Chapter 24: Past and Present Lives  

"The legendary quest, 'In the Name of Legacy,' has been triggered. 

The host needs to complete the corresponding prerequisite conditions before accepting this quest. 

'In the Name of Legacy': Because you share the same 'roots' as him, Tim Duncan has high hopes for you. 

Now, it's time for you to be tested. 

'In the Name of Legacy' Quest Prerequisite One: The host must increase their current attributes in post-up offense, observation, anticipation, help defense, man-to-man defense, and lateral movement to 75, 75, 75, 75, 70, and 70, respectively, during their college years. 

Prerequisite One Completion Reward: The 'Paint Zone Genius' badge previously obtained by the host will automatically upgrade to 'King of the Paint.' 

'King of the Paint': This badge slightly enhances the host's ability to find defensive gaps when finishing in the paint and will improve the host's in-game status after completing a certain number of interior attacks on the court. 

During the in-game status boost, all of the host's interior attributes will receive a random bonus to a certain extent. 

Note: The 'King of the Paint' badge can only be upgraded by completing the prerequisite conditions for the 'In the Name of Legacy' quest." 

Shortly after bidding farewell to Duncan in the training gym, Zack received a new quest notification from the system in his mind. 

Zack had previously speculated that the tasks from the "Summit" system might be related to his real-life experiences. 

So, at this moment, more than the new quest, Zack was curious about whether the system's quests or badge rewards might also be linked to some of his current attributes, in addition to his real-life experiences. 

For example, he had successfully triggered the "Hidden Quest: Iron Wall" after only a few days of training, but he hadn't triggered a single quest related to passing or dribbling until now. 

Thinking of this, Zack stopped his reflection. 

Because right now, training, training, and continuous training were his top priorities. 

This unexpected encounter with Duncan had given Zack a lot of insights. 

He had to seize the time to digest this knowledge and deepen his muscle memory through daily practice. 

The Christmas break ended, and before the NCAA season reignited, after another day of training, Zack personally invited his college teammates to a gathering. 

This season, Zack had gone from being unknown to famous nationwide, and his teammates had also played a crucial role. 

Therefore, no matter how precious his current spare time was, Zack felt it was very necessary to reward those who had provided him with great help in his daily life and training. 

Additionally, at the gathering that day, Zack also made a "Malaysian fried chicken" for Paul, as he had previously promised. 

Malaysian fried chicken is a dish where spices replace the batter, and the chicken is marinated for a long time before being wrapped in spices and deep-fried. 

Compared to traditional fried chicken, this type of fried chicken not only requires a very precise spice blend but also heavily relies on the oil temperature and cooking time, as Zack had mentioned to Paul before. 

Although confident beforehand, Zack still messed up several times when making the fried chicken for Paul that day. 

Seeing this, Paul, who was waiting eagerly beside him, grew anxious and kept sending "question marks" to Zack with his questioning gaze. 

Fortunately, after fully learning from his experiences and lessons, on his eighth attempt, Zack successfully cooked a Malaysian fried chicken that looked impeccable. 

"Try it," Zack said nervously as he plated the fried chicken and handed it to Paul. 

At this moment, Zack's nervousness stemmed from the fact that whether he could complete the "Hidden Quest: Fried Chicken Brothers" previously issued by the system depended entirely on Paul's personal subjective opinion. 

Even if this quest wasn't completed, it wouldn't affect Zack in the slightest. 

But after deciding to stay in college for another year, Zack clearly knew that if he could successfully acquire the 'Fried Chicken Brothers' badge, he, who would continue to fight alongside Paul, would definitely benefit from it. 

Just as Zack remembered, because Paul had been beaten by both Felton and Deron during his freshman year, he had long ago publicly promised to stay at Wake Forest for another year. 

Paul was always a pragmatic person. 

He knew he still needed more playing time to improve himself in all aspects. 

"It tastes okay." 

As the fried chicken entered his mouth, a rich aroma and crispy, tender texture spread, and Paul said with a contented expression. 

At the same time, Zack, who received a system notification in his mind, couldn't help but feel Paul's tough-love side. 

Clearly, Paul's true evaluation of the fried chicken was more than "just okay." 

Otherwise, how could Zack have completed the "Hidden Quest: Fried Chicken Brothers" so smoothly? 

Heh, what a stubborn guy! 

At this moment, Zack didn't argue with Paul. 

Instead, he turned to join the party that had just begun. 

It's worth mentioning that at the gathering that day, Rachel Carlisle, the female news anchor who attended as a special guest, later received a very satisfactory answer. 

Strong, sunny, vibrant, and full of passion—Rachel Carlisle described Zack this way the next day when she returned to the news department and chatted with a friend about him. 

"The only downside is that this guy doesn't know how to treat a lady at all; he actually made me hail a cab home in the cold wind afterward." 

Additionally, Rachel Carlisle made a note about Zack in her diary. 

In January, as the NCAA season reignited, the Demon Deacons officially entered the sprint phase of their season. 

Although during daily training, everyone would motivate each other with the slogan "Make it to March Madness," in reality, as long as the Demon Deacons weren't frequently upset in their upcoming games, they had already secured a spot in March Madness. 

