MTLNOVEL Chapter 25: 25.
Coach Carter's expression was as unreadable as stone.
With his no-nonsense attitude, he hadn't planned on giving Rust another chance.
But he could see that Rust had underestimated his opponent earlier and hadn't shown his full strength.
And this Chinese kid… played smart.
Either he had spent years playing football and had solid streetball experience, or he was simply gifted, a natural at using his brain on the field.
Carter was genuinely curious—if Rust went all out, how would this kid respond?
After a moment of silent contemplation, Carter finally spoke. "Alright, you get one more chance."
"Thank you, Coach!" Rust roared in excitement. "I knew you had my back! Chinese kid, this time you're dead. Completely, absolutely dead!"
Gu Ran smiled calmly.
He wasn't surprised at all that Carter had allowed a rematch.
In their first clash, he had relied on his past-life experience to outplay Rust.
And to be honest, he hadn't been entirely confident.
That first exchange had also been a test—he needed to know if his strength attribute was high enough to hold his ground.
Now?
Now, he was sure.
His strength stat was at 60—still a few points lower than Rust's—but he could already compete in terms of physical clashes.
And he still had one unassigned stat point.
Where to put it… that was the question.
Gu Ran was currently a blank slate as a player.
If he misallocated this point, he'd regret it later.
Early-game stat allocation was crucial.
In his past life, he had extensively researched the attributes required to become a professional player.
Generally, there were three main categories:
1. Physical Attributes – Strength, Endurance, Speed, Acceleration, Power, Agility, Balance, Jumping.
2. Technical Attributes – Vision, Crossing, Short Passing, Long Passing, Dribbling, Shooting, Ball Control, Free Kicks, Marking, Tackling, Positioning.
3. Mental Attributes – Anticipation, Composure, Creativity, Focus, Teamwork, Big-Match Temperament, Professionalism.
These values were not fixed.
Fatigue, injuries, stress, emotions, and adrenaline surges all affected these stats dynamically.
However, the system's stats represented his natural peak potential in normal conditions.
Right now, 60 in strength was passable, but his overall physical stats still needed work.
Technical and mental attributes could wait—his body had to be top-tier first.
After considering everything, the best choice was…
Power.
Power wasn't just about physical strength.
It affected:
Body clashes (crucial for defenders and forwards). Shot power (a major factor in goal-scoring). Pass strength (important for long passes and set-pieces).
With his Golden Right Foot: Precision Long Pass and Free Kick Mastery, increasing power would enhance both skills.
It was a fundamental stat, essential for defenders, midfielders, and strikers alike.
If Strength was about holding ground, then Power was about winning battles.
Gu Ran made his decision.
He willed the stat point into Power—and instantly, he felt his entire body tense with newfound strength.
His muscles tightened like steel cables.
Ding!
"Stat Point Assigned Successfully. Power has increased from 59 → 60."
Wait…
My past self had a Power stat of only 59?
Even after absorbing so many training sessions, he had barely reached that level?
That was bad.
It meant that his previous body was weaker than he thought.
No wonder he had lost in his past life.
But now, with Power at 60, he was finally at a passable level.
Still, he needed to collect more training bubbles—stat points were too slow.
After assigning the point, Gu Ran exhaled calmly and smiled.
"Let's get this over with, Rust. I have a date with Sophie tonight."
Rust burst into laughter. "You think that'll mess with my mentality? Do I look like a child to you? I don't care about Sophie anymore! That's her loss! I'm going after her best friend, Susanna! So go ahead, keep showing off with Sophie—I won't be distracted! To make sure I can win Susanna's heart, I have to beat you today!"
With that, Rust stormed back to the center circle.
This time, he didn't even wait—he just sprinted forward.
His acceleration was twice as fast as before.
For someone his size, this was an all-out sprint—burning stamina at an insane rate.
But Rust didn't care anymore.
He was putting everything into this charge!
The ground seemed to shake as he ran, like an actual tank rolling through the pitch.
Gu Ran didn't hesitate—he sprinted forward to intercept.
His past-life position was striker, meaning speed was one of his biggest strengths.
And now?
With his young body and his Messi-exclusive cleats, his grip, acceleration, and agility were at their peak.
The entire school team held their breath.
At the moment of impact, Gu Ran didn't even try to steal the ball.
Instead, he dropped his center of gravity and braced for collision.
No tackles.
No fancy footwork.
Just pure, brutal physicality.
This is a strength test.
Forget technique—just fight.
Gu Ran's blood boiled, adrenaline surging through his veins.
Muscles tightened, every fiber of his body filled with explosive power.
Rust also abandoned dribbling—he pushed forward with all his might.
BOOM!
Their bodies collided violently, both bouncing back before slamming into each other again.
It was raw, unfiltered physical combat.
Rust was still powerful—but Gu Ran was clever.
He kept his center of gravity lower, absorbing Rust's impact like a spring.
Rust's smug expression vanished.
His face twisted into disbelief.
Rust gritted his teeth and, in desperation, reached out to shove Gu Ran away.
Gu Ran swiftly parried the elbow, then exploded forward with full power.
Strength at 60.
Legal Shoulder Charge +1.
One Second of Absolute Dominance.
BOOM!
Rust flew backward.
Straight onto his ass.
The entire field fell silent.
A single second of raw strength.
A moment of pure, unstoppable force.
Rust sat on the ground, stunned, his entire body aching from the impact.
Gu Ran stood tall, hands on his hips, breathing steadily.
He looked down at Rust and said calmly—
"That's what real football feels like."
(To be continued.)