It was already noon after viewing the house. Declining his friend's lunch invitation, the family of three found a Western restaurant for a meal, then went to a supermarket to buy some daily necessities for Gao Nuo, and finally, Gao Yuan drove to a sporting goods store.
"There's no need to buy equipment; the club will provide everything," Gao Nuo couldn't help but say, watching Gao Yuan meticulously pick items.
Gao Yuan glared, "Are you going to stay at the club forever? Don't you know your own skill level? I specifically found you a house with a lawn; work harder yourself."
Gao Nuo was stunned, looking at his father, who was selecting professional training equipment, feeling a bit bewildered.
Xu Meiling poked her son's arm and whispered, "All your soccer equipment when you were little was bought by your dad. He knows all the training stuff inside out. Silly boy, you'll understand when you grow up."
...
At 5:00 PM, the family of three returned to Gao Nuo's new home and did some simple tidying.
In the evening, Xu Meiling cooked a big meal for her son. During dinner, the couple meticulously instructed Gao Nuo on every detail: he shouldn't be careless about life, he must eat well, drink well, and rest well; he shouldn't be lazy in training, he must stick to the career he chose, and he must also protect his body; he should contact them for anything...
At 10:00 PM, Gao Nuo lay on his new bed, stretching comfortably.
With his parents' support, Gao Nuo felt even more motivated. He first used a training card from the system to restore his condition, then opened the virtual stadium.
A magnificent soccer stadium appeared before Gao Nuo's eyes, with dazzling lights and stands full of spectators, somewhat resembling Old Trafford.
As if hearing Gao Nuo's thoughts, the system's voice rang out: "The virtual stadium is created based on the host's club stadium. host, please select the friendly match difficulty: Amateur, Expert, Legend."
Gao Nuo asked curiously, "What happens after I choose? Who will I play against? Will there be star players like Drogba?"
"This system will simulate and generate players for both teams based on the difficulty chosen by the host; no real players will appear."
Gao Nuo pouted, instantly losing interest. He had hoped for star players like Drogba to appear so he could learn from them. "Let me check my attributes."
"Gao Nuo Height: 192cm, Weight: 93kg Current Attributes: Ball Control: 8 Passing: 6 Shooting: 8 Positioning: 6 Ball Stopping: 6 Strength: 11 Stamina: 9 Speed: 13 Explosiveness: 15 Willpower: 18 Comprehension: 13 Maximum attribute value is 20. Other attributes are hidden and not accessible to the host."
Both Positioning and Comprehension had increased by one point; it seemed yesterday's match was very rewarding.
After some thought, Gao Nuo still chose the Amateur difficulty. After all, it was his first time playing, so it was better to be cautious.
"Amateur friendly match generating. It will officially start in 3 minutes. host, please prepare."
...
Standing on the virtual Old Trafford, Gao Nuo was somewhat excited. However, the 'generic faces' of his teammates and opponents quickly brought him back to reality. The system's face-sculpting was random at a glance.
He gave up on the idea of remembering his teammates and decided to just play by their jerseys.
"Beep—," the referee blew the whistle, and the match began.
With the realistic scenery and the roar of the crowd, Gao Nuo quickly got into the zone.
The Amateur difficulty was similar to the level of Manchester United U21, so Gao Nuo didn't find it easy.
In the 8th minute, Gao Nuo's first touch on the right wing was too heavy, sending the ball 10 meters away. However, relying on his explosiveness, he outran the opposing full-back, turning the poor first touch into a successful dribble past the opponent. Unfortunately, his shot after breaking into the penalty area flew over the crossbar and into the stands.
In the 17th minute, Gao Nuo attempted to dribble past an opponent but was cleanly dispossessed.
In the 20th minute, Gao Nuo played a one-two pass with a midfield teammate, then made a high-speed run down the right wing and delivered a cross, which was cleared by the opposing defender.
In the 35th minute, the opposing goalkeeper made a blunder, clearing the ball poorly. It was picked up by Gao Nuo's team's center-forward, who shot from the edge of the penalty area. The shot was parried by the goalkeeper, and Gao Nuo followed up to tap in the rebound into an empty net.
In the 43rd minute, Gao Nuo made an offside-beating diagonal run into the penalty area, received a through ball from a teammate, and shot without taking a touch. The ball hit the post and went into the goal.
At halftime, Gao Nuo had scored twice, leading his team 2:0 against the opponent.
During halftime, there was no locker room; instead, he returned to the virtual training ground.
Gao Nuo sat on the grass, reflecting on his first-half performance.
Although both sides had their attacks and defenses, Gao Nuo felt the match wasn't very intense. It seemed that, apart from himself, everyone else was just fulfilling tactical requirements, so he asked the system.
"Virtual players are data concretized; they lack emotion and creativity, but they will better execute the tactical requirements of the match. The higher the difficulty, the higher the ability values, the better the virtual players' physical qualities, the more accurate their passes, and the more precise their shots."
Gao Nuo wasn't surprised by the system's answer. It was just like in FIFA games: higher, faster, stronger...
After 15 minutes, Gao Nuo returned to the virtual pitch. After reflecting during halftime, Gao Nuo in the second half constantly demanded the ball from his teammates, practicing dribbling, positioning, and physical confrontations. In short, it was one word: "tough."
In the 62nd minute, Gao Nuo finally succeeded in dribbling past an opponent, making a beautiful dribble-and-run to the edge of the penalty area. He then passed horizontally to the middle, and an onrushing midfield teammate scored, making it 3:0.
By the 70th minute, Gao Nuo's stamina was depleted, so he started practicing ball control on the field. He didn't attempt to break through but just dribbled back and forth in front of defenders until the opponent pressed him tightly. Gao Nuo was dispossessed in a few touches, then he would ask for the ball again and continue practicing...
Ultimately, Gao Nuo's first "dungeon" ended with a score of 3:1, and Gao Nuo also received match rewards:
Scored two goals, 10 training cards
Assisted once, 2 training cards
Match victory, 10 training cards, 5 stamina potions
Gao Nuo checked his items: he still had 55 training cards and 15 stamina potions. He then asked the system, "Are the rewards better for higher difficulty friendly matches?"
"Friendly match goal reward: 5 training cards,
Assist reward: 2 training cards,
Match victory reward: 10 training cards, 5 stamina potions,
Match defeat reward: 2 training cards, 1 stamina potion.
The above are fixed rewards, regardless of match difficulty.
The higher the match difficulty, the greater the probability of obtaining other items, which include virtual coach cards and star player experience cards."
Gao Nuo's eyes lit up, "What are star player experience cards? Can I transform into a star player and participate in the match?"
The system poured a bucket of cold water on Gao Nuo's fantasy, "host, please note, this system is dedicated to helping the host achieve his dreams through his own efforts, not as a cheat!"
"A star player experience card allows the host to experience a match participated in by that star player from a first-person perspective. It can be used to learn how the star player handles the ball and improve the host's corresponding abilities."
Somewhat disappointed, Gao Nuo fell asleep while planning how to use his training cards.