Chapter 20: The School Team's Crisis

"Why aren't you struggling anymore?" 

Gunnard was a bit puzzled, so he looked down, and... Oh... 

the gathering type had loosened again. 

Why did I say "again"? 

The unhooking technique +1 is so ruthless? 

It can even trigger in a passive stance? 

Could it be that I'm naturally gifted in this area? 

Why would I need this kind of gift!

 Gunnard hurriedly got up and turned around,

 "Ahem, it's not my fault. This time, you undid it yourself..."

Sophie's pretty face blushed as she quickly fastened the buttons. "Gunnard, you bullied me again... Wuwu, I hate you!"

Seeing Sophie shed little golden tears, Gunnard panicked a little, "Don't cry, Sophie. If you cry, I really don't know what to do."

Sophie cried even louder.

Gunnard quickly said, "Don't cry, don't cry. If you wake up your parents, they'll think I did something to you."

Only then did Sophie stop crying, but her pretty face was still covered with tears.

Gunnard breathed a slight sigh of relief, "Isn't it just because of this note? I really didn't take it seriously! I'll tear it up right now."

As he spoke, Gunnard tore up the piece of paper with the phone number of the F-cup girl on it in front of Sophie without a second thought and threw it into the trash bin.

Sophie turned her face away, continuing to cry and sulk.

Gunnard suddenly felt a bit of a headache.

He had only wanted to take advantage of Sophie's talent points, but he didn't expect to make her cry.

Gunnard comforted her, "How about we skip today's thirty times? You can go back and rest early, okay?"

Sophie's shoulders trembled as she wiped her tears but said nothing.

Damn it! This little girl's resentment is so strong! I wonder if the Heartthrob Smile will work on her...

Gunnard immediately flashed a mature Heartthrob Smile at Sophie, "Sophie, don't be mad."

Sophie's delicate body trembled slightly, but she pursed her lips and pretended not to see Gunnard's smile.

Huh? Gunnard suddenly felt a bit depressed: The Heartthrob Smile doesn't work? That can't be! During the day, when I accidentally smiled at that F-cup girl, she was like she got electrified! Why is the skill not working on Sophie?

No, I have to try again.

Gunnard flashed the Heartthrob Smile at Sophie a second time.

Sophie's face remained calm and unmoved.

Gunnard flashed the Heartthrob Smile at Sophie a third time.

Sophie still remained calm and unmoved.

Gunnard silently thought to himself: Damn, what a worthless skill! It stopped working after one use! Beckham! Return this!

"Stop smiling!" Sophie said coldly, "From now on, I'm not going to pay attention to you anymore."

After saying that, Sophie angrily stormed out of Gunnard's room.

Gunnard helplessly smiled bitterly: What a mess this turned out to be. It seems I shouldn't go overboard with Sophie in the future.

Forget it, it's too late today. I'll find a way to properly apologize to her after school tomorrow.

But it's strange, why didn't the Heartthrob Smile work?

Gunnard couldn't figure it out.

Outside Gunnard's room, Sophie clutched her wildly beating heart and muttered to herself:

"Why, why did I feel so strange just because Gunnard smiled at me?"

"Why do I feel that Gunnard's smile is so mature, so charming? I can't even hate him even if I want to?"

"Ahhh! Am I poisoned or something?!"

"Thank goodness... Thank goodness I can act..."

"Otherwise, I don't know what crazy thing I might have done just now!"

"I can't take it anymore, I'm drenched in sweat, I need to take a shower right away..."

Sophie leaned against the wall, weakly climbing the stairs.

On the other side, Gunnard was happily allocating his talent points.

Although the process of acquiring this talent point was a bit bumpy, in the end, the goal of getting it for free was achieved.

This talent point, of course, was added to the Strength attribute.

As a result, the system's evaluation of his Strength increased from 59 to 60 points.

A Strength value of 60 is still not enough in the professional player league in England, but in non-professional high school leagues, it's already passable and enough to face off against rusty bars.

Great! My football career from scratch will officially begin after the school team battle!

...

Monday morning.

After breakfast, Andrew drove Gunnard and Sophie to the school gate and then left.

Gunnard walked into the school full of energy, while Sophie followed behind with two big dark circles under her eyes, looking completely exhausted.

The two didn't speak the whole time.

Gunnard wanted to talk to Sophie, but Sophie kept a sulky face, giving him no chance.

So Gunnard had no choice but to give up.

In the afternoon...

Gunnard headed to the locker room, swiftly changing into a brand-new set of branded sportswear. He then slung on a sports bag containing Messi's signature football boots and walked confidently towards the school football field.

Originally, Gunnard's elective course for this afternoon was Modern Languages—French. It was a relatively easy course to score well in. Although Gunnard had loved football since he was a child, his parents were the ones funding his study abroad, so when choosing elective courses, Gunnard had to painfully give up the football course. In his parents' eyes, football was just a pastime and couldn't be a career. Moreover, playing football could lead to injuries, which would interfere with his studies.

However, Gunnard no longer needed to set getting into college as his goal. In this life, Gunnard wanted to proudly show his parents that playing football was not just entertainment; it could become a star-studded career!

Even though he was reborn and had a system, becoming a true football star wasn't something that could be achieved overnight. Given Gunnard's current situation, only his strength attribute might barely pass; all other attributes needed improvement. Even though Gunnard had the knowledge, experience, and awareness from his previous life, it was far from enough. Gunnard had considered directly trying out for a professional club, but with his current skills, it was impossible to be signed.

He had to build up step by step, starting from scratch. Fortunately, youth was his greatest asset! It wasn't too late to start now! Gunnard's small goal was to first join the "Hampton Private School Stags" team and then gradually make his way to a broader football stage.

Of course, Hampton Private School's team had high recruitment standards. The players on the school team were mostly students who had been playing football since childhood or had undergone systematic youth training. The normal process to join the team was quite complicated: first, one had to submit an application, then a formal medical examination report from a hospital, and if that was approved, participate in physical fitness tests, skill tests, and combat tests organized by the team coach. After passing these tests, there would be a more professional athlete's medical examination.

Passing the professional medical exam only qualified one to be a peripheral player, responsible for fetching water, picking up balls, and cleaning the locker room. After enduring this for at least a month, one might qualify to train with the official team members. During this period, official team members would order the newcomers around, mock, and bully them. Even if one could train with the official players, it didn't guarantee any playtime.

Many students who chose the football course were only there to earn credits and improve their A-level scores. But Gunnard didn't want to join the team step by step, nor was he there to just earn credits. In his previous life, Gunnard remembered that just before the group stage matches, around this time, this school team suffered a "severe blow"! A key player suddenly left the team and transferred schools just as the coach was submitting the final roster for the competition!

This completely disrupted all of the team's tactical plans, ultimately causing this ambitious school team to fail to even advance from the group stage! Moreover, they lost all four rounds, not earning a single point, and finished last among the 32 participating teams with a zero-score performance. That became the biggest disgrace in the history of Hampton Private School.

After that, the Stags team never recovered and became a laughingstock, earning the nickname "Stags of Defeat." But for Gunnard, this was a golden opportunity to join the team! If he could impress the school team's head coach in a match against Rusty Stripes, then his chance to officially start his football career would arrive!

With his hands in his pockets, Gunnard stepped onto the natural grass of the training field, head held high. The long-lost scent of grass filled the air. Gunnard couldn't help but take a deep breath, feeling the blood in his veins surge with excitement.

From a distance, Rusty Stripes, who was doing a warm-up jog, noticed Gunnard and immediately ran over with a mocking expression: "Oh! kid, you actually dared to come! Impressive!"

end