“These ability stats are too low!”
“I’m shooting for the moon from an open goal.”
“Legendary difficulty is too hard, isn’t it?”
On June 3, 2022, in a dormitory at Luneng Football School in Shanbei Province, Huaguo, a young man with a bandaged left leg was grumbling as he played a game.
On the computer screen, a football player named Gao Nuo, wearing Manchester United’s number 77 jersey, stood with his hands on his hips, shaking his head.
This was the “Become a Legend” mode of a football game.
Gao Nuo, 18 years old this year, stood 192cm tall and weighed 98kg.
His physical talent was decent, but his technique was rough, and he couldn’t secure a starting position at the football school.
Although Gao Nuo loved football, he had to face reality.
He had already prepared to leave the football school and attend a sports university, hoping to find a job related to football in the future.
However, three days ago, he tore a ligament during training, so he could only recover from his injury first.
His teammates had all gone to train, and Gao Nuo was playing games alone in the dormitory to alleviate his anxiety, but his gaming skills were as rough as his football skills.
In the game on Legendary difficulty, Gao Nuo had been a substitute for Manchester United for a season, making 30 appearances but scoring only one goal, and the team kept losing.
“Sigh, it seems I really have no football talent; I can’t even dominate in a game!”
“Why is this dream so far away? I just want to play football well! I still have to give up in the end!”
Gao Nuo dejectedly put down the game controller.
During these three days of recovery, although he seemed carefree playing games, Gao Nuo was actually deeply distressed inside.
For several consecutive nights, he dreamt of himself freely galloping on the football field, scoring goal after goal, enjoying the game, enjoying the cheers of the fans—that feeling was truly wonderful.
Lost in thought, Gao Nuo drifted off to sleep in a daze.
“Beep!—Beep!—Beep!—Host detected to be on the verge of giving up, system activating.”
“Initiating host binding!”
“Triggering new timeline!”
“Entering parallel world!”
… … … …
“Gao Nuo! Get up quickly, you Kid! If you’re late for training, you’ll be eliminated, hurry up, hurry up!”
Gao Nuo, half-asleep, was startled awake by a shout and instinctively jumped out of bed to get dressed.
“Huh? Why doesn’t my leg hurt anymore? Can I train today?” Gao Nuo was putting on his clothes, looking bewildered, when Wang Xiaochuan kicked him in the butt, “Hurry up!”
Gao Nuo stumbled after Wang Xiaochuan to the training ground, and as soon as he stepped out of the room, he was dumbfounded. Manchester United logos were everywhere, and several foreign coaches and staff members passed by him.
Gao Nuo felt like he hadn’t woken up from his dream yet. He looked at Wang Xiaochuan beside him, thinking that his football school captain was truly taking care of him, even in his dream he didn’t forget to bring him along.
Wang Xiaochuan pulled Gao Nuo into the team and finally caught his breath. “Don’t just stand there. This is the last week of the trial camp, so perform well.”
“Captain, I’m about to leave football. Thank you for taking care of me all these years,” Gao Nuo murmured, looking at the football field beside him.
“Nonsense! It’s normal not to stay in Manchester. Let’s keep working hard when we go back! Why are you saying such disheartening things? Do you want that kid Zhao Dong to look down on you?” Wang Xiaochuan locked Gao Nuo’s neck and whispered to him.
Gao Nuo turned his head and indeed saw that annoying figure.
Zhao Dong, a typical rich second-generation, got into the football school team by paying money. His technique was terrible, his physique was poor, and the coach assigned him to play as a right-back.
It was said that after graduating from the football school, he would go home to open a football training club. There was no helping it; having money meant doing whatever one wanted.
Gao Nuo and Zhao Dong were arch-rivals. Gao Nuo’s previous leg injury was also caused by this guy’s extremely rough tackle, which ultimately went unpunished.
“Then don’t blame me.” Gao Nuo turned around, ready to give Zhao Dong a good beating. Since he appeared in his dream, he might as well vent his anger.
“Ding! System loaded. Host Gao Nuo, 18 years old, height 192cm, weight 98kg.”
“This system is ‘Never Give Up’.”
“The host’s dream is to become a football superstar.”
“‘Become a Legend’ mode has been activated for the host. The novice mission is as follows: Complete a professional football training session. The attribute panel will unlock at the end of the mission.”
“Mission reward: One Novice Gift Pack.”
… … … …
Wang Xiaochuan frowned, looking at Gao Nuo, who had suddenly stiffened. This kid was acting strangely today.
“System? Is this real?” Gao Nuo still felt like he was dreaming; it was too incredible.
“Yes, Host. To fulfill the host’s dream, a Manchester United trial camp has been specially created for you. Please work hard and seize this opportunity,” a mechanical voice sounded in Gao Nuo’s mind.
“So, my leg was also healed by the system?”
“Yes, the host’s body currently has no injuries.”
… …
Beep—beep—beep! A whistle blew, and a white coach walked to the sideline. “Lads, you have one more week. Whether you can stay in Manchester United’s academy depends on your performance. Now, start your warm-up run, 5 kilometers to begin!”
Beep—! Another whistle blew, and Gao Nuo came back to his senses, running with the team.
“What exactly is going on? Forget it, I’ll train first…” And so, Gao Nuo vaguely completed a training session.
Meanwhile, in the office, Manchester United assistant coach Mike Allen was reviewing the trial camp training reports.
“This Chinese kid named Gao Nuo is quite interesting.”
“With a height of 192cm, he can reach a top speed of 35km/h, and his physical confrontation is good. He’s also left-footed, but his technique is too rough.”
“Try to develop him into a right-winger? There are too few inverted right-wingers nowadays; good prospects are hard to find!”
“Let’s observe him further. Try to give this kid a chance.”
Mike Allen finished reviewing all the training reports. There were no outstanding players, as this training camp was merely a product of various collaborations; young players came to gain experience, with little chance of being retained.
After a moment of thought, Mike Allen called in the coach responsible for the trial camp. “Arrange a week of ball control training for that kid named Gao Nuo.”
The white coach said, puzzled, “That Chinese kid? His technique is too poor. They say he couldn’t even get a starting position at their football school. I don’t know how he ended up here.”
Mike Allen also felt helpless. “His technique is indeed terrible, but his physical qualities are good, especially his explosive power. Give him a chance. In a week, if his basic skills improve, we’ll offer him a youth contract. That’s settled, you can go now!”
The white coach shook his head and left the office, not believing at all that Gao Nuo would be able to stay.