Training

This was how it began. His training. He would start with daily tasks which were mostly workout goals, then continue at Athlete Zone, with another workout session or improving his soccer skills.

Him and his friends would meet up there and chat for a bit, catching up on each other's improvements. It seemed like all of them had a guide. Keisuke had his trainer at the club, Dax's brother was a coach and Nevan, well he had the system.

Now it had been a week and the system wasn't letting him rest. It was the strictest 'coach' anyone could manage to find. There were always new quests. He had upgraded his attributes and this just made his training harsher. The daily tasks varied from time to time but some of them required a warmup prior or an additional training, so it wasn't easy.

Now he had made his way to the park where he was just relaxing after another harsh training. He looked at the screen. His body was aching but he still had something left to do.

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[Career]

Task - 3

[Score 60 goals.]

4/60

[Status] Active.

[Deadline] 1 hour 14 minutes 21 seconds

[Rewards]

⇢2 Attribute-Points

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This thing was really bugging him. First, he had completed the daily tasks, then trained his soccer skills and now after he had thought, he was done and could go back to the Sato residence, this unexpected task showed up out of nowhere with a deadline of one and a half hour.

This was something he could barely do. 14 minutes to get somewhere. A playground was the best option. Athlete Zone would be crowded at this time. Then a goal every minute to complete this task. He had only scored four goals today? Wow. This was impressively low.

The sun had started to set. It was time for dinner but he had this taskto complete now. That was why he wandered around even after the streets had become less livelier. At some point, he was the only one walking as the area Sato Family lived at was very peaceful. There was no playground in sight and he was giving up. The penalty couldn't be that bad, right?

"Come on, is there not even a single playground?" He muttered to himself as he looked around. His pace started to get slower as he finally saw what he was looking for. There was a small canal between them which he quickly crossed. The said playground was a field where you could play soccer. He remembered Keisuke talking about it. That was why he had known there must be a playground nearby.

He looked over at the display. 57 minutes left. Luckily, he had a ball with him. Nevan got to work. He kicked the ball in the goal's direction, just to miss it. Wait, was he really this bad at it? He tried again, scored and pursued the ball to get it back and launched it towards the target once more. Seemed like this task was all about scoring without thinking about it.

That was what he did. At first, it all just seemed trivial but at some point, even the most trivial things could get hard and complicated. Scoring the goals. This seemed easy enough for even a child to understand. After doing this for almost forty-five minutes, Nevan started to get weary. This was something that challenged his endurance.

What? He had only done 18 goals so far? He needed to do more. It wasn't easy. He was already a bit sore from a task he had gotten earlier. Play a game at Athlete Zone. Now this. One goal per minute. His attention was taken away from the task at hand as a notification appeared.

[Host has enhanced the attribute 'Endurance' by two points.]

A smile appeared on his face. At least, something. Two points? That was crazy and actually felt nice. His concentration went back to the goal as he continued scoring goals after goals.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw how the last seconds were counted down. He had been unable to complete the task.

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[Career]

Task - 3

[Score 60 goals.]

28/60

[Status] Uncompleted.

[Deadline] --

[Rewards]

⇢2 Attribute-Points

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"Come on! You can't expect a guy like me to score 60 goals in an hour!" Nevak complained. That was impossible, unless a ball was directly shot in his direction everytime he kicked. But even then, it took a lot of stamina to be able to score goals over and over again.

He had failed to complete the goal. Did this mean penalty now? His gaze fixated the display intently, waiting for something to happen.

[Penalty available in [7] days.]

Seven days? What kind of joke was this? The selection was in seven days. There was a timer beneath this sentence which counted down the hours. He was curious as to what this was. Penalty? An extreme workout, maybe?

He walked to the ball that had rolled away. As he ducked to pick it up, there was a pair of shoes in his sight. He finished grabbing the ball and looked at the man who had suddenly approached him, the ball right between his waist and the arm.

For a moment, Nevan wanted to apologize. Maybe, the man was a resident and found his maneuver here annoying? The man seemed old but not too old. Maturity was written on his face. And, Nevan had seen this man somewhere before. Where? "I was watching you do, whatever you were doing. Scoring goals? Does this have a purpose?"

Nevan was taken aback by the sudden question. He smiled slightly and replied in a rather polite tone. "Just training. I wanted to get better at scoring those goals."

The man had his hands buried deep into his pockets which seemed odd. It was hot, too hot to even think about this. "Oh. I see." The brown eyes lingered on the sphere in his grip. "What is your name?"

"Nevan. Nevan Kimura." He replied, his surname just coming reluctantly out of his mouth.

He was about to ask who this man may be but he was interrupted as the man spoke again. "Nevan, would you be interested in joining my club? You might like it there. You don't even have to pay any fee or anything."

It seemed very much like fraud to Nevan. Why approach a random guy who was training and ask to join your club? He took a step back. "No, I am sorry. I am not looking for anything like this."

The black-haired man's lips pressed to a thin line as he submerged into his own thoughts. He nodded. "You are wary. And you have every right to do so." He finally brought one of his hands out. It alarmed Nevan, his grip on the ball getting tighter. "Here is my card. If you ever change your mind, you are free to contact me." A pause. His sharp eyes fixated Nevan's. "My offer doesn't stand for long, Nevan."

Then the man simply turned around and left. Nevan was once again alone in the playground. His fingers loosened around the ball and he let out a deep sigh. The card slipped into his pocket. Suddenly he felt his body being flooded by the exhaustion that had been building up during the whole day.

It was time to go back. With heavy steps he navigated through the streets back to Keisuke's home. The lights were turned on. He entered through the front door. "I am home!" Nevan announced his arrival. He got a 'welcome back' from Keisuke's mother.

The evening had fallen into the usual routine which Nevan found oddly soothing. Knowing, every evening would end in the same way. It was definitely something that made one feel at home.

He had placed the card from that man on the desk where he would always see it. Maybe, he would think about it. That old man had felt oddly familiar. Did Nevan know him? But if he would have gotten in contact or even a conversation with that man before, he would remember it, right?

After a shower, he had just gone down for dinner. Just like he had told at the very beginning of moving in here, Nevan helped with everything involving the chores. He had never had to do it and at the beginning, he had been quite clumsy. And yet, now drying the dishes had become a way to clear his mind from the day's thoughts.

He was in thoughts as he dried the dishes from the dishwasher now. Nevan had thought about it. About calling up his mom or visit the mansion. But something held him back. Two things, actually. He had a clear mission, his father had given him. And, he was scared. He had imagined this, already.

Everytime he dreaded the thought of this taking place. That he would approach, either his mom or his father and try to talk to them. They wouldn't recognize him and ask him who Nevan was. This had become his worst nightmare. And the motivation to continue and get his identity back. And to conquer the world of soccer.

His eyes showed fierce determination right now as he thought about this. His hands were slowly rubbing the plates with a towel. And then, there was a sound of a shatter which echoed through the kitchen. Nevan flinched at the shrill sound. His eyes slowly darted down to the small pieces of glass spread all over the floor.

He was about to crouch down to pick them up but he heard the voice of Mrs. Sato. "Leave it, Nevan. Are you hurt?"

He looked up. The delicate features of the woman scrunched with concern for his well-being reminded him of his own mom. His throat felt dry but he managed to nod. Maybe, he was just getting emotional or it was the exhaustion. He felt how his eyes started to get wet. He missed her. He missed his old life. And he felt helpless, knowing they wouldn't recognize him if he were to visit them.