The next day came quickly, but Mystic was already in his office, reviewing everything he had gained from the match against the Bariga Young Boyz.
[Players' Status Recorded – A stimulation match can be played against the Bariga Young Boyz in the Underground Stimulation Pitch with three difficulty levels: Easy-going, Serious, and Desperate.]
[Status tab of Bariga Young Boyz player (Idris) acquired.]
[Status tab of Bariga Young Boyz player (Jamiu) acquired.]
[Status tab of Bariga Young Boyz player (Alaba) acquired.]
Mystic had spent a total of twelve thousand Alliance Credits just to unlock their profiles, ten for Idris who is a Bronze rank player, and a thousand for both Jamiu and Alaba, these three were the backbone of the Bariga Young Boyz squad apart from Adekunle, whose status he had already accessed during his previous visit to the Bariga young boyz training center.
Since he planned to register his club for the Street Championship, there was always the possibility they could cross paths again, for that reason, he wanted to understand his potential opponents' strengths and that justified his expense, even after previously claiming he wouldn't spend another coin.
He scrolled past as he resisted the temptation of opening the players status tabs, and landing towards a new notification:
[Players' Improvement.]
Mystic raised his left eyebrow. That caught him off guard, they had lost the match, so he didn't expect any gains, but apparently, something had come out of it.
He swiftly opened the tab, while he wasn't always eager to check up on other club's players, it was a different story when it came to his own players.
[Players' Improvement Stats:]
Kado – Lvl 3 (26/40) → Lvl 4 (34/40)
Kehinde Okududu – Lvl 1 (9/10) → Lvl 2 (1/20)
Iyang James – Lvl 2 (4/20) → Lvl 2 (6/20)
Madugbugo Chinoso – Lvl 2 (5/20) → Lvl 2 (7/20)
Kofo – Lvl 1 (9/10) → Lvl 2 (1/20)
Jimoh Olusegun – Lvl 4 (2/80) → Lvl 4 (8/80)
Peter Lambert – Lvl 5 (28/100) → Lvl 5 (32/100)
Daniel Mojo – Lvl 4 (42/80) → Lvl 4 (48/80)
Peter Oyebuchi – Lvl 3 (8/40) → Lvl 3 (12/40)
Iyanda Sunday – Lvl 5 (28/100) → Lvl 5 (34/100)
Ogunsalu Damilare – Lvl 5 (42/100) → Lvl 5 (48/100)
Jimoh Olushola – Lvl 2 (2/20)
Eboye Victor – Lvl 2 (2/20)
Apari – Lvl 3 (24/40)
Even in defeat, there had been growth, and that was something Mystic could work with.
And just like that, Mystic swiftly discovered that each of his players had made small improvements, equivalent to what they would typically gain from a single training session, and he began to assume that the intensity of the match might have contributed to these gains.
This made him wonder, if they could improve that much from a loss, what would they gain from a draw or a win? The thought swirled in his mind as he realized that the only reason the other three players hadn't gained any experience points was probably because they never stepped onto the field.
It was then that he decided it was time to check the status of the Bariga Young Boyz players he had acquired.
[Player Status]
Name: Idris
Sex: Male
Nationality: Nigerian
Rank: Bronze
Talent Rank: Uncommon
Level: 11
Position: Defender
Age: 24
[Attributes]
Strength: 15
Agility: 10
Endurance: 16
[Acquired Skills]
_Sliding Breeze (Bronze Lvl 1)
_Empty
Overall Power: 51
(Note: In an earlier chapter, I stated Mystic was able to read the levels of Adekunle and Idris as level 11, there was a slight mistake—Idris is level 11, but Adekunle is actually level 12, the level difference is why Adekunle's power rating is higher by two.)
--
[Player Status]
Name: Jamiu
Sex: Male
Nationality: Nigerian
Rank: -
Talent Rank: Common
Level: 10 (max)
Position: Forward
Age: 23
[Attributes]
Strength: 10
Agility: 8
Endurance: 7
[Acquired Skills]
_Empty
Overall Power: 25
--
[Player Status]
Name: Jamiu
Sex: Male
Nationality: Nigerian
Rank: -
Talent Rank: Rare
Level: 7
Position: Wing Back
Age: 20
[Attributes]
Strength: 15
Agility: 11
Endurance: 10
[Acquired Skills]
_Empty
_Empty
_Empty
Overall Power: 36
-
After reviewing the player status tabs of the three new players, Mystic arrived at a conclusion, even if a player had a common talent rank, as long as they had teammates with higher levels and talent, their own abilities wouldn't show much of a disparity, unless they faced an equally strong team.
Idris on the other hand was on the same talent rank as Adekunle and trailed just slightly behind him in overall power rating.
Jamiu, on the other hand, was of common talent rank, and from his attributes and overall power, Mystic could clearly understand why he had fallen down the pecking order as a secondary striker.
But what surprised Mystic the most wasn't Idris or Jamiu, it was Alaba, the left wing back.
He was clearly a rare-rank talent, and Mystic believed the only reason the Bariga Young Boyz coach hadn't built a tactic around him yet was because of his relatively low level.
It was obvious the coach hadn't identified his potential, Mystic felt it was only a matter of time, because by the time Alaba reached level 10, he would definitely be way better than most of the players in the team except the two bronze rank.
Once he began showing such promise, Mystic was certain the owner of the Bariga Young Boyz would do everything possible to help him reach the Bronze rank too like he had done for Idris
Just then, Mystic heard noise outside and realized his players were beginning to enter the locker room, training was scheduled for 8 a.m., and despite the loss, they still had work to do.
He had warned them, anyone who showed up late would face double the training load, with his players now around, Mystic swiped his hand to shut down the system window in front of him, as he felt it was time to speak to him.
—
A few minutes passed before Mystic made it known that he wanted to address them, and the players swiftly arranged themselves waiting.
From the heavy silence in the room, Mystic could tell that many of them still hadn't recovered from their 9–1 defeat to the Bariga Young Boyz, it was a brutal loss that was still etched deeply in their minds.
"Welcome," Mystic began.
"That's the first thing I want to say, the fact that you all showed up on time, even after such a defeat, shows your dedication."
"Clearly, no one is happy about the defeat. I'm sure many of you have personal regrets, thinking you could've done better or made a difference," Mystic began, pausing to let his words settle.
"But I want you to understand something. In your current state, no matter what any of you had done yesterday, you still would've lost."
Some of the players looked up in disbelief, stunned that their own coach had said such a thing. It sounded like he had known they were doomed from the start.
"But that doesn't mean I see you as any less than them," Mystic continued.
"In fact, I believe you're far better, maybe even a hundred times better, you might not believe that now, but I mean every word."
"The only advantage they had over you was experience, and two Bronze rank players, let's be realistic: if we're going to play in the Street Championship next month, we must be ready to face teams of that caliber."
"But I promise you this, as long as you follow the plan I've laid out for you, not only will you improve, but you'll grow strong enough to avenge this loss." Mystic said, voice firm with conviction.
"Now… who's with me?"
The room erupted with noise as the players shouted their support, the fire reigniting in their hearts.