Chapter 35: Chapter 35

Nick stood frozen for half a second.

The football was still warm in his palm.

The system panel was still in his vision.

He stared at the words.

Then at the ball... then at the words again.

"It’s not telling me to hospitalize the guy."

He muttered under his breath.

"Just... humble him a little. Build the image. That’s the whole point of this system, right? Take advantage when the spotlight’s already on you. I have to do things I wouldn’t have thought of doing when I was the old Nick."

There were phones up and girls screaming.

This was the perfect audience.

Nick lifted the football, gave it a slow, lazy spin on his index finger like it was a basketball.

The leather hissed softly as it rotated.

Across the field the entire offensive line had gone quiet like they’d seen a ghost.

One of the linemen elbowed Jason.

He was a six-foot-four slab named Connor.

"Bro, I don’t believe my eyes... wasn’t that the same spiral you used to beat Eastview in the playoffs last year? The one nobody could pick?"

Jason’s jaw worked, but he desperately forced the cocky grin back on.

"Yeah. And I’ve gotten even nastier with it this season if I’m being honest... I’m guessing I didn’t put enough spin on it that’s why he caught it. Dumb luck."

He was lying through his teeth.

Even his face was the color of a tomato.

Meanwhile, over by the track.

Nadine patted Susan’s shoulder.

"Sooz, I’m gonna go... mingle with the girls."

She tipped her head toward the bleachers where the cheer squad was basically rioting.

Susan didn’t even look.

She just reached back, grabbed a fistful of Nadine’s hair and yanked her to a stop.

"Nice try. You’re not using me as cover to go drool on your new husband."

"OW OW MY SCALP, THIS IS ASSAULT—"

"Stop being dramatic, I barely tugged."

Nadine dropped into a fake whimper as she cradled her head like a wounded puppy.

"A boo-boo kiss would’ve fixed it... also he’s not my crush, damn it. I’m just, like... quite a bit interested in his bone structure, and body, and face."

She smiled pervertedly the longer she talked.

Susan smirked. "Uh-huh."

Nick bounced the ball once, twice to test the weight like it was a basketball.

『In the game world, I’m a mage class, so my STR is legit dogwater compared to warriors... but compared to real-world high-schoolers?』

『I’m still a walking stat cheat.』

He inhaled through his nose.

Then he whipped his arm forward.

The football left his hand like it had high-powered rockets strapped to it.

It wasn’t a throw; it was a damn railgun slug.

A visible ripple of compressed air wrapped around the ball as it warped the light like heat haze.

The scream it made crossing fifty yards was unholy.

On the football field every jock’s head snapped toward the incoming missile.

"IT’S CURVED? NO IT DIDN’T—WAIT IT DID—"

Jason’s bravado lasted 0.2 seconds.

He planted his feet and raised his hands like he was about to make the catch of the century.

The ball slammed into his chest like a sledgehammer hitting a side of beef.

The wind barrier exploded on impact.

Jason left his feet, flew backward five whole feet, hit the turf ass-first and kept rolling another three as grass stains spread across his jersey like green blood.

Still spinning, the ball dropped gently into his numb fingers like it was apologizing.

There was uncomfortably silence.

Then the entire sports complex erupted.

Susan slowly leaned back, hand over her mouth.

"...He’s gotta have three broken ribs, right?"

Susan winced so hard her shoulders touched her ears.

Derek and Jace sprinted over, sliding on their knees.

"Jay, you good? Talk to me man!"

Jason wheezed like an accordion with a hole in it.

"Ch...chest... feels... like... friggin’ train..."

His voice was a dying grandpa’s.

He still hadn’t let go of the ball.

Phones were everywhere.

They laughed and posted with all sorts of captions.

[mega jock gets humbled by day 1 💀]

[when action meets consequences 🔥🔥🔥]

[bro did allat just to get humbled, wrap it up dawg]

Students were losing their minds.

"Did you see that spiral?!"

"Post it right now, tag the NFL, I’m not joking—"

"New guy murdered Keller with a football omg!" Content orıginally comes from NoveI[F]ire.net

The cheer squad was in chaos.

One senior clutched her friend’s arm.

"If he joins the team I swear I’m SOOO gonna be single again starting today."

Another fanned herself.

"Those arms should be on me already, mmm~"

Bree’s eyes narrowed at the senior girls like she was about to commit homicide.

『No way I’m letting these vultures touch him. I’m not good enough to compete with seniors if they decide they wanna date their underclassmen. He’s mine. I just need a really good strategy. Oh! I’ll play worried, compliment the throw then lock him down before—』

She flipped her ponytail and jogged over in her white sneakers that covered her tiny feet.

