Jin finished the rest of his workout uneventfully, no more turkeys or surprise collisions to throw him off.
Once he made it back home, he showered, scarfed down breakfast, and got ready for school.
His mom dropped him off at the front gate, and this time, Jin navigated the halls with ease.
He slipped into his seat next to Ren just before the bell rang.
Classes were just as dull as the day before, but having Ren around made them bearable. The two passed the time trading whispers, bad puns, and half-serious arguments over who'd win in a presidential race, The Rock or Mr. Beast?
When the final bell rang, they grabbed their bags and headed straight for the courts.
After the trademark "warm-up" run and group stretches, Coach Ruplinger called everyone together.
"Alright guys! Today's our first day of drills," he announced. "This week, we're locking in on fundamentals. Forehands and backhands. I want you to drill them until you can hit them with your eyes closed!."
What followed was an hour and a half of nonstop rally work. The coach rotated between pairs, calling out pointers and adjusting stances.
"Bend those knees, Jin!"
"Ren, finish your swing!"
"Balance, tennis is played from the ground up!"
By the end of practice, everyone was drenched in sweat, their arms wobbling like newborn deer. Jin was no exception.
As they walked back to the front, Ren let out a dramatic sigh.
"Man, I swear Coach is training us to fight off a pack of turkeys or something."
Jin stared at him, wide-eyed.
Ren noticed. "Bro, why are you looking at me like that?"
Jin scratched the back of his head. "Let's just say I had a… weird run-in with some turkeys this morning."
Ren gave him a look but didn't press.
He just held his head and kept walking.
By the time they reached the gate, Jin's mom was already waiting with the window rolled down.
"Hey boys! Hope practice was fun," Lily called out cheerfully.
Ren groaned.
"If your definition of fun is getting tortured, then yeah, I had a blast."
Lily laughed. "How about you join us for dinner tonight, Ren? Kai's home too, it'll be fun!"
"Really? Let me ask my mom real quick," Ren said, already pulling out his phone.
Five minutes later, with the green light from his mom, Ren climbed into the car with them.
The three of them set off toward the Zhang house, chatting and laughing along the way.
Once they made it home, Jin and Ren were greeted at the door by Kai and Jason.
"Woah, it's Ren!" they said in unison.
"Hey guys, it's been a while how's it going?" Ren replied with a grin.
The four of them exchanged jokes and small talk in the living room while Lily finished setting the table for dinner. The house felt warm and alive, filled with the casual buzz of voices and clinking dishes.
When dinner was ready, everyone gathered around the table. Plates were filled, laughter flowed freely, and stories were passed around by everyone. Kai shared some hilarious moments from his college dorm, Jason gave a brief (and surprisingly engaging) explanation of a strange engineering problem he'd solved from work, and Jin recounted his turkey encounter from that morning, complete with dramatic reenactment. Laughter erupted around the table.
"You didn't tell me you run every morning now," Ren said between bites, eyes wide in mock disbelief.
"Oh, he does," Lily chimed in proudly. "Rain or shine. It's become his new thing."
"No way. Are we sure we're talking about the same Jin?" Ren teased.
"Oi, don't be rude it's true," Jin shot back with a playful smirk. "Maybe you should join me sometime."
Ren raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, sure. Maybe if I fix my tragic sleep schedule."
The dinner continued with more laughter, teasing, and light-hearted chaos until Ren finally checked his phone and stood up.
"My mom's almost here," he said, stretching his arms. "Thanks for the food, Mrs. Zhang. That was amazing."
"You're always welcome here," Lily smiled warmly.
Jin walked Ren to the door. "See you tomorrow?"
"Obviously. Same time."
They dapped each other up before Ren stepped outside.
Back upstairs, Jin finally collapsed onto his bed, a satisfied smile on his face.
And just like that 3 more days passed.
Jin's crazy new reality has become routine now.
Waking up to workout, going to school, and finishing tennis practice all became second nature again.
Each day blurred into the next, muscle memory forming where confusion used to be.
"Wild how fast humans can adapt, huh…" Jin muttered to himself.
It was now midday Saturday, nearly a week since he'd gone back in time. He sat cross-legged on his bed, just after claiming his daily rewards.
+20 Gems
+10 Stat Points
With that, his totals now stood at 50 Gems and 10 Stat Points.
Jin opened the system screen, eyes scanning over his newly upgraded stats.
***
SYSTEM (ServeOS)
NAME: JIN ZHANG
AGE: 13
TALENT: NOVICE +
GEMS: 50
STAT POINTS: 10
{Physical stats}
STRENGTH: F ●○○○○
DEXTERITY: F ●●●○○
STAMINA: D- ○○○○○
BALANCE: F ●●●○○
{Mental Stats}
Resilience: A- ○○○○○
Game Knowledge: C+ ○○○○○
Composure: D ○○○○○
Focus: D ●○○○○
{TECHNICAL STATS}
SERVING: F+ ○○○○○
GROUNDSTROKES: F+ ●●●●○
VOLLEY: F- ○○○○○
FOOTWORK: F- ●●●●○
***
"Woah," Jin said under his breath. "Strength, stamina, and groundstrokes all went up a sub-rank already? Not to mention the boosts in other areas."
"I guess it makes sense after the brutal groundstroke training I've been doing"
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "The real question is… what do I spend my points and gems on?"
After a moment's pause, he nodded to himself.
"I think my stamina's high enough now to survive practice without blacking out. Footwork is where I'm still struggling, it affects everything, from setting up my shots to preserving energy… Yeah. That's the move."
He allocated all ten of his stat points into Footwork.
***
FOOTWORK: F- ●●●●○ → FOOTWORK: F+ ●●●●○
***
The familiar wave of energy surged through him but this time, it pooled heavily in his legs. A dull ache flared in his calves and feet, as though the system was reshaping the very muscles beneath his skin.
"Ow."
Jin grimaced and rubbed his soles. "That kinda hurt…"
He took a breath, then sat up straighter.
"Well, now on to the main course… gems."
He reopened the Skills section. Thirteen skills glowed before him, each one priced at 50 gems his exact total.
Jin leaned in, eyes sharp, scanning each one carefully.
***
SKILLS COMMON
FAST FOOTWORK (50 Gems)
improves footwork speed
SWEETSPOT (50 Gems)
increases chance of hitting the middle of the racquet
STABLE WRIST(50 Gems)
Improves shot stability and reduces shanking under pressure
LIGHT GRIP(50 Gems)
Improves racquet control for volleys and drop shots
STEADY BREATHING(50 Gems)
Slightly increases stamina regeneration during rallies
EAGLE EYE (50 Gems)
Improves tracking of the opponent's movements and incoming ball path
READ & REACT(50 Gems)
Reduces reaction time when facing fast balls
CONSISTENCY BOOST(50 Gems)
Slightly lowers the chance of unforced errors on groundstrokes
RECOVERY STEP(50 Gems)
Increases recovery speed after wide shots
SPIN SENSE(50 Gems)
Improves recognition and handling of topspin and slice shots
SERVE RHYTHM(50 Gems)
Makes serving motion more fluid, increasing first serve consistency
FIRM GRIT(50 Gems)
Minor boost to composure in long rallies or after losing points
DASH START(50 Gems)
Increases explosiveness in the first step toward the ball
***
So many tempting choices.
So many possibilities.
Jin took a deep breath and whispered to himself, "Alright… let's go with this one"