Zachary Bemba was woken from adeep slumber by the crowing of arooster. His eyes abruptly rolledopen, glazed over with the remnants of a dream or rather anightmare.Zachary was first aware of the foul polluted air with a stale fragrance. It was nothing similar to the coolness of the air and its fresh fragrance he'd grown accustomed to in the big city of Alistair of the Tron Empire.He was lying on an abnormallysmall foam which didn't seem to be the same as the king-size bed the TSF provided all its players. It wasvery uncomfortable and hurt hisback when he stirred.Zachary blinked as his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting in the room before propping himself up and orienting himself to the surroundings.He was in a room with worn-out brick walls that had holes in it. Small sewed-ragged curtains hid the shabby small glass window on one side of the cramped chamber-just leaving a shy peek of the dirt-filled road beyond. One wooden seat and a roughly made table stood at the foot of hi
Zachary blinked as his eyes adjusted. He gazed at thetranslucent blue book, wide-eyed,mouth agape, and face frozen inwonderment.Zachary had read many systems-tagged web novels before he'dreturned to his past. He couldinstantly comprehend what washappening. He was sure that hemight be acquiring a levelling-upsystem' like all those protagonistsin the novels. That was the dreamcheat for any passionate fan ofweb novels.The system could help him level uphis soccer skills and make him astar player within a few years if itwas anything like in those novels.Since he was injured, this was thethe first time Zachary felt optimisticabout pursuing his dream ofbecoming an internationallyrecognized soccer player.With a system, he could becomeone of the best players in Tron Empire or even in the whole world.He could then easily acquire mansions, supermodels, posh and big cars, without ever resorting to robbery and selling drugs like in his past life. The sky was the only limit
Zachary was jogging at a steadypace. He was mindful of neither the ever-present potholes in the dirt roads of the Kinsh town nor the mud heaps brought about by the rain of the previous day.He hummed the Chris Brown song(Don't Wake Me Up) that was supposed to be released two yearslater.Zachary smiled softly. He was in a good mood. Above him loomed the blue sky with just a few stratus clouds making their unhurried way toward the town hall. The sun was already a golden ball of yellow above, promising more heat as the day progressed. All in all, he could not have asked for better weather to complete the system mission.It had been six days since Zachary returned to the past, and he was very close to completing the tasks in his first system mission.He had been exercising like there was no tomorrow in his vocabulary.With the Superstar system, he hadthe motivation to work hard andthus never once thought aboutgiving up when the going gottough.Every morning, he would start witha r
Even in his previous lifetime,Zachary, as a general rule, hid his emotions. He figured they were intel he should not hand over, and so at all times, his face was blank.But today was different. Zachary had just received the first mission rewards from the system, and excitement poured out of him like sunshine through fine white linen; he glowed from the inside out. It felt like every fibre of his being was vibrating with anticipation when he looked at the virtual screen before him. He first rubbed his palms together and sat down on his bed before tapping on the system shop tab that was still blinking red.[Ding!SYSTEM SHOP->Gift Packs (temporarily unlocked) (1 msg)->Purchase Skills (locked)->Purchase Elixirs (locked)->Lottery Coupons (locked)->lnventory (temporarily unlocked)(1 msg)]The Gift-Pack tab was blinking red,and Zachary right away extendedhis right forefinger and tapped onit. For the first time, he noticed thatthe screen felt tangible against histouch but did not
Hope bloomed inside Zachary afterreading the words below the superstar skill card.Without a moment of hesitation, he clicked on the image of the skill card filling up the screen and learned the Zinedine visual skill.He was looking forward to how it could improve his budding football career.Instantly, he felt a pang ofheadache assaulting his brain as the system implanted new information into his mind. But a while later, his head cleared, and he noticed that there seemed to be no perceivable transformation within his body or mind.He thus opened the user-stats tabthat was already blinking red onthe system user interface to understand the changes in his stats.[Ding!Host Stats:->Physical Fitness: B-->Soccer Technique: B+->Game Intelligence: A+->Mental Ability and Mindset: C-->X-Factors: F>Superstar skill: 1(1 msg)]Zachary's soccer technique had once again levelled up from the grading of B- to B+ in a single evening. His game intelligence had jumped from the C+ grade and wa
Zachary slept off as soon as he hit the soft mattress. He couldn't believe that things were finally going to be different. Oh, how he wishes it was already here.. that moment he would finally achieve his dreams. Zachary smiled as he drifted off to sleep.*In a superb football field. Well-trimmed grass, sunny weather, fans screaming in ecstasy to show their support to the individual teams, flags waving in the air. Twenty-two men clad in two different uniforms were running around the field doing their best to outdo the opponent team.Wardens F.C. team were known for their gold uniform, while their opponent, the Crowders wore their signature Red and Black.Zachary Bemba was a striker for the Wardens F.C. and right now he had managed to get the ball for the first time since the match began.“Zachary has just gotten the ball at his feet, will he be able to cope with his knee injury?” a male voice was heard through the speaker of the soccer field.“We all know that he won't score, I wonder
[NORTH OF THE APF HEADQUARTERS]In a manor, heavily guarded by men in Japanese samurai style, a crisp sound of heel shoes knocking against the tiles could be heard in the inner hall.Akira Nakamura, clad in black spandex and armed with two katana swords, strode into the hall with confidence. The seven middle-aged men seated around the round table looked up, their eyes fixed on her with a mix of curiosity and respect.Akira stopped in front of the eldest man, her father, Kenji Nakamura, and bowed deeply."Otō-sama, konbanwa." (Father, good evening.)Kenji Nakamura, the leader of the Yakuza, nodded slightly, his eyes never leaving hers."Akira, konbanwa. What brings you to this meeting?"Akira straightened, her eyes locked on her father's."I've received intel that the Triads are moving goods through our territory. I request permission to intercept them, otō-sama."The room fell silent, the only sound the soft hum of the tea kettle. Kenji's expression remained impassive, but his eyes na
The four trucks drove at a steady pace down the secluded road, Jian and the Triads members were on high alert. Suddenly, the lead truck burst into flames, blocking the road. The other trucks screeched to a halt, and the Triads poured out, shooting sporadically. They knew they had just been ambushed by the Yakuza."Incoming!" one of the Triad members yelled, as arrows rained down on the Triads.Jian leapt out of the truck, his two handguns at the ready. "Take cover!" He shouted to his team.The Triad members scattered, seeking shelter behind nearby rocks and trees. While Akira and her team charged forward, her sword flashing in the sunlight."Get down!" Jian Li yelled as he and his team returned fire.The battle was intense, with bullets flying and arrows thudding into flesh. Men screamed and fell, but Akira and Jian Li remained standing, their skills honed to perfection.Akira dodged a hail of bullets, her sword slicing through the air."You're good, but not good enough! Did you think