Kazuto opened the lottery ticket in his mind, and a vibrant prize wheel materialized on the holographic screen before him.
The wheel was divided into various slivers containing enticing prizes: Attribute Point Cards, Ultimate Basketball Skill Cards, Buff Cards, and more.
'Give me a Buff Card!'
After quickly scanning the options, Kazuto mentally pressed the lottery button.
'Spin!'
The wheel's pointer spun rapidly, blurring as it swept past the prizes.
A moment later, under Kazuto's expectant gaze, the pointer slowly ticked to a halt, landing squarely on a silver section.
[Ding! Congratulations, Master! You've won the Buff Card: 'Perfect Posture'.]
[Ding! Would you like to activate the Buff Card 'Perfect Posture' now?]
"Activate!" Kazuto decided without hesitation.
Immediately, a new line appeared in his character attribute panel:
[Perfect Posture (Passive Buff)] Every action you take on the court exudes flawless form, creating a visually stunning spectacle. Under Perfect Posture, you will always be the most dazzling player on the court, and your stamina consumption during matches will be halved.]
'Incredible!' Kazuto exclaimed inwardly after reading the description.
His stamina had always been his greatest weakness, but with 'Perfect Posture', that fatal flaw was essentially eliminated.
Halving stamina consumption during a match was a terrifyingly powerful bug.
If a player's stamina normally lasted only ten minutes, it would now last twenty—the tactical advantage was self-evident.
Consider Rukawa Kaede's brutal match against Kainan.
If he had possessed halved stamina consumption, the outcome of that game would have been entirely different.
As Kazuto marveled at his luck, the 'Perfect Posture' attribute fully integrated into his body.
In that instant, he felt a profound, structural shift within his muscles and muscle memory.
He immediately opened his status panel to check his updated stats:
[Character Information: Kiriyama Kazuto]
Height: 177 cm
Weight: 63 kg
Strength: 61
Speed: 69
Stamina: 59
Vertical Leap: 68
Active Buffs: Newbie's First Steps, Perfect Posture
'I'll aim to complete 1,000 dribbles before training ends today.'
Satisfied with his attributes, Kazuto picked up the basketball and resumed his practice.
With the combined buffs active, Kazuto's entire demeanor on the court transformed.
His dribbling speed was noticeably faster—about ten percent quicker than before—and each bounce flowed seamlessly into the next.
More importantly, every movement was now textbook-flawless, creating a mesmerizing rhythm that was an absolute pleasure to watch.
"Huh! Kazuto seems different from before... almost like a completely different person."
Ayako was the first to notice the transformation, her beautiful eyes widening in astonishment.
"Such perfect posture!" she murmured. "The basketball is landing in the exact same spot on his palm every single time."
'I can't believe he's made such progress in such a short time,' she thought.
'His physical comprehension and natural talent are truly remarkable.'
Gradually, Ayako's gaze shifted from Kazuto's focused form to the side of the court.
Without comparison, there is no resentment.
Witnessing Kazuto's dramatic improvement while observing Sakuragi's totally distracted slouching demeanor, Ayako's temper flared.
Whack!
Ayako grabbed her paper fan and smacked Sakuragi on the back of the head.
"Focus! Look at Kazuto—he started with zero basketball experience today, just like you! Yet in just a short time, his dribbling posture is already perfect!"
She put her hands on her hips. "At this rate, he'll become a regular player in no time! Meanwhile, you'll still be stuck on the sidelines, watching him shine in actual matches."
Sakuragi grimaced, rubbing his head. "Ayako, a genius like me doesn't need this kind of boring training..."
"Shut up!"
Before Sakuragi could finish, Ayako interrupted him with another sharp whack of her fan.
Kazuto's heatstroke-induced collapse had already drawn the attention of Akagi and the upperclassmen earlier, so Ayako's loud scolding quickly caught their notice once again.
"His dribbling technique is incredibly polished. Kazuto is improving at a terrifying rate," Kogure remarked, pushing up his glasses, a hint of genuine surprise in his eyes.
"I initially thought he would progress gradually, like I did, honing his skills bit by bit. I figured he wouldn't have a chance to become a regular until his second year."
He paused, watching Kazuto's fluid movements. "But now... it seems that timeline might be significantly shortened. He could potentially become a regular before the end of his first year."
"No," Akagi said, shaking his head solemnly.
A faint smile played on the captain's lips. "His promotion to regular could come much sooner than that. Perhaps even before the end of this semester."
Akagi crossed his massive arms. "He's a promising talent. I misjudged him earlier. It's just a shame he's at such a disadvantage in terms of height."
Hearing Akagi's assessment, Kogure was visibly shocked.
He hadn't expected the strict captain to hold Kazuto in such high regard.
After observing Kazuto for a while longer, Kogure smiled faintly.
"While his height is a disadvantage, with his talent and potential, he might be able to temporarily replace that guy."
Akagi's expression froze for a moment before he gave a slow nod. "If that guy isn't discharged from the hospital before the Prefectural Tournament begins, we should strongly consider having Kazuto take his place on the roster. In the meantime, put extra effort into guiding his basic training."
"Understood," Kogure said, pushing up his glasses with a determined glint in his eyes.
'Rukawa Kaede, Sakuragi Hanamichi, and now Kiriyama Kazuto—these first-years were Shohoku's future hopes!'
...
About half an hour passed in a blur of bouncing rubber and squeaking shoes.
[Ding! Main Quest 'Dribbling' Stage 2 completed. Accumulated 1,000 dribbles.]
[Achievement 'Practice Makes Perfect' unlocked. Reward: 1 Lottery Ticket.]
