The points inside the fullback position worked the same way as the main attributes. I spent 4 points to raise Acceleration to Level 3, and 8 more to push it to Level 4. Since Acceleration required fewer points than the others, I kept upgrading it, using a total of 108 points to raise it all the way to Level 7.
The moment I finished the upgrade, the system spoke.
• Left-Back position has reached Level 2.
I was actually expecting to receive extra points for leveling up the position, but apparently the points I earn from leveling apply only to my main level. Realizing this, I began strengthening the rest of my fullback stats. I raised Dribbling, Positioning, Marking, Interception, and Passing all to Level 7.
• Acceleration: 2 → 7
• Dribbling: 1 → 7
• Positioning: 1 → 7
• Marking: 1 → 7
• Interception: 1 → 7
• Passing: 1 → 7
After completing the upgrades, the system spoke again:
• Left-Back position has reached Level 3.
• Left-Back position has reached Level 4.
My left-back position had suddenly increased by two more levels—three levels in total.
To stand out more during the trials, I decided to focus on Acceleration and Dribbling once again. I pushed both stats up another level, raising them to Level 8. Then I upgraded the essential complementary fullback attributes—Tackling, Vision, Composure, and Decision Making—to Level 6
• Acceleration: 7 → 8
• Dribbling: 7 → 8
• Tackling: 1 → 6
• Vision: 1 → 6
• Composure: 1 → 6
• Decision Making: 1 → 6
---
After this major batch of upgrades, the system spoke once more:
• Left-Back position has reached Level 5.
I still had 150 points left, and I chose to save them. With the trials approaching, I felt more than ready.
Before the trials began, one hundred contestants gathered in a wide field. According to what we were told, only five of us would be accepted. These tryouts were for the U-16 team, and every participant was either 15 or 16 years old. They were taking far fewer players than I expected.
As I looked around, I noticed everyone's levels ranged from 11 to 14. I was the lowest-level player there. Even though I'd upgraded my left-back position, my chances of getting into the academy didn't look very promising.
At that moment, two boys approached me. The taller one smiled and spoke first.
— "Hey, my name's Alex. Saw you standing here, so we thought we'd say hi."
He lightly nudged the boy beside him, who added with a small smile:
— "I'm Ben. We actually go to the same school."
I smiled back.
— "I'm Ryan. Nice to meet you."
We chatted for a while. Both had played football since childhood, but they said they'd been training seriously only for the last year in preparation for the trials. When I checked their stats, Alex was Level 13 and Ben was Level 12.
As we continued talking, Alex asked about my position.
— "So which position are you trying out for? We both applied as central midfielders—Ben chose defensive mid as his second position, and I picked attacking mid."
— "I applied as a left-back. My secondary position is left center-back."
Alex laughed lightly.
— "So you're a defender. I'm basically a defensive-minded midfielder. If we end up playing together someday, we could learn a lot from each other."
— "I hope we get selected," I replied.
We talked for another half hour until the judges finally entered the field.
The trials were about to begin.