Friday, 7:45 PM. Porte de la Chapelle.
Lucas got off the metro, his throat tight. The envelope with the 500 euros weighed heavy in his pocket. Malik was waiting at the exit, hood on his head.
"You ready?" Malik asked.
Lucas nodded, though "ready" was a strong word.
They walked in silence through the dark streets. The further they got from the station, the rougher the neighborhood became. Tags on walls, broken windows, suspicious looks from shadows.
"That's it," Malik murmured, pointing to an abandoned warehouse.
No sign. No indication. Just a massive guy in front of a rusty door.
"Password?" the bouncer growled.
"Fifteen-Forty," Malik replied.
The door opened. A wave of heat, smoke, and noise hit them. Lucas blinked. The interior was... surprising.
A regulation tennis court had been installed in the center of the warehouse. Makeshift stands surrounded it, packed with spectators. The smell of sweat, alcohol, and money floated in the air. Bills changed hands. Bets flew.
"Welcome to hell," Malik murmured.
A man in a wrinkled suit approached. Fifties, cigarette in mouth, weasel eyes.
"New guys? Registration over there. 500 cash. No last names. Simple rules: you win, you continue. You lose, you're out. Betting is open on every match."
Lucas handed over the money. The man counted quickly.
"Your war name?"
"Lu..." Lucas stopped. No last names. "Ghost."
The man snickered. "Ghost? OK. You're registered. First match in twenty minutes. Draw's over there."
Lucas approached the bracket. Sixteen participants. Direct elimination. His name - Ghost - was at the bottom, facing...
"Snake. Shit," Malik hissed. "Bad luck for a first match."
"Who is he?"
"Violent amateur player. Banned from several clubs for his behavior. Hence the nickname. Decent serve, but loses his shit easily. I'd say 20-25 in overall stats, but his mental is his weak point."
20-25. Against Lucas's 11. Difficult but not impossible.
[Environment analysis complete][Tournament Mode activated][Bonus: +50% XP for tournament duration][Warning: Injuries possible]
"Ghost! On the court!" the organizer bellowed.
Lucas took a deep breath. Grabbed his racket - he'd invested in a decent used one with his remaining money.
[Equipment detected: Tennis Racket (Quality: Acceptable)][No penalty]
He entered the court to whistles and jeers. Snake was waiting. Average height, muscular, tattoos on his arms. The kind of guy who'd learned tennis on the streets and compensated for his lack of technique with aggression.
"So we got a newbie," Snake spat with a nasty smile. "You're gonna regret coming here, kid."
No umpire. No ball boys. Just two players and a bloodthirsty crowd. Snake served first.
[Analysis in progress...][Opponent: Snake][Estimated level: 8][Main stats: Serve 22/100, Forehand 25/100, Mental 12/100][Weakness detected: Fragile mental, cracks under pressure]
The first serve flew by. Lucas barely saw it pass. 0-15.
Second serve. This time, Lucas anticipated thanks to the system's analysis. He touched the ball, but his return was pathetic. 0-30.
The spectators laughed. Some had already started betting on how many games Lucas would last. Not many bet on more than two.
"Come on Ghost!" Malik shouted from the stands.
0-40. Three game points for Snake. Lucas gritted his teeth. He had to at least hit one ball properly.
Snake served, confident. Too confident.
[Pattern detected: Kicked serve to the outside]
Lucas moved instinctively. His racket connected perfectly. The ball shot down the line. Snake, surprised, dove but missed.
15-40.
Stunned silence swept through the crowd. Then excited murmurs. The newbie had some fight?
Snake spat on the ground. His eyes hardened. Playtime was over.
The next serve was a bomb. Ace. 0-1 for Snake.
Lucas served. His measly 11 points in serve against a seasoned opponent. First ball. Too short. Snake crushed it. 0-15.
But Lucas was learning. The system analyzed every shot, every movement.
[Real-time progression activated][Serve +0.1][Accelerated learning: +0.1]
Little by little, his serves improved. Not enough to worry Snake, but enough not to embarrass himself. He lost his serve. 0-2.
Then 0-3. 0-4. Defeat was approaching. But...
[Accumulated XP: 750/800 for level 4]
Every point played, even lost, gave him experience. And with the 50% bonus...
At the changeover, Snake made a mistake. He mocked Lucas.
"Come on little ghost, show us what you can do! Oh wait, you can't do anything!"
[Provocation detected][Cold rage activated][Mental temporarily boosted: 20 → 25]
Lucas felt something change. An icy clarity. He visualized the court differently. The angles. The trajectories. Snake's weaknesses.
