The floating words disappeared and everywhere became engulfed with complete darkness.
Sung Min felt like he was lying down on something soft before he opened his eyes to see himself in a hospital bed.
'How did I get here?'
He looked around in confusion, 'I am pretty sure I died back there.'
"Sung Min!!" A familiar voice called out his name, "my dear son you are finally awake!" His mother hugged him with tears running down her cheeks. "I thought I have lost you forever."
After the hugging was over, Sung Min sat up still very confused at the whole situation.
"Mum what happened? How did I get here? How long have I been sleeping?"
Suddenly his mum started to continuously hit him on the shoulder while crying, "Why will you do that to me Sung Min, why? Why? Why?!! How could you be so selfish?!"
"Do what? What did I do?"
"Did you forget? Na-ri broke up with you so you decided to commit suicide!"
"Ehhh?!!!" Sung Min screamed in shock, "That's not what.."
"I know life has been tough for you Sung Min, but always remember, if there is no way forward for you, you can always come back to me. I do not want to lose you my dear."
"That's wrong I didn't try to kill myself.... I only slipped and fell."
"Don't try to make me feel better by lying to me!"
A nurse walked into the room, "Please go easy on him, he still needs to rest."
"Can any of you see this?" Sung Min points at the floating words infront of him that reads;
[ Welcome *Player* you have one unread message ]
His mother and the nursed looked at him like he lost some screw, "see what?" His mum replied while looking at the empty space he was pointing at.
'They can't see that?'
"You need more rest, it is even a miracle that you are still alive right now." The nurse said, then she turned to his mum, "We should leave him to rest a bit more."
Sung Min's mum nodded and the two left the room.
He kept looking at the floating words that refused to vanish no matter how many times he closed his eyes.
'It said one unread... message.. how do I open the message?...'
He lifted his hand and tapped on the message and another set of words appear.
'Wowww I can touch it, this is crazy."
The new set of words reads.
[ Welcome Player, the system will now begin the process of making you a legend.]
'Okay..'
The words vanished and another set appeared.
[ Failing to comply with the systems instructions will result in potential penalties. ]
'What is this rubbish?' It was at this point that he remembered that the voice reading out these words was the same voice he heard just before he 'died'.
[ Your rewards have been delivered.]
'What rewards?'
Another window opened:
[ Player Stats ]
☆ATTACK
* Crossing: 0/100
* Finishing: 0/100
* Heading Accuracy: 0/100
* Short Pass: 0/100
* Volley: 0/100
☆SKILL
*Dribbling: 0/100
*Curve: 0/100
*Freekick Accuracy: 0/100
*Long Pass: 0/100
*Ball Control: 0/100
☆POWER
*Shot Power: 0/100
*Jumping: 0/100
*Stamina: 0/100
*Strength: 0/100
*Long Shots: 0/100
☆MOVEMENT
*Acceleration: 0/100
*Sprint Speed: 0/100
*Agility: 0/100
*Reaction: 0/100
*Balance: 0/100
☆MENTAL
*Aggression: 0/100
*Interception: 0/100
*Attacking Positioning: 0/100
*Vision: 0/100
*Penalties: 0/100
*Composure: 0/100
There was other categories left, then just underneath everything he saw this;
[ Bonus Points: +100 ]
'It's just like a game... I guess I am supposed to use the points to fill up some of those empty categories."
Of all the things he lacked, what hurt him the most was how slow he was, no matter how fast he ran, the opposing defenders always caught up to him. Because of this he tried learning to dribble but he failed awfully at that too.
'If I was fast, I will easily beat any defender."
☆MOVEMENT
*Sprint Speed: +100
'What am I even doing? This is stupid...."
[ New Message ]
He opened the message.
[Daily training: Preparation to become a legend.]
Press-up, 50 times: Incomplete (0/150)
Sit-up, 60 timed: Incomplete (0/160)
Squat, 50 times: Incomplete (0/150)
Running, 20km: Incomplete (0/20)
¤ WARNING: Failure to complete these training tasks will result in appropriate level of punishment.
'Yeah this is stupid.' He yawned and then went back to sleep.
¤ WARNING: Failure to complete these trainings tasks will result in appropriate level of punishment!!
[ YOU HAVE 5 SECONDS LEFT TO COMPLETE THE TASKS ]
*4*
*3*
Sung Min opened his eyes with a yawn, it was already 7:00 in the evening.
'How long have I been sleeping?'
*2*
'Why is this sh*t counting down?'
*1*
*0*
Everything inside the room slowly dissolved and turned into a football pitch with the green grass, standard goal post. And a person without a face standing at the center of the post, wearing a goalkeeper's glove.
¤ PUNISHMENT: Score a penalty kick, you have 5 tried, if you fail to score 5 times, your heart will automatically stop beating.
'What? You can't be serious.' Shira looked around the empty pitch with just him and the stranger in the goalpost.
[ Penalty: 5/0 ]
"Okay this looks way too realistic to be a joke..."
He walks to the penalty box, there was already a ball sitting in the penalty spot. The ball reminded him of the ball at Kurzawa's House, the ball that made him fall off the apartment. They looked strikingly similar.
He then took some steps back, the irony of the penalty being a penalty kick made him giggle. He ran to the ball, then he struck it with all his might completely missing the goalpost.
Suddenly he felt an intense pain spread through his body, it was like he was being electrocuted. He found his knees on the floor as he cried put in pain.
¤ PUNISHMENT: For every penalty you miss, you will be punished until your last penalty. Then your heart will stop.
Another ball popped up at the penalty spot.
[ Penalty: 4/0 ]
'This sh*t is not playing around ' Cold sweat trickled down his face, and goosebumps started popping out all over his body.
'Is this where I really die because I suck at penalties, I already created death once, maybe I won't get to do it again.'
He walked to the ball and kicked it, this time, the miss was even more profound. It was miles off target. He felt the pain once more curse through his body, the pain he felt this time was twice the one he felt earlier. He fell to the floor gasping for breath as his whole body vibrated.
'I can't do this.'
[ Penalty: 3/0 ]
As Sung Min knelt on the floor with all hope lost, he started to remember his past. How he started as a footballer, how no single team would take him because of bad at it he was. How everyone laughed at him, reporters, fans, opponents and sometimes even his teamates. How he always sat on the bench watching others do what he wanted to do all his life.
'I want to play football... I cannot die yet.'
He got back up to his feet walked to the ball and kicked it, this time it hit the woodwork. He fell to his knees once more and grit his teeth in pain, the pain this time was double the pain he felt earlier.
[ Penalty: 2/0 ]
Another ball popped up at the center, he got up and kicked it, he aimed for the bottom left corner of the goal post and the ball went straight to there. The goalie followed the direction of the ball, stretched out his hand to block its path, but the ball got into the net grazing his finger tip before his hand could get to it.
[ Penalty: 1/1 ]
He feell to his knees once more, not in pain this time but in relief.
¤ PUNISHMENT: Completed. You will now be transported back.