~ Basketball Prodigy System

One blink. Two blinks. Three blinks for good measure.

But even after all that, Lake could still see the strange interface floating before him. The pain in his head had subsided and now his eyes were plastered on the ominous words;

[What will you give for a second chance?]

Lake scratched the back of his head. 'Am I certain I only hurt my leg in that fall? I must have hit my head or something.'

He studied the floating interface. It was a translucent screen, and it had this soft warm glow that felt ethereal. Hovering in mid-air, it was slightly curved and semi-transparent, allowing him to see the hospital room behind it while still clearly displaying its contents.

Lake tried to touch the interface, but his hand just went right through it, causing him to be even more bewildered.

'I swear I must be tripping,' he shook his head. 'This is the kinda stuff that happens in manga and anime, not in real life.'

The question lingered, demanding an answer.

[What will you give for a second chance?]

Lake sat up on his hospital bed, groaning slightly. He placed a hand on his chin and thought; 'What would an anime main character do?'

He glanced up at the interface again. 'Hmm. Well, they all eventually listen to the interface right?'

He facepalmed. 'This is crazy, I'm crazy. How can I even answer this question? What would I give for a second chance?'

Lake thought about it for a moment. In one day, he had already lost so much—his dreams, his future, his girlfriend. If this interface was real, what else did he have left to lose?

With his answer ready, Lake looked at the interface and shrugged. "I'll give anything, I guess."

The screen flickered, and a new text appeared.

[Will you give your obedience?]

Lake raised a brow. 'What the fuck? Well that doesn't sound ominous at all. My obedience?'

Uncertainty gnawed at him. With a question like that, he started to feel he was making some sort of deal with the devil.

But this second chance the interface was speaking of — the hope of playing basketball again, of reclaiming his dream, was too powerful to ignore.

Lake swallowed hard and said, "Yes."

A sharp, almost metallic, "Ding!" echoed in his mind.

[Welcome to the Basketball Prodigy System]

The pain in his head completely disappeared now, and it was replaced by a strange clarity. A translucent interface expanded before him, filled with various sections and icons.

Lake's eyes widened as he began to realize what was happening. "No way. No freaking way! A system? I unlocked a system!"

The door swung open and a nurse peered inside. "Are you okay, Mister Everett?"

Lake instantly hid his excitement. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. I'm just... you know, dealing with the news."

"I am really sorry about your condition. But I'm sure there are other things that you can do even though basketball is out of the picture."

'Yeah, yeah. Move along, lady. I just expanded the frame!'

As soon as the nurse left, Lake returned to the interface.

[System Activated: Basketball Prodigy]

A status screen appeared, and Lake could see a passport portrait of himself displayed on the screen called a 'profile scan.'

[Name: Lake Everett]

[Age: 17]

[Height: 6'3]

[Weight: 133 pounds]

[Position: Shooting Guard]

'Wow,' he gazed at the interface as though he was impressed. 'Somehow I feel violated. The way it's telling me all this information about myself to my own face is a little weird.'

[Review main storyline]

[Yes or No?]

[Highly recommend 'yes']

'Main storyline? Whatever could that be?' He looked down at the smaller text. 'Well if it's highly recommended that I review it, then...'

He cleared his throat, "Yes."

The interface vanished and returned with a satisfying chime, then it displayed a loading screen, each of the empty boxes slowly filled up with the continuous sound of beep, beep, beep.

[Main storyline is being narrated]

[Lake Everett, as you once knew him, is dead. Tomorrow morning, a new Lake Everett will be presented to the world. The new Lake Everett is the Dancing Dragon who scorches opponent's dreams and goals as he relentlessly pursues his. Lake Everett is a millionaire playboy, sculpted like a Greek statue, living a gallivant lifestyle. But on the court, he is the best dribbler and shooter in the entire League.]

[Lake Everett lives the life that everyone wants, but to achieve such greatness, Lake had to suffer and struggle. No one truly knows what Lake went through to become who he is, but that is the price he has paid for success, for revenge, and for glory.]

[Do you accept this new life?]

[Yes or No?]

Lake gaped at all of this, lost for words. This new Lake Everett was the kind of person he wanted to be! Was that why the system was here? Was it going to shape him into the Dancing Dragon?

Only hesitating for a moment's breath, Lake muttered, "Yes."

[Storyline has been accepted]

[Installation is ongoing]

[Installation is completed]

A soft chime played once again.

[Congratulations, Lake. The Basketball Prodigy System is installed and activated]

[Profile scan updating]

...

[Profile scan is updated]

[Name: Lake Everett]

[Title: Golden Flame]

[Storyline: Becoming The Dancing Dragon]

[Blessed Fate: Bound For Glory — Your fate has been ultimately decided. No matter what happens to you, no matter how horrible, good things will always come in the end]

[Cursed Fate: Price Of Power — Your journey to greatness is plagued by constant obstacles and adversities. For every step forward, expect a setback that tests your resolve and determination. Sometimes you shall lose as you gain]

—

'Whoa, whoa!' Lake panicked. 'That sounds bad. Is it just trying to frighten me or does the negative sound worse than the positive? What's a Blessed Fate? And why do I even need a Cursed Fate?'

He knew the reason for that was to create a balance. Rather than just been granted a cheating system, taking him all the way to easy glory like he would have preferred, the system wanted him to suffer for it.

'Not at all fair. I've read many mangas where the MC was granted a cheating system.'

[Level One: Baby Dragon]

[Reach 100 XP and move to the next level; Rising Dragon]

—

[Physical Attributes]

[Strength: 22/100]

[Agility: 30/100]

[Stamina: 15/100]

[Accuracy: 42/100]

[Speed: 24/100]

[Defense: 11/100]

'Are these my actual stats? Cause they're really horrible.'

[Skills]

[Free Throw: 35%]

[Three-Point Shot: 60%]

[Dribbling: 30%]

[Layup: 65%]

[Passing: 50%]

—

[Skill Levels]

[Novice: 0% - 30%]

[Intermediate: 31% - 50%]

[Advanced: 51% - 70%]

[Expert: 71% - 90%]

[Master: 91% - 100%]

Each level indicated Lake's proficiency in a particular skill, with 100 being the maximum. Skills could be improved through practice, completing quests, or using specific items provided by the system.

Lake's eyes widened as he took it all in. This was like a video game, but it was real. He navigated through the interface, finding a new section labeled "Quests."

[New Quest: Recover and Rebuild]

[Quest: Important]

[Objective: Complete physical therapy and regain full mobility.]

[Reward: +10 to Agility, + 50 XP, Unlock Skill: Quick Step]

A wave of relief washed over him. This meant that the system was offering him a path to full recovery! And a lot of rewards for doing so.

There were still more sections for Lake to explore. Seeing that the only Quest available at the moment was the Recover and Rebuild, he returned to [Skills] and selected the abilities he could unlock and enhance.

Some were grayed out, indicating they were currently unavailable, but each came with a description and the requirements to unlock them.

[Skill: Quick Step]

[Description: Increases agility and speed for short bursts, ideal for sudden movements on the court]

[Requirement: Complete "Recover and Rebuild" quest]

Lake grinned from ear to ear. 'I can't lie, this is really exciting.'

With a surge of determination, he navigated to the "Inventory" tab, curious to explore some more. But his reverie was abruptly interrupted by the opening door and the nurse coming in once again.

"Mister Everett," she smiled.

Lake sighed inwardly. 'What does she want now?'

"There's someone who's here to see you."

Lake raised his brow in nonchalant curiosity, but when the nurse opened the door fully and the visitor stepped inside, the brow fell, and he furrowed both of them in surprise.

"Mom!?"