Chapter 635: Skill Upgraded
Chapter 635: Skill Upgraded
Inside a quiet room, Hiro sat cross-legged.
With the lights turned off, the room was rather dark. However, the light from the outside world was dimly illuminating the room like the moonlight illuminating the dark sky.
It had been quite some time since the match had ended.
[Phantom Steps]
[Grants the user a sudden burst of acceleration. Creates visual "afterimages" or deceptive movements to confuse defenders.]
[Consumes +10 stamina per usage]
The "Lightning Step" skill had been upgraded as a reward for completing the quest. Now, the skill had been converted to a talent he could use frequently rather than once or twice a game. However, he couldn't spam the talent carelessly.Nôv(el)B\\jnn
"10 stamina points per game? Isn't it a little excessive?" Hiro exasperated.
Though Hiro was satisfied with the upgrade, he didn't feel good about the consumption point. Disgruntled, he heaved a deep sigh, "I'll have to be more calculative from now on."
"At most, I can use it four/five times per game," Hiro figured.
"I can't wait to test its efficiency," Hiro muttered, his eyes glistening with excitement. Then again, he frowned, "But I'll have to wait."
Since they had only completed the Group matches, they didn't have any training scheduled for the time being. Hence, to test out the efficiency of the newly acquired talent, he'll have to wait.
Hiro was like a kid who had received a new pair of cleats, eager to try out the cleats as fast as possible.
********
After two days, everybody gathered at the field.
It might be due to their recent performances or the two days they had been given off, the players appeared to be in high spirits.
The sun hung relatively low on the sky, spreading its warm brilliance across the surface. The vast space above was like a canvas painted in blue with a few wisps of clouds floating aimlessly.
It was a pleasant day.
Even the atmosphere on the field was cheerful, filled with laughter and chatter of the players.
On one side of the pitch, Hiro with gleaming eyes was tying his laces. He had been looking forward to this day for the past two days.
Though they had spent their past two days exploring the city, it couldn't compare to the excitement he felt right now.
'Finally, I can test its efficiency,' Hiro mused thinking about the opportunity.
Noticing the gleam on Hiro's face, Kein couldn't help but remark, "Did something good happen to you today? You didn't even look this excited when we went sightseeing."
Kein along with a few others were right by Hiro's side. They were gossiping about the places they had visited during their day off.
Tatsuki clicked his tongue and looked at Kein disappointedly, "Tch... Tch... Tch... It's been months since you've hung out with him. Yet you still don't know him well, Kein."
"Exactly... Hiro is a training freak," Naoto chimed in. "This guy enjoys training like no other." While they talked about him, Hiro ignored their rant. To him, there was something more exciting than those rants.
Soon, Nanami arrived on the field, his expression stern.
To this date, they have hardly seen him smile. He was like that grumpy old man from the neighborhood who barely expressed himself.
Upon catching a glimpse of the coach, the players began to amass hastily.
"Did you enjoy your time off?" Nanami asked, his authoritative voice tearing through the
silence.
"Yes, coach."
The players responded, their voices full of vigor.
Upon hearing their response Nanami nodded, "Good. I'm glad you enjoyed it." Suddenly, the look on his face turned serious, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes, "Then shall we put that mood to good use?"
Almost all of them felt their hearts shudder upon hearing him. They could tell that something bad was about to come.
Some gulped, some flinched, and some turned pale.
Hiro, however, felt even more excited than before. The harsher the training, the more there is to learn. With that thought in mind, he looked forward to the session.
Soon, the session began. It was intense right from the start.
Especially, the drill involving sprints, it was the toughest. They had to sprint while being tied to some weight and those who couldn't complete the sprint in the allotted time had to face
the punishment.
Even for Hiro, this drill was proving to be difficult.
He was used to sprinting but even Hiro found it difficult to sprint while being tied to weights. It was much harder than he imagined.
Previously, Hiro used to train with ankle weights or a weighted vest. But pulling a shit ton of weight, he didn't do it frequently.
So, he was having trouble adjusting.
During the training, he realized he was lacking in the strength department. But he also found
out that he had become faster than before.
The change wasn't groundbreaking but he could feel he had changed.
Soon after the drills ended, the coach allowed them to rest.
"Now, let's take a short rest. Then we'll play a 5v5 game," Nanami announced.
"A match?"
Many of them wailed, their expression full of hesitation. Drenched in sweat, they were gasping heavily. To many even standing was proving to be challenging. But now, the coach suddenly announced they were playing a mini-game.
"Isn't the session over?"
"Please, no more."
They continued to complain. However, they didn't dare to complain before Nanami. They complained behind his back.
Despite being exhausted, Hiro's eyes perked up upon hearing the mention of the mini-game. He had been waiting for this moment.
Wiping the bead-like sweat, Hiro began to stabilize his breath. Inhaling and exhaling deeply, The tried to regain his energy.
"Isn't it enough coach?" The assistant coach asked. "I mean they are already exhausted. So, it
might cause injuries."
The assistant coach was correct. At this stage, they needed to avoid injuries. So, intense
training like this wasn't optimal.
However, Nanami thought otherwise. He didn't carelessly shove this regime in their face. He had designed this routine alongside their physician and physical coach.
After taking their condition into account, he had carefully devised this drill session.