When Will woke up the next morning, like he usually did, he went to the training facilities and started with the system’s daily quest. Today, it didn’t ask him to do anything strenuous, he just worked on his finishing. He was asked to take shots from various distances in and around the penalty box, and he got a reward of 20 Credits.

’This damn system. I thought it said the reward for the daily quests varied, how come I’ve only gotten 20 Credits every day so far’. Will thought to himself as he walked off the pitch and went inside of the locker room.

Minutes later, the players started arriving and training started. The match was the next day, so training wasn’t as physically tasking as it was mentally. The team just did some light exercises and after which they had a short gym session and they did a comprehensive tactical breakdown.

When they were finally done, David addressed everyone inside the locker room before releasing them.

Will went back home and realized no one was around. He was released quite a bit early today so it made sense.

After he went to his room, he changed into more comfortable clothes and walked to the backyard of the house, to his makeshift practice pitch. The grass there already looked worn out and was in need of maintaining.

There were dry patches and mudstains where he had stepped on from past training sessions. A not at all ideal pitch, but it meant more to him than playing in the biggest stadiums in the world. That was where everything started.

He remembered when he decided he wanted to play football. It was the Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United. He and his dad were Manchester United fans and they were rooting for their team to win only to be dazzled by a 5’7" man from Rosario Argentina.

From that day, Will decided he wanted to be like Messi. A player so good that he didn’t feel any hate for him in his heart after he watched him tear his favorite team, only worship and adoration.

Will continued sitting there and thinking. From the Champions League final, he started thinking about the match that he was going to play the next day. He felt pretty confident because he had the system with him but he would be lying to himself if he said that he didn’t feel nervous at all.

The system helped him and guided him on the pitch but it was still up to him to make the actions required himself. He was still the one that would make the pass or make the run or take the shot. Being more intelligent wouldn’t make him significantly better if he didn’t have the required ability.

"What are you doing moping out here?"

A female voice sounded from behind Will. Will didn’t need to look behind to realize who spoke. He spent the majority of his life annoyed at that voice.

"I’m thinking". Will said.

Janet walked over to where Will was and sat down beside him.

"You’re nervous?" Janet asked.

"Yeah". Will nodded. "I would’ve been released if I didn’t come in to training and even though I have another chance, what if I’m still not good enough?"

The pair sat in silence for a few seconds after Will spoke, before Janet broke the silence.

"If that’s what you’re worried about then you really are a bum". Janet said. "Don’t you understand what’s happened? They released you. They don’t need you, you could’ve might as well be released, and the only reason you aren’t is because the coach likes you. You’re at rock bottom trying to climb a mountain so you have nothing to lose. You can’t be worried about not being good enough because they have already told you that you aren’t good enough. Now you have to work hard and train and make yourself better so that in a year they’ll tell you something different".

Will looked at his sister with a surprise in his eyes as she was talking. As she spoke, he realized that she was right. He was at rock bottom trying to climb his way up. He had everything to gain and nothing to lose, so why was he afraid of losing?

"Damn, when did you get so smart?" Will said as he patted Janet’s forehead.

Janet forcefully pushed his arm back. "I’ve always been so smart. You’ve just been too dumb to see it".

Will chuckled. "Fair enough, I should’ve seen that coming".

Will looked out at the pitch again, tracing the worn patches of grass with his eyes. The dry spots told a story, each one a memory of early mornings and late evenings, of shots taken and missed, of drills repeated until his legs gave out beneath him. He had spent so much time out here chasing something he wasn’t even sure he could reach, and now that he was closer to it than he had ever been, he was sitting here letting fear eat at him.

That wasn’t who he was.

"You hungry?" Janet asked, already standing up and brushing the back of her shorts.

"Yeah. What’s there to eat?"

"Mum left some rice before she went out. I can warm it up."

"That works." Will said, standing up beside her.

They walked back inside together and Janet disappeared into the kitchen while Will dropped onto the couch in the living room. He picked up the remote and turned on the television but didn’t really pay attention to what was on. His mind was still outside on that pitch, still turning over what his sister had said.

She was right. There was a freedom in having nothing to lose that he hadn’t allowed himself to feel until now. Every player at the top of the game was playing with the pressure of maintaining something. They had contracts worth millions, reputations built over years, expectations from fans and coaches and entire nations. Will had none of that. He was a player on borrowed time, given one more chance by a coach who believed in him more than he currently believed in himself. That wasn’t a burden. That was an opportunity.

He thought about the players he had grown up watching. Not just Messi, but all of them. The ones who came from nothing and built themselves into something. None of them had arrived at the top already complete. They were all works in progress at some point, rough edges and raw talent, being shaped by every game and every setback into the players they would eventually become.

He wanted to be one of those players.