THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
New Mission System
"DING"
Not long after Coach Damata announced the first test in the test run, a familiar system notification reverberated in Zachary's mind. The translucent blue screen glittered and then appeared in front of him without being summoned. The incident was a first because he usually had to want the screen to appear when he needed to check the system's user interface.
Zachary ignored the surrounding chaos and checked the contents of the notification.
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GOat MISSION
NEW MISSION: Lubumbashi football test (serial mission)
*Task 1: Be the first in physical fitness testing in football trials.
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* Gift:
-> Increased agility level-B-efficacious drug
(It will make you faster and more in control of your body.)
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*Punishment if failed:
-> GOAT system will be offline for three months.
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*Remarks: GOAT is a player who has to dominate his profession from the start or at least try. Toast to the beginning of your awakening as a potential GOAT
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NB: Mission tasks will be updated as trials continue.
****
"What the fuck?" Zachary exclaimed loudly, forgetting where he was. "How am I going to achieve this with all the monsters taking part in the experiment?" He muttered.
"You have something that goes against my instructions, young man?" Zachary heard Coach Damata yell, his voice sounding angry. He looked up only to find the other players staring at him with dumbfounded and confused eyes. Some like Luyinda, Patrick, and Tony are trying their best to hold back their laughter.
[What have I done?] Zachary's heart jumped down his throat.
He looked forward and saw the dark-skinned Coach Damata wearing a scary face as he glared at him, his hands akimbo.
"Young man," he said. "Do you have anything that goes against my instructions?" He once again asked, his fists clenched and relaxed. Zachary knew that the unreasonable coach was angry. He decided to save the situation before escalating.
"Can you tell us what you were thinking at the time? We want to understand what can make a young man forget himself while attending one of the most valuable football trials in the country."
Zachary heaved a sigh of relief when he heard the coach's tone subside. He seemed to have crossed the first hurdle.
"I was thinking about how I should do my best for all the players here to attract the attention of one of the scouts. I'm very nervous, sir." He replied with a trembling voice.
A commotion rippled in the stadium that was actually silent. Some young men held their bellies and laughed like there was no tomorrow. The teenagers seem to be very amused by Zachary's cowardice. But this does not affect him in any way because he is only worried about the coach.
"Shut up," cried Damata once more, stopping the turbulent waves of laughter.
"Young man," he said, turned towards Zachary. "I give you the benefit of the doubt. I'll let this go for a while. But watch my words, this should be the last time an incident like this happens." The coach lets his views explore the players to emphasize his point.
None of the players wanted to get a negative tag from the coach, so they kept quiet with their heads down.
"Young man," Damata once again looked at Zachary. "What's your name?" She asked.
"I'm Zachary Bemba, sir."
"Zachary Bemba," muttered Coach Damata. "That name seems a bit familiar." The other coach standing to his left whispered a few words to Damata. The latter raised his head and looked at Zachary, grinning.
"I'll keep an eye on you during the trials. Try to do your level best." Damata said. He then continued to give his instructions.
Zachary only half listened to the other coaches' instructions. His thoughts were mainly on the mission system. The system had offered the best reward for him at that moment. He needed an agility-enhancing potion to break through his bottleneck. But he should have run faster than everyone, including the prodigy Steven Mangala. Zachary doesn't think that he's already the best in his age group just because of some reward from the system. There may be players who are already in the S class at the age of fifteen. Zachary suspected that Mangala was such a player.
[But what to fear?] He thought after calming down.
[Mangala is still fourteen years old. I have a longer pace and a pretty good stamina. I can definitely win.] Zachary grinned.
He then concentrated back on the words of Coach Damata who seemed to be finishing his parade.
"From our records, we know there should be 120 players here" said Coach Damata. "We'll divide you into four groups, each with about 30 players."
"When coach Mande here reads your name, you're in the first group" he said, pointing to a thin man to his left. "Go to the track and wait for the whistle. And good luck."
Coach Mande swiftly finished announcing the names of the players in the first group. Zachary is not in between and is just waiting on the grass with the others. However, the likes of Fredric Luamba and Ngoda Muzinga were in the group.
The race begins soon after Coach Mande blows his whistle. Fredric led the others around the pitch from start to finish. He finished 32 laps in just 41 minutes and was minutes ahead of second place. The others were the famous names that Zachary was familiar with also entered the top ten.
After the coach recorded the finish time of the 30 participants, the second group started the race. Zachary was again not selected among the participants. But he notices that his former friends, Tony and Patrick, are in the group. They managed to finish among the top five, behind the terrible Chris Luyinda who almost doubled the other players.
By noon, the third group finished their race. Now it's Zachary's turn to run. And as fate would have it, the child prodigy - Stephen Mangala, was also in the fourth group.
Zachary stepped on the running track knowing that he would have little chance of winning against Mangala. But if he won, he would win the agility-enhancing potion of the system that would increase his talent. Zachary then did not have to worry about not being nimble enough later in the trial. Thus, he was more eager to win than anyone.
[I'm going to win this race.] He swore inwardly while marching with the others on the track. He's just waiting for the whistle.