Soccer System: All the Skills, One Player!

Since Lucas hadn't opened a Legendary Loot Box, this was the prize that could bring something truly great or a cruel disappointment, as expectations were high.

When the box materialized in the air in front of Lucas, he saw its cubic, modern shape, and his eyes widened at its beauty. It was golden, sparkling, and looked divine. Then he reached out with his right hand and touched the center of the box with his index finger. The box emitted an intense golden glow, as if thousands of sparkling particles were exploding and going in thousands of directions.

Lucas stood still for a moment, fascinated by the spectacle. He was pretty sure that no one could see what he saw from the system, but if people could, they would see the glow of a sun inside a room.

Within moments, the light began to dissipate and grow dimmer. Something in the middle of all that light was floating — a tiny object, probably the smallest Lucas had received so far.

Lucas grabbed the item with his right hand and brought it close to him. The moment he opened his right hand, he saw a golden pill in his palm. This pill was emitting a faint golden aura.

He looked at the description that appeared in the air, and for the first time, he saw a window of a different color. It had shimmering golden letters and a golden border.

[Item: Passive Talent Boost Pill

Description: A single use of this item will increase all your Talents by 10 points. Ideal for those looking to take their skills to the next level without too much effort. Its effect is permanent].

Lucas swallowed. He hadn't expected something so valuable. "A... pill that increases all my talents by 10 points?" he muttered, almost in awe. "That's... huge."

Over the last few weeks, Lucas had made progress of almost every kind because of the Champion System. This included his attributes, his skills, his star level, and also his personal life. However, one thing that Lucas raised little was his talents.

"A permanent increase of ten points? Let me see how much I have at the moment after today's training."

Lucas looked ahead, and a stretched window appeared, showing a little of his attributes and talents.

+

===

Player name: Lucas Tanaka

Star Level: 4–120 SP/ 250 SP to the next level

Balance: 800 credits.

15 attribute points

===

[Attributes]

Speed: 35

Shooting: 37

Dribbling: 30

Defense: 23

Physical: 35

Passing: 38*

===

[Talents]

Ball Control: 3

Endurance: 2

Strength: 3

Heading: 5

Scoring: 4

Vision: 5

Positioning: 2

+

"I don't know if I haven't trained much in the last few weeks or if using skills doesn't count as training." Lucas muttered, disappointed with the amount of points he had in each Talent.

[I believe this negative result may be a combination of both factors.]

"Ehh? Oh, it's you... I almost forgot there's an artificial intelligence in my mind all this time..."

[I'm not an artificial intelligence. I'm an ability of yours, like a part of your consciousness that's a bit more... enhanced.]

"Hey! That's offensive!" Lucas exclaimed and then sighed. "But forget that... What did you mean when you said that this could be a combination of two factors?"

[In recent weeks, you've done very little training. Since returning, you have mainly focused on playing soccer and completing System Missions and personal missions. However, it's incorrect to say that you've done it wrong. This focus on completing missions rather than training may have hindered your development in Talents a little, but it has benefited your growth in Attributes and Skills].

"I know, and I don't regret having followed this route so far. That's what made me able to get this pill..." Lucas looked at the golden pill.

[However, it's still possible to say that this is a negative result. During all these games, you should have developed your talents a lot. After all, training is nothing more than a simulation of a real game. So the only conclusion we can come to is that you overused the Skills you got].

"What? That means..."

[Yes, while using a skill, Talents don't grow.]

"But that makes little sense. I don't even have a skill that makes me kick perfectly, maybe <Advanced First Kick>. However, I've hardly used it in my last few games."

[You're right. You haven't used that skill, and you've scored a lot of goals. But that means nothing].

"What do you mean?"

[Skills nullify the growth of your talents during the use of the skill and for about a minute after use. As you're a player very dependent on the skills you've obtained, your growth in Talents has been minimal].

Lucas lifted the pill between his fingers, feeling the cool texture against his skin. He closed his eyes for a moment as he squeezed the item. He was silent for a moment, thinking. When he opened his eyes, he had an idea.

"Heavens, how much is that pill worth in credits?"

[Evaluating...]

[The Passive Talent Enhancement Pill can be sold for around 10,000 credits, just as it can be obtained for this price in the store.]

"Good. Now, tell me, if there's a Passive Augmentation Pill, there's an Active Augmentation Pill, right?"

[Yes.]

"How much does the Active Enhancement Pill cost?"

[Item: Talent Active Augmentation Pilln/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Description: A single use of this item will double your growth rate in Talents. Ideal for those who like to make an effort to evolve. The effect lasts for three days.

Cost: 3,000 credits.]

"Undeniably, this is an expensive item that doesn't deliver as much as the alternative version I have with me. After all, if I use this golden pill, I'll increase my Talents by several times with no effort. However, if I use it here and now, I'll get addicted to evolving effortlessly and perhaps become stagnant in my world of system dependency... Besides, why should I get 10 Points for each Talent? If I double my rate of gain and start training often and hard, 10 Points will be nothing."

[You may be right. However, buying an Active Talent Enhancement Pill and training hard for the three-day duration won't be enough to overcome the effect of a Passive Talent Enhancement Pill].

"Of course it won't, so I'll buy four. In twelve days of training, I'll show that I don't depend on the skills I've copied and got to be a talented footballer either."