THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Zachary woke up early, at around five, that Monday. He quickly tossed the covers aside, slipped out of bed, and started a routine of 120 sit-ups. He'd spent most of his weekend resting and watching football matches, so the exercise didn't tire him in the slightest.

When he completed the sit-ups, he immediately washed his face and went out for his routine morning run. He had to jog six miles in-order-to complete a system mission task. Even knowing he would be attending his first training session as a Rosenborg professional player a few hours later couldn't stop him.

Zachary was more motivated than ever to complete the mission tasks and receive the mental conditioning elixir reward before joining the team training. He couldn't postpone since he wouldn't get any other free time to complete them for the rest of the day.

So, he braved the early morning cold and ran across the streets of Trondheim. They were devoid of any traffic, save for a couple of heavy trucks. He jogged with a consistent rhythm and managed to complete his six-mile run in only 33 minutes. He then stretched for a bit in front of his building before ascending the stairs to his apartment.

When he was back in the confines of his living room, he removed his running shoes and jacket and switched on the light. He felt fatigued after doing the 120 seat-ups plus all the running. Nevertheless, he didn't allow himself to rest for an extended period.

He was eager to improve his skills, especially after having signed the contract with Rosenborg. He wouldn't let a little fatigue bar the path towards his goals.

So, he chugged down some water and ate some glucose to refill his depleted energy reserves as he tried to regulate his breathing. And thanks to the C-grade physical conditioning elixir he'd been taking for months, he could recover his energy much faster than humanly possible. In only a few minutes, he felt somehow rejuvenated.

Without wasting time, he started going through a light yoga regimen involving a set of routines designed by the system to improve his body control.

Zachary had been in love with yoga ever since he'd returned to his past since it could help him prevent injuries on the pitch. That was the reason he had always been motivated while practicing yoga. Moreover, it was the only exercise capable of helping him adapt to his growing physique as quickly as possible by improving his flexibility and balance.

Zachary went through the different yoga stances with a methodical-approach. He started with the tree-pose, then the standing-forward bend, bridge-pose, bow-pose, headstand, shoulder stand, etc. He spent a dozen or so seconds on each pose before transitioning to the next.

Beads of sweat glistened on his forehead before rolling down and soaking his t-shirt as he exercised. Nonetheless, he didn't halt the session until he had practiced all the Hatha-yoga poses he could think of at that moment. When he completed the last posture, he collapsed, only managing to lay on the tiled floor supine, arms spread out as he gasped for simple breath.

"DING"

No sooner had he settled on the floor to rest than the system notification sounded within the confines of his mind.

"The user has completed the mission: Preparations to Become a Pro," intoned the AI. "The user can view the system completion report on the interface right away."

"Bring up the mission completion message," Zachary commanded, grinning. He was glad that he could finally obtain the B-grade mental conditioning elixir after completing the system mission.

"Command received."

"Mission completion report coming up."

Zachary picked up a towel from a nearby rack and wiped his face. He then settled on a stool close to the balcony before focusing his attention on the system interface.

****

#4 new messages

CONGRATULATIONS

-> You have completed the mission: Preparations to Become a Pro.

->Mission-Rewards

1) B-grade mental conditioning elixir (Available in system-shop).

NB: The user must consume the elixir within 5 seconds after being removed from the system shop.)

2) 100 Juju-points

->Mission Summary

*Task 1: Run 60 miles each week (for four months) in the outdoor environment. Task goal: To help the user to adapt to playing in cold weather. (Average miles completed for each week over the past four months: 65 miles. Task Rating: A+)

*Task 2: Complete 90 seat-ups daily during the first month, 100 seat-ups daily during the second, 110 seat-ups daily during the third, and 120 seat-ups daily during the fourth month. Task goal: To improve the user's body control by strengthening and toning his core-stabilizing abdominal muscles. (Task completed successfully. Task Rating: A+)

*Task 3: Complete seven rounds of half a dozen Hatha-Yoga routines daily over four months. Task goal: To improve the user's body control by enhancing his flexibility and strengthening the core muscles. (Task completed successfully. Task Rating A+)

Overall Mission Rating: A+

->Bonus rewards

You have earned a bonus of 10 Juju-points

****

He could hardly contain his delight after perusing through the system message. He was eager to use the elixir right away but stopped himself after a moment of deliberation.

