American Football: King of the Bay Area

Before officially reviewing the rewards for the special mission, Lu Ke didn’t rush. He calmed down and carefully considered just how he had completed it. This wasn’t for the sake of the next mission, but to better understand the game.

The special mission had three requirements. Leading the offense to score and relying on himself to win—those two were easy enough to understand. But what about defeating Geno Atkins?

Throughout the game today, Lu Ke was sacked a total of four times—twice before the special mission appeared, and twice after. But after the special mission activated, the Offense Line’s performance had actually improved—

He recalled one instance where Atkins rushed him, and Lu Ke used his legs to evade the sack before completing a pass. That only happened once. Taken literally, it meant he’d only fulfilled the requirement once. So, what about the other times?

”Qi, can I interpret it this way? Atkins attempted a blitz, but I read the defense, made adjustments to the Offense Line, and effectively shut down his rush. Does that also count toward completing the mission?” After some careful thought, Lu Ke offered his hypothesis.

”Yes.” Qi’s reply was affirmative.

Although Qi didn’t elaborate, Lu Ke’s theory was confirmed.

Directly engaging with defensive players wasn’t a quarterback’s job. This was true even for a mobile quarterback; their primary role was, after all, to pass. Confronting the Defense Line was the Offense Line’s responsibility. So, how did a quarterback counter the Defense Team?

By reading the defense, setting formations, and making tactical arrangements. A quarterback uses his observation and intelligence to leverage his teammates’ strengths, orchestrating blocks against defensive players to form an effective protective pocket. Then, through the receivers’ routes and various tactical combinations, he leads the team down the field.

As the team’s brain, a quarterback’s physicality is important. When the pocket collapses, their room to maneuver is extremely limited, so the ability to take a hit is indeed crucial. But even more important are strategic thinking, Tactical Awareness, and the ability to sense a crisis—

By adjusting the Offense Line, a quarterback can counter the Defense Line’s rush. By designing short-pass plays, he can move the ball before the Defense Team mounts an effective resistance. By anticipating and creating mismatches, he can completely disrupt the defensive formation and sustain the team’s drive.

A truly elite quarterback can stand in the pocket and orchestrate the entire offense without needing any physical contact, like an artillery cannon. This was the true essence of being the team’s brain.

Even with the gradual rise of a new generation of mobile quarterbacks, traditional pocket passers still held a dominant position in the Alliance. This was the most direct proof. The countless tactical arrangements were far more complex than people imagined.

Of course, this only applied to ”elite” quarterbacks. For most average-level quarterbacks who lacked the ability to read defenses and anticipate plays, they needed a more robust tactical system. They had to rely on the offensive coordinator’s play-calling to effectively utilize the Offense Line, or, more simply, depend on elite Forward Players to provide them with solid pocket protection.

In today’s game, Lu Ke had successfully built himself a pocket that, while not impenetrable, was effective. Especially in the fourth quarter, several successful tactical mismatches completely destroyed the Fierce Tiger Team’s defensive formation. He then relentlessly extended the lead, securing the victory.

Therefore, Lu Ke had completed the special mission. He had gained the upper hand in his duel with Atkins.

Re-interpreting the special mission each week was a fascinating exercise. Now, Lu Ke was even more aware of his own shortcomings. After the game, a few different plans for allocating his points had formed in his mind.

First, he definitely needed to improve his physical attributes: speed, strength, and explosiveness. When the pocket collapsed, he needed to be able to evade that first sack attempt as much as possible. Otherwise, his seventy-one-point Ball-Carrying Run and seventy-point Running Pass abilities would be useless. Even if he couldn’t evade it, his physical toughness needed to improve to avoid potential injuries.

Just because he didn’t get injured today didn’t mean he wouldn’t next time.

Second, he needed to improve his play-action pass and ball protection ability. Both stats were currently atrocious—the former was at forty-five points, the latter at fifty-nine. He had turned the ball over once in today’s game because of these two weaknesses.

In football, every turnover resulting from a mistake could be fatal.

Third, he still needed to improve his Tactical Awareness and Observation Field of View. This was one of the revelations from today’s special mission.

In truth, both stats were already quite good. Tactical Awareness was at seventy-five points and Observation Field of View was at seventy, both at an average level. Lu Ke had originally thought these scores were sufficient and not an immediate concern. But after today’s game, and especially after the special mission, he realized there was still a gap between him and a truly great quarterback. He needed to improve further.

