THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

As planned, Zachary and Camilla boarded a plane to Barcelona in the morning two days later. After getting off the plane and going through the customs, they took a taxi cab from the airport. Soon, they were well on their way to the Hilton Barcelona Hotel located in the Avinguda Diagonal.

Zachary's heart throbbed with excitement as he looked at the buildings and towering historic monuments flashing by the cab window. He'd already done his research before embarking on the trip to Barcelona with Camilla. So, he was looking forward to his next few days within the historic Spanish city.

Barcelona was a city that contained both the authentically historic and the wildly bizarre. From the scenic trails of the colorful Park Güell to the romantic narrow alleys of Barri Gòtic, then from the beachside nightclubs to the city's dozens of sacred churches and architectural marvels, this city by the sea seemed to attract all types of tourists. Whether you were an adventurer, a couple, a party animal, a culture lover, and more — you could find a variety of things to do within Barcelona City.

However, what had caught Zachary's attention the most were the various world-class sports facilities located within the boundaries of the city. Be it first-class gyms, large stadiums, small turfs, and swimming pools — you could find them all spread everywhere in the city. If there was a need for first-rate sports trainers, you could also find them all over the place. Thus, Barcelona was like heaven to a sports-loving person, like Zachary.

Actually, Zachary's decision to head to Barcelona for a holiday wasn't just to spend time with Camilla or conduct some personal training away from Trondheim. He also wanted to experience the football culture in the city, which many deemed one of the best across the whole world.

"Look! That's the Camp Nou Stadium!" The taxi driver slowed down a little before pointing to a gigantic structure far off in the distance. Even though he was a typical Spaniard, his English was fluent.

"That's the home ground of Barcelona FC, the best football club in the world," the taxi man continued in an excited tone. "Many of the best footballers in history, including Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Samuel Eto, and Johan Cruyff, all played here. In the current generation of the team, we now have Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta, Neymar, and many others — who are among the best of the best in today's game."

"When is Barcelona's next game?" Zachary asked after hearing the driver introduce the local team.

"Sunday, 5th of January," the driver was quick to reply. "Barcelona will be facing Elche Football Club at the Camp Nou. If you're still in Barcelona by then, endeavor to watch that game. I can assure you that you won't be disappointed."

"If I'm still in Barcelona, I will try to," Zachary replied.

A few minutes later, the cab arrived at the Hilton Barcelona Hotel. Under the guidance of the hotel staff, Zachary and Camilla quickly checked into a splendid and elegant room on one of the middle floors of the grand hotel.

The room was huge, with a large bed, a comfy sofa, a flat-screen, and a humongous window on one side. It was well-organized, with all the furniture and interior decorations arranged meticulously. It had the sort of ambiance that allowed one to process the transition from a journey to arrival.

"This place is beautiful," Camilla remarked, looking around. "I already like it here. What about you, Zach?"

"It's great," Zachary said with a smile while also surveying the room. "I think I will have a great time here. I do hope they have a good gym and swimming pool here. That would save me the trouble of searching for training facilities elsewhere."

"They do," Camilla said. "They have a first-class gym and a swimming pool here. So, you'll only need to move out when you need to look for the training turfs."

"Then, that'll be great," Zachary said. "I should maybe first go and check out the gym. I don't want to miss my planned training for today."

"Aren't you going to take a rest first?"

"Nope," Zachary replied. "It's just coming to midday. So, I'll survey the gym first and probably undergo some training. I will only rest later in the evening."

Zachary still had to complete a 40-day system mission aimed at helping him to solidify his football techniques. So, even though he'd just arrived in Trondheim, he didn't want to waste any time. He wished to carry on with the training regimen so as to stay on schedule.

"Okay, I understand," Camilla said. She then stepped forward and fell into Zachary's embrace. "However, before you go, shouldn't we take a shower first and then have some lunch?"

"Okay, then," Zachary said, hooking an arm around Camilla's waist as his tone turned ambiguous. "Let's shower first, then. We can also test out the bed and see if it meets the standard of a four-star hotel."

Camilla's face blossomed into a gorgeous smile. "Great," she said. "Come, let's take a shower together."

