Strength: 64, up one point.
Throwing Strength: 81, up one point.
Explosive Power: 72, up one point.
That's it. After completing all his daily training tasks in the second four-week cycle, these were the increases in his physical stats. Combined with the one-point increase in his mental stats, it's a total of four base points, exactly half the increase from the first cycle.
The downward trend is quite obvious, but Lu Ke isn't surprised at all. Before, his training over six months only resulted in an increase of one or two points, and now, four weeks of focused training can yield a noticeable improvement. Lu Ke is very satisfied with this training effect. As long as he perseveres, his progress won't stop. Compared to high school and college, where he hit a ceiling and couldn't see any improvement no matter how much he trained, his current situation couldn't be better.
After a quick glance at his daily training tasks, he saw some minor changes in the sub-items, but the overall trend remains the same. This means strength training must continue. Even with the system, two months of strength training isn't enough to completely change Lu Ke's physical stats. So, he'll continue with his strength training, as well as studying the playbook and game film.
Time is what Lu Ke lacks most. Fortunately, with his "beginner cheat," he has an extra four hours for watching game film, which barely allows him to keep up with the fast-paced regular season. On the road to becoming a top-tier quarterback, Lu Ke needs to be even more focused, work harder, and be more determined. It's like rowing against a current: if you don't move forward, you'll fall back.
Over the past four weeks, Lu Ke completed two more cycles of his daily training tasks, earning two base points. There were no special or hidden missions in the last two games, and the objective mission still needs time to accumulate, so it wasn't time to calculate the rewards yet. That left only the game missions. In Week 8 against the Cleveland Browns, Lu Ke threw four touchdowns and earned a total of nine base points. In Week 9 against the Washington Redskins, he threw three touchdowns and earned a total of eight base points.
Sure enough, victory remains the best way to accumulate base points and continuously improve skills. After clearing all his tasks, Lu Ke earned a total of 19 base points. With 19 base points, Lu Ke started thinking seriously about how to use them this week. If used well, it could lead to another qualitative leap in his skills, giving him more confidence for his game against the New York Giants next week.
A chime echoed in his mind, interrupting Lu Ke's thoughts. Without being startled, he instinctively opened his inbox and saw an unread message. He opened it and began to read it carefully.
"Congratulations on completing the hidden mission: Breaking the Regular Season Rookie Quarterback Passing Record."
Lu Ke's eyebrows raised slightly in surprise. He had no idea he had broken another league record without even realizing it. The last time, reporters had told him he might break Kurt Warner's record of 14 touchdown passes in the first four games of the season. In the end, Lu Ke tied the record and lost to the Philadelphia Eagles. This time, however, the reporters gave him no warning. Could it be that even the reporters didn't anticipate it?
"Hidden Mission: Break Peyton Manning's Historical Record.
Mission Description: Peyton Manning, a future Hall of Fame quarterback in the NFL, threw 26 touchdowns in his rookie season, setting a league record that has not been broken by any rookie quarterback since.
Mission Requirements: Tie or break Peyton Manning's record.
Mission Rewards: Choose one of two options: Unlock the hidden 'Luck' attribute and add 5 special points; or an upgraded points lottery ticket.
Failure Penalty: None. This is a passively triggered mission.
Additional Mission Information: Because the host preemptively triggered and completed the hidden mission, completely rewriting league history, the mission reward is doubled: Unlock the hidden 'Luck' attribute and add 8 special points, and also receive one upgraded points lottery ticket."
The amount of information was overwhelming, and Lu Ke needed time to process it.
There's a famous saying in the league, "A rookie quarterback on the field does nothing but look around in a flustered panic. I don't pray that he can execute the plays; I only pray that he doesn't fumble or throw an interception, but that's obviously a luxury. So, why would anyone be willing to put a creature like a rookie quarterback on the field?" This saying, though a joke, reflects the league's general view of rookie quarterbacks.
