The next morning, the alarm buzzed before the first rays of sunlight could pierce the winter sky.
Mateo groaned softly, every muscle in his body protesting.But he forced himself to roll out of bed, feet touching the cold floor.
A quick breakfast — warm oats, fruit, and strong coffee diluted just enough for him to drink — and then it was time.
He and his grandfather drove once again through the tidy streets of Munich, the familiar high-performance center appearing like a fortress of challenges waiting to be conquered.
Inside, the warm buzz of activity greeted him.
Today's training focused on strength building and speed work:
Deadlifts with light weights (3 sets of 12 reps)
Bodyweight squats (4 sets of 25 reps)
Resistance band sprints (short distance, high intensity)
Agility ladder drills (footwork precision)
Core circuit: side planks, mountain climbers, sit-ups
Mateo struggled, sweat dripping from his forehead as he pushed himself through every set, every repetition.His arms trembled during the deadlifts.His legs burned with every sprint.But he clenched his jaw and kept moving.
[Daily Quest Progress: 60% Complete.]
Each notification gave him a small shot of encouragement.
Halfway through the session, he even managed to beat his personal best time on the agility ladder.It wasn't much — a few seconds shaved off — but it was his first real victory.
He caught Coach Weber giving him a small nod of approval, and that alone filled him with pride.
That evening, after dinner, came the second battlefield: German practice.
His mother sat with him at the kitchen table again, books and flashcards spread out.
"Okay, Mateo," she said with a smile. "Heute lernen wir Zahlen. Today we learn numbers."
Mateo groaned dramatically but smiled.He repeated after her:
"Eins. Zwei. Drei. Vier. Fünf..."
At first, he stumbled, twisting the words awkwardly.But his mother was patient, correcting him gently, laughing with him instead of at him.
They practiced greetings, simple questions, short phrases.
"Wie geht es dir?" — "How are you?"
"Mir geht es gut." — "I am good."
Little by little, Mateo's tongue grew more familiar with the strange sounds.
It wasn't perfect — not even close — but it was progress.
[Language Mastery - German: +2% Progress.]
When he finally crawled into bed that night, utterly drained, he felt something different.
He felt stronger.
Not by much — but enough to notice.
His legs didn't tremble as much when he climbed the stairs.His mind didn't blank completely when trying to form German sentences.His heart didn't feel as heavy with fear of failing.
It was small.Tiny, even.
But it was there.
He pulled the covers up to his chin, a sleepy smile curving his lips.
Step by step.Day by day.
No miracles.No shortcuts.
Just the simple, relentless will to move forward.
Mateo closed his eyes.
Tomorrow would be harder.