6 Simulation Training
After waiting eagerly for nightfall, Zhang Xu quickly solved his hunger issue and, feeling refreshed after washing up, he climbed into his own bed. He closed his eyes and began to focus on self-hypnosis.
His method of self-hypnosis was quite common: counting sheep.
One sheep, two sheep, three sheep, four sheep...
Countless sheep passed by, but he couldn't fall asleep. Why? First, it was still early, and it wasn't even 8 o'clock. Who could fall asleep so early? Second, he had just learned about all the functions of the system, and he was excited.
Later, he had no choice but to get out of bed again, enduring the curious gazes of his dormitory mates, and pulled out a familiar textbook from his desk. He started to read it, page by page.
He was using a textbook as a tool for self-hypnosis!
He had to admit that this method of self-hypnosis worked quite well. Before long, Zhang Xu began to feel drowsy. Well, if someone asked you to read a book you had already studied for a while, you'd yawn too.
"Welcome to Simulation Training!"
Just as Zhang Xu entered a state of sleep, a scene more real than a dream appeared in his mind. He found himself standing on the training ground of Woluwe FC, wearing the team's jersey. Of course, there was no number on it since Zhang Xu hadn't officially joined the club yet.
Staring at this incredibly lifelike training ground, Zhang Xu couldn't help but feel amazed. It would be strange not to be curious, so he looked around with the curiosity of a child.
"This is the most realistic virtual space, capable of simulating all real-world data realistically," the system's voice, as cold as ever, explained. "Please choose the content of your training, host."
As soon as the voice fell, three selection buttons appeared in front of Zhang Xu: Specialized Training, Intra-team Match, and Opponent Team Match.
These three choices were self-explanatory, and the system didn't need to explain much.
"Intra-team Match? We've been having intra-team matches almost every day recently, so there's no need for that. Specialized Training can be put on hold for now. The next step is to determine which position in midfield is more suitable for me and what kind of training would be most helpful. Mr. Philip will definitely provide me with reasonable advice and a training plan. So, there's no need to rush into specialized training right now," Zhang Xu pondered for a moment and decided to choose the Opponent Team Match option.
Why? Simply put, it was his first time using the system, so he wanted to experience a feature that would leave a lasting impression.
Choose an opponent team? Which one to choose? Barcelona? They're too strong, and I'll probably get demolished by them. That's not training; it's a massacre!
Manchester United? Nope! Real Madrid? Nope! Bayern Munich? Nope!
Alright, let's go with the team next door!
Woluwe FC's neighboring team was Brussels, so he chose Brussels!
Brussels was a top-level team, and Zhang Xu had tried out there before, but unfortunately, the trial was very short-lived, lasting less than a day. For him, it was not a pleasant memory.
"Brussels team loading, please wait!"
"Loading complete! The match will officially start in two minutes. Be prepared! Also, during the match, if you encounter any issues with your performance, the team's head coach will pause the game and provide guidance. Of course, the tone and choice of words during guidance will depend on the coach's temperament."
Zhang Xu took a look at the suddenly appearing Brussels team players and realized he wasn't very familiar with them. That was expected; he had only spent less than a day there, so how could he know anyone? Besides, who would bother to interact with someone who couldn't even meet the standard of a professional player?
"Please choose your team players and formation! If you need the system's recommendation, select System Recommendation. If you want to choose yourself, select Manual Selection!"
"System Recommendation!" Zhang Xu didn't hesitate. Although he was quite familiar with his teammates, they had only spent a week together, so he let the system make the choice.
He trusted the system to produce a quality team!
When his team members appeared, Zhang Xu could tell at a glance that letting the system choose had been a wise decision. The selected Woluwe team was the regular starting lineup, with the only change being Zhang Xu replacing Baptiste as the partner to team captain Driss.
Even the head coach, Mazu, and the assistant coach, Philip, had been simulated by the system and were standing by the side of the field.
Zhang Xu played as a defensive midfielder, responsible for intercepting, tackling, and marking.