She skidded to a halt.

A wall of muscle in a gray polo had already planted itself in front of Nick.

Forty-seven years old, bald as an egg with veins like garden hoses crawling up his thick neck.

Rumor was he’d been let go from two Division-I programs because he made players cry on the regular and once threw a clipboard so hard it knocked a ref unconscious.

Crestwood hired him anyway; because the man was a literal wizard at building offensive lines, and last season he’d dragged their sorry asses to a state championship on pure spite.

In the tri-state area nobody produced pros like him!

He folded arms thick as bridge cables.

The man’s stare could peel paint.

Nick, all six-three of him, suddenly felt very small.

『I’m so fucked. I just injured their golden boy on day one. They’re gonna string me up in the weight room. Should’ve stayed home, should’ve—』

『Oh fuck I’m dead they’re gonna hang me from the goalpost I injured their golden boy I should’ve stayed home nothing good ever happens at scho—』

[Task Complete! You’ve humbled the arrogant Jason Keller in front of the entire school and received a small cash reward of $10,000 for it!]

Nick squeezed his eyes shut.

Coach Hardman took one step forward and slammed a palm against Nick’s chest.

It felt like concrete.

Nick’s mouth ran ahead of his brain.

"I know, I know, your star quarterback’s injured and I’m in huge trouble, but it’s not my fault, okay? They started it NOT me, he threw first, I just—"

Hardman lifted one bushy eyebrow.

He glanced over at Jason, who was being helped up by two linemen and still wheezing painfully.

Hardman’s brain did a quick lap.

『Keller’s fine... mostly.』

He cleared his throat dramatically then nodded like he’d planned this all along.

"Yeah... Keller’s injured. Real bad. So you—"

He poked Nick in the chest with one thick finger.

"—are joining the team. Quarterback. Right now."

Nick blinked. "Wait, wha—"

Hardman’s hand cracked against his chest again.

It felt like getting hit in the chest with a hammer.

Everything about this man is so hard.

"Locker room. Gear. Move your ass!"

The coach slapped his shoulder this time.

Nick actually started smiling.

Some of the linemen started shouting immediately.

"Coach, you can’t be serious—"

"You can’t let this fucking loser join us!"

"He used to be a greasy fat fuck, yunno?!"

Hardman didn’t even look at them.

"Explain why your ’star’ quarterback just got yeeted into next week by one throw?"

They were all shamefully silent.

"He... he cheated somehow..."

That was the best they could come up with.

Hardman’s grin was all teeth.

"Perfect. I’ll take that cheating as long as it helps us win more games dammit!"

From the track, Nadine watched Nick disappear into the tunnel surrounded by hostile jocks.

Nadia held her cheeks and sighed dreamily.

"Hottie joins football team day one."

That’s when she noticed Susan holding back a laugh and felt deeply embarrassed. Her beautiful caramel face turned a light shade of pink as she cleared her throat and looked away with a ridiculously stern face.

"Impressive, I guess? Hmph."

That was her "big save" apparently.

Susan gave her the most half-lidded side-eye.

"Wow. You really one."

"You’re lying, right?"

Inside the locker room, Nick’s hands shook a little as he pulled on the practice jersey.

The place was insane.

Individual oak lockers with name-plated and an ice bath the size of a hot tub.

There were TVs on every wall and massage tables.

This was absolute luxury.

Crestwood took football money very seriously.

They never joked with their football program.

They treated it like an NFL farm team, because half the alumni actually made it there.

He caught his reflection in the full-length mirror.

Broad shoulders filling out the white practice jersey.

Black hair escaping the bun and a sharp jaw.

Helmet tucked under one arm like it belonged there.

He exhaled. Almost ready to head out.

A hand suddenly fisted his collar from behind and slammed him against the lockers.

It was a red-faced Jason Keller.

"Listen up, plastic-surgery freak. You better put up the worst fucking performance of your life out there, or my boys will make today the worst day you’ve ever had. You do not want beef with me."

He just started back with cold-looking eyes.

There was no hesitation in his voice.

This wasn’t an order... more like a warning.

Jason held the stare for three a few seconds but got very uneasy about it.

He shoved Nick away and stormed off.

Nick stepped out onto the field as his helmet dangled from his fingers.

Another jock shoulder-checked him hard from behind.

"Your ass is fried, new guy."

A new blue panel flashed in front of his eyes.

[New Task! The entire team is against you. Put on an absolute masterclass. Silence every last one of them and make Coach Hardman lose his mind!]

Nick rolled his shoulder once, slid the helmet on, and gave one quick nod.