American Football: King of the Bay Area

The entire training field erupted. They were amazed by the practice squad’s comeback, amazed by Lu Ke’s tactical plays, and amazed by the thrilling game!

Granted, the training match was only fifteen minutes long. If it had been a full game, whether the practice squad could have withstood the third-string team’s onslaught was another question entirely. Granted, the opening pass involved a bit of luck; without that one long pass, the practice squad might have collapsed completely today. And granted, the third-string team was only made up of the backups’ backups, their skills limited...

But that didn’t diminish the sheer surprise of the game’s outcome. Everyone, except for the third-string team, was astonished. For the third-stringers, however, it was a disaster—a complete and utter disaster.

Kevin viciously slammed his helmet on the ground, cursing under his breath to vent his fury. He stared at Lu Ke, who was in the center of the crowd, basking in the cheers of victory. He couldn’t believe it—a practice player, a Chinese guy, a clown—had actually won the scrimmage. It was a disgrace. A true disgrace!

Overcome with rage, Kevin was on the verge of exploding. He impulsively lunged forward, wanting to get into a real fight with that shameless bastard, Lu Ke. But his teammates quickly grabbed him, trying to talk him down. ”A loss is a loss. Don’t embarrass yourself any further.” Their words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly snapping Kevin back to his senses. He looked up and saw the scornful looks from the starters. Kevin spun around and stormed off the field.

Lu Ke was jumping, cheering, and celebrating, when he caught sight of Logan. The two of them locked eyes and broke into joyous laughter.

”You did it! Jesus Christ! Bambi, you really did it!” Logan couldn’t help but yell. As a starting Tight End, he’d had to watch the game from the sidelines, and his stomach had been in knots the whole time. But seeing Lu Ke win through his own skill and planning—winning what was practically an unwinnable war—made Logan’s own excitement burst like a firework.

Lu Ke laughed freely. ”Stick with me from now on, and I’ll take you to the Super Bowl!”

”You said it, no take-backs!” Logan grinned from ear to ear, giving Lu Ke a solid punch on the shoulder as he cheered wildly.

It was just a scrimmage, meaningless to many. For the starters, it was nothing more than a bit of entertainment. But for the practice squad, it was the first milestone, the first breakthrough in their otherwise unremarkable athletic careers. It made them realize that the gap between the backups and the practice squad, while real, wasn’t as massive as they had imagined.

People always say the ball is round in soccer, meaning anything can happen on the pitch. In American football, that’s even more true. Moments where the underdog triumphs and dark horses emerge are common. It’s a sport with no guaranteed losers. Today, the practice squad proved it!

”Bambi, what are you still doing? Go hit the showers,” Derek called out. Practice was over, and everyone was laughing and joking on their way back to the locker room, but they noticed Lu Ke lagging behind.

The same nickname, which was sometimes used as a taunt, was now a term of endearment. It wasn’t just Derek; John, Tevin, Wade, and the others all started chanting, ”Bambi! Bambi! Bambi!” The image of Little Deer Bambi defeating lions and wolves flashed through their minds, sending a jolt of adrenaline through them.

”What, waiting for me to drop the soap?” Lu Ke’s retort sent everyone into roaring laughter. Derek instantly became the butt of the joke, and a wave of rowdy camaraderie swept through the practice squad.

Back in the locker room, after showering and changing, he finally felt refreshed. Everyone else had headed back to their dorms, but Lu Ke stayed behind, looking around the now-empty room.

This was just the training camp locker room, not one from a college football stadium, let alone a professional league. But Lu Ke couldn’t help but imagine himself, one day, standing in a pro team’s locker room, waiting for his chance to play. Even just picturing it was enough to make him clench his fists in excitement.

The excitement was fleeting. As the joy of victory faded, Lu Ke gradually cooled down. Though he’d won today’s game, it had also shown him the gap in his abilities. As the system’s data indicated, aside from his long pass, he was riddled with weaknesses, all of which had been laid bare during the game.

Even in areas that should be a quarterback’s strengths—Mid-range Pass Accuracy, Short Pass Accuracy, and passing on the move—his stats were still abysmal.

In truth, the only truly brilliant plays he’d made were the first and last passes. The rest of the time, what he’d showcased was his mind: his ability to read plays, his judgment in unexpected situations, and his understanding of the opponent. But this was just a fifteen-minute scrimmage. If the game had been any longer, or if the opposing defense had taken their first series more seriously, the outcome would have been completely different.