As is well known, before the formation of the Big West Conference, the 30 conferences in NCAA Division I each had one automatic bid. 

This bid would usually be determined by each conference's tournament, or their respective playoffs. 

However, since the Demon Deacons are in the ACC conference, the strongest conference in the NCAA, aiming to secure a March Madness spot by winning the conference tournament... even with the Demon Deacons' excellent record this season, no one dared to guarantee it right now. 

In fact, what the Demon Deacons had truly secured in advance was another way to participate in March Madness. 

This was one of the other 35 berths selected by the NCAA Selection Committee (Note ①). Generally, the NCAA Selection Committee announces these results in mid-March each year, based on team records, strength differences between conferences, schedule difficulty, and other factors. 

However, since the Demon Deacons had once topped the national rankings this season, and with star players like Paul and Zack on the team, the Demon Deacons had, in a sense, already secured their March Madness spot, assuming the NCAA Selection Committee wanted to avoid questioning the objectivity and fairness of their selection. 

Of course, even so, Prosser didn't want his players to be too relaxed in the upcoming games. 

After all, it's better to be safe than sorry. 

Fortunately, his players quickly responded with excellent performances on the court: 

"Coach, who says we don't want to enter March Madness as the ACC's top seed?" 

In the seven games after the season reignited, the Demon Deacons achieved an impressive 6-1 record. 

In these seven games, Zack, who had been coached by Duncan, continuously digested knowledge about post-up play through practical application on the court. 

He used every opponent as practice and gradually established his formidable reputation in the college basketball paint. 

North Carolina was the only team to defeat Wake Forest in January. 

As for the reason: 

During the game, the Tar Heels deployed multiple big men to double-team Zack. 

This is where the depth of an NCAA traditional powerhouse lies. 

Perhaps in a certain season, my star player might not be at your level. 

But when it comes to the number of playable players, how can you compare? 

Although Zack had once produced spectacular plays on the court, forcing the basketball into the hoop even under a double-team, as the game progressed and his stamina gradually depleted, he had no choice but to accept his team's fate of losing to North Carolina. 

"Huh? You ask what the Demon Deacons' star player, Paul, was doing in that game?" 

The next day, when a new day dawned, Chris Paul, walking into the team's training gym with a grim face, would tell you through his silent, intense training: 

"Don't ask; asking means you lack respect for the Point God." 

In his freshman season, a slender Paul was helpless against tank-like guards. 

Unfortunately, even Zack couldn't help him with this. 

Because you can't exactly bring Josh Howard back to play in the NCAA, can you? 

On January 29th of this year, Wake Forest officially held a jersey retirement ceremony for Josh Howard's number 5. 

As a legendary figure in Wake Forest's history, the incredibly athletic Josh Howard definitely had the ability to quickly establish a second line of defense for the team when Paul was beaten off the dribble. 

But where could the Demon Deacons find such a top-tier wing right now? 

Monk and Evans were shooters; defense was never their specialty. 

If Prosser was willing, Zack could certainly help cover for Paul. 

But then, Zack's stamina would plummet at an alarming rate. 

There was no solution to this problem. 

Because in the NCAA, you can't improve the team's current roster through trades. 

Chris Paul was destined to learn how to contend with top point guards only through constant struggle. 

In February, with increased playing time, Zack had already updated his 2003-04 season statistics to an average of 14.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.7 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game. 

Considering the ACC conference's prestige and Zack's roughly 27 minutes of playing time, this stat line had already made him a hot contender for the ACC Rookie of the Year award this season. 

Now, he had a celebrity aura; not only was the NBA paying attention to him, but reports about him in China were also increasing daily. 

Online, many Chinese fans were very interested in his news. 

Of course, his parents were also interested in Zack. 

Previously, for fear of his family knowing that he had chosen a completely "slacker" path, "Zack" mostly fabricated stories when talking to his family on the phone. 

Through exploring his memories, even Zack couldn't help but break into a cold sweat over the lies "he" had told. 

However, the lies "Zack" had told before now turned out to be a good thing. 

Because for Zack, who already didn't know how to face his parents in this life, he had implicitly saved a lot of explanation time. 

That day, while expressing their daily concern for Zack over the phone, Zack's parents proudly told him that they had recently learned how to use the internet to better communicate with him. 

In addition, amidst their concern, his father also showed Zack what "money power" was. 

At this, Zack understood why "he" had given up so thoroughly. 

Because "he," who lacked sustained passion for basketball, didn't need to change his destiny through basketball like those Black players. 

"He" only chose the path of basketball because he grew tall from a young age and had a wingspan far exceeding his peers. 

After Browse "his" memories, Zack clearly understood that "he" chose to study abroad in the U.S. at the age of 15 simply because he found it fun, novel, and he could be free from parental supervision. 

Therefore, upon arriving in America and facing setbacks, "he" unhesitatingly chose to lay flat and escape reality. 

"Since I've inherited everything from you, let me help you make all those past lies and boasts come true!" 

That day, after talking to his family on the phone, Zack silently thought to himself. 

Note ①: From 2001 to 2010, the NCAA March Madness had 65 participating teams. From 2011 to now, it has 68.