"Rusty Stripe—get over here!"
Coach Carter's stern shout echoed across the training field.
Though they were called Rusty Stripe, every player on the field shivered at the sound.
"Coming, Coach..." Rusty Stripe responded swiftly, jogging over confidently.
Before Coach Carter could speak, Rusty Stripe preemptively said, "Coach, regardless of what you heard that Asian kid say earlier, I can explain it! Initially, I wanted to do something to him, but I didn't in the end. Because I'm a reasonable person! I know this is a crucial time for our school team, and how vital my role as the main central defender is, so even though I was furious, I didn't fight."
Julian watched Rusty Stripe silently, amused.
Coach Carter frowned and exclaimed, "Who the hell asked you that? Hold on, what? You almost started a fight?"
Rusty Stripe looked at Julian, surprised. "You're not reporting me?"
Julian shrugged calmly, "I won't report you. We'll sort it out between us."
The look on Rusty Stripe's face was peculiar, but he quickly regained his cocky demeanor. "Hmpf, don't think I'll let you off just because you didn't file a complaint."
Julian barely contained his laughter.
Coach Carter interrupted, irritated. "Alright, alright! I don't have time for your squabbling here! Rusty, listen up. This Asian kid wants to join our school team—"
"What?" Rusty Stripe's eyes widened in shock, and he bellowed, "I don't agree!"
Carter kicked Rusty Stripe's butt. "What's it to you? Whether I agree or not is my decision! Now, we're going to have a one-on-one test between you, the main central defender, and this Asian kid!"
"Hahaha!" Rusty Stripe was overjoyed, "Asian boy! You're just asking for it!"
Julian was unfazed by Rusty Stripe's banter. "Isn't 'Rusty Stripe' your nickname?"
"How can a mighty warrior like me have just one nickname?" Rusty Stripe said proudly, "My true nickname is 'Human Tank'!"
Julian remained unintimidated. "Your insults are just childish."
The flesh on Rust Strip's face twitched, and he glared at Julian with a fierce look in his eyes. "How is it? Are you too scared to face me one-on-one? Look at you, with your tiny arms and legs! I can crush you with a simple nudge!"
Julian's remark had no impact on Rusty Stripe, who took his time to process it. "What do you mean? You're thicker than me in just one spot?"
Finally understanding, Rusty Stripe was momentarily speechless.
"Enough!" Coach Carter put a stop to the banter, "In this test, Rusty, you start with the ball at the center circle and take it to the penalty area line. If you succeed, you win. Julian, your job is to defend and intercept. If you get the ball back and kick it over the halfway line, you win. Got it?"
Both Julian and Rusty Stripe nodded in unison. "Understood."
The rules of this adversarial test are quite simple, but the simplicity of the rules only serves to test their true skills more effectively.
Coach Carter said to Rusty Stripe once more, "Rusty Stripe, don't you dare embarrass the Bucks Steel Horns if you lose. You'll have to do a hundred leapfrogs!"
Rusty Stripe immediately puffed out his chest and tapped it, saying, "Coach! Don't worry! How can I lose as a human tank?!"
Carter spoke in a deep voice, "Alright, I'll give you five minutes to prepare."
After finishing speaking, Carter picked up the tactical board that had been broken on the ground, sat in the seat beside the field, and studied it seriously: "Can this thing still be fixed...Orin, that dog!"
Rusty Stripe turned to Julian with a smile, "I never thought you'd want to join the school team. Did you come here just to stir up trouble?"
Julian smiled calmly, "No, I really want to join the school team."
Rusty Stripe grinned and said, "Great, because I'll show you right away that you're not cut out for it! You said the day before yesterday that you've never played football before, and today you want to join the school team? Do you think our bucks and Steel Horns are here for the taking? Look at you, with those skinny arms and legs; I could knock you down with one hit! And those shoes! Are you planning to play in casual shoes? This isn't golf, you know! With just that pair of shoes, I can crush your bones with one kick! When the time comes, don't you dare cry!"
Julian smiled and replied, "Thank you for reminding me. If you hadn't told me, I might have forgotten to put on my new football shoes."
With that, Julian calmly set down his sports backpack and took out a brand-new pair of Messi special-edition football shoes from the bag.
This pale gold sneaker is a perfect match with the natural grass!
Upon seeing the sneaker, the muscles on Rusty Stripe's face immediately tensed up, and his eyes lit up with excitement at the sight of Messi's special football boots.
Rusty Stripe licked his lips, "Are these the extremely expensive Messi F10 TRX FG football boots?"
Julian remained composed, "Is it expensive? It's just 1999 pounds."
"What did you say? Just?!" Rusty Stripe's facial muscles quivered in disbelief.
Though Southampton High School is a private institution, it is not an aristocratic school like King's College, Eton College, or Westminster College, so £1999 is definitely not a small sum for a student like Rusty Stripe.
Rusty Stripe had initially planned to work at his father's car wash after the national cup game to save up enough money to buy this pair of shoes.
Result...
Before Rusty Stripe could even start saving, Julian had already acquired them—no, he had them!
Rusty Stripe looked at the soccer shoes in Julian's hand with envy, "Can I...touch them?"
Julian smiled politely, "Of course...you can't."
Rusty Stripe clenched his fists in frustration and ground his teeth, "Fake! You think you're so clever! This must be a counterfeit product! I'm going to take you down today, kid!"
After speaking, Rusty Stripe stormed angrily to the midfield to prepare for the upcoming match.
"Detecting 52 points of negative emotion from Chris Dick, system bubbles are being generated..."
A fully formed white bubble appeared at the spot where Rusty Stripe had been standing moments ago!
bubbles?
Julian, now wearing his leg guards, socks, and shoes, calmly approached the white bubbles.
While donning his leg guards, socks, and shoes, Julian carefully approached and touched the white bubbles.
The white bubbles burst vividly, transforming into a beam of light that seamlessly integrated into Julian's body.
"The host has acquired the results from the ordinary bubbles: special strength training + 10 hours. Today's pick-up progress is 3/10," the system announced.
Julian felt invigorated as a surge of energy filled his body, a clear indication of the intense training he had endured.
He contemplated the message: "Football training results are only applicable to football attributes and cannot be transferred to other skills or performance."
However, the direct talent points obtained by interacting with Sophie were versatile, capable of enhancing any skill or attribute of his choice.
After a brief deliberation, Julian decided to hold onto the talent point for the time being. With 100 hours of special training completed, he had earned a talent point, but he wasn't yet certain where to allocate it.
Strength, valued at 60 points, should suffice for the high school amateur league, he thought. If he encountered difficulties facing the Rusty Stripe, he could always add some points as needed.
Adding points was a straightforward mental process, devoid of any additional implications.
Moreover, temporarily enhancing his abilities might yield unforeseen outcomes.
Julian swiftly put on his socks and shoes, performed a set of basic warm-up exercises, and then confidently jogged into the arena.
Rusty Stripe arrogantly placed his foot on the soccer ball, his arms folded across his chest, positioned at the center of the field.
The surrounding players from the other school's team paused their training to gather around the middle circle, eagerly anticipating the unfolding event.
Coach Carter set aside the damaged tactical board and checked his watch, "Whenever you're ready, you two can start."