Chapter 10: Leveling Up 4 Times, Tennis Skill Tree

  Hyotei Academy Tennis Club.

  After leaving the training court, Ishikawa found a secluded corner in the rest area and sat down.

  The intense match had drained nearly all of his stamina. Fortunately, his strong mental resilience and unwavering willpower had allowed him to withstand Shinohara’s relentless attacks.

  Otherwise...

  If his defensive line had been breached, the outcome of the match would have been completely different.

  No one else knew, but Ishikawa was well aware that at the end of the day, he was still a tennis novice. His ability to shut out his opponent was entirely due to the support of his mental and technical stats, along with the bonuses from his maxed-out kendo proficiency.

  He still had a long way to go before he could truly be called a top pyer.

  “Let’s see what I gained from this match.”

  After reflecting on his performance, Ishikawa examined the benefits of the match.

  Basic Groundstroke: Lv2 (37/50)Basic Serve: Lv2 (18/50)Basic Topspin: Lv1 (9/20)Basic Sidespin: Lv1 (6/20)Basic Smash: Lv0 (3/10)

  A single intense match had activated five fundamental tennis skills.

  Aside from the smash, which he had rarely used, all the other four skills had improved. His serve and groundstroke had even leveled up twice.

  This was understandable.

  During the match, Ishikawa had been forced into a back-and-forth rally by Shinohara, and each time, he had to rely on simple groundstrokes to return the ball. The frequent exchanges naturally enhanced his groundstroke ability the most.

  With a thought, Ishikawa tapped on the excmation mark next to the "Skills" section.

  Immediately, five shadowy trees appeared within his field of vision.

  “Is this... a skill tree?”

  Each tree was divided into three sections: upper, middle, and lower. Branches and twigs extended from these sections.

  Among them, the trees representing his Basic Groundstroke and Basic Serve had their lowest sections filled nearly two-thirds of the way with light. Basic Topspin and Basic Sidespin had only about a third filled, while the Basic Smash tree barely showed a faint glimmer at its base.

  “So, the fundamental techniques serve as the trunk of the skill tree. Only by improving these core skills can I unlock more advanced techniques.”

  This aligned with his understanding of tennis in the original story.

  However…

  Looking at the skill tree as a whole, only the very tip of the lowest section had any branches extending outward.

  “In other words, I need to reach Level 3 in my basic techniques before I can unlock more advanced skills. Well, no point overthinking it now.”

  Ishikawa shook his head, quickly regaining his composure.

  For him, unlocking advanced techniques wasn’t the priority at the moment. His main goal was to strengthen his fundamentals, improve his physical condition, and level up his character.

  With that in mind, he exited the skill tree interface and turned his attention to the experience points he had accumuted.

  Winning the match had granted him 15 XP, while completing a mission had rewarded him with 80 XP. That meant he now had a total of 95 XP.

  Raising his character’s level from 0 to 1 only required 10 XP.

  Without hesitation, Ishikawa allocated 10 XP to his character.

  [Ding!]

  [Pyer Level Up! Gained 3 Skill Points!]

  [Skill Points can be used to enhance basic and advanced techniques.]

  “I can level up my skills directly?”

  Ishikawa’s eyes lit up.

  Including the 1 skill point he had earned from his fwless victory against Shinohara, he now had 4 skill points in total.

  Without hesitation, he immediately allocated two skill points to his Basic Groundstroke.

  [Ding!]

  [Basic Groundstroke leveled up! Current Level: Lv3 (0/100)]

  [Ding!]

  [Invalid Operation! Please refer to system guidelines for details.]

  “Huh?”

  Ishikawa frowned.

  Checking his skill points, he realized he still had 3 remaining. Looking at the system’s detailed expnation, he finally understood the reason.

  Skill Leveling System:Beginner Stage (Lv1-3): Costs 1 skill point per levelIntermediate Stage (Lv4-6): Costs 3 skill points per levelAdvanced Stage (Lv7-9): Costs 6 skill points per level

  “Damn, I wasted a skill point.”

  Realizing this, Ishikawa regretted his decision.

  His Basic Groundstroke only required 13 XP to level up naturally, but he had used an entire skill point instead.

  Because of this, he decided to save his remaining skill points for more significant upgrades or crucial moments rather than using them carelessly.

  At this moment, he still had 85 XP and 3 skill points remaining. The cost to level up from Lv1 to Lv2 was 20 XP.

  After careful consideration, Ishikawa chose to prioritize leveling up.

  [Ding!]

  [Pyer Level Up! Current Level: Lv2]

  [Ding!]

  [Pyer Level Up! Current Level: Lv3]

  [Ding!]

  [Pyer Level Up! Current Level: Lv4]

  In one go, he leveled up four times, leaving him with 12 skill points in total.

  However, he didn’t rush to spend them.

  From the XP progression, it was clear that leveling up from Lv0 to Lv1 and Lv1 to Lv2 wasn’t difficult.

  Since this was only the first day at Hyotei Academy, and there was still time before the intra-school ranking tournament, Ishikawa knew he had plenty of opportunities to refine his skills.

  His five core attributes hadn’t increased along with his level, but that didn’t surprise him.

  Gncing at the other pyers practicing their swings, Ishikawa stood up and joined them.

  “One!”“Two!”“Three!”

  In a corner of the training area, Ishikawa assumed his stance and, like the others, repeatedly practiced his swings.

  After three minutes, some newcomers started losing strength and took breaks.

  After five minutes, half of them had stopped.

  After ten minutes, only a small handful remained.

  After thirty minutes, only Ishikawa was left, still swinging his racket non-stop.

  Drip.Drip.

  Sweat trickled down his forehead, soaking his shirt, but Ishikawa’s expression remained unchanged.

  His gaze was as firm as ever.

  "He's incredible!"

  "Is he really a first-year like us?"

  "No wonder he beat that third-year pyer earlier. I totally respect him now."

  "Wait, who is he? Is he really that good?"

  "You didn’t see the match? This guy, Ishikawa, completely crushed a third-year pyer—6-0!"

  "What?! A 6-0 score? That’s insane!"

  The surrounding first-years whispered among themselves.

  At first, they thought Ishikawa had just been lucky, but after seeing his sheer determination and willpower, they were completely convinced.

  "So that's Ishikawa Shin..."

  Not far away, a tall, silver-haired boy curiously observed him.

  This was none other than Otori Chotarou, one of Atobe’s chosen regurs, and the powerhouse behind the "Cannonball Serve".

  "He's not even 170cm tall, huh?"

  Looking at Ishikawa, Chotarou's curiosity deepened.

  "And yet, in a single match, he nded 12 fwless ACE serves—without a single mistake."

  Even he had a first-serve success rate of only 75%, and double faults were still a possibility.

  Yet this first-year had twelve consecutive successful ACE serves.

  Chotarou couldn't help but wonder—

  "Just how does Ishikawa understand serving?"

  (End of Chapter 10)