Luke glanced down at the chubby, burly dude in front of him. The guy did a split, squatted, threw up a peace sign, and stuck out his tongue. His carefree vibe was totally unexpected. The kicker? He wasn't shy at all; instead, he yelled, "Shutter, hurry up, shutter!"
The crowd echoed with "shutter," and with a "click," Luke snapped the pic, capturing the ridiculous and hilarious moment. Everyone cheered, then scattered like birds. The chubby dude curled up, did a forward roll, and rolled away. He then stood up with his legs together, finishing the whole routine smoothly, leaving Luke totally flabbergasted.
In no time, everyone dispersed and got busy, laughing and greeting each other. Only Julio and three other guys stayed in front of Luke. He raised his phone and said, "Hey guys, good afternoon. I'm Luke Howard, quarterback. Who photobombed my selfie just now? Any names? I can send you the pic later so you can see everyone's goofy faces."
With a confident and slightly humorous intro, Luke, an Avalis American football player, knew that in this field, where Asians had never ventured, confidence, self-reliance, and independence were the keys to making friends. Only then would strength, the most convincing means, come into play.
Sure enough, the three guys in front of him didn't look surprised but instead introduced themselves right away.
"Jonas Mouton, linebacker."
"Bruce Carter, linebacker."
"Jabara Williams, linebacker."
After their intros, Luke and Julio exchanged a knowing glance. "Wow, looks like we've fallen into a linebacker trap," Luke said, eyes wide with a playful grin.
Julio, standing beside him, shook his head confidently, "This is a challenge! Who knows, we might be facing off on the field soon."
Generally speaking, linebackers are the most important players in the defense, often serving as the defensive captain or the one giving commands. Linebackers must have excellent tackling skills to stop the running back from breaking through. In passing plays, they must also help their teammates cover potential receivers, disrupting or intercepting any passes.
Compared to quarterbacks, linebackers often match up more with wide receivers. That's why Julio responded the way he did.
The three linebackers laughed heartily, clenched their fists, and waved them at Julio, striking a "ready to roll up their sleeves and fight" pose. This created a sense of camaraderie among the newly acquainted strangers.
"Are you the only Asian player in this year's rookie camp?" Jonas asked, not hiding his curious gaze, though it wasn't malicious, just curious.
In fact, it's not the first time an Asian player has appeared in rookie camp. Every few years, a few Asian players would show up, but unfortunately, the skill gap was always evident, and none had made it into the league as professional players.
However, an Asian quarterback was absolutely unprecedented.
Luke spread his hands, "If the face I saw in the bathroom mirror this morning is still normal, then yeah, you're looking at him." His witty and humorous words made everyone smile, "But how did you know? I thought I was a nobody."
"The major news outlets have already reported it," Bruce said straightforwardly. "Such a big news story, the media never misses it. So, have you signed in? Once you do, the whole camp will know soon enough, and everyone will be curious about who the Asian guy is and what he's capable of."
Luke slightly opened his mouth, closed his jaw, and showed a look of sudden realization, "Just like a circus." Once again, everyone laughed.
Now Luke finally understood the source of the special task from the system. Maybe it was the identity of an Avalis American quarterback that attracted media attention; maybe it was the exposure to many potential future stars in the camp that triggered the special task. It seemed that special tasks were triggered based on life situations and specific circumstances. But what was uncertain was whether every future special task would be this difficult.
The four of them laughed and walked towards the sign-in area, giving Luke a chance to sort out his thoughts.
"Seven, I have another question. How do I determine who the potential future stars are?" Luke didn't have the ability to foresee the future, and the system didn't provide any hints. How was he supposed to make a judgment? There were nearly three hundred people in the camp; it was impossible for all of them to be future stars. "And what are the criteria for judging a star? Making the Pro Bowl? All-American First Team? Second Team? Or Season MVP?"
"Luck." Seven's answer made Luke choke a bit, but after thinking it over, he couldn't argue. It seemed that relying on luck was the only way. The goal of identifying thirty future stars was definitely not going to be easy. However, if the special task were that simple, the rewards wouldn't be so generous.
After signing in, Luke didn't rush to his room upstairs. Instead, he plopped down nearby and started brainstorming how to tackle this task. First things first, he downloaded Instagram on his phone, registered, and uploaded the group photo he had just snapped.
After uploading, he reopened the task list and noticed a progress update: "4/30."
So, he had just bumped into four potential future stars? Who could they be? Luke squinted at the photo, which had eleven people in it. Wait, twelve—there was another dude at the edge of the photo, eyes wide and mouth open, flashing a peace sign and laughing.
Out of twelve people, four were potential future stars? That was pretty wild!
Even though each year's rookie camp gathered all the top young football players, making a name for oneself in the pro league was no cakewalk. Even the top draft pick could flop, let alone other rookies. In a weak draft year, having ten or fifteen future stars would already be impressive.
Now, in a group photo with twelve players, he had snagged four potential stars? Did this mean it was a strong draft year? Thinking it over, the system's task of identifying thirty potential stars seemed to confirm Luke's hunch. This year's rookies had a lot of potential stars.
This also meant that standing out would be even tougher for Luke.
So, completing the special task became even more crucial. Whether it was the extra points or the unknown skill packs, these were essential for Luke to level up his game. For the first time, Luke seriously considered how to complete the special task.
Twelve players, four potential stars, a ratio of one-third; so, for thirty potential stars, he would need photos with at least ninety players!
Ninety players—that was no small number, almost a third of the rookie camp. In reality, it might require even more. Luke couldn't help but hold his head in his hands. He wasn't sure if he could become "everyone's favorite" after today, but he was sure that everyone would know there was a fan in the rookie camp after today.
Luke let out a long breath. For the points and the skill packs, he was all in!
Standing up, Luke began to seriously think about how to complete the task:
Should he act like a fan, eyes shining, rushing up and saying, "XXX, I really admire you. You're my idol. Can I take a photo with you?"
Or should he sneakily follow a player, like a ghost, quietly appearing and secretly taking a photo, completing the task without anyone noticing, with a creepy smile on his face?
Or should he treat it like a party, actively inviting players to gather for a group photo, mimicking the first photo's trajectory, and including thirty or forty players in one go? But without a selfie stick, relying only on his arm, it seemed impossible to fit that many people. Should he set up a tripod? Would that work?
Or maybe like a campfire gathering, having everyone form a circle, with him in the center, turning around to capture everyone in the photo in one go. But the problem was, what reason could he give to gather everyone without them thinking he was crazy?
He was definitely overthinking it. On the first day of rookie camp, if he started acting like a crazed fan, taking close-up photos with players everywhere, no extra explanation was needed—he would be seen as crazy. Should he just let loose? Embrace the craziness, shouting "Cheese" and taking photos with everyone he met, like a whirlwind, coming and going in a flash.
If this were a party with alcohol, the task would be much easier, but this was rookie camp, making it difficult. Luke's imagination ran wild, and then he noticed a figure in the corner of his eye.
In the hotel lobby, almost everyone was gathered in small groups, chatting and laughing. It would be too impolite and difficult to suddenly join in. However, diagonally ahead, there was a tall, burly black man standing alone, staring out the window, lost in thought. This was the perfect entry point!
His mind had already completed the task of photographing three hundred players, but in reality, Luke needed to start the task. So, without any hesitation, Luke walked straight over.