I Am Diligent Too

"Ding! Congratulations, Mr. Zhang Xu, you have gained insights during training. Positioning attribute +1, current Positioning attribute is 14!"

"Mr. Zhang Xu, you have trained for 3 hours in reality, automatically gaining 6 experience points. Your current total experience points are 113!"

By the time the sky had completely darkened, Zhang Xu had been training on the field for an additional 3 hours.

He left the training field, washed up in the locker room, changed into dry clothes, and carried a backpack full of DVDs back to the "home" the club had arranged for him.

It's a common practice in European football clubs for players who cannot afford to rent or buy a house to stay with local fans. The White Star Club was located in the central area of Verviers, making it easy to find a fan willing to host Zhang Xu.

During the lunch break, the club arranged for Zhang Xu to meet the family of the fans who would be hosting him. The James couple, who welcomed Zhang Xu into their home, were devoted White Star team supporters.

They were curious and enthusiastic about Zhang Xu from mysterious China. Zhang Xu, who had an outgoing personality and no language barrier, easily won the hearts of the elderly couple. In less than half an hour, he had them treating him like their own son.

"Hey, Zhang, why are you back so late? Have you had dinner? Oh, I'm sure you haven't eaten. Hey, old lady, prepare dinner for our lovely Zhang; he must be starving!" As Zhang Xu pushed open the door, Mr. James enthusiastically shouted.

"Oh, James, I went for extra training. I might have to do it regularly from now on!" Zhang Xu smiled and casually tossed his backpack onto the couch. He then came up behind Mr. James and naturally started massaging his shoulders.

"Extra training? Zhang, you're really hardworking! But I like hardworking kids! Haha, I believe in the near future, we'll see you on the field!" Mr. James praised while enjoying Zhang Xu's massage.

After dinner, Zhang Xu returned to his room.

He had an important task left to complete today: watching the numerous DVDs prepared for him by Philip.

He turned on the DVD player, inserted a match DVD, and watched it attentively. While watching, he also grabbed his notebook and occasionally jotted down insights.

"Ding! Congratulations, Mr. Zhang Xu, you have gained insights during training. Teamwork attribute +1, current Teamwork is 15!"

"Mr. Zhang Xu, you have trained for 1 hour in reality, automatically gaining 2 experience points. Your current total experience points are 115!"

...

"Mr. Zhang Xu, your simulated training time has reached 9 hours, automatically gaining 9 experience points. Your current total experience points are 124!"

At exactly 6 o'clock the next morning, Zhang Xu's bedside alarm clock went off. Zhang Xu quickly got out of bed, changed into his training gear, and headed straight for the door. He started his morning run with brisk steps.

Mr. and Mrs. James were still asleep when they were awakened by Zhang Xu's footsteps.

"Zhang is such a diligent kid!" Mr. James sighed.

"Yeah, are all Chinese people this hardworking? That's really impressive!" Mrs. James immediately associated Zhang Xu's diligence with being Chinese.

"Haha, I'm a hardworking person too, you know!"

"You? As if!"

"Of course, it's true. But I'm hardworking in bed!" Mr. James chuckled mischievously and hugged Mrs. James tightly.

Zhang Xu, running along the shaded path in the Verviers district, had no idea that the sound of his footsteps had led to a passionate bedroom battle between the James couple. He was too focused on reviewing the system.

Once again, the Super Midfield Training System surprised him early in the morning by opening a new module—the Task Module!

As soon as Zhang Xu left his new home, the system's voice followed, "Mr. Zhang Xu, you have completed the first day's training tasks, and the system will now automatically open the Task Module."

"Now, I am issuing today's daily tasks:

Task 1: During your morning run, complete 8000 meters in under 30 minutes. Task completion rewards 5 experience points!"

"Task 2: Juggle the ball with both left and right feet without letting it touch the ground, exceeding 50 times. Task completion rewards 5 experience points!"

"Task 3: Perform 30 sets of 20-meter shuttle runs. Task completion rewards 5 experience points!"

"Task 4: Run 15 laps of variable-speed sprints. Task completion rewards 5 experience points!"

"Task 5: In one-on-one situations, successfully make the ball leave your opponent's body by a distance of 1 meter, 10 times. Task completion rewards 5 experience points!"

Overall, the daily tasks were closely related to Zhang Xu's daily training routine, with the training volume nearly double that of ordinary players.

"Secondary tasks will be issued shortly!"

The system added a suspenseful element to the Task Module, leaving Zhang Xu completely speechless. However, he was quite satisfied with the daily tasks issued by the system. Completing ten tasks would not be too difficult, and it would earn him a total of 50 experience points.

