Richard woke up feeling like he'd been run over by a truck.
His back ached. His calf felt like it was going to break. And his shoulder still ached from the collision with Jeroen yesterday.
He sat on the edge of the bed, holding his head.
"It's only the second day…" he muttered.
Aquila woke up just as Richard was starting to put on his training uniform.
"You look like someone punched you all night," she said, looking at Richard's haggard face.
Richard chuckled. "You could say that."
Aquila approached and tied a neck warmer around his neck. "Utrecht is minus two degrees this morning. Don't let yourself freeze before training starts."
"Thanks," Richard replied, smiling slightly.
He stepped out of the apartment and faced the biting morning air. His breath turned to steam with each breath.
The second day of Hell Week had just begun.
---
1. Arriving Too Early Again
Richard arrived at 5:50 a.m.
The field was still shrouded in a thin fog. But someone was already standing in the middle of the court: Coach De Vries.
The head coach held a clipboard, watching Richard from a distance.
"You're early… again," he said in stern English.
"Adapt, Coach," Richard replied.
De Vries approached, looking Richard up and down.
"Yesterday you were too slow in making decisions. Today I want to see real change."
Richard nodded.
The coach pointed to the concrete stairs at the side of the small stadium.
"Twelve sets. Up and down. Full speed."
Richard blinked. "Twelve, Coach?"
"If you can still talk later… make it fourteen."
Richard immediately understood: the head coach was really testing him.
---
2. The Most Brutal Morning Workout
He started running up the stairs.
First set: easy.
Second set: knees starting to burn.
Third set: breathless.
Sixth set: head spinning.
Ninth set: calves burning.
Twelfth set: He nearly fell.
He staggered to his feet, holding his knee.
"Coach… it's over," he said breathlessly.
De Vries wrote something on a clipboard.
"Good. But you're still slow in your upper body reactions. You rely too much on your legs. Football isn't just about legs."
Richard could only nod, even though his breath felt like it was burning.
It was still 6:20 a.m., and he was already half-dead.
Hell week was no empty phrase in Utrecht.
---
3. Another Player Arrives — A Hot Atmosphere
The other players arrived around 7:00.
Jeroen appeared last, his face immediately sour when he saw Richard, who had already finished extra training.
"Oh, Asia boy is trying to be a teacher's pet," he said sarcastically.
Mateo, who had just arrived, snorted. "You're jealous because he even wakes up earlier than your alarm."
Jeroen approached, his face inches from Richard's.
"Yesterday was just luck. Today I'll destroy you."
Richard stared at him without flinching. "Go ahead and try."
Jeroen laughed softly. "I like new kids who are overconfident. Usually… they're the ones who go home the first."
Coach De Vries passed by just as the tension was rising.
"Jeroen! If you have too much energy, I'll add extra drills for you."
Jeroen immediately fell silent.
Richard just smiled slightly.
He felt a small sense of justice this morning.
---
4. Day Two Briefing
All the players gathered in the indoor room.
Coach De Vries began his instructions.
"Day two. Today's focus: transition play, pressing, and decision speed. If you thought yesterday was tough… today is twice as hard."
Many players glanced at each other.
The coach continued:
"Richard."
Richard was surprised his name was called first.
"You need to show me consistency. Yesterday's performance was good, but football doesn't care about yesterday. Show me today."
Richard lowered his head. "Yes, Coach."
Jeroen snorted softly, clearly displeased with Richard's attention.
---
5. Practice Begins — A More Insane Tempo
When the whistle blew, the atmosphere changed drastically.
Small box possession.
High pressing.
One-touch passing.
5-second counterattacks.
Non-stop sprinting.
And all without a long pause.
Richard immediately felt the difference today. It was hard. Very hard.
His breath was rapidly running out.
His muscles were working beyond their limits.
His focus was split between the ball, the opposing players, and the coach's instructions.
Coach Bram shouted loudly from the sidelines.
"Transition, Richard! Faster! Move! MOVE!"