’Understanding your own weaknesses isn’t self-deprecation; it’s a prerequisite for growth.’

Lu Ke was curious. ’That last pass... how on earth did I complete it?’

’My short passing during this fifteen-minute game was a disaster. I think I only completed two of them, from what I can remember. At that last moment, I decisively chose a short pass. I wasn’t thinking, I just made a judgment call based on the situation. But looking back, I must have been out of my mind.’

’Was I able to complete that short pass because the system triggered some kind of Super Saiyan option?’

This was why Lu Ke had stayed behind alone in the locker room—he needed quiet time to think. He summoned the system in his mind again, ignored the unread message in the top-left corner, and was just about to check his character attributes when he heard Qi’s voice. ”Congratulations on officially unlocking the Willpower attribute.”

”Willpower?” The character attributes panel materialized in his mind. Sure enough, a brand-new attribute had appeared. Below ”Tactical Awareness: 67,” it read, ”Willpower: 80.” A look of surprise crossed Lu Ke’s face. ”Qi, explain this attribute.”

”Simply put, it’s the ability to remain unfazed in critical moments,” Qi’s explanation was direct. ”Like a buzzer-beater in basketball, or a penalty shootout in soccer. The more tense and crucial the moment, the greater the effect of Willpower.”

Lu Ke had a flash of insight. That explained why he hadn’t choked at the critical moment. Of all his character attributes, the highest was Spiritual Quality, at 81. It seemed now that Spiritual Quality had several sub-attributes, and Willpower, with its high score of 80, was one of them. That had been the key to winning the scrimmage today.

”In other words, it’s a Super Saiyan ability,” Lu Ke said, a smile creeping onto his lips. The power to perform beyond your limits at a critical moment and win an impossible game. ”So why didn’t I overperform during my freshman tryouts? Forget making the main roster, I could have at least made the practice squad.”

Qi remained silent, ignoring Lu Ke’s question.

Lu Ke chuckled, then opened the unread messages. There were three in total, each informing him that he had completed a different mission. To be honest, completing a pass and scoring a Touchdown were expected. But winning the game? That was a genuinely pleasant surprise.

”Qi, if a mission fails, is there no penalty?” Lu Ke suddenly realized. So far, all the missions had only offered rewards, no punishments. ’Will it always be like this? Or have I just not seen the penalties yet?’

”Mission failure is judged based on the mission’s difficulty and reward. There is a certain probability that a penalty option will appear,” Qi explained dutifully.

Lu Ke nodded slightly. ”So the scrimmage just now didn’t qualify for a failure penalty, is that it?” Silence was his only answer, though he hadn’t really expected one from Qi. His gaze shifted to the basic attribute points in the upper-right corner. He had three points again. ’How should I use them?’

’Judging from that last game, my ability to pass on the move is frankly terrible. My accuracy was atrocious. The precision of my mid- and short-range passes was also unsatisfactory, and it seriously affected the flow of the game. As for my other stats that weren’t even at a passing grade, they were even worse.’

’Passing on the move? Or mid- and short-range passing?’

Whether in college football or the NFL, a quarterback’s ability is judged on a comprehensive set of skills. But one thing was certain: passing on the run after evading defenders was a crucial technique. A quarterback can’t expect the Defense Line to stop the opponent every single time. Then there was the matter of mid- and short-range passing. Long passes were a tool for a sudden, lethal strike, but mid- and short-range passes were the bread and butter of the game.

Furthermore, the demands on a quarterback in college football are slightly different. At the college level, players rely more on raw physical talent, so the game is more physical and the tactics are less sophisticated. This means a quarterback needs a quick release, fast decision-making, and a decent ability to run the ball themselves.

Physically strong quarterbacks who can both pass and run often achieve greater success in college.

’Physicality is my weak point. But how do I keep that weakness from holding me back? It’s not about avoiding contact—in football, avoiding contact means losing the game. It’s about getting the ball out quickly and accurately *before* the contact comes!’

And so, Short Pass Accuracy became his choice once again. With his mind made up, Lu Ke decisively spent all three attribute points on his Short Pass Accuracy. With that, the stat rose to 67, another step closer to 70.

After allocating the points, Lu Ke felt a renewed sense of drive. He couldn’t wait for tomorrow’s daily training missions, not just for the attribute points, but to hone his fundamentals. On the path to superstardom, he had finally taken a solid first step.