"Yo, congrats on nailing that NCAA game task..."
"Yo, congrats on nailing that NCAA game task..."
The notification sound was like a victory anthem, signaling the end of Luke's first game as a pro football quarterback. The outcome? That cheerful ding reminded him of the good ol' "Super Mario" days on the NES, where munching on a mushroom either made you grow or gave you firepower. Basically, it meant he could keep leveling up. Sweet news, right?
First pass, check, one basic point; first touchdown, check, one basic point; seventy-five yards passing, check, one basic point; win, check, two basic points; and four touchdowns, four basic points.
After tallying it all up, Luke realized he racked up nine basic points! That first touchdown hit two birds with one stone, counting for both the "first touchdown" and "touchdown completion" tasks. So, yeah, nine basic points. A solid nine!
Five months of grinding only got him nine basic points, but now, in just one game, he snagged another nine. Looked like tonight's party was just getting started!
Luke eagerly opened his personal info panel and checked out his skills again.
Even though he won tonight, Luke knew it was kinda lucky.
First off, he had the element of surprise. As a backup QB, he had to study the opponent's tactics, but they had no clue about him. Kevin Prince's injury was a hit to the UCLA Bruins, but it also threw the Trojans' game plan out the window.
Second, he made clutch decisions. Logan's short catch turned into a touchdown outta nowhere; both Logan and John made catches in do-or-die moments, and any slip-up would've meant an incomplete pass. Plus, he barely dodged a sack before that last pass. Any mistake in those moments would've changed the whole game.
Still, Luke had pretty much shown all his cards. This was his real skill level. Especially looking at his still-red stats, any hint of cockiness was quickly squashed. He had confidence and ambition but wasn't about to get greedy.
So, how should he spend those nine basic points tonight?
In the passing department, Luke's short and long pass accuracy were solid, so no worries there. His medium pass accuracy was only at sixty-four, which was a weak spot. But after tonight, Luke realized he needed to learn to protect himself better. Just being able to pass wasn't enough to win.
His eyes landed on the run-pass option, which was at sixty-six. Not good enough.
Today, Malik had pushed him to the edge. Aside from the luck on that last pass, during the earlier plays, he was like a punching bag, getting hit left and right. Now, his bones were aching from all the hits. Each tackle and block messed with his passing accuracy.
Even with eighty-one points in long passing, there was a deviation in that last pass.
So, the run-pass score had to go up. Without hesitation, Luke threw four points into the run-pass option. After a series of dings, this skill finally hit seventy! It crossed the threshold into the "good" level, making a noticeable difference.
If he could, Luke would've dumped all his points into the run-pass option. But, there were too many holes to fill, and he had to stay rational. He moved his gaze to the other sub-items.
Fake pass: 45
Ball protection: 59
Field vision: 50
Ball carrying: 59
Evasion: 59
Blocking: 53
Dodging: 53
Feint: 53
Among these, the fake pass was mainly for trick plays, like fake runs and real passes, or vice versa. It could also be used to fake out the defense and change the passing route. The other seven sub-items were all about footwork, observation, judgment, confrontation, evasion, and escape.
But Luke was bombing in all of them. Seriously, for any pro quarterback, these scores are crucial, and passing is just the bare minimum. In the big leagues, even as a backup, you gotta have an average score around seventy for these skills. Luke's scores? Pretty pathetic.
With five basic points left, Luke thought it over and decided to spread them out. These sub-items kinda influence each other, so he needed to boost his overall game instead of just focusing on passing.
In the end, he threw one point each into ball carrying and evasion, at least getting them out of the failing zone. Then, he dumped three points into field vision, bumping it from fifty to fifty-three.
Field vision is all about the quarterback's control over the whole field. It’s not just about knowing where your guys are but also predicting the opponent's moves and catching on-field changes quickly.
Luke's score here was a sad fifty.
The reason? Simple: whether in high school or college, teams leaned more on raw talent than tactics. That’s why a no-huddle offense could be so deadly; once you hit the right groove, the offense just clicks. In tonight's game, Luke leaned entirely on Logan and John, with Marcus backing them up, to pull off a smooth attack. No fancy tactics, just pure chemistry and skill.
Luke's field vision had always been about using his height to see the field. But tonight's game was a wake-up call, especially that last pass where he misjudged the receiver's route and the defense's moves, leading to a messed-up play.
The O-line can't hold off defenders forever—two to four seconds is the norm. The longer the QB waits, the more pressure on the O-line, the higher the risk of giving away the play, and the more likely the QB gets sacked or tackled.
He needed sharper judgment and better field command. So, Luke chose to boost field vision, raising it from fifty to fifty-three, ignoring other weak spots for now and putting all his precious points here. Seventy was still a long way off, but he needed field vision to hit the passing mark ASAP.
Nine basic points felt like a jackpot, but in no time, Luke had blown through them all. Looking at his profile again, it was still a sea of red, like nothing had changed from five months ago. He rubbed his forehead, realizing he needed more games and more training.
"Hey Seven, got any special tasks that reward, like, a hundred points?" Luke joked.
He didn't expect a response, just messing around, but then Seven's voice popped into his head, "Yes." Luke's eyes widened, "Change a host; change a body."
Luke was speechless, a grin spreading across his face. "When did you unlock the taunt skill and max it out? Why didn't I know? Be honest, did you swipe my basic points?"
This time, Seven went silent. Luke chuckled, but to avoid looking too smug, he pursed his lips. Then Seven's cold voice chimed in again, "You do realize I can directly tap into your central nervous system, right? That kind of pleasure is impossible to hide."
Though its tone was icy, the taunt was clear.
Luke wasn't as freaked out as he was the first time. After all, he'd been with Seven for five months. "Seven, be real, do you peek when I'm watching porn?"
Silence. More silence.
Luke didn't mind, showing a regretful expression, "You've grown up and started to go bad. Don't you know how to close your eyes? Or are you looking forward to it too?" Even though he couldn't see it, Luke could imagine the system rolling its eyes. Just the thought made him laugh.
"Bambi, why do you look so sleazy? Did you score a date with that hot chick just now?" Suddenly, a voice boomed in the locker room. Turning around, he saw his teammates, fresh from the showers, walking in with laughter. Leading the pack was Marcus.
Marcus's words got everyone else going, with some even dancing and shouting, "Bambi's got a girlfriend! Bambi's got a girlfriend!"
This was new. Well, kinda. It was a familiar routine, but before, everyone joked around with each other while the backups and practice squad players stayed quiet, on the sidelines, not really fitting in. The starters were a different story. But tonight, with just one game, Luke had become part of the crew.