Then Let's Make Bramall Lane Ring with Heavy Artillery!

Over the next few days, the fatigue in Maël's body gradually faded, and he slowly increased the intensity of his strength training.

His proficiency progress was about to reach lv3, and he could hardly wait.

The sooner he built up his strength, the sooner he could add speed and Coordination training, shoring up his weaknesses.

He looked forward to having more ways to deal with opponents, and he also looked forward to the version of himself who would truly become all-around in the future.

On August 21, there were only two days left before the third round of the Championship, an away match against Middlesbrough.

At noon, in the gym.

Maël lay on the floor, his whole body trembling slightly. It kept building until his muscles twitched, his entire body went numb, and finally all sensation slowly disappeared.

He knew this was what it felt like to break through to strength lv3!

Skill: Strong lv3

Proficiency Progress: (1/2000)

Effect: After lowering your body fat percentage, you began focusing on improving your body's absolute strength. You were slowly developing a powerful physique, becoming robust, strong, and forceful, with your ability in physical battles greatly improved!

This was a completely new sensation—not only an improvement to his body, but also to his mind!

A powerful, ferocious sense of strength surged into his heart, giving him confidence and ease far beyond what he had before.

"Phew."

Maël exhaled a breath of stale air toward the ceiling, as if breathing out all the hardship of this period, leaving only the exhilaration and comfort of this moment.

It was a kind of spiritual pleasure. Dopamine and endorphins surged wildly, making it feel almost like an orgasm inside his skull.

He could not sit still. He got up and went to the punching bag, throwing several heavy punches that made it go bang, bang, then slammed his shoulder into the rebounding bag.

It looked a bit insane, but it was understandable.

After returning home, he was just about to use this rare burst of morale to give Gilbert some proper encouragement, only to find that Gilbert did not look good.

"I thought I had a chance to start this week."

Gilbert seemed to have only just learned about this week's Squad List arrangements, his face full of disappointment. "But I didn't expect it. I'm still a substitute."

Maël was just about to say something to comfort him, but Gilbert waved him off.

His expression looked even worse, his eyes unfocused. "What I find most unbelievable is that you didn't lock down a starting spot after that match. Instead, you dropped to the bench."

Maël's heart jolted, and he fell into intense confusion.

Perhaps because of the breakthrough in strength, he did not feel down, but an indescribable sense that something was off rose in his heart.

Bzz, bzz, bzz. His phone vibrated. Someone was calling Maël.

He picked it up, saw that it was Joelson, and answered with a slight numbness, hoping the other side was calling to talk about this.

"Maël, I don't know if you've seen the match list that was just released."

Joelson's voice carried obvious apology from the very beginning. He spoke haltingly, sighing often. "Sorry. This may disappoint you, but I want to say it is absolutely not your problem.

"It's the result of all kinds of conflicts between the management and the coaching staff. In the end, it led to this, making you feel like one moment you're in heaven and the next you're on the ground."

"It's fine."

Maël hesitated slightly, but still decided to ask directly, "Can you tell me exactly what happened?"

The voice on the other end fell silent, and only after a while did he draw breath and speak again. "You may have noticed that 4-4-2 Formation drills were added to training recently. That was Mr. Gareth Speed preparing for after he takes over.

"In the last match, Kevin putting you in the starting lineup, putting Gilbert on the bench and giving him a chance, was also Mr. Gareth Speed's request.

"The price was that he had to act as the middleman between Kevin and the Board of Directors, pushing the Board of Directors to pay the termination fee and dismiss Kevin as soon as possible.

"But nearly two weeks have passed, and Kevin still hasn't received any news from the Board of Directors, so he's getting a little anxious."

Hearing this, Maël's heart stirred slightly. He had already guessed the general situation.

Beside him, Gilbert angrily threw away the drink in his hand, his eyes blazing.

The voice on the other end of the phone carried anger. "That bastard's way of showing he's anxious is to make it look like he's wavering over how to use you two, using that to pressure the Board of Directors and Gareth Speed!

