Neil's jaw dropped.
"…Okay. What the actual fu—"
Neil blinked rapidly, adjusting to the brightness in front of him.
Hovering in front of him was a glowing translucent blue book. His jaw dropped low due to amazement. His eyes sparkled like he'd just discovered cheat codes for life, and in a way, he had.
"Wait a second..." Neil muttered, scratching his head like a monkey trying to solve a Rubik's cube. "This… this is it! It's finally happening!"
He'd read enough system web novels to know the drill.
Return to the past? ✔️
Awakens the System? ✔️✔️
Oh baby, He grinned like a kid who just got his 5th builder in COC. "If this is anything like those novels, then everybody should be scared of my potential HEHEHE."
For the first time since his regression, Neil felt hopeful.
With a system, now he didn't need to study all day long to crack a competitive exam. This was his chance to strike big in life.
He pinched his arm. "OW! Okay, yup, definitely not dreaming. Unless I'm into pain now… which I'm not. I think."
He turned back to the floating book with the focus of a gamer facing a 1v5 situation in Valorant.
****
SPACE-TIME TUNNELING SUCCESSFUL
G.O.A.T SYSTEM INITIALIZING…
DING!
NEW USER DETECTED...MATCHING BRAINWAVES...ANALYZING BODY
DATA...ORIENTING TO NEW USER...
ACTIVATION SUCCESSFUL
DING!
BIND SYSTEM WITH USER
'CONFIRM' OR 'REJECT'
****
Neil smashed 'Confirm' faster than he clicked 'Skip Ad' on YouTube.
A golden soccer ball spun into existence, glittering like something out of a futuristic football game, before exploding into the next screen.
****
GOAT FOOTBALL SYSTEM INITIALIZED
IMPLANTING QUANTUM BIO-CODE INTO USER DNA…
****
"Wait, wha—AAAAARGH!"
It felt like someone was trying to download football greatness into his skull through a USB port in his brain. His bones tingled like soda bubbles. except, you know, painful.
Neil collapsed backward onto his bed, looking like a bug that had just been zapped by a streetlight.
"Whoo! Okay… that's enough upgrading for one day."
Suddenly, the pain faded. The system screen blinked back to life.
****
SYSTEM SUCCESSFULLY BOUND TO USER
UPDATING STATS...POPULATING USER INTERFACE...
****
Golden tabs appeared like a footballer's dream menu.
****
SOCCER G.O.A.T SYSTEM
SYSTEM LEVEL: 1 (0/100 XP points to level-up)
USER: Neil Goyal
AGE: 15
TALENT: Grade-D
XP POINTS: 0
(Evaluation: LOL. This kid's got passion, but talent? Let's just say… he sucks.)
****
Neil was sad when he saw the talent tab. He knew that he did not have any talent in playing football but seeing the system deduction in front of him. It was more depressing.
He tapped the 'USER STATS' tab with the urgency of someone checking exam results they know went badly.
****
USER STATS
Physical Fitness: D
Soccer Technique: D-
Game Intelligence: B-
Mental Ability: D-
X-Factor: F
G.O.A.T Skills: None
****
Neil blinked. "D minus for mental ability? Excuse me?! I survived school math AND didn't cry when Barca got eliminated in the Semifinals of UCL. That should count for something!"
But he shook it off. If anything, this was motivation. G.O.A.Ts aren't born, they grind.
"I'm gonna go from D- to S tier so hard, the system will need a reboot."
He checked his physical stats next:
****
PHYSICAL FITNESS (Avg Rating: D)
Balance & Coordination: D
Agility: D
Strength: D-
Stamina: D+
****
Neil didn't bother diving deeper. He didn't wanted to be more humiliated by the system conclusion of his stats.
And speaking of that… there was a flashing red light on the GOAT Missions tab. Classic RPG logic.
He tapped it.
****
NEW MISSION: PREP FOR GOAT-NESS
Task 1: Run 10km daily
Task 2: 100 sit-ups daily
Task 3: 50 push-ups daily
Task 4: 4 round of Surya namaskar exercises daily
Complete this exercise routine daily for a week.
Rewards:
→ B-Grade Body Enhancer (boosts body stats, maybe upgrades talent)
→ Random G.O.A.T Skill
→ 5 XP points
Failure Penalty:
→ Lose the system forever
→ Get cursed by system for not utilizing this once in a lifetime chance
****
Neil's eyes popped. "No system AND I get cursed instead? What is this, FIFA: Hardcore Edition?!"
His fatigue vanished like YouTube ads with Premium. He closed down his eyes and went to sleep as this was too much information for him to ponder upon right now.
When he woke up the next day everything was there which he experienced the last night.
A screen flickered in front of him where GOAT Missions had a little red dot next to it.
He suddenly remembered he had to complete a lot of physical tasks to not get penalized by the system.
He did his morning activities hurriedly and went out for a run outside in the huge ground.
Neil sprinted onto the ground like a man possessed, or more accurately, like a man being chased by the threat of "System Termination and Eternal Curse".
The sun had barely risen, but the colony was already buzzing with the sounds of birds, distant honks, and the occasional aunty yelling at a milkman.
Neil was in full gear: oversized T-shirt, worn-out sneakers, and the determination of someone who had something to prove… mostly to an AI that just told him he sucked.
As he ran, legs wobbling and lungs begging for mercy, he muttered under his breath, "10 kilometers?! You trying to kill me or train me for the Army, System?!"
He stumbled, caught himself, then kept going.
Each stride felt like a personal war against his old self, lazy, aimless, just another rat in the race.
But now?
Now he had something insane. A chance. A system. A purpose.
Sure, his stamina bar was probably in the negative, and his knees were questioning their life choices, but his heart? His heart was all in.
Somewhere deep within the system core…
****
SYSTEM NOTE:
"User is 98% likely to collapse by 3.7 km.
But 100% determined.
Observation: User is fully determined to change his life."
****
Neil panted, sweat pouring, shirt clinging to his back like it owed him rent.
But he smiled.
A wide, stupid, exhausted, absolutely victorious smile.
Because this was just the beginning.
He wasn't just going to survive.
He was preparing to leave a legacy behind him.