Missing Figure
Since the first not-so-friendly encounter with Zhang Xu, Nicole had been able to see his familiar figure almost every day for over a week. What puzzled her was that this Chinese boy had different training routines every day. Sometimes it was steady-paced long-distance running, other times it was sprinting with acceleration and deceleration, then it would be running backward with quick turns, or sudden directional acceleration, and so on.
The variety of training routines kept Nicole constantly intrigued. Perhaps, these were the exercises that football players had to practice!
Although Nicole felt some admiration for Zhang Xu, she had no intention of going up to greet him. She only felt a sense of camaraderie, recognizing him as a football enthusiast while she was an entertainment star. Their paths were destined to diverge, and there was no need to become acquainted.
While Zhang Xu was immersed in his rigorous training, he didn't know that the beauty who had almost bumped into him had been silently observing him. Even if he had known, he probably wouldn't have cared. As a super academic achiever, he had garnered plenty of attention, and one more person watching him didn't make a difference.
Now, apart from participating in the annual exams every morning, Zhang Xu dedicated almost all his time to training. He switched between simulation training and real-world training, repeatedly immersing himself in the joy of improving his skills.
In the blink of an eye, more than a week had passed. When Zhang Xu finally took a moment to assess his training progress, he couldn't help but feel a deep sense of satisfaction.
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[Name: Zhang Xu]
Level: 0 (Upgradable)
Experience Points: 186/100 (Assignable Attribute Points: 0)
Weight: 68.1 KG (+0.1)
Current Abilities/Potential Abilities: 22/33 (+1) (Professional players range from 30 to 99)
Current Physical Fatigue/Status: 7/65 (-12) (Maximum is 99)
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[Technical Attributes (Maximum individual attribute value is 99)]:
Crossing: 18
Dribbling: 22
Shooting: 14
Heading: 23
Long Shots: 08
Marking: 14 (+2)
Passing: 12 Tackling: 23 (+1)
Ball Control: 25
Technique: 17
Free Kicks: 16
Corner Kicks: 13
Set Pieces: 11
Throw-ins: 9
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[Mental Attributes]:
Aggressiveness: 41
Anticipation: 16 (+1)
Bravery: 75
Composure: 65
Concentration: 47
Vision: 04 (+1)
Decision-Making: 31
Determination: 77
Imagination: 4
Influence: 66
Off-the-Ball Movement: 16
Positioning: 12 (+1)
Teamwork: 8 (+3)
Work Rate: 89
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[Physical Attributes]:
Acceleration: 78
Agility: 42 (+1)
Balance: 39
Jumping: 74
Fitness: 83
Speed: 89
Stamina: 85
Strength: 82
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Finally, Zhang Xu's experience points had exceeded 100, meeting the conditions for an upgrade. His weight had also increased by 0.1 kilograms, and his overall abilities had improved by one point.
During this training period, the rewards periodically given by the system had been quite generous, resulting in incremental increases in various attributes, totaling up to 10 points. While 10 points may not seem like much compared to the nearly 50 attributes, each with a maximum of 99 points, it was still tangible progress.
"Upgrade!" Suppressing his inner excitement, Zhang Xu issued the upgrade command.
"Congratulations, host! Upgrade complete. Your current level is 1. You have received 5 free attribute points!"
"Free attribute points can be allocated to any sub-attributes within technical, physical, and mental categories."
"Now, please select where to allocate these attribute points."
"How should I distribute these 5 points?" Zhang Xu pondered seriously. "While my technical attributes are not high, they are sufficient to meet the team's needs. As for physical attributes, I don't think I need to deliberately increase them before entering a top-tier league. So, it's only the mental attributes left. Most of my failures during trials were due to a lack of understanding of tactics. I'd be lost on the field and lacked coordination with teammates. Thus, teamwork is incredibly important to me."
