Chapter 3 New Skill 'Strength lv1'
Finally leveled up!
Maël collapsed to the ground, lying on the damp, soft grass, panting heavily, his face filled with satisfaction and relief.
He was almost at his limit.
Fortunately, he held on to that last breath and managed to improve today.
No pain, no gain!
"With sufficient preparation and full power, you can occasionally produce shots of excellent quality."
This was the evaluation of Maël's current shooting level on the proficiency panel, a somewhat abstract concept.
But his own feelings were very clear.
This upgrade brought him not only strength, but also many techniques for generating power, aiming skills, and well-honed Muscle Memory! With these, the probability of producing excellent quality shots with both speed and angle should be around 30-40%.
"However, there is a prerequisite: sufficient preparation and full power."
In the high-level competitive rhythm of modern football, defenders generally don't give attacking players much space to adjust and aim.
It would be as difficult as ascending to heaven for Maël to get a chance to 'draw his bow fully' in a match.
He would be lucky to get one chance every 90 minutes.
"But, this is only Long Shot lv2, and there are still 3 levels to go."
Maël didn't underestimate himself; everything had just begun, and he still had a lot of room to grow.
At least by youth team standards, he had gone from an ordinary player to a Cannon with a powerful long shot, possessing certain characteristics.
This type of player is quite popular in any team.
Because they have the ability to suddenly break the game's deadlock on their own!
As for how to get the coaching staff to notice this advantage? Maël wasn't worried; opportunities to draw his bow fully might be rare in matches, but there were plenty in training.
The twice-weekly shooting training sessions were his best opportunity to showcase himself!
Long Shot lv2 already gave him some competitiveness, so what about lv3?
Would it shorten the preparation time, allowing him more opportunities to exert force on the field? "I won't try to explore other skills for now; I'll focus on training Long Shot."
Maël knew that it was better to be specialized than to dabble in many things. If he could raise Long Shot to lv3 before the end of the trial period, staying in the Arsenal youth training camp shouldn't be a problem.
After resting for a while, he stood up, itching to try a couple of shots before returning to the dormitory for a shower.
It was already four in the afternoon, and many Arsenal U17 players had also come to the training ground for extra practice, and several of them had their eyes on Maël.
"Maël, why did you change your shoes?"
A tall youth with blond hair led a few people towards Maël, his face filled with sarcasm: "I heard someone say that you usually have to work part-time after training?"
Maël glanced at him but didn't reply.
This was Ian, the English Center-Back of Arsenal U17, whose skills could be considered among the best in the team.
However, Ian, who was born and raised in London, looked down on the foreign players in the team.
He believed that only people like him deserved British youth training resources, and other foreign players were just thieves who came to steal job opportunities.
"Is that what you earned from your part-time job?"
Seeing that Maël ignored him, Ian felt a fire in his heart, and his face turned slightly cold. "It doesn't seem to be the latest model, why don't you wash my shoes? If you wash them for two months, I'll give you a pair of the latest shoes?"
"Hahaha," a burst of laughter came from behind him, most people grinned, only a few looked grave, seemingly feeling that this shouldn't be done.
"Oh."
Ian directed and acted himself, pretending to remember something, "You're not an official Arsenal player yet, your contract with the team is only 6 months.
"Counting the days, it's almost up. Then I don't need you to wash them, I'm afraid you'll have to leave before you've washed them for 2 months, and you won't get paid if you don't complete the work."
Another burst of laughter rang out, Ian also laughed loudly, shaking his head and continuing to fan the flames: "It's a pity, kids like you without a home, once you leave, you'll never be able to come back here."
After speaking, he and a group of people strolled past Maël, their steps cheerful.
"*Bang!!*"
But just then, a dull thud rang out.
Maël suddenly drew his bow and arrow, forcefully shooting the ball towards the goal. The trajectory of the football's flight was directly in the path of Ian and his group.
Hitting someone at close range wasn't difficult; he was fully capable of doing it with his current skill level.
"Thump!" Ian heard the sound and subconsciously turned around, only for the football to slam right into his stomach area. The immense force caused his stomach to cave in sharply, churning violently.
Immediately afterward, an indescribable feeling of pain surged from his stomach, and he clutched his abdomen, kneeling on the ground, utterly furious but only able to emit 'grunt' sounds.
"What are you doing?!"
A player with a good relationship with Ian supported him with one hand, pointing at Maël with the other, and questioned, "That French guy must have done it on purpose!"
Two others quickly approached Maël with fierce expressions, as if they were about to attack at the slightest provocation.
The situation instantly became chaotic, and some people from other positions on the field also came over to watch the commotion. Some sighed, while others secretly rejoiced.
"It's a shot; are football players afraid of being hit by a football?"
Maël shrugged, a faint smile on his lips, "That's just being a coward."
With that, he turned and walked off the field. The experiment's effect was good; it was time to go back to the dormitory to rest.
The others behind him hesitated for a moment, but didn't follow.
Causing trouble and fighting within the club was definitely an unwise move. If the coach found out, there was a possibility of being suspended, banned from training, or even expelled from the team.
Everyone could tell that Maël's kick was intentional, but his control of the degree was just right, and there was no way to pursue the matter.
"Damn it!"
After thinking for a while, some of the English native players still couldn't swallow their anger. Two of them followed suit, tacitly grabbing footballs and forcefully kicking them in Maël's direction.
But their aim was far off, not even coming within a meter of Maël.
The two kicked tacitly, then blushed with embarrassment, and finally could only point at Maël's back and shout, "Just you wait!"
...
The next morning at nine o'clock, the training base gym.
All members of the Arsenal U17 team were side-planking on the ground, doing core strength training.
"In the English football system, represented by the Premier League, confrontation is always the main theme on the field."
Head coach Hans walked along, scratching his bald head, his tone serious, "So, three strength training sessions a week are essential, and no one is allowed to slack off.
"I don't want the Arsenal youth academy to only produce technically skilled showpieces. My players must have strong physical abilities.
"Many of you have already reached the level of EFL League One or even EFL Championship in terms of tactical ability. The reason no teams are loaning you out is that they're afraid you can't keep up with the pace of physical play!"
Hearing the head coach's definition of their strength, many people's eyes lit up with excitement, and they gritted their teeth to persevere.
The EFL Championship and League One were by no means second-rate leagues with no one to go to in their eyes.
Rather, they were the best places to hone their skills and experience, and to gain attention and value! They were also tangible and within reach.
"That damn French guy, one day I'm going to skin you alive."
Unlike the others who dreamed of professional teams, Ian was clearly still not over the humiliation of yesterday, constantly muttering something, his eyes fixed on Maël.
Maël noticed this, but he didn't really care about the other party.
The name alone suggested that he was someone who wouldn't make a name for himself later, the type who only knew a little.
He was different; he had a bright future, and he just needed to focus on football and improve his strength.
This kind of person was hardly an opponent; he would leave him far behind with a little more effort.
At this moment, several lines of text suddenly appeared in front of Maël again, attracting his attention.
[Skill: Strength lv1]
[Proficiency: 129/300]
[Effect: You have initially experienced the necessity of improving physical strength and enhancing confrontation, but you are still too weak, and you crave the moment of upgrading.]
New skill? Maël's eyes flickered. Was Strength lv1 because of the strength training he was currently doing?
It seems his guess was indeed correct. As long as he undergoes specialized training for a certain period, he can acquire the corresponding specialized skill.
However, how could Strength lv1 proficiency directly equate to Long Shot lv2?
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