Chapter 10

10

Simon Harper, the largest publishing house in the English-speaking world, has a unique tradition.

Usually, when interns come in, they spend two hours a day reviewing submission emails.

Since it is such a famous publishing house, dozens of submission emails come in every day. Filtering and responding to these emails is a common task for interns everywhere.

After all, submission emails are nothing more than trash.

However, Simon Harper's unique feature is that it offers a significant prize to boost the interns' enthusiasm.

– During the internship period, interns can recommend just one manuscript from the submission emails to the assigned editor. The editor will definitely review the manuscript, and if they decide to develop it, the intern will also be involved in the project.

In other words, if an intern manages to find a pearl in the sand, they will be immediately promoted to a full-time position.

Thus, even though the task is tedious and mechanical, the interns approach it with hope and enthusiasm.

‘Was this manuscript really that good?’

Typically, each intern discovers and recommends a different manuscript to the editor.

However, this batch of four interns all recommended a manuscript with the mundane title "Unsolved 7."

Despite the slim chances, if "Unsolved 7" is deemed good, only one of the four interns will be promoted to a full-time position, yet they did not hesitate to submit their recommendations.

– Rationally, I know it's not good to recommend the same manuscript as other interns… but after reading this one, I can't even look at other manuscripts…

Since all the interns praised it, the chief editor, intrigued by the situation, decided to review the manuscript herself.

‘Let’s give it a read.’

She began to turn the pages slowly.

‘It’s a rookie’s work.’

Her interest quickly waned. The writing style is rough. There are some brilliant ideas, but that's typical of new writers.

From the chief editor's perspective, while it has some value for publication, it doesn't meet Simon Harper's strict standards.

With a passionate editor working with the author to make revisions for a few months, it might be worth it, but as it stands, it falls short.

“……”

The strange thing was that the chief editor couldn't put the manuscript down.

‘Why is that?’

At her level, reading a novel is less about finding it truly interesting and more about applying her own formula to evaluate all the elements: immersion, originality of the subject, tightness of the structure, character development, and potential for adaptation. Just by reading, she can score each item without much effort.

It's a kind of occupational hazard. After finishing the first chapter, her overall impression was as follows:

Immersion: 7/10

Subject: 7/10

Structure: 7/10

Character: 6.5/10

Adaptation Potential: 7.5/10

Not bad for a rookie, but it didn't have a standout charm. Even though she had only read 20 pages, she could gauge the overall quality of the writing.

She could also predict the flow of the story. It's not a bad attempt, but it's hard to produce a better result with such material.

Under normal circumstances, she would have put it aside. With a mountain of work to do, she needed to focus on her main tasks to get at least 6 hours of sleep.

“……”

But surprisingly, she moved on to Chapter 2 without a second thought.

Chapter 1 depicted the daily life of a lonely man who had locked himself in his room. It conveyed an uncomfortable feeling by dryly portraying the increasingly common phenomenon of reclusive men.

The protagonist's loneliness was palpable, and the deep void that permeated his life made it suffocating.

Chapter 2 begins with the arrival of a mysterious package, which instantly transforms a world that had been solely his.

‘He remembers his wife, whom he had forgotten, through a ring.’

A blissfully happy married life. A perfect match who filled his shortcomings. All the memories came flooding back as he put on the ring.

This explained why the man had been plagued by an inexplicable void and why he had to live as a recluse.

As if someone had artificially erased the data, all traces of his wife were gone. The protagonist, who had a part of his life torn away, didn't know the exact reason but suffered from the aftereffects.

“……”

The chief editor forgot her duty and became engrossed in the novel itself. The evaluation criteria that usually ran through her mind had long disappeared. She was eager to read the next page, the next chapter.

Chapter 2, Chapter 3… and she read through to the last chapter in one go.

“……”

She savored the aftertaste for a long time. It had been ages since she felt such a sense of mental satisfaction.

*

There was a reason why the candidate team had 22 members.

“Alright, the candidates will start the attack, so the offense team, get ready. The defense team, stand by.”

In American football, players usually specialize in one position.

So, there are 11 players on the offense team and 11 on the defense team. The game alternates between the two teams.

– Woohoo!

– Let’s crush the freshmen!

– Let’s score over 40 points this year!

When the candidate team and the main team entered, the stands erupted.

Most people expected the candidate team to suffer a crushing defeat.

Perhaps it was a natural outcome, but the main team waved their hands leisurely in response to the enthusiastic cheers, while the candidate team tried to avoid eye contact as much as possible.

‘We’re starting off on the wrong foot.’

Nonetheless, it was finally the start of the main event everyone had been waiting for.

The more the thousand or so people booed us, the more motivated I felt.

‘…Could it be you again, Rohan?’

I had to suppress the urge to destroy someone.

“Alright, memorize the few tactics I’ve told you. Now isn’t the time to understand them. Without even assessing the situation, just execute the tactic number the quarterback calls. Got it?”

