score maniac

Chapter 48: Archer Talents

When did this thing appear? Gu Yu thought it over and over again, but still couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment. Before the match began, Gu Yu was about to face the first “Grand Final” of his life. Knowing his temperament, saying he was “extremely excited” would be an understatement—he was practically ready to shout to the world that he was the king of the world. At the time, Gu Yu was completely focused on how to take the court and redeem himself—to showcase his skills on a nationwide broadcast—and hadn’t even noticed the tiny speck of light in his peripheral vision. “In the game against the Bucks, you claimed you were going to become the greatest scorer in NBA history. Were you… serious?” After all, this was a Finals game, so it attracted quite a few media outlets. Before the game started, reporters who had never interviewed Gu Yu before came knocking on his door, swarming him in the locker room and surrounding him so tightly he couldn’t move. Normally, Gu Yu wasn’t exactly a big shot, so this kind of attention was highly unlikely. But since he’d caused so many controversies—and despite his skills ranking at the very bottom of the NBA, his fame had grown considerably, making him something of a talking point—it made perfect sense for the media to skip over the dazzling De Marcus Cousins and come interview Gu Yu instead. And as for his answers to these questions, dear readers, you can probably guess… “Yeah, of course!” Thumbing up triumphantly, Gu Yu pointed at his chest and declared, “I’m the man who’s going to be the scoring champion—no one can stop me!” “Well, that raises a question.” The crafty reporters had long prepared their traps, scheming to lure Gu Yu into a pitfall. But before they’d even finished digging the hole, this guy with the slicked-back hair actually jumped right in on his own! This development delighted the media, and immediately a reporter fired off a question they’d prepared long ago: “Why is a man who’s about to become the greatest all-time scorer in NBA history being held in check so badly in the Summer League??” “Well…” Gu Yu was momentarily at a loss for words. He’d made a bold claim, but the reality was that his performance had started strong but faded over the course of five games. If it hadn’t been for his solid performance against the Rockets the day before, Gu Yu’s career would likely have ended right there in Las Vegas. “What’s the matter? Is that a hard question to answer?” Seeing that Gu Yu couldn’t answer, a reporter immediately began stirring the pot: “I’ve never heard of an NBA scoring champion who couldn’t even dominate the Summer League!” Trouble was brewing…! Not far away, Jeter, who was preparing for the game, heard every word clearly and instinctively sensed something was wrong. Knowing Gu Yu’s temperament, if he let the reporter keep asking questions like that, he would definitely… “Damn it, are you looking down on me?? Damn it, damn it—then I’ll just go ahead and win the Summer League scoring title to prove it to you!” Damn…! With a “smack,” Jeter slapped his forehead. He had already started walking toward Gu Yu, but upon hearing that, he immediately turned and walked away. It’s already too late… “Hehe, stumped, huh~~ Grandpa here knows how to adapt!” Over there, the reporters were all left speechless by Gu Yu’s single remark, as if they’d been hit with a group stun during a team fight. Over here, sitting in his chair, Gu Yu was still putting on his sneakers while smugly bobbing his head from side to side. And those words, carried by the nationwide live broadcast, reached every corner of the United States. Five seconds later, the reporters—having snapped out of their stupor—were bursting with excitement, frantically thrusting microphones toward Gu Yu, just waiting for “Hairstyle Guy” to spout some more bold claims. If Westphal hadn’t immediately kicked all the reporters out of the locker room on the grounds that “tactical preparations cannot be disclosed,” who knows what else Gu Yu might have said. “Haha, just wait and see!” From the coach to his close friends, everyone was still cleaning up the mess left by the media’s uproar. Meanwhile, our straightforward and adorable classmate Gu Yu was still completely lost in the wonderful future he’d just painted for himself. “This guy really is… haha…” Watching Gu Yu with his boundless ambition—as if he could borrow another 500 years from the heavens—Jeter and Westphal exchanged a knowing smile; a thousand words were spoken without a single one being uttered. Not long after, Xiao Yu called Gu Yu—and it was exactly about this. Back to the present. “Oh, the game’s back on!” The game resumed on the court, and the two jokers at the commentary booth looked closely but didn’t see that blindingly bright slicked-back hairstyle. “Gu’s been subbed out—just as we expected!” Kenny Smith nodded emphatically and said, “Although it’s not great for Gu, I support Westphal’s decision. At this point, the tactics centered around Gu have completely backfired—keeping him on the court would actually hurt the team!” “…I’m gonna punch you.” Barkley shot him a classic, deadpan eye-roll. “Haha, don’t get so worked up, don’t get so worked up~” Smith laughed and patted his friend on the shoulder. “By the way, do you remember what Gu said before the game? That he was going to be the Summer League scoring champion?” “Of course I remember!” At the mention of Gu Yu’s bold claim, Barkley immediately perked up and declared with conviction, “See? That’s the kind of swagger a basketball player should have! If you want something, say it out loud. If you’re chasing a goal, go for it with everything you’ve got! If you want to be number one in the world, if you want to be the greatest of all time, don’t hold back—tell the whole world and let them witness your legend!” “Haha, that’s true enough…” Smith laughed awkwardly and said, “Don’t blame me for pouring cold water on your enthusiasm, Charles, but have you done the math? If Gu wants to be the Summer League scoring champion, how many points does he need to score in this game??” “I’m not good at math!” Only our Sir Charles could say “I haven’t calculated it” with such conviction… “Just admit you’re clueless…” Smith rolled his eyes and retorted, “Let me do the math for you.” “So far, Gu has played five games, scoring 17, 28, 4, 2, and 24 points respectively. That averages out to 15 points per game.” The director pulled up Gu Yu’s stats and displayed another player’s scoring average. “The Summer League’s leading scorer so far is the Washington Wizards’ new No. 1 overall pick, John Wall, who is averaging 23. 5 points per game. Incidentally, he’s also averaging 7. 8 assists per game, making him the Summer League’s assist leader.” On screen, footage of Wall driving to the basket appeared alongside an image of Gu Yu taking a shot. It wasn’t a big deal until they were compared—and once they were, Gu Yu’s stats looked downright pitiful. “The Wizards’ Summer League run has now come to an end, so Wall’s stats won’t change any further. Let’s do a quick calculation: if Gu really wants to overtake Wall and become the Summer League scoring leader, he’ll need to score at least 142 points in his remaining six games.” As he spoke, Gu Yu’s total points so far appeared on the screen—a figure that was jarringly low: 75 points. “In other words, in this very game—the one currently underway—Gu must score 67 points to pull off the comeback.” After finishing his math problem, Smith wore a smug expression and turned to Barkley, saying, “Sir Charles, since you’re not good at math, let me ask you a history question: Do you know what the highest single-game score in NBA Summer League history is?” “Who the hell knows about that stuff! I’ve never even played in the Summer League!” Barkley continued, still full of himself… “42 points.” Kenny Smith, his eyes filled with mixed emotions, looked at Gu Yu—who was sitting on the Kings’ bench with an expression as if he were about to ascend to heaven, staring intently at the arena’s dome—and said wistfully, “Marcus Banks, Van Weaver, and Anthony Randolph have all scored 42 points in a single game during the Summer League. If Gu really wants to surpass Wall, that means he’ll have to outscore the all-time record by 25 points in the remaining time of this game…!” Meanwhile, over on Gu Yu’s side… “There really is a skill tree!” On the screen before him, skills were displayed in a list, just like a level-up path in a video game. There were three skill trees in total. At the very top of one of them, a skill appeared dim and dull—clearly not yet activated—but it bore a name familiar to anyone who’d played Dota. “Marksman Talent…?”