Long Shot Upgrade

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Another burst of insteps striking footballs rang out. Maël was full of drive, practicing over and over as he waited for his proficiency to change.

This was a turning point for him, one that might very well change his football career. He had to treasure it and put in even more effort.

After dozens of training attempts, Maël called up the panel again.

Skill: Long Shot lv1

Proficiency: (38/100)

Effect: You slowly feel it

"As expected, it's gone up."

Maël's eyes lit up completely. At this rate, perhaps in two or three days, he could raise Long Shot to lv2.

When that time came, what effect would it have? Surely it would carry a certain amount of power and accuracy.

Anticipation surged in his heart, but then doubt followed. "I just don't know how I'm supposed to obtain other skills."

Long shots were certainly an important method of shooting, more than enough to feed him in the early stages.

But over the long run, in the future, he couldn't possibly keep practicing only this one thing, could he?

"Could it still be like today? Repeated practice, then finally understanding it?"

A few ideas sprouted in Maël's mind, but he did not waste too much time thinking. Hugging the football, he began shooting practice again.

No matter what, he had to raise Long Shot first!

There was not much time left. He had to possess a standout trait that could catch the coaching staff's eye! Bang!

Maël swung his leg and fired another shot. Because he was too excited and used too much force, he sent the ball straight into the sky.

He was not discouraged in the slightest. Instead, he happily threw his head back and let out a long howl, as if everything finally had something to look forward to.

If the team's equipment room had not already closed long ago, he definitely would have borrowed a few more footballs, taken several extra shots each time, and then gone to collect them.

No—if he had money, he definitely would have hired a few ball boys specifically to retrieve balls for him!

But as long as he played football well in the future, why would he have to worry about having no money?

Maël looked forward to the future. He thought that once he had money, he would buy a whole roomful of football boots, then buy a few villas and several luxury cars.

He never wanted to wear boots with the soles coming loose again. He wanted a pair of custom super boots.

Time passed minute by minute, second by second, and the sky gradually darkened.

Maël did not know how long he had practiced, nor did he know exactly how many shots he had taken.

Only when his visibility shrank did he stop, dragging his right leg as if it were filled with lead while carrying the football back toward the dormitory.

He called up the panel and glanced over it. As expected, his proficiency had increased by a large amount again!

Skill: Long Shot lv1

Proficiency: (61/100)

Effect: You slowly feel it

"Tomorrow, I'll take more footballs to improve efficiency. I'll definitely be able to reach lv2!"

Even though he was soaked through and utterly exhausted, Maël felt refreshed and clear-headed. He hummed a tune all the way back to the dormitory.

Not long after he finished showering, his phone suddenly rang. It was his uncle calling.

"How have things been these past few days?" his uncle's voice came from the other end.

"Not bad. I've made pretty big progress. I just don't know if I can stay."

Maël answered truthfully. He remembered that his uncle had treated the original owner well. Even if he had not supported him playing football, he definitely could not be considered opposed to it.

It was just that under the pressure of making a living and the pressure from his aunt, it had gradually become difficult to keep supporting him.

If he had truly been afraid of him wasting money, he would not have let him choose this path when he was young.

"It'd be best if you can stay. If you can't, come back here. I'll introduce you to an apprenticeship, and you can slowly work your way up. Do you still have enough money?"

"I do." Maël nodded. They usually slept in the dormitory, and their daily meals were at the cafeteria inside the Training Base, so there was not much to spend money on.

Especially after Coach Hans had lent him a pair of football boots, he basically had nothing to worry about.

"Your little sister's been wanting to talk to you. I'll let her take the phone. Ava!"

From the other end of the call came a patter of footsteps moving from far to near. Right after that came an adorable, childish voice full of delight. "When is big brother coming back?"

"That depends on whether big brother can stay here."

Maël smiled. His uncle's third daughter, Ava, was seven this year. She had the best relationship with the original owner and was the sweetest of them all.

"Then can I see big brother play football on TV?"

