In addition to Link's rise in ranking, the rankings of all the other players on the Dream Chasing Warriors Team also went up.
Chris Bosh rose from 39th place to 33rd.
Matt Babcock, who got in through connections, rose from 255th to 251st.
Josh Smith also climbed to 34th place.
The higher the ranking, the harder it is to improve. It's like how going from a 5 to a 70 on a test is definitely easier than going from a 90 to a 95.
As for the opponents Link had defeated...
For instance, the star player of the Lightning Whirlwind—the originally short and stout center—was left in tatters by the double-teaming of Link and Bosh. He plummeted directly to 109th place.
"Oh, no!"
"WTF!"
When he saw his latest ranking, he couldn't help but scream out loud, drawing constant side-eyes from everyone around him.
At the same time, Link noticed that the progress of his hidden mission—genius nemesis—had changed to 2/5.
This left Link somewhat amused. He didn't expect that an opponent who hadn't broken down during the game would completely lose it after seeing the rankings post-match.
Link also took the opportunity to check on "Dajuan Wagner," the mr. 100 from New Jersey and a top-tier high school talent. Although he had played a mess of a game in the morning, the ABCD Training Camp didn't judge these "top talents" based on a single performance.
He only slipped from 5th to 6th place. Of course, this was also related to Dajuan Wagner scoring a staggering 51 points in his afternoon game.
...
...
"Man, look..."
"What is it?"
"That's the Nut-Kicking Kid, right?"
"This kid doesn't look that strong. I really don't get why the camp thinks so highly of him."
"He's only played two decent games, and Sonny Vaccaro already put him in the top 50."
"I seriously suspect this kid has some shady dealings with the camp staff!"
After checking the latest rankings, Link and the others planned to head back to the dormitory to rest. There was a team practice scheduled for the evening by head coach Chris Grant. However, considering everyone's different physical conditions, many students who had already played two games were exhausted. Adding extra training in the evening could easily lead to injuries, so it was made voluntary.
On the way back to the dorm, Link heard many students gossiping about him behind his back.
Having improved nearly ten spots in a single day, Link had become the talk of the camp. This was especially true for students ranked below 50 who were particularly conceited; they looked forward to meeting Link tomorrow and defeating him to become a shining dark horse themselves.
Some were also grumbling about Link's "dirty moves" during the games. In the morning game against the Iron Bull Team, Link had "kicked the nuts" of an opponent. In the afternoon game, while battling for a rebound, he had done it again.
Link swore to heaven that he really didn't do it on purpose in the afternoon. It was just that while boxing out, he was pushed down by the opponent's interior player, and his right leg naturally swung up. But that kick shouldn't have had much force compared to the one in the morning.
Nevertheless, regardless of the circumstances, Link, who had kicked opponents in the groin in two consecutive games, was mocked by many students as the "Nut-Kicking Kid."
He now had this notorious nickname.
...
...
"Link, don't pay them any mind. I believe you didn't do it on purpose," Matt Babcock said.
"Yeah," Link nodded with a smile.
Moreover, from his calm smile, he didn't look at all like someone affected by negative comments from the outside world.
To be honest...
The feeling of being a hot topic of discussion was actually pretty great.
"Chris, are you still going to the training court tonight?" Josh Smith asked, seemingly casually.
"Probably not. My legs feel like they're filled with lead right now. What about you, Josh? Are you going?" Chris Bosh said with a smile.
"I probably won't go either. Too tired. If I train any more, I'm not sure if I'll even be able to get out of bed tomorrow," Josh Smith said.
Regarding the extra evening practice, Bosh, Josh, and the other camp students all said on the surface that they wouldn't go, but in reality, they all had their own little schemes. They hoped their potential competitors would train less while they themselves trained more.
Link shook his head with a smile at these shallow little mind games of high schoolers.
Two games a day was indeed exhausting. Even if one went to the training court for extra practice at night, the results certainly wouldn't be as good as when one was full of energy. But for Link, this wasn't an issue.
After returning to the dorm, Link told his roommates not to disturb him, as he wanted to meditate to recover his mental energy.
Unlike yesterday, Link, who had proven his worth through the games today, now had a significant say in the dorm. His teammates from the Dream Chasing Warriors Team didn't want to annoy the team's offensive engine.
Link sat in meditation and used the [star (draymond green) training partner card].
One hour of meditation in reality was equivalent to six hours of training in the virtual space. Moreover, it could restore Stamina to 100% and quickly heal injuries.
Although Link, with his floor-bound playstyle, hadn't suffered any substantial injuries in the two games during the day, there were still some minor abrasions on his arms and thighs, with the skin scraped off in several places.
...
...
Entering the virtual space again, that punchable face appeared before Link once more.
However, Link was surprised to find that this "Draymond Green" in the virtual space actually didn't recognize him again.
This isn't right. Didn't I just have a fight with you?
How could you forget so quickly?
Facing Link's confusion, the "Draymond Green" in front of him told him that his version in the virtual space had no memory. It could be understood that every [star training partner card] was a separate entity.
"Man, it really is Green's Metaverse!"
Before the training began...
Link thought of something. Because he had kicked an opponent's nuts in the morning game, he had completed the hidden acquisition condition for the [Double Team Master] badge.
If "nut-kicking" could earn a badge...
What about eye-poking?
Link was eager to try.
Moreover, this was inside the virtual space. These nefarious deeds of his wouldn't be known to outsiders.
Link approached Draymond Green with a beaming smile. Suddenly, he thrust out two fingers toward Draymond Green's eyes.
Fingers like a gust of wind!
Speed like a flash of lightning!
Even as a core member of four championship teams and a DPOY, Draymond Green didn't manage to defend against this sudden strike.
"Aow..."
"Aow..."
The eye-poked Draymond Green immediately let out a miserable wail as if he had lost his parents.
And right at that moment...
Link was surprised to find that the system's mechanical, cold electronic voice rang out once again.