Ten points, man—Luke had never scored that high from the system in one shot. But seeing his info panel all lit up in red kinda killed his buzz. Forget ten points, even a hundred wouldn't be enough to fix this mess.
Taking a deep breath, Luke checked out his skills and thought hard: how should he spend these points?
He could either bring all his skills up to average, making them look less pathetic, or he could boost his key skills based on his game experience, making his strengths even stronger, like his killer 81-point long pass.
After a quick think, Luke went with the second option.
The reason was simple. Not only would it take a ton of points to get all his skills above average, but even if he did, he'd just be another "meh" quarterback. Those guys are everywhere in the league. The lucky ones warm the bench for a few seasons, waiting for a shot; the unlucky ones get cut and disappear.
Instead of playing it safe and being mediocre, it's better to take a big swing. In the pros, nobody's perfect. Average skills make you forgettable; standout skills, even with some weaknesses, can make you a game-changer.
For Luke, the best move was to get into the league and make a name for himself first; then he could work on his weak spots. So, the decision wasn't as tough as he thought.
With ten points, Luke first threw five into his observation skills, bumping his score from fifty-five to sixty, finally passing. Yesterday's last two plays showed he messed up judging player positions and anticipating defenders, so observation was key.
Next, he added five points to his ball-carrying skills, bringing it up to sixty-five.
Ball-carrying is kinda like a running back's run. The quarterback holds the ball, moving around to find a better pass. If needed, he can run it himself. But this skill needs to mix with evasion, blocking, dodging, and faking to pull off a run.
Luke didn't rush to add points to other skills. Points were limited and wouldn't make a huge difference. He focused on his footwork in the pocket, lateral moves, and backpedaling. Combined with his observation skills, this would give him a better view of the field, letting him use his seventy-point short pass and eighty-one-point long pass.
In no time, the ten points were gone. Luke looked at his skill list again and felt like nothing much had changed.
After reading all the info, the task panel was clear again, with just the "Daily Training Task, 0/14" left. Time to start today's training!
After the Rose Bowl, the Bruins had a three-day break, which flew by. Today, all the players would gather to officially say goodbye to the seniors and wrap up the 2010 season.
For Luke, the past three days were nothing special. Every morning, he did his daily training before hitting the books. It was tough, but seeing the task counter go up—now at "2/14"—kept him motivated. Today was day three.
Jogging down familiar streets, Luke headed to the training field. After turning onto a straight path, he took a deep breath and started to sprint. In a short hundred-meter dash, his muscles fired up, his speed shot up. The wind in his ears made his adrenaline pump. After the sprint, he slowed down, getting back to his original pace. He adjusted his breathing, letting the rapid breaths lengthen, and got back into his long-distance running rhythm.
He was getting used to the rhythm and bursts of interval running. Next, he needed to improve efficiency, shorten long runs, speed up sprints, and reduce the time between sprints, pushing his endurance and explosiveness to the limit.
After wrapping up today's long run, Luke didn't just stop; he bolted towards the locker room at full speed again.
The lactic acid was making his muscles scream, his power was fading, and his lungs felt like they were on fire. His throat was burning, tasting bitter, and even swinging his arms felt like lifting weights. But Luke gritted his teeth, pushing his limits. Only by breaking through could he get better.
Entering the player tunnel, Luke slowed down. His ankles and calves felt like jelly, his clothes were drenched, and sweat dripped from his cheeks, forming little streams on the ground. Every pore on his body was open, feeling both exhausted and refreshed. But Luke wasn't done yet. He pinched his left wrist to check his pulse, silently counting his heartbeats.
This was to test his condition—had he really hit his limit? Could his body handle more? Should he up his training load or keep it steady?
The sound of an office door opening and closing made Luke stop. He looked towards the noise.
The season was over, and the team was on break. For the past three days, Luke had been training solo on the field; his ball-handling drills were done after class, dragging Logan to the neighborhood sports field near their apartment. Today was the day the team was regrouping, but who'd show up this early?
Then Luke saw Kevin, Kevin Prince.
This was unexpected. Luke was a bit stunned, and Kevin clearly didn't expect it either. They both paused, exchanging glances, unsure of what to say or how to start.
Kevin didn't like Luke, and he had plenty of reasons. Like a practice player treating every training session like the Super Bowl, making a big deal out of nothing; or a backup player eyeing the starting spot, taking advantage of Kevin's injury to rise up.
Then there was Luke's pretentiousness, telling lame jokes to please other teammates; or his lofty dreams of going pro, even though they both knew that 99% of Bruins players wouldn't make it. And Luke's foolish dream of becoming a great football player, his stubborn persistence that was annoyingly naive.
But Kevin couldn't deny that it was Luke who led the team to a comeback win against the Trojans; he couldn't deny that it was Luke who turned the tide in the last two minutes against the Badgers; and he couldn't deny that Luke worked harder and was stronger than him.
Looking at the sweat-drenched Luke, Kevin's emotions were all over the place. He hesitated for a moment, then silently moved forward.
As he passed Luke, he paused slightly and said in a low voice, "Good luck!" Without waiting for a response, he kept walking, almost fleeing as he heard a "Thank you" echoing in the tunnel behind him.
Refocusing, Luke resumed his steps, heading to the indoor gym for some equipment training. But before he could enter, he saw someone else—head coach Rick.
Seeing the sweat-soaked Luke, Rick wasn't surprised. A hint of a satisfied smile appeared in his eyes. The day after the Rose Bowl, Rick had come to the training field to prep some documents and was surprised to see Luke still training. That was the real shock.
Rick then remembered that Anthony had mentioned to him that Luke consistently did extra training every day, meticulously completing all tasks without missing a day. At the time, Rick hadn't thought much of it. But after witnessing the last game of the season and the Rose Bowl, Rick understood what "daily extra training" really meant.
Reflecting back, Luke's consistent effort during his freshman and sophomore years, his enthusiasm even after being relegated to a practice player in his junior year, and his relentless work throughout his junior season had left a deep impression on Rick. So, when Kevin and Luke clashed during preseason training, Rick had no hesitation in siding with Luke.
Rick had once thought that Luke lacked talent and only had diligence, which was far from enough for a pro athlete. Talent is the foundation of everything; without that one percent of inspiration, all the sweat in the world would be in vain. But now, it seemed his perspective needed some adjustment.
"Luke, got a minute? If your training isn't too urgent, could you come to my office?" Rick asked. He had planned to talk to Luke after today's gathering, but since they had run into each other, he decided to do it now.
Luke nodded, a bit confused, "No problem!"