Chapter 2

Suddenly, a strange phenomenon occurred. The interface of the football simulation game that Chen Yu had just been playing did not close; instead, it instantly transformed into a golden world. A line of peculiar text appeared, and then the screen changed again. A character with a large head and a small body, resembling an alien, appeared in the golden world. After babbling in an incomprehensible language, the screen paused. A few seconds later, the golden world and the small figure reappeared.

"Welcome to the Far Horizon Football Star Training Company, I am the No. 1 Football Spirit, serving you... Star Formation System activated..."

Chen Yu was instantly stunned because the strange figure was speaking Chinese. He couldn't help but ask, "What are you? Why are you speaking Chinese?"

"I am the football spirit of Far Horizon Company. Chinese is the result of my inspection within the computer. You are most proficient in this language."

"Ah! You can answer me?"

"Yes, I am the intelligent football spirit Kramstedktonwidenfira, but you can call me the great Kofi."

Chen Yu felt as if he had traveled through time, encountering such a miraculous event. He pinched his thigh, and it hurt, confirming that he wasn't dreaming. He asked almost trembling, "What did you mean by the Star Formation System?"

"The Star Formation System is a rapid star training system developed by Far Horizon Company. It can turn an ordinary person into a star in the shortest time... Ah! Sorry, very sorry, due to the excessive energy stimulation during the USB activation, most of the system's content is damaged..."

Chen Yu, hearing about the Star Formation System, thought of the competitive novels he had read online, where a certain otaku, after playing a game and getting a CD, became the coach of Real Madrid. He thought a miracle had happened to him, but now, hearing that the system was damaged, he became furious, "Damn, are you playing with me!"

"Sorry, dear customer, I am not playing with you. Far Horizon Company is a reputable company. We have been developing star training software for the football world for over two hundred years. Although this system is damaged, you can return it, and the company will replace it for free."

Chen Yu suddenly understood what had happened. The USB was activated by a ball of lightning, which had too much energy and damaged the USB. But a free replacement? That wouldn't do. Who knew if it would be sent again, and even if it was, it might not be activated by another ball of lightning. This thing was clearly very peculiar.

"Replacement? Forget it, it's too much trouble. I'm not one who likes trouble. Can it be repaired?"

"The self-repair program is also damaged. It needs to be sent back to the company for repair."

"Then how many functions are still usable?" Chen Yu was not giving up.

"The Star Awareness Training System is still usable."

"What is the Star Awareness Training System? What does it do?"

"The Star Awareness Training System collects and organizes the awareness of players from the past five hundred years of football history, divided into four levels and twelve categories, from low to high. Level 1: Professional Player Level, Level 2: Star Level, Level 3: Superstar Level, Level 4: Ball King Level. Each level is further divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Customers can temporarily possess the awareness of a star by binding to a level that matches their ability and mental level. However, because these stars' awareness carries a bit of their soul's imprint, the bound star cannot exceed the customer's overall quality by more than five times, and the daily usage time cannot exceed two hours, otherwise, there might be side effects."

"What kind of side effects?" Chen Yu asked quickly.

"Light side effects can cause temporary confusion of awareness, and severe side effects might result in the customer's body being controlled by the residual soul of the star. This is the biggest problem with our software, but as long as you follow the procedures strictly, there won't be any unexpected issues."

Chen Yu thought for a moment. If he really sent it back, he didn't know if this peculiar thing could be delivered again, and even if it was, it might not be activated by another ball of lightning. This Star Awareness Card, though flawed, was still quite good. If he could obtain the awareness of the greatest star in history, he would be set. Even if he couldn't become a super star, becoming a professional player would be better than washing dishes and being a ball boy here.

Chen Yu made up his mind, "I don't want to replace it; it's too much trouble. I'll use this USB. I think what I lack most is awareness. Can you see what level of star I can bind to?"

"There are standards for player ability and mental levels. I will scan your data to see which level of star you can bind to..."

A set of data appeared on the screen:

Body: Height: 178 cm, Weight: 70 kg, Muscle Type: Red Muscle; Nerve Type: Flexible; Explosive Power: 32, Speed: 40, Strength: 40, Balance: 50, Agility: 72, Flexibility: 70, Reaction: 37, Jump: 45, Endurance: 26.

Technical: Passing: 30, Ball Control: 50, Dribbling: 40, Receiving: 20, Set Pieces: 50, Shooting: 40, Tackling: 20, Marking: 10.

