Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

It was the next day, and the Shizi Dogs were on their way to their game. It was now in the Land Court, with a team that was relatively weaker than the Longyu Dragons.

In their journey, there had been quite a lot of pit stops.

And it was all thanks to Kai.

"Can we please take a photo together?" a group of girls asked.

Kai couldn't tell that they were talking to him at first; however, one of them patted his shoulder, capturing his attention.

"Me?" he asked, pointing to himself.

The girls nodded. "Yes, please!"

Kai pursed his lips and posed in front of their camera.

"Thank you!"

With that, they left while giggling with each other.

His teammates, along with Lina, turned to him with curiosity.

"Do you know those girls?" Lina asked.

Kai shook his head. "Nope," he said. "It's my first time seeing them."

They continued walking to the court. However, they were stopped once again. Now, it was by a group of large boys—another basketball team, but not one they were familiar with.

"Kai Guo," the tallest guy said.

The Shizi Dogs stopped as they all turned to Kai.

"What the heck?" Jet muttered, nudging his shoulder. "Do you have enemies all the way here?"

Kai slowly shook his head. "I don't know these guys."

"We want to take a photo with you," he said, appearing intimidating.

Kai tilted his head to the side. "Umm, who are you, guys?" he asked.

He finally smirked. "We're from the same city as the Longyu Dragons—the second-place team. We want to take a photo with the man who finally defeated Calvin Wu. He's the best in our city, so it's really amazing. Would that be okay?"

Kai absentmindedly nodded.

"Please take a photo of us," the guy said, handing Jinping his phone.

Jinping pursed his lips and reluctantly took their photo.

"Thank you," he bowed, suddenly appearing courteous. "Good luck in your next game."

As soon as they were gone, the Shizi Dogs discussed what had happened.

"What was that?" Andy asked. "I thought they were going to beat us up!" Stay tuned to My Virtual Library Empire

Not even a minute later, the Shizi Dogs were once again stopped. Now, it was a mixed-gender group that wore the Longyu Dragons' merch.

"It's really that guy! The one who beat Calvin."

"He was awesome in that game."

"Can we take a photo with you?" one of them courageously asked.

Kai scratched the back of his head. "Sure," he muttered.

They chattered excitedly and surrounded Kai before snapping a photo.

"Thank you!" one girl exclaimed before handing Kai a piece of paper.

"I just thought you were really cute," she shyly said. "Please contact me."

With that, the group left while teasing their courageous friend. Kai held onto the phone number with furrowed eyebrows. His teammates looked at him with either envious or teasing stares.

Lina, on the other hand, pursed her lips.

This was another downside of the Nationals. A face and talent like Kai's was bound to get discovered one way or another.

Jet and Shang turned to each other and mindlessly chuckled.

"This guy is living the life."

***

"Congratulations, guys!" Lina exclaimed. "Kai had the highest points once again."

Days passed, and before they knew it, they were already done with their sixth game.

Kai looked at his system as he removed his jersey and got dressed in a fresh new shirt.

[Skill improved! Shooting probability has increased.]

[+40 XP]

[Current level: Legend (20/500)]

"Legend," he muttered. His rank had drastically increased with their consecutive wins. Now, he was up to the legend stage. He still didn't know where this rank stood because he didn't have a point of reference. However, he definitely felt a shift in his skill. He was getting better at shooting three-pointers, too.

However, even then, Kai wasn't fully satisfied.

"Higher," he muttered. "I need to go higher than this."

"Why are you talking to yourself?" Kun asked, snapping Kai out of his thoughts.

He shook his head and stood from his seat. "I was just reminding myself," he said.

Kun wanted to pry, but he eventually shrugged, letting it go.

Lina waited for the guys to finish when she felt a shadow loom above her. She frowned. "Did they turn off the lights?"

With that, she lifted her head, only to be met with a face that resembled a titan.

She screamed in surprise, capturing the attention of the other players. Kai quickly ran to where she was, holding onto her shoulders.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Lina didn't respond, appearing traumatized. Then, she glanced at the guy behind Kai before looking away, not wanting to look into his eyes.

"Are you guys done with the bench?" an abnormally low and somehow distant voice asked. "Our bags are heavy. We want to put it down."

Kai pursed his lips and turned around to the source of the voice.

To say he was surprised was an understatement.

Standing before him was a guy with a wide smile and a tall height—very tall.

"Seven feet," he muttered to himself—or at least, that was what he thought.

"7'3," the boy said. "I'm not that short."@@novelbin@@

The other Shizi Dogs also caught onto the situation. Before they knew it, they were surrounded by literal giants.

Even Yuze, standing at 6'6, had to tilt his head up to look at the player next to him.

Jet and Kun, the shortest among the bunch, huddled together, feeling like a pair of dwarves in a sea of giants.

Kai looked at their jersey and pursed his lips.

The Keystone Giants.

"So, are you just going to stand there?" the tallest guy asked.

Kai cleared his throat and held Lina even closer to his body.

"Apologies," he said. "We're going."

With that, he gestured to the other guys so they could leave.

The Shizi Dogs didn't speak as they followed after Kai. Just then, the tallest guy called Kai's attention.

"Wait," he said, causing Kai to halt.

"You're the guy who won against Calvin."

Kai's eyebrows furrowed. Then, he turned around. He was once again met with the titan-like smile that sent shivers down his spine.

"What about it?" Kai asked.

His smile widened—if that was even possible.

"Nothing," he said. "You're just much…cuter than I expected."