"Never forget nor despise thy humble beginnings"
That was the quote that had stayed with me my entire life, whether I was playing sports or studying for an exam.
My parents had drilled this into me because even though we were exponentially wealthy, we too had once lived on the streets. And when I was born, they didn't want me to become arrogant or think I was too big for the world.
Honestly, I have to thank them for it because I learned that there are certain things where wealth doesn't come into play. I can hire the best instructors in the country and still not be the number one student in the world.
That didn't stop me, of course, I had always wanted to be the best at everything. Whether it was sports or education. It didn't take long for my dreams to come into effect.
In elementary school, I had been at the top of my class. Soon enough, the school, and later on, the entire country of Japan. I was crowned as the smartest or most intellectually gifted Japanese elementary student.
My hunger didn't just stop at education or being the smartest; I also wanted to be the richest. I had stayed up all night learning about investing and different ways to make money from my parents and the expensive courses I bought online.
Obviously, due to being a minor, I was unable to create a sufficient bank account that would hold all my riches. So I was forced to use a few of my father's bank accounts to be able to gain the wealth I desired.
Soon enough, my dream became reality, and I was once again recognised as the wealthiest child in Japan. I wanted more, though, so I decided to delve into the district of sports.
I started martial arts (karate) and soon enough became a black belt in my first two years of middle school. It wasn't easy, but the greed to be the best at everything fueled me to continue going. I did all this while maintaining my wealth and keeping up with my studies.
Soon enough, I managed to find another sport which interested me, basketball.
It was the biggest sport in my school, and apparently, our school had gone years without being beaten.
So if I could become the best player here, then I would be recognised as the best in the nation yet again. But the path would not be easy.
When I first started playing basketball, I realised that my schedule was too packed for me, so I had to give up my martial arts training.
But as soon as I started and picked up some good instructors, I realized how difficult the game was. It wasn't much different to martial arts except for the fact that contact was almost nonexistent in this game, which made it a lot harder to clear space to lay-up, dunk or shoot.
a/n: What he means by "not different to martial arts" is that you exploit spaces that your opponent leaves to attack/shoot
I had spent days reading the NBA rules, to exploit fouls and to find loopholes that I could use to my advantage. I had also spent a good portion of my time practising my defence so I wouldn't give away fouls that easily.
I knew that basketball game with experience and time, so halfway through my second year in middle school, I decided to join up for the trial, hoping to get into the first string.
But I was disappointed and sent to the third one. It was the first time I felt so angry, but I remembered the quote that my parents always used to say.
"Never forget nor despise thy humble beginnings"
It just showed that I had a lot to improve. But seriously, I had trained my ass off these past six months only to get sent to this string.
As I arrived back home, I landed in my bed. I needed to get better, but how?!? I must become the strongest in this, but the progress I am seeing is too slow.
"What did I expect?… to become the best in just 6 months while people have been playing their entire life," I grumbled while planting my face under the pillow.
[Acknowledged. Suitable host detected.]
I could only stare in amusement as a blue screen appeared in front of me. I hadn't picked up many fictional books; however, I knew that when a message like this appeared, a system would also appear.
[Initializing… "Blue Lock System."]
"I knew it."
"So what is a blue lock system? How do you work? Why am I a suitable host?" I bombarded it with questions; however, it did not reply.
"It seems sorta useless right now, so I'm going to wait for it to give me a mission or a reward of some sort," I said to myself.
As great as the system was, I had already managed to be the #1 in everything except basketball for now, so I think I would be fine without it.
I got changed into appropriate attire and headed to the basketball court in my garden.
[Blue Lock System Activated]
[Mission: Make 200 consecutive practice shots]
[Reward: Curved Shot – Rin Itoshi's Technique]
"...What?"
200 shots? And consecutive as well?? I wonder if layup counts because I was bound to miss at least one.
Let's say I do make 200 consecutive shots and gain Rin Itoshi's technique. What would be so great about it? Is it that good?
"Only one way to find out if this system is scamming me." The words burned above the hoop, unchanging, unfeeling:
[Progress: 0/200]
I picked up the ball.
Swish.
[Progress: 1/200]
I shot again. And again. Some went in. Some went out. Every miss resets the counter.
[Progress: 0/200]
[Progress: 12/200]
[Progress: 43/200]
[Progress: 0/200]
My breathing turned ragged. Sweat blurred my vision. My hands ached with every release, skin raw from the ball. Hours slipped away unnoticed, only the counter keeping time.
By the 70th attempt, my body screamed at me to stop. My form broke down. The rim mocked me with every clang.
The last ball left my hands. My arms were heavy, my shirt stuck to me with sweat, but my release was steady.
Swish.
The ball dropped through the net.
[200/200 – Mission Complete]
[Curved Shot Unlocked]
The text flickered once before fading away. I let out a slow breath, wiping my forehead with the back of my wrist.
When I picked up the next ball, it felt different. Almost like my body knew something my mind hadn't caught up to yet.
I lined up, focused, and let it fly. The ball curved through the air, arcing around the rim before falling in clean.
Swish.
"What an interesting way to shoot a basketball."
Honestly, I had thought of giving up; my skin was turning raw, and my face was turning red, but I guess it kind of paid off.
This could be used when I'm being double-teamed, and the way to the basket is blocked by their hands, I could shoot it towards a side where it would never reach the rim unless it curved.
Maybe it was useful.