Upgrade: Ball Trunk

Over the following week, Su Dong never saw Rony again.

This left him very unaccustomed.

He still went to Edward VII Park to train every day and still carried out Pontes's training program meticulously, not daring to slack off in the slightest. But without Rony by his side, he always felt as if something was missing.

Jose Semedo came by a few times, but he was different from Rony. It was obvious that he had a good personality and was a very decent person—just a little too lazy. Every time he sparred with Su Dong, he was the one who took the initiative to call a halt.

This left Su Dong, who had been enjoying farming King of Football Points, feeling rather miserable.

Of course, Su Dong was still grateful to Jose Semedo.

Those simple, boring, yet fulfilling days continued until mid-August.

Sporting Portugal was about to welcome the new season of the Portuguese Second Division, while the Youth Team would also have its own league commitments. Su Dong's training period had come to an end as well.

Aside from the first few days, Su Dong had spent nearly all his time training at Edward VII Park and had never reported to the club. So when one of the club's coaches called to notify him, he even asked whether Su Dong was still in Portugal.

Only after receiving an affirmative answer did the other party tell him the date and time of the trial.

Su Dong was helpless when it came to such an unreliable semi-professional club.

The night before the trial, Su Dong called his parents back home. But he did not tell them the truth. Instead, he said that he was doing very well there and had improved greatly.

"There's a coach named Pontes who designed a training plan specifically for me. I've also made a friend named Rony. You have to remember that name. He's a genius, and one of the best young players in Portugal. One day, he'll definitely astonish the whole world."

"I'm still not strong enough, so I need to work harder. Even if I don't pass the trial, I still want to try out for other teams and do my best to stay."

Over the phone, Su Dong tried to focus on the good things. He did not want his parents to worry about him too much.

After hanging up, he sat by the head of the bed and gazed at the bright, pure moon outside the window. He missed home.

He was an only child. From childhood, he had carried his parents' earnest hopes. They had always saved the very best for him, and he did not want to disappoint them. He hoped to bring them pride and honor.

He entered the Path to the King of Football system and looked at the Personal Attribute Panel.

Over the past month or so, he had trained almost day and night, and the results had been substantial.

His current technical attributes were the clearest proof. His shooting and speed had both reached the maximum of 99. His strength was slightly behind, but had still reached 87 points. His defensive attributes were the weakest: his Positioning was only 63 points, while his tackling was 71 points.

This was also related to Rony's absence over the past week. If they continued their one-on-one battles, he believed his defensive attributes would quickly improve as well, because Pontes's training program also included defensive exercises.

As a plain, unremarkable, and boring virgin, Su Dong's original plan had been to train every attribute to the maximum of 99 before leveling up. But now, it seemed that time would not allow it, so he could only level up ahead of schedule.

"Current Level: Ball One. Next Level: Ball Trunk. Leveling up requires 50,000 King of Football Points. Level up?"

Su Dong selected [Yes].

"Leveling up. Please wait..."

The black-and-white soccer ball rotated slowly for a while before issuing another notification.

"Congratulations. Level-up successful."

"Current Level: Ball Trunk. Next Level: Ball Three. Leveling up requires 250,000 King of Football Points."

When Su Dong saw this, an absurd feeling suddenly rose in his heart.

After Ball Zero, Ball One, and Ball Trunk, the fourth level was Ball Three.

Why?

Was it because the character for "three" had one more hook than the character for "trunk"?

What kind of naming system was this?

But soon, the system's messages dispelled that absurd feeling.

"Successfully leveled up to Ball Trunk. Mall System unlocked."

"Mall System activated. You may exchange for goods at any time."

"First activation of the Mall System. Reward: one Star Ability Card. You may exchange for it in the mall."

The system sent a string of messages in succession, leaving Su Dong momentarily caught off guard.

He first checked his Personal Attributes.

After leveling up from Ball One to Ball Trunk, the Personal Attribute Panel had also leveled up, undergoing tremendous changes.

The most obvious change was that many more attributes had been added.

They were still divided into three major categories: offense, defense, and physique.

The offensive attributes were further divided into passing, ball control, dribbling, and shooting. The defensive attributes were divided into tackling, marking, teamwork, and defensive positioning. The physical attributes were likewise divided: speed into speed and Explosive Power, and strength into strength and stamina.

The system provided an explanation after every attribute.

There was no need to explain the offensive attributes. Passing, controlling, dribbling, and shooting were the basic skills of football, so they were easy to understand.

Although defense also involved individual battles, it relied more on the team as a whole. Therefore, teamwork and defensive positioning were crucial.

As for speed and Explosive Power, the former referred to the highest speed a player could reach, while the latter referred to the time a player needed to go from a standstill to top speed. The stronger a player's Explosive Power, the faster he could accelerate.

It was obvious that with every level-up, the Personal Attributes further divided the various abilities of a player.

