A New Skill
It had been an outburst and it left everyone baffled. Keisuke didn't know how to console someone and it seemed like he had the trait from his father who seemed utterly shattered as he saw how Nevan was crying. It was only thanks to Mrs. Sato, or rather Sumire, who could manage to comfort Nevan a bit.
He had excused himself, telling he was feeling exhausted. Nevan had simply gone to his room and just laid in the bed while staring at the ceiling. He hadn't cried since a long time now. Everyone saw him as cold and aloof, a person who refused to show any real emotions. Only his mom knew about his real thoughts. Oddly, he didn't feel any shame when he had cried in front of Sumire. She had reminded him of his own mom.
There were only a few days till the selection and he was trying his best to get better. To think more while having the ball in his grasp, just like Keisuke had told him. And he challenged his endurance as well as his accuracy when passing or just shooting the ball.
The timer to his penalty was still going down like the sand in an hourglass. He couldn't care less. He had no time to think about the punishment that awaited him. This was a chance. Nevan's only chance. He had to make it or he won't be able to find any other. Another chance, yes but not one that was this promising.
This was the reason why he kept following the relentless tasks of the AllStars System. It had been hours since he had gotten to the training and whenever he finished one task, another appeared. The sweat was uncomfortably running down on his body and the heat was doing nothing to soothe any exhaustion.
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[Career]
Task - 9
[Take part in a football match.]
[Status] Active
[Deadline] 6 hours
[Rewards]
4 [Endurance-Point] 3 [Strength-Point]
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Nevan had looked at the task with a nonchalance someone could only bring up when they had gotten used to something. Being on the second floor of Athlete Zone he had done his workout routine. As soon as he saw this, he had gotten into the elevator to the eleventh floor. Gotten to the side of soccer-players and looked at his bracelet.
Looking at the area, he could tell there was a match brewing up. There were more than enough people. Just like his prognosis, within a few minutes, he got a notification on the bracelet provided by Athlete Zone.
He didn't even have to read through this. He simply accepted and chose a random team. Nevan's eyes shifted through the room, taking in the people that were present and playing. At this hour, in this hall, there was no one he knew.
With deliberate steps, he simply grabbed a white jersey which was the team he was in. Team White. He got to the place where his team was gathered. After a quick check, he got the position of center-back. This was advantageous for him. He had played in midfield until now and now, he wanted to take a defending position to see if this suited him more.
Nevan overlooked the field from his position. He was almost at the end of the field, right in front of the goal. He turned to the goalkeeper and grinned. "Count on me, I got your back."
The guy laughed and gave him a thumbs up. The match began. Their team got the first ball. Nevan followed the ball with his eyes as good as he could and moved forward as well to defend the goal if there was any situation when he had to. His legs moved as the ball seemed to get in their direction but was quickly taken by a midfield-player of their team.
This was starting to get annoying for Nevan. He couldn't do much here because he had to be in the goal's proximity to be able to defend it when needed. He watched how the his teammate went after the ball which he had just snatched away from the opponent and lost it right after.
The game had continued on the other side of the field, where the opponent team's goal was. He was starting to get bored but stayed put.
The ball was in the grasp of a blue-haired boy who seemed to have the lead on the field now. Nevan's heart almost jumped as he saw how close he was. He swung his foot to shoot the ball into the goal with full force. His eyes followed the guy's movements with anticipation. Now, now was his chance! The tension was palpable.
"Hah! Loser!" All of the sudden a tallguy with a tanned skin and a big, cocky grin came in front of him. Instead of being wary and waiting for the blue-haired guy's move, he simply ran past him. Whatever he had done, he had the ball. And he came towards Team White's goal.
Nevan prepared himself for what was to come. The tall person seemed to break every formation and rushed towards their goal with a determined look. He dribbled the ball perfectly, not too close to get tangled but also not too far away to be an easy target. It was as if the ball was sticking to his every step.
It was as if the guy was going to run him over. Nevan took his position, ready to act when necessary. And there it was, the time to act. Nevan charged forward, first glancing at the hard features of the guy before focusing on the ball. He simply swiped it away from the taller one. It wasn't as smooth as the other had done it but definitely not less effective. He backtracked with the ball in his grasp. Nevan looked at the goal, he had to get the sphere out of its reach.
Nevan started to run towards the center but the tanned guy was in his way. He lunged forward. He saw an opening. Nevan kicked through his legs as the other one had stepped forward. He quickly walked past the opponent and yet there was another guy blocking him.
[Host has unlocked the skill 'NUTMEG'!]
[Host has leveled up.]
Nevan didn't glance at the notification. He cursed inwardly. It was distracting. He quickly looked around, seeing whom he could pass to. There! He ran towards a direction. As soon as he knew, he could pass safely, he shot the ball in a teammates direction. "Here you go!"
[Host unlocked the title 'TEAMPLAYER'!]
Nevan rushed back to the goal, getting a nod from the goalkeeper. Then he laughed and spoke to Nevan. "You definitely got my back, bro." Then a pause as if he was contemplating on something. "Or rather my front?"
Nevan chuckled. "Oh, just count-"
He was interrupted. Nevan's mouth opened as he saw how the ball flew right into the goal. His breath hitched and he turned to see who had just scored. The tanned, tall guy frol earlier. He was a nuisance but Nevan had to admit, he was good. Someone he could respect, for sure.
"Focus on your opponent." He spoke, his eyes narrowing as he eyed Nevan and thw goalkeeper. This was a mistake on his part, no doubt.
The other center-back clicked their tongue before taking the ball. The game continued where Team White desperately tried to make a goal. But the Team Blue had fallen into a more defensive formation. They weren't in a rush to actually score another goal but rather to keep the score this way.
This formation was making it hard for Nevan's team to win. Nevan started to get impatient. Irritation was bubbling right under the surface as he watched the missed opportunities to score a goal. If only, he would have been in the midfield! He could have done something, anything. And yet, here he was now: defending the goal.
The game ended after 90 minutes. The score was 1 - 0 for Team Blue.
Sweat was streaming down Nevan's face and body as he made his way to give up the jersey. He was about to turn away when he felt someone place an arm around his shoulder. He looked up at the tall guy. His green eyes pierced through Nevan, as if examining his soul itself. "You played good. Nutmeg? I wasn't expecting that at all!"
Nevan smirked and replied. "But you were the star of this game, no?" He didn't seem that bad. The rivalries only existed on the field. Not outside of soccer.
"Of course, I was. Who else, if not me?" His grin was smug and he seemed to know that he was good. "My name is Ryota. I didn't catch yours." Ryota took his arm off Nevan's shoulder and extended his hand.
"Nevan." He spoke. It was funny how he had to look up to this guy. He had always considered himself tall but seeing this guy was a different story. He gripped his hand to give it a firm shake. "It's nice to meet you."
Ryota was about to say something but he was called out by someone. A friend, probably. He laughed and looked back at Nevan. "Let's play sometime again, yeah? I gotta go!" He rushed off.
Nevan looked perplexed but he simply nodded. He watched how Ryota slowly vanished from his sight. Then he turned around to leave. His eyes scanned the screen.
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[Career]
Task - 9
[Take part in a football match.]
[Status] Completed.
[Rewards]
4 [Endurance-Point] 3 [Strength-Point]
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