This isn't prejudice; it's a fact. Faced with a complex playbook and complicated game dynamics, rookie quarterbacks often struggle to keep up. Their first year is a learning period, whether they're on the field or the bench. Rookie quarterbacks who have had outstanding rookie seasons either had a dominant defense like Ben Roethlisberger or a tactical mastermind like Peyton Manning. Otherwise, they're like Cam Newton this year—talented and often dazzling, but ultimately unable to lead their team to victory.
Currently, the rookie season records in the league are mostly held by Big Ben and Big Manning. Big Ben holds the records for best rookie season completion percentage (66.4%) and best rookie season quarterback rating (98.1). Big Manning holds the records for rookie season passing yards (3,739 yards) and rookie season touchdowns (26).
In the long course of history, Big Manning's 26 touchdowns in his 1998 rookie season topped the charts, and no one has come close to breaking that record since. In 1948, legendary Giants quarterback Charlie Conerly threw 22 touchdowns in his rookie season, ranking second all-time. In 1983, Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins threw 20 touchdowns, ranking third all-time. These were the best rookie season touchdown performances by rookie quarterbacks.
So, one cannot blame coaches and experts for being strict and skeptical of rookie quarterbacks. Even if a rookie quarterback performs well in a few games, that form is often difficult to sustain, and they're unable to lead their team to a better record.
The touchdown records for non-rookie quarterbacks are on a whole other level. The current regular season passing touchdown record is held by Tom Brady, who threw 50 touchdowns in his perfect 2007 season. The gap between rookies and non-rookies is clear.
Now, Lu Ke has arrived. After nine weeks of the regular season, Lu Ke has already thrown 28 touchdowns, and he even had a bye week. His hot streak is staggering. At the halfway point of the season, Lu Ke officially broke the rookie season touchdown record set by Big Manning. What's more, if he can maintain this form in the second half of the season, Lu Ke even has a chance to challenge Brady's single-season touchdown record.
Twenty-eight touchdowns. A staggering 28. It was so shocking and so unexpected—after all, the rookie touchdown record had been held for so many years, and it had been 28 years since a rookie had even thrown more than 20 touchdowns, let alone broken Big Manning's record. As a result, no reporters or staff members noticed. Even the league was a step behind. They didn't officially announce the news until the official media day on Wednesday, which caused another shockwave throughout the league. But that's a story for later.
Even Lu Ke himself is currently in a state of utter disbelief. From the system's mission rewards and additional notes, Lu Ke's reaction is completely normal. In just nine weeks, Lu Ke successfully achieved a feat that other rookies couldn't accomplish in 17 weeks. It's safe to say that in the first half of the season, Lu Ke was firing on all cylinders.
Lu Ke shrugs his hands in helplessness. As an undrafted rookie, he was on the edge of a cliff, constantly on guard. Every moment on the field was a full-out effort, with no holding back. He himself had no idea it would lead to this result. Now, Lu Ke is even more worried: what if he was so dominant in the first half of the season that he suddenly fizzles out in the second half?
"Double the training," he thinks. What else can he do?
The aftershock of surprise and shock lasted for a while before he gradually calmed down, and his eyes returned to the mission rewards. Because he completed the mission far ahead of schedule and with a better result than required, the reward was doubled. This meant Lu Ke didn't have to choose—he would receive both rewards: he could officially unlock the hidden "Luck" attribute and also receive an upgraded points lottery ticket.
Having experienced a hidden mission before, Lu Ke was familiar with the process. Without any hesitation, he skillfully opened the upgraded points lottery ticket first.
"Congratulations, you have opened the points lottery ticket, winning eight base points and one special point."
It seems his luck today is just average, or perhaps all his luck was used up in the hidden mission. It makes sense; a record set by Big Manning was broken by an undrafted rookie in just nine weeks. It must have used up all his stored power. Naturally, the points lottery ticket's yield was just average.
You can't be too greedy. Lu Ke quickly adjusted his mindset and focused his attention on the newly unlocked hidden attribute.
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