Hard training continued day after day. With the addition of the physical therapist, Maël's body had a stronger load-bearing capacity, and he accelerated the frequency of training.
Originally, he used a clumsy method to protect his body, training for a while and then resting, sitting down to rest and stretch when he felt his body couldn't handle it.
Now, with Harry and Safina helping him protect his body, it seemed that the training time was reduced, but in fact, the density increased, and the speed of improvement accelerated.
Maël felt that the increased density was also a kind of exercise for his body, and he clearly felt that his Stamina was increasing.
"The panel should be coming out soon."
Having dealt with the proficiency panel for so long, he had a certain familiarity and predictive ability.
He wondered if a 'affinity' or 'prediction' panel would appear at that time.
Probably not. He had been practicing driving recently and had expected a similar panel to appear, but it didn't. It should only be soccer or sports abilities that could produce one.
Some yellow thoughts appeared in Maël's mind, and he used the strength between his eyebrows to force his brain to go blank, focusing on training.
[Skill: Curved Shot lv3]
[Proficiency: (724/800)]
On January 28th, he discovered that the proficiency of Curved Shot was about to break through, and immediately adjusted his training plan, increasing the proportion of Curved Shot training.
Everything else could be rigid, but people couldn't be rigid. He wanted to break through and upgrade this skill before the next game.
As the time of regular eating became longer, he slowly discovered some changes in his body.
Before, it was more Harry's recovery training and physical therapy that brought him a stronger feedback experience, and diet was more of a psychological comfort.
But now, it was here.
All kinds of states had indeed become better, he was full of energy every day, and even his training motivation had increased.
This made him value Safina even more, and he often chatted with her at home. Slowly, the two became familiar.
Maël had doubted his own motives because Safina did have some beauty, and also had a special charm of a mature woman.
He felt that he had no other ideas, but sometimes he couldn't help but think wildly when he was free, afraid that he was not admitting it.
"Since junior high school, my orientation has always been more inclined towards the same sex. Of course, I won't have a girlfriend either, it's more of an appreciation."
Until one day when Safina said this during a chat, he felt that he didn't have even a trace of regret in his heart. On the contrary, after he felt more relaxed in the subsequent interactions, he completely believed himself.
As long as he wasn't more excited, it meant he was fine.
January 31st, the end of the month.
Soaking in the training ground, Maël felt a strong vibration reaction in the soleus muscle at his ankle and the quadriceps femoris muscle at his knee, welcoming enhancement.
Well... after learning from Harry for so long, he had also mastered some muscle names and knew the human body more clearly.
[Skill: Curved Blade lv4]
[Proficiency: (1/2000)]
[Effect: After greatly enhancing the curve, you begin to improve the Strength when performing the Curved Shot. You have perfectly mastered the force-generating skills of the Curved Shot, and you know how to contract and extend your muscles in an instant!]
Here it comes!
The third lv4 skill! "Long Shot lv4, Cross lv4, Curved Shot lv4."
He remembered Traoré, whom he had compared himself to some time ago, and sighed with a smile: "If this were given to Traoré, he would probably be able to return to Barcelona and start immediately."
Curved Blade!
As the name suggests, the Strength of his Curved Shot was greatly improved. This would not weaken his curve, but would instead strengthen the curve because the initial force was stronger! "*Bang! Bang!*"
Maël tried two shots on the field. In the past, he didn't understand how those soccer stars who were good at Cutting Inside could also exert the Strength of a Long Shot on the instep of their foot when performing a Curved Shot.
But now, he understood!
The comfort of the Strength improvement enhanced his training desire. People were always like this. He hugged the soccer ball and began other types of training.
Safina called him several times in the middle, and he saw it when he went to the bathroom, telling her that he would be back in half an hour.
He seemed to have forgotten the time, running on the grass, feeling like a fish swimming in the sea.
Skills: Stamina lv2
Proficiency: (379/800)
Effect: You have a preliminary understanding of the importance of improving cardiopulmonary function for athletes. You seem to have a certain foundation in Muscle Endurance, which will make your training easier and faster. You long for the day you can level up.
