Week 1 - Done!

The week tore through Amani's life like a storm; brutal, relentless, and utterly unforgiving. By the time Sunday arrived, he wasn't sure if the days had flown by or dragged him through the dirt. All he knew was that his body no longer belonged to him. It belonged to the grind.

Every morning began with the same, a sharp inhale of freezing air, his breath curling like smoke as he stepped outside before dawn. The cold cut through his tracksuit, sinking into his bones until his skin felt numb, but the system didn't care about the weather. 5 miles. Minimum. Uphill sprints if possible. No excuses.

His shoes crunched over frost-bitten sidewalks, the slap of his footsteps rhythmic against the silent streets. His calves tightened like twisted ropes with every incline, his breath ragged by the time he crested each hill. But stopping? That wasn't an option. The system's counter ticked like a silent judge in his peripheral vision, every meter logged, every slowdown punished with flashing red warnings.

Back at the apartment, there was no time to rest. Strength work next. The dumbbells in the team gym felt heavier than they should, each squat-and-press drilling fire into his thighs and shoulders. His arms shook halfway through each set, sweat soaking through his shirt, muscles trembling like an overworked engine.

Malik, who watched one session out of curiosity, had muttered, "Bro, are you training for football or an action movie?"

Amani couldn't even laugh, his lungs had nothing left to spare.

After strength came yoga, the slow burn. At first, Amani scoffed, yoga was for people with scented candles and herbal tea. But within minutes, he realized the truth. Yoga was war, a war against his stiffness, tight hamstrings, and neglected flexibility. Holding poses felt like time slowed to torture him, and when the system added a balance requirement, his legs wobbled like jelly.

Some days, Amani trained alone. Other times, Stein arranged for him to shadow the under-17s, moving through drills just behind them, copying every touch and pass. He wasn't officially part of the squad yet, the federation's rules wouldn't allow it, but Pronk had no interest in keeping him idle. If the system was a drill sergeant, Coach Pronk was a general.

And through it all, the system tracked him it was silent, unyielding, keeping receipts on every movement.

Miss a rep? Red warning flash.

Slow down a run? Mission progress dipped instantly.

Complete a workout perfectly? A soft hum of approval just like a pat on the back from a coach who never smiled.

There were no shortcuts.

No skipped sets.

No mercy. Mercy is for the weak.

Some nights, Amani's legs twitched even after he lay down, exhausted muscles firing at random. His sheets felt heavy against his skin rubbed raw by constant friction. Sleep came fast and hard, not rest, but recovery mode was just enough to scrape his body back together for the next morning.

Even eating became part of the mission. Every meal was fuel, every snack calculated. Protein bars, recovery shakes, and meals designed by the club's nutritionist. No mandazi, no fried cassava, no sweet chai like home. Just fuel to rebuild muscle and sharpen edges.

And yet… somehow, he made it through.

Seven days.

Amani didn't conquer the week, he survived it.

His legs felt like iron wrapped in bruises. His core had gone from soft to something that felt like a coiled spring. His shoulders ached from the unfamiliar weight training, but beneath the ache was something else — density, the first hints of power carved into his growing frame.

The system flashed his progress bar that night:

***

Week 1 is Almost Complete.

Reward Will Be Ready.

***

Amani stared at it, equal parts pride and disbelief. He wasn't sure if he had gotten stronger or just learned how much punishment his body could take.

One thing was certain, this wasn't the carefree football of Malindi's dusty fields. This was something sharper, harder, unforgiving.

This wasn't just football. This was survival — a battle against the cold, against the clock, against the body that begged him to stop, and the mind that knew stopping meant surrender.

The pitch wasn't a playground anymore. It was a proving ground. And the only way out… was through.

That conversation with Kristen and Mr. Stein replayed in Amani's mind as his feet pounded the cold pavement, breath curling in the sharp morning air.

It had happened two days earlier, after a particularly brutal afternoon training session. Amani had been summoned to the small office tucked behind the gym — Kristen at her usual desk, Mr. Stein leaning against the window, arms folded, face unreadable.

Kristen had been the first to speak.

"We need to talk about your status, Amani." Her voice was calm, but there was a weight behind it. "You can train with the under-17s. You've more than earned that. But officially, under KNVB regulations, you can't actually join the squad."

Amani frowned. "Why not?"

Mr. Stein sighed, rubbing his temple. "It's the rules. Players under 15 can't be officially registered in the U17 competition, even if they're good enough. Until you turn 15, you'll be a… guest player, basically."

