
->Mission Summary
*The training plan comes with perfection for one year.
----
Overall Mission Rating: A+
----
-> Bonus gifts
You have earned 100 bonus juju-points
----
****
The mission reward was what Zachary expected. He has earned a dose of physical conditioning potion and 5 Juju points for each weekly training plan designed by the system.
Over the 52 weeks of the previous year, he earned a total of 260 points. The system has given him a bonus of 100 Juju points for the completion of the perfect mission. He then had enough money to purchase one of the skills at an unlocked system store.
However, he decided to check the stats of his users first before opening the system store.
****
*USER STATUS
-> Soccer Techniques: A+
-> Intelligence Game: A+
->Mental Capabilities and Mindset: B-
-> Factor-X: F
-> GOAT Skills: 2
****
Zachary managed to improve his physical fitness and football technique by one level during the training year. Due to his rigorous training schedule, which involved yoga and meditation, his mental abilities eventually improved from C rank to B rank. However, he had not managed to increase his X factor by even a single grade throughout the year. That single stat held back the appraisal of his talent, yet he had no way of refining it.
[Perhaps, I should seek help from one of the coaches.] Zachary sighed. He clicked on the physical fitness tab.
****
->Physical Fitness (Average Rating: A-)
Balance and Coordination: A+
Agility: A+
Strength: B+
Durability: A-
Durability Points: 4500/5500 (A-)
****
Zachary physical fitness benefits the most from 1 year of progressive overload training. His balance and coordination, along with his agility stats, all soared to the A+ value. Only his strength stat remained below A rank among his physical stats. With his level of progress, he just needs to continue his intensive training plan and one day, he will achieve the perfect physique for football.
During his years of training, he had noticed that his physique had become less strong but slimmer as he tightened his muscles with vigorous exercise. He has reached the body with lean and well-defined muscles with almost no body fat. He is a bit thinner than the original but in better shape as a footballer.
He felt a sense of accomplishment because his physique had reached a mix of mesomorph and ectomorph body types. He is more agile with better body coordination—gives him an edge when dribbling or handling the ball. The value of his soccer technique for dribbling skills, passing accuracy, and body control also increased due to his smooth physique.
Zachary navigates back to the home menu of the system user interface before opening the system store.
****
*SYSTEM SHOP
-> Gift Package (locked)
-> Purchasing Skills
-> Buy Elixir
-> Lottery Coupons (locked)
->Inventory
****
Zachary didn't linger. He selects the purchasing skills tab on the system store menu immediately. It was one of the features that the system had unlocked after its upgrade.
He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the new content on the screen. Only two skills are available in the system store. They appeared on a skill card that floated in front of all the others in the interface. One card depicts David Beckham, a famous English footballer, in a shooting posture with the ball. Others describe Andrea Pirlo, an Italian legend, with the ball at his feet.
Under the two skill cards were a few words in beautiful calligraphy.
****
1) Bend like Beckham Juju: For setpiece. Cost 300 Juju-points.
2) Snipe-it like Pirlo Juju: For passing. Cost 300 Juju-points.
note:
*Skills are limited to one purchase until the next system upgrade.
*Please make your choice by tapping on the skill card to purchase.
****
Zachary doesn't need much consideration. He immediately chose 'Bend-it like Beckham Juju'.
He is already confident in his passing and only wants to acquire skills capable of winning his game when he makes his debut for Rosenborg. Skill setpieces seemed like the best option for Zachary at the time as only one purchase was allowed until the next system upgrade.
In his past life, Celtic relied on Nakamura's free-kicks to win several games and compete for various Scottish titles. Zachary believes he can be a great asset to any team if he masters the art of taking a dead ball at Beckham level. As a midfielder, he does not have to worry about being left out of the team list as long as he can score most of his dead balls.
However, when Zachary taps the card with Beckham's image, a system notification pops up immediately.
****
*Goat Skills
2 new messages
-> You try to learn GOAT Skills that require mental and physical conditioning before achieving initial mastery.
-> Enable GOAT Skills Simulator to start mental conditioning by spending 2 Juju-points for 1 hour activation.
*Receive reject
****
"So it's a simulator" Zachary murmured to himself. He's enlightened. GOAT Skills Simulator is a new feature added under the GOAT-Skills menu after system upgrade. He had ignored its use until then.
Without hesitation, he clicked on the accept button to activate the simulator. He can't wait to learn a new Juju.