THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

A day later, in the evening.

The clock hands had just pointed to the seven o'clock mark when Zachary arrived at the Ritz-Carlton, Doha, hotel's restaurant to attend Juventus' post-Supercoppa Italiana dinner.

The multitude of glowing lights within the hall shone upon him, illuminating his well-ironed black Armani suit and polished shoes. With a smile etched on his face, he stepped further into the hall, hoping to join his teammates, who had arrived earlier. In the meantime, he also didn't forget to continue observing his surroundings as he moved further into the hall.

The restaurant was painted in radiant colors of brown and gold that matched the immaculately arranged and stylish furniture. The long table close to the balcony overlooking the sea was especially eye-catching. Zachary naturally couldn't miss the several waiters and waitresses dressed in chic black and white uniforms that were busy placing dishes on it.

There were already mouth-watering premium sushi, sashimi, and ceviche served alongside fresh fish, meat, and various vegetable soups on the table. There were also several foreign dishes Zachary had never seen, supplemented with colorful vegetable salads to complete the setup.

Zachary noted that a few of his teammates had gathered around the table. They were in the midst of selecting the dishes they wanted while the servers poured wine and soft drinks for them.

"Zachary! You are here!"

A familiar voice sounded from behind him. Turning around to look, Zachary noticed that Maurizio Trombetta, the assistant coach, had, at some point, arrived behind him. The man seemed to have gone all out to dress for the party. His black suit, white shirt, bowtie, and shining black shoes all outlined his elegance, making him look like a filthy-rich aristocrat.

"Coach!" Zachary exclaimed. "You are smart today."

"Thanks," Coach Trombetta said with a smile. "Your get-up is also not bad. I'm guessing you'll be able to wow all the pretty ladies attending the party. How envious!"

Zachary chuckled but chose not to comment. "Coach! I sent in a vacation request to you and the head coach yesterday. I wish to stay in Doha until the football calendar resumes in January."

"I discussed your request with the boss today morning," Coach Trombetta said. "We have no problem with your staying in Doha for the Christmas break. But please endeavor to return to Turin before 3rd January. We will be commencing our preparation for our Serie A game against Inter Milan then."

"I will do that. Thanks for your consideration, coach."

Coach Trombetta smiled and patted Zachary's shoulder. "We're here to enjoy and relax but not to talk about plans and whatnot. Let's pick up some food and join the rest."

"Okay."

Zachary walked with Coach Trombetta to the long table at the other end of the hall. He exchanged small talk with his teammates while picking up food before settling on a table at a far corner. He then busied himself with savoring his meal while occasionally conversing with teammates and coaches who would stop by his table. Zachary was having a good time relaxing after winning the Supercoppa Italiana.

Zachary's eyes would, from time to time, land on the glittering trophy on the high table in the middle of the room. Then, moments from the previous night would flood his mind, and he would vividly recall scoring two goals and providing two assists during the game before lifting the Supercoppa trophy with his teammates. It was a night to remember, especially since the prize was his first silverware with Juventus.

Additionally, Zachary was overflowing with joy, especially after he had completed yet another system mission by winning the Supercoppa. His being the Supercoppa man of the match was an indisputable fact. As such, he had naturally realized two mission objectives that allowed him to win an S-grade Agility Enhancement Elixir and some Juju points. He was obviously taking steady steps to elevate his skills.

The dinner continued, and a few minutes later, a familiar and elegant woman wearing a glamorous maroon dress approached Zachary's table. She had blue eyes, smooth skin, and long wavy dark brown hair that cascaded down her shoulders. She was Emily Anderson, his agent, and she was Zachary's plus-one at Juventus' dinner party. They should have arrived together at the venue, but a few issues had delayed her.

Emily smiled as she settled down opposite Zachary. "Sorry, I'm late," she said while positioning her plate of food before her. "It has been long. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine." Zachary grinned. "What about you?"

"I'm also okay," she replied while forking a piece of meat from her plate. "But I'm quite busy these days."

"Oh!" Zachary took a moment to glance at her as she swallowed down her food. "I thought you arrived in Doha yesterday night! What delayed you?"

"Well..." Emily said a bit hesitantly. "I was actually meeting up with the Nike representatives. They were also here in Doha for the game, and due to your performance, they are growing more interested in offering you a juicier long-term deal. But we haven't reached any agreement yet."

"Oh, okay," Zachary said but didn't ask for details. Emily was a skilled and reliable agent. Zachary trusted her to handle all negotiations on his behalf. He didn't need to micro-manage her.

"So, Zachary!" Emily glanced up from her plate. "What are your plans for January? There's the African Cup of Nations coming up. Aren't you going to represent your country?"

"Nope," Zachary said, lowering his voice. "I'm not going to participate in the AFCON. I'm in the process of switching my citizenship to Ivory Coast, another African country."

"For real!" Emily's eyes widened. "Are you going to represent another country but not your home country?"

