The gym lights were already off.

Not dim.

Not low.

Off.

The only illumination came from the faint glow leaking in from the hallway, a pale rectangle stretched across the hardwood like a doorway into a world he wasn't ready to step into yet.

Practice had ended an hour ago maybe more. Time was slippery tonight, dripping between Yuuto's fingers like the sweat he kept wiping from his forehead. Outside, the team had already dispersed into the night: limping toward the showers, rubbing sore wrists, muttering about Takeda's "Hell Week" and wondering how they'd survive six more days.

Some left complaining, some left silent, some left laughing.

But all of them left.

Except Yuuto.

He stood alone in the center of the court, staring at the hoop as though it was something waiting to judge him. His heart still thudded with echoes of the final projector clip Takeda had shown them—the clip burned into every player's mind, but especially his.

Ryu Kazen.

The prodigy with grid-pattern eyes that looked like they could read the entire court at once. A calm monster. A living algorithm. Someone whose existence reduced other point guards into NPCs.

Yuuto could still feel it the cold sweat at the back of his neck when Ryu's eyes locked onto the camera. The clip wasn't just footage. It was a warning. A message.

A declaration.

You are not enough.

Yuuto squeezed the ball in his hands.

His voice trembled with the truth he hadn't admitted out loud, not to his teammates, not to his coaches, not even to himself.

I'm not ready…

Not yet.

So Yuuto didn't go home.

He stayed.

He picked up the ball, the rubber cool against his palms despite all the heat in his chest. He stepped behind the three-point line, feet heavy but deliberate. The silence around him felt thick, like the empty gym itself was watching him waiting to see if he'd fold or fight.

Yuuto inhaled.

Held it.

Raised the ball.

Shot.

Clank.

The rim spat the ball out like it was insulting him.

The ball bounced away, rolling into the dark corner of the court where the shadows swallowed it whole.

Yuuto jogged after it, breath shaky. He wasn't tired he hadn't even warmed up properly but his legs already felt heavier than they should. His fingers trembled a little as he bent down to pick the ball up.

He swallowed hard.

"This is nothing…" he whispered to himself. His voice sounded too small for the empty gym, swallowed instantly by the darkness. "This is just… pressure."

But the words didn't give him comfort.

The truth pressed harder against his chest.

It wasn't just pressure.

Yuuto was the PG now.

The starting point guard.

The engine.

The director.

The brain of the team.

The one responsible for everyone else's rhythm.

For their tempo.

For their stability.

Point guards didn't get the luxury of being "average."

Point guards didn't get to make excuses.

If they failed, the team failed with them.

And everyone would look at him.

Everyone would blame him.

Yuuto raised the ball again, hands tighter this time.

Shot.

Clank.

Another.

Clank.

Another.

Clank.

The sound grew heavier each time.

Louder.

Sharper.

Each miss didn't just echo in the gym—it echoed in his skull, like the rim itself was laughing at him, reminding him he wasn't Ryu Kazen, wasn't someone gifted, wasn't someone "born for the position."

The ball rolled away again, mocking him as it spun slowly toward the baseline.

Yuuto followed it, slower this time. His throat felt tight, like he had swallowed the pressure instead of confronting it. His chest felt heavier not physically, but emotionally, spiritually. Like something inside him was cracking under weight he wasn't sure he could carry.

Each miss felt louder than the last.

More humiliating.

More painful.

He remembered the clip.

He remembered Ryu stealing the ball from a senior point guard like it was child's play—just a flick of his wrist, a shift of his foot, a calculation faster than anyone on the court could process.

He remembered Ryu dunking with his eyes closed, as if gravity itself had agreed to move out of his way.

He remembered the silence in the room when the clip ended.

He remembered being terrified.

Yuuto wiped his forehead with the back of his arm, smearing sweat across his skin.

"I can't be scared," he whispered. "I can't be average. Not now. Not when the team needs me."

But saying it didn't erase the truth.

He exhaled shakily.

"This responsibility… it's too big."

His voice cracked just barely but enough that the sound felt like a confession.

The truth slipped out, too raw to stop.

"I'm scared."

He hated it.

He hated saying it.

He hated admitting it.

He hated the feeling clawing inside his chest.

Yuuto squeezed the ball against his heartbeat, gripping it so tightly his fingers hurt.

"What if I'm not good enough…?"

The gym remained silent.

But something else answered.

Not a voice.

Not an echo.

A whisper.

No.

Not a whisper—

A chime.

A vibration.

A pulse that wasn't his.

His breath froze.

Then

A faint glow rippled in front of him, small at first, like a flicker of blue lightning. It sharpened, swirled, and then expanded until a full holographic interface materialized in the darkness electric blue, shimmering, alive.

Yuuto staggered back, almost tripping over his own feet as the glowing text hovered before him.

"H-Huh? W-What? Now!?"

His voice cracked with shock.

The system had been quiet for days.

Silent.

Distant.

Dormant.

Even during Takeda's Hell Week, it didn't speak.

Even during the intense scrimmage footage, it didn't activate.

Even when Yuuto felt the smallest spike of doubt before practice it stayed asleep.

But now

it woke up.

Lines of luminous text scrolled in front of him, each one accompanied by a soft chime that vibrated against Yuuto's bones.

He felt the gym somehow darken and brighten at once—the strange, surreal sensation of being watched by something beyond human understanding.

[SYSTEM UPDATE: NEW PATH UNLOCKED]

The letters burned bold across the air.