"Beep!" The match officially began.
Although Brussels was a second-division team, they had years of experience in the top division, making them a level above Woluwe FC. Therefore, at the start of the match, they launched a strong offensive.
The simulated team did not lack diligence; every player, whether from Brussels or Woluwe, faithfully followed the tactics set by the coaching staff.
However, there was one exception—Zhang Xu.
"Zhang, your positioning was off just now. When the opponent's number 8 had the ball, number 9 was already moving towards this area. Look, at all this open space, this is the danger zone. You should..."
"Zhang, mark that damn number 8! 8! Do you understand? Are you brain-dead? Damn it!"
"Zhang, your tackles should be fiercer. You're strong, so why are you afraid of physical challenges?"
"Zhang, you should know that you are the last line of defense in front of the backline. You can't just retreat casually. If necessary, use tactical fouls to stop the opponent's attack!"
Within the first five minutes of the game, Coach Mazu had already stopped the match four times. Each time, it was either because of Zhang Xu's positioning errors, a lack of aggressive tackling, or failing to mark the player he should be marking.
Zhang Xu sighed, realizing that his heart was tired.
His body wasn't tired, as simulated training didn't consume physical energy, but his heart felt heavy. Many of the defensive mistakes were due to his own problems, and that was hard for him to accept.
However, he had a big heart and quickly adjusted his mindset. "I refuse to believe that I can't learn something from the coach's guidance and match experience!" Zhang Xu clenched his teeth and showed a determined and serious expression.
The game continued.
If he was dribbled past? Get up and keep chasing! Keep tackling!
If he was out of position defensively? Sprint! Try to regain the lost position as much as possible!
If he lost his mark? Find them again!
...
In the later stages of the game, Zhang Xu went all out. He ran, defended, and tackled tirelessly. Fortunately, simulated training didn't consume physical energy; otherwise, even ten of him wouldn't be enough to run the entire match.
In the latter part of the game, his defensive mistakes decreased. If before, he made mistakes in nine out of ten defensive attempts, now it was reduced to eight and a half times out of ten.
Half of the successful defenses were also attributed to his partnership with team captain Driss!
...
After 121 minutes, this long and frequently interrupted game finally ended with a score of 0-8.
"Ding dong! The game has ended. You have gained 2 experience points!"
"Ding dong! The host has gained some insights during the match. Positioning and teamwork attributes increased by +1 point. Current Positioning is 12, and Teamwork is 6!"
Hearing these additional rewards, Zhang Xu excitedly waved his hand, feeling a surge of happiness.
At least the hard work and the scoldings weren't in vain! Not only did he gain experience points, but his attributes also increased a bit! If he kept it up and increased by one or two points each time, he could gain seven or eight points in one night. If he returned to the team and added real-world training, wouldn't he gain twenty or more points in a day?
It seemed like better days were waiting for him just around the corner! Zhang Xu thought with great happiness.
Little did he know that not every training session would provide attribute point rewards, and as he leveled up and improved his attributes, getting attribute points would become more difficult.
This time was simply because his starting point was too low!
With a sense of uncertainty and the road ahead still fraught with challenges, Zhang Xu eagerly began his second game.
As for his opponent this time, he chose Barcelona!
The result was predictable; Barcelona, who had no concept of letting up, pushed the score close to thirty, ending the match with a score of 0-27!
Zhang Xu, who fell countless times, finally understood the unimaginable gap between him and world-class players!
Moreover, this time, there were no attribute point rewards, and it finally sobered him up.
The Super Midfield Training System wasn't a money-generating machine! It didn't give away rewards indiscriminately!
"Alright, if that's the case, then let's take it slow and steady, and train diligently!" Zhang Xu adjusted his mindset and continued with the simulation match training.
This time, his opponent wasn't Barcelona or Brussels but an intra-team match!
His goal was to establish himself in the U21 team and then launch an assault on the first team!
He hadn't forgotten, and he couldn't forget; the system required him to enter the first team within three months!