"Stamina?"
Maël suddenly stopped, feeling enlightened. This ability had finally emerged.
As he expected, his body's Stamina, like his Short Passing, had a certain foundation, starting at lv2 when the panel appeared.
"Natural training it is, then."
Maël had no intention of intensifying his Stamina training. It wasn't that he didn't know the importance of this ability, but mainly because his current Stamina was sufficient for the EFL Championship.
If he went all out, he could last for 70 minutes. With proper distribution, playing a full game wouldn't be a problem.
The Premier League had a faster pace, and attacking players had more defensive responsibilities, requiring more running. It wouldn't be too late to train it up when he got there.
Another reason was closely related to his consistent lack of Strength training.
It was still the middle of the season, and he was already under pressure to improve his technical abilities. Adding high-intensity Strength and Stamina training would only add a significant burden.
With league games every week, he'd be like an old man on the field, aching everywhere and cramping after a few steps. What was the point of playing then?
He'd train it after this crucial second half of the season, or when he had plenty of free time.
Speed was different from these two abilities. Speed training, which focused on muscle contraction, mainly involved rapid reaction training, which wasn't as intense.
Skills: Explosion lv3
Proficiency: (192/2000)
Skills: Instep Pass lv3
Proficiency: (381/800)
Skills: Weak Foot lv1
Proficiency: (259/300)
Maël glanced at the proficiency panel of his other skills, all of which had slightly increased. The reason Speed was slow was because he had increased the intensity of his Curved Shot training in recent days.
Now that he was back to balanced training, he expected his Speed to improve faster than before.
"Grind, grind out a real demon!"
Having just gone through countless repetitive training sessions, Maël's brain briefly went into a frenzy. Excitement made him lose a bit of his rationality.
He was an adult, so he wouldn't dare to go crazy in front of others, but alone, he didn't care about anything.
Sometimes, he thought, this feeling of dancing alone on the field every day, improving himself, wasn't bad.
That evening, when Maël returned home for dinner, he received a call from an unfamiliar number, one he had never seen before.
"Training shouldn't make you forget to eat."
Safina stood beside him, still bothered by his not answering the phone earlier. "I've never seen anyone like you. Other people's extra training ends right on time, but you're torturing yourself.
"I underestimated you. Harry didn't tell me everything. You're not just a training fanatic; 'demon' is a better word."
"Most of them are just going through the motions."
Maël spoke grandly, defending himself. "They don't necessarily really want to improve their skills; they just want the peace of mind of standing on the training field, to comfort themselves.
"Of course, I don't rule out that many people are disciplined, but most of them are within their capabilities and don't pursue breaking limits.
"People should find joy in hardship, learn to savor the pleasure of breaking limits, and make it their highest pursuit.
"Haha..."
He chuckled dryly, feeling bitter. Who finds joy in hardship? And pursuit? It was all nonsense, just comforting himself. He answered the phone with one hand: "Hello, what's up?"
"Maël, the winter transfer window is about to close. Has Gareth Speed told you that the club wants to sign a bonus incentive agreement with you?"
The voice on the other end was generous, or rather, every word he spoke was generous. "It's a special bonus set up for special players. In addition to that, there's a total bonus of £6 million for the entire team.
"Oh, right, this is the first time I've called this number. I'm McCabe."
Maël's expression brightened. This was a pure surprise. Who would dislike having too much money, "I didn't say anything. When do we sign?"
"If you have time, today."
"Okay." Maël suppressed his curiosity, but in the end, he couldn't help but ask, "Can you tell me the amount of the contract first? Sorry, it's really attractive, and I want to know as soon as possible."
"Initially, I was thinking 1.5 million pounds."
McCabe's voice was even more generous, like a wealth-scattering boy, "But my daughter suggested, why not just 2 million pounds? I thought about it, and it sounds like a joke, as if treating money like child's play.
"But believe me, as a fairly successful businessman, I value money more than anything else. I have to think twice before lending someone ten thousand pounds.
