Chapter 807: Evolving Again
After the San Francisco 49ers vs. New York Giants game ended, you didn't need to open social media to predict that Lu Ke's receiving touchdown and the final two-point conversion would sweep the entire internet. Not to mention the fans and commentators, even Lu Ke, as the person involved, was stunned and couldn't believe that he had actually accomplished such a feat.
If he had to do it all over again now, Lu Ke was sure he would fail. Not possibly, but definitely. Without the guidance of adrenaline in that crucial moment, failure was inevitable.
Judging from the hidden mission and the mission completion in the system, Little Seven also held the same view.
Besides the regular and hidden missions, there was also a special mission for this game called "Winning Streak Trap."
"Defeat the New York Giants at home and continue the winning streak. Defeat quarterback Eli Manning at home, with more touchdowns and fewer interceptions."
From the mission requirements, it was clear that the goal of this special mission was not to propose specific requirements outside of the game mission but rather to emphasize the improvement of his state and concentration. After sounding the alarm again, it was meant to encourage them for the second half of the game, and the final result was exceptionally clear.
As for the mission completion—
First, a six-game winning streak was achieved.
Second, Eli Manning had three passing touchdowns and one interception. Lu Ke had five passing touchdowns and no interceptions.
Naturally, Lu Ke completed the special mission.
Looking back, it was a good thing that the "Winning Streak Trap" special mission was successfully completed. Otherwise, the failure penalty would have been unbearable: "All rewards from this week's game missions will be reset to zero."
Initially, Lu Ke thought it was limited to just the "game missions," but after asking Little Seven, he learned that to be precise, "game" and "mission" were two relatively independent words. The detailed description should be "missions of the game."
In other words, the full name was "all missions that appear in the game," which meant that the game missions, hidden missions, and special missions would all be invalidated. The objective missions would also be suspended due to failure. This loss would have been too great, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt lingering fear.
Fortunately, the mission was completed.
After all the missions were tallied, the rewards were as follows:
First, twenty-three base points.
Second, three special points.
Third, the effect of one special skill is doubled (for one use only).
Fourth, a state boost aura.
Fifth, a special skill of his choice.
There were quite a few new rewards that appeared, and they were worth exploring.
First, the effect of one special skill is doubled. This was exactly what it sounded like. Lu Ke would choose a special skill, and the next time he used it, the effect would be doubled.
For example, "Absolute Footwork," which originally lasted for three seconds, could be extended to six seconds after being used. This was the simplest and most intuitive effect boost. If he chose a special skill like "Eye of the Falcon" or "Iron Skin and Bones," the effect boost might have some unexpected results.
Special skills were already amazing, but with a doubled effect, they became even more unimaginable. Take "Bullet Time," for example. Once doubled, Lu Ke would have a full ten seconds of usage, and the slowdown effect might be further amplified. This would be enough to determine all the movements of a single drive, which was too terrifying!
Naturally, the reward came with a restriction: for one use only. This meant that the boosted effect was only for one use, and it would return to its original state afterward.
After careful consideration, Lu Ke chose "Amplification Aura."
The best reason for giving up a personal skill and choosing a team skill was this game.
A football game was a team sport in the end. Lu Ke needed his teammates to be in top form and work together in crucial moments. Otherwise, he couldn't win on his own. Even if he was performing at 100%, victory would still be as difficult as reaching the sky. "Amplification Aura" was undoubtedly the best choice.
However, the last "Amplification Aura" had already been used up today.
So, Lu Ke first redeemed one of today's mission rewards: a special skill of his choice. Then he added the mission reward of a doubled effect. Immediately after, the latest effect of "Amplification Aura" appeared on the system panel in his mind.
"Boost the state of all offensive players by 20%, lasting for eight minutes."
Compared to the original skill effect, it wasn't a strict doubling. At least five minutes didn't become ten minutes. But it was clear that the effect had an immediate boost. In future crucial battles, he hoped that this special skill could become the trump card to turn the tide—
Of course, it would be even better if Lu Ke didn't even need to use this special skill to defeat his opponents.
He redeemed the two mission rewards in one go.
Next, a state boost aura. This was also a brand new reward.
