THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Zachary remained silent while observing the translucent interface before him. He watched as the interface's contents slowly morphed into the system shop menu before zeroing on to the purchase-skills tab.

In an instant, three skill cards populated the translucent bluish screen before him. The three cards hovered before all the other contents of the interface.

One card depicted Andrea Pirlo, the legendary Italian Maestro, with the ball at his feet. The second portrayed Cristiano Ronaldo, in a Juventus jersey, heading the ball. The last had a picture of Robinho, the Brazilian footballer, with his right foot over the ball.

Below the three skill cards, a few words were—inscribed in beautiful calligraphy.

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1) Snipe-it like Pirlo Juju: For passing. Costs 300 Juju-points.

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2) CR7 Aerial-finishing Juju: For headers. Costs 2000 Juju-points.

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3) Robinho Step-Over Juju: For dribbling tricks and feints. Costs 2000 Juju-points.

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NB:

*The skills are limited to a single purchase until the next system upgrade.

*Please make your choice by tapping on the skill-card to purchase.

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"Oh, my God," Zachary could not help but exclaim after glancing at the cards. He had not expected that three legendary skills would appear in the system shop simultaneously.

"Damn, why does the system limit me to only a single purchase after every upgrade?" He wondered, gazing at the cards with starry eyes. If he could, he would have wished to purchase both the Snipe-it like Pirlo and the Robinho Step-Over Jujus. The two skills could take his game to another level, pushing him closer to the top of the technique pyramid as quickly as possible. But there was nothing he could do. He could only buy one skill until he could next upgrade the system.

"Let's go with the Robinho Step-Over Juju," Zachary mumbled before tapping the card portraying Robinho. He made his choice quickly since he didn't need to deliberate for long.

Robinho's quick successive step-over combination was one of the most desired skills in football. With its peculiar tricks and feints, Zachary was sure that he would be able to outsmart any opponent in the Tippeligaen.

Additionally, Robinho's step-over combination could trick the opponent even when standing in a single place. It was a technique that ignored the prime rule of never halting when with the ball. With just a quick flip-flap of the feet, a player skilled in Robinho step-overs could take on multiple opponents even when confined in narrow space.

"DING"

The system notification sounded as Zachary's right forefinger left the translucent blue screen.

"The user has chosen to purchase the Robinho Step-Over Juju from the system shop. 2000 Juju-points points will be deducted from the user when he confirms the purchase."

"But please note: the Robinho Step-Over Juju is a skill that has a minimum requirement of S-grade agility and body control. Thus, the user will not be able to practice the skill until he has upgraded the two attributes to the stipulated grade."

"Does the user still want to purchase the skill?" The AI queried in its apathetic voice.

Zachary kept his eyes on the interface as the words CONFIRM PURCHASE and CANCEL PURCHASE appeared above Robinho's skill card.

"System," intoned Zachary, his face morphing into a contorted expression depicting his displeasure. "Do you enjoy playing with my fragile heart? Why is the skill in the system shop if I'm not eligible to buy it?"

"The user should note that the skills added to the system shop after every upgrade are selected randomly from thousands of skills," the AI replied, without any emotion in its voice. "I have no control over which skills will appear in the shop. It all depends on your luck and the level of the system. If you want a higher level of control when purchasing the skills, please upgrade the system. Moreover, it's your fault for not managing to achieve the S-grade. You can only blame yourself for being unable to obtain the Juju."

Zachary sighed, shaking his head to clear his mind. Missing out on learning a skill wasn't the end of the world. He would get other chances to acquire the Robinho Step-Over Juju in the future. He just needed to improve his fitness attributes—and then, he would attain the capability to learn most of the G.O.A.T skills.

Zachary turned his attention to the other cards on the screen after tapping on the cancel-purchase pop-up button. His gaze passed over the CR7 Aerial-finishing Juju and finally settled on the Snipe-it like Pirlo Juju. The skill was his next choice of purchase after failing to acquire the Robinho Step-Over Juju.

Zachary was no striker, so he didn't see the value in purchasing the aerial-finishing Juju. Instead, Pirlo's passing skills could elevate his game to the next level, making him a Maestro in the midfield.

"System," intoned Zachary. "You just claimed that skills appear in the shop following a random pattern. But why has the Snipe-it like Pirlo Juju surfaced once again?"

"The user should note that once a skill enters the system shop, it won't disappear unless it's purchased," the AI replied. "The Snipe-it-like-Pirlo Juju surfaced during the first upgrade. That's why it's still in the system shop."

"Oh, that makes sense," Zachary mumbled, nodding in understanding. He felt a glimmer of delight since he could purchase the Robinho Step-Over Juju when he met the system's requirements.

"Let me acquire the skill first," he mumbled, tapping on the card portraying Andrea Pirlo with the ball at his feet.

"DING"

"The user has chosen to purchase the Snipe-it-like-Pirlo Juju from the system shop. 300 Juju-points points will be deducted from the user when he confirms the purchase."

"Checking skill's requirements..." The AI continued.

"The user's attributes meet the skill's requirements."

"Congratulations. The user can go ahead and purchase the skill."

Zachary grinned like a Cheshire cat as he clicked on the confirm-purchase pop-up button.

"DING"

The system notification sounded once again as his finger left the screen.

"The user is attempting to learn a G.O.A.T Skill that leans heavily towards the mental aspects," voiced the AI. "Quantum mental conditioning is required to achieve the initial mastery in the skill."

"The user will feel a bit of discomfort as soon as the mental conditioning starts."

"Should we still proceed?"

"Yes, please proceed with the conditioning," Zachary replied in a somber tone, leaning back into the comfort of the sofa—just as a safety measure. He couldn't gauge what amount of discomfort he would face in the next few minutes. But he still had to be prepared for the worst-case scenario during the process.

"Loading required data and packages," the AI's feminine but apathetic voice resounded within Zachary's mind. "The system will start the quantum mental conditioning in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1—and 0."

"BOOM"

An explosion went off within Zachary's mind as soon as the countdown ended. His brain felt like it would swell beyond the capacity of his skull. A splitting headache soon followed as tides of mind-numbing pain ravaged his cognizance. They were the kind that stopped all other traffic in the brain, as suddenly all had met with red lights.

He couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't experienced such pain when he'd previously obtained the Zinedine-Visual-Juju from the system.

He could only bite on his shirt to stop himself from screaming as he withstood the 'bit of discomfort' imposed upon him by the system. He didn't want to alarm his neighbors—since as a worst-case, they could call the police. However, the feeling of bulging in his brain continued to grow, his eyes starting to see stars. Then nausea crept from his abdomen to his head, and the world went black.