The sound of a buzzer echoes throughout the arena as fans and players erupt in chaos. Strangers embracing each other, senior players crying, and a coach who is cracking the only smile the players will see all season.
But that reality doesn't belong to everyone on the court. While the winning team celebrates in glory and relief, the losing team watches everything they've worked toward crumble after forty-eight minutes of play. Forty-eight minutes and their entire season becomes obsolete.
A young man stands alone in the center of the court as fans and players rush around him, forming an almost respectful bubble around the shell-shocked figure. Growing up as an orphan with a deep love for basketball, he'd always dreamed of playing on the biggest stages the game had to offer—representing his country, playing in college, maybe even the NBA. But the world had other plans. As he grew, his height capped at 5'5" (165 cm), and with it, his rise through the basketball world seemed fated to stop along with it.
Yet he never seemed to let that get to him. He pushed hard against the world's expectations, surpassing what everyone thought possible of him. He trained relentlessly during practice, worked himself to the brink of tears, and stayed for extra shots long after others left. Even making the heartbreaking choice to leave his hometown team and everyone he knew for a better program, all in pursuit of a championship and maybe a chance to play at the next level.
However, despite all that effort, none of it came to be. Instead of a Winter Cup championship, he faced a devastating last-minute loss to a former teammate. Instead of getting the chance to play at the next level, he received brutal scouting reports from teams, and with it, his dreams of high level play collapsed. Instead of being surrounded by friends and teammates offering consolation, he stands alone and isolated by his own choices and pride—a true Icarus story.
Despite the loud cheers and screams, he hears only his own breathing, the heavy pounding of his heart and the incessant buzz inside his brain.
'Is this how my basketball story ends? Do I want it to? Do I want to become a coach who reminisces about glory days but hates himself for never becoming something more?'
Despite his mind raging and his desire to keep pushing, his body refuses. After years of ignoring chest pain, dismissing cardiologists' warnings, and avoiding treatment that, while beneficial, would sideline him—his body simply has no more to give. His breathing turns increasingly erratic, his heartbeat becoming more irregular and rapid.
But he's too lost in his own thoughts to notice. That is until his vision blurs, his legs weaken, and his head spins as he collapses onto the court.
'W-what's happening? I can't move. Why is everyone looking at me? Why do I feel so cold? I'm scared. I don't wanna die yet. I want to keep playing basketball, I want to fall in love, I want to live a full life! Why...?'
The crowd, noticing the oddity, erupts into chaos. Paramedics clear the way as they rush toward him, but it feels almost inevitable. He won't make it.
As the light fades from his eyes, he hears a single sound in the muted world.
>Ding<
>Apex System Initialized. Host recognized.<
>Error. Error. Host is dying. Seeking alternative...<
>Alternative located. Beginning transmigration. Host please select desired position.<
'D-desired position... Ha, I always did want to be tall...'
>Host is incapable of formulating response. Evaluating answer based on last known desire...<
>Evaluation concluded. Position selected: Center.<
>Beginning transmigration.<
'Center...?'
With that final thought, the young man's life ends almost poetically on the hardwood he devoted everything to. His soul travels through the fabric of space, ready to begin anew in a new form, a new position, but still playing the game he loved.
>Welcome to the Apex System, New Host, Lance Moss! We look forward to your journey!<