"System," he intoned. "Will the consumption of the B-grade mental conditioning elixir bring some discomfort to me?" Zachary didn't want to end up missing his first Rosenborg training due to blacking out or some other side effect of the elixir.

"Negative," the system responded right away. "On the contrary, the user will feel refreshed after consuming the mental conditioning elixir."

"That's great." Zachary smiled, casting a glance at his clock. It was only 6:40 AM. He still had slightly more than two hours before the start of the training session. That was more than enough time for him to clean up, shower, and take breakfast. He could even afford to fix-in the consumption of the elixir into his schedule. Thus, he decided to get to the task right away.

Zachary opened the gift-pack tab that was blinking red in the system shop. As soon as his right forefinger left the translucent blueish screen, a system notification sounded in his head. A new message populated the interface before him.

"DING"

****

#1 new messages

CONGRATULATIONS

You have received a System Gift: B-grade mental conditioning elixir as a mission completion reward.

Please select the gift card in the inventory to retrieve the elixir.

NB: The user must consume the elixir within five seconds after removal from the system shop.

****

Zachary was already an expert at retrieving gifts from the system. So, he clicked on the inventory tab and selected the card with an image of a lemon fruit drawn on it. And as he expected, the minuscule-sized green lemon, about a centimeter in diameter, popped out of the translucent bluish interface and dropped into his outstretched hand.

Zachary didn't dawdle since he only had five seconds to consume the elixir. He tossed the small green lemon into his mouth immediately.

It tasted like the 'real' bitter lemon on his tongue as it melted and diffused into his bodily systems.

Zachary felt a wave of coldness wash over his mind as the elixir worked its magic. It felt like his higher brain was incapacitated, his thoughts sluggish like he'd been drinking hard liquor. But in the next instant, the feeling faded as a surge of euphoria engulfed his consciousness.

Like the AI had promised, the effect of the mental conditioning elixir was instant rejuvenation.

Zachary seemed to hear chimes ringing within the confines of his mind as his thoughts quickened, becoming much clearer than before with every passing second. He closed his eyes, savoring and soaking into the sensation until it came to pass, and his cognition returned to normal.

"System," he intoned. "Bring out my mental attribute data." Zachary wished to understand how much of a change the B-grade mental conditioning elixir had brought to his mind.

"DING"

"Command received," the AI responded.

"Mental attribute data coming up on the interface."

Zachary blinked as his eyes adjusted to the new contents of the translucent bluish screen before him.

****

->Mental Ability and Mindset: (Av. Rating: A-)

Soccer Passion: A+

Composure and Mental Strength: B+

Coachability: B -

Self-Motivation: A+

****

He felt drunk with happiness as he perused through his mental attributes. His composure and mental strength stat had finally broken through from the C+ to the B+ grading. It had even leaped over a grade, thereby pushing his overall mental-ability and mindset to the A- grading. He even noticed that his mastery of the Zinedine-Pirlo Mental Juju had progressed from 49.009% to 59.009% after his breakthrough. His only disappointment was that he seemed not to have awakened the zone ability even after consuming the B-grade elixir.

"System," he said, standing up and heading to his bedroom. "Is there a sure way to unlock my zone ability as soon as possible?" He took off his training gear, caked with sweat, before heading into the bathroom.

"The surest way of unlocking the user's supernormal abilities is by consuming an S-grade mental conditioning elixir." He heard the AI articulate as he stepped into the bathroom. "Since the user has already unlocked the zone ability on two prior occasions, he'll surely be successful if he utilizes the elixir."

"Then, how can I obtain the S-grade elixir?" Zachary pressed, opening the tap and starting to shower. He couldn't purchase the A and S grade elixirs since they were still unavailable in the system shop. They were still shrouded in grey on the shop menu.

"The user has to accomplish some achievements first, and the purchase of the S-grade elixirs will be—unlocked," the IA replied. "The user can also win the elixirs after completing some of the system missions. The system will notify the user immediately in case such opportunities exist in the near future."

Zachary decided not to pester the AI anymore. He 'simply' had to play his best on the pitch—and the chances to win or purchase the elixir would surely manifest before him.

So, he focused on cleaning up. He still had to eat breakfast before heading to Lerkendal for the Rosenborg first-team training before 9:00 AM. He had no intention of being late for his first training as a professional player.