At this point, Zhang Xu suddenly remembered that his morning run training had already started, and he had no idea how much time had passed. He looked at his right hand and immediately shouted.

"Damn it! I was so engrossed in listening to the system's introduction that I only ran 2000 meters in 10 minutes! I have to hurry!"

Twenty minutes later, Zhang Xu collapsed on the ground, panting heavily, feeling completely exhausted.

"Congratulations, Mr. Zhang Xu, you have completed today's daily task 1, earning 5 experience points. Your current total experience points are 129!"

"For just 5 experience points, I nearly used up all my energy! If this keeps up, this darn system might just wear me out! Ugh!"

Seeing the 5 experience points he had gained through all that effort, Zhang Xu was annoyed but had no other choice. He slowly got up and made his way back to his new home.

Before 8 o'clock in the morning, Zhang Xu had already arrived at the training field, did some warm-up exercises, and then began some basic training on his own.

At 8 o'clock, all the U21 team members were present on the training field, and Philip also arrived at the side of the field. When he saw Zhang Xu's slightly damp jersey, he smiled with a hint of satisfaction.

"Alright, guys, there's a friendly match against Brussels for the first-team tomorrow. If anyone wants to participate in this match, you'll have to work harder today!"

"Wow! Victory! Victory! Victory!" Hearing the chance to participate in a friendly match with the first team, the U21 team's excitement was palpable as they erupted in cheers.

Philip was very pleased with the effect of his encouragement. He waved his hand and shouted, "Now, everyone, get moving! The gates of training hell are open to you! Come on, boys!"

Zhang Xu wasn't as excited because he knew he still had a long way to go before he could make it to the first team. Even though his Teamwork had reached 15 points, it was just enough to meet the minimum standard for a professional player in League B—half of the required 30 points.

So, he continued to focus on his tasks, training, and accumulating experience points!

As expected, when the day's training ended, Philip only announced the names of 5 lucky players who would be joining the first team for the friendly match. Zhang Xu didn't make the cut.

"Zhang, don't you want to make it to the first team?" Philip asked curiously when he didn't see any disappointment on Zhang Xu's face after the team selection.

"Of course, I do!"

"But I didn't feel any disappointment from you."

"Well, we have a saying in China: A wise man knows his own abilities. It means that a person should understand how skilled they are, what they can do, and what they can't. I personally don't think I'm at the level to join the first team yet, so I don't feel disappointed."

"Oh, you Chinese are so rational, not very exciting!"

"Haha, Mr. Philip, let's start the special training. I believe it will be very exciting!"

"Oh? You seem quite confident today! Well, I hope you won't shed tears later! Haha!"

....

At 9 PM, after finishing watching the videos, Zhang Xu lay in bed, reviewing the achievements he had obtained throughout the day.

He completed ten daily tasks, gaining 50 experience points in total!

He trained for 7 hours during the day, earning 14 experience points!

He practiced for an additional 3 hours in the evening, gaining 6 experience points!

He watched videos for an hour before bed, earning 2 experience points!

During daytime training, he triggered two secondary tasks. One was to successfully intercept the opponent's pass four times in a group match, which he failed to complete, resulting in a deduction of 2 experience points. The other task was to comfort his teammate Laurent, who had not been selected, and boost his morale, which he completed with ease. This unique task rewarded him generously with 8 experience points and a bonus Teamwork attribute point!

After a whole day of training, the system once again went above and beyond, granting him four attribute points: Dribbling +1, Technique +1, Imagination +2.

"Check personal attributes!"

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[Name: Zhang Xu]

Level: 1 (Upgradeable)

Experience Points: 202/200 (Available attribute points: 0)

Weight: 68.1KG

Current Ability/Potential Ability: 23/34 (+1) (Minimum 30 for professional players, maximum 99)

Current Physical Fatigue/Condition: 14/74 (Maximum 99)

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[Technical Attributes (Individual attributes max out at 99)]:

Crossing: 18

Dribbling: 23

Shooting: 14

Heading: 23

Long Shots: 08

Marking: 16

Passing: 12

Tackling: 24

Ball Control: 25

Technique: 18

Free Kicks: 16

Corners: 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)

Decisiveness: 31

Determination: 77

Imagination: 6

Influence: 66

Off the Ball Movement: 16

Positioning: 14

Teamwork: 16

Work Rate: 89

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[Physical Attributes]:

Acceleration: 78

Agility: 42 (+1)

Balance: 39

Jumping: 74

Stamina: 83

Speed: 89

Endurance: 85

Strength: 82"

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Looking at his attributes, Zhang Xu felt quite satisfied.

Even though he knew he still had a long way to go before making it to the first team, he could see improvements every day.

Zhang Xu firmly believed that the day of his success would come soon!