Winning the game, completing the mission, and receiving a reward—it was undoubtedly the perfect outcome. After confirming the completion of the special mission, Lu Ke let out a sigh of relief and then began to check his mission rewards.
"Mission Reward: A random attribute +10." Since it was random, it was a bit of a gamble. Lu Ke's eyes instinctively fell on his hidden attribute, "Luck: -17-75." He wondered how his luck was today. Thinking back to the game, the zero-second drive in the final moments, with all its twists and turns, ultimately resulted in a victory. This meant his luck should have been pretty good today, at least in the positive range. With that thought, Lu Ke didn't hesitate and opened the mission reward immediately.
A crisp "ding" sounded in his mind, indicating that the reward had been redeemed. But that was it. There was no more. There were no extra notifications or special screens. Everything went back to normal. This was a bit strange, like he had fired a blank. The sound was loud, but the actual effect was underwhelming. He wasn't even sure if the reward had been redeemed, which made him question how to open the reward correctly, as this was the first time Lu Ke had seen a reward like this.
He didn't rush to ask Seven, but instead closed his inbox and opened his personal attributes panel to carefully browse through it. Lu Ke knew Seven well. Since the system didn't give him a hint, it wouldn't. It was maintaining a sense of mystery. So, instead of asking, he decided to find out for himself. Slowly, he scrolled down, looking at each attribute one by one, afraid that he would carelessly miss a change. It wasn't until he reached the bottom that he found his target.
"Injury Resistance: 87." If Lu Ke remembered correctly, his initial Injury Resistance should have been 77. In the same category were Stamina and Recovery Speed. In the beginning, these three stats were not particularly high or low. "Injury Resistance: 77; Stamina: 80; Recovery Speed: 75." Overall, these three stats were above average compared to Lu Ke's poor quarterback skills and mediocre physical fitness.
Everyone knows that for a professional athlete, injury is always the biggest enemy, and geniuses are no exception. Geniuses plagued by injuries are like shooting stars. No matter how brilliant their moments are, they eventually fade away. On the other hand, great heroes are those who have won the long battle against injuries, allowing them to maintain a high level of performance over a long period and write their own success stories. For Lu Ke, injuries were also a serious problem that needed to be taken seriously. But so far, in middle school, college, and on the professional field, injuries weren't his biggest challenge. The most important thing was getting a chance to compete on the field and win games, rather than the potential for injury. So, after getting the system, Lu Ke's attention was always focused on his skills, and the attributes related to injuries were neglected. After all, to put it bluntly, if he didn't even have the qualifications to be on the field, the possibility of losing his qualifications due to injury didn't exist.
Now, the situation was quietly changing. After ten weeks of fighting in the regular season, Lu Ke had gradually secured his position as the starting quarterback. His record of eight wins and one loss was the best testament to this. This meant that games would gradually become routine, and at the same time, opponents' tactical analysis and potential attacks on Lu Ke would also gradually become common. The issue of injuries was no longer a hypothetical possibility.
In Week 3, against the Cincinnati Bengals, Lu Ke had a minor strain in his arm, but it wasn't a big deal. This week, Lu Ke's arm muscles were once again overworked. Although there was no serious impact, the problem had already begun to surface. It was a blessing that he hadn't suffered a serious injury, at least not one that would affect his performance on the field.
At the same time, this also meant that Injury Resistance, Stamina, and Recovery Speed, the three stats that had been collecting dust in the corner, had to be included in his improvement plan, and they were even more urgent than his other attributes. There was an indirect connection between physical fitness and injury-related attributes, but there was no necessary connection. Some athletes have great physical fitness but are prone to injuries and are plagued by them throughout their careers. Other athletes are the opposite; they have mediocre physical fitness but have an excellent ability to withstand tackles and pressure, and injuries often don't bother them. It can be said that this is a talent that cannot be changed.
