THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Zachary blinked reflexively to adjust to the brightness of the translucent crystal-like display that had just manifested in front of his eyes. Then, without further ado, he started perusing through the details of the just-completed mission.

****

4 New Messages

CONGRATULATIONS

->You have won the first major award of your career and thus completed a Hidden System Mission.

->You've taken your first step toward gaining the recognition of the international football community as one of the most exceptional players of countless generations.

->Mission Rewards

1) A total of 100,000 Juju points

2) An S-grade mental conditioning elixir

-> Congratulations to the user once again. Continue working hard and try to win more internationally recognized accolades, including the Ballon d'Or, as soon as possible.

****

Zachary couldn't contain his surprise after reading the mission completion message. The mission was much more rewarding than expected, and he'd obtained quite plentiful benefits. Among those was an S-grade mental conditioning elixir, one of the system's most potent elixirs that could further fortify his mental capacities. He couldn't contain his happiness as he perused the contents displayed on the crystal-like system interface again.

"Based on the system's rewards," he mused, "it seems that individual accomplishments are much more rewarding than those involving team efforts."

Zachary had already noticed the pattern in the system's reward policy. For instance, if he became an MVP or top scorer in a tournament, the system would award him more than if he helped his team win a domestic league. So, following that reasoning, the GOAT system was clearly pushing him to improve his abilities while also encouraging him to win more individual accolades. Maybe, that was the fastest way to achieve GOAT status. He was now even more sure of the conjecture after seeing the reward for winning the Golden Boy award.

"Let's just take one step at a time," Zachary mused before returning his focus to the rewards for the hidden mission completion. His glance fell on the 100,000 Juju point reward, but after a moment of contemplation, he chose to store the amount for future use.

He had, of course, not forgotten that he would need 1,000,000 points for the next system upgrade. So, he had long started taking every chance available to stock up on Juju points.

"Phew..."

Taking a deep breath, Zachary finally focused on the best reward for the night. It was the S-grade mental conditioning elixir, which happened to be one of the most potent system elixirs that he could consume and not experience side effects. By ingesting the tonic, he would strengthen his mental abilities, such as spatial awareness, tactical knowledge, risk assessment, and mental strength, and thus push his game intelligence to a higher level in a short while.

But that was not all there was to the elixir's benefits. Zachary also understood that by improving his mental capabilities, he would gain better body control and thus see a spike in some of his overall ball skills.

For instance, with a sharper mind, he would assess risks and make decisions within moments during critical moments of the gameplay. He would also rely on his enhanced intelligence to execute skills much more quickly and fluidly, thus becoming more clinical on the pitch. And as a finishing touch, his passing skills would also benefit from the mental fortification afforded by the elixir.

As Zachary was well aware that the S-grade mental conditioning elixir was the most suitable system tonic to improve his overall abilities quickly during the middle of the season, he acted immediately. Without even the slightest hesitation, he made up his mind to consume it right then, even before going to bed.

"System," he called out telepathically while glancing at the interface. "I would like to consume the S-graded mental-conditioning elixir now."

"Command received," the system AI replied. "Confirming... A single dose of the S-graded mental-conditioning elixir is ready for the user's use in the system inventory. The user can select the respective card in the inventory to summon the elixir. As a reminder, the user must consume the elixir within five seconds after its removal from the system inventory or risk its effects disappearing."

"I understand," Zachary replied. He quickly went through the already-familiar process of summoning the elixir from the system inventory before tapping on an image of a small apple with the words "S-grade mental-conditioning elixir" inscribed below it.

The card soon exploded into glittering particles, and a tiny apple, roughly the size of a small lollipop, materialized from the system's crystal-like display. Zachary didn't waste time admiring its lustrous glow but instead wolfed it down as quickly as possible. Then, he adjusted to a comfortable position within his bed and covered himself while bracing himself for the elixir's effects to kick in.

