Second Chances: Indonesian Football Player

Chapter 90's

Nero's heart surged in excitement as he perused through the mission completion notice. He had managed to earn a total of 2,400 Exp points in one go. He could eventually upgrade the system. He wasted no time navigating back to the home tab.

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SPORTS MASTERY SYSTEM

SYSTEM LEVEL: 2 (2457/1000 exp points to level up)

USER: Nero Juniar

AGE: 17 years

TALENT ASSESSMENT: Grade-A

EXP POINTS: 2457

(Evaluation: A beginner soccer player)

USER MENU

*USER STATUS

*THE*MASTERY QUEST

*SHOP SYSTEM (1 msg)

*LOTTERY SYSTEM

*THE*ANALYSIS TOOL

NB: Please upgrade the system to open more functions.

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Nero could not resist his anticipation. With the opening of the X-Factor status, his talent assessment finally broke through to A rank. He eventually caught up with his colleagues like Arya Bathara, who went to France.

Inevitably he recalled the moment he realized that he had traveled back in time about two years earlier. His life had no hope for the future. But, with the help of the system, he managed to improve his skills quickly and give himself a fresh start.

Over the previous year, he had gained a deep understanding of how the system works. It seems that the ultimate goal is an improvement in the fitness of the user, thus allowing for the mastery of complex skills at a much faster rate than is humanly possible. Nero came to that conclusion after consuming the elixir system. They had helped him raise the rank of most of his attributes to A-grade during the rare period of just two years.

With the facility of the system, Nero believes he can become one of the greatest football players ever with the hard work he put in. But the first thing he has to do, is he has to update the system.

He ended up accumulating a sizable supply of exp points. So, he did not linger— and quickly clicked on the upgrade button, which is displayed in the upper left corner of the transparent blue interface.

"DING"

A notification immediately sounded as he raised his right index finger from the screen. A new message has appeared.

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SYSTEM WARNING

-> Users have chosen to upgrade the system.

->1000 exp points will be reduced to upgrade.

-> System will be turned off for eight hours during the upgrade process. Users will not be able to use any of the system functions until eight hours have passed.

START UPGRADING?

*Receive reject

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Nero wasted no time. He has long wanted to improve the system. However, the constant lack of exp points had held him back. He decided to prioritize improvement over other things.

"Hopefully, some new functionality will be added after the upgrade," he murmured before clicking the confirmation button.

"DING"

New system notifications are heard immediately.

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SYSTEM WARNING

-> Users have confirmed the direct upgrade of the system.

->1000 Exp points will be deducted from the current user's exp points stock to make improvements.

SYSTEM WARNING

INITIALIZATION OF SYSTEM UPGRADES

SYNCHRONIZE USER DATA

CREATING A NEW PACKAGE

THE REBOOT PROCESS STARTS IN 5, 4, 1... AND 0.

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When the countdown reaches zero, the screen goes dark. Nero tried to call out to him just to determine if it was still somewhere inside his body. However, he could no longer sense his existence. It had disappeared, leaving no trace as if it had never existed.

Nero did not panic as he was already well aware that it took a total of eight hours to complete the upgrade. So, she quickly took a shower and dove into her bed for the night. He had decided to check his progress the next day and save himself from the anxiety that came from waiting.

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The next morning, the whole team woke up before 06:00. They should be prepared for the return trip to Brussels.

Nero checked the system but realized that it was still inaccessible. It looks like the upgrade process is not finished yet. So, he focused his attention elsewhere.

He followed his team-mates to the hotel restaurant and enjoyed a sumptuous breakfast. Less than an hour later, they took a bus to Riga Airport.

By 8:00 a.m., Nero and his teammates had finished taking their seats in the economy-class part of the Scandinavian Airlines passenger plane returning to Brussels.

Brussels slept throughout most of the trip and did not bother to join the conversation between his teammates. He woke up three hours later when the plane landed on the runway of Belgium's Brussels International Airport.

He groggyly followed his comrades out of the arrivals section, and, without fanfare, he returned to the frigid February air of Brussels a few minutes later.

