THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
First Day of Exam
*FREEEE!*
In the scorching heat of the day, Zachary and the other participants in the fourth group departed as soon as Coach Mande blew the whistle. The final race in the Lubumbashi trials has begun.
Zachary did not bother spying on his other opponents but only unleashed half of his top speed. It was a 32-lap race with a total of about 8 miles. He needed to save his energy by slowing down his pace at the beginning.
However, the important players like Miche Mika and Nike Kabanga are in their own class. Both were unmatched when they found empty space during the second lap. They darted forward at their fastest speed and immediately led an entire group of 30 players. Stubbornly attached to them is Stephen Mangala, the prodigy of Kinshasha.
To Zachary's surprise, a short boy he had never met in his previous life was also part of a prominent group.
The group of four began to break away from the others, a feat that caused Zachary to worry. So, he's accelerating.
He increased his speed until he was only a few meters behind them during the sixth round. However, the four stubbornly clung to their superiority despite all his efforts.
Over the next twenty rounds, their group accelerated in front of the others, averaging 70 seconds per spin. Their time is only about 10 seconds behind the world's top runners. They almost doubled the rest.
Miche Mika led the way wearing the Olympique Lyonnais jersey. Nike Kabanga and Stephen Mangala overshadowed each step, both wearing arsenal jerseys. The unidentified boy also stuck to the group. However, she starts to lose her stamina and Zachary easily catches up with her.
He maintained his acceleration and passed through Kabanga and Mangala as well. On the 28th lap, only Miche Mika was still in front of him.
With only 3 laps left, Zachary Bemba began to minimize the lag. Miche Mika digs, pushes harder, and does everything to shake up his rivals. But, he was also overtaken by Zachary towards the end of the 29th lap.
Zachary was dizzy from excitement but maintained his quick pace. He kept running along the brown clay track in the stadium. He had no intention of losing his lead.
The nail under his boots gripped the earth in rhythm. His move became the lyrics of the original song that he had played for the audience of the coaches who watched from the sidelines. Sweat droplets had long since started flowing on his skin.
Zachary had been jogging an average of five miles daily for two weeks before his trip to Lubumbashi. His fitness can defend against a few laps left around the field.
However, at the start of the second round from behind, Zachary saw a shadow flashed past, leaving him in the dust. The prodigy, Stephen Mangala, has caught up with him with only 800 yards to go.
[Dirt!]
He also sped up but failed to catch up to him.
[Am I going to lose?]
He worked hard to increase his speed. The pain in his limbs was a sea of unknown depths and a savage beast lurking about. But, he ignored her and continued to chase after Mangala's shadow.
A feeling of despair enveloped him. He felt his legs become heavy like they were weighed down by lead.
[I have to win this at any cost.]
He made use of the energy reserves he had never expected before and accelerated instantly.
**** ****
Coach Damata stood on the sidelines watching the race. He is particularly interested in a fourth group that includes two attractive boys who were previously noticed by TP Mazembe scouts. They all participated in the U-14 regional tournament. Stephen Mangala has been the best performer in the high school competition held in Kinshasha at the beginning of the year. Another boy, Zachary Bemba, was once the captain of an elementary school in Lubumbashi. He has won the 2008 best player award in the Lubumbashi U-14 region.
The kids did not disappoint him.
"Mangala, the new kid will be in this race" Coach Mande announced from his left. "Zachary and the rest are spent and have no chance to catch up" he added.
"Let's wait and see" Coach Damata smiled. "A competition is never won until the end" he said. He refocused on Mangala and Zachary's running form.
The result of the race looked like a definite conclusion after the last corner. Mangala flew merrily towards the finish line while Zachary desperately chased. But, with half a lap left, Zachary twisted his body and ran, pulling the schoolboy who was imitating a galloping horse.
With 30 yards remaining, Zachary miraculously accelerated past Mangala before darting to the finish line. He looked back at both the people behind him and the coaches on the sidelines. His eyes remained fixed on the finish line until he won the race.
**** ****
"Beni Badibanga, Paul Kasongo, Patrick Luamba, Tony Majembe, ...Chris Luyinda, Miche Mika, Fredric Luamba, Stephen Mangala, and Zachary Bemba." Coach Mande closed his counter book after reading the names of the players with the best time in the race.
As promised, the coach only selected 26 boys among those gathered. Those whose names were called by Coach Mande entered the centre circle of the pitch as part of the group selected to return to the test match the following day.
Zachary was the last to be called up because he had the best time in the whole group. Coach Mande has read that list in descending order.
Zachary staggered into the middle circle, getting a few wrinkles and harrumphs from the likes of Chris Luyinda and his former classmates Tony and Patrick.
He noticed that the eyes of most of the selected players were on him, unlike before. But he ignored them and found an empty place to sit. He still had to check the mission results of his system.
At the end of the race, Zachary was too tired to lift a single finger. He had decided to rest for a few minutes; however, the coaches had called everyone to take part in the post-race meeting.
Only then did Zachary get the time to open the system's user interface. He had already made sure that it was invisible to others. So, he boldly opened the mission tab and researched his achievements.
****
4 new messages
CONGRATULATIONS
->You have completed the first task in a serial mission - Lubumbashi Football Trial (Be the first in physical fitness testing in football trials).
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->Misi-gift
1) Elixir B-level agility enhancer (Available in system store; temporarily unlocked. The user should take the elixir within 5 seconds of being removed from the system store.)
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->Mission Summary
*Task 1: Be the first in physical fitness testing in football trials. (Finished race in record time 39.12 minutes; Rating A+)
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-> Overall Mission Rating: NA (available at end of trial)
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-> Bonus gifts
You have earned 2 bonus points
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****
Zachary has finally confirmed that he has completed a mission assignment with an A+ value.
However, he did not open a system store to access his rewards. He closed the interface and looked up only to see the unselected boys marching out of the field with a sad expression. He could not help but remember the times he had been part of such a group during his previous life.
He breathed a sigh of sympathy.
At this point in his past life, he has returned to his former school in western Lubumbashi with no hope of becoming a professional footballer. He had been rejected by the later school team due to repeated ankle injuries. But now, he had gone through the first stage of the ADTA trial. His fate began to change for the better.
[I just have to do well in tomorrow's game. I could then move to Europe and seriously develop my career.] Her thought.
"Listen, everyone," shouted Coach Damata as the players who failed to leave the stadium.
"Welcome to pass the first trial. Tomorrow, some famous scouts will be here to watch you perform. Make sure you're here at eight. Otherwise, you will be instantly disqualified." The coach warned me seriously.
"A question?" He asked, looking around.
The strange boy who was also part of the leading group within the Hugo race instantly raised his hand.
"Yes," Coach Damata pointed at him. "Tell us your name first before asking a question."
“My name is Paul Kasongo, Sir,” the boy stuttered. "What will be involved in the trial tomorrow? How do we get ready?" She asked.
[So, he was Kasongo, the player who was killed before he went to Europe in my previous life.] Think Zachary.
He finally understood why he didn't recognise a very fit player like him. Paul Kasongo has died at the hands of a local prostitute in Lubumbashi after being selected by one of Europe's high-performance academies. All the coaches at Lubumbashi sighed in regret at losing that very young talent.
[I have to help him this time. DR Congo needs more players like him for international tournaments.]
"There will only be a test match tomorrow" Damata replied. "Eat well, rest well, and be prepared to perform tomorrow morning. That's all."
"There's another question?"
All players remain silent.
"OK, you're dismissed," Coach Damata waved impatiently. "We'll all meet tomorrow."