My full focus was on the playbook as I flipped the pages slowly, examining each scheme carefully, what areas to cover for linebackers and under which conditions it needed to be used, as well as the calls that would trigger the formation, both from the coaches and from the mike.

It didn't take long for me to finish the relatively small booklet, especially since it only included only a part of the schemes. Before some of the more significant events in my life, I would have to read several times even to memorize a portion of them accurately, but when I closed my eyes, I was able to remember all of them easily.

After my growing experience with the System, I was able to recognize the source of sudden improvement easily. And guessing the particular responsible category wasn't particularly difficult, Strategy and Tactics, with some significant help from Pattern Recognition.

Excellent, I thought even as I read the booklet again, just to make sure I was remembering them perfectly, testing my memory through a self-delivered quiz. Not only I was able to memorize the required positions for the linebackers, which was all that was needed for my position as a linebacker, but also the rest of the positions.

Memorizing the rest of the positions wasn't exactly a big requirement for my position, as there was no chance I would play the mike position, which, in summary, was the quarterback of the defense, responsible for defensive adjustments against the changes in the attack patterns. Still, I wanted to test myself.

After I finished reading the booklet the second time, I picked a nearby pen, ready to test myself again.

However, before I could do so, I felt a familiar stirring. I closed my eyes, the state of meditation coming much easier after repeated practice, only to see a significant flow of intent…

I didn't need to check my phone to see if Megan's plot was in progress.

I still gave quick browsing just in case, mostly to make sure there was nothing that would get me kicked out. I didn't expect it, but it was better safe than sorry. A quick check of the recent social media posts, showing some raunchy yet still safe posts of our recent adventure was enough to confirm my guess, that Megan's plan was in effect, and in a form that wouldn't trouble me.

At least, not trouble me extensively, I decided as I caught Thad and Carter looking at me, Thad with a big smile, Carter with a marked annoyance.

I ignored Carter's gaze, which reminded me more of a disappointed teacher than an angry teammate. I had no intention of apologizing for it even if he was the captain, not willing to give him the idea that I would take his opinion about my social life.

Instead, I looked at Thad. He gave me a thumbs-up, and I smirked before I turned my attention back to my phone.

Going through the comments section, I had to admit that Megan had a real talent for creating online controversy, even better than she had been able to raise during the party. After all, the party one had been a spontaneous reaction, and this one was properly planned.

The photos they had selected to use were good evidence of it, limiting themselves to ones that were subtly suggestive rather than explicitly revealing, creating an even bigger buzz.

The correct skill for a modern world, I had to admit. However, I didn't waste much time browsing my phone, just enough to get a sense of what was happening. Then, I closed my eyes, focusing on the metaphorical flowing sensation once more.

It was the first time I was able to feel the flow of Intent with such clarity, mostly thanks to sudden explosive intensity, and I didn't want to lose the opportunity to examine it more clearly.

I closed my eyes once more, meditating. With the intense flow to guide me, it was even easier to reach that weird mental space that contained both the System and my guide. Like before, my guide was devouring all of the intent, yet there was no noticeable difference in its glow, or the sense of pressure it provided.

She clearly needed more Intent — a lot more — to recover.

The same intent that I needed to support the System.

I tried to redirect the flow once more, not expecting it to work, as, during my earlier attempts, I had utterly failed to interact with it.

Yet this time, the flow split suddenly. It was hard to describe the sensation, just as the sensation itself…

Like trying to grab a flowing river with my hands.

Yet, somehow, I managed to succeed.

And just like that, the System started to receive the fuel it required.

Pity that I wasn't able to maintain my grip for more than a couple minutes. The intensity of the flow was related to the explosiveness of the news. The shock value of the photos didn't last for long, and as the flow started to decrease, maintaining a grip over the flow got harder and harder.

And, after a while, it slipped off my metaphorical fingers.

