Chapter Two: It awakens
Ethan pushed through the locker room door, the sound of it creaking on its hinges barely reaching his ears over the rush of blood in his head. His legs felt heavy as he walked toward his usual spot, sliding his bag onto the bench. His mind was clouded, the weight of his bench position sinking in like a stone. He'd made the team, yes, but it felt like it wasn't enough. Not yet.
As he unzipped his bag and pulled out his water bottle, his fingers froze. For a split second, he felt an odd sensation, like a tingling warmth running through his fingers, a strange buzz of energy that made his skin tingle. He blinked, looking around the locker room to see if anyone else had noticed.
Nothing.
But then, right in front of him, a notification flashed in the air.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZED]
A holographic window popped up before his eyes, the text glowing faintly against the dim light of the locker room. Ethan froze, eyes widening in disbelief. His heart skipped a beat as he blinked again, unsure if his mind was playing tricks on him.
WELCOME TO THE SYSTEM.
It was followed by a series of floating icons, each one more surreal than the last. There were stats—numbers and bars—overlaying his vision like something out of a video game. At first, Ethan thought it was just his imagination, but as he read the words, it felt too real.
Name: Ethan Walker
Level: 1
Stats:
Strength: 5
Agility: 7
Stamina: 6
Basketball Sense: Unlocked
Quick Step: Locked
A wave of confusion hit him as he reached out instinctively, half-expecting the interface to vanish, but the window stayed there, hovering in mid-air.
"What the hell?" Ethan whispered to himself, still staring at the strange display. His hand reached up slowly, as if testing it was real. When he tapped the glowing words, the system responded immediately.
BASKETBALL SENSE: Unlocked
Passive Skill: Increases your ability to read the game, anticipate plays, and make smarter passes.Effect: Minor boost to court awareness and decision-making.
The words seemed to pulse as he absorbed the information. It felt so... strange, but in a way, it felt like it belonged. Like this was something meant for him.
Quick Step: Locked
Unlock Conditions: Perform an explosive move during a game.
Ethan's thoughts raced as he took in the next line. What was this? Was this real? A system? He'd heard of things like this in games, but... in real life?
A soft ping interrupted his thoughts, and another message appeared:
Quest Unlocked:
"Prove Yourself": Increase your basketball skill in practice. Reach level 2 to unlock the next ability, Quick Step.Reward: 10% increased stamina for 24 hours.
He read it over twice. Prove himself? To who? To the team? To Coach? His eyes flicked back to the screen, and the numbers made his heart race. It felt like some kind of cheat code for real life. He had no idea how or why it had appeared, but one thing was clear: this system, whatever it was, could help him.
"Prove myself," he murmured under his breath, feeling the weight of those words. The whole team had seen him fumble and struggle. But maybe, just maybe, this system could help him turn things around.
A new sense of determination slowly began to replace his doubts. His first quest was simple enough—improve his skills. He could do that. And the bonus? A boost to his stamina? That might just be the edge he needed.
He stood up, glancing around the locker room once more to make sure no one had seen the glowing system. No one was paying attention. They were all too caught up in their own post-tryout excitement.
Ethan pulled on his hoodie, a small, confident smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He wasn't just going to sit on the bench forever. This was the beginning of something bigger. Something he could control. Something that would finally help him prove that he belonged here.
He felt the system humming softly, like a new presence in his mind. The first step had been taken. Now, it was time to show the team what he could really do.
[SYSTEM MENU]
Name: Ethan Walker
Level: 1
Experience: 0/100
Class: Point Guard (Basketball)
BASKETBALL STATS:
Passing: 5/100
Shooting: 4/100
Dunking: 3/100
Blocking: 4/100
Speed: 6/100
Stamina: 5/100
Strength: 5/100
Dribbling: 6/100
Rebounding: 4/100
Basketball Sense: Unlocked (Passive Skill)
Quick Step: Locked
Ethan blinked, his eyes flicking from stat to stat. Each one was a reminder of just how far behind he felt compared to the other players on the team, but at the same time, it was a roadmap—a path forward.
Passing:
Base Passing: Low; basic accuracy on short-distance passes.Effect: Improves with practice and awareness. Essential for a point guard's playmaking ability.
Shooting:
Base Shooting: Low; struggles with consistent shooting, especially under pressure.Effect: Can be trained with drills to improve shooting form, accuracy, and range.
Dunking:
Base Dunking: Very Low; struggles with explosive power and height.Effect: Can be unlocked with strength and agility development. Dunking ability increases as explosiveness improves.