Now that Su Dong had reached Ball Trunk, the third level, he should generally be equivalent to a semi-professional player. His various abilities had also been further divided, giving him a premonition that he would no longer be able to max out every attribute as he had before. He would have to make some trade-offs—that was, choose a direction for his professional development.

For example, if he wanted to become an attacking player, he could afford to neglect his defensive attributes to some extent.

However, below the Personal Attribute Panel, the system had also issued a reminder: from now on, if he wanted to level up again, every attribute would have to meet the requirements.

This was understandable, because that was simply how professional football worked.

Take Rony, for example. He was actually very well-rounded, and his defensive ability was also strong. It was just that, comparatively speaking, his offense was even more outstanding.

Then there was Jose Semedo. He was a dark-skinned, powerfully built center back, yet his speed, technique, ability to break through, and finishing were all very strong as well. Su Dong simply could not stop him.

From this, it was clear that the characteristics of a professional player were built on an all-around foundation.

The Path to the King of Football's system had undoubtedly been designed with this in mind.

Su Dong did not dwell on it for long. He soon noticed that his potential had increased significantly more after leveling up than the previous time.

Passing: 38[57]; Ball Control: 43[60]; Dribbling: 45[61]; Shooting: 47[64].

Tackling: 31[52]; Marking: 27[48]; Teamwork: 21[42]; Defensive Positioning: 23[45].

Speed: 51[73]; Explosive Power: 46[71]; Strength: 37[50]; Stamina: 44[69].

After the attributes had been subdivided, Su Dong's characteristics gradually became apparent.

His speed was indeed quite good, and his stamina was decent as well. His strength was poor, which was related to his lack of strength training.

His offensive techniques were all fairly decent, while his defensive ability was poor.

The post-level-up ability and potential values showed that the values before leveling up had indeed affected the values afterward.

One point worth mentioning was that after leveling up, every increase of one Potential Point required 500 King of Football Points.

That was a full five times the cost before leveling up.

When Su Dong realized this, he secretly rejoiced that he had not leveled up rashly before, but had instead steadily built up his foundation step by step. Looking back now, it had undoubtedly been a wise choice.

After examining his upgraded Personal Attributes, Su Dong was fairly satisfied.

He had a feeling that if he unearthed all his current potential, he should be able to reach the upper-middle level among semi-professional players, roughly on par with the starting players of Sporting Portugal's First Team.

And his advantage was that he was only sixteen years old.

After looking over his Personal Attributes, Su Dong entered the Mall System that had unlocked after leveling up.

As soon as he entered the mall, a dazzling array of goods filled his vision. He was overwhelmed, unable to take everything in.

"Here, there is no item that King of Football Points cannot buy."

"If there is, then your King of Football Points are not enough, or your level is not high enough."

"All items sold in this mall are clearly priced. No discounts, no haggling."

"Once an item has been exchanged, there is no warranty, and seven-day no-questions-asked returns are not accepted."

Reading the rules one after another, Su Dong could only smile wryly.

The person who designed the mall was truly bizarre, and the rules were far too harsh.

However, after he saw the item descriptions clearly, he realized that he had struck gold.

In the daily necessities category, the mall sold a Man Bull Sports Drink that came in many different flavors. Its slogan read: "Its energy is beyond your imagination!"

There were also many different kinds of food. Chinese cuisine included Grain Rice, Western cuisine included Tomahawk Steak, Korean cuisine included Popeye Eats Kimchi, and Japanese cuisine included Chibi Maruko-chan...

In short, all kinds of delicious food could be exchanged for King of Football Points in the mall.

Su Dong took a general look. The prices were not expensive and were completely within his means.

In Portugal, he had to cover all his daily expenses himself. That money represented his parents' blood, sweat, and tears, so now that he could exchange for these things through the mall, he certainly would not refuse.

He did not have high demands when it came to food. As long as it filled his stomach, that was enough.

Besides, the food and drinks in the mall all looked delicious.

Apart from food and drinks, the mall also sold various concoctions. They were much more expensive than the food, but their effects were astonishing as well.

For example, the Titan Concoction could temporarily increase the user's strength for two hours.

There was also an Energy Concoction that could temporarily increase the user's stamina for two hours.

Another was the Swiftness Concoction, which temporarily increased speed and Explosive Power, also for two hours.

Obviously, these were one-time-use concoctions that could be used during matches. Their effects looked extremely practical, though they were somewhat expensive.

"As your level increases, more miraculous concoctions and items offering excellent value for money will gradually be unlocked in the mall. Please look forward to them."

Excellent value for money?

Every concoction cost 10,000 King of Football Points. How could that be called excellent value for money?

After giving a wry smile, Su Dong soon remembered that after leveling up to Ball Trunk, the system had unlocked the mall and rewarded him with a Star Ability Card. What was that, exactly?

During the new-book period, I humbly ask for rewards, collections, and recommendation votes! Many thanks!