Everything that followed was all too familiar to Zachary since it was his second time consuming an S-graded mental conditioning elixir. His head started spinning, and an explosion went off in his mind, causing his thoughts to turn into a jumbled mess. He felt himself losing his senses, and after a few seconds, all went dark. The pain and disorientation caused by the S-grade menta- conditioning elixir had once again caused him to black out.

**** ****

In the meantime, Kristin was still awake, tending to her duties as Zachary's publicity secretary. She worked quickly to post the best pictures of Zachary posing with the Golden Boy award and added captions such as "The beginning of greatness," "The rise of one of the best of a generation," and so on and so forth. She successfully posted them on all of Zachary's accounts, including Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. And with that done, Kristin finally relaxed, washed up, and went to bed, feeling fulfilled. However, she could not imagine the commotion that her posts had caused on the net.

A few minutes after Kristin posted the pictures, Zachary's followers started sharing the posts on their respective pages. A reposting craze followed, and those few images were reposted probably millions of times until the words "Zachary" and "Golden Boy award" became trending topics on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

In fact, those keywords turned so popular within hours and thus emerged on the list of top google searches in Europe, Africa, and South America. And with that, even the often-neglected and previously forgotten Golden Boy award became a household term for most football lovers worldwide. Indeed, a great person could make everything he was associated with more famous and prestigious, even on an international stage.

But that was not all there was to the craze. Some netizens, including football critics, journalists, and fanatics, soon started a debate about whether Zachary had the potential to win the Ballon d'Or that season. And that was another fuse that caused another explosion of discussions on the internet, causing even presenters of famous sports shows worldwide to join in on the conversation.

"So, guys!" Emilia Vasquez, one of ESPN's famous sports presenters in Europe, said on her show the following morning. "There's a massive debate on the internet that has taken me by surprise. Many notable football critics around Europe and the rest of the world are beginning to believe that Zachary has a chance to compete for the Ballon d'Or award this season. What do you guys think?" She turned to the two pundits present in the studio.

Joshua Morales, the pundit closest to her, smiled at the cameras and said, "I think Zachary has a fair chance of competing for the award. First and foremost, his team, Juventus, is already flying and on course to win the Italian Serie A. Their form is so out of this world — to the point that they haven't lost or drawn a single time this season. Be it the Champions League or their domestic competitions — they still hold a hundred percent winning record. The crucial point is that Zachary has been at the center of it all, putting up spectacular performances and scoring incredible goals to help Juventus continue winning. He has already proven his amazing abilities as an exceptional player, and I think he has a fair chance to compete for the Ballon d'Or."

Shaka Hislop, the other pundit in the studio, laughed and supplemented with an analysis of his own. "Let's also not forget that as we speak now, he's the top scorer of both the Italian Serie A and the Champions League. In my honest opinion, I don't think he will stop scoring goals as long as he remains fit. Now, imagine Juventus winning both the Serie A and the Champions League. How would the situation unfold? Wouldn't Zachary be the favorite to win the Ballon d'Or under such circumstances?"

"Those are sound conjectures, fellas," Emilia Vasquez said with a smile. "But the crucial question is: Can Juventus win those two competitions?"

"Now, that'll be difficult for Juventus," Shaka Hislop answered. "Don't get me wrong. I obviously don't doubt Juventus' ability to win the Serie A and maybe another domestic Italian competition like the Coppa Italia. They are by far the strongest team with the mightiest squad in Italy. That's why they have achieved a hundred percent record and amassed all the 48 points they could possibly get from their sixteen Serie A matches so far."

"But if we move to the Champions League, I don't think they will have it easy," Shaka Hislop continued. "Juventus will have to beat the world's greatest teams, like Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich, in order to achieve continental glory. Can Zachary up his game and perform beyond expectations against such teams? Can he continue putting up spectacular performances to help his team overpower all those giants? Can he continue scoring in the Champions League and outshine other outstanding players like Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Robert Lewandowski, and Luis Suárez? All those are questions to consider as we assess Zachary's chances of winning the Ballon d'Or this season."