"That coward—if he wants something, why can't he fight for it himself? If he really cares about his dignity, why doesn't he resign on his own?

"Anyone can see now that giving you and Gilbert important roles is extremely beneficial for the team, whether for right now or for the second half of the season!"

Joelson finally calmed himself, apologized on behalf of the club, and then hung up.

"What do we do now?" Gilbert's expression grew even darker as he asked.

"Pray Kevin gets sacked immediately."

Maël looked at him, then added, "And hope he still has some professional ethics left and gives us a chance to come off the bench tomorrow, depending on the situation."

The next afternoon, at Middlesbrough's home ground, Riverside Stadium.

"OhWoOh!!"

More than thirty thousand home fans in red shirts created a tremendous wave of sound. Their cheering went on and on, constantly putting huge pressure on the away team.

On the bench at the side of the pitch, Maël wore a substitute's bib and sat there stiffly with Gilbert.

He could feel that the mood of the entire team had once again tightened like a string, ready to snap and explode at any moment.

The fact that the two of them had not started made everyone understand completely that the conflict was still far from resolved. The signs of Revival were only an illusion. Someone had to leave!

Negativity appeared in everyone again.

Sheffield United's players played ugly football, pinned back by Middlesbrough for the entire match, the situation hanging by a thread.

Maël waited and waited for a chance to come on, waited all the way until halftime, then kept waiting until the seventieth minute of the second half, when he stopped hoping.

Bang!

In the eighty-seventh minute, Middlesbrough, whose shooting touch had been poor today, finally broke through Sheffield United's goal by winning a set-piece duel.

"Yeah!!" The home fans cheered excitedly, while the player who had scored the late winner slapped his chest like mad and ran to the edge of the pitch to celebrate wildly. In an instant, the whole stadium plunged into frenzy.

Only the Sheffield United players stood there with numb eyes, as if they had already lost all feeling.

"Beep! Beep! Beeeep—!"

Soon, the match ended. Sheffield United lost the third round of the new season by a score of one-nil.

They all walked toward the dressing room like lost souls, sinking once again into wordlessness. Everything from the last match seemed to have been nothing more than a final flicker before death.

On the way back, Maël noticed someone say something by Kevin's ear, then lead Kevin down another route to somewhere else.

He paid it no mind, assuming it was just a post-match interview.

Not long after they returned to the dressing room, Mr. Gareth Speed, dressed in a black suit with a brand-new red tie, suddenly walked in looking energized.

"Lads."

He forced a smile out of his exhaustion, just like usual, but this time there was a sense of release in it. "Kevin has been dismissed! The new man taking over will be me."

All the players jerked their heads up, and the dressing room fell silent in an instant.

"Oh!" After reacting for a split second, they burst into thunderous cheers, as if they had scored a goal on the pitch.

Plenty of them had truly been waiting for this day for a long time!

Maël turned to Gilbert with joy written all over his face, blending into the atmosphere around them, and the two of them high-fived in celebration.

"We'll talk through the other changes slowly once we get back."

Gareth Speed knocked on the table, signaling for everyone to quiet down and pay attention. "For the next home match, we'll return to Bramall Lane Stadium.

"When the time comes, I'll give back to you everything he took from you! I hope everyone can ride this momentum and use a victory to give my coaching career a good start!"

"Yeah!" Another burst of cheers erupted in the dressing room, and quite a few people even stood up, clenching their fists and swinging them hard.

On this point alone, Gareth Speed had already beaten Kevin completely, even if he was only a young manager just starting out.

"What he said has to include the two of us!"

Sitting beside Maël, Gilbert leaned over excitedly and shouted, "I mean, he'll give you your starting spot back, and give me my chance to play!"

"Definitely."

Maël looked at the spirited young manager in front of him and suddenly felt a little expectant. This season, perhaps they could accomplish something together.

"How are you planning to celebrate?" Gilbert joked with a smile.

"Let me think."

Maël thought for a moment. Remembering that the team would return home next match, and that he might also make his debut at Bramall Lane Stadium, he said, "Then I'll... make Bramall Lane ring with a cannon shot!"