The problem now was this: Lu Ke could dump all his points into physical attributes, but the improvement of his quarterback-specific skills would have to slow down. The result was obvious—

His physical toughness would increase, but his quarterback-specific skills would lag behind. During a game, he wouldn’t be able to make effective plays with his quarterback skills and would instead end up taking more hits. Even though his improved physique would allow him to endure those hits, the team still wouldn’t be able to move the ball or win.

It would be like being inside a turtle shell. The opponent couldn’t break in, but he couldn’t break out either.

Conversely, if Lu Ke focused on improving his quarterback-specific skills, he could use tactical adjustments and his passing ability to make plays, moving the ball before opponents could collapse the pocket. But things can change in an instant on the field. If an opponent broke through and collided with him, the same predicament he faced in today’s game would just continue.

It was a question of trade-offs. There was no absolute right or wrong, only a matter of priority. But Lu Ke wasn’t sure. To what level did Tactical Awareness and Observation Field of View need to be raised before he could truly control the game and thereby avoid his physical disadvantages?

Three allocation plans, three different paths, each leading to a different outcome. It was a dilemma.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Ke didn’t rush to allocate his points. He decided to claim his special mission rewards first: ”Point Lottery Ticket +1, Unknown Special Skill Package +1.” He started with the latter, a familiar sight. After getting Absolute Step and Bullet Time, Lu Ke had a decent understanding of what a Special Skill Package could be.

With a crisp DING, Qi’s voice came through. ”Congratulations, you have received the Special Skill ’Copper Skin Iron Bones.’ Uses: 3/3.”

It was a brand new Special Skill. Not overly surprised, he opened the drop-down menu with practiced ease and began reading the description. Compared to Bullet Time, this one was much simpler.

It was exactly what the name implied: Copper Skin Iron Bones. When facing a powerful hit or a sack, he could activate the skill, and his body would enter a peak state. He would be immune to any form of impact or collision. Not only would he not get injured, but he also wouldn’t feel any side effects.

This meant Lu Ke had three opportunities to let an opponent hit him without any fear. But what quarterback would be stupid enough to just stand there and wait to get hit? The only likely scenario was when the pocket was completely compressed or had collapsed, leaving the quarterback with nowhere to run and a sack was inevitable. That’s when ”Copper Skin Iron Bones” would be useful.

But there was a drawback. ’Qi, this isn’t one of the Passive Skills, it’s an active one. If I’m getting sacked, how would I have time to activate it?’ Everything happened in a flash. A quarterback’s entire focus was on the pass; it was impossible to notice a defender coming, especially on a blindside sack.

”Activation is instantaneous,” Qi said, seemingly sensing Lu Ke’s frustration. After the simple explanation, it proactively added, ”The moment you feel the impact, just activate the Special Skill. All the force will be nullified, and your body won’t feel any pain.”

”Then... why not just make it one of the Passive Skills?” Lu Ke pressed. If it were, he could throw with abandon, without ever worrying about his blind side.

”Some hits during a play are avoidable. But if carelessness or a mistake leads to a sack, you have the choice whether to use the Special Skill. If it were one of the Passive Skills, it would trigger automatically, which might waste a use.” For once, Qi was patient, explaining away all his doubts.

Lu Ke had a moment of realization. In short, it was about using his best resources where they mattered most. If it were a passive skill, he’d have no choice. It might trigger on a sack from his right, one he could have potentially evaded with his footwork. With an active skill, however, he could save it and use it instantly on a blindside sack.

Absolute Step was a passing skill that removed his worries. Copper Skin Iron Bones, on the other hand, was a last-resort measure for the very instant he was sacked.

He had to admit, if used properly, Copper Skin Iron Bones could have unexpectedly brilliant results in a game. Several ways to use it were already forming in his mind.

”So, there’s no duration limit?” Lu Ke pressed.

”It’s limited by the number of hits, not by time.” Qi’s answer put Lu Ke’s mind at ease.

During the second sack in today’s game, Lu Ke had been taken down by two defensive players at once. If he’d had Copper Skin Iron Bones then, the situation might have turned out differently. And with no time limit, it also meant he wouldn’t have to worry about a secondary hit, whether intentional or not.