As the name suggested, this was a temporary skill that boosted Lu Ke's own state, a little like an energy drink, or... a magical pill. "Boost personal state by 5%, lasting for ten minutes."
This was not a one-time skill like "Absolute Footwork" or "Eye of the Falcon" that worked for a single drive. Instead, it was a skill that boosted Lu Ke's overall state for ten minutes. Although it was only a 5% boost, it would definitely be more than that in a game.
Imagine if Lu Ke's game state was only at 65%. After using the skill, it could reach 70%, and it would last for ten minutes. During this time, Lu Ke could gradually find his rhythm and get his body warmed up. Even after the skill effect ended, he could find his game state, and in a way, extend the skill's effect.
This could be understood as shaking off a slow start and getting into the groove of the game after warming up.
It was like the "King of Fighters" game on the NES. There were no bad characters, only bad players. Any character could become a formidable fighter in the hands of a master.
The same was true for special skills. How to use them correctly was the most important thing.
Finally, twenty-three base points and three special points.
According to this season's custom, Lu Ke exchanged all the special points for base points. After the exchange, his base points reached a total of thirty-two.
Sure enough, you get what you put in. After winning this difficult game, Lu Ke once again had a great opportunity to improve his overall strength.
After careful consideration, Lu Ke used all his base points decisively.
First, physical attributes, add five points, from 90 to 95.
Correspondingly, the other sub-categories also had some changes: Strength, from 80 to 81; Jumping, from 53 to 55; Speed, from 73 to 74.
Second, mental attributes, add five points, from 90 to 95.
Correspondingly, willpower also increased by one point, from 90 to 91.
Third, passing accuracy.
Short pass accuracy, add nine points, from 90 to 99.
Medium pass accuracy, add nine points, from 90 to 99.
Fourth, field vision, add three points, from 96 to 99.
Fifth, with the last remaining base point, he added it to wrist control, which went from 95 to 96.
All thirty-two points were used up.
Now, three more technical sub-categories had reached the max barrier: short pass accuracy, medium pass accuracy, and field vision. Several other individual skills had already surpassed 95 points, truly reaching a top-tier level.
It was clear what Lu Ke's strategy was. On one hand, he was improving his quarterback strengths, further enhancing his passing skills to truly become a top pocket quarterback in the league. On the other hand, he was improving his overall abilities. The improvement of his physical and mental attributes could often play a crucial role in a tough game.
Although the victory in this game was largely thanks to the miraculous performance of his "weakest skill," Lu Ke knew that when playing against a strong team like the New York Giants, he couldn't rely on his weaknesses to quickly catch up. In the end, he needed his strengths to step up and fight a bloody path in a head-to-head battle.
Before the last trick play, the reason the San Francisco 49ers' offense was able to come back in the second half was because Lu Ke significantly improved in tactical layout, passing accuracy, and tempo control. This created the conditions for the final comeback. This was the foundation of victory.
Especially since the offensive line's performance has been consistently good this season, they have provided a relatively stable pocket protection, even though they haven't faced a truly strong defense yet. This also meant that Lu Ke didn't have to rush to improve his related skills. He could focus on perfecting his pocket quarterback passing skills and further sharpen his weapons.
Step by step, Lu Ke was growing rapidly according to his planned pace, on his way to becoming a superstar.
Admittedly, the winning streak would inevitably bring more and more pressure and challenges. But at the same time, every victory was a great opportunity for Lu Ke to grow. He was now becoming stronger and more mature. Every opponent from now on would face an upgraded version of Lu Ke. So, everything was a double-edged sword, and it was now up to Lu Ke to decide how to handle it.
After all the points were added, Lu Ke could finally let out a long sigh of relief. With the six-game winning streak under his belt, it was certain that the next seven- and eight-game winning streaks would be even more difficult, especially with divisional rivals to face. But for now, he could put those things aside and enjoy this victory.
At least for today.
Meanwhile, the entire league was already buzzing. Everyone couldn't wait to start discussing the game. After all the games this week, no other game could compare to "49ers vs. Giants." As Kirk said, this "national derby" was becoming more and more popular, truly having the intensity and impact of a national derby.
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