[Current Level: Legend (342)]
[Double this score to proceed to the next level.]
Or—Kai felt his heart sink—[lose double the score if you fail.]
His brows knit together as he considered the stakes.
Accepting would bump his level to a staggering 684. That would propel him to another level—one he didn’t know of yet.
He would get a shot at surpassing Jian, even if this was their first game together.
But if he couldn’t complete whatever the system threw at him, he’d lose more than he could afford. Demotion at this level would hit him hard, almost ensuring a loss for the Shizi Dogs.
[Accept?]
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The prompt asked again, waiting.
Kai bit down on his lip. He knew he couldn’t afford to play this game on his current level for much longer. Burnout was coming—he could feel it deep in his bones.
And as he looked down the bench, his eyes flicked from his teammates’ hopeful expressions to the scoreboard. They were only five points behind, but it felt like a chasm.
Taking this chance would bring him closer, inch by inch, to finally standing on equal ground with Jian. Maybe even to beat him.
But the risk gnawed at him. If he failed, he’d be handing the win to the Champions on a silver platter. His team had clawed their way up through the Nationals, banking on his scores. If he couldn’t deliver…
Still, something in him knew he couldn’t keep up without taking a leap.
He nodded, jaw set. "Alright," he whispered.
With a deep breath, he clenched his hand into a fist, thumb hovering over the invisible button. And then, with a final push of resolve, he accepted.
[Mission title: Self-Sacrifice]
[Do not score for the next seven minutes.]
Kai’s eyes widened.
Don’t score?
His heart thundered as he reread the mission.
It didn’t make sense. He thought this system was supposed to be helping him!
He’d been the leading scorer for the Shizi Dogs this entire tournament. Without him putting up points, they’d be at a severe disadvantage. How could the system expect him to stand back for seven minutes and avoid the one thing he was best at?
He pushed himself up from the bench, his mind racing for answers. Lina, sitting close by, noticed the look on his face. Her eyes flashed with concern as she sidled up to him, hand lightly brushing his arm.
"Kai," she whispered. "What’s wrong?"
He shook his head, managing a tense smile to mask the dread pooling in his stomach. "It’s…nothing. Don’t worry about it."
But his mind screamed that it was everything. Seven minutes was an eternity on the court, and the Shizi Dogs needed every ounce of his skill right now.
If Yuze were here, Kai could rely on him to anchor the team. But Yuze was still benched, and it fell to Kai to pick up the slack. How was he supposed to stand aside?
The buzzer blared, signaling the start of the second half, and he forced himself to swallow his anxiety as he jogged to the center of the court.
He scanned the Champions’ bench, finding Jian sitting with his usual air of indifference. Jian’s calm, unbothered expression only stoked Kai’s frustration. This was all a simple game to him.
The crowd roared as the players took their positions, the commentators’ voices ringing out over the noise.
"We’re back for the second half, and it looks like the Shizi Dogs aren’t giving up just yet!" Gina called. "The score’s tight at 45-40, and they’ve got everything to fight for. Can Kai Guo and his team turn it around?"
"Kai’s been the leading scorer," David added, his voice brimming with excitement.
"But he’s got a real mountain to climb against Jian and the Champions. This is going to be one intense half!"
Kai clenched his fists, mind running over the mission again.
Seven minutes.
Just survive seven minutes without scoring.
It sounded simple, but he could already see the complications piling up.
His teammates had relied on him for nearly every play. If he stopped scoring, if he held back even a fraction, they’d notice. And the Champions, especially Jian, would pick up on it too.
The whistle blew, and the game resumed. The ball passed swiftly from hand to hand until it found its way to Kai. He squared up, locking eyes with Jian, who was already poised to block his next move. His teammates shifted around him, setting up a perfect play, but the mission kept appearing in his mind like a trap.
He moved to the open space that his team had created. However, instead of driving to the basket, he sent the ball toward Jinping, who was also wide open.
Kai’s pulse pounded as he watched Jinping catch the pass, hesitate just slightly in surprise, and then take the shot. The ball sailed through the air, and the crowd gasped as it swished through the hoop.
45-42.
Kai let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. It worked. For now, at least.
He glanced back at his teammates, but their reactions were mostly curious, not suspicious. Jinping gave him a nod, eyes bright with surprise and excitement.
Jian, though, was already scrutinizing him, his gaze sharp.
Kai could feel the intensity radiating off him— like Jian was dissecting his every move.
As the minutes ticked by, he positioned himself just right to set up his teammates. However, it didn’t go unnoticed by the commentators.
"What is Kai Guo doing?" Gina asked.
"He hasn’t scored at all in the past two minutes!" David exclaimed.
Jimmy managed to shoot a ball while Jet fumbled his. Another shot was made with Chaoxing, which widened their gap further.
"Crap," Kai muttered.
50-45.
Renren passed the ball to Kai once more, and Jian got ready to block him. However, at the very last second, he passed the ball to Andy, who was free from the three-point line.
50-48.
"That was the perfect opportunity for Kai to shoot against Jian!" David said. Explore more at Freewebnovel
"But his decision worked in his favor," Gina chimed. "There’s now only a two-point gap."
However, the gap was quickly taken away by Chaoxing, who also sunk a three.
53-48.
Yuze watched the game with narrowed eyes, unable to read Kai’s plays.
"What is going on inside of his head?" he muttered.
Jian approached him again, eyes narrowing with suspicion as the ball found its way to Kai’s hands once more.
This time, his teammates had set up a play just for him, the court opening up to guide him to take the shot. He could almost hear the crowd urging him on, feeling the expectation in the air.
He took a steadying breath. He didn’t hesitate as he lobbed a pass to Jet, who looked more shocked than ever. But Jet shot without any hesitation.
53-50.
The Shizi Dogs were actually chasing the score of the Juren Champions!
Jian, catching on, was closing in on him with a new level of focus, his steps predatory.
"Kai!" Jinping’s voice cut through his thoughts as they set up another play.
A three-pointer.
This was their opportunity to close the gap.
And Kai knew damn well that it would mean the most for the team to close the gap right now.
So, he had to choose.
The mission?
Or their team’s morale?
Well, of course, Kai had picked the better option.