THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

The next day.

Zachary woke up to the steady pitter-patter of raindrops on his bedroom window. That sound was the perfect natural lullaby, so delicate and soft on the ears. It gently induced a state of calmness upon his mind and soothed his entire being to the very core. With eyes still at rest, he started reflecting on his second life in those few blessed moments of tranquility brought about by the morning rain.

His accomplishments in his second life were the stuff of legend. He'd arrived in Norway only three years prior. With the aid of the system, coupled with hard work, he'd managed to impress his coaches and graduate from the academy in only two years. He'd managed to join the Rosenborg senior team and make it to the starting lineup in just a couple of months. Without a doubt, it was an incredible journey, one that had shocked many.

Yet, he hadn't stopped at that. He'd put his career above everything and continued toiling assiduously, even though he'd already achieved his primary goal of becoming a professional footballer. Day after day, he constantly exerted himself to sharpen his skills with a consistency that could put a high-end pre-programmed robot to shame.

Set pieces, dribbling skills, passing, and game theory— he trained in all aspects of his game, bringing them to a level much higher than the zenith of his previous life. He was the perfect embodiment of a training maniac with a never-say-never attitude that enabled him to develop his abilities at an incredible rate.

As a result, he'd managed to shine brilliantly in his first season as a Rosenborg player. He was soaring towards the heavens since he'd already helped his team win a league trophy by scoring more than twenty goals in his first season. His career was progressing in the right direction since he was already the season's top scorer — and consequently, everyone's darling and a fan's favorite at Lerkendal.

Nevertheless, he'd realized that becoming the best player in a low-tier league wasn't enough to satisfy him. He yearned for more. He wanted to move on to greener pastures and face the best players in the world. He longed to experience the intensity of playing in one of the top leagues in the world.

If he threw everything to the wind, he could have initiated his transfer procedures out of Rosenborg during the upcoming transfer window in December. However, circumstances didn't allow him to do as he pleased just yet.

Firstly, he still had a pending system mission that obliged him to stay with Rosenborg until May of the following year at the very least. He had to help the Norwegian giants qualify for the 2013/14 Europa League's round-of-sixteen or incur a hefty system penalty of 120,000 Juju points. Moreover, he'd freshly come to the realization that qualifying for the round of sixteen didn't just mean qualifying out of the group stages. Instead, he had to help Rosenborg crush the opponents in the second round of thirty-two teams before they could reach the round-of-sixteen stage. It was a tall order for sure. Nonetheless, he didn't believe in giving up before trying. He was still determined to realize his objective despite the odds stacked against him.

The second reason he couldn't immediately leave Rosenborg was the inadequacy of his abilities. He was well aware that his skills, which could dazzle both fans and opponents in Norway, would fall short against top world-class defenders. Say, he had to face off against no-nonsense defenders like Branislav Ivanović, Sergio Ramos, or Dani Alves — he wouldn't be able to outmaneuver them that easily. He could only hope for a sub-par performance with his present skill-set.

However, that wasn't enough for him.

He wanted to continue dazzling and impressing both fans and opponents even after joining the best leagues. He didn't want to sit on a top team's bench because of his lacking skills after his transfer.

Those lofty aspirations fueled his insane training regimen and prompted him to hire Coach Bjørn Peters, his fitness trainer. He had a clear purpose of raising his fitness and skills to the next level as quickly as possible.

Zachary's mind seemed to be drifting on calm seas. His musings were random as those of a child on summer vacation, paddling, at ease with the flux of time. He thought about many things, including his past life, present circumstances, and future prospects.

But soon, his thoughts returned to the present. The pitter-patter of the rain, loud on his window, soon became the center of his focus once again. He blinked his eyes open and directed his gaze towards his bedside clock.

"Ahh!" He yelped in surprise on realizing that it was already 9:00 AM.

He had several commitments that day, the first being a signing ceremony for his contract extension at Lerkendal later that morning. He had to finish his morning routine quickly before meeting up with Emily prior to the actual signing ceremony. He was on a tight schedule.

Without dragging his feet, he jumped out of bed and flexed his limbs out of habit. It was a practice he'd adopted to check the state of his body every morning.

"Being on the bench has its advantages," Zachary concluded, grinning from ear to ear as he trekked towards his living room. "There's no post-match fatigue weighing me down. I'll go ahead with Coach Bjørn Peters' training regimen after the signing ceremony since I'm still fresh and full of energy."

The realization that he could go ahead with his hectic training schedule improved his mood. His muscles were full of energy since he had only appeared as a late substitute against Lillestrøm Sportsklubb the previous day. He didn't need any post-match recovery rest. So, without dilly-dallying, he started going through a simple stretching routine.

Neck stretches! Cobra stretches! Knees-to-chest exercises! Spinal twists! Upper back stretches! Standing-quad stretches! Hamstring and calf stretches! Etcetera.

Illuminated by the first morning rays of the late autumn sun seeping through his living room window, he performed all motions of the exercises in sequence without cutting corners. His movements were as fluid and delicate as those of a ballet dancer. He didn't want to make any mistakes in performing the stretches since he understood their importance, especially in the long run.

The seemingly simple routine was part of a long-term training regimen designed by Coach Bjørn Peters to enhance his body control and agility over time. He didn't take it lightly since he yearned to improve those two stats, in particular, to the next level within the shortest time possible.

Zachary was sure he would be like a tiger with wings if he managed to raise his agility and body control attributes to the legendary S-grading. His dribbling would become much more fluid and allow him more versatility in games. Without a doubt, he would instantly gain the ability to hold his own against even the best defenders in the world with the elevation of just those two stats. Moreover, he would also meet the requirements for mastering the Robinho step-over Juju.

With that step-over juju, he would gain the ability to slice through assemblies of top defenders like a sharp knife through vegetables. Who then would be a match for him? The answer was "no one" since he would already be able to send any defender out there packing with just a couple of step-overs.

Zachary could feel his heartbeat pick up just by him pondering the prospects. From a young age and even at the zenith of his previous life, he'd always admired footballers that were good at dribbling. The likes of Ronaldinho, Messi, the two Ronaldos, and Maradona always made him catch his breath in excitement whenever he watched them perform their magic on the pitch. At their peak, those legends had time and time again terrorized top world-class defenders with agile footwork. They were, without a doubt, phenomenal players, even across generations. Zachary, of course, hoped to follow in their footsteps.

In addition to developing into a fully-fledged Maestro, he'd always wanted to add another dimension to his game. He yearned to combine his high-level passing skills and game intelligence with unmatched dribbling skills. That was his envisioned shortcut to greatness.

Zachary continued going through the simple routine for fifteen minutes. He performed a dozen yoga poses as a surplus before heading to the bathroom to wash up.