"Okay."

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For the next few days, Zachary fell into a routine. He would wake up long before the sun had risen in the east for training. After an hour or so of intensive workout, he would then feast on a sumptuous breakfast, together with Camilla, before heading to the gym for his weight training.

The Hilton Barcelona Hotel was a four-star hotel with first-class facilities. They were to Zachary's liking. So, he always spent his morning hours either in the gym or at the swimming pool, trying his best to adapt to his improved body fitness.

In the afternoon, he would often head to a nearby turf. While there, he would spend hours working with the ball or running cone drills. He would then go through a yoga session before ending his training for the day.

Day in, day out, Zachary worked extra hard since he desired to improve his skills before the Europa League game against Fiorentina. He only took a break in the evenings when he accompanied Camilla to various tourist attractions in Barcelona.

And after spending an enjoyable night with Camilla, he would once again restart his training early in the morning the following day, and the cycle would go on.

The days flashed by quickly as Zachary trained himself. Christmas came and went — and before he knew it, the New Year had arrived with regal ease.

After a night's talk with Camilla on one particular day, Zachary decided to extend his holiday in Barcelona by a few weeks. He was reluctant to go back to Trondheim since he really liked the warmer weather in Barcelona and the first-class facilities around the city. So, he'd decided to head back to Norway only after he'd acclimatized to his new fitness attributes.

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Four weeks later.

Barcelona was a city of both mild and cold temperatures in January. However, on this particular day, the sunset in the sky was as fresh as the colors brushed upon an artist's canvas. It was so warm and beautiful to the point of warming even the coldest of souls from within.

Under the glare of the setting sun, Zachary sat alone on the training turf as he observed a group of young boys and girls training in the distance. He was slightly out of breath since he'd been working with the ball and running cones for the past two hours. However, he was excited since he'd again managed to push all his stats to the A+ grading.

"System," he commanded inwardly after making sure that there wasn't any other person close to his position. "Show me my football technique stats."

"Command received," the apathetic voice of the system's AI sounded immediately after as the familiar crystal-like display manifested before him. "The user's football technique attributes will be coming up on the system interface in a bit."

"Great."

Zachary grinned as he pivoted his attention onto the translucent screen before him. Without further ado, he started perusing through his football technique attributes.

****

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*USER STATS

->Soccer Technique: (Av. Rating: A+)

Ball Control: A+

Dribbling Skills: A+

Passing Accuracy: A+

Body Control: S-

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*****

Zachary's felt like he'd unloaded a couple of weights off his shoulders after glancing at his technique attributes. At long last, he'd managed to overcome the side effects of consuming the S-graded vitality-enhancing elixir.

Moreover, he had a feeling that he might advance some of his football-technique attributes to the S-grading before February. By then, he would be a monster on the pitch — who would be able to take on even the best defenders in the world. So, he could hardly contain his excitement at that moment.

"I guess it's the right time for me to master the Robinho-step-over Juju," he decided after closing the system interface. Without further ado, he chose to act right away.

Zachary immediately packed his training gear before returning to his hotel room. He had the place to himself for the next few hours since Camilla was attending some fashion show that evening. So, he wasn't worried that she would return abruptly and interrupt him while in the process of learning the new skill.

"System, I would like to purchase the Robinho-step-over juju," he said after settling down on the sofa in the hotel room. His body, which was slightly slimmer than before, was only wrapped in a towel since he'd just taken a shower. His muscles, from the chest down to the abdomen, were well-streamlined. They exuded a feeling of both power and flexibility.

"Command received," the AI replied after a moment. "The user needs to spend 2000 Juju points to purchase the Robinho-step-over Juju from the system shop. Does the user still wish to purchase the skill at that cost?"

"Positive," Zachary replied.

"Command confirmed..." the AI's apathetic voice sounded.

"Checking skill's requirements before confirming the purchase..."

"The user possesses S- grade body control and S- grade agility which meets the requirements of the new skill."

"DING"

"Congratulations. The system has now confirmed the skill purchase from the system shop at the cost of 2000 Juju points. The user can choose to master the skill at any time."