THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME

Zachary slept like a baby and woke up feeling refreshed the following morning. The clock hands around Turin had just pointed to the 6:30 AM mark when he jumped out of bed before quickly washing his face. He donned a clean tracksuit and exited the bedroom before descending the stairs and heading to the kitchen area.

As he walked through the doors, his eyes landed on Lorenzo, his bodyguard, who was already waiting for him. The buff man was in his training gear and had settled on one of the chairs around the kitchen table to enjoy a cup of warm milk. Surprisingly, he wasn't alone at the table but was deep in conversation with Jaslene, one of Zachary's maids, who was beside him.

The atmosphere around them was really harmonious. But on seeing Zachary walk into the kitchen, the two of them got up from their seats like two startled rabbits.

"Boss! Good morning!" Lorenzo was the first to overcome his awkwardness and greet Zachary.

"Good morning to you too, Lorenzo!" Zachary pretended to have seen nothing and returned their greetings one after the other. He picked a glass of juice from the fridge and gulped it down. Then, after placing the dirty glass in the sink, he turned his gaze back to Lorenzo.

"Are you ready to head out?" He asked, just to make sure.

"Almost," Lorenzo replied before downing his milk in a single gulp. "Now, I'm ready. We can head out at any time."

Zachary smiled. "Let's go! I need to finish my morning jog before seven."

"Okay, boss!"

With that said, the two of them departed from the house. They quickly ran out of Zachary's estate before joining the streets of Pinerolo, Piedmont.

The sun was just rising from the eastern horizon of Turin. It gave way to the dawn and the morning brightness that upgraded the world to a higher definition.

Zachary ran like a marathon champion on the streets while enjoying the morning sun rays shining down upon him. With Lorenzo as his shadow, they maintained a pace of four minutes every kilometer until they rounded a roundabout and started their return journey to Zachary's estate.

Zachary, who had long gotten used to fast-paced morning jogs, was still full of energy even after covering more than three kilometers. His breathing was stable, and only a few beads of sweat had begun rolling down his face. It was as if he had been taking a morning walk instead of a high-paced jog.

Lorenzo, on the other hand, was in a totally different condition. It seemed that he was yet to adapt to Zachary's fast-paced running. As such, he was already taking in air in rapid gasps while trying to keep up with Zachary.

Zachary noticed his bodyguard's condition and slowed down his pace. Instead of simply running forward, he started mixing other routines into his jogging.

He would run for about fifty meters and then do push-ups, moving squats, or any other exercise to strengthen his lower body. And because of that, Lorenzo managed to keep up with him, and they arrived back on the road that led back to Zachary's estate without any difficulties.

Zachary started jogging forward at a constant pace without mixing in any other routines. And just as he was about a kilometer from his mansion, he met a familiar beautiful girl jogging on the road. Her facial features were exquisite, and her figure red hot, especially in the tight jogging apparel. She smiled at Zachary just as they were about to pass by each other.

Zachary returned a smile of his own out of politeness and then accelerated past the lady. At that moment, his heart was as clear as a mirror and without ripples.

He had already gained immunity against beauties, especially after dating a lady as hot as Camilla. All that was on his mind was to train and train so as to elevate his skills and progress his career. There was no way he would fall for a lady he had met four or five times while jogging around the neighborhood of his estate.

Zachary quickly approached his mansion at a constant pace after passing by the lady. Then, when he judged that there were only five hundred meters to go, he took off like the wind and continued towards his house at breakneck speed. He soon left Lorenzo in the dust as he cut through the morning breeze like a 400-meter sprinting champion.

300 Meters! 250 Meters! 200 Meters!

Zachary's long strides ate up meters of space like nothing. His breathing quickened, and more and more beads of sweat started rolling down his face like tap water.

The sprinting was already sapping all his energy, and he could feel his limit approaching. But he hardened his resolve and continued sprinting forward until he dashed through the gates of his estates and reached his mansion.

As he slowed down and came to a complete halt, he felt a bizarre sensation washing over his entire being. His body and mind achieved a state of total relaxation, and he felt some energy returning to his body. His breathing and heartbeat slowed to normal levels, and it was as if he had just taken the most potent energy drink to refill his depleted stamina.

"DING!"

