Free Web NovelChapter 63: Fitness Is Weakness
The next morning began before sunrise.
Sahil stood outside his house wearing an old tracksuit, breathing slowly in the cold morning air. The streets were almost empty except for a few milk vendors and cyclists moving through the fading darkness.
His legs still ached from yesterday’s district trials.
Especially after facing Kabir Rana.
Even now, Sahil could still remember the sound of those deliveries exploding past him.
137 km/h.
Just thinking about it made his heartbeat quicken slightly.
But what bothered him more than the pace bowling...
was the fitness test.
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That single word had irritated him the entire night.
At school level, his aggressive batting covered most weaknesses. He could dominate attacks before exhaustion became a problem.
District cricket was different.
Here, every player had talent.
Fitness became the separator.
Sahil tightened his shoelaces.
Then the blue system screen appeared before him.
---
Side Mission Active
Run 15 km daily for 7 days
Progress:
Day 1/7
Reward:
+5 Endurance
Failure Penalty:
Reduced Recovery Efficiency
---
Sahil exhaled slowly.
"15 kilometers..."
Honestly, it sounded easy.
Until he started running.
The first few minutes felt manageable. His pace remained steady while cold air rushed against his face.
But after nearly eight kilometers, his breathing started becoming uneven.
By the eleventh kilometer, his legs felt heavier.
At thirteenth kilometers, his chest burned badly.
His pace slowed dramatically.
Sahil gritted his teeth and forced himself forward.
Sweat dripped down his neck despite the cold weather.
Finally—
15 kilometers completed.
He stopped near a roadside pole while breathing heavily.
His entire body screamed in exhaustion.
"How are those district guys so fit..." he muttered between breaths.
At school level, nobody trained like this daily.
Now he understood why academy players looked sharper during drills.
Fitness wasn’t just about stamina.
It affected footwork.
Recovery.
Reaction speed.
Even shot balance.
Sahil slowly straightened his back while wiping sweat from his forehead.
Then—
---
Side Mission Progress Updated
Daily Running:
Completed (1/7)
---
The screen disappeared.
Sahil looked toward the rising sunlight quietly.
This was only Day 1.
And his body already felt destroyed.
---
Later that morning, district trial sessions resumed.
The atmosphere inside the stadium looked even more intense than yesterday.
Some players were already doing sprint drills.
Fast bowlers warmed up aggressively.
Coaches discussed players while holding clipboards.
The pressure was visible everywhere.
As Sahil entered the ground, he noticed several academy players laughing together confidently.
Meanwhile, a few local players already looked nervous.
One poor performance here...
and their district dream would end instantly.
"Oi."
Sahil turned.
Aryan Malhotra walked toward him casually while spinning a bat in his hand.
"You survived yesterday."
Sahil stayed calm.
"Barely."
Aryan smirked slightly.
"That fast bowler usually destroys newcomers."
Sahil immediately knew he meant Kabir.
Aryan glanced toward the practice area before speaking again.
"You hit one good pull shot though."
"Thanks."
"But district cricket isn’t about one shot."
His tone wasn’t insulting this time.
Just factual.
"You’ll need fitness to survive here."
Sahil’s expression stiffened slightly.
Even Aryan noticed it.
Without waiting for a reply, Aryan walked away toward his academy teammates again.
Sahil silently looked down at his own hands.
Yesterday’s fitness result had clearly been noticed.
That annoyed him.
A whistle echoed across the stadium.
"All players report for field conditioning!"
The trial session began immediately.
Today’s drills were brutal.
Shuttle sprints.
Dive recoveries.
Quick single-double running.
Reaction cone drills.
Within twenty minutes, Sahil’s breathing became heavy again.
His explosive movements helped during short bursts...
but his stamina dropped rapidly afterward.
"Faster!"
"Move your feet!"
"Again!"
The coaches gave no rest.
One by one, players started collapsing onto the grass between drills.
Even some academy boys looked exhausted. freewēbnoveℓ.com
Sahil bent slightly while breathing heavily.
His shirt clung to his back with sweat.
Then came the worst drill.
Running quick doubles between wickets repeatedly.
"Every batsman here wants to hit boundaries," one coach shouted loudly.
"But real cricket is also won through running!"
Players were forced to sprint continuously between practice wickets.
Single.
Turn.
Double.
Dive.
Get up.
Run again.