The voice on the other end was innocent and lively. "My summer vacation is starting soon. I can go out and play every day. I want big brother to take me to eat pizza."

"I'll definitely take you when I have time."

Maël replied. Chatting with a well-behaved child always made him feel as if he were about to melt. After thinking for a moment, he smiled again and said, "Hopefully by the time your summer vacation starts, big brother will already be playing football on TV."

"Okay." Over there, he still had no idea his brother was painting him a rosy picture, nor did he know what the second thing his brother had said truly carried and implied.

After chatting a little more with his uncle, Maël hung up and felt a wave of sleepiness wash over him.

He turned off his phone and was about to sleep when he heard it buzz a few more times.

He turned it back on. On the screen was a text notification of a bank transfer: 300 euros had been deposited from another bank, leaving a balance of 529.5 euros.

Another message arrived right after, from his uncle's number: "You haven't bought football boots in a long time. Go buy a pair tomorrow. Your uncle's ability is limited, so I can't give you too much. I hope you get what you want at Arsenal."

Maël stood there in a daze for a long time, an indescribable feeling stirring in his heart.

Uncontrollably, a surge of motivation burst from within him and shot through his entire body. It felt as if he was no longer just one person.

Perhaps it was because he was too exhausted, or perhaps because his mood had shifted, but he slept very soundly that night.

The next day.

The sun was bright, and the breeze was warm.

After Maël got up, he felt sore all over. It was probably because he had overdrawn himself in training yesterday.

There was nothing to be done about it. Proficiency and Muscle Memory were built up slowly, little by little, through grinding practice.

After eating breakfast in the cafeteria, Maël went to the equipment room to borrow ten footballs, then headed to the pitch and began shooting practice.

Today was Sunday, the team's only rest day each week with no scheduled training.

That suited Maël perfectly. He had been wanting to put in extra Long Shot practice without any distractions.

Usually, the Arsenal Youth Academy trained twice a day, with a morning session and an afternoon session.

In the morning, they either trained basic technical ability or strength and fitness. The afternoon session, meanwhile, was entirely devoted to Tactics and Techniques and team coordination.

Aside from that, they also had two cultural classes every week.

After a simple warm-up, he placed all the balls in front of the penalty arc. Maël immediately blasted two shots, both hitting the target, and both of decent quality.

It seemed that yesterday's increase in proficiency was already gradually showing results.

That made him look forward to leveling up even more, and to the future even more.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

One football after another smashed into the net, making it shake violently and cave inward again and again.

Because he had brought more footballs this time, his efficiency was higher.

The speed at which his proficiency increased was also a little faster than yesterday.

Watching the numbers on the panel climb rapidly, Maël's motivation kept flowing without end, and he refused to stop even for a moment.

He trained until nearly eleven o'clock before finally running out of strength and stopping to rest.

A wave of nausea suddenly hit him. Even though he had burned through a huge amount of energy, he had no desire to eat at all.

This was the body's Reaction to excessive overexertion. It usually only appeared after large amounts of fitness training.

"The more it's like this, the more I have to replenish my energy."

Maël drank some water and rested for a long time. In the end, he forced himself to go to the cafeteria and finish lunch.

After taking a nap in the dormitory to recover, at three in the afternoon, he dragged his exhausted body back onto the training ground and began a new round of training.

The feeling of torment gradually intensified. After the initial excitement and novelty faded, the boredom and pain finally arrived.

But Maël did not give up, nor did he reduce the training load.

Bang! Bang!

He blasted shot after shot. Even when he felt sweat pouring down like rain, even when the world seemed to spin around him, he still swung his leg numbly.

Finally, after one shot, strength suddenly flooded into Maël's legs, ankles, and other areas, while his Muscle Memory related to shooting also rose rapidly.

Skill: Brutal Long Shot lv2

Proficiency: (1/300)

Effect: After long practice, your Long Shot ability has begun to show its edge. When you have enough preparation time and can unleash your full power, you can occasionally hit Long Shots of superb quality!