Snake's serve. Lucas anticipated perfectly. Deep return to the corners. Snake ran, hit, but Lucas was already there. Volley. Point for Lucas.
15-0.
The crowd straightened up. What was happening?
Lucas continued. Every ball deep, making him run. Snake was stronger, but Lucas was smarter. 30-0. 40-0.
"Fuck!" Snake swore, his weak point showing.
He attempted a winner. Too ambitious. Out. 1-4.
Lucas served. Still weak, but he aimed for the corners. Snake, frustrated by his own errors, was starting to lose his cool. His strength became his weakness - he hit too hard, looked for the spectacular shot.
[LEVEL UP!][Level 3 → Level 4][+3 stat points to distribute]
Mid-match level up! Lucas felt the energy flow. Without hesitation, he put everything in serve.
[Serve: 11 → 14]
The difference was immediate. His next serve surprised Snake. Ace! The crowd exploded.
2-4. Then 3-4. Lucas was coming back. Snake was sweating, his eyes shooting daggers. This kid...
"You're gonna pay," Snake hissed.
In the next game, he deliberately hit a ball into Lucas's stomach. No fault called. No umpire. Lucas doubled over, breathless.
[Damage received: -5 HP][HP: 95/100]
HP? The system managed that too?
Snake snickered and served while Lucas recovered. Ace. 3-5, match point.
[Critical situation detected][Emergency unlock authorized][Level 5 close (92/1000 XP)]
Lucas straightened up. One chance. Only one. He had to break now.
Snake served, confident. Lucas gave everything. His body moved almost on its own, guided by the system and rage. Return winner. 15-0.
"WHAT?" Snake screamed.
Second serve. Fierce battle. Twenty shots. The crowd counted. Snake cracked first. 30-0.
Bets changed hands. Some were starting to bet on the newcomer.
Snake, panicked, double faulted. 40-0. Three break points.
It only took one. A sublime passing shot from Lucas. 4-5. The crowd was on its feet.
[Mental skill improved][Pressure: You perform better in critical situations]
Lucas served to stay in the match. His 14 serve points, boosted by adrenaline and the new skill. Four first serves in. 5-5.
Snake was livid. How could this kid...
"We're going to a tiebreak, asshole," he spat.
The tiebreak was tight. Snake had the better shots, but his mental cracked at every important point. Lucas played simple, methodical, letting Snake self-destruct.
[LEVEL UP!][Level 4 → Level 5][FIRST SPECIAL SKILL UNLOCKED!]
At the crucial moment, 6-5 for Lucas in the tiebreak, match point on his serve, time seemed to slow.
[Special Skill: Zone][Description: For 30 seconds, time slows by 20%. Cooldown: 24h][Activate? YES/NO]
YES.
The world slowed. Lucas served. Not his best serve, but placed perfectly in the corner. Snake, too confident, had anticipated center. He dove, touched the ball, but his return floated. Lucas just had to push the volley.
[VICTORY!][XP gained: 2000][Money earned: 200€][Reputation: Unknown → Prospect]
The crowd exploded. David had just beaten Goliath. Well, one of the Goliaths.
Snake left the court swearing. Lucas stood there, trembling. He had done it. He had won.
"HOLY SHIT MAN!" Malik jumped onto the court. "What was that? Were you possessed or something?"
If only he knew.
The organizer approached. "Not bad, Ghost. Snake wasn't the strongest, but he's already beaten the shit out of plenty of newcomers. Next match in an hour. Go rest."
He walked away toward the locker rooms. In an hour, round two. According to the bracket, it would be against "Hammer," a former junior prospect who had gone bad. More technical than Snake, but just as fierce.
Lucas opened his stats:
[Lucas Moreau - Level 5][Stats:]
Serve: 14/30Forehand: 10/30Backhand: 9/30Volley: 5/30Mental: 25/30Stamina: 25/30
The level 1-10 cap was 30. He was approaching the limits. He had to distribute his 3 new points...
[Points distributed:]- Forehand: 10 → 13
His phone vibrated. A message from his mother: "I believe in you."
Lucas smiled. One match won. At least three more to reach the final. And somewhere in this tournament... Viktor Kozlov, the only real ex-pro here. That one would be another story.
[New quest: "The Ascension"][Objective: Reach the tournament final][Reward: Skill Shop unlocked + ???]
The mystery deepened. But one thing was certain: Ghost had just been born. And he intended to haunt this tournament to the end.
[Time until next match: 58 minutes]
The game had only just begun.