Winston lay on his bed, eating the last energy sweet packet he had received after finishing yesterday the match.
He chuckled to himself as he remembered his friends drilling him about his speed. They had even forced him to see Dr. Haruto, and after the doctor assured them that Winston was fine and only needed some rest and energy sweet packets, they had interrogated him about his speed.
The memory made Winston chuckle even harder, until a laugh finally slipped from his mouth. One of the youth players sleeping nearby tossed and turned. Winston quickly covered his mouth with his hand to suppress his laughter.
Of course, his muscles still hurt, but the pain had eased considerably thanks to the energy sweet packets. Taking three deep breaths, Winston forced himself to sit upright.
The flashing system notification hovering in front of him prompted Winston to swipe his hand upward.
Let's see how far I've come with these Awakenings and how much my football attributes have improved.
Ding!
[User Daily Challenge]
[sprint speed: 90 km/h: Completed]
[shot: 90 km/h: Completed]
[Goals: 03/03: Completed]
Swoosh
Ding!
[Core stats]
Name: Daley Winston
Age: 19
Weak Foot: 2
Foot: Right
Profession: Footballer
Team: N/A
Player Rating: 86
Position: Center forward.
Potential: 89
[CORE MERIDIAN]
[Nethen Essence: Level 1]
Physical
Physical: 76
Jumping: 76
Stamina: 76
Strength: 76
Aggression: 76
[Voltage Core: Level 1]
Pace
Acceleration: 76
Sprint Speed: 76
[Innate Terra: 14%]
[Spatial Zenith: 14%]
[Absolute: 14%]
Reward Points: 25
Acquired skills: 05
Skills shop
This is new. It seems like I can't look at my other attributes. Maybe I'll be able to see them once I fully awaken these three Awakenings.
Winston tapped on Nethen Essence and Voltage Core. The attributes underneath them expanded before sliding back into place when he tapped again.
The entire thing looked like a video game skill tree.
Amazed, Winston tapped the two awakenings several more times, watching them expand and collapse, until he finally snapped himself out of it and looked toward the bottom of the Core system.
I received more reward points this time. That's good. It means I can buy more skill moves. Nethen Essence and Voltage Core have climbed a little, too. It's better than having them stuck.
Winston rubbed his chin. Now, how can I make the numbers for these three Awakenings increase? Last time, I tried everything, but they still didn't budge. My eyesight and hearing were going in and out a couple of days ago, but now everything is quiet. Did sleeping for three days affect them? Honestly, I was hoping they would come back. I could have used them to my advantage on the football field.
Winston looked at his hand and channeled Nethen Essence into it.
How come I can channel Nethen Essence into my arm but not my entire body without getting a backlash? Even though I can only send slivers of Nethen Essence, I can still feel it coursing through my bones and muscles.
He frowned.
I seriously wish this system came with a manual explaining what's going on. Finding things out the hard way is annoying, especially when I can't juggle two things at once.
Winston sighed and looked toward the window. The sky glittered with stars, with a half-moon hanging between them. A moment later, rushing clouds covered the night sky.
Winston lay back on his bed. He recalled what Haruto had told him. When the Core tasked him with the daily challenges, the doctor's warning had been pushed to the back of his mind. Now, however, it had come rushing back.
Does this mean the Federation is keeping an eye on me?
The realization struck him so suddenly that Winston sat upright. His body became cold.
Shit. And I just ran at supernatural speed.
He quickly jumped out of bed and rushed to the window. Peeking outside, he saw nothing but small trees swaying in the night breeze.
Winston let out a sigh of relief. At least nobody is outside. And even if they were, it would look weird for someone to be standing outside the window. Maybe Haruto is just being paranoid.
He thought for a moment. I mean, he suspected Sebastian of being a tester. But after showing some of my skills during my Supreme League debut, maybe my rapid growth will raise suspicion. I need to be careful about using these two Awakenings in public places. I should reserve them for daily challenges and training.
Winston's expression brightened, And when someone asks me how I run so fast, I'll just say Dumi taught me how to run fast. Yeah, that could work. He was my trainer, and nobody could question him since he's a legend.
Satisfied with his idea, Winston tossed himself onto his bed with a big smile. With his hand stretched out in front of him, he stared at it for a while.
Now I need to learn how to replenish my Nethen Essence. I suspect the daily challenges will get harder from here on, and they'll probably require me to use these two Awakenings. Or the core system might force me to increase the three Awakenings that are stuck at fourteen percent. He paused, maybe being an Awakener isn't such a bad thing since I can control them and they have their limits. I really thought I was going to become some kind of god.
Winston chuckled at himself. I was an idiot for thinking that way. But thanks to Oswin being there, he helped me a lot. Friends are truly important. His expression changed as another thought came to mind. Speaking of friends, it's been a long time since I last talked to Jamison. I should talk to him tomorrow about the Mortal Street League.
He shook his head, What a ludicrous name. It sounds like one of those comic-book names I used to hear back in the junior league.
A long yawn escaped his mouth—Winston pulled the covers over himself and soon drifted off to sleep.
The room began emitting a strange chill.
Cold air swept through the room like the blast from a deep freezer. The youth players sleeping on the upper floor shivered beneath their covers. Some even gritted their teeth as they curled into fetal positions.
The academy building's ventilation system automatically detected changes in temperature and adjusted accordingly. building C's ventilation system immediately kicked in, trying to counter the freezing air.
But it failed.
The cold continued to spread, growing stronger with every passing moment. It moved through the room like a thick fog, eventually reaching the deepest sleeper in the room.
The freezing air seeped into Winston's pores. The other players gritted their teeth in their sleep, curling deeper into their blankets. But Winston wasn't bothered—Instead, he kicked off his covers, rolled onto his side, and continued sleeping peacefully.
The strange phenomenon continued for what seemed like hours. Then, without warning, the temperature changed. The freezing air vanished—Hot air began pouring into the room.
The ventilation system detected the sudden increase in temperature and immediately began emitting cold air again. But once again, it failed. The heat grew stronger, filling the entire room. Breathing became increasingly difficult.
The players kicked away their covers, desperate to escape the unbearable heat. One of the youth players finally dragged himself out of bed and stumbled toward the ventilation controls. He began fiddling with the knobs, desperately trying to find a comfortable temperature.
Seeing him struggle, several more players climbed out of their beds and joined him. One after another, they took turns adjusting the controls. Soon, every youth player in the room was awake.
Everyone except one.
"I guess that match took a lot out of him. To sleep through this unbearable heat is something else," one youth player said, glancing toward the snoring Winston.
"What surprises me is that he's still able to sleep after already sleeping for three days," another youth replied.
The two youths stood at the back of the crowded group surrounding the ventilation controls. Eventually, someone opened the windows. Cool night air rushed inside, lowering the temperature. After several more adjustments, the ventilation system finally stabilized.
"I put it at a nice temperature. We can finally get some proper sleep," Bongani said after finishing with the controls.