"However, I've always adhered to one principle: even if a player is outstanding, it's still a team win-win.
"Until the last game, that Long Shot against Norwich, I heard my daughter in my box even shout 'He is the Sheffield God!' at you. That's when I calmed down and thought about it."
"I'll come over now." Maël held back his laughter, trying to appear not too excited, and said in a suppressed voice, "At the training base?"
"Yes."
After hanging up the phone, he exhaled a long breath, stood up from the sofa, and walked to the door to change his shoes.
"You haven't finished eating yet."
Safina stood up and followed him to the door, "Is there something urgent?"
Maël nodded, delighted, "The team wants to sign a bonus contract with me. It's been a series of happy events lately, with pounds raining down from the sky."
"A lot?" Safina couldn't help but ask, a hint of curiosity in the depths of her eyes.
"2 million pounds."
Maël didn't hide it and told her the amount.
"Haa." Safina gasped, her face clearly stunned, "Just a bonus?"
No matter how professional she was, she was still a person living in the real world, with a very clear concept of money.
"Yes."
Maël enjoyed her expression, put on his shoes, and walked towards the door.
"Finish eating before you go."
Safina's voice came again. He lowered his face, turned around, walked back, finished the remaining chicken breast, and left with a bitter face to handle the happy event.
"Actually."
Inside the training base, in the owner's office on the top floor of the administration building, McCabe had just said this when he suddenly coughed a few times and added, "Some core players also have bonuses. I have to mention this. It's not just you."
He confessed, "Like Evans, Janu Hans, and Robert, but the sum of their bonuses is only comparable to yours."
"I shouldn't have said that."
McCabe smiled, knowing that this was actually a taboo, but he had his own plans, "I hope you don't spread it around."
What he wanted was for Maël to feel his specialness and importance, and how much everyone valued him.
"Won't."
Maël shook his head to reassure him, browsing the specific terms of the contract.
On the way here, he had asked Mendes, who said he knew about it, but at the time, he had asked the club to contact the player directly.
This was the club actively showing sincerity and offering you an incentive contract.
You couldn't very well haggle over it.
Of course, a 2 million contract wasn't just a foolish contract that said 'take all if you lead the team to Promotion to the Super League'. It still contained many clauses.
The club would definitely still have concerns, in case the player felt the team was doing well in the second half and started slacking off.
Mixing in for a 2 million pound bonus was a small matter, but misjudging the situation and failing to achieve Promotion to the Super League would be a bigger deal.
But compared to Arsenal's bonus contracts, this one was relatively simple.
It was mainly divided into two items, each with three levels.
The first item was a bonus for creating goals, with levels at 30+, 40+, and 50+, with bonuses of 30 pounds each, totaling 900,000 pounds.
McCabe really knows how to grasp people's hearts. Since he's already offering bonus contracts, he might as well send some directly into Maël's pocket first.
With 27 league rounds passed, Maël now has 19 goals and 16 assists, creating over 30 goals. He's already pocketed £300,000 for nothing, and the next milestone isn't far off.
The second item concerns the ranking by which they enter the Premier League: the promotion playoffs, the automatic promotion zone, or as champions.
The bonuses for each are £200,000, £400,000, and £500,000 respectively. And it's not an either/or situation; moving up a level means you get everything before it as well.
"Mr. McCabe, I can assure you that your decision will definitely not be a mistake, and certainly not a waste."
Maël put down the contract. Since he's taken the money, he naturally has to say a few good words: "At the end of the season, I hope your team achieves success, and I hope I can make the contribution everyone wants to see."
McCabe smiled, his face glowing, and gestured for Maël to sign.
On the way home that night, Maël went to a 24-hour self-service bank to check his balance. When he inserted his card, a very reassuring number appeared.
774901.21 "That was fast."
He took out the card, praising McCabe's lightning-fast payment. He's increasingly looking forward to getting his driver's license.
ps: To the anxious brothers, don't worry, just a few more setups, and the story will move faster later.
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