Amani felt his stomach dip. "So even if I play well, I can't... "

"You can't play in official league matches," Kristen finished. "But you can play friendlies, intra-squad games, and you'll still train with the team every day. You'll get the same coaching, the same attention."

"It's not a punishment," Stein added, seeing the disappointment on Amani's face. "If anything, it's protection. They want you to develop at the right pace — not get thrown into the fire too soon."

Amani swallowed hard, forcing himself to nod. "But when I turn 15?"

"Then you'll be eligible," Kristen smiled softly. "And if you keep training like you are, they won't just register you, they'll build around you."

That part, built around you, stayed with him. Like a spark hidden somewhere in his chest.

That memory followed him now as he jogged home, the same path he'd taken every morning this week. The city was waking up around him — familiar faces now, people he'd waved at enough times that they stopped seeing him as the foreign kid and started seeing him as Hamadi.

The old man outside the flower shop was sweeping already, his broom scratching against the pavement.

"Morning, Hamadi!" he called, waving with the broom handle.

"Morning, Opa!" Amani called back, breath curling in the air.

Down at the corner, the stroopwafel lady stood at her cart, steam drifting up like a beacon of warmth.

"Hamadi, you need something sweet today?" she teased, her accent thick but her smile wide.

"After training!" Amani grinned, waving as he passed.

He rounded the corner, nearly at the apartment, when the newsstand caught his eye. It was always packed — gossip magazines, football papers, crossword books — all stacked in precarious towers leaning against the narrow stall.

At first, he was just going to jog past. Then his brain caught up with his eyes.

There, right at the back of a fresh stack of Voetbal International, was his face.

Amani froze.

It was the shot from the AZ match — him mid-celebration after the second assist, arms stretched wide, mouth open in a triumphant roar. Above the photo, bold letters in Dutch screamed the headline:

KENYAN WONDERKID TAKES UTRECHT BY STORM — 13-YEAR-OLD MAGICIAN IMPRESSES IN FRIENDLY DEBUT

His stomach flipped.

Before he could think about what to do, the shopkeeper leaned over, eyes widening with recognition. "Ha! Hamadi!" he grinned, slapping his hand on the counter. "Look at you — already famous!"

Amani laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't know they'd put me in there."

"Didn't know? My friend, you're on the back page of VI after one game! You know how many kids play for this academy and never even get their name mentioned?"

Amani shrugged, unsure how to handle this kind of attention. "Guess I got lucky."

The shopkeeper waved a hand. "That's not luck, that's talent, my boy. And talent pays off." He slid the magazine across the counter. "First copy's free, but next time, you pay like the rest of us."

Amani chuckled, picking up the magazine like it might bite him. "Thanks."

The shopkeeper leaned in slightly, voice dropping. "One day, when you're playing for Ajax or Barcelona, I'll sell these for a fortune. So don't forget us, little people, eh?"

Amani grinned. "Deal."

"Oh... and tell your noisy friend upstairs to buy his own copy!" the man added with a laugh.

Amani jogged off, the magazine tucked under his arm, heart pounding harder than after any sprint. His face in VI. His name is in Dutch print. It felt unreal, like stepping into a story he hadn't written yet.

At the apartment building, he took the stairs two at a time, unlocking the door to the quiet flat. Malik's snores drifted from the other room it was deep, uneven, like a rusty saw cutting wood. Amani shook his head fondly.

He dropped the magazine onto the kitchen table, right next to the care package box from earlier in the week, then pulled up his system screen.

The soft blue glow filled the room as the Progressive Overload Mission checklist appeared:

****

✅ 20 miles completed (including 5 miles of hill sprints)

✅ 50 dumbbell squat-and-press routines (10kg)

✅ 30 single-leg squats daily

✅ 40 push-ups daily

✅ 3 rounds of Yoga daily

MISSION COMPLETE!

REWARD: Weekly Elixir Claimed — Transferred to System Inventory.

****

He opened the inventory, selecting the tiny vial that appeared. The moment he tapped it, the vial materialized in his palm — a shimmering liquid inside, faintly glowing, looking almost alive.

Without hesitation, he uncorked it and downed the dose.

The taste was… odd. Like mint, ginger, and something vaguely metallic. It burned briefly, then spread through his chest like warm sunlight, chasing away the soreness lodged deep in his muscles.

The system gave a final soft ding, then disappeared.

Amani leaned back, the cold window glass pressing against his back, the magazine sitting on the table, the elixir warming his veins.

He was still an unofficial player. Still a guest in the U17 squad. Still the kid who wasn't old enough to belong.

But none of that mattered.

Because his face was in the papers now. His name was being whispered in the stands. And his legs? They were only getting faster.