Richard chased after the ball and managed to snatch it from the Korean player, Kim.
But Jeroen came from the side, crashing into him with his powerful shoulder.
BOOM!
Richard fell again.
"Hah! Too weak!" Jeroen taunted.
Coach De Vries blew the whistle.
"Jeroen! Last warning! If you want to play senior football someday, STOP acting like an amateur."
Jeroen looked away lazily, but his facial expression was clearly annoyed.
---
6. Adaptation Begins to Be Visible
After 40 minutes, Richard's body began to adjust.
His passing became quicker.
His movements became lighter.
He began to read the game better.
In a pressing drill, he intercepted the ball twice in a row, prompting Coach Bram to exclaim:
"Better! That's the speed I want!"
Mateo gave a thumbs-up from a distance.
Meanwhile, Jeroen was growing increasingly agitated—clearly not happy that a rookie from Asia could improve in two days.
---
7. Conflict Peaks
Practice continued with a 6v6 half-pitch format.
Richard's Team:
Richard
Mateo
Kim
Van Houten
Sergio
Luis
Jeroen's Team:
Jeroen
Lars
Yuri
Paolo
Deen
Robben
The whistle blew.
The tempo was like a professional match.
Jeroen immediately attacked Richard's side.
"Move aside," he said coldly.
He tried to nutmeg Richard.
But Richard closed the gap tightly.
BALL STICKED.
Mateo shouted, "Nice block, Hermano!"
Jeroen was furious. He tried a hard body charge.
Richard staggered… but stayed on his feet.
Jeroen grew increasingly irritated. He kicked the ball at Richard with full force.
Coach De Vries immediately blew the whistle.
"JE-RO-EN!"
Everyone was silent.
Coach De Vries walked over, his face dark.
"One more foul like that… and you're OUT for the whole week."
It was a severe punishment. Jeroen clenched his jaw, but didn't dare fight back.
Richard knew—this tension wasn't over yet.
---
8. The Moment of Return — Richard Responds Cleanly
A few minutes later, Richard's team countered.
Mateo sent a through pass to the right flank.
Richard sprinted, his body on fire.
He chased the ball faster than Jeroen.
Jeroen tried to slide.
But Richard dodged half a second faster, the ball still at his feet.
Richard cut through the middle.
Two players chased.
He took a light touch — a quick drag back.
Then he kicked towards the small goal.
UP!
Goal.
There was a moment of silence. Then cheers rang out from Sergio and Mateo.
Coach De Vries nodded slightly.
"Good decision speed."
Jeroen stood there silently.
Angry, but unable to do anything.
It was a clean reply — no words, no emotion. Just playing.
---
9. The System Gives Improvements
As the training session concluded, a digital voice rang in Richard's head.
---
DING!
[Quest Progress: Hell Week — 51%]
Second day criteria met:
✓ Adaptation to increased tempo
✓ Winning clean duels against rivals
✓ Contributing goals in tactical drills
Bonus:
+1 Agility
+0.5 Ball Control
---
Richard smiled slightly.
Every day in this hell… builds something.
---
10. Conclusion of Day Two
After all the training sessions were over, the players headed to the locker room.
Richard sat down, massaging his calf.
Mateo sat next to him, patting his shoulder.
"Did you see Jeroen's face earlier?"
Mateo laughed broadly. "Priceless."
Richard smiled. "He'll definitely get even later."
"Of course. He's the type who doesn't like to lose to anyone."
Then Mateo looked at Richard seriously.
"But you have one thing he doesn't… you learn fast."
Those words kept ringing in Richard's head.
As he walked off the field, Coach De Vries called out to him.
"Richard."
Richard stopped.
"Good progress today. But tomorrow… I won't be satisfied with just 'good.' I want to see you survive."
Richard bowed respectfully. "Ready, Coach."
The head coach left, leaving Richard standing alone on the cold field.
He took a deep breath.
"Tomorrow… day three of Hell Week."