[Ding! Main Quest 'Dribbling' Stage 3 activated. Accumulate 10,000 dribbles to complete the task and unlock the achievement 'Fluid Motion'. Reward: 1 Lottery Ticket, 1 Attribute Point Card.]
[Ding! New Achievement 'Practice Makes Perfect' unlocked. Would you like to replace the active achievement 'Newbie's First Steps'?]
Kazuto didn't rush to replace his current buff.
Instead, he first checked the effects of the new achievement.
[Practice Makes Perfect (Passive Buff)] Grants +20% Dribbling Speed, +20% Running Speed, and +20% Consistency.
'This is definitely worth replacing,' Kazuto thought.
Without hesitating, he swapped the achievements, feeling a sudden surge of lightness in his limbs as the 20% boost took effect.
He stopped his dribbling drills, wiping sweat from his brow.
The third stage requires 10,000 dribbles
'I can't complete that today. I might as well try my luck and see what I can draw with this new ticket.'
Filled with anticipation, Kazuto mentally activated his second lottery ticket.
Immediately, the pointer on the prize wheel began to spin rapidly.
[Ding! Congratulations, Master! You've drawn the Buff Card: 'Eye of Deception'.]
[Ding! Would you like to activate it now?]
"Activate!" Kazuto replied eagerly.
[Eye of Deception (Active Buff)]
Duration: 5 Minutes per use.
Cooldown: 24 Hours.
Description: While active, opponents who meet your gaze have a 100% chance of being momentarily mesmerized, rendering them completely unable to predict your next movement. This is a divine skill for blowing past defenders and executing flawless shot fakes.
'The effects of this 'Eye of Deception' are somewhat similar to Akashi's 'Emperor Eye',' Kazuto thought instinctively, recalling Akashi Seijuro from Kuroko's Basketball.
However, his 'Eye of Deception' was currently far weaker and had a strict time limit.
Still, Kazuto wasn't bothered.
This was just the initial manifestation of the ability, future system upgrades would likely make it far more potent.
Besides, this was the grounded world of Slam Dunk, not the superpower-filled courts of Kuroko's Basketball.
If his abilities became too absurd right out of the gate, he'd have no way to explain them.
Being captured and dissected by scientists was not on his to-do list.
Just as Kazuto closed his system menu, a short white-haired old man strolled leisurely into the basketball gym.
"Anzai-sensei!"
Seeing the elder enter, Akagi immediately rushed over, bowing respectfully.
Coach Anzai smiled warmly, a soft ho ho ho escaping his lips. "Akagi, this year's new recruits are quite promising. They're all full of energy."
He adjusted his glasses. "I came to inform you that our upcoming practice match opponent will be Ryonan High School."
Hearing the name, Kogure and the other upperclassmen were stunned.
"Ryonan High School?! They were in the top four at last year's Prefectural Tournament!"
"Wow... Ryonan? That's an incredibly tough opponent to start the year with!"
"Are you serious?!"
As the upperclassmen whispered nervously among themselves, Akagi exchanged a few quiet words with Coach Anzai before turning back to the gym.
"Gather around!" Akagi roared.
Hearing the command, Kazuto, Sakuragi, Rukawa, and the rest of the first-years quickly jogged over to join the upperclassmen.
Coach Anzai nodded approvingly as he watched the group assemble.
"We have many new faces this year," the coach said gently. "Let's hold a practice match right now between the first-years and the upperclassmen to see what the newcomers are capable of."
Akagi and Kogure immediately began organizing the teams for the scrimmage.
Seeing the teams forming, Kazuto instinctively took a step back toward the sidelines.
Given his current physical stats, he wouldn't be able to play at full intensity for more than a few minutes anyway, even with his stamina halved.
He figured he was better off focusing on his basic training.
Sakuragi, however, had a completely different idea.
The prospect of a match thrilled the red-haired delinquent!
He eagerly ran up to Akagi while pointing at Kazuto. "Hey, Gori! The transfer student needs to do his basic training, and there are only four first-years without him! But with me, you'll have exactly five for a team!"
Akagi frowned deeply, ignoring the request.
Sakuragi's arrogance and impatience needed to be tempered, letting him play immediately would only inflate his ego.
After a moment's hesitation, Akagi turned his attention past Sakuragi.
"Kazuto, how is your recovery going? Are you up for playing in the practice match?"
Akagi's question sent Sakuragi into an absolute frenzy.
He nearly exploded with frustration!
He whipped around, glaring at Kazuto with wide eyes. "Exchange student! If you're not feeling well, just sit quietly on the bench and rest! Leave the main performance to a genius like me!"
Kazuto completely ignored Sakuragi's frantic warnings, focusing instead on how to respond to the captain.
[Ding! Random Mission Triggered: Participate in a five-minute team practice match to acquire the technique: 'Standard Jump Shot'.]
Hearing the system prompt, Kazuto's eyes lit up.
He nodded decisively at Akagi. "I can play."
Seeing Kazuto step forward, Sakuragi panicked and rushed over, grabbing him by the shoulders.
"Exchange student! Are you absolutely sure you're okay? I really, really think you should rest!"
Kazuto understood Sakuragi's motives perfectly and couldn't help but smile faintly.
"I'll just play for a little bit. You warm up on the sidelines first. When I get tired, you can take over for me."
Kazuto knew he couldn't risk letting Sakuragi play first.
He distinctly remembered from the anime that Sakuragi's very first dunk attempt in this practice match ended with him viciously slamming the ball into Akagi's head, knocking the captain flat.
If Sakuragi played first and ruined the scrimmage, Kazuto might lose his chance to complete his mission!
"Alright! It's a deal!" Sakuragi's eyes lit up at the compromise, agreeing without a second thought.
Taking a deep breath, Kazuto stepped onto the hardwood, ready to begin the clash between the first-years and the upperclassmen.