Combat training

Legion had his trademark nonchalant look on his face as he looked at Endrick.

"Procrastination is opportunity's assassin".

"Huh?" Endrick was confused.

Legion gently stroked his white hair as his eyes narrowed dangerously, Endrick already attributed this to the fact that Legion was deep in thought.

Well, how he got here, it was a long story.

Like Endrick already learned through the Kinternet, like most children of this era, Luiz Alfredo already had his full life planned out for him.

His whole family expected him to be the next galactic assassin the moment that he was born. To them, this was his destiny.

Legion sneaking out to play Unity was a secret that none of his family members knew about. Endrick suddenly bringing conversations related to a game to his family compound made him panic, that was why he told him to get lost.

Just a few minutes after Endrick left the huge mansion though, feeling depressed, he was surprised as his galactic phone beeped.

BEEP!

{NEW! 1 Unread Message}

{Sender: Unknown}

{You see that high-class gym on the right? Enter there and go to the last personalized gym chamber if you want to improve your combat skills}

'A high-class gym? I don't have the qualifications to enter something this...'

His thoughts paused on reading the next line of the message.

{I left a black card on your pocket, it's your ticket to enter}

'Huh? A black card? When did he drop it?'

Putting his right hand into his pocket, Endrick started sweating bullets. 'I didn't even know, damn, this guy can kill me without me even knowing how'.

And that was how he entered the gym, located the personalized gym chamber and was now finally standing before Legion and his combat instructor.

And that was how he once again got stumped by Legion's personality.

In real life, Legion was even worse than he was in the game, this guy barely talked. He seemed to take fun at speaking in riddles, and when asked the meaning, he seemed to take even more fun at torturing people with silence.

Noticing Endrick's frustration due to Legion's silence, the combat instruction laughed. "Please pardon him, since he was still a little boy, Legion has never been a fan of talking".

The combat instructor took it upon himself to explain.

"From what I just learned, procrastination is opportunity's assassin, what he means is that despite losing so miserably and receiving such cruel words from him and the coach, your ability to stay above it all and recover is a special trait".

"It separates you from the bunch of people out there".

"He feels that you have the traits of an assassin".

"You found that he was your opportunity to improve your football ability, and despite being ridiculed by him, you didn't care and still came to seek his guidance. You never procrastinated nor held yourself back by arrogance".

"That is why he is impressed and speaking so much today".

Legion threw a glare at his combat instructor who chuckled.

"Really?" Endrick directed a skeptical gaze at Legion.

Again, Legion ignored his question.

His face suddenly turned serious after minutes of thinking. "The aim of military training is not just to prepare men for battle, but to make them long for it".

"You were unlike the others; you had an unnatural love for football".

"It felt like you've been playing it for a long time".

"…" Legolas felt his heart skip a beat. 'He deduced so much from our little time spent together in the game, damn, this guy is scary'.

"Tell me the truth". Legion looked straight at his eyes.

Endrick coughed. "Ok, let's make it like this".

He returned Legion's gaze. "If you teach me combat skills and we pass through the elite team trials, I will owe you a favor. And if I fulfill my goal due to your help to become the G.O.A.T, I'll tell you my greatest secret".

Legion had a lot of ideas in his head to point out how stupid Endrick's logic was but he was too lazy to point them out, instead he asked.

"The Greatest of all time? You think you will be the G.O.A.T of football?"

"Yes!" Endrick answered confidently.

"…" Legion paused for a few seconds.

"I envy you, if I had the freedom, I also want to be like you".

Endrick wanted to reply but Legion ruthlessly cut him off. "We have only 3 days to train, we don't have the time to engage in pointless talk".

"Since we can't use our hands in football, your combat training will be entirely focused on improving your combat instincts and leg combat skills".

"In exchange…" Legion paused and looked at him.

'Exchange?' Endrick was briefly confused.

"I don't care how you became so good with a ball at your feet, but in exchange for my combat skills, I want to learn your football skills".

"…" Endrick was caught off-guard.

…

A day later, inside the personalized gym chamber…

With his eyes closed, Endrick stood in the middle of the training chamber, while Legion and Erwin, the combat instructor stood at the side of the training chamber controlling the combat machine.

{Engaging Normal Speed Leg Training!}

The next moment, a high-speed projectile was shot towards Endrick.

Whoosh!

Despite standing with his eyes closed, Endrick felt the air pressure of the projectile's movement as his body reacted instinctively. Bending his body to an unnatural angle, he dodged the projectile.

He didn't let it escape though as his legs raised at the perfect angle, enabling him to cushion the projectile and perfectly control it like it was a ball.

Endrick inclined his body, then he unleashed a shot attack.

Bam!

The projectile flew back at the machine.

{DING!}

{12 Attack Force!}

After the first, more projectiles shot out in rapid succession.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Like a rat, Endrick started weaving through the projectiles shooting at him. After a day of grueling training under Erwin and Legion's guidance, his combat instincts already increased a lot past his level of 0 combat instinct previously.

Some of the projectiles still hit him, but he remained persevering and dodging even as his legs launched counterattacks at the machines at times.

After 5 minutes of this, Endrick's warm-up was complete, he clenched his fists as he ordered the machine the next moment.

"Increase the training level to high".

{Increasing Training Level…}

{Engaging High Speed Leg Training!}

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The speed of the projectiles was so fast this time that for the first few seconds, Legolas got swells and bumps on his face from the collisions.

Despite the pain, he gritted his teeth through it all.

'I must improve!'

'The 2nd round games is in 1 day, I can't falter now'.

'Move faster, dodge faster, kick faster, hit harder!'

BAM!

Endrick finally managed to hit another projectile on the counter!

{DING!}

{22 Attack Force!}

{Congratulations! You have broken your Attack Force Highscore!}

Motivated, Endrick kept on training till he was tired and battered. While Erwin came closer to tell him motivating words, Legion remained silent as he attended to Endrick's injuries after which he made his demand.

"Your training session is over, now is mine".

"Back to the ball juggling and control basics, we start now".

'Oh man!' Endrick felt like he would die but he forced himself to stand up.

Having experienced how violent Legion could be when he betrayed his part of the bargain, he dared not complain that he was too weak to teach him.

For the next couple of hours, they trained with a football.

Both young men routinely switched the position as teachers, Legion supervised Endrick's combat training while Endrick supervised Legion's training.

Their skills improved steadily.

While Endrick's parents thought that he was going for his lectures, unknown to them, their good boy was already turning bad and going to the gym daily.

On the 3rd day, Endrick and Legion put in even more effort to improve.

Endrick was driven. 'I can't lose the system!'

'I must become the G.O.A.T footballer of this era!'

As for Legion, his thoughts were different. 'I don't want to be an assassin'.

'If football is my escape from this reality, I must become the best at it!'

'I must become a contracted pro player!'

Driven by their vastly different motivations, they gave their all on the 3rd day so much that for the umpteenth time, they broke their training records again.

It was at this moment that Endrick's system lit up again.

~_______________~

~Strongest System~

[Congratulations! You have fulfilled the requirements to unlock the Player Attribute: Killer Instinct!]

*Killer Instinct: F

****

'Killer Instinct?' Endrick was amazed.

He used the Snooping Tool on Legion to see if he would see Legion's.

****

[You have made use of Snooping Tool!]

[Striker: Legion]

[Level: 5]

[Special Ball: Shadow Ball!]

…

*Killer Instinct: B+

[N.B: Click to show more stats!]

~__________~

'Umm…, I give up'.

*****

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