Definition of Twilight: Twilight refers to the later stages of a basketball player's career, often near retirement. It symbolizes a period when the player is no longer at their peak but still retains significant skills and experience.
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The intense exercise left a faint metallic taste of blood in the mouth. Among the figures sprinting across the basketball court, one stood out—a young man with yellow skin. Such a sight was rare in this land dominated by black and white players.
"Jay, the coach wants to see you," an assistant coach called out to the young man.
"Coming!" Jay replied.
Catching his breath, Jay walked into the coach's office. "Coach, you were looking for me?" he asked nervously, his gaze fixed on Coach Calipari sitting behind the desk.
Calipari smiled at the anxious young man in front of him. "Relax, Jay. I have some news for you," he said.
Jay's heart raced with excitement. It's happening!
"Jay, congratulations. You no longer need to train with the second team. From now on, you're officially part of the Kentucky Wildcats' first team. However," Calipari continued, "joining the first team doesn't guarantee consistent playing time. I hope you'll keep working hard. Otherwise, I won't hesitate to send you back to the second team."
Before Calipari even finished, Jay was practically shaking with excitement. "Really, Coach? Thank you! Don't worry, I'll work even harder. I won't let myself go back to the second team!"
Walking out of the coach's office, Jay couldn't help but reflect on the absurdity of the past year.
A year ago, Jay was just a recent college graduate struggling to find a job in a tough job market. He had spent the entire year unemployed, killing time at home watching NBA games and playing 2K, a dedicated basketball fan in every sense.
Who could've imagined that one day, through a twist of fate, he would find himself transported to a completely different world?
Here, he had taken over the body of a Kentucky freshman with the same name—Jay. And as was customary in these scenarios, he had his own "golden finger" cheat system.
The Twilight Star System.
However, over the past year, the system hadn't activated at all. It remained dormant… until just now.
When the coach announced his official entry into the Kentucky Wildcats' first team, the system finally fully activated.
Congratulations to the host for successfully joining an NCAA team. The system has fully activated. The first template card draw is now available.
"Finally! This cursed system finally activated!" Jay muttered through gritted teeth.
"Begin the draw!" Jay shouted, releasing a year's worth of pent-up frustration and anticipation.
Drawing in progress. Please wait.
Congratulations, host. You've drawn a template card: Twilight Star Ray Allen.
Would you like to use it?
"Yes!"
Ding! Template successfully activated. Keep working hard, host.
"Ray Allen?!" Jay exclaimed.
As a die-hard basketball fan, Jay knew better than anyone that even Twilight Ray Allen, with his legendary clutch three-pointer, was a dominant force in NBA history.
Wait, isn't this 2013? Ray Allen hasn't even retired yet. What's going on with this system?
"The host need not worry. The system operates based on the timeline the host has traveled to. Any player who retired before 2022 is eligible for template draws. The template card reflects the player's abilities during their final full season. Note: The system adjusts abilities based on the host's original skill level."
Ah, that makes sense, Jay thought. In that case, doesn't this mean I'm now overpowered? Even if it's Twilight Ray Allen, his skills are still NBA-level. Competing in the NCAA will be like cutting through butter!
As he thought about this, Jay opened his attribute panel, which was the only useful function the system had provided him over the past year. Watching his stats slowly improve had been one of his few sources of joy.
Attribute Panel
Host: Jay Sun
Layup: 40 (60)
Dunk: 25 (50)
Three-Point: 50 (80)
Mid-Range: 50 (70)
Dribbling: 40 (60)
Passing: 70
Perimeter Defense: 43 (60)
Stealing: 20 (40)
Blocking: 20 (35)
Rebounding: 30 (45)
Interior Defense: 20 (37)
Height: 195 cm
Wingspan: 203 cm
Dynamic Athletic Ability: C- (C+)
This attribute panel was the only cheat he had been given over the past year, and seeing his stats gradually increase gave him a sense of achievement.