Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

[Unofficial Match Win: 5 XP]

[Current level: Elite (07)]

Dylan blew the whistle just as the ball landed back on the ground.

The court was silent for a few moments before the Shizi Dogs erupted into loud cheers.

"Yes!" Shang exclaimed, running over to where the players were.

Lina, as well as the other bench players, also couldn't contain their excitement.

Zeren, despite feeling tired, stood from his seat and jumped along with his teammates.

They rejoiced in the middle of the court while Guri stayed rooted in his spot, his butt sore from the impact of falling to the floor.

Shang quickly went to where Kai was and lifted him high in the air.

He felt Kai's heaviness, but he didn't care. He felt that the younger player was quite cool just now and deserved a little lift!

Kai clicked his tongue and tapped Shang's shoulder.

"Your injury!" he loudly exclaimed, making Shang drop him.

"Ah, right," Shang chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. "Whatever! This is a time to celebrate."

Kun also went next to Kai and patted his back.

"You saved my plays quite a lot back there," he smiled. "Thanks for that."

Yuze, who was standing on the side, also cleared his throat and briefly congratulated Kai.

"Good job," he said before turning away with warm cheeks.

Meanwhile, Lina couldn't control her happiness, so she wrapped her arms around Kai's shoulders.

Kai was surprised, but he also hugged her back.

"That was great!" Lina exclaimed, not realizing that they had just hugged. "You were so cool!"

Meanwhile, Zeren went between the two of them and opened his arms.

"Me too! I want a hug, too," he said while looking at Lina.

However, Lina was already making her way to Yuze to congratulate him on the practice game.

Zeren clicked his tongue and turned around to meet Kai's gaze, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I swear," he muttered. "You really did something."

"You're gatekeeping it from us," he accused.

Kai raised his hands in surrender.

It wasn't because of anything else.

He had just upgraded his skills, that's all.

Now, he was an Elite.

Not the Elite Five, of course. The council still has to take his past games into consideration. Since Kai only performed undistinguishly during the Winter Cup, he believed he wasn't even on the radar of the council that chose the Elite Five.

However, it was still his goal to earn such a title.

Nonetheless, he had upgraded by two levels since their break had started.

He completed his 'Proficient' level and upgraded to 'Competent.'

He had a hard time upgrading his 'Competent' level to 'Elite' level since he didn't have any matches. However, his weekly missions became his saving grace.

As time progressed, however, it seemed like the benefits of his weekly missions and the points he earned from his own hard work gradually decreased.

However, Kai could understand it—the higher the level, the more difficult it was to earn points.

Meanwhile, Guri was still in the place where Kai had left him, the scene replaying over and over again in his mind.

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He thought he was the greatest first-year player in the entire country. It had already been proven in the Winter Cup in Guangzhou City, where the Longyu Dragons reigned supreme.

However, there was actually an unmatchable force in the distant city of Jilin?

Guri shook his head and cast his gaze to the ground.

Then, he saw a hand held out for him, causing him to lift his head once more.

There, he saw Fenhua, who had a disappointed look on his face.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Guri pursed his lips.

"Come on," Fenhua said. "Don't sulk too much."

Guri's lips trembled, feeling emotional.

Fenhua clicked his tongue. "Don't cry. I'm not your mother, so I won't comfort you. Stand up since you look pathetic."

Guri continued pursing his lips as he stood from the ground, wiping the unshed tears from his eyes.

Then, he followed Fenhua back to their bench, where his equally disappointed teammates already were.

"I can't believe we lost," Riley said, slumping on the bench.

Dafu turned his attention to the Shizi Dogs, who had been celebrating up until now.

At the moment, Kai was surrounded by the second-string members, who circled around him like an artificial god.

It seemed like a ritual of some sort, making Dafu shake his head in amusement.

"Damn, now I'm even more pissed," Dafu said. "How can we lose to a bunch of hooligans?"

Riley sighed. "But, they're good, aren't they? It was unexpected. There isn't anything special about them, but somehow, they just make it work. I wonder why we even lost."

Fenhua sighed and raked his fingers through his hair.

"Let's just accept what had happened," he said, glancing at the Shizi Dogs once more.

Despite saying those words to his teammates, Fenhua also couldn't accept the results.

"Shizi Dogs," he muttered.

It was a name that he was definitely going to remember. Somehow, he felt like this wasn't the last time he was going to see the crazy team.

Fenhua let out a deep breath and faced his teammates once more.

"For now, let's leave."

Guri sighed in frustration. "Why?" he asked. "The workers allowed us on the court."

Fenhua clicked his tongue.

"Be a man of your word."

"We agreed that whoever wins will get to keep the court. We lost, so we don't have a choice," he said in a scolding tone.

Guri pursed his lips and finally stayed quiet. Meanwhile, their other teammates started packing up, still in disbelief at their loss.

"Let's go," Fenhua said, about to leave, when the door suddenly opened, and a strong gush of wind blew.

The door banged against the wall, creating a loud sound. The court was also engulfed in cold wind, making those only wearing their jerseys shiver.

The Shizi Dogs halted their celebration and turned to the intruder.

A tall teen entered, his figure obstructed by the fog that came from outside of the court.

Then, he emerged from the fog and into the light, finally revealing his face to those inside.

The Fenhua Dragons were delighted to see their teammate.

Meanwhile, the Shizi Dogs couldn't hide their amazement as they gazed at the familiar man.

"Am I late?" he asked, scratching the back of his head.

A small smirk appeared on Kai's face.

He was finally here.

Calvin Wu.

Another member of the Elite Five.