THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Combining Skills
Zachary woke up in shock and sat up straight on the sofa. The morning sun was already shining through the window, decorated with drawn silk curtains, on one side of the living room of his apartment. A ray of light reflected off the glass of his classic rectangular coffee table, blinding him for a moment as his pupils—still widened from sleep.
He took a quick glance at his wall clock and realized that it was already 10am. Only then did he remember why he slept in the living room instead of the comfort of his fully furnished bedroom.
The night before he had bought Snipe-it-like-Pirlo Juju from the system store. He immediately went through the mental conditioning necessary to learn the skill but fainted during that process. Inevitably he trembled considering the mind-numbing pain he had experienced the night before.
"System, did I manage to learn that skill?" He asked, standing up from the sofa and stretching his limbs. He could not feel the difference in his body compared to the previous day. He just felt a little dizzy, probably as a side effect of the mental conditioning procedure.
"Reporting to the user" the AI system chanted with its feminine yet expressionless voice. "Both mental conditioning and the addition of Snipe-it-like-Pirlo Juju data into the user's mind are very successful."
"Why do I feel like there's nothing different about myself?" She asked. He then took a few steps and looked out the window. It was a slow Saturday morning. Only a few vehicles and pedestrians were moving down the street under his apartment building.
"Users will feel the difference when playing football" the AI replied. "Please rest assured that the information necessary to achieve initial mastery of the skill has been embedded in the user's core instincts."
"Users can now easily use Snipe-it-like-Pirlo's basic passing skills in the field."
"Do users want to check their progress in learning skills in the system panel?"
"Yes" Zachary replied, walking back and sitting on the sofa. "Please show me the skill menu."
"Government accepted," chanted the system. "The GoAT Skills tab appears on the interface. Please wait a minute."
Zachary blinked as his eyes adjusted to the translucent bluish interface luster. He watched as the GOAT Skills he mastered filled the entire length of the screen.
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-> GOAT Skills: 6
(i) ZINEDINE VISUAL JUJU
(1st Level: Progress: 90.001%)
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(ii) ZACHARY-ARROW-SHOT
(2nd level: Progress: 1%)
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(iii) BEND-IT LIKE BECKHAM JUJU
(First level: Progress: 100%)
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(iv) CRUYFF-TURN
(Progress: 100%, Powered beyond 100% solution.)
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(V) RONALDINHO ELASTICO DRIBBLE
(Progress: 100%, Powered beyond 100% solution.)
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(vi) SNIPE-IT LIKE PIRLO JUJU
(Progress: 10%)
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-> GOAT Skill Simulator
Enable Disable
(Activation charges 2 Juju-points per hour)
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****
"DING"
"The system has detected two skills that are suitable in usability and learning requirements" AI said. "Zinedine-Visual-Juju and Snipe-it-like-Pirlo-Juju are the skills in question. They can be combined into one at the cost of 1500 Juju points by the system."
"Do users want to combine two skills?"
Zachary felt a wave of excitement gushing through him after hearing the AI question.
He had already realized that his mastery of Snipe-it-like-Pirlo Juju had increased to 10% in one night. That meant he could already use the trinkets that came with Juju. He is already satisfied because it will improve his reading skills and passing game, especially in midfield.
But upon hearing that the system could combine skills, Zachary was stunned for a moment, speechless. He couldn't help but wonder how such a feat was worth when two Juju were from two different players.
"System," he said. "Are there any flaws that will follow after the merging of the two skills?"
"Yes, there is," the AI immediately replied. "Users will lose a bit of mastery once the system completes the merging of the two skills."
[As I thought.] Zachary pondered in his heart.
"Do users want to combine Jujus Zinedine-Visual and Snipe-it-like-Pirlo?" AI is asked once again. "Please note: the resulting skill will be much better than the two skills used separately."
"The combined skills will be better!" Zachary muttered, stroking his chin. "OK, proceed by combining the two skills." He ordered, leaning against the sofa. Since the system had convinced him that the resulting skill would be better, there was no reason to avoid merging. Perhaps, it was a skill that could help him climb to the top of Tippeligaen. He 'just' has to make a leap of faith.
"Governance accepted."
"1500 Juju-points have been reduced."
"The merger of Zinedine-Visual and Snipe-it-like-Pirlo Jujus will begin on 5, 4, 3, 2, 1—dan 0."
