Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog-Chapter 634: Obsessed

Kai felt like his mind had gone haywire.

"Ah, this is too funny," Julian whispered to himself. Kai was still too absent-minded to respond.

Julian clapped Kai on the back, snapping him out of his thoughts. The smirk on his face had gone wider as he gazed at Kai's expression.

"So, don't go acting cocky now," he said out loud before turning around and walking away.

Kai remained rooted in place, his body rigid. His mind raced with questions, wondering how on earth Julian had known.

Could it be seen? He hasn't told anyone about it! Was it a more common concept than he had originally thought? Or did he make it obvious in any way?

Julian glanced over his shoulder, a satisfied grin on his face as he observed Kai for the last time.

"Asshole," Lina muttered under her breath, glaring at his retreating figure. "I swear. He must like you or something. You've never even met before, and yet he's acting like an obsessed freak."

She tugged gently on Kai's hand. "Come on. Let's go."

But Kai didn't move.

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He stared ahead; his thoughts were still in chaos. How? What? How did Julian know? Was he guessing? Was he just trying to mess with him? Or…was he something more? A deity, perhaps?

No, that was ridiculous! How could a deity be playing basketball in the Global Games in the form of a 21-year-old pro player?

But then again, a lot of weird shit has happened for the past year. If transmigration was a thing, then wouldn't deities exist, too?

Lina's hand tightened around his. "Kai," she called softly, bringing him back to reality.

He blinked, snapping out of his daze.

"Right. Let's go."

Kai led Lina toward their room. Her presence calmed him down a bit; however, his mind showed no signs of stopping.

When they reached his door, she turned to him, her eyes filled with concern.

"You need to rest," she said firmly. "A lot has happened today."

Kai nodded, though his body felt anything but ready for rest. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

Lina smiled softly. "Yeah. My dad and I are staying at a hotel nearby."

He leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. She blushed slightly, her lips curving into a small smile. He was about to enter his room when her voice stopped him.

"Kai," she called, her tone serious.

He turned back, his hand still on the door handle.

"Whatever he said, don't let it get to you," she said firmly. "We both know it isn't true."

Kai nodded, forcing a small smile to reassure her. "I know."

But as the door closed behind him, the smile quickly vanished. The rumors that were brought about from Julian's interview were definitely false.

However, this one was true.

He had a system.

The room was silent, and he was grateful that his roommates weren't there yet. He sat on his bed, his mind racing. Julian's words replayed over and over, taunting him until he couldn't escape.

His hands itched to do something to distract himself. Grabbing his phone, he began searching for information about Julian, diving into highlights, interviews, and stats.

His gameplay for the past year had been off the charts. In a span of a year, he had become the flashiest player on the court. There was no doubt he was a talented player. That was why he became a starter in the Global Games this year in the first place.

Kai's fingers scrolled through endless footage, studying Julian's patterns and strategies. The minutes turned into hours, and despite the light on his phone causing a strain on his eyes, he continued to watch and scroll.

He had gone past his games for this year and was quickly looking back on the past years he had been playing.

The sound of the door opening snapped him out of his trance. Jimmy and Max entered, appearing to have just eaten dinner. Max burped as he plopped himself on the bed. Meanwhile, Jimmy looked at him with a grimace.

Kai quickly locked his phone and shoved it into his pocket, pretending to stretch.

"Yo, you okay?" Max asked, pausing mid-burp.

Kai nodded. "Yeah, just tired."

Max raised a brow. "You sure? You look like you've been overthinking."

"I'm fine," Kai said, brushing them off.

Max didn't push further, rolling on his bed and bringing out his phone. Jimmy followed suit, pulling out his earbuds.

Kai excused himself and headed for the shower. The hot water cascaded over him, but it did little to calm the storm raging in his mind. Even there, he couldn't stop thinking about Julian.

When Kai returned, his roommates were still chatting, but their voices were distant as his thoughts consumed him.

"You should sleep," Jimmy said as he glanced at Kai, noticing the tension in Kai's posture.

"Yeah," Max agreed, his tone surprisingly serious. "The game's tomorrow morning. You don't want to be sluggish. We need you for the finals. We might have the silver medal secured, but hey, aiming for gold isn't bad, right?"

Kai nodded absentmindedly, climbing into bed. The lights went off, and silence enveloped the room.

Yet Kai's mind refused to quiet down.

The darkness only made his thoughts louder, Julian's words echoing in the back of his head.

His teammates' steady breathing filled the room, a reminder of the trust they'd placed in him.

Yet the burden of what Julian had implied sat heavily on his chest.

He brought out his phone once more.

Just then, he saw a video of Julian a few years back—before he became a pro player. Kai watched intently, his frown deepening as the video progressed.

"This is…," he muttered, finding everything all too familiar.

Maybe he wasn't a deity in the first place.

However, he needed someone to confirm his thoughts. Kai needed to make sure.

The silence was broken by his voice.

"I have a question," he said loudly, startling his teammates awake.

"Julian Barker wasn't a good player, was he?"