American Football: King of the Bay Area

As a starting quarterback, Lu Ke truly realized through today’s game that his deficiencies went beyond just physical attributes and technical skills.

In fact, this was true for every rookie. A lack of game experience and football IQ was often the fundamental factor limiting their performance. They could have all the talent in the world but would only be able to use a fraction of it on the field. They needed time and space to grow. Rushing their development could very well destroy a rookie’s career.

This wasn’t just Lu Ke’s shortcoming; it was one all rookies shared. There were no shortcuts. Improvement had to be ground out through game after game, learning from every play, especially from failures. This was particularly true for Lu Ke; after all, he had missed out on playing opportunities for all four years of college. Today was only the second start of his professional career.

He had secured a lucky and thrilling victory against the Dallas Cowboys, but Lu Ke couldn’t just hope for Lady Luck to keep smiling on him in the next game. Ultimately, strengthening his own abilities was the only reliable solution.

Now, Lu Ke finally understood the purpose of the different missions.

Daily Missions were for accumulation. The basic point rewards were very limited. Their purpose was twofold: first, to cultivate a player’s discipline, and second, to gradually transform his body through grueling real-world training—not through points, but through the tangible results of his hard work.

Game Missions were for explosive growth. The accumulation rate of basic points was incredibly fast, allowing for rapid increases in ability in a short amount of time. They also served as a way to use games as practice, accumulating experience and sharpening his nerve.

Special Missions, on the other hand, were for guidance. Through different combinations of missions tailored to his real-life circumstances, the system would guide Lu Ke, step-by-step, onto the correct path toward superstardom.

For example, his first Special Mission had seemed pointless at first. But in reality, Lu Ke had unexpectedly befriended players like Aldon Smith and JJ Watt, which opened doors for him. At the same time, he made a name for himself among the rookies. Watt became Lu Ke’s first friend in the League who was also a professional player, while Smith became a key factor in helping Lu Ke find his footing with the San Francisco 49ers—

”Qi, back at the Rookie Training Camp, did you already predict that I would end up with the San Francisco 49ers?” Lu Ke suddenly realized there was a flaw in his theory, but his question went unanswered.

On second thought, even if it hadn’t been Aldon Smith, Lu Ke had made plenty of other friends at the Rookie Training Camp. If he had ended up on a different team instead of the San Francisco 49ers, the effect would have been the same. It wasn’t just about Aldon, nor was it just about the 49ers. ’I was getting bogged down in the details.’

Thinking of this, Lu Ke posed another question. ”Qi, will Special Missions appear during games in the future? I mean, while a game is actually in progress.”

”Special Missions are mission options randomly adjusted and assigned based on real-time, situational changes. Every Special Mission is unique. The objective and content of each mission can be found in its detailed description.” Qi’s reply was very formal and didn’t give much away.

But Lu Ke’s hypothesis had received its initial confirmation.

Today’s Special Mission had appeared during the game—that was a first. By waiting for the next one and seeing the circumstances under which it appeared, Lu Ke could further solidify his theory. The ”special” in Special Mission was definitely more than just a name.

In any case, he had gained a great deal from today’s game, beyond just the victory.

The day after tomorrow at the training facility, the entire coaching staff would gather to review the game film, searching for shortcomings and weaknesses, flaws and holes. It seemed that not only could Lu Ke not afford to miss this meeting, but he also needed to do his homework beforehand.

Being a professional player was far from as simple as he had imagined. On-field performance was just one part of it; the day-to-day grind and pre-game preparation were the other.

’There’s plenty of time for that later.’ He temporarily set those thoughts aside. His gaze then fell upon the reward for completing the Special Mission: ”Special Points +2”.

Lu Ke opened the unread message and confirmed it: the Special Mission was indeed complete.

In the second half, Lu Ke hadn’t thrown any interceptions. As for the sixty-five percent pass completion rate—that hadn’t been an easy feat. There had been far too many incomplete passes in the first half, but thanks to his steady performance in the second, he had managed to hit the target.

And so, the reward was his.

Special Points. This was clearly a different type of reward from Basic Points. The Hidden Points he had just unlocked last week naturally came to mind.

He quickly opened his Attribute Panel and found the Hidden Attributes category. For now, ”Anticipation” was still the only one listed.

Just as he’d guessed, the ”Anticipation” option was no longer grayed out like last week; it had turned an actionable white. With a mere thought, the score for Anticipation jumped from seventy-five to seventy-six.

He still had one Special Point left. ’Should I just go ahead and add it to Anticipation now, or should I wait until the next Hidden Attribute unlocks, see what it is, and then decide?’

