The Greatest of all Time

Chapter 708 The System Glitch

Chapter 708  The System Glitch

Zachary had barely settled back into his sofa when he decided to shift his focus.

Pushing aside the calls with Emily and Kristin, he exhaled deeply, feeling the weight of the day's events settle into his muscles. His performance in Liverpool's win over Manchester City was still fresh on his mind, and so was the Ballon d'Or nomination, but there was something else tugging at his consciousness.

The system!

Ever since his rebirth, the system had been his most reliable companion. It was a tool, a guide, a cheat code to ascend the ranks of world football, turning him from an above-average footballer into one of the sport's elite.

Over time, as his stats had risen to near perfection, Zachary had grown less dependent on it, relying more on his instincts and natural talent. But the system was always there, like a comforting shadow, ready to offer guidance when needed.

Recently, a notification had popped up about a new mission—the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League Serial Challenge. It hadn't seemed particularly important at the time, especially compared to the personal milestones he had already achieved, so he had accepted the mission without even fully reading the details.

Now, with the quiet of the evening enveloping him, Zachary felt the urge to revisit the mission, to analyze the system's functions, and see what remained useful.

He straightened in his seat, closed his eyes for a brief moment, and muttered a single word.

"System…"

As if on cue, the familiar flicker of light materialized before him, forming the interface he had summoned countless times before.

A holographic screen, sleek and futuristic, began to come to life, casting a soft blue glow over the room. It was a routine gesture, something Zachary had done hundreds of times, so familiar that he could almost predict the way the screen would scroll and display his stats.

But this time, something was wrong.

The screen flickered again, and this time, it wasn't smooth. A scratchy, static noise filled the air.

Zachary's brow furrowed, his focus sharpening. Before he could make sense of the distortion, sparks erupted from the holographic display, flying out in chaotic arcs toward him.

"What the—" Zachary exclaimed, springing to his feet as a reflex, narrowly dodging the spreading sparks.

The once-pristine interface was now a chaotic blur, jagged lines and erratic flashes filling the space where the system screen should have been. The holographic display crackled like a broken wire, emitting more sparks that hissed and flickered.

Zachary, heart pounding in his chest, took several steps back, his mind racing.

"What's going on?" he muttered under his breath, his eyes wide as he stared at the malfunctioning system.

He had never seen this before. The system was flawless—an omniscient presence that had guided him from obscurity to superstardom. How could something so powerful glitch like this?

For a few moments, he remained frozen, unsure whether to step forward or retreat. But as he watched, something even more unnerving began to happen. The sparks shifted, crackling in the air, and then, out of the haze of light and static, a shape began to emerge.

It started as a shimmer, an almost transparent figure hovering in the space where the system interface should have been. The light shifted, and the figure solidified into a silhouette, translucent and grey, glowing faintly as if it was stepping out of the sparks themselves.

Zachary's heart leaped into his throat as recognition dawned.

The phantom!

The same eerie, ash-grey figure he had seen all those years ago in Bukavu—the spectral being that had first appeared after his rebirth.

The same phantom that had been there when he received the system. It stood before him now, silent and menacing, with its dark, bottomless eyes fixed on him, the tattered regal gown draped over its skeletal frame, and the crown of leaves still resting crookedly on its head.

A silvery, ragged line ran across the phantom's neck, giving it an even more terrifying aura. Its eyes, hollow and soulless, seemed to pierce through Zachary, stirring old memories he had long since buried.

Zachary felt a cold chill run down his spine. This was no glitch. This was something else. Something far more powerful, far more dangerous.

"What... what do you want?" Zachary stammered, his voice shaky, though he quickly tried to regain composure.

He had learned to face fear on the pitch, but this was something entirely different. The sight of the phantom brought back memories of his old life, the rebirth, the system. The connection was unmistakable, but the reason for the phantom's sudden appearance was unclear.

The phantom's lips twisted into a smirk—a ghostly, amused expression. It stepped closer, though it didn't walk as much as it floated, its presence filling the room with an icy stillness. Zachary's muscles tensed, ready for anything, though he had no idea what to expect.

"Young man," the phantom spoke, its voice a low, haunting whisper that echoed as though it came from beyond time. "Is that how you greet an old acquaintance? After all these years?"

Zachary blinked, his heart pounding harder. He swallowed his initial fear and took a deep breath. "I wasn't expecting to see you again. What do you want?"

The phantom's smile widened as it floated closer, its ashen form flickering like smoke in the dimly lit room. "Ah, straight to the point," it said, amusement dripping from its words. "You've grown, Zachary. Stronger. Wiser. But do you remember the first time we met? Do you remember what I told you back in Bukavu?"

Zachary narrowed his eyes, recalling the strange and cryptic conversation from years ago. It was the day when everything had changed, the day the system had entered his life. "You said… you could feel my desire, my ambition, to do something great for my homeland. Is that why you gave me the system?"

The phantom nodded slowly, its eyes glowing faintly. "Exactly. You were a mess, but also filled with fire, driven by a need to prove yourself, to lift your homeland—whatever you thought that meant—out of darkness. And so, I gave you a slight push to help you out."

Zachary's mind raced. There had always been an understanding, an unspoken pact between him and the system, but he had never fully questioned its origins.

He had been so focused on becoming the best footballer in the world, on winning trophies and achieving greatness, that he had never stopped to think what the real price might be.