Chapter 47: The Dutchman in the Brazilian Treasure Chest

Two days remained before the next Eredivisie match against Twente, and the entire first team had returned to the serious atmosphere that had prevailed before their winning streak. Tang Ye was continuously honing his skills during training.

[De Bruyne Curved Shot to the Far Corner, Lv1: Imitate]
Proficiency: 20/50
[Shooting: 55→56]

Ten Hag had assigned Tang Ye mostly passing drills, which caused the progress of his [Curved Shot to the Far Corner] skill to be very slow, even with the help of Broccoli. Conversely, Tang Ye had made no neglect of any passing-related skills.

[De Bruyne Curved Through Pass, Lv3: Simulation]
Proficiency: 38/200

His proficiency with through balls was almost at 50. Tang Ye wished he could transfer some of that proficiency into his curved shot skill to unlock another level 2 skill!

"Beautiful, that’s the kind of pass I want to see!" Ten Hag, surprised by Tang Ye’s successful pass, walked over from the sidelines and applauded him. "Excellent, this is how a genius plays!"

"Ah, what did you say?" Tang Ye asked.

"Oh, I meant that if you could control the speed of that pass a little better, you'd be close to genius level," Ten Hag explained. "But don’t be discouraged—you’ve already reached a very good level."

"Alright, let’s all gather!" Ten Hag instructed Van der Gaag to call the players together.

"The schedule is tight these days, so for now, we’ll skip endurance training. This afternoon’s endurance session will be replaced with strength training, and specialists will be in charge."

"What about the starting lineup?" Ayoub suddenly asked, causing Ten Hag’s previously relaxed expression to stiffen.

"Hmm... I’ll tell you all tomorrow afternoon. The starting lineup hasn’t been decided yet, so no need to rush."

That was Ten Hag’s final word to the players during the morning session.

…

At noon in the cafeteria, Tang Ye opened his panel to check his tasks. After receiving the Portuguese Superstar/Legendary Chest, he also acquired a new task.

Unlike previous tasks that required more assists or goals, this one was a milestone: to start three times for Utrecht’s first team, with the reward being a Brazilian Special Chest.

Since this task wasn’t match-related, the reward was slightly less generous. The so-called Brazilian Special Chest was essentially a blind box.

There was an 85% chance of getting a low-level chest, 3% for a mid-level chest, and the combined probability of high-level, superstar, and legendary chests was 2%. Additionally, there was a 10% chance of receiving a "consolation prize."

Having opened the Portuguese Superstar/Legendary Chest, Tang Ye was well aware of his bad luck. For him, the Brazilian Special Chest was just another low-level chest.

…

Of course, even a low-level chest contained signature skills of players worth millions or tens of millions of euros, so it would still enhance Tang Ye’s abilities.

Because of this milestone task, Tang Ye wanted to have a private talk with Ten Hag again but hesitated after some thought.

Ten Hag had already said he wasn’t yet at Eredivisie level, yet Tang Ye kept pestering him to start. From another perspective, such behavior wasn’t appropriate.

Therefore, Tang Ye gave up on the idea of talking to Ten Hag for now and decided to wait and observe.

…

The next afternoon, after training, Van der Gaag held a notebook and announced the starting lineup for the upcoming match to the first team players.

Utrecht (4-3-1-2)
Goalkeeper: Ruit
Defenders: Kleibe, Rieuwwe, Timo Leychet, Camboy
Defensive Midfielders: Strijd, Ramseral, Jansen
Attacking Midfielder: Tang Ye
Forwards: Alae, Barazit

The 4-3-1-2 formation was a variation of the 4-3-3, where the protruding striker shifts back into an attacking midfielder role.

Utrecht had not yet used this formation in an official match this season, but the players were familiar with it from training, so no one was shocked.

What surprised everyone was Tang Ye’s name on the starting list.

This was Tang Ye’s third starting appearance for Utrecht’s first team!

After sliding on his knees in the morning training, he was now starting that very afternoon!

The first team players knew Ten Hag cared about face. Given Tang Ye’s kneeling gesture earlier, this start was indeed a top-level acknowledgment.

No punishment?

[You have received the Brazilian Special Chest]

Teammates’ eyes landed on Tang Ye, with Alae even placing a hand on his shoulder.

Ten Hag scanned the assembled first team, lingering on Ayoub a bit longer than usual. “Hmm, I know some of you might disagree with Tang Ye starting…”

“No disagreement!” Barazit and Van de Marel shouted simultaneously.

“I didn’t say it was you two who disagreed, so why shout?” Ten Hag snapped.

Barazit and Van de Marel, scolded, quietly moved to the back of the group and listened as Ten Hag continued.

“Tang Ye is still quite young—16 now, turning 17 next year, 18 the year after. In a decade, he’ll be in his thirties… When you see it that way, he’s not exactly young anymore.”

?

“Of course, the main reason I’m starting him is that Tang scored in the last two matches. If a substitute scores when starting, he earns the next starting spot—many coaches accept this as a rule, and I think it’s the right approach.”

Ten Hag spoke briefly, carefully watching Ayoub’s expression.

Ayoub’s face darkened, but he said nothing.

…

That evening, after training, Tang Ye returned to the dorm and opened the Brazilian Special Chest he had received that afternoon.

Before him was a large red, white, and blue tricolor spinning wheel, the pointer fixed at the top. On either side were “Legendary” and “Consolation Prize,” but Legendary had only a 0.01% chance, and its segment on the wheel was just a thin line.

The wheel spun rapidly, reached top speed, then gradually slowed.

Tang Ye’s eyes were fixed on the wheel.

Though he knew his luck was poor, it was impossible for him not to hope for a big win.

The pointer moved slowly.

Mid-level chest, high-level chest…

Legendary chest!

!

Tang Ye held his breath as the pointer landed precisely on the “Legendary Chest” segment.

The Legendary section was so small it was nearly the width of the pointer itself.

“Don’t move, don’t move, don’t move…” Tang Ye silently prayed.

He hadn’t gotten a legendary from the Portuguese chest; surely, the Brazilian chest would grant him one this time?

A 0.01% chance!

Click!

The wheel twitched again, and the pointer landed on the edge of the “Consolation Prize.”

“Damn!”

Tang Ye slammed his fist on the computer desk.

What the hell is this 0.01% chance?

It seemed the wheel was just for show—the system never intended to grant him a legendary chest.

But no need to panic yet.

What was the consolation prize?

[You have opened the Brazilian Chest (Consolation Prize)]
[You have received one nude photo of Erik ten Hag (from Antony)]

???

Startled by the sudden appearance of a photo in his hand, Tang Ye hurriedly stuffed it into his drawer.

What the hell is this!?

…