"It feels like we've been away from Brussels for more than a year" Stefan commented, following in his footsteps as they moved towards the bus. "But, in the truest sense, it's just a little over a week." He sighed.

"And now, we have to go back to our old boring lives" Ryandi sidestepped, also sighing. "It's good that the coach allowed us to join the party last night. Otherwise, I'll run to one of the underground parties in La Rue this weekend."

"But guys," said Damon from behind Nero. "Where are the home fans who should have welcomed us? Why doesn't anyone care that we bring a trophy of that size?" He asked, patting the cup in his hand.

Damon has volunteered for the role of transporting the trophy back to the academy alongside Isaac, the assistant captain. Nero has turned down the task because he wants to get back to his apartment— immediately to check out the newly upgraded system. It's been eight hours.

"Have you forgotten we're still nobody here at Anderlecht?" Stefan interjected, pulling his scarf tighter around his neck as temperatures in Brussels appeared to be much lower than in Riga. "People in Riga probably recognize some of us. However, we will never get any recognition in Brussels unless we join Anderlecht and win the game. Only then will we often find paparazzi and host fans waiting for us at the airport."

"Good," a voice cut through. Nero turned around and realized that Coach Marcel at one point had arrived behind them.

"Piala Riga is just a small tournament" continued the coach, combing his bushy beard with his hands. "You can only become a star in Brussels after you join Anderlecht and participate in a very competitive match." She smiles. "I hope Riga's victory won't make you complacent."

"Yes, coach," replied the players around Nero, more or less in unison.

"Nero, Damon, Ryandi and Stefan" the coach said as he continued on to the bus. “Over the past year, the four of you have made incredible progress. Whatever you do, just keep it. Make sure you don't relax. Remember, a football career is more like a marathon, not a sprint. If you don't keep working hard, you will stumble and fall very quickly. Are we clear?"

"Yes, coach."

"I hope you understand" added Coach Marcel as he nodded. "I have a good plan for the four of you. Don't let me down." His tone turned grim.

Nero nodded along with his friends to show that he understood his point. He had already planned to use the remaining ten months, before turning eighteen, to increase all of his attributes to A+ rank. Only then will he be confident of performing well in Anderlecht's senior team the following season.

He understood that success at the pro level required far more refined skills than he currently had. He cannot lie to himself that he will be able to get past a professional defender using his attributes a bit like he did in the Riga Cup. He should use the rest of his time adequately so that he does not embarrass himself against the professionals.

"Hurry up and get on the bus" cried Coach Marcel, ripping him off his reverie. "You're all back there" he added, pointing to team-mate Nero at the back. "Quick and move. I want to go home as soon as possible. Don't waste my time."

The RSCA Academy players immediately accelerated their pace. They load their luggage and get on the bus at their fastest speed. And they left, leaving the airport behind them.

Forty-five minutes later, Nero and his three friends made it back to their flat in La Rue. The bus dropped them off near their door. They did not need to pull their luggage over a long distance.

When they returned to the flat, Nero quickly parted ways and locked himself in his room. He was quite excited to check the system upgrade and use the rest of his exp points, plus the level B agility-enhancing potions he had obtained.

Without unpacking her luggage, she sat on her bed and called out the familiar transparent blue screen.

"DING"

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SYSTEM WARNING

-> System successfully upgraded.

CREATING A NEW PACKAGE

NEW VERSION GOAT FOOTBALL USER INTERFACE SUCCESSFULLY INITIALIZED

SYNCHRONIZE USER DATA

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Nero continued to stare at the screen, anxiously awaiting the termination of the system alert. In fact, he did not have to wait long. Just about a minute later, a familiar system interface appeared before him once again.

Nero was surprised when he realized that there was not much change in the aesthetics of the interface. The familiar User-Menu appears before him with the drop down menu User Stats, Mastery Missions, System Shop, System Lottery, and Analysis Tool (all unlocked). He felt a little disappointed as he was expecting some big changes.

But then—

"Good morning, User," a voice sounded right in his head. "This is your system AI speaking. Hope you enjoy the system!"

‘AI System! Maybe, interface sound?’ Nero's face was beaming.

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