The Thomas & Mack Center felt colder than usual on the night of Summer League Game 3. The lights still blazed, the crowd still buzzed with the energy of young talent chasing dreams, but for Arjun Reddy, the court he had fought so hard to reach suddenly felt miles away. He sat on the far end of the Lakers' bench, purple-and-gold warm-up jacket zipped to the neck, towel draped over his shoulders, watching the game unfold like a spectator rather than a player.
Coach Phil had delivered the news in the pre-game meeting with clinical detachment. "Reddy, you're inactive tonight. We're giving some of the other young guys extended run. Stay ready." No explanation. No eye contact beyond a brief glance. Arjun had nodded, swallowing the sting. Misunderstanding, he told himself again. Maybe they want to evaluate the two-ways more. I'll be back tomorrow. But deep down, the doubt from the previous games—the ignored feedback, the skipped praise—began to gnaw a little harder.
The game tipped off against the Portland Trail Blazers Summer League squad. A gritty, physical team built around athletic wings and a lottery big man who dominated the paint. The Lakers started strong without him, Darius and Marcus getting heavy minutes. Arjun clapped along with the bench, cheering every bucket, but his hands felt heavy. The system panel remained quiet in his vision, the Allrounder guarantees dormant because he wasn't on the floor to activate them.
First quarter ended with the Lakers up by four. Second quarter brought the physicality. Portland's big crashed the glass relentlessly. Darius picked up two quick fouls trying to guard him. Marcus bricked three straight open looks. The lead evaporated. Arjun leaned forward on the bench, instincts screaming to be out there—switching, rebounding, facilitating. But Phil never looked his way. Not once.
Midway through the second quarter, with the score tied at 38, the blue panel suddenly materialized in Arjun's vision, glowing brighter than it ever had during a game. Text scrolled across the screen with crisp, unemotional precision:
NEW QUEST UNLOCKED: REVENGE
Objective: Exact retribution on those who doubted, discarded, and disrespected you.
Reward: Major attribute overhaul + Role Hybrid Unlock upon completion.
Progress: 0/1
Time Limit: None.
Warning: The path will test every part of your rebuilt soul.**
Arjun blinked hard, staring at the floating words. Revenge? What did that even mean? He wasn't angry at his teammates—they were fighting for their own dreams. The system had never given vague quests before. This one felt… personal. Loaded. He glanced around the bench, half expecting someone else to see it, but the panel remained invisible to everyone but him. The confusion twisted in his gut. Is this about the trash talk? The media ignoring me? Or something bigger? He closed the panel mentally, heart pounding, but the word lingered like a bad defensive assignment he couldn't shake.
The game ground on without him. Portland took a ten-point lead into halftime on relentless second-chance opportunities and transition dunks. In the locker room, Phil broke down adjustments, pointing at specific players, praising Marcus's hustle, correcting Darius's rotations. Arjun sat in silence, waiting for any scrap of acknowledgment. None came. The coach's eyes simply slid past him, as if he were already gone.
Third quarter became a slugfest. The Lakers clawed back to within three, but Portland's physicality wore them down. Arjun watched every possession, mentally running the plays he would have made—extra pass, weak-side help, boxing out the big. His legs twitched with unused energy. The system panel stayed dark, the "Revenge" quest hovering like an unanswered question in the back of his mind.
Final score: Lakers 91, Trail Blazers 94. A hard-fought loss. The bench players stood for the post-game handshake line, but Arjun lingered at the end, the weight of the inactive tag heavy on his shoulders. As the teams dispersed toward the tunnels, the laughter started.
Darius walked past first, towel around his neck, smirking openly. "Tough night on the pine, last pick. Maybe next game they'll let you hand out water bottles."
Marcus followed, chuckling with two other undrafted guys. "Yo, Reddy—heard the bench is comfy. You looked real comfortable over there. Real professional."
The overseas players joined in, low laughs rippling through the group. "Drafted at 60 just to sit? That's cold, man." One of them shook his head in mock sympathy, but the envy from earlier games had twisted into something sharper—relief that it wasn't them. The entire roster seemed to sense something Arjun didn't. Whispers and glances followed him down the tunnel, the laughter growing louder, more pointed. "Enjoy the ride while it lasts, bench warmer!"
Arjun kept his head high, jaw tight, brushing past them toward the exit. Misunderstanding, he repeated internally. They're just blowing off steam after a loss. But the "Revenge" quest burned in his vision again, the word pulsing as if demanding attention. He still didn't understand.
His phone buzzed in his pocket the moment he stepped into the quiet hallway leading to the parking lot. The screen lit up—his agent calling. Arjun answered quickly, expecting the usual post-game breakdown.
"Arjun… kid, you sitting down?" The agent's voice was tight, professional but strained. "I just got the call from Lakers brass. Effective immediately, you've been traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. Cash considerations only. No players, no picks—just straight cash to clear the cap slot. They're waiving the rest of your Summer League commitment. You report to Clippers camp tomorrow."
The world tilted. Arjun stopped dead in the hallway, the distant laughter from the Lakers locker room echoing behind him like a final buzzer he couldn't escape. Traded. For nothing but cash. The ultimate insult—the last-pick rookie so expendable they literally sold him for pennies to make room under the luxury tax. The same organization that had drafted him, the same purple-and-gold he had bled for in two lives, had shrugged him off like an unwanted contract.
His knees felt weak. The system panel flared to life once more, the "Revenge" quest text glowing blood-red for the first time:
REVENGE QUEST ACTIVE
New Team: Los Angeles Clippers
The doubters just handed you the perfect stage.
Arjun stared at the phone, then at the glowing words, the laughter still ringing in his ears. The rebirth, the system, the endless grind… and this was where it had led. Discarded again.
But this time, something inside him didn't break. It ignited.
The Clippers. Same city. New colors. Same league.
The quest name suddenly made perfect sense.