A midfielder without confidence is no different from a car without fuel. Midfielders are essential players on the team, often considered the engine room. They bridge the gap between defense and attack and can dictate the pace of the game with their passing and vision.
But confidence is the key to being a great midfielder. It helps them make quick decisions, maintain composure under pressure, and take calculated risks. A midfielder without confidence may hesitate with the ball, which could cost the team dearly.
Of course, Emmy knew Fred lacked confidence—he had noticed this since they first met yesterday—but he never expected Fred to have the potential to become a great midfielder.
Meanwhile, the coach continued.
"He will be of great help in this upcoming competition, so I'm planning to start him on Friday to see his performance. Or what do you think?"
The coach asked.
Emmy nodded.
"It's a great idea. Faced with a real challenge, he'll get to understand himself and build his confidence," Emmy replied.
The coach smiled and poked him on the head.
"Wise child."
"Your foundation is solid as well, and your confidence is unmatched, even in the most dire situations. The result of yesterday's match—I never expected it to end like that, but you surprised me with your strategy and cooperation on the field."
Although Emmy hadn't been able to score a goal himself yesterday, he contributed significantly to the game—not just with his tactics but also by playing relentlessly and making several through passes.
"You also have the makings of a great midfielder, but it's hard to determine your role because your playing style is so versatile. You might not be in the starting lineup for Friday's match, but I want you to train well over the next few days and improve so you can be on the substitutes' bench,"
The coach said. With that, he moved back under the tent.
"You can join him before the others arrive,"
He added.
'I can be on the substitute bench if I improve before Friday.'
Emmy couldn't help but smile. With his current stats, he never thought he would make it as a substitute for the upcoming match.
'Two days. I only need two more days.'
He thought as he got onto the pitch and sprinted off. It was time to complete his daily quest.
---
By the time Emmy completed the first two parts of his daily quest, other students were already arriving on the field, and Fred had already passed out, completely exhausted.
After a while, the coach gathered everyone, gave them a few instructions, and began today's training. The first set of training was to run ten laps around the field—something they usually did before any other training could begin.
Both Emmy and Fred were excused from the ten laps since they had already done more than that before the others arrived. After the race, the coach instructed them to arrange cones spaced between 10 to 20 meters and ordered them to run between them for 15 minutes. Emmy was really surprised by this and couldn't help but keep glancing at the coach every few seconds as he gave the instructions.
He never thought his own daily quest would be used as a form of training for the whole team.
More than half of the team failed to run between the cones for 15 minutes. Many didn't even last five minutes, especially Blake's group. Only a few managed to complete the fifteen minutes, and surprisingly, Fred was among them. Even Emmy had to force himself to reach 11 minutes before collapsing. Nevertheless, he achieved his goal.
The system message resounded in his mind immediately after he fell to his knees.
[Daily Quest Completed]
[Rewards have been granted]
[Rewards: +5 Speed points, +2 Agility points, +1 Stamina point]
Now, without a doubt, his Speed stat would be at 25, Agility at 9, and Stamina at 13. His stats were improving little by little.
After that, the next set of training was a fierce match between defense and attack—a match between defenders and strikers. It was an 8-a-side match where four strikers had to score as many goals as they could, while the defenders had to do everything possible to stop them. It was tough training for the defenders.
They were divided into groups and given a time limit. If the defenders managed to hold off the strikers and concede no goals before the time ran out, they would face another set of strikers. If the strikers scored a goal, they would then face another group of defenders when the time ran out.
It was a tough match for both sides.
Throughout this training, Emmy received no quest, but he could feel that he had improved a bit in that short period.
The day's training ended, and everyone left the field after school closed.
Emmy wasted no time rushing over to his brother's class. The coach was surprised when he noticed that Emmy had left. Just yesterday, Emmy had asked for permission to train on the field every day after the team's training, and today, he didn't stay.
"What's wrong with him?"
Coach Enzo thought.
Unbeknownst to him, he had already helped Emmy by incorporating parts of his daily quest into the team's training, leaving Emmy with no reason to stay behind.
---
However, Emmy didn't go straight to his brother after leaving the field. Instead, he ran after Fred, who had left immediately after training ended.
"Emmy? Why are you running after me?"
Fred asked, surprised.
"They're waiting for you outside. I think you should stay here while I clear things up. Come out in about 20 minutes,"
Emmy said, holding his knees as he caught his breath.
"But what about you? They'll surely attack you too,"
Fred said, worried.
"Don't worry. I've got plans."
With that, Emmy left him standing alone and ran towards the Year Two building.
A dozen minutes later, both Emmy and Sunny stood in the alleyway between two buildings at the front of the school. About twelve boys stood in front of them. This alleyway was partially dark because the far end was blocked off. It was intentionally designed this way because students used to ambush others here, leading to several deaths. As a result, it was blocked and declared off-limits.
Still, some students came here for various reasons—ambushes, gambling, and other activities. Today, Emmy had brought his brother here, knowing some people were hiding to ambush him later.
"So these are the bastards who dared to touch you,"
Sunny said, looking at the twelve boys. Emmy nodded.
"You knew we were here waiting for you, and you still showed up with someone else. You're either dumb or confident in the person you brought,"
Blake sneered.
Another boy move forward and said.
"I'm sure it'll take a while before the school finds both of your corpses he—"
Before he could finish, he was suddenly sent flying backward, his body slamming into the iron barrier that blocked the other end of the alleyway.
"I don't like people who talk too much,"
Sunny said, now standing in front of them.
"He's pretty strong. He used some kind of teleportation ability. Too bad that bastard betrayed us, but we're not weak either,"
Blake thought.
"Attack!"
He shouted, and everyone activated their abilities and rushed toward Sunny.
But in just the blink of an eye, half of them were already lying on the ground, blood flowing from their bodies. The other half quickly retreated behind Blake.
"You're strong. But I'm not weak either,"
Blake said as a silver sword appeared in his hand. With a slash, a dozen swords materialized mid-air, all heading toward Sunny.
"Emmy, get out of here now!"
Sunny shouted as the swords flew toward him. Then he suddenly vanished, completely out of sight. The swords, now without a target, sped toward Emmy.
"Where is he?"
They asked in confusion.
Suddenly, a strange shadow appeared beside Blake, stretching a hand toward his neck.
"Blake, look!"
One of the boys shouted, but it was too late. Sunny emerged from the shadow, gripping Blake's neck.
"If you ever dare to attack my brother or any of his friends again, that will be your end,"
Sunny warned, punching Blake in the face.
The others immediately bent down, hitting their heads on the floor.
"Senior Sunny, we didn't know it was you! We're sorry for our rudeness!"
They pleaded.
"So you recognize my shadow ability. Good. Continue,"
Sunny said, walking out of the alleyway.