Luke, having made a decision about his future, lay on the bed, unable to sleep for a long time. Every moment of his time in the United States flashed through his mind on this silent night.
I don't know when my eyes got wet, tears silently running down my cheeks. Eventually, Luke closed his eyes and fell asleep. In his dream, he saw himself failing to compete for the starting spot, leaving the United States disheartened. His parents worked hard for money and passed away at 60 due to illness.
His younger sister, burdened by family issues, married early and faced emotional discord, leading an ordinary life caring for her children. Luke saw himself, having spent most of his family's savings in the United States, living a colorless life, like a walking dead.
Just as he was about to wake up from the nightmare, the images disappeared, and a voice echoed in his mind.
"Ding! After the basketball system is loaded, the host can silently enter and access the system space." Confused, Luke entered the system space.
The first thing he saw was a panel with his photos and data. On the left, a carousel with basketball, entertainment, and groceries written on it. Most were still blank. On the right side, a player mall with ratings from 90-99, 80-89, and 50-59, indicating higher ratings were better.
Luke: Where am I?
System: This is the host's spiritual space.
Luke: What about the dream just now?
System: All true.
Luke: Then who are you?
System: I am a basketball system, assisting the host to surpass NBA All-Time Greats and become the G.O.A.T of basketball.
Luke felt there was more to the system, and ask, "What does the turntable mean, what is the mall, and why is there more than basketball related in this system?"
"The turntable is a lottery; the host can draw once every month. The mall lets you draw victory points based on your performance in official games. The carousel includes non-basketball items, ensuring the host's comprehensive development. The grocery section has various items, their usefulness depending on luck."
The system addressed Luke's questions one by one. On the large front screen, his portrait appeared on the left, accompanied by various data on the right:
- Ability value: 37
- Height: 2.01cm
- Weight: 83kg
- Shooting: 5
- Layups: 10
- Bounce: 5
- Dunk: 10
- Defense: 5
- Blocks: 5
Steals and rebounds were also included, with all ability values set at 5. Just as Luke was about to inquire, the system, anticipating his curiosity, and explained:
"These ability values are derived from your data ratio in the NBA. Different platforms use distinct ratios, and the provided data is a comprehensive view. For instance, layups are categorized into in-place layups, breakthrough layups, forced layups, pull-up layups, and reverse layups."