Chapter 1 Defeating Jace Tucker

"Satoshi, tomorrow you'll be facing Jace Tucker. What do you have to say about that?"

At the press conference for Trenton's season opener, an NCAA reporter directed a question to Rin.

Though Rin had yet to play in a single game for the team, he was the only player from Trenton College who had been a four-star high-school recruit.

Rin shifted in his seat, propped his elbow on the table, and said:

"I will defeat him."

As soon as he said this, everyone in the room immediately turned to look at him.

How could Rin dare to say such a thing?

Leaving that aside, Trenton College was just a Division II team and they had finished last season with a dismal 2-16 record.

On the other hand, Rivers Creek University, led by Jace, had reached the Elite Eight in the NCAA's "March Madness" tournament the previous season.

Even the reporter who had asked the question was stunned. He had just expected some compliments for Jace Tucker from Rin.

"Are you saying you'll defeat the league's top shooter?" the reporter asked, recovering from his surprise.

"Yes. I will score more points than him. I will prove..." Rin leaned forward, trying to get as close to the microphone as possible,

"...that I am the NCAA's best shooter."

The audience buzzed with excitement.

Right now, they only saw Rin as a clown.

Jace had averaged 25.9 points per game last season, shooting 10.3 three-pointers per game and making 4.5, with a 43.9% accuracy rate. Both his volume and accuracy were the best among NCAA shooters.

Meanwhile, Rin hadn't even appeared in a single NCAA game in the past two years.

The difference between the two was not just vast, it was incomparable.

Even Trenton's new head coach, Mathews Brandt, turned his head in surprise.

Satoshi, was he always this rash?

The man in question however, ignored everything as he entered his system space. He frowned as he looked at the meagre "+13" on the system's display.

He had gone so far as to make a cocky statement, yet the reporters had only given him this little bit of backlash?

Was it because there weren't enough people present?

He stroked his chin in thought.

In truth, he wasn't originally from this world.

In his previous life, his family had a bit of money. Since he was passionate about basketball, his family sent him to the U.S. for high school, where he displayed quite a bit of talent, especially in basketball IQ. He learned everything quickly.

However, by his senior year, he began facing the same problem Michael Jordan's brother had faced: he stopped growing taller!

By the time he graduated from college, he was still only 1.75 meters (about 5'9"). Left with no choice, he became a basketball trainer.

But during that time, the global economy was in decline, and every industry was becoming more competitive. To survive, he worked hard, even staying up late to make videos and run social media.

In the end, he accidentally became one of the many victims of sudden death in the 21st century.

When he woke up again, he had crossed into this parallel world.

The reason he knew it was a parallel world was because of the person he had crossed into.

This person was also named "Rin Satoshi" a four-star prospect from the class of 2006.

He had no memory of such a person. If someone like that had existed, the sports media would have hyped him to the moon by now.

This "Satoshi" had a tragic backstory.

He stood 1.98 meters (about 6'6") tall, had a wingspan of 2.10 meters (6'10"), and a running vertical jump of 93 cm (36.6 inches). These were elite attributes for an Asian player, comparable to many Black athletes.

So, why was he considered tragic?

Because of his haters.

Before he entered the NCAA, the media and fans had praised him relentlessly. As the first four-star recruit in the history of Lagos, he was expected to be the next big NBA player from Japan after Yao Ming.

With all these expectations on him, Rin chose to join Pirates, a powerhouse in NCAA Division I.

And then everything changed.

Pirates was full of five-star recruits, and even the four-star players had to wait a few years to get playing time. Rin couldn't get on the court at all.

The Japanese media and fans exploded.

First, they questioned the coach's decisions, then they highlighted the poor performances of his teammates, and finally, they resorted to mocking and insulting Rin personally.

"Does he even know his own skill level? Why choose such a strong team? Would it kill him to pick an ordinary school?"

"Stop fooling yourself. He can't even compare to those American players. And he wants to get into the NBA?"

"Why isn't he playing? It's because he's bad. He probably slacks off in practice. Maybe American girls drained his energy."

...

For a four-star recruit, not playing in a powerhouse school was normal. With one or two years of hard work, he could improve and get playing time as a veteran.

But the immense pressure from the media and fans led Rin to transfer to Trenton in order to get playing time.

However, the criticism didn't stop. It only got worse.

"By choosing a Division II team, he's already given up on the NBA."

"Instead of working hard to earn playing time, he ran to a lower division. He's a coward!"

"What's the point of putting up stats in Division II? Even if you dominate, can you make the NBA?"

...

NCAA rules prevented players from competing for one year after transferring, a period known as "sitting out."

Rin endured nearly a year of hate during this time.

In the end, overwhelmed by the abuse, he went on a sea voyage to clear his mind, only to die in a helicopter crash.

After swallowing a mouthful of salty seawater, the current Rin woke up in this parallel world.

Living another life, and having grown over 20 cm taller, was an incredible joy for him, who was passionate about basketball.

However, the system that appeared next left him speechless.

It was called the [Hate System].

As a young man of the 21st century, Rin had read many novels.

There were systems for spending money, talent templates, and court-side sign-ins, all of which had positive outcomes.

But a hate system? WTF?

After exploring it briefly, he learned that this system absorbed energy generated when others badmouthed him, creating [Hate Points] that could be exchanged for talents.

In simple terms, the more people trashed him, the stronger he became. Once he understood this, his silence turned into excitement.

"What a system!" He thought.