Blocking:
Base Blocking: Average; basic ability to contest shots.Effect: Improved timing and positioning can increase blocking percentage, especially against weaker shooters.
Speed:
Base Speed: Moderate; capable of decent acceleration but lacks explosive quickness.Effect: Increases dribbling and transition speed, essential for point guards who need to drive fast.
Stamina:
Base Stamina: Moderate; good for drills but fatigues quickly under intense pressure.Effect: Increases endurance and ability to perform at high intensity during long stretches of games.
Strength:
Base Strength: Low; lacks the muscle to fight for position or battle through contact.Effect: Requires intense weight training to improve overall physicality and post-play strength.
Dribbling:
Base Dribbling: Moderate; basic control over the ball, but struggles with quick changes of direction.Effect: Can be trained to increase ball-handling precision and reaction speed.
Rebounding:
Base Rebounding: Low; struggles to position himself for boards.Effect: Requires a combination of positioning and strength to be an effective rebounder.
Ethan read through the list carefully, tapping each stat as his mind raced with possibilities. Each skill felt so far from where he needed to be, but at least now he knew where to focus his energy.
His eyes lingered on Basketball Sense, the only skill he had unlocked for real. It felt good to see that, at least, something was going right. The system didn't just give him stats—it gave him direction. He wasn't starting from scratch. He was starting from where he was, and now he had the tools to grow.
Basketball Sense:
Effect: A passive skill that increases your ability to read the game, anticipate plays, and make smarter decisions with the ball. Increases court awareness, helping you understand where players are moving and how to adjust your play.
Ethan smiled weakly. At least this was one thing he could build on right now. The rest? That was going to take work. It was daunting, but at the same time, it made everything feel more real. This was no longer just a dream. This was a plan.
The next stat that caught his eye was Quick Step. It was locked, but the description was intriguing:
Quick Step:
Effect: A temporary boost in agility that allows for faster cuts, quick directional changes, and explosive first steps.Unlock Conditions: Perform an explosive move during a game or practice to trigger the skill.
"Alright, time to get to work," Ethan muttered, already feeling more focused. The system had given him a blueprint to follow, a way to measure his growth.
He pulled up his phone and checked the schedule—practice would start soon. There was no time to waste. If he was going to prove himself, if he was going to earn his spot on the court, he had to make these numbers mean something.
With a deep breath, Ethan set his bag down, laced up his sneakers, and looked at the system one last time.
The first quest to level up was clear: improve his skills in practice. He was ready to start.
Ethan's eyes darted back to the menu when he noticed something blinking at the top corner of the screen. A small icon with the words "Unallocated Stat Points: 5" hovered in the corner, pulsing faintly.
He frowned. "Stat points?" He selected the icon, and a new prompt appeared:
Unallocated Stat Points: 5
Distribute these points to enhance your skills.
Warning: Stat point distribution is permanent. Choose wisely!
He scrolled through the options again, looking at his abysmally low numbers. His mind raced as he thought about what mattered most on the court. Shooting? Nah, he wasn't ready to be a scorer yet. Dunking? That was out of the question right now. Strength? Stamina? Not immediately helpful.
His eyes landed on Passing. As the team's future point guard, his job wasn't to score—it was to run the offense, to get the ball where it needed to go. If he couldn't do that, he'd never get off the bench.
Ethan tapped the Passing stat and assigned all five points into it. One by one, the system chimed softly with each increase:
Passing: 5 → 10/100
A faint glow radiated from the stat as the update finalized, and Ethan felt a strange warmth flow through his chest. It wasn't overwhelming, just a small, encouraging feeling, like the system was rewarding him for making the right choice.
"Did that… actually do something?" Ethan muttered, flexing his hands. He didn't feel any different physically, but the moment he thought about throwing a pass, his mind filled with clarity. He imagined threading a bounce pass through defenders or lobbing a precise alley-oop, and the movements came to him more naturally than before.
[SYSTEM UPDATE: Passive Boost Activated!]
Your improvement in Passing has slightly enhanced your game vision. Passing accuracy and decision-making increased.
Ethan's lips quirked into a small smile. It wasn't much, but it was progress. He looked back at the locker room door, his heart thudding.
"I'm not there yet," he whispered, clutching his basketball shoes in one hand. "But I'm getting closer."
With a renewed sense of purpose, Ethan stepped out of the locker room. Practice was only the beginning.