The drop of intensity didn't surprise me too much, as the impact of news, especially the kind that Megan just launched, relying on visuals, was explosive only at the first exposure, and slowly lost in intensity. It still provided me a lot of Intent, but my guide devoured it.

I tried a couple of times to redirect the flow back to the System, wanting to gain some more improvement, but it failed to do so. Yet, I repeated it several times, until I was interrupted by a nearby cry.

"Let me go in, I'll kill him," shouted a familiar voice on the corridor, which had earned the gaze of Thad and Carter. Kevin, I recognized, as he continued to shout loudly.

I prepared myself to stand up, but no one entered, Instead, another shout arrived in my ear. "Don't worry, he'll come here and face you if he's not a complete coward."

Thad and Carter looked at me. Carter seemed even more annoyed by my presence — clearly unhappy that the team was getting too chaotic — while Thad looked alert, like he was about to jump onto his feet, no doubt to prevent me from going out even as more and more statements reached my ears about my supposed cowardice.

Ironic considering the reaction he would display if he had been the target.

I met with Thad's eye and shrugged. "Don't worry, I have no intention of starting a fight." Then, I paused, letting my smirk widen. "At least, not I will be blamed for," I added. Thad relaxed looking at my cold calmness.

The intention of Kevin and the other offensive players was rather clear. If I rushed out to face them, the blame would be much more mixed, especially compared to a direct invasion of our meeting room. And, as a backup player that was yet to play, I didn't intend to find myself in a fight where the guilt was hard to ascertain.

They fell silent after a few minutes.

I pulled the papers in front of me, looking lost in my reading, while mentally, I focused on the System, curious whether I could have a better interaction with it after my latest small victory, but after several minutes, I failed to get anything useful. I would have loved to spend some more time, but the rest of the players started to arrive, interrupting my focus as they greeted me, their suggestive smirks — and the occasional gestures — showing Megan's latest success.

But before I returned my attention to the meeting, I did one last thing.

I touched the System again, intending to trigger the Trait gains once more. Interestingly, as I pressed, I felt a sense of awareness. It wasn't a deep, clear feeling, barely more than trying to see in a thick mist, but I could notice three distinct sources of light.

Their obscure nature was hard to describe, but one of them felt like a mixture of ink and wood, one had a feeling of constant movement intercepted by occasional pain, and the last group had an impression of … a mercurial alacrity.

My best guess, they were the impressions of the Traits I possessed. To confirm that, I reached further, and touched the first one, the one that reminded me of ink and wood.

[Tactics III, acquired]

[Pattern Recognition III, acquired]

[Strategy II, acquired]

[Seduction IV, acquired]

Not bad, I thought as the results confirmed my guess that ink and wood were about Tactics and other related Traits. In my subconsciousness, wood likely symbolized chess pieces, and ink was about drawing plans.

That impression made me happy, because it suggested that the System was integrated well into my subconsciousness.

I turned my attention to the rest of the developments. The jump in Seduction was more noteworthy, not that it surprised me considering the nature of the events that led to it.

Still, I couldn't help but wonder whether it was just another part of the subconscious integration, giving me those traits just because I expected those based on the events.

Or it was the nature of the Intent that only supported certain types of Traits regardless of the nature of the gossip.

While I was focused on my internal ability, the players started arriving one by one. Interestingly, other than the occasional casual comments, none of them bothered to talk with me. I might have assumed that it was them trying to snub me, but they didn't talk with each other as well. Instead, they picked a booklet and focused on studying.

No hint of their cheerful attitude from the party, or the explosive energy they displayed during the training.

However, as Coach Bill entered the room, his face harder than the wall, a remote already in hand, their attitude made more sense.

Especially when he pressed a button, and all screens started playing various scenes from our opponent of the week. "We have three challenges to face this week, their left tackle, making blitz almost impossible, their second wide receiver, who has a dangerous explosive speed and sure hands to catch contested passes, and their persistent running back," he started without any preamble, not wasting even a second before he started going deep into the tactical challenges of the game…

What a serious man.