The thoughts swirled in his mind for only a moment before Lu Ke made his decision. He decisively added the point to Anticipation, bringing the Hidden Attribute’s score to seventy-seven.

Never mind when the next Hidden Attribute might unlock. Given his current situation—facing new challenges and competition every single week—he had to give it his all. He was far from a point where he could take it easy. Since there was only one Hidden Attribute available right now, it made sense to put all the Special Points into it.

The effects of a higher Anticipation score would be felt on every single offensive down. It would become a crucial asset for planning tactics and reading the defense!

Next up were the seven basic points and how to allocate them. Lu Ke considered a few different options.

One option was to continue improving his physical stats, building on last week’s improvements to increase his stamina. Although the transformation of his physique didn’t seem to have a direct, visible impact on today’s game—his ability to take a hit was still weak—it was definitely an area that needed strengthening as the season progressed.

Another option was to increase his Mid-range Pass Accuracy and Ball-Carrying Run ability. In today’s game, his sixty-five-point Mid-range Pass Accuracy had shown signs of instability. Especially against the Dallas Cowboys’ coverage-style defense, his inaccurate mid-range passes had gotten him into trouble. His Ball-Carrying Run ability was an even bigger issue. Even with the aid of Bullet Time, Lu Ke’s shortcomings as a runner were laid bare; he had only managed to advance the ball through a bit of luck.

A third option was to improve his Tactical Awareness. This stat was at seventy. Before today’s game, Lu Ke hadn’t really felt the need for it, but after two weeks of games, he felt like a living, moving target. The back-to-back wins had drawn the attention of the entire League. The challenges he would face in upcoming games would only get harder, and his ability to grasp and control the on-field situation would be tested more and more.

After careful consideration, Lu Ke made his choice.

His physical stats did need improvement, that was a fact, but after last week’s additions, the sense of urgency had lessened.

For a quarterback, the Offense Line is a barrier. A top-tier quarterback like Peyton Manning didn’t have elite physical attributes or impressive mobility. But by reading the defense and making adjustments at the line, he could often get more out of his Offense Line, ensuring solid pocket protection. As a result, the number of hits the quarterback had to endure was greatly reduced.

In other words, tactical planning and reading the defense could offer a quarterback more protection—a form of tactical supremacy. It was also a crucial asset and a path to increasing his chances of winning.

Similarly, abilities like Ball-Carrying Run, as well as skills like dodging, stiff-arming, and juking, were not the highest priority for a pocket quarterback. Passing was their main weapon; they could leave the running to the running back. The occasional scramble under pressure was more of a tactical move designed to keep the Defense Team off balance.

Now that his physical stats had seen a minor boost, he should return to his original plan: focus on strengthening the specialized skills of a quarterback. That was the foundation of his ability to compete, and it was also the key to seizing victory.

Therefore, Lu Ke decided to focus on increasing his Mid-range Pass Accuracy and Tactical Awareness. One was a direct skill that would add more weapons to his arsenal; the other was a critical ability for reading the game.

He had particularly neglected the latter, Tactical Awareness. In a way, he had been too confident. The professional league was full of hidden talent. A quarterback wasn’t just competing against the Defense Team on the field, but also against the entire coaching staff behind them.

First, Lu Ke boosted his Tactical Awareness by five points in one go, raising it from seventy to seventy-five. If he had more points, he might have even raised it to eighty. After all, it was one of the most important foundations that had allowed him to win two consecutive games at the professional level. Combined with his seventy-seven-point Anticipation, Lu Ke was gradually gaining the capital needed to control the outcome of a game.

Second, Lu Ke put the remaining two points into his Mid-range Pass Accuracy, raising it from sixty-five to sixty-seven. Looking at his Short Pass Accuracy of only seventy-one and his Mid-range Pass Accuracy of only sixty-seven, Lu Ke felt a deep sense of urgency. These were crucial skills for a quarterback to win games; he had to improve them as quickly as possible.

In the blink of an eye, the seven basic points were gone. Every time, Lu Ke felt like he was trying to fill a bottomless pit. He had poured in so many basic points, yet it seemed like he was still full of holes, with a draft blowing through. But when he recalled the victories of the past two weeks, he felt at ease again.

”AWOOOO!” A cacophony of howling cries shattered Lu Ke’s train of thought. He snapped his attention back to the present and saw the men in the locker room, all excitedly waving their towels and jerseys, their faces alight with excitement.

Before Lu Ke could even wonder what was going on, a tall, graceful figure strode into the room. Amidst a sea of roaring male animals, she was a stunning sight that lit up the entire locker room.

The newcomer was Sophie Brook.