THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Zachary returned to his hotel room after taking several interviews with reporters and then spending an hour celebrating with teammates and coaches. As he expected, a system notification sounded in his mind after he closed the door and switched on the light.

"Congratulations to the user for completing the 2014/15 Coppa Italia Challenge mission," the system AI's apathetic voice sounded at that moment. "The user can check out the interface for more details on the mission completion details and associated rewards."

Zachary's eyes gleamed with excitement as he placed his gym bag and the box containing his Coppa Italia golden boot and medal to the side. He forgot the pain he felt in his calf due to the tackle he faced during his match and settled on the bed. Then, without further ado, he began perusing the contents of the mission completion message.

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#5 new messages

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CONGRATULATIONS

->You have completed the system mission (2014/15 Coppa Italia Challenge).

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->Mission Summary

*Milestone 1: Play 80% of the 2014/15 Coppa Italia fixtures (Completed; Rating A+; Rewarded 100 Juju points).

*Milestone 2: Help your teammates become the 2014/15 Coppa Italia Champions (Completed by helping Juventus defeat SS Lazio during the final; Rating S+; Rewarded 2,000 Juju points).

*Milestone 3: Provide the most assists in the 2014/15 Coppa Italia tournament (Not Completed; Rating D, No Reward).

*Milestone 4: Become the top scorer of the 2014/15 Coppa Italia tournament (Completed by scoring eight goals during the tournament; Rating S+; Reward 20,000 Juju points).

*Milestone 5: Become the MVP of the 2014/15 Coppa Italia tournament (By far the best player according to system statistical computations. Completion with Rating S+ and rewarded a dosage of a random-effect elixir that can increase one of the user's fitness attributes by an entire grade. The specific attributes that can be improved include Balance and Coordination, Agility, Strength, Stamina, and Endurance.).

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->Mission completed almost with perfection.

Overall Mission Rating: S

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->Mission Rewards

1) A total of 22,100 Juju-points

2) An S-grade random-effect elixir that can increase one of the user's fitness attributes by an entire grade.

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->Bonus Rewards

You have earned 5,000 Bonus Juju points.

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****

Tang Mu grinned when he confirmed that he had secured the random-effect elixir from the system. All his physical fitness attributes, including agility, strength, stamina, endurance, and balance & coordination, were already at the SS grading. So, as long as he consumed the elixir, he would immediately push one of them to the SSS grading.

The SSS grade in fitness was like an untouched level that he hadn't seen any player possessing after repeatedly using the system's snooping tool. And not even world-class players like Christiano Ronaldo, Pirlo, and Gareth Bale had pushed those few attributes to that level.

Of course, most possessed the SSS-grade game intelligence that allowed them to perform incredibly well on the field. However, their agility, strength, stamina, endurance, and balance & coordination were still at the level of the SS grading. As such, if Zachary could push one of his physical fitness attributes to the SSS grading, he would be standing at the top of the football world, at least fitness-wise.

"System," he called out in his mind. "Please bring up my current physical fitness and technique attributes."

"Command received," the apathetic voice of the System AI immediately sounded in his mind. "The user's fitness and technique attributes will be coming up shortly."

As the voice ceased, the translucent and intangible crystal-like display before Zacchary flickered and displayed the requested information. His eyes lit up, and he started studying his attributes.

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*USER STATS

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->Physical Fitness (Av. Rating: SS)

Balance and Coordination: SS

Agility: SS

Strength: SS

Stamina: SS

Endurance Points: 2,300/72,000 (SS)

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->Soccer Technique: [Av. Rating: SS]

Ball Control: SS

Dribbling Skills: SS

Passing Accuracy: SS

Body Control: SS

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****

"The best outcome would be to improve my agility stat after consuming the random effect elixir," Zachary thought while looking at his attributes. "I could then possess the speed that could give Usain Bolt a run for his money while also retaining my ball skills. At that time, I would become a real nightmare for all the defenders I faced."

Zachary felt hopeful. But no matter how eager he was, he understood that immediately consuming the elixir was a terrible idea.

He knew that elevating one of his physical fitness attributes, like agility, by a whole grade would throw his rhythm off. He would then struggle to perform as usual during the crucial UEFA Champions League final that was only two and a half weeks away.

