Chapter 2 Stirring up Controversies

The previous Rin had been constantly hated. Now, he could get stronger just by sitting back and letting it happen.

But he soon realized something was wrong. The Hate Points were increasing, but barely.

It took him a while to understand: Rin wasn't getting hated anymore.

Not because his haters had changed their minds, but because Rin was no longer worth hating.

Everyone's attention had shifted to the Olympics and two new NBA draftees, Jin Woo and Hiori Hyoma.

The harsh truth was that you need to have some ability to even be hated.

Fortunately for Rin, the system came with what seemed to be a starter pack. It contained three options:

[Physical Talent Lv. 1]

[Bird View Lv. 1]

[Lottery Wheel] (activated at 10,000 Hate Points, with selectable prize pools)

After realizing he couldn't pick all three, Rin chose the lottery and Bird View.

Bird View: Enhances catch-and-shoot and pull-up three-point shooting abilities.

"Satoshi, I'll continue the life you couldn't finish!" Rin declared.

After this, Rin threw himself into three months of intense training.

The system had only raised his talent ceiling, so to improve his actual abilities, he had to train.

And as a basketball trainer in his past life, he knew exactly how to do that.

From sunrise to sunset, from spring warmth to autumn chill, rain or snow, he never stopped.

He poured all the passion and regret from his past life into every corner of the court.

Finally, just before the season began, he felt himself reaching a bottleneck.

By then, his shooting skills had greatly improved.

One clear measure was his performance in a three-point shooting contest, where he could consistently make about 20 out of 25 shots in one minute.

His progress was encouraging, but Rin knew it wasn't enough.

A Division II player couldn't make it to the NBA just by shooting threes.

He needed to become even stronger and to do that, he needed more Hate Points. At a school like Trenton, the amount of press conferences in a year would be limited, so he had to seize every opportunity.

After leaving the system, Rin noticed that the press conference has ended. He then exited with his coach, Brandt.

"A smart strategy," Brandt remarked immediately they stepped outside.

Rin was confused.

"Your approach will definitely attract some attention," Brandt elaborated.

Though Rin realizes the coach has misunderstood his intentions, he didn't correct him, since it's was now a common tactic to draw attention with bold statements, unlike in the past where top talent scouts focused on lower leagues as well.

"But you'll also face more pressure for taunting Creek University's star player," Brandt added.

Rin thanked the coach, but he was confident that his summer of hard work has prepared him for this moment. He was really determined to leave a good impression on his new coach. Brandt, pleased with his response, patted him on the shoulder and left.

Rin shares a two-person dorm with Daniel Bryson, a 1.75-meter black guard from the basketball team, common in the second-tier league where most players are not tall. Rin, in fact, was the tallest in the team.

Reflecting on his transfer, Rin found it rather ironic. In his previous life, he would have done anything to stay at Pirates rather than transferring to a second-tier league. Yokohama Pirates had exposure, and with any playing time, making it to the NBA was feasible.

However, the former Rin was introverted and couldn't handle the pressure, fearing failure in the top league. However, Trenton offered him a rare scholarship, which further influenced his decision to transfer.

Back in the dorm, he logged into his ibook account using his new smart phone, which he bought with part of the scholarship money.

While others believed he was using a publicity stunt to attract NBA scouts, Rin knew that scouts rarely focus on second-tier players. Even though reporters from the press conference might ignore him, Rin planned on stirring up controversy online by himself.

He checks Jace Tucker's ibook page, where he's now famous for leading his College to the Elite Eight last season. Seeing a recent post by Jace concerning the upcoming season.

Rin left comments on that post, claiming that a certain Rin Satoshi from Trenton College had boasted about defeating Jace and being the best shooter in the NCAA. Afterward, he logs into several other accounts to like his own comment, creating buzz. Slowly, the likes and replies begin to increase.

Soon, other users join in, questioning who he is and where this university is located. Rin, using another account, replies that Trenton is Creek's opening game opponent from a division two league and that Rin is a four-star prospect. As more users engage, the conversation escalates, with some mocking Rin's bold claim.

Rin continued switching between accounts, building momentum and creating a mix of praise and hate. All the while, he monitored his system's [Hate Points], which topped some numbers as he generated more negative attention.

Suddenly, the door to Rin's room opened.

"Dude, are you watching porn?" Daniel Bryson, Rin's roommate asked curiously, interrupting his flurry of online activity.