The scrimmage resumed with renewed intensity, but the coaches, scouts, and players had clearly raised their standards. Von Miller had delivered a professional-level, dominant defensive performance; Lu Ke had scored the first touchdown of the scrimmage; and Julio Jones and Logan Newman had shown incredible collaboration in their running. Now, people were expecting to see more.
The atmosphere inside Lucas Oil Stadium was getting hotter and hotter.
Standing on the sidelines, Lu Ke's excited heart was still difficult to calm. He couldn't help but clench his fists, cheering himself on again.
Perhaps he started too late. Perhaps his physical talents were still a weakness. Perhaps his strength had yet to reach the level of a professional player. But he had seen a possibility.
With a full seven months until the official start of the league in September, and with the help of the system, he believed he could become a qualified professional player. He wouldn't slack off in his daily training or in any of his missions, and he would do his best to sprint toward his dream.
The question now was, was his performance at the rookie training camp enough? Could he find his mentor in the draft two months from now?
He clenched his fists tightly, and his turbulent emotions gradually calmed down. All the players were watching the scrimmage on the field with rapt attention, and Lu Ke finally had time to summon the system again. "Ding, ding, ding," a series of cheerful, joyous sounds played in his mind, composing a beautiful musical chapter.
"Congratulations on completing the 'Special Mission: Proving Yourself in Adversity.' The mission rewards are as follows: Speed +1, Strength +1, Acceleration +1, Agility +1, Jump +1, Throwing Power +1, Unknown Quarterback Training Skill Pack +1, Unknown Team Interview Opportunity +5, and one additional Basic Skill Point."
Before checking the mission rewards, Lu Ke first reviewed his mission completion status: Passing Yards: 80, which far exceeded the required 50. Passing Completion Rate: 66.666%, with six successful passes out of nine, barely meeting the 60% standard. Passing Target: Julio Jones, successfully connected three times. Defeated Target: Richard Sherman, successfully passed twice.
In a simple scrimmage with just ten offensive downs, the process was far more thrilling than the result. Thinking back on it, it was still an exciting and stimulating experience. This was why Lu Ke loved the game so much: the blood-pumping, life-or-death, cutthroat moments. When two brave men meet, the braver one wins. When two brave men meet, the stronger one wins!
Lu Ke then began to browse his mission rewards. After all the basic points were added, his current basic physical stats were as follows: Speed: 66, Strength: 48, Acceleration: 62, Agility: 70, Jump: 49, and Throwing Power: 79.
His physical talent was still mediocre, but Lu Ke could feel the stats increasing little by little, and his confidence was growing as well. This wasn't something that would happen overnight, but a long and steady process. He needed to keep moving forward steadily, one step at a time.
Of course, with an incredible cheat like the Football Superstar System, his growth was already happening at a rapid pace, and he shouldn't be greedy for more.
His eyes fell on the Unknown Team Interview Opportunity and the Unknown Quarterback Training Skill Pack, but then he discovered an "additional Basic Skill Point +1." This was an unexpected discovery. If Lu Ke remembered correctly, this wasn't an option in the rewards when the special mission was announced.
"Little Seven?" Lu Ke called out in his mind. Without a follow-up question, Little Seven's explanatory voice rang out. "This is a potential reward for special missions. In the scrimmage just now, you scored a touchdown, which exceeded the scope of the mission requirements. You completed the mission 120%, which triggered an additional reward."
No wonder there was an "additional" prefix.
However, Lu Ke caught another piece of information. "Wait, you just said this is a potential reward for special missions. Does that mean only special missions can give out potential rewards? Not daily missions or game missions?"
"Yes," Little Seven said concisely, cutting off Lu Ke's wild, imaginative thoughts.
Lu Ke didn't mind. He shrugged. "That's fair." Then he stroked his chin. "Huh, does this mean my first special mission wasn't completed enough? Little Seven, if I took a photo with Cam Newton and uploaded it to a social media account, would that count as an over-completion of the mission?"
"..." Little Seven remained silent.
Lu Ke immediately shook his head in denial. "Pfft, no, that would be admitting that Newton is a potential superstar. Hmph, I'll beat him down every time I see him and turn that 'potential' superstar into a 'once was'."
"..." Little Seven continued to remain silent.
With the unexpected gain of a skill point, Lu Ke didn't hesitate and added it to his Observation Vision, which now became 64.
