My Football Legends Chat Group-Chapter 56: The Player of the Month

Manager Farke stared at Rio like he was some sort of freak, which wasn’t far from the truth given the data on his tablet.

He had heard that young players could sometimes improve their performance with confidence, but a physical transformation like this in a month was too exaggerated.

Of course, he was over the moon about securing such a performance against Hull, however, there was one thing that wasn’t sitting right with him.

"Rio, why didn’t you push for a move to La Liga? Surely with your technical ability, a team like Betis or Sevilla would have taken you."

Although he was a little hesitant at first, the manager decided to ask the question in order to clear up some doubts. Since they would be fighting for the title together for the next seven months, he wanted everything out in the open.

Rio saw the hesitation in the manager’s eyes, but softly smiled once he was asked. He was happy to know that Farke was still the direct and honest coach that he knew from the future timeline.

Therefore, in order to be transparent, he told the truth (mostly).

"I was in talks with Jorge Mendes about a move to a top-tier Spanish side."

These words caused Farke to look even more confused. But before he could ask why he didn’t go, Rio continued.

"However, the contract was only valid if I agreed to go on loan to a Belgian B-team for two years to ’build muscle’."

"WHAT!?"

For the second time in a matter of moments, the manager’s jaw had dropped in shock.

"Just what kind of idiot would turn down a winger who can score from his own half!? And for what? To send him to Belgium to eat waffles? Fucking foolish!"

’Score from his own half? What?’

Now it was Rio’s turn to be shocked. He knew the goal was far out, but he hadn’t checked the official distance.

Even in Image Training, he could only consistently hit the target from 40 yards, so what had changed?

’Is it possible that the Image Training is limited by my own assumption of my abilities? Did the Titan’s Core add extra range I didn’t know about?’

Rio was deep in thought, not even noticing that Farke was staring at him as if he was expecting an answer.

"Huh? Sorry, Boss?"

"I find it hard to believe that Mendes, one of the best agents in the world, would tell you to leave England. Unless he was blind, of course. Could you tell me more of what happened?"

"Ah, since my body was still ’lightweight’ a couple of months ago, I was getting bullied off the ball. It lacked a bit of power compared to the Premier League standard." Rio said nonchalantly.

Since he had already moved on from the whole ordeal, it wasn’t painful bringing it up any longer. This was especially the case now that he knew how much he had improved since his Body Transformation Protocol had completed.

Manager Farke paused for a moment, looking at the heatmap on his screen, before gripping his chest theatrically.

’Oh man, I need to stop looking at these stats. If I get any more shocks I might end up having a heart attack. 13.8 kilometers covered? In one game?’

After a while, the manager let out a sigh, feeling the tension leave his body.

"Okay, okay, head back to the physio room for recovery. You can train with the starters at tomorrow’s session."

With that, the manager returned to his spot in the office and told his assistant to archive the match data. His eyes moved over to the squad list and paused his gaze on Gnonto, who had requested a transfer request in the previous window.

’Mmm, it seems that Willy is feeling threatened. Good.’

The manager was not stupid; he knew exactly how Gnonto acted to others in the team when he wasn’t the star. However, since he generally behaved and contributed whenever he came off the bench, Farke did not have a good reason to exile him yet.

They were also in the position of needing his skills since they lacked depth on the wings. However, with the emergence of the "Leeds Missile" Rio, he now had another option, significantly reducing the leverage of the Italian international.

Rio made his way over to the bench in the locker room and opened up the System out of habit, only to see something flashing at him.

[NEW NOTIFICATION]

#HIDDEN MISSION: Silence the Doubters (limit time mission: 48hrs) [Completed]

Task: Prove your physical dominance in a competitive match against a physical opponent (Hull City) within a limited time frame, showing your resolve to be the Alpha.

REWARDS:

Unlock Skill: Galactico Mindset (Professionalism)

Unlock Mission: The Winter Grind

’Huh!?’

Rio stared at the screen for a few moments in disbelief. He had somehow uncovered a hidden mission within the System, just by merely shoulder-barging Coyle a few times.

Of course, he had worked to his limits the night before in the Image Training against "The Beast" Akinfenwa, which likely was a prerequisite for such a thing in the first place. However, it still felt as if a contract bonus dropped from the sky right into his lap.

’Just what are these rewards?’

Rio opened up his skill window with curiosity.

Galactico Mindset: You are rewarded based on the professional standards you maintain. Increases training benefits up to 20% when giving 100% effort in recovery and diet.

’Holy crap! What is this skill?’

With the addition of this new skill, he would be able to get a huge advantage when compared to his peers just by eating right and sleeping well. Since he already had the Iron Lungs skill, he could potentially improve 40% faster than everyone else in the league.

’Hold on. I had to eat boiled chicken for a whole month in order to get the Iron Lungs skill, so how did I get something so overpowered after only one game?’

What he didn’t know was that rejecting the easy route (Mendes’s loan offer) was actually the biggest gain from the negotiation saga. Even if he had gone to Belgium or signed a big contract, he would have never developed the mental fortitude.

Not to mention the painful and long process associated with earning the respect of a demanding coach like Farke. The System had essentially fast-tracked his path to world-class status without Rio fully understanding.

Ignorant of the full impact the System had on his life, Rio turned his attention to the Chat Room, which was buzzing.

[Chat Room Active]

The_King: You ran a lot. Good. But you celebrated with your teammates too much. A King stands alone.

Zizou_5: Oh, be quiet Eric. The boy did well. The chip to the back post for the woodwork? That was art.

