THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Zachary awoke after seemingly a long time. His brain slowly rebooted, and he could see, hear, and smell everything around him again. A wave of emotions flooded his entire being, and his eyes moistened as his senses gradually returned to him. For the first time in his two lives, he felt like he'd never truly realized how beautiful the world was.

He felt much more alive as he pushed himself up from his bed and started walking around the bedroom. His senses were more acute than ever, and he felt like the world was a new place, probably even a utopia.

The sounds pouring into his ears were richer while all the things around him, be it the curtains, the furniture, the beddings, and the paintings, appeared to be more colorful than before. He could hardly believe his senses as even the sun rays streaming golden through the window were more lustrous than ever.

"Is this the power of the system's S-grade mental-conditioning elixir? Truly miraculous!"

Zachary was amazed beyond words could describe. His mind had powered up after he'd consumed the S-grade mental-conditioning elixir, and he could tell that his thought process had become faster and crystal clear.

In a split second, he recalled long-forgotten childhood memories from his previous life, and his sharp mind even reproduced many details from those recollections. He even had the time to ponder some of the math questions his high school teacher used to give him, and he felt he could solve them without expending much mental effort. He believed that he could quickly compute trigonometric, projectile mechanics, or geometry and vector problems as long as he had a pen and paper. His mind was that badass after consuming the S-grade mental-conditioning elixir.

But that was not all. Zachary started going through a light exercising routine in his bedroom and immediately sensed that he had better control over his body. He could even perform more complicated set combinations of fitness exercises without making any mistakes. With his mastery over his body, he would shine in great splendor if he were to switch professions and become a dancer. The upgrade of mental capabilities had really brought him a lot of unexpected bonuses.

"This intelligence upgrade is really out of this world," Zachary thought, settling back on his bed. "It'll even help me if I'm to study at a university or learn a new language in the future. But what excites me the most are the advantages the upgrade will add to my performance on the football field."

Zachary was in high spirits. Contrary to what many might believe, intelligence was an essential attribute that could contribute to the success of any footballer on the professional stage. Its development usually impacted several complex factors in sports, such as problem-solving skills during crucial moments, the formation of cognitive skills (especially spatial awareness and visual acuteness), the ability to maintain focus and composure, social behavior, and interpersonal relationships on any team. That was the power of intelligence in modern football.

At its most basic level, the game intelligence attribute encompassed a player's ability to make good decisions in a football match. Regardless of a player's speed or physical capabilities, the players with the better instincts and higher IQs usually got a head start. It was a simple truth, and that was why the best players in the world possessed extremely high game intelligence attributes. Their football IQs were exceptional, allowing their motor abilities to flourish on the field of play. They were not just great dribblers, passers, and shooters — but extraordinary geniuses with a frightening ability to make superior and immaculate decisions at a moment's notice. And that was what set them apart from other similarly physically fit players on the professional stage. That was what made them one-in-a-billion talents on the highly competitive football scene.

"Phew"

Zachary exhaled to calm his volatile emotions. His eyes flickered with a sense of anticipation, and he decided to summon the system interface.

"System," he called out mentally. "Bring up my current stats on the interface."

"DING"

"Command received," the system AI replied immediately. "User-stats data coming up on the interface."

With that said, the crystal-like display shimmered slightly before showing his primary attribute data.

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*USER STATS

->Physical Fitness: S-

->Soccer Technique: S+

->Game Intelligence: S-

->Mental Ability and Mindset: S+

->X-Factors: S+

->G.O.A.T Skills: 10

****

"This is great!"

Zachary could hardly contain his excitement. His game intelligence and mental ability stats had experienced significant changes and rose all the way to the ranks of S-grading. They had turned from his worst to become some of his best attributes in less than a day.

"System," he commanded. "Show me the breakdown of all my attributes."

"Command received," the AI intoned. "Breakdown of attribute data coming up on the screen immediately."

"Excellent."

Zachary immediately focused on the information displayed on the translucent crystal-like display.

****

*USER STATS (Breakdown)

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->Physical Fitness (Av. Rating: S-)

Balance and Coordination: S-

Agility: S-

Strength: S-

Stamina: S-

Endurance Points: 17,500/18,000 (S-)

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

Ball Control: S+

Dribbling Skills: S-

Passing Accuracy: S+

Body Control: S-

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->Game Intelligence: (Av. Rating: S-)

Spatial Awareness: S+

Tactical Knowledge: A+

Risk Assessment: S+

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

Soccer Passion: S+

Composure and Mental Strength: S+

Coachability: A+

Self-Motivation: S+

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->X-Factor (Av. Rating: S+)

Consistency Factor: S+

Luck Factor: A+

Supernormal Factor: S+

Match Winning Factor: SS

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****

"I have finally reached this point," Zachary mumbled, his eyes glittering with excitement. A serene sense of contentment arose within him as he had finally managed to push all his stats into the ranks of the S-grading. After learning several skills, like the Zinedine touch magic and the Robinho step-over juju, and after consuming several system elixirs, he'd at long last joined the ranks of the heavy hitters in the football world.

"I can't be content yet," Zachary immediately resolved. "I have got to keep working hard to improve my attributes until I achieve the highest level humanly possible by the system standards."

Zachary's entire being was surging with anticipation. He looked forward to the day when his attributes were so high to the point that not even the most potent of the system's elixirs could raise them any further. That would be the day he would turn into a terrifying monster — a demon feared by all his opponents on the football field.

"Bzzt Bzzzt! Bzzt Bzzzt!"

Zachary's phone suddenly started vibrating from the bedside table. It forced him out of his dream-like state and brought him back to the present. Without further ado, he extended his arm and picked up the phone from the table before glancing at the screen.