The Greatest of All Time

Chapter 9 - Talent Upgrade

After being dismissed by Coach Damata, Zachary exited the stadium and trekked northwards to downtown Lubumbashi.

The road ahead of him shimmered in the heat of the afternoon sun. The oppressive heat beat down on his head like he was bacon under a grill.

Suddenly, the after-effects of the race washed over him. He felt lightheaded. His knees began aching, threatening to buckle. He felt like his brain was on a five percent battery. All he wanted was to rest and soak in the calm peace of nature.

He decided to hire a motorbike back to his motel. That tapped further into his dwindling finances. However, his state of destitution didn't sour his mood. His fate was altering. If all went as planned, he would be swimming in dollars in only a few years.

A few minutes later, Zachary leisurely walked to the public bathrooms of his motel. He felt that only a cold shower could soothe his tender muscles.

The dirty bathroom and cold water were the best he could get with his meager funds. The pipes screeched like a ghost in a horror movie before spitting out a dribble of cold water. Zachary braced himself to prevent himself from reflexively jumping out of the stream before he'd finished soaping and rinsing his body.

The water poured down and dripped to the floor. As his mind faded into dullness, everything became a foggy illusion. He felt like he was standing underneath an everlasting waterfall. The sensation of the cold water calmed him, making him reminisce about events from his past life.

'What could she be doing now?'

Images of a beautiful girl that had come close to becoming his wife flooded his mind. He had dated Anita for more than two years. He was about to propose to her when his life got turned upside down. The moment his contract with TP Mazembe got terminated, the girl up and disappeared. He had failed to trace her whereabouts even during his later years.

'I need to make time and head to Kinshasha to see her.' Zachary resolved. He needed to gaze at her one last time before returning his attention to his career.

Zachary exited the shower and headed back to his motel room. He felt refreshed and ate a light lunch before sleeping off his fatigue until evening.

He felt rejuvenated after waking up. He was physically ready to take the elixir. So, he opened the system user interface.

A card with an image of a fresh onion appeared on the translucent blue screen when he clicked on the temporarily-unlocked system-inventory tab.

Once he selected it, a small onion popped out of the screen. He wasted no time in tossing it into his mouth.

This time around, the B-grade elixir did not cause his body any pain. He only felt a slightly ticklish sensation, like he was under the ministrations of a massage therapist. But soon, the feeling passed as if it had never been there.

'Is that all?'

His experience with the vitality enhancing elixir was a far cry from the agility one. The former brought great pain while the latter caused only a slightly ticklish sensation.

Zachary doubted whether the elixir had been effective.

He clenched and unclenched his hands to see whether anything changed. However, there seemed to be no way of checking. He had no idea how raising his agility would affect him. So, he opened the system user interface to peruse through his attributes.

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[SOCCER G.O.A.T SYSTEM]

[SYSTEM LEVEL: 1 (17/100 juju points to level-up)]

[USER: Zachary Bemba]

[AGE: 15 years]

[TALENT ASSESSMENT: Grade-B]