Total_Football_14: The recovery run to save the goal... that was the most important moment. Defense is just attacking backwards.

Rio smiled. Even the new guy, Cantona, was engaging. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

He turned his attention to the missions tab.

#MISSION: The Winter Grind (Part 1)

Task: Complete 150 successful crosses and 150 shots on target in Image Training per day for 30 days.

TIME: 30 days remaining.

REWARDS:

Gold Lottery Ticket

Unlock Mission: The Winter Grind (Part 2)

’Wow, the reward is pretty good...’ He thought inwardly.

A Gold Lottery Ticket? He had only seen Silver and Bronze before. Silver gave him skills like Crunch Time. Gold must be something legendary.

But 150 crosses and shots? Every day?

"That’s 300 actions a night," Rio muttered. "I won’t be sleeping much."

"Rio! Are you talking to yourself again?"

Archie Gray’s voice snapped him out of his train of thought.

"Coming!"

As Rio stepped out of the locker room area, Archie performed a double-take.

"Skip?" He asked curiously, almost not even recognizing his teammate.

Rio’s jaw seemed sharper, and his eyes more determined. The frame which used to be slumped with exhaustion after a game now seemed upright, boasting a calculated energy within.

Archie could only look at him dumbfounded for a few moments, trying to match up the man in front of him with the boy he had played FIFA with yesterday.

"Sorry Archie, I was just checking the... stats," Rio said apologetically, hurrying to the car park.

Archie just stood and watched him walk to the car in a daze, still not understanding what was happening.

"What’s wrong, Archie?" Liam Cooper saw the youngster staring off into the distance and approached him with concern.

Instead of answering, he asked a question softly.

"When did he become such a machine?"

Cooper didn’t respond for a while. Since he had yet to see Rio’s stats from the physio, he had yet to see the subtle transformation in recovery data.

"I don’t know," He answered simply, shaking his head.

Ever since this time last month, he had noticed a tremendous change in the way Rio acted. It was as if the playful and slightly lazy winger had been replaced overnight.

Since he had been enjoying the wins, Cooper had overlooked the situation and just lived in the moment. However, now that Archie had mentioned something, his mind began to pour over their interactions in the past week.

Rio was no longer complaining about the cold; his maturity levels having increased by leaps and bounds. He was disciplined, never missing an ice bath for even a single day.

Cooper had even noticed that it felt like talking to another captain whenever they interacted on the pitch.

Yet he shook his head in the next moment before responding. "He’s just realized his potential, Archie. Momentum is a mysterious thing. One moment they’re prospects, and the next moment they’re carrying the team."

He placed his hand on Archie’s shoulder, comforting him. It seemed as if these words had done the trick as he felt himself calm down considerably.

"Yeah, you’re right," Archie replied, turning around and heading to his car.

A smile formed on Cooper’s face, showing just how happy he was to have a successor.

Still smiling, he saw a man walk out of the admin office and make his way down the tunnel towards him, startling him greatly.

With one swift movement, he moved Archie behind him and took a defensive stance.

"Who are you!?" His voice was deep and menacing, unknowingly speaking out in his thick Scottish accent.

"Huh!?" Rio looked at his captain who was now in front of him, looking as if he wanted to start a fight.

"Coops, what are you doing?" Rio’s voice came out deeper than usual, causing him to stop for a moment.

"Rio?" Cooper paused, moving closer a little to inspect the person.

Now that he was out of the shadow of the tunnel, he could finally see Rio’s features up close, causing him to let out a sigh of relief. Yet even though the anxiety had disappeared, he was inwardly shocked at just how fresh Rio looked after a 90-minute war.

"What happened to you? Why do you look so... fresh?" Cooper said after a while, inspecting him from top to bottom.

"See, this is what I was talking about!" Archie finally felt vindicated after seeing the captain’s reaction. He too had a hard time believing the recovery speed of Rio.

"W-What?" Rio started to feel nervous for some reason.

’Could it be that the Galactico Mindset has appeared now for some reason?’ His mind raced and he quickly pulled out his phone to use the camera reflection.

Since he had just played a match, the screen was a bit smudge-y. So only after a few moments was he able to see the reflection staring back at him.

His eyes widened, seeing the visage staring back at him from the screen. While he still held some youthful charm, his eyes and jawline made him look like a veteran who had played 500 games.

His body, which usually ached and slouched after a game, suddenly looked to be full of vitality. He was no longer drained, showing clear and powerful posture that would make most athletes jealous.

While it would not be too noticeable to the fans, his teammates who saw him every day would easily be able to notice the difference.

’Is this because I activated the Professionalism perk?’ Rio thought for a moment, thinking it was the most likely scenario.

He never knew that unlocking a mindset skill would cause such dramatic physiological circumstances.

Rio put his phone away and was at a loss for words. He stared at his teammates, wearing a confused expression.

"Ah, there’s our MVP," Cooper said, seeing the silly look on his face and letting out a laugh.

"HAHAHA, I see it now. You’re just a freak of nature." Archie joined in on the laughter and smacked Rio’s back with joy.

Rio stood awkwardly for a few moments, not exactly enjoying the poking and prodding he was receiving from his teammates. However, there was a smile on his face.

Thankfully they didn’t ask too many questions since he did not have a good explanation for the changes to his recovery speed.

After a while, Cooper said that it was time to go.

"Where are we going? Home?" Rio asked, hopping into Archie’s car.

Cooper shook his head.

"We’re going to the Director’s Lounge. The Player of the Month award presentation is happening now. Your dad is waiting."