Chapter 72: Chapter 65: The Servants’ Last Hope

On a Friday night, the air on Coney Island Avenue was thick with the smell of cheap hot dogs, sweat, and old turf.

Li Wei stood at the very center of the team, casually adjusting his arm guard while listening to the heavy breathing of his teammates and the sound of Coach Miller’s furious yelling.

You couldn’t blame them. After all, Franklin K. Lane High School had never beaten Erasmus High School in a Public School Athletic League game. With a losing streak spanning over twenty years against the titans of Brooklyn, it was no wonder they lacked confidence.

"Look at the state of you! Are you here for a game, or are you in a breadline after starving for three days?!"

Coach Miller’s face was almost touching Travis’s nose, spittle flying. "Look at that bunch of ’Dutchmen’ over there. The way they’re looking at you is the same way you look at the cheerleaders! Got it? They see you as a bunch of kittens! If you agree with them, then get your asses back to the locker room and put on some skirts!"

"So, tell me, are you kittens?!"

"No," the other players, aside from Li Wei, groaned weakly. "We’re not."

Clearly, Coach Miller’s trash talk hadn’t ignited any fighting spirit in the players.

"Hey, man," Li Wei said, patting Travis’s shoulder. "I’ll feed you the ball more in the first quarter. See if you can make something happen. Look over there—"

He pointed toward the turf on the Erasmus side, where a dozen or so variously dressed scouts were watching the Erasmus High School athletes.

"This is your chance," he said. "Whether you can catch a scout’s eye is all up to you."

Travis gave Li Wei a grateful look and nodded firmly.

However, when the whistle blew to end the first quarter, Franklin High School was trailing 0-14.

Travis sat on the bench, gasping for air, his helmet tossed to one side and his face covered in dirt.

On the sideline, Coach Miller was so furious he smashed his clipboard, his curses nearly drowning out the boos from the stands.

"Oh... God," Travis groaned. "I really hope this is a nightmare... Getting humiliated like this in front of thousands of people."

"It’s not that humiliating, really," Li Wei said, consoling him. "Most of the crowd is rooting for the other team. To them, us playing badly is completely normal."

"Li Wei, you’re going all out starting the second quarter," Coach Miller said, walking over. "Teach them a lesson. Show them what you’re really capable of."

"Okay~" Li Wei said languidly. "Got it."

After receiving the four-star evaluation from the Wen Si Scout, he had negotiated with Coach Miller to reduce his playing time, giving the other players more opportunities. He would only step in to save the day when truly needed.

’It might look like I’m just showing off,’ Li Wei had to admit, ’but compared to blowing them out in the first quarter, I kind of enjoy the thrill of being the savior.’

"Did I come at a bad time?"

A familiar, teasing voice sounded from the sidelines, and Li Wei turned his head in surprise.

Anya was wearing a thin, black cashmere cardigan, a cute bow in her hair, and a new pair of black, round-toed flats. She looked exactly like a well-behaved prep school student.

"What makes you say that?" Li Wei said with a smile. "I think it’s going fine, isn’t it?"

Travis glanced at Li Wei, then at the exquisite, porcelain-doll-like Anya. His brain suddenly working seventeen times faster than it ever did in class, he immediately shot up from his seat and offered it to her.

Anya glanced at the warm, indented butt-print Travis had left on the bench, leaned back slightly, and decided not to sit.

"You’re about to get shut out," she said, pointing to the scoreboard. "And you call this ’fine’?"

"It’s fine," Li Wei said, putting on his helmet. "Because I haven’t even started trying yet."

"Oh?" Anya tilted her head. "Going to perform another magic trick?"

"You can count on me."

As Li Wei walked back onto the field, a dialog box popped up in his vision:

[You have received a quest: The Minions’ Last Hope]

[While leading your minions into battle, you have met a worthy opponent. The minions’ morale is now low, and they desperately need the Knight himself to intervene. Teach your opponents a lesson and restore your minions’ confidence.]

[Quest Reward: Free Attribute Points +0.1]

The second quarter began, and Franklin High School had possession.

The moment the ball was in his hands, Li Wei didn’t look for a pass to Travis. Instead, he tucked the ball securely and charged ahead himself.

The move drew gasps from the entire crowd.

"Get him!" the opposing Quarterback yelled, and four defenders immediately closed in.

However, the gap in skill between them and Li Wei was simply too vast.

When the first tackler lunged, Li Wei made a slight sidestep, and the player, unable to change direction, ended up eating a mouthful of turf.

Just as the next two players pounced, Li Wei’s body abruptly changed direction. He moved with an inertia-defying rhythm, a razor-thin juke letting him slip right through the gap between the two linemen.

Unable to stop their momentum, the two linemen slammed into each other with a sickening thud.

The last defender was the opposing team’s star safety. Desperate to save face, he launched himself at Li Wei like a cannonball. However, Li Wei’s 2.0 Agility and 3.0 Constitution allowed him to pull off a move that, to any observer, seemed to defy the laws of physics—

He came to a dead stop, without any warning whatsoever.

Thanks to inertia, the safety couldn’t brake in time. He could only watch in horror as Li Wei stood his ground while he himself flew past like an out-of-control truck.

At the last moment, trying to violently shift his weight, his ankle twisted on the turf at a horrifying angle. A sharp ’CRACK’ echoed as he went tumbling away, screaming in agony.

Li Wei casually held the ball and strolled into the opposing end zone. Touchdown. 6 points.

The tables had turned.

...

The rest of the game was completely one-sided. With the opposing team’s star safety out, Travis could finally break through their defensive line. Some of the scouts also found their attention shifting toward Franklin K. Lane High School.

By the end of the third quarter, the lead Li Wei had built for his team was so great that he didn’t even need to play in the fourth.

[Quest Complete]

[Free Attribute Points +0.1]

He took off his heavy helmet, fist-bumped the backup Quarterback, and walked off the field to the cheers of his teammates.

"Is that magic, too?" Anya, who surprisingly hadn’t left, asked. "You said bending the coin was a magic trick. Was walking those guys like they were dogs also a magic trick?"

The Erasmus players were right next to them. Luckily, Anya had spoken in Russian, otherwise a fight would have been inevitable.

"Yes," Li Wei nodded, speaking with a straight face. "That was magic, too. You were just hypnotized by me." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Anya’s cheeks puffed out again.