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Seeing the white bubbles dropped by his teammates, Gu Ran didn't hesitate—he collected them remotely with his mind.

Free gains felt amazing.

And after figuring out the system's mechanics, it was getting easier and easier.

This round, Gu Ran collected:

4 stamina training results 3 strength training results 2 sprint training results

A total of 9 white bubbles.

Just one more and he could automatically exchange for a talent point.

But Gu Ran wasn't in a rush.

Sure, collecting 10 football training results for an automatic talent point was great—but there was something even better.

Gu Ran deliberately saved his last collection attempt of the day for Anne.

Anne's depression wasn't going to be cured in a day or two.

Which meant… for the foreseeable future, Gu Ran could easily collect a perfect talent point bubble from her every day.

Even though he felt bad for her…

He was still going to collect it.

At the very least, he would treat her well, make her lots of desserts, and "gently" manipulate her emotions.

Yes, I'm doing this for her own good…

Gu Ran suddenly felt like he really understood Coach Carter now.

Morning Training – Pure Stamina Torture

The morning session focused entirely on stamina training.

In football, stamina is king.

Especially for a team like the Southampton Bucks.

They weren't particularly skilled, their teamwork wasn't exceptional, and some players weren't even good enough for their positions.

But they had two things going for them:

Coach Carter's absolute control over the locker room. Superior stamina in the second half of matches.

For weaker teams, these two factors were crucial.

If everyone followed the coach's strategy, the team could move as one.

If they held out against stronger teams in the first half, they could win by outlasting them in the second half.

After their comeback victory against the seemingly invincible Golden Fleece, the Bucks fully embraced this strategy.

Under Coach Carter's personal supervision, the entire team collapsed in exhaustion.

Except for Gu Ran.

He was perfectly fine.

65 stamina points, combined with daily use of the liquid nitrogen cryo-chamber and sauna, meant he never had to worry about stamina.

But this wasn't just about stamina anymore.

His mindset had changed.

His cohabiting partner was Anne Hathaway.

Sure, she was going through her lowest period—but even at rock bottom, she was still Hollywood royalty.

To be worthy of Anne Hathaway, he had to work harder.

To become a football superstar that made the whole world stand up, he had to start now.

Push, push, push!

The thought of Anne looking up at him with admiration made Gu Ran's blood boil as he sprinted like a madman across the field.

Coach Carter, watching from the sidelines, smiled like a proud father.

"This kid… he's finally on the right path."

"Clearly, it's all because of my excellent coaching… I truly am amazing."

Coach Carter was very pleased with himself.

Extra Training – Becoming a Dead Ball Specialist

After the morning stamina training, Gu Ran stayed behind to practice free kicks.

Since he was the team's primary set-piece taker for both direct free kicks and left-sided corners, he needed to live up to that role.

With his signature skill, Curving Blade, free kicks would be one of his main weapons.

Besides…

As a fullback, is it really too much to aim for the Golden Boot?

So he trained even harder.

Coach Carter was even more impressed.

The Whole Team Starts Suffering

With Gu Ran as a comparison, Coach Carter looked at the rest of the main squad… and got pissed off.

He immediately launched into a verbal assault:

"If I dug my grandmother out of her grave, she'd play better than you!"

The starting players were miserable.

They didn't dare talk back.

And so… they were forced to keep up with Gu Ran.

"Damn it, why is Gu training like a lunatic after this break?!" "Yeah! It's like he's injected with steroids! I'm giving it my all and I still can't keep up!" "Wait… do you think he's doing this to punish us for spending so much of his money at the bar?" "…Should we just give the money back?" "Refund? Hell no, I'm against it!" "But if he keeps training like this, we're gonna die…"

The Bucks squad was in complete despair.

Afternoon Training – The Ultimate Trap

The afternoon session focused on passing drills.

The main squad finally relaxed.

"Phew, passing drills! That's not physically demanding. Finally, a break!"

…Or so they thought.

Gu Ran turned passing practice into sprint drills.

Every time he passed the ball, he sprinted into open space.

He single-handedly upgraded a simple drill into a high-intensity dynamic passing exercise.

The main squad was shell-shocked.

Coach Carter? He was ecstatic.

"Yes! YES! That's how you train! To reach the quarterfinals, we have to push ourselves! Everyone, follow Gu Ran's example! Sprint with every pass!"

The starting players were horrified.

But they had no choice—they were forced to follow.

For the next 90 minutes, even the team's best athlete, Bread, was nearly puking.

"…Okay, we really should refund him." "Yeah, it's just 2,000 pounds. Not worth dying over." "…Agreed. But I only have three pounds on me." "…"

During a break, they scraped together 2,000 pounds and gave it to Bread.

Bread walked over to Gu Ran, who was still practicing free kicks.

"Gu… uh… about that bar tab. We're really sorry. We didn't mean to spend that much of your money. We're all brothers, right? Please don't be mad."

Gu Ran looked confused. "Bread, what are you talking about?"

Bread hurriedly explained, "I know this isn't enough, but this is all we have right now. We'll gather the rest tomorrow—"

Gu Ran waved his hand dismissively.

"What are you even saying? I told you—I was treating you all. If anything, I thought you guys were being too polite and spent too little! Now get out of my way, I'm trying to practice."

Bread walked back, looking defeated.

"…So?"

"…We're doomed. He's not even thinking about the money. He's just dead set on making us suffer."

"Sh*t! This is all Rusty's fault! If he hadn't tried to open a beer bottle with his eyelid, we wouldn't have spent so much!"

"Yeah! Blame Rusty!"

"Get him!"

"Wait, what?! It's your fault for making me do it! AHH—"

The squad tackled Rusty to the ground and beat the hell out of him.

The Third Round of Grinding

After team practice ended, the main squad was ready to leave.

But then…

Gu Ran raised his hand.

"Coach, I'd like to stay and practice set-pieces for another hour."

The entire squad froze.

Coach Carter nodded approvingly.

"Good! Everyone should learn from Gu Ran! This is the Bucks' fighting spirit! This is our hunger to win!"

"Bucks, fight till the end!"

The exhausted players muttered weakly, "…Bucks, fight till the end…"

And just like that, they were forced into another round of extra training.

After an extra hour of practice, the players fled the training ground like their lives depended on it.

Gu Ran took a shower and climbed over the campus wall again to leave.

Back at the villa, he peeked through the door—

Anne was kneeling on the floor, scrubbing again.

She was wearing a black, form-fitting dress.

Her figure was stunning.

And when she arched her back slightly—

Damn.

"Ding~"

…

(End of chapter.)

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