Chapter 2: The Monster in the Paint
The rim was still vibrating from the last dunk.
Adrian Cross landed lightly, knees bending to absorb the impact, his massive frame settling like a mountain planted in the paint.
Across from him, MarcusHale stared at the name printed across Adrian's jersey.
HarborCityStars.
For some reason, the words suddenly felt irritating.
Marcus clicked his tongue and turned around.
His teammate's three-point shot clanked off the rim.
Before anyone else could react—
Adrian snatched the rebound out of the air.
"Switch!" Marcus shouted immediately.
"Tank, you take him!"
A huge figure stepped forward.
Tank—a 2.03-meter streetball bruiser known for his strength—cracked his neck and moved into the paint.
But standing in front of Adrian…
He suddenly didn't look so intimidating anymore.
"Listen, big guy," Tank said with a rough voice, flexing his arms. Thick veins bulged beneath his skin. "Basketball isn't just about size."
He smirked.
"Be careful you don't throw your back out."
Adrian didn't answer.
Instead, he tilted his head slightly and glanced at the rim as his teammate prepared to inbound the ball.
Tank quickly spread his arms and pressed forward, trying to use his weight to push Adrian out of position.
The moment he applied force—
His eyes widened.
It felt like he had slammed into a steelpillar embedded in concrete.
Adrian didn't move an inch.
Instead, Tank felt his own chest go numb from the impact.
'What the hell…'
Before he could process it—
Adrian leaned his shoulder forward.
Boom.
The force exploded outward.
Tank staggered backward three full steps.
By the time he regained balance, it was already too late.
The pass arrived.
Adrian caught the ball in the paint with one hand.
The basketball looked ridiculously small in his palm.
No dribbles.
No fancy footwork.
He bent his knees—
And jumped.
The movement was so fast the crowd barely saw it happen.
A black blur shot upward.
CLANG!
The rim shook violently.
Adrian wasn't even dunking this time.
He simply slammed the ball through with one hand and hungontherim, his massive body swaying slightly above the court.
His 125-kilogram weight made the entire backboard groan.
The glass vibrated with a low humming sound as if it might crack at any second.
From below, Adrian looked like some kind of giant predator hanging from a branch.
His jersey lifted slightly, revealing the carved muscles across his back.
The crowd exploded.
"Oh my god!"
"Is that dude a Marvel superhero or something?!"
"Tank can't guard him at all!"
"Tank? More like a sheep next to that guy!"
Phones lit up everywhere as people recorded.
On the next possession, Marcus dribbled up the court.
But his eyes kept drifting toward Adrian.
That dunk was still echoing in his mind.
He had played streetball for over ten years.
He had faced strong players.
But nothing like this.
Marcus inhaled slowly.
'Fine… let's see how fast you really are.'
He crossed over hard, shaking his defender before pulling up for a jump shot.
The ball left his hands in a perfect arc.
For a moment, it looked clean.
Then—
A shadow appeared behind him.
SLAP!
A giant hand smashed into the ball mid-flight.
The sound echoed across the court like a gunshot.
Adrian had come flying from behind.
His palm crushed the side of the ball and sent it rocketingacrossthecourt.
The basketball shot through the air like a missile.
It cleared the fence surrounding the court—
And disappeared into the distance.
Silence.
Complete silence.
Marcus was still frozen in his shooting pose.
His mouth slowly fell open.
He had been blocked before.
Everyone had.
But never like that.
The ball had been swattedcompletelyoutofthecourt.
It was ridiculous.
Unbelievable.
Near the sideline, TaylorBrooks lowered her phone slowly.
"Did… did that ball just leave the court?"
Beside her, MalikaGrant swallowed.
"If that thing hit someone…"
Taylor blinked.
"They'd probably end up in the hospital."
Malika nudged her shoulder with a grin.
"Relax. If he slapped you instead, you'd probably end up trending online."
Taylor burst out laughing.
"Please. With that kind of power I'd wake up with a whole new body."
Back on the court, the Harbor City players were still staring at Adrian in shock.
RyanCole finally snapped out of it and grabbed Adrian's arm.
"Bro!"
His eyes were shining.
"You're insane!"
Adrian glanced at the scoreboard.
68 – 49.
Still 19pointsbehind.
"Keep playing," Adrian said calmly.
And then the real nightmare began.
The next few minutes turned into Adrian'spersonalhighlightreel.
Marcus tried using his speed to attack the rim.
But every time he entered the paint—
Adrian's arm appeared.
That massive hand was like an iron wall.
Marcus could barely reach Adrian's shoulder when he jumped.
Stealing the ball was effortless.
On the next play, Tank tried posting up.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
Three powerful back-downs.
Adrian didn't move.
Instead, he forced Tank outofthepaint.
Then Tank spun for a layup.
Adrian jumped.
BAM!
The ball was smashed away and sent flying toward half-court.
The crowd roared louder with every play.
Three minutes later—
A teammate threw Adrian a long pass.
He caught it near mid-court.
Then he ran.
One step.
Two steps.
Three.
His strides devoured the court like a sprinting cheetah.
"No way!" Marcus shouted as he jumped to contest.
Their bodies collided mid-air.
Marcus instantly felt like he had been hit by a speeding truck.
He was knocked sideways and slid across the asphalt.
Meanwhile—
Adrian soared above the rim.
And brought the ball down with a savage tomahawkdunk.
BOOOOM!
The rim screamed in protest.
The backboard shook violently.
Adrian dropped to the ground as dust kicked up beneath his shoes.
The scoreboard flickered.
68 – 58
The crowd went insane.
Taylor suddenly pointed at the scoreboard.
"Wait!"
Her voice shot up an octave.
"The lead is only ten points now!"
Malika zoomed her camera in on Adrian's back as he walked away from the hoop.
She couldn't hide the smile on her face.
"We just found the biggest story of the year."
She leaned toward Taylor and lowered her voice.
"That guy doesn't belong on a street court."
Taylor nodded slowly.
Her eyes were still locked on Adrian.
"Yeah…"
"If he keeps playing like this…"
"He might end up in the NationalBasketballAssociation."
Under the basket, Adrian stood quietly.
The system voice echoed again inside his mind.
[Mission Progress: 60%]
He slowly clenched his fists.
Power surged through every muscle in his body.
The SuperSoldierPhysique was even stronger than he had imagined.
And the reward waiting at the end—
The ChicagoDraftCombine.
Adrian smiled faintly.
He was definitely getting that invitation.