Winston remained in the changing showers for forty-five minutes, immobilized. In a sitting position, he closed his eyes and let the water wash over him. As the core Nethen essence replenished his strength, he quickly got to his feet, receiving an update from the core.
Ding!
[DAILY USER CHALLENGES]
[Score goals: Completed]
[Reward: 05]
[Voltage Core: 87%]
[Innate Terra: 13%]
[Spatial Zenith: 13%]
[Absolute: 13%]
[Nethen Essence: 90%]
Disoriented, Winston stumbled, using the wall to help him walk. After changing into a club tracksuit, he walked out the stadium, Oswin leaning against the wall in the hallway. When he saw Winston, he walked over and said, "Are you okay, what did the medic say?"
"Yeah, I am good, oh they gave me that sweet you gave me last time,"
"What happened back there, Wis?"
"I tried something I shouldn't have, I was a bit desperate"
"I think you shouldn't do that again, man, we thought you injured yourself again,"
"Hehe, I will try, but I can't make promises. C'mon, let's go to the bus, the coaches are waiting for us."
The medic checked Winston again at the club bus and, seeing he was healthy, the senior members all breathed a sigh of relief. They didn't want to lose him at the tail end of the season. Two more games and the season concluded. They offered Winston additional energy candies, concerned that his recent two-week recovery from a coma might mean he wasn't completely well. They had their fingers crossed on these last two games, Winston and Oswin walked back into their seats. Once he sat, Winston drifted off to sleep. The only thing he heard was Oswin's muffled words.
Winston awoke, confused, after thirty-six hours had passed. He had never slept for such an extended period; he almost toppled over when he got to his feet. He luckily held onto the bus seats and stumbled toward the front of the bus, where he saw his teammate and club staff. Standing and stretching in the parking lot, everyone stared at Winston, who was rubbing his eyes, adjusting to the afternoon blistering sun. Winston walked toward his teammates—the medics examined him again. This time they rigorously examined him intently; after a couple of minutes had passed, the medics smiled at him and nodded at the head coach, who was folding his hands, intently watching the medics do their thing.
With a smile on his face, the head coach said, "Alright, Winston, stretch a bit and do a couple of laps around the parking lot. The head coach of Western Park F.C. didn't allow us to use the field for warm-ups, and the city park is quite far from here. So for now, we'll make do with what we have."
Winston gave a nod, then went to the lap runs with his teammate. He joined Oswin, who was happy to see Winston healthy, and joining them. "Nice to see you back, I thought you would sleep for two days,"
"Ha, and miss the morning warm-ups and the match. By the way, what number am I on the leader scoreboard?"
"Last time I checked, you were in third place. The players in first and second are pretty skilled forwards. I watched their last match, and they scored multiple goals."
"Who are these players who are placed second and first?"
"Oh, you don't know them, man, I would love to be you." Oswin pondered for a while and continued, "The first on the second scoreboard is Benjamin Kiliko; he scored a hat-trick in his last game. He has 12 goals and so far you have about 10 goals,"
"And the top scorer is, man, this one is your biggest competition, Sebastian Halbrook,"
"Wait, is Benjamin Kiliko good? And who is Sebastian Hallbrooks and how many goals does he have right now? "
"Are you sure this is not your first time playing football, okay Benjamin Kiliko was scouted from overseas. I have seen his match, man, thank God, this team played with them when the season started. He is nicknamed the surfer because his dribbling ability makes him seem like he is gliding on the field. I tell you that dude is gifted; but not like me, but he is gifted. I also heard rumors that he started playing football in the street barefoot. So yeah, that the player you're gotta score more goals against,"
Oswin surveyed his surroundings, retrieved his phone, gave it a quick look, and passed it to Winston.
"And the number one player is none other than Sebastian Hallbrook—the super-rich bastard. His father owns one of the companies behind the Sweet Energy snacks you've been eating, and he also controls most of the businesses across the cities.
He once tried to buy a football club, but the federation rejected the deal because of the influence he already had. Since his son is part of the football league, they were worried about nepotism.
And no one really knows what kind of training Sebastian goes through, since he barely participates in his club's training sessions. Oh, and before I forget, he plays for F.C. Cerceda. They're currently at the top of the table, and he already has around sixteen goals."
Winston humorously asked, "What is his nickname?"
"Little shit"
Winston, taken aback, glanced at Oswin with shock and said, "Really?"
Oswin shrugged and laughed and said, "No, but to us he is, that guy is so arrogant and annoying. Once you meet him, you will see,"
Winston didn't want to meet this kid, since everyone nicknamed an unpleasant name. They continued their conversation this time; Oswin changed the topic and started talking about the girls he had met. Honestly, Winston liked Oswin's stories; they always cheered the mood. Especially when Oswin started gesturing at women's breasts. When they were done performing their warm-ups, instead of taking a break, Winston walked around near the parking lot until he found a bench behind a building. Opening the core system, he was disappointed that the Nethen Essence didn't reach one hundred percent. He thought maybe pushing himself that hard; he thought maybe the Nethen Essence would finally reach one hundred percent. The speed he used nearly broke him; he was now scared that if he kept stretching his limits, he would permanently tear some muscles. And him being this close to reaching his goal. Winston heavily sighed and slouched back on the bench.
Well, I cann't do that again; I nearly fainted from exhaustion, but when I was playing with Maximilian. I tapped into some unimaginable power. My speed was out of this world, but now I can't tap into that speed again. I really thought I tapped on this speed like before. Now what to do—the two players above me on the scoreboard are talented. I am sure they will score goals on today's matchday.
What to do, what to do, being placed third is not bad. But my plan was to be at the top of the score leaderboard.
[DAILY USER CHALLENGES]
[Hat-trick: 00/03]
[Goal Assistant: 00/01]
[Retain a speed rating of: 70]
Winston straightened up and rubbed his eyes; he wondered if the system was pushing him to reach one hundred percent on the Nethen Essence. Winston remained on the bench for two hours until a voice startled him. The assistant coach inquired about his well-being, and Winston assured him he was alright. He informed the assistant coach that he was merely seeking solitude, and with a nod, the assistant coach advised him to ready himself for the impending match.
As before, they switched to their away jerseys and started warming up. Outside in the parking lot, after Westminster, went inside the Western Park F.C. stadium. The Western Park stadium was located a couple of kilometers away from the senior club of Western Park F.C. The stadium wasn't big; it was ranked eighth in the junior league. The stadium had two wings on the right and left side giving shade to the stands. The weather this afternoon changed; the clouds started overcasting and small drops started pouring.