Badge Unlocked!

Chapter 7: Badge Unlocked!

His parents saw him off at the airport.

Before boarding the plane, Sun Hao noticed his father's gaze had been strange the whole time.

He felt like he'd seen that look somewhere before, but he couldn't place it for the moment.

When his mother went to the restroom, his father suddenly sidled up to him.

"It's different abroad than it is at home, kid. When you get over there, take it easy."

As he spoke, his father moved quickly, stuffing a box into his bag.

It happened so fast that Sun Hao didn't even see what it was.

And when he tried to look, his father stopped him.

That curiosity stayed with him all the way onto the plane.

Once he was seated, Sun Hao, full of curiosity, opened his backpack.

He pulled it out, and when he saw what it was, his face flushed bright red in an instant.

It was actually a box of...

What kind of father was this!

No, what did he take him for!

Was this how you raised a son!

And he was only fifteen years old!

Absolutely de(pra)li(ght)ght(fu)ful(l)!

He turned his head to check that Raul wasn't paying attention to him, then let out a long breath.

If that had been seen, his impression score would take a serious hit.

He opened the bag again and pulled out a note inside.

It was right next to the box, probably stuffed in along with it.

He took the note out and read it. After finishing, his expression became very complicated.

He wanted to laugh, but somehow his eyes stung a little.

"You little brat, you probably don't know that the thing you stuffed in your pocket two years ago made your old man kneel on a washboard for a whole week. If you'd bought Durex, Jissbon, or Okamoto, it would've been fine, but why did you have to pick an Indian brand? I couldn't explain it even with a hundred mouths. You're growing up now, so when you're out there, remember to protect yourself."

A small incident had brought such bad consequences back then, but he'd held it in for two whole years, only bringing it up in a moment like this.

And even then, it was just a reminder to protect himself.

A father's love is silent.

That note was probably the best illustration of it.

The flight attendant began making announcements. Sun Hao pulled his thoughts together and stowed his bag in the overhead compartment.

Not long after, the plane entered the runway and began to ascend.

Watching the city shrink below the window, Sun Hao's heart stirred a little.

It wasn't just because of the note his father had left.

It was also because he was heading to Spain, a place he'd never set foot in before—its culture and environment were all new challenges for him.

"Take a look at this."

Just then, Raul, who hadn't spoken to him since boarding, handed him something.

Sun Hao took it, glanced at it, and saw it was the team's tactics manual.

After giving it to him, Raul went back to his own business.

Sun Hao didn't ask questions. He opened his thermos, took a sip of goji berry tea, and started flipping through it.

This was probably the youth team's tactics manual—very comprehensive.

Although Sun Hao had been an assistant coach in his past life, he'd only been responsible for team training back then and hadn't been deeply involved in tactics.

But after two years of playing, his understanding had improved significantly compared to the beginning.

The most direct evidence was that in his system's attribute panel, his basketball IQ had risen from the initial 51 to 59.

On a hundred-point scale, that was close to passing.

He could generally understand and grasp most tactics.

But this manual was more complex than he'd imagined.

If even the lowest-level youth league was like this, the reputation of European basketball as tactics-first was well-deserved.

Raul hadn't given this to him out of respect—he probably just didn't have anything else on him.

Still, Sun Hao found it fascinating to read.

Two years of persistent training hadn't just strengthened his body; it had also built up his patience.

If he couldn't understand it, he'd just take it slow and gradually figure it out.

With every bit he understood, he felt like he'd made progress.

The flight from Guangzhou to Madrid was over ten hours long.

Aside from resting occasionally, he spent most of his time studying tactics.

Time slipped away unnoticed, from day to night and back to day again.

By the time even goji berry tea couldn't keep his back and joints from aching, the plane finally entered the borders of Madrid, the capital of Spain.

"Congratulations, host. You have obtained the 'Basketball IQ (Bronze)' badge."

Just then, Sun Hao's mind was suddenly struck by the system's notification sound.

This voice came abruptly, even more sudden than the last time the system had appeared.

But it filled Sun Hao with immense joy.

The Demon King System had not only basic attributes but also badges.

Over the past two years, his basic attributes had steadily improved, but the badges had remained inactive, as if they didn't exist.

He never expected one to unlock now!

Surprises are always something that brings happiness!

He entered the system space and pulled up the attribute panel.

In the Basketball IQ section, a badge icon had appeared in the upper right corner.

Basketball IQ (Bronze): Slightly improves understanding and application of basketball techniques and tactics.

Next to the badge, there was also a progress bar.

Just as he looked at it, the system automatically provided an explanation.

Badges were divided into two types. One type was non-upgradable badges—once unlocked, they were permanently owned and could not be upgraded.

Examples included "Emperor's Wrath" for negotiating with management, "Pat Your Head" for increasing teammate favorability, and "God of Basketball" for boosting influence.

These badges were relatively few in number and had strict unlocking conditions.

In contrast, the second type—badges that could be upgraded after unlocking—was the more common category.

The "Basketball IQ" he had just unlocked was one of these.

This type of badge was divided into four levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Hall of Fame.

The corresponding effects increased progressively: Bronze was a slight improvement, Silver was an effective improvement, Gold was a significant improvement, and Hall of Fame was a remarkable improvement.

For example, the "Basketball IQ" badge he had just unlocked provided a slight improvement in understanding and applying techniques and tactics.

Each level upgrade required certain conditions. For "Basketball IQ," the upgrade required mastery of techniques and tactics.

In other words, only by continuously improving his technical and tactical abilities would the badge's experience grow, allowing it to level up.

That seemed to explain things.

After all, in his previous life, he had been an assistant coach. Although he wasn't a tactical specialist, his understanding of tactics was definitely above average.

Coupled with the two years of league experience, it was like reaching a bottleneck in cultivation, as described in fantasy novels.

This tactics manual from the Real Madrid Youth Team was the final technique that helped him break through!

Coming out of the system, Sun Hao looked at the tactics manual again.

It was hard to describe in words, but intuitively, the parts he hadn't understood or had been unclear about before were now comprehensible!

Previously, he had been studying it; now, he was reading it quite smoothly.

That feeling was truly like taking the first step into a new realm in a fantasy novel.

Although this change wasn't huge, it would benefit him immensely!

At this moment, Sun Hao suddenly felt that coming to Europe was absolutely worth it!

He couldn't help but laugh out loud.

This wasn't just a surprise—it was a huge surprise!

Raul finally put down his work. Seeing Sun Hao's delighted expression, he couldn't help but shake his head.

"We're almost there."

But he didn't say anything else, just packed up his things and reminded him.

Sun Hao nodded, put away his thermos, and prepared to make his mark in Spain.

Thanks to Lonely Little Fireball, john, Light Smile Oppa, Guarding for You, Rooney's Nest, Bao Qing Fisherman, Misty Dragon Seeker, Embracing Simplicity, Your Melancholy Happiness, Ink Lord, Like a Salted Fish, Ling Tian Fei Chen for the tips. Thanks, big shots, mwah~ Love you~

Also, it looks like we're second on the new book chart? Holy crap, peak of life, all thanks to the big shots' support~

Keep begging the big shots for recommendation votes~ and chapter comments~ Triple heart~