“DING”

The familiar near-transparent crystal-like display manifested in front of him out of thin air the next moment. Within an instant, it was populated with the details of the recently completed 2013 Tippeligaen system mission.

“Excellent!”

Zachary blinked as his eyes adjusted to the lighting on the interface. Without further ado, he began to peruse through the details.

****

#5 new messages

CONGRATULATIONS

->You have completed the system mission (2013 Tippeligaen Serial Challenge).

->Mission Rewards

1) 7000 Juju-points

2) A-grade vitality-enhancing-elixir

->Mission Summary

*Milestone 1: Play 70% of the fixtures in the 2013 Tippeligaen season. The user must be part of the starting eleven or a playing substitute in at least 21 of the 30 matches of the 2013 Tippeligaen. [Milestone Not Achieved; Rating D]

*Milestone 2: Help your teammates become the champions of the 2013 Tippeligaen. [Milestone Achieved Successfully; Rating S+)

*Milestone 3: Provide the most assists in the 2013 Tippeligaen season. [The user was second on the list of assist providers in the league. Milestone Not Achieved, Rating B]

*Milestone 4: Become the top scorer of the 2013 Tippeligaen season. (The user was the top scorer of the league with 21 goals. Milestone Achieved Successfully; Rating S+)

*Milestone 5: Become the MVP of the 2013 Tippeligaen season. (Milestone Achieved Successfully; Rating S)

Overall Mission Rating: A

Bonus Rewards

You have earned 1000 Bonus Juju points.

****

“Oh, my goodness me!” Zachary hooted excitedly, despite himself. “Those are 8,000 Juju Points, plus an A-grade vitality-enhancing-elixir as rewards. With such a generous reward, I’ll be able to raise my fitness to a higher level before next season for sure.”

With the mission reward of 8,000 Juju points, plus the 3,900 originally in his reserve, he possessed more than enough to upgrade the system. However, that wasn’t what excited him the most. Instead, The A-graded vitality-enhancing-elixir was what made his heart caper and threaten to jump out of his chest.

How could he not be excited after gaining such a reward!

The vitality-enhancing-elixir was the most miraculous of all the panaceas Zachary had ever won from the system. Back when he’d just returned back to his past, a mere B-graded version of the elixir had helped him heal his ankle injury and elevate his fitness within a short time. Its effects were undeniably divine.

Moreover, it was the perfect reward, gained at the right time.

Zachary was sure that if he consumed an A-graded version of the elixir, his fitness would soar to unprecedented levels within days. Either his agility or his body control would shatter the bottleneck that’d been holding back his advancement before long. If he was lucky, he might even raise both attributes to that almost inhuman level of the S-grading within a short while.

Various thoughts flashed through Zachary’s mind in a whirlwind. He was even starting to feel a bit feverish as the need to improve his abilities was weighing on him heavily. He wanted to open the system shop right then, obtain the elixir, and consume it immediately. However, he took a deep breath and stopped himself from following through with the thought the next instant.

“System,” he said, his eyes still glued to the contents of the crystal-like interface. “Are there any negative side effects of consuming the elixir?”

“Negative, in the long run,” the AI replied almost immediately. “However, the user should note that consuming a high-grade vitality-enhancing-elixir will cause the body fitness to improve explosively at unprecedented rates within a short period. The user will need ample time to acclimatize to the changes and might even experience a dip in body control due to the rapid rate of improvement in the short run.”

“Ohhh!” Zachary said, letting out another breath. “On estimate, how long would I need to acclimatize myself to my new attributes and perform as usual after ingesting the elixir?”

“The time should vary from individual to individual and from circumstance to circumstance,” the AI responded. “However, based on past data, the user might require about six to eight weeks to adapt to the new level of abilities brought about by the A-graded elixir.”

“That long!” Zachary mumbled, sighing dispiritedly. “Is there a way we can shorten the time?”

“There is,” the AI was quick to respond. “The user can wait and try consuming the A-graded vitality-enhancing-elixir together with an A-graded physical-conditioning-elixir when it becomes next available. The user will need only about a month to adapt under the effects of the two elixirs since they complement one another perfectly.”

“An A-graded physical-conditioning-elixir!” Zachary mumbled, his mind falling into a moment of deliberation. “And about a month is still needed as the time of acclimatization even after consuming the two elixirs together!”

Zachary’s eyes glimmered for a bit with both resolve and expectation. A three-month dosage of the physical-conditioning-elixir was one of the rewards for completing the system’s 2013 Norwegian Cup Serial Challenge mission. As long as he could put up a good performance on Sunday afternoon and help his team win the final against Molde, he would stand a chance of becoming the MVP. Then, he would win the elixir from the system without any hustle.

However, all that was a matter of a few days later. Zachary was crestfallen since he couldn’t enjoy the benefits of the elixir right away. What a bummer!?

“So, that means I can’t utilize the elixir yet even if I immediately acquire the complementary physical-conditioning-elixir,” he said, shaking his head. “The best course of action for me is to wait and consume the elixir during the Christmas break, right after the conclusion of the Europa League group stage. That’s the only way I can prevent its effects from hindering my performance during the official competitive matches in the remaining days of November and the rest of December.”

“Exactly,” the system’s AI’s affirmed.

“Then, I’ll wait,” Zachary resolved, letting out a breath.

He relaxed since he could still consume the elixir before the upcoming season. If all went according to plan, he would be a more accomplished player with new abilities the following year. There was simply no need to rush. He just had to wait, and what was his would become his in time.

After making the resolution, he pondered for a bit on whether to upgrade the system before deciding against it. He already had enough on his plate and needed the Juju points in reserve. So, he decided to wait and see whether he would be obtaining rewards from other system missions soon before thinking about the issue again.

“Time to sleep.”

Without further ado, Zachary closed the system interface and jumped into bed. Not long after, he descended into slumberland and slept like a log, oblivious to anything else around him.

**** ****