Seeing the sparkling diamond treasure chest in his consciousness, Ye Chen didn't rush to open it.
Suppressing his excitement, he ran to the bathroom for a shower before sitting by his bed.
"System, open the diamond chest for me!"
Ye Chen took a deep breath and spoke to the system.
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for acquiring an SS-level skill: Beckham's Crescent Moon Free Kick!"
Ye Chen's pupils shrank instantly!
This... is this real?
A Crescent Moon Free Kick?
In an instant, Ye Chen's mind was flooded with the technical essentials and usage of the Crescent Moon Free Kick.
Images of Beckham scoring from free kicks flashed repeatedly in his head.
To be honest, if there's anyone underrated in football, Ye Chen's first thought is always Beckham.
Sometimes, being handsome feels like a disadvantage because people assume his success comes from his looks alone!
Sigh, Ye Chen could relate!
When he first joined Manchester United, fans mocked him: "Other than being handsome, he's useless!"
But now, those voices have quieted down. Besides being handsome, he's become a deadly shooter!
Volley shots!
Curved strikes from the edge of the box!
Long-range lobs from midfield!
Ye Chen's scoring methods were diverse.
And now, apart from the accidental knuckleball free kick he once struck, he gained a real free kick skillâ
Beckham's Crescent Moon Free Kick!
Actually, Ye Chen had hit a Crescent Moon Free Kick beforeâhis corner kick that curved directly into the goal!
But Ye Chen knew that wasn't his true skill level. It was just an extraordinary performance triggered by the "Guaranteed Long-Range Goal" card.
Like that 35-meter knuckleball he once scoredâif you asked him to do it again, it wouldn't happen!
But now, things were different!
A trembling heart and shaking hands!
Ye Chen opened his attribute panel, and sure enough, the SS-level upgrade brought shocking changes to his stats!
The Crescent Moon Free Kick boosted three attributes.
No, to be precise, it was an overwhelming transformation!
The most noticeable was his curve stat.
It jumped from 70 to 85!
The number turned bright orange!
Next was his set-piece ability.
Previously, his shot power and accuracy had raised his free kick stat to 75.
Now, it surged directly to 85!
Yes!
Double 85s!
That was undeniably terrifying!
But besides those, one more attribute had an upward arrowâ
Crossing!
Simply put, his crossing ability!
His previous crossing stat was 69, but now it skyrocketed to 80!
Hiss...
One SS-level skill raised his attributes by a total of 36 points!
"System, aren't you afraid I'll become unbeatable?" Ye Chen asked.
"The host's rewards are earned through effort. P.S: The system only fears the host won't become unbeatable."
Ye Chen's mouth twitched...
This system was outrageous!
But Ye Chen quickly responded, "If you're not afraid of me being unbeatable, why not give me more points? Beckham's Crescent Moon Free Kick at just 85 curve? Why not 99?"
"Friendly reminder: SS-level skills adjust stats to meet the minimum requirements for the skill, not a perfect display! If the host wants to perfectly replicate or surpass Beckham's Crescent Moon Free Kick, it will require personal effort."
"Surpass Beckham? Are you joking? He's the free kick king!"
"The player with the most free kick goals in football history is Juninho Pernambucano, with 77 goals. Even Pelé scored seven fewer."
"So, Juninho is the true free kick king?"
"I didn't say that."
"What about Beckham?"
"The host can look it up online."
Fine, you system! Ignoring me now!
Ye Chen quickly pulled out his phone. Beckham ranked fifth. Ahead of him were Juninho, Pelé, Ronaldinho, and Koeman.
Ronaldinho and Koeman both had 66 goals, while Beckham had 65âfifth place!
Behind Beckham were Maradona and Zico tied for sixth, Koeman in eighth with 60 goals, and Carioca and goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni tied for ninth with 59 goals!
No Messi or Ronaldo!
Yet Ye Chen clearly remembered Ronaldo's knuckleballs and Messi's dipping free kicks.
Even legends like Del Piero and Pirlo didn't make the list...
Phew...
If Ye Chen started now, could he surpass Juninho?
"System, how many free kick goals have I scored so far?"
"Two!"
"Only two?" Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. That meant he needed 75 more!
"Forget I said anything!"
That kind of ambition wasn't realistic!
"Ding! A long-term task has been issuedâscore 78 free kicks within ten years. Successful completion will randomly max out three attributes!"
Hiss...
System, you're ruthless!
Luckily, there was no punishment.
It was just a bonus task.
Lying in bed, Ye Chen kicked his feet in the air... Klopp definitely needed to witness his free kick skills.
That was the only way to take over free kick duties!
Phew...
Time to sleep. Tomorrow, he'd find a chance to show off!
...
Early the next morning, Ye Chen drove his Volvo to the training ground.
"Isn't that Mitchell? You're here early!" Ye Chen greeted Miglak as he stepped out of his car.
Miglak had a small moment of fame during their last German Cup match.
Since the opponent only had one shot the entire game, Miglak was photographed crouching at the center circle, watching the attack unfold. The photo went viral with the caption:
"Dortmund's goalkeeper watches his team attack from the center circle."
Miglak nodded. "I wanted to train and improve my reaction speed."
Ye Chen's eyes lit up. "Perfect timing! I want to practice free kicks. How about it?"
"Free kicks won't improve my reaction speed, though."
"Then let's start with penalties?" Ye Chen compromised.
"Alright!" Miglak smiled. "Thanks, Ye! I appreciate the extra practice."
"No problem! I need penalty practice too!" Ye Chen grinned.
Penalty kicks? My favorite!