"Congratulations! You have used a Passive Skill Card and drawn the Passive Skill: [Eagle Eye]."
"Eagle Eye: Expands your field of vision and enhances your acuity."
Wang Shuo felt utterly frustrated the moment he saw the message.
This was why he had been drawing new Passive Skills less often lately.
Case in point: he had just wasted 50 precious Passive Value points to draw [Eagle Eye].
âExpand my field of vision and enhance my acuity.â
On paper, that sounded pretty incredible.
Especially since after drawing [Eagle Eye], his first touch, Passing, and Shooting had all seen a comprehensive boost, reaching the Regional Level.
But Wang Shuo was still a little disappointed.
He was even starting to wonder if any of the three remaining Passive Skills could improve his physical strength.
For Wang Shuo at this moment, every single Passive Value point was precious. They shouldnât be wasted, but instead used to sharpen his abilities as quickly as possible.
Of course, he figured [Eagle Eye] wouldnât let him down in the long run.
His experience with [Coordination] was a good example of that.
It looked unremarkable, but its effect was actually huge.
After drawing [Eagle Eye], Wang Shuo still had 217 points.
He decided to give himself a massive upgrade!
"Do you wish to upgrade the Passive Skill [Ball Sense] from Regional Level to National Level?"
"Yes!"
"Do you wish to upgrade the Passive Skill [Swift] from Regional Level to National Level?"
"Yes!"
"Do you wish to upgrade the Passive Skill [Spiritual Light] from Professional Level to Regional Level?"
"Yes!"
"Do you wish to upgrade the Passive Skill [First Move] from Professional Level to Regional Level?"
"Yes!"
He upgraded four Passive Skills in one go. A tingling sensation coursed through his entire bodyâit felt absolutely incredible!
Wang Shuo checked his stats. After the upgrades, several of his most important Active Skillsâincluding his first touch, Shooting, positioning, and Breakthroughâhad all reached the National Level.
He felt completely transformed!
But what surprised Wang Shuo was that his free kick ability, an Active Skill, had also reached the National Level.
This meant that as long as Wang Shuo practiced diligently, he could master the art of the free kick.
âHoly shit, this is absolutely incredible!â
Wang Shuo truly hadnât expected such a pleasant surprise.
Free kicks were a crucial skill that every top scorer had to master.
âI have to practice it!â
âI absolutely have to practice it!â
However...
âPractice is one thing, but right now, Mainzâs number one free-kick taker is still Hainauer.â
After the first half of the Bundesliga season, every team in the league would definitely be targeting him in the second half.
No one would ignore the top scorer of the first half of the season!
When it came to secret weapons, the more the better.
You can never have too many skills, after all.
Of course, while the potential of his Active Skills had increased, he still needed to put in the hard work during daily training to cash in on it.
But for a grinder like Wang Shuo, that wasnât an issue at all.
Wang Shuo had a faint feeling.
He suspected that the improvements to his free kicks, Shooting, and other skills were closely related to [Eagle Eye].
But heâd have to test that theory in training and matches to be sure.
ă ă
Early in the morning, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, Wang Shuo was already up.
After washing up, just as he was about to leave, he happened to see Zhao Yifan from the next room also opening his door.
"Before Andrei went home, he told me you get up early every day for extra training. Itâs really true."
SchĂŒrrle had started his vacation and gone home to spend Christmas with his family.
"I was going to let you rest more and adjust to the time difference."
Wang Shuo chuckled at Zhao Yifan. "Since youâre up, letâs go together. Iâm sure youâve never seen Mainz in the early morning."
The two of them quickly went out for a run.
The early winter mornings in Germany were cold, with heavy fog.
The main roads were desertedânot a person, not even a car in sight. Even the street cleaners hadnât started their shifts yet.
The two of them, wrapped in tracksuits, ran at a brisk pace along the road.
They first ran a lap around Mainz University, and Wang Shuo even pointed out the place where he used to live.
Afterward, they ran to the vicinity of the Old Town District.
As a Mainz player, there were some places one definitely had to know, like the Market Square.
"This is where our fans gather. On days when we have away games, youâll almost always find fans congregating here."
"Any championship wins or other major celebrations happen right here."
Although Bruch Road Stadium is our home ground, itâs too small to hold this many people.
After running for some time, they reached the famous Rhine Riverfront and saw the world-renowned Caesar Bridge spanning the Rhine River.
Germanyâs administrative divisions are actually rather peculiar.
The Rhine River is the dividing line between the states of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate.
It cuts diagonally through the center of Mainz from northwest to southeast, splitting the city in two.
The Caesar Bridge connects the two sides.
Hereâs the peculiar part: the east bank of the Rhine River belongs to the state of Hesse, with its capital at Wiesbaden. Meanwhile, the west bank belongs to Rhineland-Palatinate, with its capital at Mainz.
This creates a strange situation. Three districts on the east bank of the Rhine are just a riverâs breadth away from Mainz proper. They even have "Mainz" in their names and are geographically closer to it, yet they are administered by Wiesbaden, the capital of Hesse.
According to SchĂŒrrle, the locals in Mainz have always felt the city canât expand because those three districts were "swallowed" by Wiesbaden.
Thatâs why whenever Mainz plays against Wiesbaden, they always give it their all.
Oh, right, and thereâs also Frankfurt and Darmstadt.
These two cities are also very close to Mainz. Frankfurt, as a neighboring city, far surpasses Mainz in terms of fame, influence, and economic strength.