Chapter 6: The Trivela God Descends
The week passed without Rony.
Training at Edward VII Park felt hollow without his sparring partner. José Semedo dropped by occasionally—a decent guy, but lazy. He'd call off their sessions just as Su Dong hit his rhythm, leaving the Chinese teen frustrated yet grateful for the company.
By mid-August, Portugal Sporting Club's new season loomed. When the youth team coach finally called to schedule his assessment, the man actually asked: "You're still in Portugal?"
Typical semi-pro chaos, Su Dong sighed.
A Call Home
The night before his trial, Su Dong called his parents.
"There's this coach, Pontes—customized my training! And Ronny, a new friend here... remember that name. He'll shock the world someday."
He omitted the shady academy, the third-division purgatory. Their sacrifices—selling furniture, borrowing from relatives—deserved hopeful lies.
After hanging up, he stared at the Lisbon moon.
Their only son. Their pride.
The weight pressed harder than any gym plate.
System Breakthrough
[Current Level: Ball II (Semi-Pro)]
[Next Level: Ball III(Pro) | Cost: 250,000 King Points]
"Why all these many tiers?" Su Dong frowned. But the system's next alert electrified him:
"Store System Unlocked!"
"First-Time Reward: [Star Player Ability Card] x1"
New Attributes (Painfully Specific Edition)
OFFENSE DEFENSE PHYSICAL
Passing: 38/57 Tackling: 31/52 Speed: 51/73
First Touch: 43/60 Marking: 27/48 Acceleration: 46/71
Dribbling: 45/61 Teamwork: 21/42 Strength: 37/50
Finishing: 47/64 Positioning: 23/45 Stamina: 44/69
Key Insights:
Speed Demon – His 51/73 speed potential could outrun Lisbon trams.
Glass Cannon – Strength (37/50) like wet newspaper.
Defensive Liability – That 21/42 teamwork score explained why Semedo called him "one-man offside trap."
The "Convenience Store From Hell"
The system store's rules glared at him:
NO DISCOUNTS
NO REFUNDS
NO COMPLAINING (We know where you sleep)
Notable Items:
"Red Bull Knockoff" (50 KP) – "Tastes like battery acid, makes you run like one."
"Titan Potion" (10,000 KP) – +20% strength for 2hrs (Side effects: Uncontrollable grunting).
"Mystery Star Player Card" – "His reward". The football equivalent of a gacha pull.
"250K for next level?!" Su Dong groaned. At this rate, I'll retire before unlocking 'Ball half-pro' or whatever.
The Card Reveal
He selected the shimmering card. It flipped to reveal:
[2006 - Ricardo Quaresma]
Trait: "Trivela God"
Effect: Outside-of-the-foot shots gain +15% accuracy permanently.
Su Dong's jaw dropped. Quaresma—the Portuguese wizard whose curlers defied physics.
Finally. Some goddamn magic.
Next Morning: Trial Day
Lisbon's dawn painted the training ground in gold. Su Dong tightened his laces, the Quaresma Card humming in his system interface.
Time to show these semi-pros what a cheat code looks like.
Chapter 7: Batigol AwakensStar Player Ability Cards: The Power to Borrow Greatness
The moment Su Dong entered the Star Player Ability Card section of the system store, his eyes locked onto one name:
Ronaldo.
His idol's cards dazzled like trophies in a museum—precision finishing, unstoppable dribbling, even the legendary "Elástico" stepovers. Each represented a sliver of the Brazilian phenomenon's genius.
But the system's fine print sobered him fast:
"Owning a card ≠ instant mastery. Your base stats determine its effectiveness."
For example:
Ronaldo's "Elástico" would flop without sufficient dribbling (45), agility (46), and acceleration (46).
At best, he'd bamboozle Sunday-league defenders before face-planting.
Worse, the pricing of these big techniques was brutal:
1st Card(Precision finishing): 100,000 King Points
2nd Card (Unstoppable dribbling): 250,000 KP
3rd Card (Elástico): 500,000 KP
"Robbery!" Su Dong hissed. The free Quaresma Trivela Card had been a fluke—a "grand opening" gift.
The Selection Dilemma
His Strengths:
Speed (51) – Like a budget Mbappé.
Finishing (47) – His second-best trait.
Weaknesses:
Strength (37) – Couldn't outmuscle a strong breeze.
Technical skills – First touch of a brick wall.
"I need immediate impact," he reasoned. "Goals = contracts. Contracts = staying in Europe."
The store's "striker" section unfolded like a football hall of fame:
Van Basten's volleys (Required: 80+ technique) → LOL no.
Romário's toe-pokes (Required: 90+ composure) → Maybe next life.
Batistuta's "BATIGOL" → "Violent, direct, and only needs 60 strength to activate!"
Decision made.
The BATIGOL Revelation
[System: BATIGOL Ability Card Activated!]
A surge of heat flooded Su Dong's veins—like swallowing a miniature sun. Suddenly, his right leg thrummed with dormant power.
"No fancy footwork. Just point and shoot."
Batistuta's philosophy suited him. The Argentine legend's game was raw fury:
Blast from outside the box? Check.
Turn-and-shoot under pressure? Check.
Zero dribbling required? Thank God.
Game Day: Trial by Fire
Location: Tapadinha Stadium (Portugal Sporting Club's moss-covered training ground)
Su Dong's Loadout:
3× Energy Tonics (10,000 KP) → Stamina boost
1× Titan Potion (10,000 KP) → +20% strength
1× "Red Bull Knockoff" (50 KP) → Tastes like regret
Coach Gorba's side-eye said it all: "This Chinese kid skipped training for a month. Waste of a roster spot."
Warm-Up Drills:
Passing:Mediocre (Blamed the grass)
Sprints:Mid-pack
Strength Test:"Did he just get pushed over by a 15-year-old?"
Gorba scribbled "REJECT" on his clipboard.
The Match: (Underdog's Revenge)
Team: Yellow Bibs (The "Disposable" Squad)
First Half:
Su Dong played decoy, conserving energy.
His teammates—a conspiracy of bad passes—ignored him.
Halftime Speech (Gorba):
"Yellow Team, you're playing like your boots are filled with cement. Especially you, Su."
Second Half (T-25 mins)
Titan Potion ingested. (Strength: 37 → 44)
First touch: A defender's clearance ricocheted to him at the edge of the box.
The Moment:
BATIGOL Activated.
His shot exploded off the laces—a howitzer that tore through the net like tissue paper. 1–0.
Gorba's clipboard snapped in half.
Final Whistle:
2 goals (Both BATIGOL screamers from 20+ yards)
3 defenders now walking with a limp
1 coach reciting Hail Mary's
Aftermath
Gorba: "Where the hell did that come from?!"
Su Dong (chugging Red Bull Knockoff): "Lisbon's tap water, sir."
Somewhere in Lisbon, Ronny feels a disturbance in the Force—like a million King Points being farmed at once.