A system notification sounded in his mind at that moment.

"Congratulations!" The system AI intoned. "The user has completed another hidden system mission by shattering through another barrier and achieving SS-grade stamina and endurance mainly through consistent training efforts. As a token of support, the system has rewarded 40,000 Juju points to the user for accomplishing the feat. Please, continue working hard and attain more breakthroughs without relying on the system elixirs."

Zachary's eyes lit up on hearing the notification. He couldn't believe that he had achieved a breakthrough in stamina in just eight days after pushing his core strength to the SS-grade level. He inhaled deeply and summoned the system interface before beginning to peruse through his attributes.

****

*USER STATS

->Physical Fitness (Av. Rating: SS)

Balance and Coordination: SS

Agility: SS

Strength: SS

Stamina: SS

Endurance Points: 17,300/72,000 (SS)

->Soccer Technique: [Av. Rating: SS]

Ball Control: SS

Dribbling Skills: SS

Passing Accuracy: SS

Body Control: SS

****

"Finally, I have reached this stage..."

Happiness danced through Zachary's thoughts. After toiling tirelessly for years, he had finally brought all his physical fitness and soccer technique stats to the SS grading.

His skills had developed at the pace of a rocket escaping Earth's gravity, and even at just the age of twenty, he was already a football sensation in his own right. Moreover, going by his well-balanced attributes, he wasn't just any run-of-the-mill talent but a once-in-a-generation player that could match the best footballers in the world. He was finally a player who could join any league, no matter how challenging, yet continue performing like a ball wizard.

"With SS-grade stamina and endurance, I can finally go all out and utilize all my abilities on the field without worrying about exhausting myself quickly."

Joy sparkled inside Zachary as he continued thinking about his latest breakthrough. Contentment flooded his entire being as he understood that he finally had all the fuel and qualifications to run wild on the pitch without worrying about exhaustion.

Stamina and endurance were both parameters of time for physical activity. But even then, there was a crucial difference between the two concepts.

According to what Zachary had learned, stamina was the maximum time the body, or a specific muscle group, could exert 'maximum' or 'near maximum' force for a particular physical activity. That implies that with stamina graded at SS by the system, Zachary could sprint at his highest speed for much longer. He could sustain both his potent dribbling and maniac running for more seconds than before, and as such, he would become more effective during counterattacks or one-versus-one scenarios. That was how crucial stamina was to footballers.

Endurance, on the other hand, was an attribute that determined the maximum time the body or a specific muscle group could exert force or perform physical activity. Compared to stamina, the exerted force did not have to be at maximum, as the goal for endurance was to maximize time. As such, Zachary, who happened to have just experienced an upgrade in stamina, would last longer during matches. Moreover, he would not easily suffer from accumulated fatigue after playing many games in a season. He would remain fresher than most, even during the season's closing stages when all teams would suffer from depleting energy levels. That was how crucial endurance was for a professional footballer playing for a top club like Juventus.

Smiling slightly, Zachary dismissed the system interface. Right then, he noticed Lorenzo, his bodyguard, coming through the gates. The man looked totally exhausted, and it was as if he had just run a marathon of 40-plus kilometers.

"Boss!" He exclaimed while gasping for breath. "Aside from football, you can maybe consider going for professional athletics. With your pace, you should be able to give the 400 and 800-meter champions a run for their money."

Zachary chuckled and shook his head. "Aside from possessing world-class sprinting talent, those professionals spend all their time training for those sprinting events. After years of targeted training, they have already sharpened their bodies and minds to perform specifically on the racing track. Their acceleration, stride frequency, and sprinting rhythm are all honed to a level beyond words could describe. Do you expect me to win against such dedicated professionals?"

"I haven't seen anyone, including sprinters, maintaining a speed like yours over a distance of half a kilometer," Lorenzo said. "Maybe, you can win."

Zachary shook his head. "Success in sports is not that easy. No matter how talented, one must dedicate ample time to training before achieving success in any given discipline. There's no way around that."

Zachary didn't continue talking to Lorenzo after that. Instead, he stepped to the side and quickly began executing his warming-down routine. He was in a hurry to finish his exercise session before heading to the Vinovo to attend Juventus' team training that was scheduled to start at nine that morning.