The early morning air of Naples carried the familiar scents of Luca's youth: fresh bread from the bakeries beginning their daily routine, the salty breeze drifting in from the Mediterranean, and the faint aroma of espresso from cafés preparing for the morning rush. As his feet hit the cobblestone streets, muscle memory guided him toward Parco Virgiliano, a route he'd taken countless times as a child when football was still his world.
The hostel where he'd been living sat in one of Naples' grittier neighborhoods, where the buildings pressed close together like old friends sharing secrets. Laundry hung from balconies like colorful flags, and the narrow streets echoed with the sounds of the city waking up. A few early commuters hurried past on scooters, their engines adding to the symphony of urban life that had always been the soundtrack to Luca's existence.
As he walked, more memories from this alternate version of his life surfaced. Six months ago, this Luca had been dismissed from Napoli's academy not for financial reasons, but for disciplinary issues. He'd been caught smoking behind the training facility, had gotten into fights with teammates, and had shown up late to practice more often than not. The coaches had labeled him as having "attitude problems" and "no respect for the game."
The irony stung. In his original life, he'd left football because he had to. In this life, he'd thrown it away because he thought he was too cool for it. Both paths had led to the same destination: wasting his God-given talent and ending up on the streets.
But that was the old Luca. This morning marked the beginning of something different.
Parco Virgiliano sprawled across a hilltop overlooking the Gulf of Naples, offering breathtaking views of Mount Vesuvius in the distance. The ancient volcano stood silent and imposing against the morning sky, a reminder that even the most dormant things could awaken with devastating power. Luca hoped his own reawakening would be less destructive and more constructive.
The park was nearly empty at this early hour, populated only by a few dedicated joggers and an elderly man feeding pigeons near a fountain. Luca found a flat area of grass that would serve perfectly for his assessment, the dew still clinging to the blades and making them glisten in the golden morning light.
He began with some light stretching, his body responding with a flexibility he hadn't possessed in years. His hamstrings, which had been chronically tight from years of tension and poor lifestyle choices, now moved with the easy grace of youth. His shoulders, scarred from knife wounds and bullet grazes in his previous life, rolled smoothly without the grinding sensation he'd grown accustomed to.
The system's voice returned as he finished his warm-up routine.
[Fitness Assessment Beginning. Please complete the following exercises in order.][First challenge: 100-meter sprint time trial. Mark your starting position and sprint to the fountain at maximum effort. Your time will be recorded automatically.]
Luca located a suitable starting point and measured out roughly 100 meters to the ornate fountain at the park's center. He crouched into a starting position, memories of proper sprinting technique flooding back from his academy days. In his previous life, his last real sprint had probably been while running from police after a botched robbery. The comparison between then and now wasn't lost on him.
"Ready," he whispered to himself, then exploded forward.
His legs pumped with a rhythm he'd almost forgotten, his arms driving in perfect synchronization. The ground flew beneath his feet as his stride opened up, and for those precious seconds, he felt truly alive. The wind whipped past his face, his lungs burned pleasantly with exertion, and his heart hammered with the pure joy of athletic movement.
He crossed the fountain line and gradually slowed to a stop, his chest heaving but his body singing with endorphins.
[100-meter sprint completed in 12.8 seconds.]
[Rating: Above Average. Analysis: Good natural speed with room for improvement through training.]
[Previous sprint experience detected in muscle memory.]
Not bad for someone who hadn't trained properly in over a decade, Luca thought. In his prime academy days, he'd regularly run sub-12 second times, but considering his current circumstances, 12.8 was respectable.
[Second challenge: Endurance assessment.]
[Complete a one-mile circuit around the park perimeter. Maintain steady pace.]
[Do not walk unless absolutely necessary.]
The endurance test proved more challenging. Luca's cardiovascular fitness, damaged by years of smoking and poor lifestyle choices, began to show its limitations after the first quarter-mile. His breathing became labored, his legs felt heavy, and a stitch developed in his side that threatened to double him over.
But quitting wasn't an option. Every time his pace began to slow, he thought of his mother's face when she'd first seen him play football as a child. The pure pride and joy in her eyes had been worth more than all the money he'd made in the criminal underworld. She'd believed in him when no one else would, had sacrificed everything to support his dreams.
He pushed through the pain barrier, forcing his legs to keep moving even when they screamed for rest. Other park visitors began to take notice of the young man determinedly circling the perimeter, sweat pouring down his face but his expression set with unwavering determination.
By the three-quarter mark, Luca was running on pure willpower. His form had deteriorated, his breathing was ragged, and his legs felt like lead weights. But he kept going, one step at a time, until finally the starting point came back into view.
He crossed the finish line and immediately doubled over, hands on his knees, gasping for air like a fish out of water. His shirt was soaked with sweat, his face flushed red, and his legs trembled with exhaustion.
[One-mile endurance run completed in 8 minutes, 23 seconds. Rating: Below Average.]
[Analysis: Poor cardiovascular conditioning requiring immediate attention. Mental toughness rating: Exceptional.][Recommendation: Intensive cardio training protocol required.]
Eight minutes and twenty-three seconds for a mile. In his academy days, he'd easily run sub-six-minute miles. The decline was sobering, but not surprising. What mattered was that he'd finished, and more importantly, he'd pushed through when his body wanted to quit.