The next morning, the sun was shining brightly as it rose early. Julian woke up and prepared a large, nutritious breakfast for himself, remembering Teacher Maria's advice to pay attention to nutrition. His meal included a tall glass of whole milk, two hard-boiled eggs, and a substantial serving of instant pork, celery, and corn-filled wontons. Although the price of the instant wontons at the local Asian supermarket was significantly higher than in Asia, their authentic taste was well worth it.
As soon as the aroma of the heated wontons filled the kitchen, Sophie descended the stairs with a weary expression.
"Good morning, Sophie!" Julian greeted her cheerfully.
The previous night, Julian had nodded off while trying to communicate with Sophie's talent point, which left him feeling slightly disappointed. Nevertheless, he thought she must have enjoyed herself, as she was spared from doing push-ups during the night.
"Don't talk to me!" Sophie bellowed, her voice powerful enough to shake the house.
Julian blinked, taken aback by her sudden outburst.
Could it be because I didn't text her last night?
Surely not! Sophie should be happy I didn't bother her with push-ups again.
Or maybe she found out about my little encounter with Suzanne?
But that was nothing! It was just holding hands, and Suzanne was the one who started it!
Ah, the complexities of a 17-year-old girl's mind are truly unfathomable.
Julian decided to confront the situation head-on, clearing his throat before speaking. "Sophie, I can explain... I really have nothing to do with Suzanne."
Sophie had already stomped past him but froze at his words. She whipped around, her eyes a mix of shock and anger. "What? So, you're saying that you and Susanna have something to hide from me!"
Panic set in!
Julian realized that his secret was out. "No, nothing like that, really! Susanna and I are just friends. It's all a misunderstanding!"
Sophie's rage grew, and she tried to yank her arm from his grasp. "You expect me to believe that? After you've been hiding it from me!"
Julian tightened his grip, trying to calm her down. "Sophie, you have to calm down. This isn't worth getting so upset over... Besides, it's your chair!"
With a furious snarl, Sophie flung the chair aside and stormed out of the room, tears streaming down her face.
At the age of 17 plus 32 soul age, Julian still couldn't fathom why she was crying.
It's obviously just a facade, a relationship for the sake of appearance, performed for the benefit of others.
Could it be that Sophie is actually feeling real emotions?
But Sophie remained silent...
If she doesn't tell me, how am I supposed to know?
Am I overthinking this?
Julian's thoughts were interrupted by a familiar system notification echoing in his mind:
"Detecting 100 negative emotion points from Sophie Turner. System bubbles are being generated..."
Oh ho!
Julian felt a sudden rush of delight!
Even though I missed some opportunities last night, I made up for it early this morning!
Sophie is truly amazing!
Regardless of the motive behind it, being so influential over Sophie is certainly an advantage!
Sophie, you are my golden goose!
As a perfect red talent bubble emerged from Sophie's feet, Julian could no longer contain his excitement and took the chance to kiss her pretty face!
Sophie was momentarily stunned, her beautiful light blue eyes wide with a mix of confusion, panic, and surprise.
...Impulsive.
Julian's scalp tingled slightly.
My body is still too young after all! The desire is overwhelming!
The impulsive action was beyond my conscious control!
But it's not my body's fault, quite the contrary, it shows how robust it is.
But how do I explain this to Sophie?
Should I say: Sophie, I'm actually a reincarnated soul, and my body and spirit haven't fully aligned yet?
Or perhaps: Sophie, even though I grabbed your chest earlier and kissed you without consent today, deep down, I'm a good person...
No, that's not it!
It's too much of a mess, and now she'll surely be enraged. She was ready to attack with a chair earlier, now she might opt for a knife!
"...Smelly brat!" Sophie spun around, covered her face, and dashed out of the house.
Oh no?
I can't help but feel that Sophie is a tad shy...
Julian clenched his fists and stomped his feet, "...what a mess!"
Julian chose not to pursue Sophie, after all, he still had the task of collecting perfect bubbles. Moreover, even if he managed to catch up with her, Julian was at a loss for words when it came to talking to girls. Picking up girls was definitely not his strong suit! For now, he decided to set aside thoughts of Sophie and focus on finding a way to charm the little girl later.
Julian gently nudged a perfect bubble with his foot, causing the vibrant red sphere to burst spectacularly into a shower of light. It then seamlessly merged with his body.
"The host has acquired a talent point from the perfect bubble, and the collection progress is 1/10 for today."
"Haha, cool!" Julian exclaimed.
It seemed the precious talent point wasn't so hard to obtain after all.
Andrew and Sally emerged from their room, looking somewhat bewildered.
"What happened?" Andrew asked.
Julian feigned nonchalance, "Oh, it's nothing, Uncle Andrew, Aunt Sally. I'm just leaving for school." He dashed out the door before they could respond.
Andrew looked at the uneaten breakfast on the table and chuckled, "Let me also try the breakfast prepared by foreigners..."
Julian jogged all the way to school. He was not in a rush to allocate the talent points he had earned before.
During morning classes, he took his time to carefully examine the point addition strategy. Adding points is a crucial decision, especially in the early stages of development when one's attributes are weak. It requires extensive knowledge and experience in football to plan the most suitable approach.
Luckily, Julian had a 12-year head start in football knowledge and experience compared to the rest of the world. Initially, he decided to focus on improving his physical attributes. While technical and mental attributes are important, he believed they could be enhanced later, closer to the time when he would join a professional club.
Physical attributes are the foundation of a player's skills, including strength, physique, speed, explosive power, flexibility, balance, jumping ability, and stamina.
Julian's known stats were 60 for strength and 60 for physique.
The values of other sub-attributes had not been activated yet, so he could only guess based on the data from his physical exam.
For instance, physique is a measure of a player's susceptibility to injury. A lower physique score increases the likelihood of injury and makes recovery more challenging. Some players are born with a natural advantage in this area.
Looking at his test results from the day before, Julian concluded that his physical condition should be considered good, though not necessarily exceptional.
Professionally speaking, physical fitness is vital. Many potential stars with the caliber of Messi or Ronaldo have seen their careers derailed by injuries. Julian estimated his physique to be above the average threshold of 60 points.
At this stage, as a high school amateur, Julian knew he would only be a substitute player and not the main target of opponents. Thus, having a qualified level of physical fitness was sufficient for now.
Just as he was about to delve deeper into his thoughts, a small pink note landed on his desk. "What the heck?" he exclaimed.