"All 5 points allocated to Teamwork!" After careful consideration, Zhang Xu wholeheartedly assigned all 5 free attribute points to Teamwork, raising it to 13.
As soon as the attribute points were allocated, Zhang Xu felt a slight tingling in his mind. His observations of his surroundings seemed sharper, and his recollection of the team's tactical arrangements became clearer.
"YES!" Zhang Xu struck a celebratory pose, jumped up excitedly, and, to the curious gazes of the onlookers at the sports field, left the field early for the first time.
Among these curious onlookers was Nicole. She had been observing Zhang Xu and noticed that he had acted strangely today. After running for a while, he had stopped and appeared lost in thought for a moment. Then, as if he had encountered something extremely joyful, a wide smile of delight had appeared on his face. Finally, he had jumped up excitedly and struck an odd pose.
Moreover, today he had left the sports field earlier than usual. Could something good have happened to him? Nicole wondered. However, she couldn't figure it out and could only shake her head and continue her morning jog.
"Is he feeling alright?" Nicole murmured as she looked at the direction of Belgium. She sighed deeply.
On the afternoon of the day Zhang Xu left the school, Nicole, as usual, woke up early and arrived at the sports field for her routine morning jog. However, she was surprised to find that Zhang Xu's familiar figure was absent.
"Could he be sick?" was her first thought.
"Perhaps he overslept?" was the second thought.
"Could it be..." Nicole pondered for a while but couldn't come up with any conclusions. She finally gave up her idle thoughts.
The third day came, and Zhang Xu still didn't show up.
The fourth day, still nothing.
The fifth day, no sign of him.
Nicole could no longer bear it. After returning to her dormitory, she asked in a seemingly casual manner, "Lefin, have you noticed that we haven't seen that Chinese guy around recently?"
"The Chinese guy? Oh, you mean the 'Immortal Football Trialist'?" Lefin replied, wearing a mischievous smile. "I think my boyfriend mentioned something about it. It seems he finally found a football club willing to take him, so he left the school to join that club."
"He left the school?" Nicole felt a strange sense of loss. She inquired further, "Which football club is that?"
"I'm not quite sure, but I heard it's a small club in Belgium, something like a very amateurish team," Lefin replied, chuckling. "Are you so concerned about our Chinese friend that you've developed a crush on him, our beautiful star?"
"NO! That's impossible!" Nicole hastily denied, her face turning slightly warm. She added, "I'm just curious!" before leaving the dormitory nonchalantly.
"Belgium, huh?" Nicole gazed in the direction of Belgium and let out a sigh.
*****
"Mr. Philip! I'm back!" Zhang Xu exclaimed excitedly as he pushed open the door, only to be surprised by the worried look on Philip's face.
Zhang Xu paused for a moment and then asked, "What's wrong, Mr. Philip? Has something happened? Is there anything I can do?"
Seeing Zhang Xu, Philip felt a bit relieved. He naturally brushed away the concern from his face, stood up, walked over to Zhang Xu, and patted his shoulder. He changed the subject, asking, "Back, are you? How did your exams go?"
"Of course, no problems at all. I'm a top student!" When it came to academics, Zhang Xu exuded confidence and pride.
"Haha, our little Zhang is quite confident! That's good to hear! Look at your physique; it seems like you've been sticking to your training these days," Philip nodded approvingly, noticing Zhang Xu's more robust appearance.
"Absolutely! I've been following your, um, super, I mean, the superb training plan you provided without any compromise!" Zhang Xu almost mentioned the Super Midfield Training System but caught himself just in time.
"Very good! Young man, go find Mr. Smith, who's responsible for the team's logistics. Arrange your meals and accommodation. Tomorrow, our training tasks won't be easy! Off you go, lad!" Philip smiled contentedly.
"Alright, Mr. Philip!" Zhang Xu pushed open the door of Philip's office and walked out. Just as he stepped out, he suddenly remembered the worry on Philip's face.
"Could something have gone wrong with the team these past few days?"