We moved toward the field. There were still two minutes left before the match began. Before scoring my goal earlier, I had realized during a shot attempt that my shooting ability wasn't very good. Because of my fullback attributes, it had never crossed my mind to upgrade my shooting. I opened the football tab in the system, selected the striker position, and saw that my General Shooting stat was at Level 1.
I spent 62 points to increase my shooting by 5 levels:
Shooting 1 ➝ 6 Level
Even though my main position was set as left-back, I discovered that I could still upgrade stats from other positions. After thinking about it for a moment, I realized that the main position was mostly tied to system quests. Since many attributes overlapped across multiple positions, the choice of main position didn't always make a significant difference.
With the points I had earned from previous matches, I had a total of 1570 points. I spent 1024 points to increase my general Agility and Strength by one level each. I kept the remaining points to use during the match.
The match started with our team's kickoff. After a few passes in our own half, we pushed forward to attempt our first attacks. In the 4th minute, the opponent's right midfielder charged down my side. I moved in to make a challenge, but the referee blew the whistle and called a foul. The opposing team prepared for an indirect free kick, and I took my position to mark their striker.
Meanwhile, to improve my defending, I opened the left center-back position and spent 252 points to raise Heading and Jumping by 6 levels each:
Heading 1➝ 7 Level
Jumping 1 ➝ 7 Level
After upgrading, I prepared for the free kick. The taker sent the ball toward the player I was marking. Thanks to my increased attributes, I cleared the ball with ease.
Our left midfielder, who was Level 12, especially stood out with his speed. He controlled the cleared ball well, accelerated, and carried it forward into the opponent's half. As he approached the penalty area, he spotted our striker and delivered a beautiful pass. Our striker took the ball and launched a powerful shot from just beyond the penalty spot. Although it flew past the goalkeeper, it struck the post, and the opposing defense cleared it in a hurry.
In the next five minutes, we faced two more dangerous attacks. Fortunately, thanks to our goalkeeper's saves and a wayward shot, we managed to maintain the lead.
As I observed our team's play, I began to understand more clearly which upgrades I needed. Whenever I received the ball, I usually crossed it. Even though the field was small due to the 7v7 format, improving my crossing ability was still important. So, I unlocked the left-wing position and increased the Crossing attribute by 6 levels:
Crossing 1 ➝ 7 Level
Now I could send far more dangerous balls into the opponent's penalty area.
Our striker, Miles, was incredibly talented in aerial duels:
Miles Ford (Level 12)
Agility: 12
Strength: 13
Endurance: 11
Resistance: 13
Striker Position
• Shooting (Level 3)
• Acceleration (Level 2)
• Heading (Level 8)
• Finishing (Level 4)
...
If I could deliver good crosses to Miles, I could earn one or even multiple assists for the rest of the match.
We continued pushing into the opponent's half with clean passing. Seventeen minutes into the second half, a passing sequence opened space on the left wing. I pushed forward, dribbling down the flank until I reached the edge. Miles was positioned slightly ahead of the penalty spot. I sent him a precise cross. Miles redirected the ball into the bottom-right corner—well out of the goalkeeper's reach—and the ball hit the back of the net.
I ran toward him to celebrate the goal.
• You earned 120 points for making an assist.
With the remaining minutes of the trials, I had to give everything I had if I wanted to earn a place in this club.