THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Buying New Skills
Zachary 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 Andrea Pirlo, the legendary Italian Maestro, with the ball at his feet. The second depicts Cristiano Ronaldo, in a Juventus shirt, heading the ball. The latter has a picture of Robinho, a Brazilian footballer, with his right foot on the ball.
Under three skill cards, a few kata— are written in beautiful calligraphy.
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1) Snipe-it like Pirlo Juju: For passing. Cost 300 Juju-points.
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2) CR7 Aerial-finishing Juju: For header. Cost 2000 Juju-points.
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3) Robinho Step-Over Juju: For dribbling tricks and tricks. Cost 2000 Juju-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.
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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 would the system restrict me to only one purchase after each upgrade?" He wondered, staring at the card with starry eyes. If he can, he wants to buy Snipe-it like Pirlo and Robinho Step-Over Jujus. 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 Robinho Step-Over Juju," Zachary murmured before tapping on a card depicting Robinho. He made his choice quickly because he didn't need to drag on.
Robinho's combination of consecutive quick steps is one of the most desired skills in football. With his strange tricks and tricks, Zachary is convinced that he will be able to outsmart any opponent in Tippeligaen.
In addition, Robinho'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-over Robinho face multiple opponents even when in tight spaces.
"DING"
The system notification reads as Zachary's right index finger leaves the transparent blue screen.
"The user has chosen to purchase Robinho Step-Over Juju from the system store. Juju's 2000 points will be deducted from the user when he confirms the purchase."
"But please note: Robinho Step-Over Juju is a skill that has a minimum requirement of S-grade agility and body control. Thus, the user would not be able to practice the skill until he upgraded the two attributes to the specified value."
"Does the user still want to buy that skill?" AI asked in her apathetic voice.
Zachary continued to pay attention to the interface as the words PURCHASE CONFIRMATION and CANCEL PURCHASE appeared on top of Robinho's skill card.
"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."
Zachary 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 Robinho Step-Over Juju in the future. He just needs to improve his fitness attributes — and then, he will achieve the ability to learn most GOAT skills.
Zachary turned his attention to another card on the screen after tapping the cancel purchase pop-up button. His gaze passed through the CR7 Aerial-finishing Juju and finally fixed on Snipe-it like Pirlo Juju. That skill is the next buying option after failing to get Robinho Step-Over Juju.
Zachary is not a striker, so he sees no value in buying Juju an air finish. Instead, Pirlo's passing skills can elevate his game to the next level, making him a Maestro in midfield.
"System" said Zachary. "You just claimed that the skill appeared in the store following a random pattern. But why would Snipe-it like Pirlo Juju 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. "Snipe-it-like-Pirlo Juju appeared during the first upgrade. That's why it's still in the system store."
"Oh, that makes sense," murmured Zachary, nodding in understanding. He felt a glimmer of excitement because he could buy Robinho Step-Over Juju when he met the system requirements.
"Let me get her skills first" he muttered, tapping the card depicting Andrea Pirlo with the ball at his feet.
"DING"
"The user has chosen to purchase Snipe-it-like-Pirlo Juju from the system store. 300 Juju 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."
Zachary 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 GOAT Skills that are heavily skewed towards 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," Zachary replied in a somber tone, leaning into 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," a feminine but apathetic voice of AI echoed in Zachary's mind. "The system will start quantum mental conditioning in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1—and 0."
"EXPLOSIONS"
An explosion exploded in Zachary'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 Zinedine-Visual-Juju 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 didn't 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 crept from his stomach into his head, and the world turned black.