Chapter 98: Basketball (3) (Filler)

Chapter 98: Basketball (3) (Filler) The crowd roared as the magical scoreboard shimmered to life once more, projecting names midair with flashy glyphs. Team A: Arthur Val Arcain, Naza El Salvador, Kim Ha-joon, Eric Daemon, Cale Von Agres Team B: Amelia Roderick Valtor, Cassie Springsteen, Ravian Roderick Valtor, Noah, Ren Over The spectators inside the arena were far more than before. From their uniforms, Arthur could immediately tell they were students from the higher institution of Central. "It seems the match is almost starting. Two teams we’ve all been itching to watch," the commentator’s voice broke through the cheers. ’It seems the other matches have hyped them up.’ Arthur tilted his head to glance at the top of the stadium. ’What are the higher years even doing here? Scouting?’ Arthur exhaled through his nose. ’Whatever. I was planning on entering there anyway.’ He shifted his gaze to the opposing team, who wore black and gold jerseys that contrasted well with their own white and blue uniforms. Amelia, standing confidently in front of her group with one hand on her waist, winked at Arthur with a sly smile. ’Is she trying to seduce me before the match?’ Arthur’s gaze turned cold, which, oddly enough, made him appear even more attractive in the eyes of the spectators. Everyone shouted his name as members of his fan cult raised a flag bearing his face, image, and the cult’s motto: Life is beautiful. Arthur is beautiful. Which means... Arthur is life. Arthur looked away from the group of girls whose voices drowned out all others. Cale chuckled awkwardly. "Hahaha... Ha... Ha... At least our team has a lot of fans." Ha-joon glanced at the girls and turned away. "Disgusting creatures." Arthur couldn’t help but feel the stark difference between the Ha-joon he knew and the one in front of him. ’Feeling disgust instead of jealousy? That’s new,’ Arthur thought as he lowered his stance. Before they entered the court, some extra points were awarded to them, though Arthur doubted the other team received any, since Eliya had personally come to deliver them while breathing on his arm. The information was straightforward: The ball wasn’t ordinary ’That’s probably why they didn’t allow teams who hadn’t played to watch the games.’ The game balls were crafted by master artisans, not for dangerous duels, but specifically for what were considered ’normal’ games. They were designed in such a way that no amount of non-destructive energy could damage them. But that wasn’t their only feature. The ball was essentially a large metal sphere, so for it to soften and bounce properly, one needed to imbue mana and force at the same frequency the ball emitted. And yes, the frequency changed at unpredictable intervals. That meant if a player’s control over energy wasn’t precise, even if they adapted to the frequency over time, it would still shift. Another point was that the court was built in such a way that it could only withstand certain levels of affinity output, and those limits changed every few minutes. This was mainly to prevent students from using overly powerful spells, but that wasn’t the only reason. If someone was using a specific affinity at a constant rate and the threshold suddenly changed, and the person failed to sense it, then the court would reject their energy and send it back, resulting in energy recoil. On the other hand, if the threshold spiked and only certain players could sense it and control their affinity and output correctly, they could exploit it. That meant, while it might seem like a normal game to ordinary humans, it was actually a game only the elite could play. Once every member of the two teams had taken their positions, a senior from the higher institution leapt down onto the stage. "Hey everyone..." the green-eyed boy said as he took the mic from a second-year student. He grinned wildly. "As you may know, I’m from the higher institution of Central." Gasps and murmurs rippled through the hall. He moved until he stood at the center of the court. "Our lovely Dean, Miss Sandra, asked us to come and pick promising individuals. Those chosen will follow the third years to join the higher institution." Arthur narrowed his eyes. ’So they were the ones who initiated the game?’ The young man, Diego, clapped once. "With that out of the way." He turned to Arthur and the others. "I heard you guys are the cream of the crop among the first and second years." No one replied. Diego tilted his head. "Now show me your best." He flipped a coin, and as soon as it hit the ground, he threw the ball into the air. Arthur was momentarily caught off guard, allowing Cassie to leap and steal possession mid-air. Diego raised both hands slightly, smiled, and vanished to the edge of the court. In front of Cassie, Cale stood unflinching. Then Diego let out a final statement. "Let the game begin." Cassie let her force flow into the ball, bouncing it twice, then without visibly moving her hand, the ball vanished. 