Ali was confused, how was this real? Was he hallucinating? Was he in heaven? The system realized that he was confused and aptly responded,
[This system was born of your wishes to become a legend of cricket. As a starter gift, you will get 1 starter pack which will have 1 bronze to gold player aura and 2 bronze to gold moments. Additionally since you are the first to gain this system, you will get a free legendary player and moment.]
"A system? I thought those aren't real! What is going on? How is this even scientifically possible?" Regaining his composure, he asked,"What are moments and player auras?" Ali asked.
[Player auras are the main part of this system. They allow you to gain the talents of various top players in the original timeline, while moments give you abilities based on various match events that occurred in cricketing history.]
"Hmm, quite interesting. It's June 3rd. That means my school's house team selection should be in one month. I still have time to prepare." Before he could continue talking to the system and see its functions, his mom called him from downstairs. "Ali,wake up and come down! You are going to miss the bus!"
Ali remembered that his dad would hit him with the belt whenever he would be late to school, and so he immediately washed his face, brushed his teeth, wore his uniform and ran downstairs. Sitting at the six seated dining table, Ali saw his mom, Zainab, a proud radiologist who would die in the future due to a MRI malfunction, and his dad who initially disapproved of his son's plan to become a cricketer but supported him after he did well in the Karnataka inter district tournament, Salim, reading a newspaper about to go to his job as the sports doctor of Bangalore FC.
"Ali, eat your food before it gets cold! The bus will come to the apartment in 10 minutes, if you are late I will not let you go outside for one week!" His mom scolded him. His dad, Salim, without taking his eyes off the paper told,"Your 3rd unit test is in one week. I hope you are studying for your future instead of practicing for a hobby that won't pay the bills. Last time you scored horribly and almost failed. If I see anything less than 50 marks in your marksheet, I will not let you try out for any school team or any after school activities and put you in a after school tuition!"
A few tears streamed down Ali's cheeks. He truly was back to when he was 15 years old, still having his youth and talent intact. However, he was a 25 year old in a 15 year old's body, that too a 25 year old who studied in the "legendary" Sham Institute of Engineering, a 3rd tier engineering college where he couldn't get even a 1 lakh per annum placement package despite having the highest GPA in the class. Tests of the 9th grade were like peanuts to him.
"Don't worry dad, I will do well in the unit tests. But dad, isn't a so called hobby that won't pay the bills paying you to act as their medical professional?" Ali asked. His dad chuckled and told before leaving for the car, "He truly is my son."
Ali ate his breakfast and said his goodbyes to his parents while thinking, I will make sure my mom doesn't die because of that MRI incident.
After getting onto the bus, Ali saw Anirudh calling him to sit with him. Memories of Anirudh and his betrayal flowed through Ali's mind and he subconsciously avoided him, instead sitting next to Manish, his friend who was a huge CSK fan and had played for the school's cricket team last year. Manish greeted him and Ali then continued to talk to the system using his thoughts.
"What are my stats?" Ali asked.
[Detailed or summary?]
"Summary."
[STATS]
Player Name: Ali Zaidi
Position: Undecided
Team: None
Batting: 47
Bowling: 38 (Spin)
Fielding: 31
Physical: 23
Mental: 53
Overall: 38 (Below school level)
Potential: 91 (Top BBL Player)
Player Auras:
[NONE]
Moments:
[NONE]
Awards and Titles:
[NONE]
Inventory:
X1 Starter Pack
X1 Special Legendary Pack
"Hmm, it looks like my mental and batting is somehow very high. I wonder if the system will give me quests that will allow me to improve or will it increase depending on my the games I play and my performance in them?"
[You can increase points with skill points of respective stats, and they can also increase while training or during matches.]
"I guess I should open the packs I got. Open starter pack!"
[PACK OPENING…]
You got:
Gold Player Aura: Karn Sharma
Gold Moment: Afghanistan's ODI victory against England, ICC Champions Trophy 2025
Bronze Moment: Shane Watson loses his wicket to Krunal Pandya, IPL 2019 Qualifier 1
[Would you like a summary of the skills?]
"Yes."
[Abilities]
Karn Sharma:
Spinner's Web: Reduces opposing batsman's batting vs spin proficiency by 15% and batsman confidence reduces by 5%
Last Chance: Slightly increases batting power when in a losing situation and being in batting order at 7 onwards
Two Way Confusion: [LOCKED, COMPLETE TASKS TO UPGRADE AURA MASTERY]
Afghanistan vs England:
Underdog: Increases all stats by 2 when facing a stronger on paper team
Explosive Batting: Increase Aggression by 2 in middle overs
Zadran's Stability (Active): [LOCKED, COMPLETE TASKS TO UPGRADE MOMENT MASTERY]
Shane Watson's loss of wicket:
Shock Wicket: Spin Bowling +10 for first three balls
"Wow, this is awesome! I can actually fulfill my dream with this power! If a gold player aura and moment are this good, I wonder how overpowered a legendary one will be! Alright, open special legendary pack!"
[PACK OPENING…]
You got:
Legendary Player Aura: Virat Kohli
Legendary Moment: Digvesh Rathi's No Ball vs Jitesh Sharma, IPL 2025 Match 70
"No way…"
TO BE CONTINUED