Chapter 4: Breaking Through the Limits

"Hey, Ethan, let's fight side by side. I'm looking forward to competing with you!"

The next day, Marcus Camby was buzzing with excitement as he laced up his basketball sneakers. His towering frame was ready for battle, and he turned to Ethan with an eager grin.

"To be honest, I'm looking forward to it too," Ethan replied with a smirk.

Last night's celebration had been brief. He did bring along Christie Carey and Monroe Scott, as Camby had suggested, but in the end, he found an excuse to leave early.

It wasn't that he wasn't interested in women—far from it. But Ethan wasn't the type to rush into something meaningless.

If he was going to be in a relationship, he wanted it to be genuine—a love story that started with an unexpected meeting and stood the test of time.

Instead of partying, he returned to the basketball courts alone, determined to improve his shot.

Bang!

He kept replaying the shooting form of the white sharpshooter from the previous game, drilling it into his body.

One hour. Two hours.

By the time he left the court, his accuracy hadn't skyrocketed, but his form was much more stable.

Now, it was time to test his abilities in a real game.

---

The Game Begins

By the time Ethan and Camby arrived at the court, the players had already been grouped.

Thanks to Camby's "strategic influence," Ethan was placed on his team. It was clear that Camby really wanted his newly basketball-obsessed roommate to have the best experience possible.

"Alright, let's see what you've got," Camby said, slapping Ethan's back.

The game began with Camby effortlessly winning the tip-off.

The point guard pushed the ball forward, and Ethan quickly realized something—he had no idea what to do.

His dribbling was solid. His shooting had improved. But when it came to positioning, spacing, and tactics? He was completely lost.

His movements were chaotic, disrupting the natural flow of the offense.

In the end, the point guard had no choice but to attack on his own. The defender anticipated the move, read the play perfectly, and stole the ball.

"Hey bro, you good?" Camby asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ethan exhaled sharply, frustrated.

"Yeah, I just… I need to adjust."

Camby patted his shoulder. "Don't stress. First-game jitters, man."

Ethan clenched his fists. He had watched countless games, but being in one was an entirely different experience.

It wasn't just about individual skill—team dynamics were everything.

His frustration doubled on the defensive end.

When the opposing forward made a move, Ethan fell for a simple fake and leaped into the air.

The forward grinned, easily sidestepping before sinking a layup.

"Who is this guy? Does he even know how to play?"

"Man, what a waste of an athletic body."

"This dude's nothing but a background prop."

The sideline erupted in chatter, mostly mocking Ethan's performance.

While the girls in the crowd still admired his looks, the guys watching were brutally honest—on the court, he was playing like garbage.

As the first half ended, Camby's team found themselves down by 10 points—a rare deficit.

Camby sighed, walking over to Ethan. "Look, we need to step it up, man. We can't let this slip away."

Ethan nodded firmly.

Up until now, he had been a liability—missing open shots, falling for fakes, and messing up rotations.

But he wasn't walking away empty-handed.

Even through his struggles, he had absorbed valuable movements, positioning, and spacing.

And under the blessing of Perfect Imitation, he knew he could adjust in the second half.

His teammates had their doubts.

Sure, Camby was backing him, but his performance so far wasn't exactly inspiring confidence.

Still, substitutions weren't an option, so they had no choice but to hope for the best.

But what they didn't know—Ethan Walker was just getting started.

---

A Second-Half Awakening

The second half began, and just like before, the opposing forward immediately attacked Ethan.

They had already labeled him as the weakest link.

Only this time, their assumption was dead wrong.

Snap!

The moment the forward put the ball down, Ethan's arm shot out like a viper.

Steal!

Ethan ripped the ball away cleanly, leaving his opponent in shock.

Without hesitation, he launched into a fast break.

Bang!

The court was his battlefield, and his speed turned him into a blurring force.

10.5 seconds in the 100 meters.

To the defenders, he was like a bullet train barreling down the court.

Bang!

Just inside the free-throw line, Ethan took flight.

Boom!

A thunderous tomahawk slam exploded through the gym.

The entire court froze for a moment.

The spectators who had been mocking him just minutes ago? Mouths hanging open.

"Holy sh—!!"

The rim shook violently as Ethan landed, gripping the rim for emphasis before dropping down.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"

Even Camby, who had played with some of the best athletes in college basketball, was staring at Ethan like he had just seen a ghost.

The sideline erupted.

"Did this dude just unlock some secret power?!"

"Where the hell was that in the first half??"

"That's some NBA-level athleticism, bro!"

Ethan smirked.

Now that he had adjusted to the rhythm of the game, his skills—his potential—were finally beginning to emerge.

And this was just the beginning.