Emperor of Football: Julien De Rocca

Whoosh!

As Julien was carried into the tunnel for emergency treatment, Blanc watched the stretcher disappear and sighed.

Julien had been injured because of his tactics. He felt somewhat responsible.

But Blanc wasn't one to dwell on things. He immediately reacted, making two substitutions during the dead ball. He took off Giroud. Then brought on Koscielny and Valbuena.

A defender and a midfielder.

Now France had only Ribéry as a forward on the field!

This was all-out defense!

The European Championship only allowed three substitutions, and Blanc had no more options. France was completely out of ammunition.

Just as the substitutions were completed, the referee blew the whistle for the end of extra time's first half.

A brief rest on the sideline.

Blanc said fiercely, "This is the lead that Julien burned himself to give us! Everyone hold it! We must finish this match with Julien's will!!"

The players were all holding their breath.

If they couldn't attack, surely, they could defend?!

At this moment, French fans were torn between anguish over Julien's injury and worry that the team couldn't hold on for the final fifteen minutes.

Julien was rushed to a Kiev hospital in a car provided by the organizers.

The French team doctor accompanied him.

At the hospital, the doctor kept reassuring Julien, "Relax, we'll be able to use instruments for testing soon. I've seen many injuries like yours. Muscle problems, as long as they're properly protected, won't affect your future career. For players like you, the injuries that most affect careers are ligament-related."

"Is time up? Did we win?" Julien suddenly interrupted the doctor.

He was concerned about the match result.

If paying such a price hadn't even lifted France into the semifinals, that would truly be regrettable.

"Ah?"

The doctor hadn't expected Julien to be concerned about the match result.

He quickly pulled out his phone to check.

However, Julien no longer needed it. He looked at his system, victory points had just been settled!

A full 80 points gained!!

Julien smiled, and the doctor smiled too. "We won! Julien! We won! They held on! We're in the final four!"

Julien nodded with a smile.

Happy about the 80 victory points, and happy that France had advanced to the semifinals.

Now he held 176 "massive" victory points.

It made him feel somewhat better.

Julien planned to exchange for a victory treasure box. Since he was injured and likely couldn't train for a long time, he could only rely on attribute enhancement to improve his abilities.

However, when he opened his victory points, he discovered a new prompt.

[Currently in injured state. Would you like to spend 150 victory points to unlock the Injury attribute?

Note: Injury attribute is a hidden attribute with built-in basic enhancement. Its improvement method differs from basic attributes. Details can be viewed after unlocking.]

"Hmm?!"

Julien's eyes lit up at this. Wasn't this exactly what he needed right now?

Injury attribute!

With built-in basic enhancement!

After brief consideration, Julien decided to unlock it. Even if it couldn't help with his current injury, having the attribute specified would mean fewer injury problems in the future.

He just wondered how the injury attribute would be improved.

Julien clicked to unlock it.

150 victory points vanished.

Immediately, a hidden attribute panel appeared in his status screen.

[Hidden Attributes

Injury: 55 Basic Enhancement - Resistance Stacking: For similar injury types (recovery time over one week), second occurrence reduces recovery time by 30%, third by 45%, increasing by 15% increments thereafter, with maximum recovery time reduction of 75%. Same body part injured three times cumulatively (recovery time over one week), permanent +30% injury resistance for that part, stackable to maximum +60%.

Basic Enhancement - Recovery Visualization: When body experiences injuries with recovery cycles over one week, system panel can estimate injury recovery time. Note: Injury recovery is dynamic, affected by various factors. Estimated time based on current condition.]

[Hidden attributes are not basic physical attributes, but comprehensive attributes with no upper limit. Cannot be improved through direct training, only through comprehensive improvement of other basic attributes.]

After carefully reading the system's explanation, Julien finally understood how powerful hidden attributes were!

Truly strong!

Especially the basic enhancements that came with this injury attribute, it could actually reduce recovery time and provide visualization.

He quickly checked.

[Right leg adductor moderate tear: Original recovery cycle approximately 31 days. This body part currently experiencing third injury, estimated recovery time approximately 17 days.]

[Current right leg adductor injury resistance +30%]

Whew!

Julien breathed a sigh of relief. The system was calculating all his previous injury history, not starting from when he unlocked the injury attribute.

This way, his adductor problems could be alleviated.

30% injury resistance was quite good.

His injury attribute was only 55, which indeed showed he was quite fragile.

In Ligue 2 it hadn't seemed like much, but in Ligue 1, and even in the Europa League, with increased physical contact, injuries were inevitable.

Minor injuries didn't matter, the fear was major ones!

Now the injury attribute's basic enhancement of resistance stacking at least provided some protection.

And the system seemed to be saying that the more he got injured, the faster he'd recover and the more resistant he'd become in the future?

Soon, Julien was taken for testing. At that moment, Kiev's Olympic Stadium was filled with thunderous cheers!

France had advanced!!

With Julien's two goals, they had held on until the end and emerged victorious.

This result was unexpected for many before the match. The conflict-ridden French team, short-handed, had managed to overcome the well-equipped Italian squad!

Blanc pumped his fists in fierce celebration.

But Julien's injury and departure cast a shadow over this victory.

As the commentator said, "The happiest about this match might not be the French, but the Germans."

France had won this match at enormous cost. Julien was injured and would definitely miss the next match.

Moreover, having played 120 minutes of extra time, all French players were exhausted, making their condition for the next match questionable.

More critically, due to internal conflicts, France was missing Nasri and Ben Arfa. Blanc had even benched Benzema.

This match could be called France's pyrrhic victory!

But at least they had survived this night, hadn't they?

They weren't like the Italian players now—lost, disappointed, stripped of all joy.

Italy had once again fallen in extra time against France.

Though Julien was absent from the celebration, Bastia fans in the stands continued singing new "Song of Julien" with their already hoarse voices:

"Your silhouette rises like Bastia's storm!

Your strikes set enemy nets ablaze!

Fight for France, fight with pride!

Each goal a hammer shattering rivals!

When you charge, the ground trembles…

Les Bleus march as your army!"

For the national team, the Bastia fans had modified the lyrics. Their voices were hoarse, but their emotions soared incredibly high!

As the entire French team thanked the fans together, the supporters and players once again shouted that name in unison:

"Julien!!!"

The airplane flew over Ukrainian skies.

Julien sat by the window, gazing at the night.

He could almost feel the emotions of all French fans at this moment, it was so passionate. France's European Championship would continue. But he had to return to Paris to continue treatment.

His European Championship was over. What remained was his record from three matches: four goals and one assist, leading the team to the semifinals.

"Goodbye, that France," Julien murmured to himself.

Next time, it would be a brand-new France!

That would be his France!

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