MTL NOVEL Chapter 42: 42.
Gu Ran steadied his emotions and continued to strategize on how to allocate his talent points.
The last two physical attributes to consider were jumping ability and stamina.
Jumping ability determined how high a player could leap, making it crucial for headers in attack and defense. It was an essential attribute for center-backs and target strikers.
Gu Ran had played as a street football striker in his previous life, and he had always been confident in his jumping ability. Even without exact numbers, he estimated that his jumping stat should be at least above 60, which was decent.
Since he wasn't playing as a center-back or a striker, there was no urgency to improve it right now.
That left stamina, the single most important attribute in sports.
Stamina determined how long a player could sustain their performance. Even if all other stats were high, without stamina, they were useless.
For example, Ronaldinho—after a legendary night of partying—would show up to a game barely able to walk, let alone perform at his usual level. His world-class stats would drop below 50 in real-time because of exhaustion.
That was why professional players often practiced abstinence before matches—to ensure peak stamina.
Stamina naturally declined with age, but disciplined training could maintain and even improve it. High-stamina players could keep running over 12 kilometers per game, maintain technical accuracy, and recover quickly.
It was undoubtedly the most valuable physical attribute to invest in.
Gu Ran carefully considered his current situation.
Even though he was only a reserve player, not even guaranteed a spot on the bench, the team's intra-squad match was happening later that afternoon. If there was ever a time to boost stamina, it was now.
Long-term and short-term, stamina was non-negotiable.
With no more hesitation, he made the decision.
Gu Ran activated the talent point and felt an immediate lightness throughout his body. His breathing became smoother, his movements more relaxed—it was as if a layer of fatigue had been stripped away.
At D-rank, a single talent point was equivalent to 100 hours of professional training.
Absolute profit.
A system notification popped up:
Ding!
"Congratulations! Stamina increased from 54 to 55."
Gu Ran nearly exclaimed out loud in the middle of class.
His stamina was only 54 to begin with?!
No wonder he had struggled in high-intensity matches.
It made sense, though. These British kids had been playing football since they could walk, training in structured programs their whole lives. Meanwhile, Gu Ran's new body didn't inherit any of his previous-life experience.
The gap was natural.
It was now clear—stamina had to be the priority. At the very least, it needed to reach the acceptable range before he could even think about competing at a higher level.
When afternoon arrived, Gu Ran changed into his training kit. Before leaving, he casually slipped the pink letter into his pocket, just in case.
By the time he arrived at the training ground, most of the players were already there.
Drummer waved at him enthusiastically. Rust had a wide grin and even gave him a thumbs-up.
As for Watergate and the others? They still acted arrogant and distant, continuing to isolate him.
Gu Ran didn't mind. He simply smiled faintly and stood at the back of the lineup.
He still had 9 collection attempts left for the day.
Today's priority was to selectively pick up defensive training experience—no wasting slots on useless tricks.
Coach Carter hadn't arrived yet.
Team captain Bread took charge, leading the team in a warm-up run.
The warm-up wasn't easy. Gu Ran followed along but barely kept pace.
Even though this was just a high school team, their training intensity far surpassed any amateur-level football he had played before.
Thankfully, Gu Ran had just boosted his stamina stat.
If not, he might not have even been able to keep up with the warm-up. That would have been embarrassing.
After 15 minutes of running, Bread moved on to stretching exercises.
Rust trotted over and grinned at Gu Ran.
"Hey, Gu, you look a little out of breath."
Gu Ran chuckled, wiping some sweat from his forehead.
"Oh… just a little tired from last night."
As he shifted into a side stretch, a small pink note fell from his pocket onto the grass—right in front of Rust.
Rust's eyes lit up.
"What's this?"
Gu Ran continued his stretch calmly, replying in a casual tone,
"Oh, nothing much. Just a love letter. Don't bother picking it up—I'll grab it after stretching."
Rust didn't hesitate for a second.
With a dramatic front roll, he snatched the letter off the ground.
Several teammates immediately gathered around, eager to see what a love letter looked like.
After all, not everyone had received one before.
Gu Ran smiled internally.
A bunch of curious kids…
Rust unfolded the crumpled note and began reading aloud.
"Dear Gu Ran, you probably don't know who I am, but I saw your video last night…"
The more he read, the harder it became to continue.
By the time he reached "fishnet nightwear," his expression froze.
The whole group fell silent.
What the f*ck?!
How unfair was this?!
They were out here struggling to get girls to notice them… Meanwhile, Gu Ran was doing nothing—and yet, women were literally throwing themselves at him!
Rust was so frustrated he almost crumpled the paper out of jealousy.
"Fishnet nightwear… what kind of sleepwear is that?!"
The other teammates groaned in frustration.
Gu Ran calmly took back the letter, putting on a wise and experienced expression.
"Alright, that's enough. No distractions during training. I'll just… rip this up later."
Rust's eye twitched slightly.
A familiar notification sounded.
Ding!
"Chris Dick's negative emotions detected: +55 points."
"Generating system bubbles..."
Ding!
"Additional negative emotions detected..."
At Rust's feet—and the feet of the surrounding teammates—multiple white system bubbles started forming.
Gu Ran subtly glanced down.
Holy sh*t.
There were at least 14 or 15 bubbles.
This flex was so well-executed, even Gu Ran had to admire himself.
With so many training bubbles available, he had to be selective.
Bread was a defensive midfielder—his bubble was definitely useful.
Watergate was an attacking midfielder, but he could also play defensive roles. He was also one of the strongest players on the team. His training bubble was a must-pick.
Rust and Painter were both center-backs—their bubbles were valuable as well.
As for Flower Luo, the right-back… he had been focusing on step-over tricks recently.
Nope. Skipping that one.
Gu Ran casually touched the bubbles from Bread, Watergate, Rust, and Painter, as he continued stretching.
Four white bubbles burst open, releasing streaks of glowing light into his body.
Ding!
(To be continued…)
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