September 2010
A warm, bright sun shone down on the ground.
There was a lively, dark-skinned boy with black hair, repeatedly practicing a grueling drill — dribbling the ball around training poles over and over again.
Although he seemed unsteady and was clearly struggling, the boy still executed every move carefully.
"973!"
"974!"
"975!"
"976!"
.
..
...
As he trained, the boy continued counting aloud between his ragged breaths. His body trembled, and his feet felt heavy, yet he was determined to finish what he had started.
On the sidelines, a group of players watched the dark-haired boy train alone, exchanging gestures and comments.
"I don't know where this guy gets all that energy. He's definitely going to be cut in the final trial with his poor skills. What's the point of training so hard?" remarked a blond boy with distinct German features.
"Maybe the Chinese are good at table tennis, but football? Haha, I doubt it," laughed another young man.
"I have to admit, I respect him. At least he's the hardest worker on our team," said Steven, a well-built young man, glancing neutrally at Su.
"Heh, Steven, even if he trained to death, he wouldn't be half as skilled as you. You're the most talented player on Dortmund's U-18 team! You're probably going to join the first team and play in the Bundesliga this season!"
"Don't forget us when you sign your Bundesliga contract, Steven!"
"You'll have to invite us to celebrate when you sign with the first team!"
The blond player smiled politely but didn't reply, though the slight upward curve of his lips revealed his happiness and pride.
His gaze returned to the Chinese player — or rather, the young man who had paid to get a chance at Dortmund's academy.
Back on the field, the teenager continued desperately practicing the simplest dribbling drills and football basics.
.
..
...
"997!"
"998!"
"999!"
"1000!"
When the count reached one thousand, the sweat-drenched boy stopped to catch his breath and rest his feet.
"Hey Su, done yet? Go get us some water!"
The lazy players began issuing orders as soon as they saw him stop training. Although they knew he had no chance to join the team, they kept mocking him for their own amusement.
However, when Su turned around with a fierce look, "Ham" — who had been laughing loudly — abruptly shut his mouth mid-laugh.
It seemed as if he suddenly remembered something, or rather, a terrifying memory.
"Ham, are you stupid? Don't mess with this lunatic! Haven't you forgotten how Fries got knocked out and taken to the hospital last time?" one friend reminded him.
"That's right! His football skills may be poor, but his punches are strong. Fries and James couldn't even fight back and are still in the hospital…"
"Ham, shut up! We won't help you if you get beaten up!"
Ham immediately quieted down after being scolded by his teammates.
The boy's name was Su, originally from China.
He had arrived in Germany through a cooperation program organized by the Chinese Football Association, which selected ten teenagers from all over the country to trial for three months at ten major European clubs.
The trial period lasted three months, and the final decision on whether the "talents" would be signed rested with the clubs.
It was no surprise that the "chosen ones," sent to elite youth teams, faced disaster.
During a training match, the coach substituted Su within five minutes. Why? Simply because he was terrible — from basic skills to tactical awareness, even positioning fundamentals — Su's lack of systematic training left him far behind his teammates.
Since then, Su became the underdog of Dortmund's U-18 team, and except for some basic things handled by the club, he was completely ignored.
Today was the last day of his three-month trial.
All the team's players waited for their coach, planning to let Su play symbolically before announcing his dismissal.
Su sat quietly on the training sidelines, eyes closed as if asleep.
His so-called teammates mocked his appearance quietly, fearing his retaliation.
But what no one knew was that Su was currently staring at...
[ Ding! ]
[ Congratulations, Host! You have completed 100,000 basic drills! GOAT System activated! ]
[ Congratulations, Host! You have received the Beginner's Pack! Trait panel unlocked! ]
In fact, this Su was not the same original Su from this world.
At first, while watching the Winter Olympics at home, Su had jumped excitedly when he saw an athlete from his favorite team's rival get disqualified for committing a foul — only to slip and fall. The last thing he remembered was intense pain at the back of his head, then everything went black.
After an unknown amount of time, he woke up in the body of a person who shared his name.
As a reincarnated individual, Su awoke equipped with a system — a system called THE GOAT SYSTEM. But what frustrated him was that the system had remained dormant all along and only activated after completing 100,000 basic drills.
This was a real headache for Su.
So, for the past three months, Su practiced the simplest football drills day and night.
Finally, on the last day of his trial, he completed the 100,000 drills, activating his system.
Su hurriedly opened his trait panel.
|----------------------|
-Attack: 69
-Ball Control: 64
-Passing: 63
-Shooting: 65
-Heading: 68
-Positioning: 66
-Curved Shot: 66
-Speed: 80
-Strength: 75
-Jump: 74
-Stamina: 72
-Endurance: 88
-Defense: 58
-Tackling: 65
-Overall Rating: 67
-Age: 17
|----------------------|
Simply put... his stats were pathetic, except for his speed and endurance.
He felt despair as he read the numbers.
These stats wouldn't even qualify him to play in China's second division, let alone Dortmund's U-18 team.
They were trivial stats, and for a moment, Su lost all hope of becoming a professional footballer.
[ Newcomer Pack available. ]
[ Please check, Host. ]
The system notification came at the right time to ease his despair.
"Right, there's still the pack! Maybe it will boost my stats and make me dominate yhe football World..."
With trembling hands, he opened the pack.
[ Congratulations, Host! ]
[ You received: Full Trait Card, allowing maximum upgrade of any stat. ]
Su felt an insane rush of excitement as he read the system message.
He took a few seconds to calm down and quickly considered which stat to upgrade.
'Shooting! I'll be unstoppable!' He quickly made his decision and was about to press the foot icon representing a shot.
But suddenly, an impatient and sharp voice sounded behind him.
"Su! Get on the field now!"
The Dortmund U-18 coach had arrived.
When Su didn't respond to the repeated calls, the coach angrily pushed him, breaking his concentration. His finger, which was aimed at the shooting icon, slipped and pressed the passing icon instead.
[ Ding! ]
[ Passing stat maxed out. ]
[ Training points unlocked. ]
"..."
Su silently stared at the players around him who smiled at his scolding.
But he wasn't interested in that now; his vacant eyes focused on the system notifications with a stunned expression.
At that moment, he felt like killing the coach who had caused this disaster unknowingly.