"Ding! Random mission: Defeat the Inagari University basketball team — Completed!"
"Reward issued: Personal attributes enhanced! A new lottery wheel has been unlocked!"
"View the properties panel."
Without hesitation, Oliver eagerly opened the system panel. He wanted to check just how much his stats had improved — especially to see the benefits brought by the "Shining Star" skill.
---
Name: Oliver
Age: 15
Height: 167 cm
Weight: 62 kg
Strength: Normal – 35 + 5 = 40
Endurance: Excellent – 73 + 3 = 76
Speed: Good – 50 + 5 = 55
Skill: Excellent – 76 + 2 = 78
Hit: Good – 56 + 3 = 59
Bounce: Perfect – 86 + 0 = 86
Equipped Legendary Skill: Fadeaway Jump Shot
Equipped Skills: Sonic Dash, Accurate Shooter, Magic Pass, Shining Star
Unequipped Skills: Quick Recovery, Bull Charge
---
"Whoa... this actually worked?"
Oliver's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden jump in his stats. From past experience, he knew that casual streetball games didn't usually result in noticeable improvements. No matter how well he performed, the increase had never been more than +3 in a single stat. But this time? He saw jumps of +5 in strength and speed.
"That hedgehog-headed guy is insane, but that short kid is fire too."
The audience was still buzzing in excitement.
"I've been watching his passes. Every single one of them is on point. And that jump? Insane! Who is this guy? Never seen him around here before."
It seemed the Shining Star skill had finally revealed its true power.
The system's prompts reflected performance on the court — the better he played, the more impact he had on the audience, and the more his stats would grow. The system clearly rewarded visibility and recognition, not just raw results.
It was, to put it bluntly, a show-off system.
The passive ability of Shining Star made the player stand out. By constantly drawing others' attention, he gave the crowd more chances to witness his amazing plays. The greater the attention, the more generous the system's rewards would be.
A bit flashy? Sure.
But effective? Absolutely.
And to think he stumbled upon it by accident. Genius!
A proud smile tugged at the corners of Oliver's mouth. For a moment, his smirk looked just like Sakuragi's — bold, cocky, and totally confident.
"But wait... didn't the system say something about a new lucky draw wheel being unlocked?"
Oliver quickly shifted focus to the system interface. In the lower-right corner, a small spinning wheel icon appeared. In the top-right, a blinking red dot begged for attention.
"So that's it…"
Driven by curiosity, Oliver tapped on the wheel. The icon expanded and opened a brand-new interface.
---
Beep! It's been detected that the host is using the turntable function for the first time. Would you like a tutorial?
"Huh? It has a guide?"
Oliver raised his eyebrows in surprise at how user-friendly this otherwise arrogant system was.
"Sure, let's see what it's about."
He pressed Yes.
---
Beep-beep-beep-beep~
A series of bizarre electronic sounds followed. The music was so strange that Oliver had to question the system's taste in sound design.
The screen changed, and suddenly, a vintage stage reminiscent of early 20th-century Broadway lit up his mind's eye. Fireworks exploded on either side of the stage, glitter raining down in showers of gold and purple. Two wheels — one red and one blue — rose slowly from below the stage.
Bright spotlights focused on them, making the whole scene seem dreamlike.
Then—
A robot strutted forward from between the two wheels. It wore a tight red bunny-girl outfit, glittering heels, and carried itself like a Las Vegas showgirl. But her arms, face, and legs gleamed with a metallic sheen — unmistakably robotic.
She bowed deeply and greeted him.
"Welcome to our exclusive bonus wheel feature! Bet on your luck and take a spin on the wheel of destiny!"
"Uh…"
"I am your lottery dealer robot. Please call me Sayuri."
"…???"
Oliver blinked rapidly.
This development was completely unexpected. But hey — not the weirdest thing he'd seen since activating this basketball-themed system.
Sayuri walked gracefully over to the red wheel, made a slight bow, and extended her arm to present it.
"This is the Skill Lottery Wheel. The minimum spin cost is 500 achievement points. Each spin gives you a chance to randomly draw a legendary skill."
"Achievement points are earned by completing system missions. You may want to save them — once you collect enough, you can exchange them for incredibly powerful abilities."
Oliver nodded slowly.
He remembered this red wheel. It was from here that he once drew Kobe Bryant's legendary Turnaround Fadeaway Jump Shot after a match with Rukawa Kaede. Though he rarely used the move, he still slightly regretted the decision.
After Sayuri confirmed he understood, she walked to the next wheel — the blue one — and gestured dramatically.
"And this… is the highlight of our shop."
She smiled coyly.
"The Refill Wheel!"
---
"Refill wheel?"
Oliver raised an eyebrow as he examined the strange structure. It looked more like a display than an actual wheel — a round screen with a fixed pointer, but nothing visibly printed on it.
"Yes. Unlike the red wheel, this one has no minimum or maximum entry. Even if you only have a few achievement points, you can spin it!"
Sayuri continued her enthusiastic explanation.
"The Refill Wheel doesn't just offer skills. You can win physical attributes, money, new items, even increases in height! The more points you invest, the higher the quality of your rewards."
"But beware! Every spin carries the risk of failure."
"Failure?" Oliver frowned.
Sayuri nodded dramatically.
"Yes. The more points you add, the higher the chances of losing everything. It's like turning a bicycle into a motorcycle — sounds great, but not easy."
"If you fail, your achievement points vanish. Worse, you may even receive bizarre penalties. It's… inconvenient."
Sayuri pouted dramatically and held her forehead as if in pain.
"But! It's that very risk that makes the rewards worthwhile! The thrill! The excitement! This is what makes the roulette wheel so addictive!"
Sayuri then placed her hands on her hips, struck a bold pose, and raised a metallic finger toward the ceiling.
"You want rewards without taking risks? No way! That kind of deal doesn't exist in this world!"
"…That's just gambling," Oliver muttered under his breath.
"Shh! Don't say those two words!"
Sayuri instantly snapped back and placed a finger to her lips.
"If you say it aloud, this story might get age-restricted!"
"…You're kidding me."
Sayuri bowed again, flashing another bright smile.
"Anyway! Since this is your first time using the feature, you'll receive 100 achievement points for free! Consider it a complimentary spin!"
Ding-dong!
A notification appeared in the top-left corner. Oliver's achievement points increased by 100.
---
"Would you like to use them now? Or save up for a 500-point legendary draw later?"
"Hmm…"
Sayuri stood on stage with a hopeful look in her glowing eyes, silently urging him to take the spin. But Oliver hesitated.
Last time, he had wasted 500 achievement points on a skill he couldn't even fully utilize. Now that he had 100 free points, it seemed more practical to invest them in attribute boosts.
Still...
It was hard to ignore the lure of the unknown. Maybe he'd hit the jackpot. Maybe he'd unlock something incredible.
He was torn. His conscience told him to play it safe, but his curiosity said otherwise.
This felt exactly like that old scratch-off ticket scenario — you win five bucks, and then immediately use it to buy another one. Can you hold back the urge?
Oliver stood there, jaw tight, fingers twitching.
"…Let me think about it."
---
To be continued...
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