Steady Improvement! Look Ahead!

Steady Improvement! Look Ahead!

August 15th, post-match recovery training day.

"Here!"

"Careful. Hahaha!"

That morning, rare laughter and cheerful voices rang out across the training ground.

The Sheffield United players, fresh off their first win of the season, were in good spirits as they fooled around through some rondo drills and games.

After training ended, Maël stayed behind, ready to start another extra-training session.

His thighs and the rest of his body were still slightly sore. It was Muscle Fatigue brought on by yesterday's high-intensity match.

But it did not affect him much. The next round of league matches was still a while away. He could first spend two days practicing the low-consumption "Step-Over Dribbling," then train strength once his body recovered.

"Let's check the proficiency of my two main skills."

He pulled up the Proficiency Panel and glanced at it, finding that focused training had produced pretty good results.

Skill: Muscle lv2

Proficiency: (731/800)

Skill: Step-Over Dribbling lv1

Proficiency: 89/100

"Step-Over Dribbling can break through to lv2 today. If I push strength hard over the next few days, there's hope it'll reach lv3 before the next round starts."

Maël's expression relaxed. Every time he looked at the Proficiency Panel, it gave him a tremendous sense of accomplishment, as well as even stronger motivation.

There were still seven days until the next match. Time to train harder!

Once Step-Over Dribbling reached lv2, it would be usable in matches. From time to time, it might even catch opponents off guard.

Otherwise, if he kept using Bicycle Kick, it would be too monotonous. Once the opponent got familiar with his footwork Rhythm, he would definitely be easy to defend.

As for strength lv3, this could be regarded as the biggest improvement he had gained since activating the panel.

Physical and mental skills had higher initial proficiency than other categories of skills, which represented greater effort, and likewise represented greater returns! A tough body was enough to weaken many of his shortcomings and raise his floor on the pitch, while also subtly raising his ceiling.

After experiencing a Championship match firsthand, Maël had gained a deeper understanding of the level of Championship players.

He was very clear that once he had lv3 strength, he would absolutely count as one of the more powerful types on a Championship pitch.

Even if he was not top-tier, he would definitely still become known far and wide—"Sheffield United have a young Winger with very strong physical duels, on loan from Arsenal."

"Pat, pat, pat."

After setting up the marker poles and cones, Maël began training with the ball. The outside of his foot constantly touched the football, and his body kept sliding left and right, laying a solid foundation for the coming upgrade.

Grinding proficiency was never only about that huge improvement at the final instant. The daily quantitative accumulation was just as important.

Only on the basis of quantitative accumulation would the final qualitative change come!

Time passed minute by minute, second by second. Sweat gradually made his jersey cling tightly to his body, and exhaustion swept over him, as if it had stacked with yesterday's fatigue—or even multiplied it.

His brain also used this chance to keep "persuading him to surrender."

You just played a match yesterday and even got 2 assists. You can enjoy the glamorous life of a football star now. Taking one day off won't matter.

"No. Keep going!"

Maël shook his head, flinging away the sweat, cast aside his stray thoughts, and strengthened his will.

Building a habit was not easy, but giving up was simple. As long as he compromised now, there would be more and more compromises in the future.

That was definitely not what he wanted.

Think about those grand, magnificent stadiums, those fans who had prepared flowers and applause for you, then keep working desperately behind the scenes and improve yourself!

More than two hours passed. Only when he had drained every last bit of strength did he end training and go to the sideline to stretch.

Skill: Step-Over Feint lv2

Proficiency: (7/300)

Effect: Your Step-Over Dribbling has gradually gained a certain degree of deception. Occasionally, you can trick an opponent's center of gravity and complete a breakthrough, but you are still far from true mastery. You long to upgrade again.

Dribbling skills improved very quickly in the early stages.

Once strength reached lv3, he would go all out to push this skill to lv3. It would not be hard to get the improvement before the end of the month! "Let's check Observation too."

Maël remembered something and pulled up the panel again, glancing at the proficiency of his Observation skill.

Skill: Observation Lv1

Proficiency: (89/300)

Before yesterday's match, through his usual accumulation from watching tapes, his Observation proficiency should have been around the fifties.

Unexpectedly, a single Championship match had directly raised it by about thirty points.

It seemed that, sure enough, the higher the level of the match, the greater the improvement to the Observation skill!

