Warm.
The atmosphere was both warm and chilling, an unsettling mixture.. I opened my eyes but could barely see—everything was blurry.
Gradually, sound seeped in, the roaring chants of the crowd crashing into my ears, jolting me into alertness. My vision remained hazy as I raised my head, trying to grasp where I was and what was happening. A loud buzzer blared, the intense sound waves pounding my eardrums and sparking a sharp headache.
I took a breath—a deliberate one—to steady my breathing and my racing heart.
"What's going on…?" I murmured, squinting, hoping my vision would repair itself.
Then, a piercing whistle sound blasted through the air, followed by another surge of crowd noise. The overwhelming sound hit my brain like a freight train.
"What the hell…?" I muttered.
"The home team, Neon Dragons, calls for a substitution!" A male voice echoed over the speakers, vibrating the entire arena.
"Lin, you're up!" a husky voice shouted from a few meters away.
No response.
Who's Lin? I wondered, the question barely forming before—
"Lin! You're up!" the voice repeated. A heavy hand clapped urgently on my back, the person beside me gripping my shoulder.
"Jaxon, snap out of it! I know it's a high-stakes game, but Coach says you're up for substitution," he said, firm yet urgent.
"What…?" I managed, my vision finally making way enough to make out the silhouette of the man speaking.
"Where the hell is that guy!" the husky voice yelled again, now directed at me. "Jaxon! Jaxon Lin, if you're not on that court in the next two seconds, I'm terminating your contract first thing tomorrow morning!"
At last, my vision cleared. I took in my surroundings, stunned. How did I end up here?
I recognized this place— but I've never physically been here before. I know it from reputation alone. It was the home arena of the Neon Dragons, one of the teams in the Supreme Basketball League. And here I was, sitting on their bench. I glanced around in awe at the sea of roaring fans painted in the team's colors, the lights illuminating every corner of the arena. Players stood on the court, waiting to resume the match—some slouched, others resting on their knees.
Suddenly, the man with the husky voice stormed toward me, fury blazing in his eyes, sweat trickling down his forehead.
"Oh no, you messed up, Jaxon… Coach is mad now," said the guy next to me.
The Coach grabbed my collar and dragged me to the baseline. I could feel the crowd's gasps all around. Confusion was very eminent inside me.
"Listen closely, Lin. You're our only shooting guard on the bench," The Coach whispered into my ear, his hand gripping my shoulder tightly. Once he finished, he shoved me onto the court. That was when It hit me—I was about to play for the Neon Dragons as a substitute shooting guard.
I glanced down at my uniform, focusing on the team's logo.
"Get into position, Jax. Game time is less than five minutes," a tall, dark-skinned teammate said, jogging past me towards the home basket.
The whistle shrieked again. The referee held the ball, then tossed it to a teammate standing on the sidelines.
"TIME IN!" the referee called.
The game resumed. My teammate on the sidelines passed the ball to another player inside the court, and the crowd's chants surged louder. Whistles, cheers, boos—all blending together in a chaotic symphony.
The player with the ball dribbled forward, lifting his left hand to signal the offense to charge the opponent's defense. He shot a quick look at me, an obvious unspoken message in his eyes. I had no idea what it meant.
As he drove the ball into the opponent's half of the court, I moved to an open spot beyond the three-point line.
A defender closed in on him, but he slipped past him skillfully, leaping into the air and hurling the ball toward me. It arched over everyone's heads, spinning right in my direction. Heart pounding, I closed my eyes, stretching out my hands hoping to catch it.
The crowd's roar intensified…
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]
[SYSTEM MERGING COMPLETE…]
"What…?" I gasped.