Second Chances: Indonesian Football Player
Chapter 98's
"I've unlocked the supernormal factor twice!" exclaiming Nerp, his mind quickly worked too hard to deduce when it happened. Then everything came to him. When he played in the Riga tournament during February of the previous year, he accidentally entered a state of extreme focus in two games.
Nero could still remember the feeling of playing under those circumstances clearly like it was just yesterday. He played with instinct a feat that made dribbling and control of his ball flow like water. In the match against Borussia Dortmund in the Riga Cup semi-final, the thought process was very quick. He managed to score the second goal as he reached a high level of focus. But, he did not know that it was related to the supernormal factor at that time.
"System," Nero recites. "Are those two occasions when I entered an extreme state of focus during the Riga Cup?" He asked, wanting to ascertain if his conjecture was correct.
"Positive" replied AI. "On those two occasions, the user managed to reach an extreme level of concentration called a zone."
"The zone is a supernormal state of mind. Under its influence, an athlete is very focused and can easily see the slightest changes around him" the AI said. "The user must be in the initial condition of awakening the mental abilities of the zone because he cannot yet control it."
"When trained to a high level, the user will be able to create an incorporeal domain around it, say a radius of 3 meters. The user can then easily see whatever is happening in that domain without even using his eyes. The spatial awareness of the users will also increase greatly. Then it would be trivial to assess the risks and positions of opponents and teammates on the field."
"Such an ability really exists?" Nero asked, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Users can be assured that zone abilities must be possessed by every high-level team sports athlete" the system asserts. In team sports such as football and basketball, an athlete must keep track of his or her opponents and teammates at all times. That way, he would quickly analyze the risks and find the best route to reach the destination. So, an athlete will have a real edge if he or she has zone abilities. The wider the zone he can create, the better his passing ability, spatial awareness, and risk analysis."
"I should get the zone ability as soon as possible," Nero decided, feeling a wave of excitement flowing through him. It was the cheat he needed to take his bait to the next level. "System, how can I develop my zone abilities quickly?"
"You need to focus on improving your mental abilities" replied the AI. "When your mind evolves to a certain threshold, you will be able to unlock your Zones abilities. Mental conditioning herbs can help you in that."
Nero's mood became light upon hearing the AI's response. Over the past four months, he has— conducted a progressive overload training system mission to adapt his body to the cold Brussels weather. It would mature the following week with a B-level mental conditioning potion reward if it successfully completed it. Nero was confident that he would successfully complete all the mission tasks. That meant he could increase his mental toughness using elixir, possibly unlocking the abilities of the zone. Nero felt a sense of satisfaction instantly spread through him as he daydreamed about how far his skills would skyrocket afterwards.
"Users should note that the chances of unlocking the ability of the zone with a B-level mental conditioning potion are about 2%," the apathetic sound of the system brought it back to earth. Nero's mood was reduced because it meant he would most likely fail rather than succeed.
"I have to keep going and buy new skills to improve my chances in the first team" he murmured, trying his best to entertain himself. Instead of wallowing in worries about the supernormal factor with only a 2% chance of being unlocked, he was better off improving other aspects of his attributes.
"System," Nero commands, leaning against a comfortable sofa. "Take my Skills data."
"DING"
"Info Skills appeared in the interface," the AI sounded in Nero's mind. He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the new content on the screen.
****
-> Skills: 5
(i) VISUAL Andres Iniesta
(First level: Progress: 90.001%)
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(ii) Deadly Shot
(2nd level: Progress: 1%)
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(iii) The Miracle Shoot of Lionel Messi
(First level: Progress: 100%)
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(iv) CRUYFF TURN
(Progress: 100%, Powered beyond 100% solution.)
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(v) ELASTICO dribble
(Progress: 100%, Powered beyond 100% solution.)
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-> Dungeon Virtual Simulator
Enable Disable
(Activation charges 2 exp points per hour)
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****
Nero had mastered most of the skills he had acquired by practicing them thousands of times during the previous year. Only Andres Iniesta's Vision still lags behind the others with a 90.001% finish as he experiences obstacles in his mental aspect. The AI system had told him that he would only start making progress in skills after increasing his mental strength.
Nero has resisted the urge to buy new skills because he has yet to master the ones already in his repertoire. He strongly believes in Bruce Lee's focused practice and philosophy of high-level prowess. He would rather be the one who practiced one kick 10,000 times but not the one who practiced 10,000 kicks once.
Nero would rather master a single Skill he possessed to 100% completion than half-heartedly practice more techniques in a short period of time. That was the reason he was able to stay focused and train a skill like Elastico Dribble thousands of times to achieve perfection.
However, since he had already mastered all the skills that could be trained up to 100% mastery, he could purchase new skills from the system shop.
"System," he murmured. "I want to buy new Skills from the store."
"DING"
"The government accepted," said the AI, an apathetic feminine voice that echoed in Nero's mind. "Data loading, please wait."
Nero remained silent while observing the translucent interface in front of him. He watched as the content of the interface slowly turned into a system store menu before focusing on the purchasing skills tab.
In an instant, three skill cards filled the transparent bluish screen before him. Three cards hover in front of all other interface content.
One card depicts Toni Kroos, the stunning German Maestro, with the ball at his feet. The second depicts Sergio Ramos, in a Real Madrid shirt, heading the ball. The latter has an image of Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the best players of all time, with his right foot on the ball.
Under three skill cards, a few kata— are written in beautiful calligraphy.
****
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Sergio Ramos Aerial Finishing Skill: For Heading. Cost 2000 exp points.
