Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

It had been four days since they arrived in Shanghai, and aside from their tedious training, nothing interesting followed.

Lina was still a monster on the court—that is if you count her training strategies. The boys' bodies ached more than usual, but they didn't dare complain since they knew it was for the Nationals.

"I can't move," Jet said as he plopped down on his bed.

Lina, who heard what he had said from the hallway, clicked her tongue.

"You'll be fine. You also said that yesterday, but you were still able to play today, right?" she said before going to her room.

Jet pursed his lips and shook his head. "A monster. She's a monster—I tell you."

Kai shook his head in amusement as he sat on his bed.

Jet turned to him with raised eyebrows. "Does your body not hurt?"

"It does," he said.

"It sure as hell doesn't look like it," Jet muttered.

Andy patted his shoulder. "It's time we don't question it anymore. I still remember when he got tired during our game with the Knights. Those were some good times."

"Anyway, what are we going to do tomorrow?" Andy asked, changing the subject. We only have three days left. Well, technically, there are only two because, on the last day, we have to leave."

"Training, as usual," Jet sighed. "Is there anything new?"

Andy also sighed, already feeling tired with the thought of training.

"I think it's benefitting you, though," Shang said as he got out of the bathroom. "You guys are better than before. The dynamics of the team is also top-notch."

"It better be benefitting us!" Jet exclaimed. "With how hard Lina is training us, we might as well be grandmasters!"

Kai froze as Jet said those words.

"What a coincidence," he muttered before turning his attention to his user interface.

[Current level: Grandmaster (03/400)]

He had finally increased to the next level. He felt a significant boost after today's training ended because of it. The threshold once again increased, but Kai wasn't surprised anymore.

He had already accepted that the higher the level, the harder it would be for him to progress.

Aside from that, his weekly mission had also popped up. It was a relatively simple one, so he wanted to increase his XP to at least 50 while he was in the facility.

However, even then, he didn't think it would be possible.

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[Weekly mission! No pain, no gain.]

[XP will increase based on the pain that the host will feel.]

[Have fun hurting!]

Even with their tedious training, his 'pain score' was only increased by two. It was the only time he wanted to curse his high pain tolerance.

"I'm bored," Shang said, leaning against the wall.

Jet clicked his tongue. "Join us for training if you're bored. You only come to the court to find an athlete girlfriend!"

Shang sighed. "When did I? Our court is so isolated that I don't even see a gardener within a mile's radius!"@@novelbin@@

"And I'm not talking about being bored while you're training! I want to do something outside of the court. All of you are so focused on the Nationals that you're forgetting to have fun!"

"It's a Friday afternoon! We need to live life to the fullest!" Shang exclaimed, throwing his fist high up in the air.

The other three looked at him with flat expressions, causing Shang to sigh in disappointment.

"You guys are no fun. I should have gone with the second-string team," he muttered before sitting and bringing his phone out.

As soon as he opened his phone, he received a text from none other than Dylan.

Shang opened it, and a wide smile instantly graced his lips.

"Just on time!" he exclaimed, standing once more.

The other three looked at him, weirded out by his behavior. However, Shang couldn't care less about what they thought of him.

"Dylan just sent me something," he said. "It seems like the athletes are currently having a barbeque party by the football field."

"How did Dylan even know this before us?" Andy muttered.

"It doesn't matter!" Shang exclaimed. "This is a great way to interact with people our age. I heard it's sponsored by Juren High, so you know it's going to be popping!"

"Dang," Jet muttered. "They brought their rookie players here, and they even threw a barbeque party? Those guys are rich, RICH."

"What do you expect?" Shang asked. "It's Juren High."

"Anyways, are you guys down? I know I am!" he excitedly asked.

Jet stood from his bed with a wide smile. "Of course," he said. "I wouldn't pass up on the chance."

"I'm down too," Andy said. "I'm craving for some real food."

They all turned to Kai, who sighed in defeat. "I guess it would be alright."

"Wooh!" Shang exclaimed. "Let's go!"

"Let's ask the others if they're interested," Andy said.

The three nodded and made their way out of their room, excited to interact with other people outside the court.

***

"Woah, I didn't expect this," Andy muttered as they finally arrived at the party site.

They managed to convince Jinping, Kun, Yuze, Renren, and Lina to join them.

"You said it was a small party," Yuze groaned, already not liking the setting.

"That's what Dylan told me," Shang said. "Is this his definition of a small party?"

"Who cares?" Jet exclaimed. "This is the life! There are so many athletes in this place."

"I see swimmers, volleyball players, tennis players, and oh! There are also some wrestlers right there," he said, pointing to the different groups of people present in the field.

Lina looked around, observing the athletes that had scattered. However, it couldn't be denied that the moment they arrived, quite a lot of people had already turned toward their way.

And Lina was quite aware of the reason why.

"Oh my!" Jet suddenly exclaimed, capturing her attention.

"They've been here all along?" he asked.

Lina turned her attention to where Jet was pointing, her face instantly falling.

"Shizi's cheerleaders are also here?"