Saturday morning. Snow blanketed the streets outside Ethan Cruz's apartment window, but he hadn't noticed the cold. He hadn't even slept.
His mind buzzed with aftershocks from the Midtown game.
He beat Ryder Knox.
Not with resources.
Not with reputation.
But with vision. And belief.
Yet, even as he replayed the victory, his System was quiet—too quiet.
Then it blinked to life.
[INCOMING TRANSMISSION...]
Origin: Unknown
Encryption: Tier Black
AUTH CODE: "IronPaint37"
Open?
Ethan hesitated.
Then tapped Yes.
The screen dissolved into static, then formed a sleek black interface.
A voice—smooth, distorted, male—spoke:
"Congratulations. You've survived the sandbox.
The real game starts now."
The message continued, scrolling across his screen:
"You are invited to the Conclave of Systems, a neutral test arena for advanced AI Coaching Operators. This is not sanctioned by any school or state body. It is off-grid. The risks are yours. So are the rewards."
Location: 73 Mercer Street, SoHo, Manhattan
Time: Midnight, Sunday
Entry Code: "Hoop.exe"
Willing to accept the challenge?
Ethan's heartbeat quickened.
[Yes]
The screen went black again.
Then one line appeared:
Bring a playbook. Not fear.
Sunday Night — SoHo
He stood alone in front of what looked like an abandoned art gallery—rusted sign, blacked-out windows, brick walls crusted with old graffiti.
He checked the address again. 73 Mercer.
Then the steel door cracked open.
A man in a crimson hoodie stepped out, tablet in hand. No name. Just a blinking green light.
"Code?" the man asked.
"Hoop.exe," Ethan replied.
The man scanned him. "Verified."
The door opened wider.
Inside: a long corridor that pulsed with red light, filled with whispers and the faint sound of basketballs bouncing.
The Arena
The main floor opened like an underground coliseum.
Half-court inside a steel cage.
Two digital walls—live tracking systems.
A raised balcony surrounded the perimeter, packed with onlookers in streetwear and suits. Players warmed up on the sides, but they weren't the focus.
The coaches were.
Each stood in a small booth—command stations with monitors, real-time data, voice links to their players, and their systems.
Ethan was led to a locker labeled "Crimson: Challenger 4."
Inside was a clean, red windbreaker and an earpiece.
As he put them on, the System finally came alive.
[CONCLAVE CONNECTION ESTABLISHED]
System Warning: You are now outside all high school regulations.
Legal Risk: 13%
Performance Pressure: 82%
Skill Integrity Boost: +35% (High-Stress Environment)
Ethan's breath fogged the glass in front of him.
Then his screen flashed:
Opponent: Coach Vail — Bronx Renegades
Status: Adult Coach, 12 Years Experience
System: "GrindMind AI v3" — Banned Model (Aggression-Driven Tactics)
Banned.
His stomach dropped.
But it was too late now.
A booming voice echoed across the room:
"Match 4: Ethan Cruz, Crimson Coach…
vs.
Coach Vail, Grinder Class."
The crowd murmured.
"Kid's a high schooler?"
"He's toast."
"Wait… isn't that the Roosevelt clipboard?"
The gates opened.
The players—amateurs recruited for testing purposes—took the floor. Each was connected to a coach through wireless receivers. Not their minds—but their moves.
Ethan scanned his team.
Young, raw, athletic.
Vail's squad?
Older. Muscular. Worn faces. Veterans.
The whistle blew.
Match start.
First 3 Minutes
Vail's team attacked hard—bodying Ethan's guards. Physical defense. Dirty screens. Nonstop presses.
Ethan activated Vision Mode + Pressure Filter.
Player 2 (SG): Heart Rate Spiking
Prediction: Confidence Collapse in 2 minutes
Player 5 (C): Mental Lag Detected (Delayed Decisions)
He gritted his teeth.
This wasn't basketball.
It was war.
Vail's voice came through the shared broadcast.
"Hope you brought a will, clipboard."
Ethan tapped into Momentum Sculpting.
He triggered a play called "Blind Reversal"—a double-drag slip screen that turned the momentum.
His guard slithered through the chaos.
Dish.
Layup.
Crowd: OHHHHHHH!
System Response: Vail Confusion Triggered
GrindMind Recalibrating (Delay: 4 Seconds)
Ethan pushed harder. He rotated in a Decoy Split set. Hit a corner skip. Drew a foul.
They took the lead.
14–11.
Mid-Game: Counterattack
But Vail's system went dark mode.
Suddenly, Ethan's players were being targeted.
One guy got tripped on a screen.
Another took an elbow to the ribs.
And the ref? Just another employee of the underground scene. He shrugged.
"Let 'em play."
[SYSTEM ALERT: ILLEGAL TACTIC DETECTED]
GrindMind running Adrenaline Burn Subroutine
Effect: Boosts aggressiveness while risking injuries.
Ethan's system flashed red.
RESPONSE OPTIONS:
Activate "Mind Shield" Protocol
Trigger Psychological Flip Play
Forfeit
Ethan slammed Option 2.
He pulled up a play he hadn't used since coaching camp.
"Mirror Ghost"
It was chaotic. A fake handoff that inverted the defense mid-transition. A gamble.
His team ran it.
It confused everyone.
Including his own guy.
But the final pass landed.
Corner three.
Splash.
Roars.
System Shock Triggered — GrindMind Stuttered
Coach Vail: Rage Spike Detected
Player Tilt Rising
Vail snapped, slamming his tablet.
"You think you can out-brain me, child?!"
Ethan didn't answer.
He just smirked.
Final Minute
Score: 29–28. Ethan leads.
One possession left.
Vail went into full system override. Blood-and-guts style.
He called an ISO post-up with double crash.
Ethan didn't even look at the screen.
He felt it.
He called a Shadow Loop—an instinct-based full help-collapse with switch-timing triggers built on rhythm instead of instructions.
The post-up came.
Double help before the spin.
Ethan's defender got a hand on it.
Ball loose.
Transition.
Ethan's PG scooped it up.
Raced down.
Laid it in—
BUZZER.
Win.
The crowd went still.
Then it erupted.
Not just because Ethan had won.
But because he'd survived.
Coach Vail stormed off, screaming at a league official.
"You let some high school runt walk into my system!?"
A crimson-suited observer stepped to Ethan's booth.
Tall. African-American. Early 30s. Ice-cold demeanor. A scar along his temple.
"You're better than the file said."
Ethan blinked.
"What file?"
The man handed him a small drive.
"You're being watched.
There's more to this game than school titles.
Welcome to the System War."
That night, Ethan sat in his room, the city buzzing outside his window.
He plugged in the drive.
Dozens of names and models.
Users.
Variants.
Some corrupted.
Some weaponized.
And all of them... in play.
[CONCLAVE RANKING UPDATED]
Name: Ethan Cruz
Title: Crimson Strategist
Tier: C+
Next Opponent: Unknown
System: Evolving...
Ethan leaned forward, typing into the new module.
Project: GhostPlay X
"If this is war...
I'm building my own army."