Soccer System: All the Skills, One Player!

Lucas stopped in front of the door to room 307, the number slightly faded by the years. He carefully turned the handle, pushed the door open, and entered.

The room was simple, but comfortable. The window was still ajar and let in a cool evening breeze.

Lucas dropped his backpack beside the bed and collapsed on the mattress, letting out a deep sigh. He felt completely drained of energy. There was no doubt that Alex was a demanding assistant coach, which made Lucas wonder what their coach would be like.

He settled back on the bed, resting his head on the pillow as he stared at the ceiling. He then stretched his right hand forward and asked aloud:

"Heavens, you're in there, aren't you?"

[Yes, as always.] The female voice in his head answered. Find exclusive stories on empire

Lucas smiled a little. "I want to see how much I've evolved today after taking the Active Talent Enhancement Pill."

[Your growth has been substantial].

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[Talents]

Ball Control: 5

Endurance: 4n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Strength: 4

Heading: 5

Scoring: 6

Vision: 7

Positioning: 4

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In most skills, Lucas had only gone up one or two points. In theory, it wasn't a vast improvement. However, considering that he had focused most of his time on defense training after that group game, he had progressed very well in other areas.

"In the end, I think my defense training will help me improve other aspects such as positioning, vision, strength and so on."

[Correct. Your vision and perception of the game became more refined as you reacted to Loki's advances during his offense training with your defense training].

Lucas nodded, almost automatically. "I wonder if the official coach will focus on that too..."

[Probably so. After all, what the coach will see when he assesses you is the basis of your potential.]

His eyes heavy with sleep, Lucas let Céos' voice slowly merge with his thoughts. Though he closed his eyes, he continued to mentally watch every move that day.

"Thank you, Céos," he murmured, with a tone of sincere gratitude.

[I'll always be here, Lucas. Now, rest. Tomorrow will bring new opportunities for you to grow even more.]

-:|:-

Lucas woke up the next morning to the insistent sound of his alarm. He got up slowly, his body still feeling a little heavy from the intense training routine. However, something inside him, a flame fueled by the visible growth on the talent board, motivated him to get out of bed. He had to hurry if he wanted to make the most of the morning and get to class on time this time.

He dressed quickly and made his way to the cafeteria, where he grabbed some coffee. The corridors of the institute were full of excited voices, students of different ages and nationalities chatting about their weekend plans or exchanging ideas about the morning's classes.

For Lucas, who was anxious, the classes passed at an almost hypnotic pace. Lucas struggled to stay focused on the content, but his mind always wandered to training.

The teachers noticed his distant gaze a few times, but, knowing the busy training routine that many of the students faced, they let it pass with an understanding smile.

When the last bell of the morning rang, Lucas left the classroom with his heart beating a little faster. He made his way to the dormitory to change and, as he left, took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. It was his first training session under the supervision of the official coach, and he knew that this was his chance to impress someone who could determine his future on the team and, perhaps, his career by putting him in the A-Team.

When he arrived at the field, he saw Alex already busy lining up the cones and organizing the equipment on a field. There was also a middle-aged man, with gray hair carefully combed back, a pair of rectangular glasses that gave him an austere appearance and a robust body. He was dressed simply, but his posture and his eyes attentive to the tablet in his hands gave the impression of someone who didn't miss a single detail.

Lucas cast a quick glance around the field as he adjusted his backpack on his shoulder, inhaling the fresh morning air, which brought with it a faint smell of cut grass and damp earth. He cracked a smile at the sight of Alex, but the middle-aged man next to the assistant made Lucas' heart beat a little faster. The man's rigid posture and unwavering expression conveyed authority, the kind that made even the most experienced question themselves.

Alex noticed Lucas coming and waved to him, a brief smile on his lips. "Hey, Lucas! You were the first to arrive today. Where's Raphael? You're always together."

"He had to sort something out with his physics teacher. But he said he'll be here in a few minutes," Lucas replied, trying to sound relaxed.

Alex nodded, but the gray-haired man next to him barely looked away from the tablet, continuing to slide his finger across the screen as if inspecting critical data. Lucas studied every detail of the new trainer. His moustache, almost impeccably white, was thick and neatly trimmed, framing an expression of someone who rarely let the world around him surprise him.

"Lucas, right?" The coach's voice cut through the air, firm, with no friendly inflection. It was a statement, not a question, as if he already knew everything about him and was just confirming an irrelevant piece of information.

"Yes, sir!" Lucas answered automatically and straightened his posture instinctively.

The coach looked up from his tablet and gave Lucas a calculating look. "Alex mentioned you put in a lot of effort in training yesterday. You focused on defense, positioning, and game awareness, right?"

"Yes, coach. I've been working hard to improve on those aspects, but personally, I think I also need to improve my ability to intercept and take shots," Lucas replied, keeping his formal tone.

The coach continued to watch him for a few more seconds in silence until he smiled out of the corner of his mouth. "Good. Let's see how strong that proportional desire to improve really is. Get changed, kid. Today, you're going to train your defense and attack in two different training blocks."

"Yes, sir!"

Thus began the most hellish week of training in Lucas' entire life.