Chapter 18 Talent

Chen Hero was very excited when he got back to the dorm—talent had proven effective. Even though it wasn't very effective, he knew there were still level four waiting for him to upgrade.

Once I've maxed out, you can forget about stopping me!

With talent taking effect, Chen Hero became even more interested and motivated by the system.

As soon as he returned, he opened the webpage to check his experience points, and then he found that there were about four thousand more than when he had looked yesterday...

"Huh?" Chen Hero found it strange. After training so hard every day these days, he was already very familiar with how much experience he could gain through training in a day.

Not counting the extra training at night, it was about 1,500 experience points. But how come there were four thousand more? Where did these extra 2,500 experience points come from?

"Experience reward for completing a task," Yesenin said.

"Huh? Task? I haven't gotten a chance to play for the first team yet, have I? Don't tell me that playing in an intra-squad scrimmage counts too?" Chen Hero was even stranger.

"It's a side quest, 'An Eye for an Eye.'"

"What's that?"

"Retaliate against those who look down on you. You completed it in today's task."

Chen Hero thought for a moment and then realized what it was. It was his feud with Li Hao...

"When was this task triggered?" Chen Hero used the word "triggered" instead of "accepted" because he had figured out that these tasks didn't seem to be something he actively accepted, but were imposed on him passively. Whether he did them or not, the tasks existed. If he didn't do the main quest, he wouldn't be able to continue. It didn't matter whether he did the side quests or not, they were always there. If he did them, he would get experience, if he didn't... if the deadline passed, they would be gone.

"When you felt uncomfortable with Li Hao looking down on you," Yesenin said.

Chen Hero suddenly understood, "So if I hadn't felt uncomfortable with him looking down on me, there wouldn't have been this task?"

Yesenin nodded, "Of course. If you were the kind of person who didn't care how others treated you, how could there be a retaliatory task like 'An Eye for an Eye'?"

Chen Hero thought about it, and it was indeed the case. His temper and personality were such that he couldn't stand being taken advantage of. If someone provoked him, he would definitely find a chance to pay them back, even if it meant paying a very heavy price.

Just like when he was in the domestic club and someone gave him a dirty tackle, he hadn't considered whether beating up his teammate would have a very bad impact on his promotion to the first team at all. He just couldn't let himself be treated like that by others and not retaliate.

This was the first time Chen Hero had truly realized that he had completed a task. He discovered that life itself was made up of one task after another, but most of the time you wouldn't know that those were tasks, so you wouldn't have the feeling of doing a task at all.

Unknowingly, he had completed a task and gained several thousand experience points. Chen Hero felt pretty good, unforced, very natural.

Previously, Yesenin had told Chen Hero that if he wanted to be called up to the first team's match list, in addition to working hard and showing his best in training to win the head coach's favor, he would also need a little luck.

Chen Hero had even asked him how to get luck.

Now, luck had arrived.

During training the next day, Tekke twisted his knee and limped off the field halfway through training, then was helped away by the team doctor.

Everyone saw Tekke leaving the field, and judging from his painful expression, it was estimated that the injury was serious.

Since transferring from Trabzonspor at the beginning of this year, Tekke had played seventeen games and scored thirteen goals, making him the team's top scorer.

With this outstanding performance, he had not been relegated to the bench after Advocaat came to the team and included in the list of players to be cleaned up. On the contrary, Advocaat relied heavily on this prolific striker.

Tekke had not disappointed the Dutch coach's appreciation, scoring three goals in the three games since Advocaat arrived, showing consistent performance.

Now, the team's top scorer, so important, and so valued by the head coach, was injured, and it looked like the injury was not minor.

Advocaat valued this striker so much that after Tekke was injured and helped to the physiotherapy room, he even abandoned the training session, handed it over to the assistant coach, and followed him closely.

But not everyone was feeling frustrated and disappointed by Tekke's injury. Some people were wondering—who would benefit from this?

Currently, Zenit only had four forwards: Tekke, Aleksandr Panov, Aleksandr Kerzhakov, and Chen Hero, who had just been called up to the first team.

Zenit played a 4-4-2 formation, with Tekke partnering with another forward. The forward who partnered with Tekke was currently mainly Kerzhakov. Panov was a substitute because he had just joined the team and wasn't familiar enough with the whole team.

Chen Hero was simply a substitute's substitute.

Generally speaking, if Tekke was injured, it would be natural for Panov to replace him, partnering with Kerzhakov.