"THE PATH OF DOMINANCE"

A path only for those who choose pressure over comfort, evolution over fear, responsibility over excuses.

Yuuto's eyes widened.

"The… Path of Dominance…?"

Behind the text, a faint silhouette appeared a figure standing tall, back straight, maybe resembling him, maybe not. It was blurry, distorted, but unmistakably powerful.

Condition Triggered:

The user seeks to surpass a superior force despite overwhelming inferiority.

The words struck him like a fist to the chest.

Yuuto inhaled sharply.

"That's… me."

The admission wasn't proud or confident.

It was trembling.

Vulnerable.

Painfully honest.

The screen glowed brighter, as if responding to his realization.

More text formed.

[NEW QUESTS UNLOCKED]

Yuuto tensed as three rectangular panels appeared, each humming with soft electric-blue light.

[Quest 1 — "Foundation of a Floor General"]

> Shoot 500 focused 3-point shots (no rushing, no breaks).

Reward: +3 3PT Rating, +1 Mental Fortitude, unlock deeper system paths.

The number slapped him in the face.

"Five hundred…?" he whispered. "Focused…?"

Not just shooting.

Not just throwing up attempts.

Five hundred perfect, disciplined, intentional shots.

His heart raced.

The next panel lit up.

[Quest 2 — "Pressure is the Sculptor"]

> Endure 30 minutes of self-evaluation without stopping.

Reward: Skill EXP, Emotional Stability Boost.

Yuuto swallowed.

Self-evaluation?

He already felt like he might break after three minutes of looking inside himself. Thirty minutes felt like torture. Like facing every fear, every flaw, every insecurity head-on with nowhere to run.

He wasn't sure if he could handle that.

But the system didn't care.

It offered no mercy.

No shortcuts.

No alternate routes.

Only growth through pain.

---

[Quest 3 — "Fearless Circuit"]

> Master a 5-minute sprint–stop drill while maintaining perfect dribble control.

Reward: +2 Ball Control, +1 Acceleration.

Yuuto let out a long breath.

"Three quests… all at once?"

The gym felt smaller suddenly as if the air tightened around him. The screen flashed again, brighter, sharper almost alive. It pulsed like a heartbeat matching the rhythm of his own.

The fourth panel opened.

[NEW SKILL ACQUIRED]

"Self-Actualization: Lv 1"

Yuuto blinked hard, his breath catching in his throat.

The description unfolded slowly, each word glowing with intention:

Type: Mental / Evolutionary / Adaptive Evolution Ability

Effect:

> When the user questions their limitations, resolve increases.

Minor boost to decision-making, focus, and emotional resistance.

Skill evolves based on inner growth, not stats.

And then a second line appeared one that made Yuuto's entire body tense with shock.

> When activated, Self-Actualization allows the player to instantly take any move, idea, or technique they observe and rebuild it into their own version.

They do not copy it.

They recreate it in a way that fits their body, their style, and their potential.

Yuuto's breath left his lungs.

He stumbled a step back, clutching the ball.

"S-Self… actualization…?"

He reached out with a trembling hand. His fingers brushed the glowing panel and it pulsed beneath his touch, like he had touched something living.

A heartbeat of raw potential.

His heartbeat matched it, syncing unconsciously with the system's pulse.

Yuuto's chest tightened for a different reason now.

Not fear.

Not dread.

Not the weight of expectations.

But something hotter.

Something sharper.

Something that felt like a fire starting to burn in his ribcage.

Purpose.

The pressure he felt the weight of being point guard, the fear of failing, the doubt. it didn't crush him now.

It sharpened him.

Like a blade finally remembering it was meant to cut.

Yuuto inhaled slowly, feeling the burn of cold air sear his lungs.

"…Okay."

His voice was quiet but steady.

He walked back to the three-point line.

Set his feet.

Lifted the ball.

The gym was black around him, the floating blue interface the only light. It felt like training in another world, another dimension one where the only thing that existed was him, the hoop, and the path in front of him.

His voice dropped into the empty gym, quiet but fierce.

"I'll finish the quests."

He narrowed his eyes at the hoop.

"I'll become the PG this team needs."

Another breath.

Deeper this time.

Clearer.

"And I'll surpass him."

Ryu Kazen.

The monster.

The prodigy.

The blueprint.

Yuuto fired the shot.

Swish.

He retrieved the ball.

Shot again.

Swish.

And again.

Swish.

He wasn't shooting to practice.

He wasn't shooting to pass time.

He wasn't shooting to "feel better."

He was shooting to change.

To evolve.

To ignite something inside himself that had been silent for far too long.

The gym was silent except for the rhythmic thump of the ball, the controlled exhale from Yuuto's lungs, and the sharp snap of the net.

The world outside faded.

The time faded.

The fatigue faded.

He wasn't just Yuuto right now.

He wasn't just a player on a high school team.

He wasn't just the kid who missed three in a row.

He was someone standing at the edge of something greater

someone who chose the grind when the world wasn't watching

someone who decided pressure would forge him rather than break him.

Lights dim.

Gym empty.

Night deepening.

But Yuuto Shinoda stayed.

Because this wasn't training.

This wasn't anxiety.

This wasn't fear.

This was the beginning

of the Path of Dominance.

Shot after shot.

Breath after breath.

Resolve after resolve.

And somewhere, far ahead of him, walking through a neon-lit hallway with mechanical precision

Ryu Kazen continued carving his path through the basketball world, unaware that behind him…

a challenger had just taken his first step.

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