Chapter 45: How to Break Through the Stat Cap

While Bottles and his stream chat were busy guessing the next plot developments... On the other end, Tendou Kageyoshi received another chance to draw rewards thanks to that quadruple-double. Still no special abilities this time—just more stat boosts like Mid-range +1, Three-point +1, Post-up +1, Strength +1... "If I keep this up, I'll probably have every stat at 99 by the time I'm in my second year." Tendou had already asked the system before— The maximum stat cap was 99. If he wanted to go beyond that, it would have to be through special conditions. For instance, he already knew two: Wild Instinct and Zone— Those special modes could break a player's limit. There was another way, too—Innate Talents. Take Shintarō Midorima, for example. His natural ability let him exceed 99 in shooting stats. Absolute Focus. A gift Midorima was born with— This ability let him maintain perfect calm on every shot, drastically boosting his consistency. That was what made Midorima truly terrifying— Even more than his absurd range. He had the kind of shooting talent every shooter dreamed of. And it wasn't just Midorima. Aomine, Akashi, Murasakibara, and even Kise each had their own unique talent that let them break through 99. Tendou learned something else worth noting: The system rated stats based on age group tiers— Junior High, High School, College, and Pro. So just because someone hit 99 in junior high didn't mean their stats would stay maxed forever. The human body has limits, and its potential grows with age. If your stats didn't improve as you got older— That just meant your physical potential was trash, and you peaked early. "So basically, I should be able to max all my stats at each stage. But breaking through the cap? That's gonna need a little luck." Tendou rubbed his chin and exited Bottles' livestream. The broadcast had just cut to Kuroko watching a magic show, using it for inspiration to further develop his misdirection. "Nekoko, are there a lot of these cap-breaking talents?" "Most superstars you can think of? Pretty much all of them have talents that break the limit." Short-Tail Cat gave that answer like it was obvious. Even if Tendou hadn't asked now— Once he hit the 99 cap and still couldn't keep up with the Generation of Miracles in some areas. He'd figure it out eventually. "Like who?" "Take Curry, for example. In this world, he's got an even stronger shooting talent than Midorima— Probably the strongest in history." The Three-Point King. Sure, if you just compared raw percentages, His buff might not be as insane as Midorima's Absolute Focus. But here's the thing: Curry's talent let him dominate even on the NBA Finals stage. His release was so fast it ignored defense. Midorima's shots could still be disrupted. Curry's couldn't. The only thing defenders could do was pray he missed. Or throw themselves at him to try and mess up his rhythm. "In that case, if I had to choose, I'd definitely take Curry's talent." Tendou said it with zero hesitation—sounding just a bit too naïve. Short-Tail Cat immediately rolled her eyes in contempt: "Wake up, dumbass. You don't get to choose." Tendou: "..." You know what? You're absolutely right. And I still wanna slap you for saying it out loud. ... Meanwhile. Haizaki Shōgo. No need to introduce him—he's one of the few actual villains in Kuroko no Basket. A student at Teikō just like Tendou. Today, as usual, Haizaki was bored out of his mind. He'd slept through first period. Then just strolled out of the classroom, looking to find some girl to mess with and kill time. After walking for a while. He spotted a pretty damn fine girl in the hallway. "Damn, that body's at least an 85." He instinctively raised his thumb to his lips for a slow lick, then made his move. She was a fellow first-year— This was, after all, the first-year wing of the building. She might've only been 12 or 13. But the girl was well-developed. Her face wasn't the pointy-chinned type—she still had a bit of baby fat, which made her cuter somehow. Below the neck? Bust that filled out the blouse, a flat stomach, and a skirt that curved into a perfect S-shape thanks to that high, round— Haizaki had been out here hunting for over a year. And girls like this were rare finds. Just as he was about to go in for the kill, he overheard her talking to a friend... About another guy. "Tendou-kun is so handsome!" "Yeah, and he's crazy good at basketball! Didn't he just drop a 40-point quadruple-double? People say he's even better than Nijimura-senpai!" "I heard he's a model, too!" "He is! I even bought the magazine he's in—here, look!" The girl excitedly pulled out Tendou's debut magazine. On the cover was Tendou Kageyoshi in a white suit, looking like a prince on a white horse. His sunglasses sat low on his nose, just enough to reveal those icy blue eyes. He had a smirk on his face— A playful, cocky young noble. That kind of visual contrast? Deadly. "Waaah, he's gorgeous! Where'd you buy this?" "Same shop we always go to. But it's hidden way in the back—he just debuted, so it's not displayed prominently." "That won't do! Let's go after school—I'm buying five copies!" "One to read, four to—wait, what?" "You're so mean~!" The two girls giggled and wandered off— Completely ignoring Haizaki, who'd been standing there like an idiot. Not that he minded. His mind was now fully occupied by one thing: Tendou. Kageyoshi. Haizaki's expression turned dark and dangerous. He didn't have many hobbies. But his greatest joy in life was taking away what belonged to others. Let's be honest—this guy was born to be a villain. If he dyed his hair blond, he could easily be the main character of some li-anime. Now? He'd set his sights on Tendou. He'd noticed that more and more people at school were talking about this guy. A fellow first-year, no less. "Basketball, huh... Come to think of it, it's been a while since I played." His thirst for flirting vanished instantly, replaced by something much more entertaining. He turned on his heel and headed straight toward— The Teikō Basketball Club. --- Vote with some power stones in this story. By using them on this book, you guarantee bonus chapters weekly.