『 Bruce Sword Art: Invisible Arm 』 Cale’s gaze flowed like a stream until he locked eyes with Ren, who now possessed the ball. However, the moment the ball touched Ren’s hands, the frequency shifted. The ball stopped bouncing and dropped flat onto the court. Ha-joon didn’t hesitate. He dashed forward, snatched the ball, and started dribbling. The frequency shifted again, but he didn’t even flinch. Ha-joon bounced the ball three times, feinted left, put it through his legs, jumped, and launched it toward the hoop. Amelia, who hadn’t moved from the defensive line, summoned a fire spirit and let it enter her. Two wings of flame formed behind her, and she twisted in the air to grab the ball just as it neared the hoop. ’A truly impossible feat,’ Arthur thought as he watched without leaving the net area. He wasn’t planning to play just yet. No, he was watching them like a hawk eyeing its prey. The original copycat. In his eyes, techniques and strategies were mere imitation. Amelia landed smoothly, channeling mana into her legs and giving herself a burst of speed through her flame spirit. She zipped past Cale, Eric, and Ha-joon. But by the time she reached center court, she had lost possession. "What the hell?" she muttered, turning to see a tall young man, over 200 cm, with flawless chocolate skin and braids tied in a loose ponytail. Naza didn’t reply. Before anyone could react, he was already at the hoop. And the only sound that followed was: Thum! All eyes turned to the handsome, dark-skinned man who landed effortlessly on his feet as the arena exploded in shouts. "What the hell was that?" "Is that dude strong?" "He’s always quiet, so I never knew..." Arthur raised a fist, and Naza stared for a second before smiling and bumping it. Cale leapt beside Naza. "Nice one, man." Ren narrowed his eyes, adjusted his glasses, and walked away. Cassie, now dribbling again, took a steadying breath and passed the ball to Ravian, who immediately took off. Ha-joon was ready and blocked his path easily. But Ravian wasn’t foolish enough to challenge him directly. Instead, he lowered his stance and slid toward the edge, coating his arm with iron affinity and using it to knock Ha-joon off balance. ’Nice,’ he thought as he slipped past, only to find Cale in front of him. Cale locked eyes with him. "Hand it over, Ravian." Ravian grinned. "Come on, aren’t we friends?" Cale lunged to steal the bouncing ball, but Ravian pulled it back just in time. His eyes flared with flames as he hurled the ball upward, coated in fire. Amelia leapt, snatched it, pushed past Eric, who didn’t seem particularly fazed, and scored cleanly. She turned and smirked at Arthur, who still hadn’t moved, arms relaxed at his sides. The game continued for another ten minutes of the remaining twelve, with both teams fighting to control possession and avoid triggering any failsafes. Eventually, it looked as though the restrictions didn’t exist at all, at least to the casual observers. But one fact hadn’t changed since the game began: Arthur hadn’t moved an inch. Many had even forgotten he was on the court. Some wondered why he wasn’t participating. Even his fan girls had fallen silent. Ren, the other team’s top scorer, jumped near their hoop and launched the ball, which sank through with a soft thud. It was only after a while that the players noticed the court was slowly draining stamina from their bodies. The final test: stamina preservation. It wasn’t an issue for them who had long surpassed human limits, but even they could feel slight changes in their breathing. Ha-joon turned to retrieve the ball, only to hear it bouncing softly. Everyone turned toward the sound to see Arthur, who hadn’t moved, finally dribbling the ball. "Is he finally going to make a move?" someone asked. The reason most people had lost interest in him was because they hadn’t seen him fight, at least not since he blocked Ha-joon’s strike. But people like Ha-joon, Ravian, and his wives, who had seen his power firsthand, knew. No one else could even imagine what he was capable of. Because while Arthur’s presence was unmistakable, it revealed nothing about his true rank. Ren immediately tensed and stepped back. ’Time’s almost up,’ he thought, stifling his breaths. ’Even though I overused Bullseye, it was worth it. This way I’ve secured our—’ In an instant, Ren’s thoughts shattered. The stance the young man, meters away, was taking... was his stance. Was it a coincidence? Was he trying to copy it? Did he have Bullseye too? But Arthur’s next move answered every question. The worst part? Ren didn’t even see him move. The only sound that echoed through the stunned arena was: Thum! ─── ✦ End of Chapter ✦ ───