Awareness: Creativity: 60, Positioning: 50, Attention: 40, Coordination: 30, Breakthrough: 30, Imagination: 70, Prediction: 40.

Mental: Adaptability: 54, Winning Desire: 46, Pressure Resistance: 40, Stability: 24, Aggressiveness: 40, Influence: 30, Courage: 60, Decision-making: 70.

"... Ah... Unfortunately, your ability does not match any level of player. Forcing a bind will result in side effects. You need to improve your ability."

"Improve ability and mental strength?! How long will it take?"

"Sorry, it's hard to determine because the training system program is missing."

Chen Yu was frustrated. Even with a miraculous encounter, there were so many complications. He gritted his teeth. If there were side effects, so be it. He would choose the lowest level and deal with the ghosts tomorrow.

Suddenly, the football spirit spoke again, "Let's try the amateur level. I will scan..."

"Amateur level? Fine, let's go with the amateur level." Chen Yu smiled bitterly. He had played in the second division, so how could Chinese football be so bad?

"Congratulations, the amateur level version matches your ability and mental level. Now, please choose the player awareness you like."

The screen displayed a dense list of names and portraits, along with brief descriptions of their abilities and awareness.

Chen Yu searched for Chinese players in the forward category. After a long search, he finally found one, Hao Dong. Chen Yu was shocked. Hao Dong was known as the best forward in China, and some media even hailed him as the best forward in Asia. He never thought that here, he would be just an amateur level. What a tragic state of Chinese football.

Chen Yu chose Hao Dong. The computer immediately prompted: "You have chosen the forward Hao Dong. Do you want to bind?"

"Bind!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Chen Yu felt a jolt in his body, and his vision darkened. It seemed as if something had been added to his mind, and the world felt different. He stretched his foot to kick a ball, and it felt very obedient, without the previous stiffness and awkwardness.

"Wow! It really feels different."

Chen Yu was eager to see how much he had changed after binding to the star's awareness. Although Hao Dong was only an amateur level in this system, in Chen Yu's eyes, he was already an enviable existence.

It was still night, so he couldn't go out to play football. Chen Yu decided to play the football simulation game to see if there were any changes. Although the game wasn't real football, a player's football awareness played a significant role in the game. All football game enthusiasts are fans, but a professional player playing a football game is definitely different from a non-player. Completing a series of actions in an instant relies on both awareness and operation speed. With the same hand speed, a professional player's awareness is definitely stronger than that of an average fan.

Opening the game interface, he chose the World Cup mode with the Chinese team, at the six-star expert level. He usually lost more often than he won against the computer at this difficulty, but today, things were different. When controlling Hao Dong, he always found himself in the best position to shoot, passing the ball to places he never thought of, and his hand speed seemed faster. His goal-scoring rate increased significantly, and he quickly won the championship. Chen Yu suspected it was a super performance, but after playing a few more games, the results were the same, with high scores. Chen Yu believed that the Star Awareness Training System was indeed effective. He used to be mostly beaten by the computer at this difficulty, but now he could easily defeat the Brazilian team.

"I want to play football, I want to become a professional player." Chen Yu was overjoyed. Although he hadn't traveled through time, a miracle had finally happened. At the lowest point in his life, the heavens had favored him, giving him a USB that allowed him to realize his football dream.

Chen Yu didn't intend to use the system to train his football awareness, although it could train a player's awareness. Forming football awareness takes time and many matches. He was already 23 years old and didn't have the time to train slowly. He wanted to use the system to cheat. Although he could only bind to a star's awareness for 100 minutes a day, that was enough. A match without extra time is 90 minutes. As long as he bound to a star's awareness and combined it with his professional training, he could compete with professional players. Even if he couldn't join the top five leagues, playing in a second division team like Siena should be no problem. He was a ball boy and often watched matches, understanding the level of the Italian second division, which was similar to the Chinese Super League. Even if it was a bit stronger, it was still at the same level. As his ability improved, he could bind to higher-level stars, and then perhaps playing in the top five leagues wouldn't be a dream.

Lying in bed, looking at the ceiling, Chen Yu couldn't sleep. His mind was extremely excited, with a hint of unease. Everything that happened tonight was too fantastical, hard to believe. He didn't know if it would be like Cinderella's story, where everything would disappear at midnight, and he would have to go back to washing dishes and being a ball boy, becoming a service provider for underground gambling organizations.

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