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 anti, 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, at, and various vegetable soups on the table. There were also several foreign dishes Zachary had never seen, supplented 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 so point, arrived behind him. The man seed 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 exclaid. "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 comnt. "Coach! I sent in a vacation request to you and the head coach yesterday. I wish to stay in Doha until the football calendar resus 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 comncing our preparation for our Serie A ga 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 so 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 al while occasionally conversing with teammates and coaches who would stop by his table. Zachary was having a good ti relaxing after winning the Supercoppa Italiana.
Zachary's eyes would, from ti to ti, land on the glittering trophy on the high table in the middle of the room. Then, monts from the previous night would flood his mind, and he would vividly recall scoring two goals and providing two assists during the ga before lifting the Supercoppa trophy with his teammates. It was a night to rember, 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 Enhancent Elixir and so 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 at from her plate. "But I'm quite busy these days."
"Oh!" Zachary took a mont 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 eting up with the Nike representatives. They were also here in Doha for the ga, and due to your performance, they are growing more interested in offering you a juicier long-term deal. But we haven't reached any agreent 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 ho country?"
"Please lower your voice," Zachary said, his heart skipping a beat for so reason. "I don't wish for others to know yet."
"Okay," Emily conceded, "But why is it my first-ti hearing this?"
"Well... I decided on this only a few months ago and imdiately started the process. I had always ant to talk to you about it, but different things would always co 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 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 ga, 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 comnded 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 shimred as a translucent crystal-like display appeared. It was the system interface, and inscribed on it were the mission completion details.
****
#5 new ssages
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CONGRATULATIONS
->You have completed the system mission (2014 Supercoppa Italiana Challenge).
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->Mission Summary
*Objective 1: Beco the leading playmaker for the 2014 Supercoppa Italiana final by providing the most assists during the ga (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 ga. (Completed by scoring two goals that helped Juventus defeat Napoli during the Supercoppa; Rating S; Rewarded 10,000 Juju points).
*Objective 3: Beco the Man of the Match for the 2014 Supercoppa Italiana final (Completed; Rating S ; Rewarded S-grade Agility Enhancent Elixir).
*Objective 4: Score a hat trick during the 2014 Supercoppa Italiana final (Not completed; Rating B; Rewarded 0 Juju points).
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->Overall Mission Rating: S
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->Mission Rewards
1) A total of 15,000 Juju-points
2) An S-grade Agility Enhancent Elixir
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->Bonus Rewards
You have earned 5,000 Bonus Juju points.
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****
A sense of contentnt filled Zachary's heart. He contemplated for a mont before his eyes fell on the S-grade Agility enhancent 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 consu the S-grade agility enhancent elixir? And two, will its effects hinder from performing at my best co 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 ga intelligence, you should be able to overco 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 ga would be against Inter Milan on Tuesday, 6th January 2015. That implied that he had a full thirteen days to undergo targeted training and overco the side effects of the S-grade elixir. In essence, nothing was stopping him from consuming the S-grade agility enhancent elixir.
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