"Please lower your voice," Zachary said, his heart skipping a beat for some reason. "I don't wish for others to know yet."

"Okay," Emily conceded, "But why is it my first-time hearing this?"

"Well... I decided on this only a few months ago and immediately started the process. I had always meant to talk to you about it, but different things would always come up, and I would often forget about the issue. Sorry!"

"Zachary..." Emily sighed, seemingly deflated. "This is irresponsible behavior. I'm your agent. So, why not talk to me about the decisions that concern your football career? There are a lot of benefits that you could have gotten before switching citizenship. But since you've already initiated the process, there's nothing much I can do to get you those benefits."

"Sorry..." Zachary said with a smile. "But I really don't mind missing out on the benefits. My only goal is to get opportunities to compete in international competitions. Monetary benefits are just a plus."

"If you say so." Emily sighed again. She glanced around the hall, and her eyes naturally floated to the glittering trophy on the table in the middle of the room. She smiled and said to Zachary, "Congratulations upon winning your first silverware with Juventus, by the way. I watched the game, and I was really impressed by the way you handled yourself. Keep up the good work."

"Thanks..."

As the two of them conversed, the dinner party finally moved on to the stage of speeches. Fabio Paratici, the sporting director, was the first to address the gathering. He thanked all the players and coaches for their impressive work ethic and congratulated them upon winning the Supercoppa. He then concluded with a few encouraging words before handing over the floor to Max Allegri, the Juventus head coach.

Max Allegri, on his part, didn't say much. He only congratulated the players and commended their efforts during the Supercoppa before telling them to enjoy themselves. He then stepped off the stage and allowed the party to move on to the socializing phase of the night.

Zachary was not interested in the social events, which included dancing and making pointless small talk with people who were already tipsy after taking more than a few glasses of wine. He said his goodbyes to his coaches and parted with Emily in the hotel lobby. Then, a few minutes later, he returned to his room and washed up before jumping into bed.

It was then he recalled the Supercoppa Italiana system mission. He had completed it the previous night but decided against utilizing his rewards since he was already as tired as a dog after playing more than eighty minutes of intensive football.

But now, since he was already well-rested, it was a different story. He started to seriously consider the option of using the S-grade agility-enhancing elixir as soon as possible. However, he had to ascertain first whether the elixir's effects would negatively affect his skills and hinder him from performing at his best after the football season restarted in January.

"System," he called out. "Bring up the mission completion details for the 2014 Supercoppa Italiana Challenge."

"DING"

"Command received," the AI said, and the space before Zachary shimmered as a translucent crystal-like display appeared. It was the system interface, and inscribed on it were the mission completion details.

****

#5 new messages

CONGRATULATIONS

->You have completed the system mission (2014 Supercoppa Italiana Challenge).

->Mission Summary

*Objective 1: Become the leading playmaker for the 2014 Supercoppa Italiana final by providing the most assists during the game (Completed by providing two assists that resulted in goals; Rating S; Rewarded 5,000 Juju points).

*Objective 2: Help Juventus win the 2014 Supercoppa Italiana final by scoring at least one goal during the game. (Completed by scoring two goals that helped Juventus defeat Napoli during the Supercoppa; Rating S; Rewarded 10,000 Juju points).

*Objective 3: Become the Man of the Match for the 2014 Supercoppa Italiana final (Completed; Rating S+; Rewarded S-grade Agility Enhancement Elixir).

*Objective 4: Score a hat trick during the 2014 Supercoppa Italiana final (Not completed; Rating B; Rewarded 0 Juju points).

->Overall Mission Rating: S

->Mission Rewards

1) A total of 15,000 Juju-points

2) An S-grade Agility Enhancement Elixir

->Bonus Rewards

You have earned 5,000 Bonus Juju points.

****

A sense of contentment filled Zachary's heart. He contemplated for a moment before his eyes fell on the S-grade Agility enhancement elixir that could potentially elevate his agility and dribbling skills by an entire grade.

"System!" He called out in his mind. "Will there be any side effects if I consume the S-grade agility enhancement elixir? And two, will its effects hinder me from performing at my best come January when the football season restarts?"

"DING"

"There will be a few side effects as the S-grade elixir will push your agility to a new grade in only a short span of a few hours," the AI replied. "You won't be able to control your body well, and naturally, you'll find it hard to execute your skills fluidly over the next few days."

"How many days are we talking about exactly?" Zachary inquired.

"Ten days, give or take," the AI replied. "However. with your SS-grade game intelligence, you should be able to overcome the side effects of the elixir in roughly ten days. Of course, you'll have to go through a targeted training routine to achieve the desired result."

"Excellent!" Zachary couldn't contain his happiness. Juventus' next game would be against Inter Milan on Tuesday, 6th January 2015. That implied that he had a full thirteen days to undergo targeted training and overcome the side effects of the S-grade elixir. In essence, nothing was stopping him from consuming the S-grade agility enhancement elixir.