But the problem was that Panov had just transferred to the team. He had been with the team for even less time than Chen Hero. He was very unfamiliar with the team, and the team was not familiar enough with him. His coordination with the team was not quite on point.

When Chen Hero saw Tekke injured and leaving the field, he was first stunned, and then a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

Luck!

The training, which had been suspended due to Tekke's injury, resumed not long after.

However, it was obvious that some people were absent-minded this time.

It wasn't until the training was about to end that Advocaat returned to the training field. The amount of time he had spent in the physiotherapy room directly indicated the severity of Tekke's injury. You didn't even need to look at his face to know that the problem was big.

Chen Hero also noticed Advocaat's face, and that feeling in his heart became more and more obvious.

However, Advocaat did not announce the squad list for the weekend league after training, because there were still three days before the league started, and it wasn't time to announce the team's squad list yet.

Everyone who was eyeing this position still had a chance to show themselves desperately in training in order to win the head coach's favor.

On the way back to the dormitory, Chen Hero asked Yesenin, "Is this what you meant by luck?"

Yesenin shook his head, "I don't know."

"You really don't know? Or are you just trying to be mysterious?" Chen Hero pressed.

Yesenin spread his hands, "I really don't know."

Chen Hero pouted in disappointment, "Didn't you say that you can only do world peace?"

"That was just a joke, didn't you hear it?" Yesenin said.

"Ha! Haha! Hahaha!" Chen Hero laughed very falsely. "So funny!"

"That's not funny at all!" Yesenin heard the sarcasm in Chen Hero's laughter, and he protested with a frown.

Looking at Yesenin's angry appearance, Chen Hero felt that he was getting closer and closer to being human. What a pity, a balding, sleazy middle-aged uncle…

Yesenia's image suddenly appeared in Chen Hero's mind, and he felt a chill run down his spine. He shook his head vigorously to get rid of Yesenia's image.

A sleazy, balding middle-aged uncle is better…

"Hey, Mr. Aurora?"

"What?"

"Can't you transform? Can you transform into a handsome and dashing middle-aged uncle? Like… Al Pacino?"

"It's not impossible, but… so you like that type?" Yesenin touched his chin and thought seriously.

"Get lost!"

"Hehe haha…"

"Your laugh is so ugly…"

Before training started the next day, Advocaat announced the bad news to everyone that Tekke had twisted his knee and would be out for a month and a half.

Then, when training started, everyone could feel that Panov's enthusiasm for training had obviously increased a lot. As for why Chen Hero and Kerzhakov didn't improve, it was because Kerzhakov was originally a main player. He didn't need to deliberately show himself, and he was enough to occupy a place in this lineup. As for Chen Hero… he was already very hardworking and enthusiastic, and it was impossible to ask him to be more hardworking and enthusiastic.

The last item of the afternoon training session was temporarily changed to an intra-squad match. Obviously, Advocaat hoped to use the match to test the condition and performance of the team's forwards in order to decide who would replace the injured Tekke in the weekend league.

When Panov received the yellow vest representing the main position, he did not hide his excitement at all—after not playing a game for half a season at Moscow Torpedo, he was eager to prove himself at his new club. Tekke's injury was obviously an opportunity for him, although his competitor was not Tekke…

After Advocaat announced that the color of the vests did not mean anything, he had Potte blow the whistle to start the game.

Although Advocaat said so, even a fool could see that in his mind, Panov was obviously in a leading position compared to Chen Hero. Because almost all of those wearing yellow vests were main players, and only minor adjustments were made in one or two positions.

If there were no accidents, this lineup might be the starting lineup for Zenit's home game against Spartak Nalchik on the weekend.

Did luck seem to be gone again?

No!

Chen Hero stared at the yellow vest on Panov.

Advocaat was right, the color of the vest doesn't mean anything. As long as I can show my ability in this game! Then I can squeeze out that Panov!

Luck only serves the strong. If you can't become a strong person, you deserve to be a substitute!

Panov did not show any disdain for Chen Hero. Chen Hero had no grievances with him.

But in order to become a main player, Chen Hero listed him as his number one competitor.

Is this a task?

Chen Hero thought.

Then complete it!

Task name: Rewrite destiny.

Task objective: Defeat your competitors and be selected for the match squad list! No… it should be to enter the starting lineup!

Watching Chen Hero, who was eager to try on the sidelines, Yesenin's lips curled up.

This kid has realized it, right?