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"This is beach basketball!"
Kise Ryota muttered, standing outside the fence of the beach basketball court.
He watched the game with great interest.
The raw, violent energy of the physical contact was overwhelming.
"This is ridiculous! It's completely different from the basketball I play!"
Kise Ryota rubbed his head in frustration.
He had only heard that there was a beach basketball court here.
He had assumed it would be like the basketball he knew, but it turned out the players were basically playing something like rugby.
He looked at his small frame, then at the ten muscular men on the court, and could only sigh helplessly.
Just then, he heard voices beside him.
"That boy was probably a middle school student, right?"
"Probably! He didn't look very old."
"He's amazing; he single-handedly dominated everyone on the other side."
"That last shot of his was so cool! I've never seen a shot like that before. I've discovered I'm starting to love basketball."
"Yeah, I was right! The basketball actually rolled into the hoop; it was like a miracle."
Kise Ryota, standing nearby, was completely bewildered.
How could he understand what was being said?
A middle school student?
Single-handedly dominating five people on the other side?
They were middle school students just like him.
Kise Ryota looked at the muscular men on the court again.
He shook his head.
How could that be?
The difference in physical abilities was so huge.
And the rules here weren't like normal basketball.
This was clearly a game of pure physical strength.
If he went in and played against those guys, he'd definitely get utterly crushed.
This made him somewhat doubtful of what he had just heard.
Thinking of the dark-skinned boy's basketball skills he had seen earlier, he couldn't help but feel excited.
Then he looked at the people on the court.
Kise Ryota revealed a disdainful smile.
Based on their current performance, if it were a normal basketball game, he definitely wouldn't lose to them.
He had only one goal in basketball.
That was to surpass that dark-skinned guy.
On the other side.
Ryu was walking slowly, carrying Karupin.
However, his brows were slightly furrowed at this moment.
He stopped and turned to look behind him.
About a hundred meters behind him, there was a disheveled, bearded man.
Ryu realized that he saw this man no matter where he went.
If it happened once or twice, it could be considered a coincidence, but seeing him every time was definitely not a coincidence.
'Could this guy be a human trafficker?'
Ryu felt a little uneasy.
He considered himself a handsome boy, one of the most striking in the world.
Looking at the man's muscles, it seemed they concealed some kind of explosive power.
Could he be a thug from some entertainment club?
Would he be planning to tie him up, lock him in a dark room, and "train" him?
Thinking of all the strange tools he'd seen...
Ryu felt a chill run down his spine, and a shiver involuntarily ran through him.
It would be terrifying if that really happened.
His pace quickened, then turned into a jog, and finally, he started running.
Seeing Ryu disappear into the crowd in an instant, the disheveled middle-aged man didn't follow.
He simply stared in the direction Ryu had vanished, took a swig of his drink, then pulled out a phone from his pocket and dialed a number.
After a long pause, he spoke into the phone.
"I've found a good target. I'll send you his photo later; check his information."
He hung up, glanced again in the direction Ryu had disappeared, took another swig of his drink, and turned to leave.
After the feeling of being watched disappeared, Ryu lost all interest in continuing to play around.
He had a feeling this place was fraught with danger.
For some reason, he thought of Kise Ryota.
'That guy's good-looking too. Could he be targeted by human traffickers as well?'
Shaking his head, Ryu stopped thinking about these pointless questions.
Kise Ryota said he was here for filming.
He should have many staff members with him; he's perfectly safe.
Instead of worrying about him, he should worry about himself!
He was being genuinely followed.
Unbeknownst to Ryu, someone had already begun investigating him in the shadows.
On a bench at the beach amusement park, a disheveled middle-aged man lay half-reclined.
Ring ring ring…
The phone rang.
He took his phone out of his clothes and answered.
"Have you found out yet? Shirogane Ryu? Okay, I understand."
He hung up.
He took a large gulp of his drink, then grinned, revealing a strange smile, and muttered to himself.
"Teiko Middle School, huh…"
Meanwhile.
Ryu changed his clothes and went to the subway station.
Karupin sneaked in first.
Ryu then walked into the subway station openly.
Same operation, same success.
As he boarded the train again, the tension in his heart eased considerably.
On the way, Ryu reflected on his gains for the day.
Besides 10,000 cat food, he also gained experience playing ball on sand.
This was incredibly helpful.
Don't forget, Ryu possessed the Dream Space.
Today's match gave him some ideas.
If he could get used to the unstable surface of sand, it would definitely improve his [Chaotic Dance] technique significantly.
Moreover, the soft, loose surface would help him practice his adaptability when his lower body was unstable.
He thought about when Akashi used the Emperor's Eye against him.
His opponent tried to use Ankle Breaker to fake him out.
But he could forcefully change his movement mid-fall, catching his opponent off guard.
Thinking of Akashi's expression at that moment, Ryu felt incredibly satisfied.
He told Karupin about this, and then Ryu checked his personal panel.
Personal information panel:
[Name]: Shirogane Ryu
[Age]: 12 years old
[Height]: 179cm
[Weight]: 65.5kg
[Strength]: A
[Speed]: A+
[Stamina]: A+
[Mental Strength]: A+
[Ball Skills]: Basketball Basics (Advanced), Basic Ball Skills (Advanced), Data Basketball 3.0, Tightrope Walking (S-rank)
[Abilities]: Ice Emperor's Eye - Insightful Vision (evolvable), Silver Moon Illusion, Beast's Breath, Wild Dance (growable)
Karupin's stats:
[Cat Food]: 308,411
[Cat Energy]: 6,057
[Activity Range]: 192,247 meters
[Special Item]: Double Cat Food x1
Looking at his own gorgeous yet not-so-glamorous stats, Ryu nodded.
He was fairly satisfied with his current progress.
He had grown another centimeter taller, and all other attributes remained unchanged.
He had accumulated over 300,000 cat food, bringing him one step closer to his goal.
The Summer League was about to begin.
Once he swept all the rewards from this tournament, he would reach the level he had been longing for.
Although the progress was faster than expected, Ryu was already finding it hard to contain his inner power and couldn't wait to participate in the competition.
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