Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

[+5 XP]

[+10 XP]

[+5 XP]

[Current Level: Noob (65/100)]

Kai stood proudly as he wiped the sweat from his temples. Since the tryouts were later this afternoon, he decided to pour out all his effort to increase his level. It only involved a lot of failed dribbling, shooting, and some games with the kids in the rich neighborhood, but it was worth it. Xiaobo, one of the little kids, even gifted him his old basketball because he felt bad for him!

65 points. Once his weekly quest finishes on Friday, he may be able to advance to the next level!

His thoughts were quickly cut off when he heard his phone ring. He took it out of his pocket and saw Bao calling him.

"What's up?" Kai answered.

"Where are you?" Bao asked. "Sir Muchen's already here!"

Kai's eyes widened as he looked at the time on his display screen. It was already ten minutes past the first bell!

"Shoot," he muttered, throwing the ball in his personal hiding area before breaking into a sprint.

"I'll be there soon!" he exclaimed, turning off the phone.

Fortunately, Kai was a speedy runner in this body, so it didn't take long for him to arrive at the school gates. He sighed in relief when he saw they were still open. He sneaked through the green gates and discretely walked to his classroom.

Kai silently celebrated as he was able to make it without the security guard noticing.

However, not even a few steps later, he was already being grabbed by the collar by a familiar teacher.

"Late on your third day?" he asked.

Kai pursed his lips and turned around, seeing Sir Dao with a menacing expression.

Kai pursed his lips together. Why was it him out of all people?

"I had an emergency," Kai lied through his teeth, hoping he'd let him pass.

"I don't care, young man," Sir Dao said. "You're late. There are no excuses."

Kai sighed and shook his head. Well, he guessed he could run some laps before going to his classroom. He already saw some of the latecomers running around the garden with their hands up in the air as punishment for being late.

"Shall I start running now?" Kai asked, wanting to get it over with.

"Running?" Sir Dao chuckled. "No. Come and see me later after your class. I have something for you to do."

Kai's eyebrows furrowed. "After dismissal? I can't," he said. "I have tryouts."

Sir Dao laughed loudly, patting Kai's back and not taking him seriously. "Well, you should have thought about that before coming late to school. You better come this afternoon, or I'll be calling your guardian."

…and that was how Kai ended up washing Sir Dao's beat-up car.

The old man sat at his foldable chair while leisurely sipping on some tea. He had a newspaper in his hands as he hummed a happy tune. Meanwhile, Kai was miserably wiping the gunk from his car that had probably existed since the first world war.

Kai frowned as he saw some white residue on the car floor's carpet. He just hoped it was frosting or some kind of food and not what he initially had in mind.

"Don't forget to vacuum the seats," Sir Dao exclaimed, causing Kai to sigh deeply.

He glanced at his watch and saw that he still had some time until 4:00 PM. With that in mind, he hastened his movements in hopes of finishing earlier.

After a few minutes, Kai finally placed down the cleaning materials and presented the shiny car to Sir Dao. His white uniform was drenched and covered with grime, but he didn't care.

He couldn't wait to leave and go to the gymnasium.

"It's done, sir," Kai grumbled.

Sir Dao craned his neck to look at his car and smiled in satisfaction. "Hmm, you're actually good at something."

"Can I go now?" Kai asked, dismissing Sir Dao's insult.

Sir Dao pursed his lips, appearing to be thinking. Kai sighed impatiently and glanced at his watch once more. It was exactly 4:00 PM now.

"I guess you could go," Sir Dao said.

Kai breathed out in relief, taking the jersey uniform he borrowed from Bao and slinging it over his shoulder.

"Wait!' Sir Dao exclaimed, torturing Kai even more.

Kai closed his eyes in frustration for a moment before turning around.

"Try not to get into trouble. This school only accepted you with the condition you won't create any trouble," he warned. "So make sure you stay in your own lane."

Kai pursed his lips and merely nodded before sprinting to the gymnasium. He placed his jersey on top of his inner tank top and stopped by the bathroom to change into his shorts. He cursed under his breath when he saw that Bao's white jersey had also been dirtied from the carwash a while ago.

"I'm late," he muttered.

He finally arrived and saw someone closing the doors already. His eyes widened, and he ran even faster, hoping to make it in before it closed.

However, as he ran through the doors, he underestimated its height, and the door frame hit his head in the process. It made a loud sound, causing the people inside the gymnasium to turn toward his way.

"Wait!" Kai exclaimed, crouching down as he clutched onto his head.

"The sixteenth applicant is here!" a girl's voice exclaimed, making Kai stand up straight.

The person who was supposed to close the door looked up at Kai with wide eyes. Kai glanced down at him and smiled; however, it came out as a threatening sneer.

Jet, the second-year point guard, took a step back as he felt the newcomer's intimidating aura. He was taller than him by a good six inches, so he had to tilt his neck to take a better look at the applicant.

Yuze frowned as he looked at the tall, dirty student with unruly hair.

"Your name?" he asked, a frown still on his eyebrows.

"Kai. Kai Guo."