Looking at the attribute panel, Jay hesitantly asked, "System, don't tell me… I actually have to train for this?"
"Yes, Host. The system's template card draws raise your attribute caps, but they don't directly grant you the abilities. The system enhances and integrates based on your original skill level."
"Note: Player abilities are not fully replicated. The enhancements are subject to adjustments depending on your existing skills."
"Dog system!!! I waited an entire year for this? I want to go home! Screw the basketball dream!" Jay's wailing changed nothing.
After a while, he calmed himself and took another look at the system, muttering words of self-comfort.
"Alright, fine. This isn't so bad. At least I can still train. As long as I work hard enough, I can still make it to the NBA."
After calming his emotions, Jay left the basketball gym and headed back to his rental apartment.
Unlike most students who lived in campus dorms, Jay rented a place off-campus. Speaking of the body he now occupied, while it wasn't particularly handsome, it was clean and well-kept. Most importantly, it came with a good father.
In this world, Jay's father was a businessman. He wasn't insanely wealthy but comfortably middle class. The family owned a few hotpot restaurants, and in Sichuan, owning a hotpot restaurant was as close to a guaranteed profit as you could get.
It was thanks to this financial cushion that Jay's father could afford to send him to the University of Kentucky, hoping that an overseas education would give him an edge when returning home to find a good job.
Initially, Jay had planned to drift through his time at university. However, the arrival of the transmigrated Jay and his dog system completely altered his life's trajectory.
Upon discovering he had a system, Jay resolutely joined the university basketball team.
While he had decent height and impressive static physical attributes, his basketball skills were severely lacking. That's why he spent an entire year stuck on the second team.
It was only thanks to his excellent passing ability and court vision that he caught the head coach's eye.
This was the main reason the coach brought him up to the first team.
Last year, the University of Kentucky had a poor record, so this year the coach and the entire team were fired up to achieve better results.
That gave Jay his chance. Among the players on the team, the only one Jay was familiar with was Julius Randle, the team's star player.
Of course, the first team had plenty of other talented players, but Jay was just a casual fan. He only recognized players who made a name for themselves in the NBA.
For now, Jay wasn't thinking about building relationships with teammates or star players. His mind was fully focused on improving his abilities and realizing his potential to make it to the NBA.
Lying on his bed, Jay thought about the long and challenging road ahead, filled with sweat and hard work.
In his heart, he silently cursed the dog system again. Then, out of curiosity, he opened it once more and noticed something he hadn't seen before.
"Badges?!"
"This dog system actually has badges?!"
Within the system, there was a Badge Wall, displaying a Corner Specialist (Silver) badge and a Catch and Shoot (Bronze) badge.
"Wow, not bad. Let's see what these badges can do."
Corner Specialist (Silver): Moderately improves shooting stability and resistance to interference in corner three-point attempts.Catch and Shoot (Bronze): Slightly improves shooting stability and resistance to interference on catch-and-shoot attempts.
"Not bad, not bad. This system isn't completely heartless. Now, how did I get these badges? System, explain this to me!"
"Host badges come from the template card. The host inherits some of the template card's badges. The specific badges inherited depend on the host's corresponding skill level."
"Wow, this is a pleasant surprise. But why didn't you tell me this earlier?"
"You didn't ask."
"..."
"So, how do I unlock the next template card?"
"Once the host fully integrates the current template card, the next card draw will be unlocked."
"Alright, alright. There's hope after all. I need to train hard, fully integrate this card, and unlock the next one. When I make it to the NBA, I'll be like Kobe Bryant's "Mamba Mentality"—unstoppable from the start!"
With dreams of a bright future, Jay slowly drifted off to sleep.
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No the protagonist won't be a whiny one.