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Cristiano Ronaldo Step Over Style: For dribbling tricks and tricks. Cost 2000 Exp points.
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note:
*Skills are limited to one purchase until the next system upgrade.
*Please make your choice by tapping on the skill card to purchase.
****
"Oh my God," Nero 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 would the system restrict me to only one purchase after each upgrade?" He wondered, staring at the card with starry eyes. If he could, he wanted to buy Toni Kroos' Perfect Passing and CR7 Step Over Style. Those two skills could take his game to another level, pushing him closer to the top of the engineering pyramid as quickly as possible. But there's nothing he can do. He could only purchase one skill until he could upgrade the next system.
"Let's go with Cr7 Step Over Style," Nero murmured before tapping on the card depicting CR7. He made his choice quickly because he did not need to negotiate for too long.
The combination of consecutive quick moves of Cristiano is one of the most desired skills in football. With his strange tricks and tricks, Nero is confident that he will be able to outsmart any opponent in the Belgian League.
In addition, Cristiano's step-over combination can trick opponents even if they are standing in one place. It was a technique that ignored the main rule of never stopping while holding the ball. Only with a quick flip-flap of the foot can a player who is an expert in step-overs such as CR7, Robinho, Neymar etc be able to face multiple opponents even when in tight spaces.
"DING"
The system notification rang when Nero's right index finger left the transparent blue screen.
"The user has chosen to purchase Cristiano Ronaldo Step Over from the system store. Exp 2000 points points will be deducted from the user when he confirms the purchase."
"But please note: Cristiano Ronaldo Step Over Style is a skill that has minimum requirements of S-grade agility and body control. Thus, the user would not be able to practice the skill until he upgraded both attributes to the specified value."
"Do users still want to buy skills?" AI asked in her apathetic voice.
Nero continued to pay attention to the interface as the words PURCHASE CONFIRMATION and CANCEL PURCHASE appeared on top of Cristiano's skill card.
"System," said Zachary, his face turned into a wrinkled expression that described his displeasure. "Do you enjoy playing with my fragile heart? Why is this skill in the system store if I'm not qualified to buy it?"
"Users should note that the skills added to the system store after each upgrade are randomly selected from thousands of skills" the AI replied, without emotion in its voice. "I have no control over which skills will appear in the store. It all depends on your luck and system level. If you want a higher level of control when buying skills, please upgrade the system. What's more, it's your fault for not making it to S-grade. You can only blame yourself for not being able to get Juju."
Nero sighed, shaking his head to clear his mind. Losing the skills is not the end of the world. He will get another chance to get Cristiano Step Over Style in the future. He only needed to improve his fitness attributes and then, he would achieve the ability to learn most of Mastery skills
Nero turned his attention to another card on the screen after tapping the cancel purchase pop-up button. His gaze passed through the Ramos Aerial Finishing Skill and finally fixed on the Perfect Passing of Toni Kroos. That skill was the next purchase option after failing to obtain the CR7 Step Over Style.
Nero is not a striker, so he sees no value in buying Aerial Skills. Instead, Kroos' passing skills can elevate his game to the next level, making him a Maestro in midfield.
"System" said Nero. "You just claimed that the skill appeared in the store following a random pattern. But why did Perfect Passing Toni Kroos appear once again?"
"Users should note that once a skill enters the system store, it will not disappear unless it is purchased," the AI replies. "Perfect Passing Toni Kroos appeared during the first upgrade. That's why it's still in the system store."
"Oh, that makes sense," Nero murmured, nodding in understanding. He felt a glimmer of excitement because he could buy Cristiano Ronaldo Step-Over Style when he met the system requirements.
"Let me get his skills first" he murmured, tapping on the card depicting Toni Kroos with the ball at his feet.
"DING"
"The user has chosen to purchase the Perfect Passing of Toni Kroos from the system store. 300 points of exp points will be deducted from the user when he confirms the purchase."
"Checking the skill requirements..." AI continued.
"User attributes meet skill requirements."
"Congratulations. Users can go ahead and buy skills."
Nero grinned like a Cheshire cat as he clicked the purchase confirmation pop-up button.
"DING"
The system notification sounded once again as his finger left the screen.
"Users are trying to learn Skill Mastery which is heavily skewed to the mental aspect" AI voices. "Quantum mental conditioning is necessary to achieve early mastery in skills."
"Users will feel a slight discomfort as soon as mental conditioning begins."
"Do we still have to continue?"
"Yes, please continue with the conditioning," Nero replied in a somber tone, leaning on the comfort of the sofa just as a safety measure. He could not gauge how much discomfort he would face in the next few minutes. But he still had to prepare for the worst-case scenario during the process.
"Filling the necessary data and packets," the feminine but apathetic voice of AI resonated in Nero's mind. "The system will initiate quantum mental conditioning in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and 0."
"EXPLOSIONS"
An explosion exploded in Nero's mind as soon as the countdown ended. His brain felt like it was going to swell beyond the capacity of his skull. The splitting headache immediately followed as a wave of deadly pain of the mind damaged his consciousness. They are the kind that stop all the other traffic in the brain, because all of a sudden it meets a red light.
Inevitably he wondered why he had not experienced such pain when he had previously obtained Andres Iniesta's Vision from the system.
He could only bite his shirt to stop himself from shouting as he endured the 'little discomfort' imposed on him by the system. He did not want to make his neighbors worry because in the worst case, they could call the police. However, the bulging feeling in his brain continued to grow, his eyes started to look at the stars. Then nausea spread from his stomach to his head, and the world went dark.