After finishing his stretches, Maël returned the footballs to the equipment room and went to the gym to find Gilbert. Gilbert had just gone there for extra strength training.

For no other reason than that Gilbert still owed him a meal—the best kind.

At night, downtown Sheffield City was packed, noisy, and lively.

Maël and Gilbert chatted and laughed the whole way, walking into an upscale barbecue restaurant, and even called Mr. Joelson to join them.

They had originally planned to invite Gareth Speed too, but Mr. Joelson vetoed the idea.

A player privately inviting the Head Coach to dinner during the season—and to barbecue, no less—seemed slightly inappropriate. Gareth Speed might have been put in a difficult position.

"I follow you in training every day, and I've also worked out a set of improvement plans and theories of my own. They've become habits now."

As soon as they sat down, Gilbert looked around with a smile, as if he were extremely happy to be out. "But what I like most is when the two of us go shopping and relax. The everyday bustle of life fascinates me."

Maël felt the same way and nodded. "That's because we train too much, and it's too dull. If we came out to have fun every day, I doubt we'd find it so fascinating."

"Feelings really do come from contrast."

Gilbert agreed wholeheartedly, pursing his lips as he put on a long-suffering expression. "But just like you said, if you want to shine in front of others, you have to endure pain."

"Did I ever say that?"

Maël had forgotten. Maybe he had blurted it out when his brain was fried from training, though it was indeed what he truly thought.

While the two of them waited for Mr. Joelson to arrive, they soon noticed that many of the tables in the restaurant with mostly men kept glancing over. Sometimes they even secretly pointed at them before turning back and whispering.

"It's those two. No mistake. They're the two who had that stunning debut yesterday."

"They're only seventeen, came over from Arsenal. I heard they're the two kids Wenger rates most highly."

"How come I heard one is New Fabregas and the other is New Henry?"

"Really? Don't spread rumors."

"It's true! Mr. Wenger personally told my friend that day, then my friend told me. He's a Sheffield United fan too."

Listening as the crowd's talk grew more and more ridiculous, Maël experienced for the first time the harm of rumors spreading. They really did get more outrageous with every retelling.

However, after he and Gilbert exchanged a glance, they still saw a few traces of enjoyment in each other's eyes, and both unconsciously straightened their posture and tone.

Gilbert picked up the menu, pretentiously touched a nonexistent bow tie, and lifted his head solemnly. "I believe we should order some beef and fish to ensure a sufficient intake of protein."

Maël was still holding back laughter when he saw a figure walk over from the side, looking at Gilbert with an expression that was extremely difficult to understand.

Mr. Joelson had arrived.

After coming closer, he frowned and blinked, utterly puzzled, feeling as if the two in front of him had some strange fetish. "Do you usually talk like this in private?"

"Hahaha." Maël burst out laughing, leaning back so far he nearly toppled over.

Gilbert's face flushed red in a flash, and after putting down the menu, he froze awkwardly in place.

The three of them then ordered food, got a bottle of liquor for Mr. Joelson, and sat at their table eating heartily, warming up the atmosphere of the meal.

"Let us ingest protein together."

Mr. Joelson picked up a lamb shank, as if determined to carry this way of speaking through to the end. "We must make sure it's sufficient."

Maël tore into his food while laughing, while Gilbert felt that any food would be hard to swallow, so he simply turned his head and drank juice.

"All right."

After eating a few bites, Mr. Joelson picked up a glass filled with ice and smiled. "I still have to say thank you to both of you. The victory over the weekend was far too important. It was a morale-boosting battle.

"Your contributions naturally go without saying. One of you provided two assists, the other scored one goal; together you produced two goals, and you also earned today's meal."

Maël and Gilbert were not drinking alcohol, so they raised their own glasses of juice and clinked them with his, saying polite words.

"It's what we should do."

"There's no need for that, Mr. Joelson."

Mr. Joelson shook his head and happily picked up the lamb shank again. "Of course, what matters more is this protein. This is the crystallization of your contributions on the pitch."

"Haha." This time, all three of them doubled over with laughter, and even Gilbert set aside his pride and joined the ranks of joy.

Full of food and drink, the three of them talked about recent amusing incidents and feelings. Sometimes they laughed and let things pass; sometimes they sighed together for a few moments.

The recent days, dreamlike as they were, truly settled upon them amid those conversations in relaxed circumstances, becoming the past.

Now, it was time to look forward.