Of course, the factors that affect injuries are numerous, including training habits, the way the body is used, the way one enters a game, and the subconscious protective measures in confrontations. All of these are closely related. Compared to Lu Ke's physical fitness stats, his Injury Resistance, Recovery Speed, and Stamina can all be described as "excellent." A look at Lu Ke's career injury history confirms this. Even in college, when he was a practice player, daily collisions and impacts were a basic part of his training, but Lu Ke protected himself well and never suffered any major injuries. This was a good thing.
Now, Lu Ke's attention was once again on the three stats related to injuries. Today's special mission reward was added to his Injury Resistance, which was another good thing. It forcibly reduced Lu Ke's risk of injury and prepared him for the tough matchups in the second half of the regular season. Before this game, Lu Ke had been thinking that his Tactical Awareness had reached 95 points. If he could win again this week, it would mean that Tactical Awareness could be the first technical stat to reach a perfect score. This was undoubtedly exciting, and Lu Ke was looking forward to seeing the effect of a perfect score and whether it would trigger a chain reaction.
But after this game, Lu Ke had to think carefully again. As he thought, his eyes fell on the completion status of his game missions. Completing three touchdown passes earned him three base points. Completing at least 100 passing yards in the first half earned him one base point. Improving his passing completion rate to at least 70% in the first half earned him one base point. Completing two long passes from the shotgun formation in the first half earned him one base point. And winning the game earned him three base points. In total, he had earned nine base points this week.
Nine base points were enough to get his Tactical Awareness to a perfect score. At the same time, his passing-related stats could also be improved accordingly. This would be another important step for Lu Ke's quarterback skills. Since the first week of the regular season, Lu Ke had been steadily improving his professional skills, step by step shedding his status as an undrafted rookie, growing into a qualified quarterback, and rapidly growing toward an excellent level. In just ten weeks, two and a half months, the results were gratifying.
However, as the games went on, more and more problems began to show. Just having passing skills wasn't enough; he also needed to be able to read the defense. Just being able to read the defense wasn't enough; he also needed to be able to create corresponding tactics. Just improving his tactical awareness wasn't enough; without the ability to adapt on the fly in a fast-paced game, he couldn't win. The reason a quarterback is called the commander on the field is because of this. Everyone knows that football is a team sport and that one hero can't turn the tide, but a quarterback is still the center of attention because of this.
Now that the longest board in the barrel was good enough, it was time to fill in the shortest ones and raise the bottom line of his capacity. Lu Ke realized that besides his technical skills, his ability to withstand physical contact also had to be improved. Even if it wasn't for head-on confrontations, he should at least have the ability to protect himself and avoid more injuries.
Lu Ke was never a hesitant person. After clarifying his thoughts and making a decision, he didn't hesitate or worry. He went straight to the execution stage. This wasn't reckless; it was decisive, both in the game and in real life. So, Lu Ke gave up on the plan to get his Tactical Awareness to a perfect score. His eyes fell on his physical fitness stats. After careful consideration and deliberation, he made a final decision and immediately took action. First, he added three base points to his Injury Resistance. It had already gone from 77 to 87, and now it was a solid 90. Compared to his Stamina and Recovery Speed, Injury Resistance had to be his first priority.
Next, the other six base points were all added to his physical fitness. The stat, which had already gone up to 71, was now a strong 77, which meant that compared to a year ago, Lu Ke's physical fitness had undergone a huge transformation. However, this time, Lu Ke's body seemed to have become stronger and more resilient. The sudden addition of six base points didn't cause him to throw up like last time. He only felt the blood beneath his skin start to bubble, and he could vaguely feel a slight soreness flowing through his limbs. But that was it. The feeling only lasted for a little while before it completely subsided, as if nothing had happened. Lu Ke also carefully browsed through the different physical fitness stats, including Strength and Speed, but unfortunately, they had not changed. It was clear that the changes from his strength training were still in the process of accumulating and that he needed to persevere.
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