"Bzzt Bzzzt! Bzzt Bzzzt!"

Right then, his phone vibrated from one of his pockets. He fished it out and glanced at the screen. He smiled when he realized it was Emily calling before pressing the accept button and holding the device against his ear.

"Hi, Zachary," her bubbly voice immediately sounded from the other end of the line. "Congrats upon winning yet another trophy and Golden Boot. Remember to take me out to celebrate."

Zachary chuckled and replied, "I surely will. Come to Turin any time, and I'll take you out for dinner."

"You said it yourself," Emily said. "I hope you don't forget."

"I won't," Zachary promised.

"I was worried when I saw you go down in pain after facing that tackle from Danilo," she said with concern. "Are you okay? Is your leg fine?"

Zachary sighed and chose to be honest with his agent. "There's some pain around my calf muscle. I don't think it's anything serious. But I might still have to rest on the sidelines for a few days to recover."

"Taking time to recover is the best choice," she said. "Make sure that you see a physician as soon as possible. And remember not to strain your leg unnecessarily before you understand the extent of your injury."

"Of course, that's what I plan to do," Zachary said. "I will visit the team physician tomorrow after returning to Turin."

"Great," Emily said, her voice filled with relief. "You and your Juventus have now completed a treble, including the Supercoppa, the Coppa Italia, and the Serie A trophy you're yet to receive. Only the Champions League remains before you and your teammates etch your names in the history books by winning a quadruple."

"Yes, only the UEFA Champions League final against Barcelona remains," Zachary said. "It will surely be a tough battle when we face the Catalans. But we'll try our best to win. We'll go all out to bring the trophy back to Turin."

"I will be praying for you to achieve all the glory," Emily said. "You must be tired after playing the final. I'll now leave you to rest. Congratulations again upon winning the Coppa Italia. Keep working hard, and you'll continue achieving more glory."

"Thank you, my dear agent," Zachary said. "Your words have already filled my soul with motivation. I will do my best to continue performing well."

"There you go, being cheeky again," Emily said. "Good night!"

"Good night to you, too."

She then switched off the phone.

Zachary was just about to place the phone to the side. But it once again vibrated, indicating some incoming messages. He swiftly opened them and noticed they were from his acquaintances and old teammates congratulating him upon winning the Coppa Italia.

Zachary felt warm, especially when he saw the WhatsApp message from Kristin. The girl congratulated him on the Coppa Italia victory and also inquired if he was okay after facing the dangerous tackle during the game.

He replied that he was alright and thanked the girl for her concern. He then asked about her grandfather's health, and she responded that the old scout was undergoing treatment and improving. But she emphasized that the hospital was not about to discharge him.

Zachary comforted her with a few words and encouraged her to stay strong before ending the chat. But before he could place the phone down, it vibrated and indicated another incoming call. He glanced at the screen and immediately pressed the accept button when he noticed it was Paul Kasongo, his friend and former teammate, calling.

"Yo, Judas!" Kasongo's voice sounded from the other end of the line when he held the phone against his ear. The guy had started calling Zachary the name after he switched his national allegiance to play for Ivory Coast.

"Yo, short man!" Zachary replied with a chuckle. "You're calling so late!"

Kasongo sighed audibly. "I just watched your game. Man! Even though you played a single half, you performed like the GOAT. Congratulations upon winning another trophy."

"Thanks," Zachary said. "How are you doing, by the way? How's life at Tottenham?"

"Same old," Kasongo said. "I'm still working hard to secure a permanent starting position on the team. Hopefully, I can do so next season."

"Just continue working hard," Zachary said. "You'll achieve your goal."

"True that," Kasongo said. "It has been long since we got together. Maybe we can plan to go on holiday together after your Champions League finals against Barca. What do you think?"

"That's a good plan," Zachary said. "Let's talk more about it after the final."

"Great," Kasongo said. "I will get in touch then. Otherwise, let me leave you to sleep. Goodbye and good night!"

"Good night to you, too," Zachary said.

He ended the call and then switched off the phone before it could vibrate again. He placed it on his bedside table before undressing and heading to the bathroom. Within fifteen minutes, he finished showering and immediately jumped into bed, eager to rest for the night.