"EXPLOSIONS"
And once again, an explosion exploded within the confines of his mind. He then experiences a familiar splitting headache that threatens to stop all of his conscious thoughts. However, just then, Zachary hardened his resolve and went through the torment without fainting. In just a few minutes, the waves of pain in his head receded like a tide.
"The merger of Zinedine-Visual and Snipe-it like-Pirlo is complete" said the AI. "Users can go ahead and name new skills."
"So fast?" Zachary asked, his voice higher than he meant. He hoped to experience a torment comparable to the previous day. However, in just a few minutes, the system had successfully combined the skills. It doesn't make sense to him.
"Yes, that fast," the AI confirmed. "Since the user does not need to undergo any other mental conditioning routine, the system can do the merging in just a few minutes. Please go ahead and name the new skill." The AI urged once again.
"Call it Juju Mental Zinedine-Pirlo," Zachary said, returning his focus to the system interface in front of him. Since both skills were related to game intelligence and mental aspects, Zachary decided to name it as a type of mental juju.
"Governance accepted."
"Name the new skill as Zinedine-Pirlo Mental Juju."
"Skills data has—updated in the system."
Zachary hears AI articulate as new data fills a translucent bluish interface. The number of GOAT skills on the panel was reduced from six to five. Zinedine-Pirlo's new Juju Mental appeared on the screen in fifth position, with 49.009% mastery%.
Zachary is glad his new skill mastery doesn't start from zero. With 49% progress, he could use a new Juju in the match after a few training sessions. His only disappointment was that his game intelligence and other mental attribute stats did not improve.
He closed the system interface after perusing some of his other stats. After combining his skills, he stays with a balance of only 900 Juju points. He planned to keep it for everyday use—like when buying physical conditioning potions. He will also use it when activating the system simulator— virtual world where he trains most of his techniques.
Zachary then quickly prepared a heavy breakfast consisting of oven-roasted chicken thighs, fries, bananas, milk, and juice. He's starving because he hasn't had dinner before. Moreover, it seemed like mental conditioning had depleted all of his energy reserves.
Therefore, he eagerly ate more than half a kilogram of food before going out for his routine morning run. He had to run for eight miles to complete the system's mission task that morning. It was part of a routine to adjust his body to the cold weather, which Zachary did not want to miss for anything in this world.
From his apartment building, the rising sun emitted a reddish hue in the morning sky. Zachary took a moment to enjoy a rare golden glow in the morning of March in Trondheim. Instead, the morning breeze felt cold on his skin. So, he unzipped his Nike running jacket, put on his woolen socks, and started running a few seconds later.
He got into that zone as soon as he came out on the streets— his steps were short and consistent. His body seemed to have achieved a form of full-body meditation as he ran along the pavement. Sometimes, he would explode with speed to hone his sprints and endurance. Elsewhere, he would suddenly change directions, making consecutive sharp turns, to perfect his body control.
He 'just' kept running as if every important step, darting past a few pedestrians on the street. Then, before he knew it, his apartment building was already in front of him, and all that was left was to let his legs limp and rest as they wished.
However, he did not allow himself to relax immediately. He lay for a few minutes in front of his building, thus completing the mission task of the system's progressive overload for the morning. He was then one step closer to obtaining the mental conditioning potion as a reward for the mission.
Zachary climbed the stairs, hoping to take a short shower before planning what to do for the rest of the day. He hated the days when there was no training. He hopes to join other Rosenborg players at Lerkendal Idresspark to train. However, the coach several times 'advised' him to take time off from intensive training that weekend.
"I might have to buy a PlayStation like Kendrick suggested, to help me get through my rest days" he murmured. He immersed his entire soul into his musings without caring about his surroundings.
"Thank God, there's an El Clasico today. I'll watch it, probably with the guys at Moholt."
He continued to climb the stairs towards the sixth floor with sheer instinct. Meanwhile, his mind turned to higher gear, trying to remember who ended up winning El Clasico's match in his previous life. Is it Real Madrid or Barcelona? But he could not remember it because he had never watched that match in his previous life.
Along the stairs, he seemed to hear someone calling. But he did not turn around because he did not expect visitors or know his neighbors personally.
"Zachary," the man once again called. But that time, she could tell that the feminine voice was calling her name. He turned around, and to his surprise, found a girl he did not expect to meet any time soon, a few steps away. He stood by the door on the fourth floor, smiling at her like a long-lost friend who was finally found—found.
"Miss Kristin Stein," cried Zachary, feeling his heart begin to race. "What are you doing here?"