Hidden quest
Kay smiled politely, thanking each of them, but his eyes kept scanning the sea of faces for his parents.
Finally, he spotted them in the distance, waving to catch their attention. Relieved, he began making his way toward them, but before he could get far, a group of young men surrounded him.
They showered him with compliments, their voices a blend of admiration and enthusiasm.
Before he knew it, a large, muscular man wrapped his arms around Kay's torso, lifting him effortlessly off the ground.
Others joined in, grabbing his legs, and suddenly Kay found himself being lifted into the air.
Laughter and cheers filled the space around him as the men began tossing him up, celebrating the victory by throwing their manager into the sky.
Kay couldn't help but laugh along with them. The fans were ecstatic, their joy amplified by the fact that the team had not only won but had also jumped two places up in the standings.
After several rounds of being tossed into the air, the fans finally lowered him back to the ground.
They patted him on the back, thanking him for his role in the victory and expressing their eagerness to see how he would lead the team in the next match. Kay, still grinning, assured them that he would do his best.
With the fans finally dispersing, Kay made his way to his parents, who were waiting patiently nearby. He greeted them warmly, then they walked together to the car.
As they drove away from the stadium, Max turned to Kay with a thoughtful look.
"You know, Kay, I think you've become quite known among the fans. I heard how they were talking about you after the match. That's a big responsibility, son. You have to keep up this level of performance."
Kay knew the expectations would only grow from here. Max continued, "You've won every match so far, and that's impressive. But today, I felt something different. Your team didn't just play to win, they had a presence, a strong presence on the field."
Reina seated near Max, nodded in agreement.
Kay couldn't help but smile at his parents' observations.
"Maybe it's because the players on this team are bigger and more mature, they're under 16, not under 10 like my previous team. It makes a big difference." Answered Kay, but he knew that it wasn't the only reason for that.
He knew it wasn't just about the physical maturity of his players. As they continued driving through the darkening streets, Kay fell into deep thought.
After moments of thinking he realized that in his previous matches, his strategy had been primarily defensive, focusing on not losing rather than on winning. His teams had played cautiously, prioritizing defense over attack.
Today's match, however, had been different. His team had been on the offensive, dictating the pace of the game, and forcing the opponent to react to their moves.
They had attacked with purpose, pressed high, and controlled possession. That strong presence his father had mentioned was the result of his team's ability to attack, to take risks, and to create chances.
But as Kay reflected further, he knew that having a strong presence on the field was not his ultimate goal.
His priority was winning, even if it meant playing defensively or taking a cautious approach.
The presence was important, yes, but it was a byproduct of his team's strategy, not the objective itself.
Kay knew that as a manager, he had to balance both, ensuring his team was dominant while also securing the win.
Then Kay invited his parents for dinner, wanting to share this moment of peace with them.
The dinner went smoothly, with laughter and light-hearted conversation filling the air.
As they sat together, Kay checked the system. Something new caught his eye, a new icon labeled "Best Players Trained" Kay tapped curiously, on it to see what it was about.
The screen displayed a list of players, each one representing a position: Ben as the best goalkeeper, Stuart as the best defender, Anouar as the best midfielder, and Dragan as the best attacker.
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Goalkeeper: Ben (48)
Defense: Stuart (53)
Midfield: Anouar (50)
Attack: Dragan (50)
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What struck Kay was that all of these players were from Starlight FC. He pondered this for a moment, trying to make sense of it.
After some thought, Kay considered the possibility that youth players weren't being counted in the system's rankings.
But then, as he looked closer, he noticed an instruction by the system:
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These players were specifically highlighted as the best in each position that the host had trained.
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It wasn't just about the age, it was about the overall rating of the player.
Kay, intrigued by the newly discovered icon within the system, spent some time exploring its features.
However, after a thorough examination, he realized that aside from highlighting the best players he had trained, there was nothing else significantly new in the system.
After Kay had received this new icon without receiving any notification, he thought that maybe the system had the ability to evolve over time.
As he reflected on this, Kay's mind drifted back to a previous instance where something similar had happened.
He began to suspect that the system might be in mute mode again, just as it had been before when he missed certain notifications.
Curious, Kay checked the system and, as he suspected, found that it was indeed in mute mode.
This discovery puzzled him. He hadn't manually activated the mute mode, so why was it happening again? Kay decided to ask the system directly.
"Why did the system switch to mute mode without me knowing? This is the second time it's happened," he questioned.
The system responded promptly explaining:
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While you were engaged in conversation with Mr. Collins after the match, a notification had been received.
To maintain the confidentiality of the system and to minimize the risk of it being exposed to others, the system automatically switched to mute mode.
The goal was to ensure that any information or notifications remained discreet, especially in public settings where the system's existence could potentially be revealed.
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Kay was confused when he heard the system's explanation. The system assured him before that the system couldn't be heard from anyone except one, but now he said that he switched to mute mode to prevent Mr.Collins from hearing the notification.
The system then explained:
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It wasn't the sound of the notification that others could detect, it was your unconscious response when the alert suddenly appeared.
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Kay turned his attention to the notifications. He opened the system's interface and saw that he had an unread notification waiting for him.
Curious, he tapped on it, and a message popped up, announcing that he had achieved a hidden quest.
Intrigued, Kay navigated to the quests' zone to get more details. There, he found the specifics of the accomplished quest.
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Hidden quest: Win three consecutive matches.
Reward: Unlocking "Best-Trained Players" icon
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Then Kay asked the system "Can you deactivate the switch to mute mode? I need to stay fully informed, especially in new quests, and achieved ones."
The system responded with its usual mechanical precision:
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Deactivating the switch to mute mode is not possible.
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Kay added "Alright, then. In situations like this, can I receive notifications later, but make sure that the system switches to unmute mode immediately after?"
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This configuration is possible. Notifications will be delayed as requested and the system will automatically switch to unmute mode afterward.
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See you in the next chapter...