Sahil felt his lungs burning.
His footwork slowly became sloppy.
His turns lost sharpness.
Finally—
"Enough."
The whistle blew.
Several players immediately dropped onto the grass.
Sahil placed both hands on his knees while struggling to breathe properly.
One coach walked past him and shook his head slightly.
"Good batting power."
Then he added coldly,
"But your body is slowing you down."
Those words hit harder than expected.
Because Sahil knew they were true.
---
During lunch break, Sahil sat alone near the boundary rope while drinking water quietly.
Nearby, players discussed batting techniques and bowling speed casually.
Some academy players even had personal trainers stretching their muscles.
The difference in preparation levels was obvious.
Sahil leaned back against the railing tiredly.
Then the system screen appeared again.
---
New Side Mission Generated
High Intensity Sprint Training
Objective:
Complete:
20 Shuttle Sprints
30 Quick Singles
15 Boundary Runs
Reward:
+3 Agility
---
Sahil stared at the screen silently.
Another fitness mission.
The system clearly considered his physical stats too weak.
Honestly...
it was right.
His batting talent could help him survive temporarily.
But against stronger bowlers and longer matches, weak fitness would eventually expose him completely.
Sahil closed the system window slowly.
Then looked toward the practice nets again.
Kabir Rana was bowling there.
Even from a distance, the pace looked terrifying.
One batsman got beaten three times in a row.
Another mistimed a pull badly.
Kabir looked completely fresh despite bowling at full intensity.
Meanwhile Sahil felt exhausted after conditioning drills.
The difference annoyed him badly.
"No point staring."
Sahil looked up.
An older assistant coach stood nearby holding a clipboard.
"You’re Sahil, right?"
"Yes sir."
The coach sat beside him casually.
"You bat aggressively."
Sahil nodded slightly.
"But your movement slows after fatigue."
Sahil stayed silent.
The coach continued calmly.
"You know why professional players train so much?"
Sahil shook his head slightly.
"Because skill disappears when the body collapses."
Those words quietly settled inside Sahil’s mind.
The coach pointed toward the field.
"Look carefully."
Sahil followed his gaze.
Academy players were still training despite exhaustion.
Running drills.
Fielding practice.
Throwdowns.
Nobody stopped.
"Talent gives entry," the coach said quietly.
"Fitness decides who survives."
Then he stood up and walked away.
Sahil remained seated silently for several seconds.
His eyes slowly drifted toward the stadium once more.
Yesterday, district cricket had looked intimidating.
Today...
it looked demanding.
This level required discipline.
Not just talent.
Sahil slowly stood up.
His legs still hurt badly.
But instead of resting, he picked up a practice ball lying nearby.
Then he started shadow-running between imaginary wickets.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Nearby players looked confused briefly.
But Sahil ignored them.
If fitness was truly his weakness...
then he would destroy that weakness completely.
As evening approached, the final practice session began.
This time Sahil’s movements already felt slightly sharper.
Still tired.
Still imperfect.
But improving.
Small progress.
That was enough for now.
After training finally ended, Sahil walked out of the stadium under the orange evening sky.
His entire body ached.
His shoulders felt heavy.
Even his steps slowed from exhaustion.
But deep inside...
something had changed.
Yesterday, he entered district cricket believing batting alone would carry him.
Now he understood the truth.
Real cricket demanded far more.
The blue system screen slowly appeared beside him while he walked toward the stadium gates.
---
STATUS WINDOW
Name:
Sahil Choudhary
Role:
Aggressive Middle-Order Batsman
---
BATTING STATS
Power: 76
Timing: 60
Control: 38
Defense: 16
Mental Toughness: 27
---
PHYSICAL STATS
Endurance: 27
Agility: 15
Recovery: 11
---
ACTIVE MISSIONS
Run 15 km Daily
Progress: 1/7
Reward: +5 Endurance
---
High Intensity Sprint Training
Objectives:
✔ 20 Shuttle Sprints
✔ 30 Quick Singles
✔ 15 Boundary Runs
Reward: +3 Agility
---
MAIN QUEST
"REAL CRICKET BEGINS"
Objective:
Earn selection into District Under-19 Squad
---
Sahil quietly stared at the glowing screen for a few seconds.
Then he looked back at the brightly lit district stadium one final time.
A small smile slowly appeared on his tired face.
He was still weak.
But not for long.
