And then became curious about Ice Dew mineral water.
He wanted to buy a bottle to see what it tasted like.
After buying the water.
The two headed toward the half court furthest inside.
That was the school's court for top players.
Sports students flocked there.
So did the basketball aces from the school team.
A 3-on-3 game was underway, with all sorts of forceful physical collisions on display. The intensity was extremely high.
Gu Qing glanced over the people playing.
As expected, every last one had a [Basketball player] tag above his head.
I wonder what attributes I'll gain after playing basketball with these aces for an hour?
While Gu Qing was thinking about this.
Gao Fei, a regular on the court for top players, had already found a basketball buddy he knew to round out their team and told the players on the court to add them to the rotation.
After waiting about ten minutes.
It was finally Gu Qing's team's turn to play.
Before they went on.
Gao Fei said to Gu Qing:
"All three of them are on the school team. They're really good and play very physical. You're skinny, so defend if you can, but let them through if you can't. Don't force it and get yourself hurt. On offense, just hang around outside and wait for a pass to shoot threes."
"Sure."
Gu Qing answered, checked the ball to Gao Fei, and let him handle their first possession.
Gao Fei drove hard into the paint and pulled off a classic Kobe fadeaway over his defender. The ball clanged off the rim, and the opposition grabbed the rebound.
"Curry, you guard Irving. Just contest his shots. If he drives into the paint, I'll hold him off."
Gao Fei pointed at an opposing player wearing overalls and sporting a center-parted hairstyle as he spoke to Gu Qing outside the three-point line.
This guy was the school team's starting point guard.
His ball handling was exceptional.
People called him Haida's Irving.
The guy in overalls paid Gu Qing no mind, dribbling casually as he considered whether to pass or attack.
Suddenly!
He felt his hand come up empty.
He looked down.
The ball was gone.
With the boost from reaction speed +3.
Gu Qing's sharp eyes and quick hands let him suddenly strip the guy in overalls and pass the ball to Gao Fei.
It happened so suddenly that Gao Fei failed to catch it, and the ball flew straight out of bounds.
"Not bad, Gu Qing! You actually stripped the school team's starting point guard. I was so surprised I didn't even react in time to catch the pass. Awesome!"
Gao Fei gave Gu Qing a thumbs-up.
The guy in overalls felt embarrassed about being stripped, but he put on an unconcerned smile:
"Bro, you've got quick hands. But I wasn't trying just now. I'm getting serious now."
Soon.
The guy in overalls' teammate retrieved the ball.
And inbounded it to him again.
The moment he got the ball.
The guy in overalls lowered his center of gravity and showed off his flashy dribbling in front of Gu Qing.
After dribbling for a few seconds.
He suddenly moved to gather the ball, preparing to pull up right in Gu Qing's face.
Seeing this, Gu Qing immediately spread his hands and jumped to block him.
"Too naive, bro!"
The guy in overalls smiled disdainfully, immediately abandoning his shot fake and stepping forward to drive with the ball instead.
Although his opponent's fake had fooled him, Gu Qing's reaction speed was so fast that the instant he landed, he reached back for a steal.
The guy in overalls was sweeping past Gu Qing, a smug smile still on his face.
But a second later, the smile vanished, and he was utterly dumbfounded.
Where's the ball???
The guy in overalls stopped and looked back, only to see Gu Qing holding the basketball and smiling smugly at him.
The ball had changed hands.
So had the smile.
Gu Qing had ruthlessly stripped him again.
Whoosh-
A sound cut through the air.
Gu Qing passed the ball to Gao Fei in the paint. This time, Gao Fei made no mistake and scored an easy layup.
The same scene played out over and over.
The guy in overalls stubbornly insisted on dribbling in front of Gu Qing to regain his dignity.
Instead, he was stripped every time, dragging his entire team into conceding five straight baskets and getting swept off the court without scoring.
The guy in overalls was numb, his face full of doubt about his life.
Gao Fei was stunned too. Since when had his fragile college-student roommate become so good at steals?
For the rest of the time.
Thanks to Gu Qing's masterful steals, his team defeated one tough opponent after another.
They took down team after team on the court, holding it for a full hour.
Then.
Familiar text appeared before Gu Qing's eyes.
[You have played basketball with your roommate Gao Fei for over an hour] [Basketball skills +1] [Physical Constitution +1] [Accumulate 100 points of Physical Constitution to obtain the attribute—knotted muscles] [Points currently obtained: 1]
P.S. Holding out my bowl, begging for monthly tickets and recommendation votes!
Chapter 4: Anomalous incidents
Basketball skills +1?
Physical Constitution +1?
I can obtain the attribute-knotted muscles?
The instant the notification appeared.
Gu Qing distinctly felt his body grow stronger, every cell inside him brimming with power.
Feeling the basketball in his hands again, he found it fit perfectly, as though he had entered a state of oneness with the ball.
He looked at the hoop and casually took a shot.
Swish!
The basketball traced a perfect parabola of y = -0.2x² + 1.2x + 2, sailing precisely through the net without touching the rim.
I've really turned into Curry now...
Gu Qing was a little startled by his own shooting accuracy.
After sinking a few more nothing-but-net threes.
He received another pass from a teammate.
This time, he didn't hang around outside shooting threes as he had before.
Instead, he lowered his center of gravity, lunged forward, and accelerated into the paint.
After gaining Physical Constitution +1.
He kept feeling power surge and churn within him, yearning to release all of it.
In the blink of an eye.
He drove beneath the basket with the ball and leaped toward his defender, swinging his right arm high like a burly man wielding a giant axe as he slammed the ball toward the hoop.
It was a tomahawk dunk, the very image of brutal beauty!
Bang!
A tremendous crash rang out.
The basketball smashed through the hoop with terrifying, overwhelming force.
The defender in front of him was knocked straight to the ground by an immense force, landing flat on his back with his limbs in the air and his head ringing.
Everyone else on the court saw this and widened their eyes, their mouths opening wide enough to fit several cucumbers, their eyes filled with disbelief.
"Holy shit!! What the hell?! How did Curry turn into James?!"
Gao Fei clutched his head with both hands, his expression exaggerated, unable to believe what he had just seen.
He had played basketball with Gu Qing plenty of times before and knew his ability all too well.
Never mind dunking-he often missed even uncontested layups.
Yet now Gu Qing had easily dunked over a defender, making him seem like a complete stranger.
Under everyone's gazes.
Gu Qing released the rim and landed steadily, looking thoroughly refreshed, as though he had just released something.
He glanced at the defender on the ground.
Inwardly, he was astonished.
Just Physical Constitution +1 improved my athletic ability this much?
If I accumulate the full 100 points and obtain the [Knotted muscles] attribute, I can't imagine how ridiculous my body will become.
I could probably burst a basketball with one punch.
The more Gu Qing thought about it, the more excited he became.
In the blink of an eye.
Before you continue