““Yes!””

We used the preparation time efficiently to learn a few essential tactics. Since it was our first time working together, we focused on simple tactics, but they seemed effective enough for a good game.

‘We have coaches giving us instructions throughout the game, but the main team is supposed to handle it among themselves, right?’

It was a significant handicap. Of course, the main team showed no signs of tension even in such a situation.

The main team members were 2-3 years older, which meant a significant physical difference, and their experience from two years in high school football couldn’t be ignored.

‘Just standing here, I feel overwhelmed by their presence.’

Some of the candidates looked intimidated by the main team’s momentum, as if they were playing an away game, and the sharp jeers from the crowd only added to the pressure.

Perhaps the one who should be the most scared is me.

A few members of the main team passed by me, giving me a fierce glare and cursing.

“You little brat, I was already waiting for this. What? You said you thought we were a team for the disabled because you were so bad?”

“You, with all that extra weight, you think it’s a talent?”

“No, you’re misunderstanding. Rohan is such a sensitive boy. He shed tears, saying his greatest achievement in life was high school football and that his parents were pitiful.”

Let’s be honest. Rohan is a very, very special kid.

‘…Even though he hasn’t been in school for long, he’s been busy making enemies.’

…But I find it strange. Instead of being intimidated, this situation makes my blood boil even more.

‘I need to turn the tide. Even if we lose, it has to be an interesting game.’

“Hey, are you planning to play the game with your mouth! Everyone, get to your positions!”

The game began with the head coach’s instructions.

The candidate team and the main team stood at opposite ends of the field, waiting.

The main team would kick the ball as far as possible from the touchdown zone, and the candidate team would start their offensive play from the point where they caught the ball.

“Ooh.”

The main team’s kicker kicked the ball.

I positioned myself according to the ball’s trajectory.

– Ideally, Wade should catch the ball and start, but if the ball comes to your side, Rohan, you should catch it and immediately kneel on one knee.

If Wade catches the kickoff, we can try to break through, but as the quarterback, I planned to down the ball immediately to prevent injury.

“……!”

The ball almost reached the end zone before it dropped, and I caught it instantly.

All the team members started to return to their positions to prepare for the next play, following the coach’s instructions.

If I down the ball here, our offensive play will start at the 25-yard line.

“…What’s that guy doing!”

The team members began to look visibly flustered. The 11 members of the main team charged at me.

That’s right. I just instinctively decided to run as soon as I caught the ball.

“Yeah!! If you’re my rival, you should have this much courage!!”

Wade, excited, took his position in front of me and ran with me, clearing the way.

‘I couldn’t control myself.’

I’m usually a very rational person, but maybe the sudden burst of physical energy? I couldn’t control the explosive emotions.

I just ran.

I visualized the movements of all the main team players in my head.

I calculated their paths and the points where they would collide with me.

If a collision was expected, I found a way to avoid it.

“Does this guy think we’re pushovers??”

A few of the main team’s very agile players charged at me, but Wade blocked them.

“Gah! I am Wade Jones!!”

But Wade was knocked out after the third player, and now I was the only one left on the front line. The candidate team could only watch me in amazement.

‘I’ve already covered 40 yards. Should I down the ball here?’

The total distance to the end zone is 100 yards. I’ve already covered 40 yards, which is a good effort. But… I didn’t want to stop.

In the ‘40-yard dash’ during the tryouts, I didn’t even get to use my full speed before it was over.

‘I could have run faster…’

To make up for that regret, I poured all my remaining strength into running.

I don’t know how I avoided the tackles from the main team. When I came to my senses, I was already in the end zone.

“……”

The stadium was in an uproar.

– Wowwwww!!!

– Insane!!! A kickoff return touchdown!!!

– Hahaha, look at the main team’s faces… especially the captain’s.

The camera captured Darren Rogers’ face, and the crowd burst into laughter.

– Hey, can a poker face break in just 30 seconds?

– I’ve been following Darren Rogers’ games since middle school, and I’ve never seen him so flustered.

– This… If the candidate team wins, it would be the first in the history of the football team. Is something big happening today??

Our team even managed to score a field goal, making the score [7:0].

The offense and defense switched, and I returned to the bench, feeling the main team’s atmosphere completely change.

“Wow. They all look like they want to kill someone.”

Wade, who had sat down next to me, expressed his surprise at my exclamation.

“Who? Not who, but you. Everyone is grinding their teeth while looking at you. I planned to be the villain of our candidate team to raise the main team’s awareness, but you’re on a whole different level. You made all 11 main team members look like fools in just 30 seconds, right in front of the entire school. Truly, you are the best troublemaker in our school.”

“……”

‘Is this praise? A challenge? Both??’

*

The game took an unexpected turn.

“Is that… what a quarterback should do?”

It was all due to the influence of one player.

American physical genius 11