Ye Chen carefully examined his attribute panel.
The standout stats were Attack Ability 80, Dribbling 80, Shooting 80, Speed 85, Explosiveness 85, Balance 80, and Stamina 88!
Using the process of elimination, he decided:
⢠Balance didn't need improvement.
⢠Shooting at 80 was sufficientâafter all, what he lacked was shooting opportunities, not accuracy.
⢠Attack Ability, which represented off-the-ball movement, was worth upgrading.
If he improved his off-the-ball movement, he could become the next Inzaghi! But... it somewhat conflicted with his "long-range guaranteed goal" skill.
Besides, he personally preferred powerful shots over finesse.
With that in mind, he didn't hesitate anymore.
"Max out my Speed!"
Nothing in the world beats speed.
From now on, Ye Chen was the fastest man on the football field!
Ding! Congratulations, Host! Speed attribute increased to 99!
Ye Chen raised an eyebrowâthere was still one attribute point left.
"System, allocate it to Stamina!"
Ding! Congratulations, Host! Stamina increased to 89!
Phew...
The grueling training over the past few days had made him deeply appreciate the importance of stamina, especially its impact on recovery.
Although invisible in the stats, Ye Chen could feel itâwaking up every morning fully recharged.
With this upgrade, Ye Chen's overall ability value had reached 78. Just two more points, and he'd break the 80 barrier!
Keep in mindâhe was only 17 years old!
Having such stats at his age could only be described as monstrous.
Of course, it was befitting of his "chosen one" status.
After adding the attributes, Ye Chen opened his system store.
Currently, he had 115 points, enough to buy basic potions. But his attention was drawn to... football boots.
These boots could increase attributes!
"System, if my speed is already 99, can wearing boots with +5 Speed make it 104?"
Friendly Reminder: 99 is the maximum limit for human speed. No method can increase it further.
In other words, buying the boots would only provide a +5 boost to Explosiveness.
Still... that was quite cost-effective, considering the boots were only 500 points.
Alright, saving for boots starts now!
With a new goal in mind, Ye Chen felt a surge of motivation.
The upcoming match against Werder Bremen would be his stage to shine!
After a quick shower, Ye Chen lay down on his bed and sent a video call to Lina.
Lina picked up quickly. "Honey, you're done training?"
Ye Chen nodded. "Today was the last day of special training. It was exhausting!"
"You've only been at it for a week, and you already look thinner!" Lina said, her face full of concern.
Ye Chen laughed. "I may look thinner, but I've gotten stronger!"
Lina's face flushed red instantly. "You were already... strong enough."
Ye Chen froze for a moment. Why was she suddenly shy?
But he wasn't slow-witted; he caught on quickly. "You didn't feel sore for too long last time, did you?"
"You dare bring that up? My girlfriends teased me... You're such a brute, like a bull, with no idea how to be gentle!"
It had been Lina's first experience of the raw power of an athlete.
"Next time, I promise!" Ye Chen chuckled awkwardly. "By the way, when are you coming to Germany to study? All this traveling must be tiring."
Lina's blush deepened. "If I move to Germany, you won't... every day..."
"Of course not!" Ye Chen quickly assured her. "I'm a professional athlete. I have to stay in top form for matches!"
"Fine... I just need to finalize a few documents. Once that's done, I'll enroll at Dortmund Business School!"
"Will you be at the away match on the 15th?"
"I don't think so. I need to pick up some materials from school..." Lina shook her head.
Hearing this, Ye Chen's face fell.
She'd attended his last two matches, so the thought of her absence left a hollow feeling.
Seeing his disappointment, Lina burst out laughing. "Haha! I was just kidding. Look!"
She held her phone to the iPad camera, showing her ticket to Bremen.
Ye Chen's gloom vanished instantly. "You've already booked your flight to Bremen?"
"Of course! And the school paperwork is done. I just need to check in at Dortmund Business School on Monday!" Lina smiled sweetly, her eyes twinkling.
For a moment, Ye Chen was spellbound. "Lina, thank you for being so good to me. I don't even know how to repay you!"
Lina's smile remained. "By scoring a goal, of course."
"Done! I'll definitely score in the match against Werder Bremen!" Ye Chen clenched his fist, full of determination.
With just two days until the match, Ye Chen focused on getting into peak condition.
The next day at training, Klopp organized an intra-squad practice match to evaluate everyone's form.
But the session... wasn't promising.
The state of the Dortmund squad was concerning. Many players who had just returned from international duty were clearly fatigued.
This was the infamous "FIFA Virus."
After all, this was the World Cup qualifiers phase, with everyone fighting for national glory.
Klopp couldn't simply bench these playersâit was about their countries' chances of making it to the World Cup.
The World Cup was a once-every-four-years spectacle, more significant than club honors.
To put it simply, playing for a club was work, while representing your country was an honor.
But Ye Chen's form was excellent. Especially with Lewandowski underperforming, Ye Chen's brilliance stood out even more.
On the sidelines, Klopp scrutinized his player list, visibly troubled.
Shinji Kagawa had played two intense matches and was dealing with jet lag. He hadn't even participated in training and was certain to miss the next game.
The European players were slightly better off without jet lag, but their stamina was still affected.
How should he set up the lineup?
Watching Ye Chen, who was tirelessly running and seemingly full of energy, Klopp hesitated briefly before placing his No. 16 jersey in the starting lineup.
His partner? No. 9, Robert Lewandowski.
In midfield, he lined up Sven Bender, Ä°lkay GündoÄan, and Mario Götze.
And the defense? A flat five.
Yes, Dortmund would play a 5-3-2 formation in the next match.
Solid defense and opportunistic counterattacks.
It was an away game, after allâthey needed to adopt a cautious approach.
Just then, Watzke walked over.
"You're just in time, Zeljko. Do you think Ye should start?" Klopp asked his assistant coach Buvac.
"Ye starting?" Buvac looked stunned. "Haven't you seen the latest news?"
"What news?"
"The interviews with Werder Bremen's defenders!"
"What happened? Pull up the interviews. Let me take a look!" Klopp said with interest.
Buvac tapped on his tablet, and several reports appearedâeach one featuring the latest updates about Ye Chen...