My system allows me to copy talents

625  Daily Routine

Honestly, Hiro hadn't even considered breaking records. So, when he was told he had broken a long-standing record, Hiro couldn't bring himself to react. The reporters were equally baffled by his response. Was he so dimwitted he didn't even realize such a praiseworthy feat?

"Yes, you broke the record held by Pele. Before you broke it, he was the youngest scorer in history." One of the reporters clarified. Even after hearing that he had broken a long-standing record, Hiro's expression remained unchanged. It was almost as if he wasn't even impressed. "Oh. Is that so?" Hiro responded in an ambiguous tone. The reporters stared at him dazedly. They couldn't figure out if he was retarded or ignorant. Even after being told he had broken a long-standing record, Hiro remained indifferent. Just what was going through his head?

**** ****

The next day, Hiro woke up before the alarm went off. The lamp beside the bed dimly lit the room, the window curtain fluttering gently. A cold gentle breeze crept through the window, caressing his face. Feeling the cold breeze on his skin, Hiro turned to look at the window. Yesterday, after the celebration, he stood before the window to enjoy the scenery of the night sky and the city illuminated with blinding lights. Though the stars were sparse, Hiro recalled enjoying the moment. It might be because he was overwhelmed by their victory over Colombia earlier. Nonetheless, Hiro found gazing at the distant stars quite soothing. For a while, even after awakening, he lay on the bed. "The next match is with Egypt. Then after that, the final hurdle before we complete the group stage: Portugal." Hiro mumbled while staring at the fluttering curtains. Truth be told, he was looking forward to both of those matches. While pondering the upcoming matches, Hiro's attention drifted toward the quest involving Yamada. Though he had received the MOTM award in yesterday's match, Yamada had been equally impressive. Though they had provided the same number of assists, he was curious about the other conditions required to outperform him. So, Hiro opened the system tab to check up on the progress. "I'm winning the quest." Hiro was delighted to see that he was leading at the moment. Curling his lips slightly, Hiro giggled, "Haha... Please don't stop me Yamada-san. It's for our own benefit."

Yamada isn't even aware of the quest and has nothing to gain from it. On the other hand, Hiro could gain massively from this hypothetical duel. So, if only Yamada lost the challenge, Hiro could upgrade one of his main skill "Lightning Steps".

In their later venture, it might come in handy. But if he were to tell him to lose on purpose, Yamada would most probably think of him as a lunatic. For a while, Hiro even entertained those thoughts before quickly dismissing them. Heaving a light sigh, Hiro lampooned, "Hah! What am I even thinking?"

"Hahaha. Let's just get up." In one go, he shoved the blanket away energetically. Then he walked to the window and glanced outside. The world outside remained shrouded in darkness with the moon and stars visible in the sky. The streets were rather empty and lifeless, contrasting yesterday's bustling atmosphere. The same street was swamped with people and the atmosphere was extremely lively. However, right now, he couldn't locate a single soul on the street. "Do American people only come out at night?" Hiro couldn't help but wonder. Afterward, Hiro got freshened up and sat on the floor with his legs crossed. Recently, he had started to meditate after waking up. So, following his usual routine, he sat crossed leg with his eyes closed. Focusing on his breathing, he began to inhale and exhale deeply. At the same time, he relaxed, and his consciousness drifted to an empty void. Though a few thoughts kept popping up at random intervals, trying to distract him, Hiro immediately shifted his attention to his breathing. It helped him retain his focus and prevent him from getting distracted. After the meditation's end, Hiro slowly opened his eyes, feeling more tranquil and focused than ever. For some reason, Hiro found the meditation quite soothing. So, he followed through the routine. With a newfound vigor, Hiro mumbled, "Let's head to the gym."

Even though their coach had commanded them to focus on their recovery, Hiro didn't feel like resting. He craved the adrenaline rush and the feeling of exhaustion after a workout. However, before that, he had another thing to do— take an ice bath. Though Hiro wasn't fond of it, ice baths offered several benefits. So, he couldn't skip it even if he wanted to skip the bath.

Early morning ice baths offered several benefits like; reducing muscle inflammation and soreness, enhancing recovery, improving circulation and detoxification, and boosting mood and focus, and they also helped to reduce swelling from injury or strain. Because of such benefits, Hiro didn't want to miss out on it. While making an annoyed face, Hiro stood before the tub filled with cold icy water. He checked on the temperature.

"10 degrees Celsius." He mumbled looking at the recorded temperature. The temperature was optimal. Yet still, he couldn't help but feel like checking the water. So, he dipped his hand. "Cold!" He blurted, his brows furrowing.

Briefly, he even thought about skipping the bath. For some reason, even after consistently following the routine, Hiro still couldn't get used to this freezing bath. Every now and often, he would hesitate to plunge into this cold. After hesitating for a while, Hiro began to undress. Before plunging into the cold water before him, he looked in the mirror. He wasn't bulky. Neither was he skinny. His muscles were well-defined and his proportions were great. He had a rather slim waist while his shoulders were broad. You could visibly see his biceps and triceps. In short, Hiro had a great physique with well-toned muscles. The secret behind his having that well-defined physique could be attributed directly to his dedicated workouts and proper diet. Splash!

"Cold... It's cold..." Hiro stammered as he stepped inside the cold water. Immediately, a freezing cold washed over him, penetrating deep into his bones, and sending chills all over his body.  n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om