Adrian Peterson is widely regarded as one of the greatest running backs of all time, currently playing for the NFL's Minnesota Vikings. Born in 1985, Peterson is still active on the professional stage. Over nine seasons in the NFL, including 2014 when he missed an entire year due to injury, he has played eight seasons, with seven of them surpassing 1,000 rushing yards. The only exception was 2011 when he still rushed for 970 yards.
In 2012, Peterson broke the 2,000-yard mark, earning the regular-season MVP award, making him the only non-quarterback to win MVP in the last ten years.
Additionally, he's been named to the First-Team All-Pro four times, the Second-Team All-Pro three times, has seven Pro Bowl appearances, and has led the league in rushing yards three times.
Efficient! Consistent! Durable!
Peterson is one of only five running backs in history to rush for over 3,000 yards in his first two seasons. He also holds the record for being the third fastest running back in history to surpass 10,000 rushing yards.
In the most recent season, Peterson continued to prove his elite status by becoming the first running back in history to be named to the First-Team All-Pro after turning 30.
A living legend, Peterson's career is not only storied but ongoing.
Lance's newbie gift pack revealed a template of this legendary star—luck was clearly on his side.
Although Lance didn't know much about Peterson's illustrious career, the "S-Tier" rating said it all. That alone was enough for Lance.
But how was he supposed to use this player template?
Shifting his focus back to the system interface, Lance mentally commanded the Peterson template to be placed in the "Template" section on the left. The card slotted naturally into the first slot, lighting up with an image of Peterson charging forward with the ball.
Curious, Lance clicked on the Peterson template.
SWOOSH!
The screen morphed into a 3D space, more lifelike than AR technology. Lance's body remained outside, but his consciousness was fully immersed in a vivid simulation, where he could feel gravity and experience all five senses. Everything felt incredibly real.
A floating interface appeared before him, organized by years, with thumbnail images neatly lined up. There were countless matches to choose from.
Lance selected one at random, and suddenly, he found himself on the field—
"Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers."
It was a real game, with real sensations, and a real experience.
After exploring the simulation, Lance finally understood the purpose of the player template.
He could step into Peterson's shoes and experience any of his games firsthand, including both NFL and NCAA matches. He could feel what Peterson felt, witnessing how he handled different situations.
This wasn't just about Peterson's power and speed—it was about experiencing his game sense, his vision, his decision-making, and his strategies during competition.
On the one hand, this allowed Lance to fully understand how an elite player interprets the game.
On the other, it gave him the chance to accumulate real-game experience.
The training system!
A lightbulb went off in Lance's mind. This was the true essence of the "Football Training System." It didn't directly increase stats or provide instant improvement. Instead, it allowed him to train by experiencing a player template firsthand.
How much of this training would translate into real-world improvement? How far could he develop? That depended entirely on Lance's own talent... and effort.
But now, Lance had full access to Peterson's style of play. Could it mean that in the future, if he acquired other templates, he would be able to experience different playing styles and combine them to develop his own? Could this create limitless growth potential?
Lance quickly gave it a test run.
Today's trial practice had given him some insight into both football and himself, but now he realized that Peterson was on a whole other level. The intensity of NFL games was light years ahead, not just by a small margin.
It felt as if Lance were truly on the field. Even though his body wasn't physically taking the hits, and the system had reduced the sensation of pain, the tackles, the breathlessness, the adrenaline, and the fire—it all felt unbelievably real.
After exploring the system further, Lance noticed a few key details.
First, the template training couldn't be used in real-world practice. This meant that Lance couldn't stay "possessed" by Peterson during actual training sessions. The template could only be used during off-field practice.
Second, the match recordings didn't include the latest season, with updates only available up to two years ago. This prevented players from using the system to gain insights into the latest professional team strategies. Its role was purely as a training tool.
Got it!
Exiting the template training mode, Lance checked the time. The system ran at roughly a "5:1" ratio—meaning five minutes inside the system equaled just one minute in the real world.
With the player template now clear, what about the other two cards?
The first card: Double Training Effect (2x).
After carefully reading the card's description, Lance realized it applied to real-world training sessions. As long as he activated this card, his training results would be doubled.
Although doubling the effect wasn't groundbreaking, when combined with the player template experience, it created a well-rounded system. One for online learning, one for offline practice—ensuring a stronger training outcome.
Of course, this only worked if the player was willing to train, invest the time, and put in the effort. The system could only enhance what was already there. Otherwise, it was just a tool sitting idle. This was the true essence of the football training system.
The second card: Injury Impact Reduction (-10%).
After reading the description, Lance's eyes widened. This was the real jackpot—
A passive ability that automatically activated during injury, reducing the severity of any damage. With this card, injuries would be downgraded, turning a potentially career-ending injury into a serious one, or perhaps even from a serious one to a moderate or minor injury.
In competitive sports, injuries are the most feared obstacle. Countless talents and stars have had their careers derailed by injury. The problem is, injuries are an unavoidable reality in sports—the only difference is in how severe they are.
For every sport and every professional athlete, injuries loom large at the end of a career. Competitive sports, at their core, are a battle of both physical and mental endurance.
Football, with its intense physical demands—sometimes downright brutal—makes injuries all too common and pivotal in determining a player's future.
Now, this card acted like a shield, providing Lance with a layer of armor. Though he only had a basic understanding of a running back's role, Lance had a gut feeling:
This card was the ace up his sleeve, the game-changer.
So, the question was: Is 10% a high reduction, or a low one?
And more importantly, how could he unlock the next set of cards after using up his newbie gift pack?