NOVEL WEB Chapter 93: 93
Gu Ran quickly focused his thoughts on the blue skill bubble, and its contents appeared—"Narrow-Angle Shooting +1."
It was a shooting skill, an excellent one for a striker. However…
Gu Ran ignored it without hesitation and continued sprinting back into position, helping his teammates maintain their press.
A shooting skill might be useful, but not for him—not now.
First, his position was left-back, and Carter's tactical demands were clear. His primary role was to defend the middle and left flanks. His secondary role was to deliver threatening passes when possible.
In other words, he had no shooting privileges.
In a casual street game, whoever had the ball could take a shot. But in a structured team, every action followed the coach's plan and tactical framework.
Ignoring team structure meant losing playing time—unless you were a superstar, someone the entire club had to revolve around.
The Bucks Ironhorns weren't a professional team, but they had made the top three in the national high school championship, proving their strength. Their discipline and training were modeled after professional clubs.
Lack of shooting privileges was only one reason Gu Ran ignored the blue bubble. Even if he had the freedom to shoot, he wouldn't prioritize picking up shooting skills.
For a striker, shooting ability was important—but not the most important.
A great striker isn't judged by flashy shots or high-difficulty goals. The true measure is ball control.
Every world-class forward has a unique style, but they all share one common trait—they have excellent passing and receiving skills.
A shot is only the final step; before that comes controlling the ball.
Even players like Totti, known for their first-touch shooting, were actually integrating two skills seamlessly—ball control and shooting. To merge those, both skills had to be at least 90+.
A top striker must master positioning, ball retention under pressure, hold-up play, and passing under contact.
A forward with poor ball control—even with maxed-out shooting power—was useless.
That was knowledge Gu Ran had learned the hard way from years of street football.
So, he left the "Narrow-Angle Shooting +1" bubble untouched.
What he truly wanted was a skill bubble from Belvard, the semi-pro midfielder.
The match continued.
The Bucks Ironhorns attempted an attack down the right flank, using Flower and Blind for overlapping runs.
However, the Wild Boar Dukes' defense was rock solid.
Their three midfielders pressed diagonally, both defensive midfielders shifted to support, and after several failed attempts, the Bucks Ironhorns had no choice but to lob a cross into the box, hoping Glider or Pretty Boy could create a chance.
But the Wild Boar Dukes' center-backs, tall and dominant, easily headed the ball away.
The midfield battle raged on.
Tackles flew in from both sides, players hitting the ground repeatedly.
By the 25th minute, both teams had shown flashes of brilliance.
Statistically, possession was nearly 50-50. Both sides had similar passing accuracy, turnovers, and even shot attempts.
The score remained 0-0.
For the Bucks Ironhorns, this was an ideal result.
For the Wild Boar Dukes, aiming to "win by double digits," it was humiliating.
Their head coach could no longer stay seated. He stood on the sideline, barking orders, urging his team to push harder and exploit space behind the defense.
Carter, on the other hand, continued yelling for his players to increase movement and break defensive gaps.
The battle grew fiercer.
By the 31st minute, both teams reached their first exhaustion point.
Stamina dictated performance. When fatigue set in, players lost focus, and costly mistakes followed.
Carter, seeing signs of disorganization in the Wild Boar Dukes' formation, shouted at Mianbao, who had possession—"Give it! Over there—NOW!"
It was a signal to change tactics mid-match.
Carter hadn't specified the target, but Mianbao instantly understood.
Before he even passed the ball, Shuimen sprinted forward at full speed, feinting a run to receive a long pass.
The Wild Boar Dukes' three midfielders instinctively tracked him.
And at that moment, Mianbao played a horizontal pass to the left wing instead!
The Wild Boar Dukes were caught off guard!
Gu Ran had already started sprinting before the ball was played, dashing at full speed to meet it.
In less than three seconds, he had crossed the halfway line, surging forward with the ball!
After 31 minutes of intense play, his stamina remained high, and his sprint was still explosive!
This time, instead of cutting inside like before, he charged straight down the left flank toward the byline!
His teammates followed suit, matching his intensity, pushing forward in full support.
The Bucks Ironhorns had suddenly switched tactics from a false 9 strategy to full-wing attacks.
The Wild Boar Dukes' midfield-heavy formation was caught off guard.
Their focus had been defending the center, but Gu Ran's sheer pace put him within 30 meters of the goal in the blink of an eye.
Sensing the danger, their captain and ace midfielder, Belvard, sprinted from the inside channel to intercept him.
Belvard's sprint matched Gu Ran's, and he had the advantage in raw physical strength.
A semi-pro from West Ham's youth system, he was undeniably an elite player.
He reached five meters away from Gu Ran in an instant.
Rather than physically colliding, he chose a faster, more effective solution—
A SLIDING TACKLE!
Belvard launched himself aggressively at Gu Ran, aiming to cut him off completely.
The power, the speed—it was a textbook defensive move, one designed to shut down an opponent decisively.
For an inverted fullback sprinting down the sideline, space was already limited.
Belvard's tackle was smart, ruthless, and filled with personal intent.
If it connected, Gu Ran could be seriously injured.
On the sideline, Carter's mouth fell open, unable to breathe from the tension.
In the stands, Maria clutched her chest, heart pounding.
And then—
Gu Ran suddenly STOPPED!
At full sprint, he executed a perfect emergency brake, planting his foot on the ball!
The "Quick Stop & Accelerate +1" skill he had picked up before?
Instantly put to use!
Combined with his own experience and football IQ, his timing was flawless!
His weight shifted backward, and his golden Messi-edition cleats dug into the grass, tearing up a huge chunk of turf!
At that same moment, Belvard's sliding tackle SLASHED through the air—
A fraction of a second too late.
He had committed too much power, plowing through the grass with brutal force.
SMACK!
The chunk of grass Gu Ran kicked up flew directly into Belvard's face.
Belvard had just opened his mouth in shock—
Now, half a field's worth of soil and grass went straight in.
Belvard completely whiffed the tackle, skidding out of bounds with a mouth full of dirt.
The stadium fell into dead silence.
Their ace.
Their West Ham-trained semi-pro.
In his first direct clash with Gu Ran—
He got fed GRASS.
A vivid blue skill bubble formed beneath him.
Gu Ran had it.
But there was no time.
He surged forward, barreling into the final third.
The Wild Boar Dukes scrambled to react, defenders rushing left to block him.
Two midfielders closed in like a pair of gates.
Two defensive midfielders covered central channels, cutting off any inside cut.
In total, four defenders were now locked onto Gu Ran.
Belvard was scrambling to his feet.
Gu Ran read the field instantly.
To hell with it.
Full throttle.
Hard charge.
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