The more games he played, the more useful Observation Vision became. It was an understanding of the entire situation on the field, including the protection of the offensive line, the situation of the receivers on the field, the breakthroughs of the defensive line, and the positions of the defensive secondary. The entire read and interpretation presented a three-dimensional image in his mind. Whether it was choosing an offensive option or escaping a sack, this was an absolute weapon.
It was only 64 now. Lu Ke was a little excited, wondering if the whole world would be brand new if it increased to 80. What about 100?
He temporarily put his jumbled thoughts aside and, without hesitation, opened the Unknown Quarterback Training Skill Pack. After a "ding" sound, he opened the special skill list. One of the columns was "Absolute Footwork: 0/2," and the entire color was shaded, indicating it couldn't be used. In today's scrimmage, the two uses of the Absolute Footwork skill were as if by divine intervention, becoming the key to turning the tide of the game. He wondered when he would get this skill again.
His gaze then fell on the training skill pack. "Complete the following training:
Three-cone drill, five sets, five reps per set.
Twenty-yard shuttle, ten sets, one rep per set.
Rope ladder lateral movement, ten sets, four trips per set.
Pylon drill, ten sets, four trips per set.
Ball-handling run, ten sets, four trips per set.
Training rewards: Ball-handling +1, Evasion +1, Blocking +1, Dribbling +1, Faking +1."
The five different types of training were all footwork drills for quarterbacks, focusing on movement within the protection of the defensive line. The final reward points were all concentrated on footwork-related skills.
Similar to the first Quarterback Training Skill Pack, this training pack's purpose was also very clear: to standardize Lu Ke's technical movements and to fine-tune his established movements in the limited training to make him a more efficient and direct passer.
Without the Absolute Footwork special skill, solidly improving his footwork was undoubtedly the best way to prepare for the future. Although pocket quarterbacks were different from mobile quarterbacks, the footwork requirements within the pocket were not too strict, but pocket quarterbacks were more dependent on the offensive line. If a powerful defensive unit tore through the offensive line, then the pocket quarterback's poor footwork couldn't save them.
The saying "Offense wins games, defense wins championships" is true in both soccer and football. So, how do you break through the defense and defy the odds? It was by no means that simple, but improving his footwork was a good start.
Finally, Lu Ke, feeling anxious and excited, opened the last reward: Unknown Team Interview Opportunity.
But after he clicked it, there was nothing. The special skill bar showed "Team Interview Opportunity 5/5," but the entire skill was gray and couldn't be used. Since the entire screen was in his mind, Lu Ke anxiously raised his hand, trying to operate a keyboard through the large screen. Then he realized that Logan, who was standing next to him, was looking at him with a confused expression. Lu Ke's mouth fell open, and he patted Logan on the shoulder. "It's nothing, nothing. There was a mosquito."
Logan looked at Lu Ke with a horrified expression. Indianapolis in February? A mosquito? Was it a mosquito from outer space?
Lu Ke quickly looked at the field, watching the ongoing scrimmage, and quietly asked in his mind, "Little Seven, what's going on? Why can't I use this skill?"
"You don't need to whisper. It's in your brain," Little Seven said professionally, but it sounded like a complaint. At this moment, Lu Ke noticed that Little Seven didn't call him "Host," but "you." This was a small step forward, but it was a very welcome one. Little Seven's voice continued, "This is a passive skill. You can't operate it. You just have to wait, and the team interviews will happen naturally."
Lu Ke couldn't help but let out a disappointed sigh. Fortunately, a pass had just been incomplete on the field, and everyone gasped, so his action didn't seem out of place.
Lu Ke had originally thought that he could choose the five team interviews himself, selecting teams he liked or teams he thought would appreciate him. Or perhaps the system would arrange the team choices in advance, and he could make some simple preparations based on the characteristics of those teams, hoping to present a better image of himself during the interviews.
But he was clearly being too greedy.
The disappointment and regret only lasted for a moment. Lu Ke quickly regained his spirits. Getting five team interview opportunities as a mission reward was already a great thing. Otherwise, he might not have gotten a single interview and would have been completely ignored, which would have been a real low point.
Now, with five interview opportunities, no matter which team they were with, he needed to make the most of them. After all, with his current qualifications, his options were very limited.
That night, after completing the footwork training pack and improving his stats, they started to receive interview calls from teams. It turned out that Lu Ke had underestimated himself. He was by no means an unknown in this year's rookie training camp.
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