let me tell you a secret

Just as Rohan was feeling wiped out, thinking about heading to the restroom for a little pick-me-up, Coach Nuno called out to him.

"Rohan, it's late. Stop training, your body needs rest."

Rohan wiped the sweat off his face, trying to look relaxed, "Coach, I'd like to keep at it a bit longer. I'm not feeling tired yet."

"It's good to be willing to train hard."

Nuno nodded in approval, then his expression turned serious, "But rest is just as important. There's science behind balancing work and rest, and I don't want to see you collapse on the field one day because of an injury."

I've got my little blue pill, what's there to worry about.

Rohan muttered to himself, but could only nod reluctantly in agreement, "Alright, I'll go rest."

He had been hoping to boost his passing skills to 80 before the Champions League group match the day after tomorrow.

Now, that seemed like an impossible task.

So far, his passing was only at 65.

And each point increase required completing 3000 passes.

Even under ideal conditions, it would take about 4 hours, probably longer in reality.

According to the Champions League schedule, Valencia's away game against Zenit was at 6 PM local time.

Away teams usually arrive a couple of days early to get used to the pitch, at the latest the day before.

That meant the team would be leaving for Russia tomorrow.

Even if everything went smoothly, there wouldn't be much time left for training.

"If only I had my own place."

"And a personal training ground."

Rohan thought to himself.

He came from an ordinary family in Columbia City, and over the years, his family had spent all their savings and even sold their house to let him play soccer.

They had even racked up a huge debt.

So, since the day Rohan arrived in Europe, he hadn't asked his family for a penny.

He had mostly lived at the clubhouses over the years.

Real Madrid was an exception, of course.

In their words, only those who were good enough earned the right to live at the club.

As Rohan was lost in thought, Nuno suddenly called out to him again.

"By the way, Rohan, the team is leaving for Russia at 9 AM tomorrow. Get ready to head out with the team."

"Got it, thanks, Coach."

Rohan nodded, feigning excitement, though he had anticipated this.

Valencia's success in finishing fourth in the league last season was largely due to their solid defense.

They conceded only 32 goals in 38 league games, ranking just behind Barcelona and Atlético Madrid.

But when it came to breaking down defenses, they were somewhat lacking.

A lack of powerful forwards was the biggest challenge facing the team.

So, after he showed his incredible talent for free kicks, Nuno had every reason to bring him along.

"Alright, get some rest, looking forward to seeing you perform well in the Champions League."

Nuno smiled and nodded, then turned and left the field.

Rohan also left the field.

But not long after, he quietly returned.

Receiving and passing.

Rohan kept repeating these two actions, losing track of time.

A ray of morning sunlight broke through the clouds, shining on the green turf.

Gradually, staff members started to arrive for their daily inspection of the field.

When they noticed a player already on the field, sweating profusely, they were visibly surprised.

In their memory, no player from their team had ever arrived at the field this early.

Rohan noticed the staff entering and immediately stopped training, heading back to the locker room.

After a shower and a change into clean clothes, Rohan headed to the cafeteria for breakfast.

"Rohan, over here."

As soon as he entered, Alves called out to him loudly.

The rest of the teammates nodded at him with smiles.

"Morning, everyone."

Rohan returned the greeting with a polite smile, then sat next to Alves.

Aside from being a bit of a loudmouth, Alves was pretty decent in other aspects.

During breakfast, he filled Rohan in on the current state of the team, like who the key players were and their preferred positions.

Rohan listened intently at first, as getting to know these details was essential for integrating into the team.

But gradually, the conversation started to veer off track.

Alves gave Rohan a knowing look, "Rohan, let me tell you a secret."

He glanced around cautiously before continuing, "Just 5 miles straight from the club's main gate, there's this gem of a bar. It's packed with beauties at night, and trust me, they're pretty easy to... mingle with. Interested in checking it out?"

"Is that supposed to be a secret?"

Rodrigo rolled his eyes dismissively, then turned to Rohan, "Don't listen to him, Rohan. We should be focusing on training. It's better to steer clear of that nightlife scene."

"Oh, please, as if you've never been," Alves retorted, not sparing Rodrigo's blushes as he publicly called him out.

Rodrigo's face turned red, and he stuttered, "I said 'less', not 'never'. Not like you, who can't go a day without hitting the scene."

Alves really had a sharp tongue.

Rohan quietly listened to their banter, finding the gossip surprisingly entertaining.

...

The team arrived in Saint Petersburg by 3 PM.

After a brief rest at the hotel, they followed the usual routine of getting acquainted with the pitch at the Saint Petersburg Stadium.

You've got to hand it to the Russians for their straightforwardness.

They didn't hinder Valencia's players from getting to know the pitch, nor were there any disturbances like being kept awake by noisy fans at night.

This was a relief for Nuno.

The freezing weather was already a challenge for the players' performance.

Any additional complications would have made it nearly impossible to compete.

Due to the extreme cold, the Valencia players quickly returned to the hotel after a brief familiarization with the pitch.

Only Rohan stayed behind.

He wanted to use this limited time to boost his passing skills as much as possible.

The little blue pill really did work wonders.

He hadn't slept at all last night, managing only four hours of sleep on the plane.

Yet, he felt no tiredness at all.

He trained until the morning, then joined his teammates for breakfast at the hotel before heading back to the pitch for more training.

Hard work eventually pays off.

Just before the match started, Rohan managed to increase his passing skill to 70.

He quickly summoned his attribute panel, ready to allocate the remaining 10 skill points entirely to passing.

But then, a sudden thought made him look around cautiously, muttering to himself.

"Surely no one's going to shove me at a time like this, right?"

After a moment of consideration, Rohan opted for the safest route.

"System, increase right foot passing to 80."

[Command completed]

Name: Rohan Singh

Height: 5'11" (180 cm)

Weight: 154 lbs (70 kg)

Speed: 70

Acceleration: 60

Tackling: 50

Physical Strength: 55

Defense: 50

Passing: Right foot 80, Left foot 40

Dribbling: 50

Shooting: Right foot 65, Left foot 40 (with SSS-grade skill: Guaranteed Goal Card)

Heading: 50

Free Kicks: 100

Stamina: 70

Overall Rating: 65