MTL - Bamboo Horse Alpha - Chapter 18 basketball game

He is a firefighter, his face blackened by smoke, coming from the flames, and in one glance, his life was set.The first time he met the young girl, she bent slightly towards him and said, “Sir...”He was amused, thinking she was a little eccentric...She had never seen such a handsome man, tall like a general, and when their eyes met, she was bewildered and forgot she wasn't in the palace...Later, during the school art performance, the young girl sat on stage, dressed in ancient costume, with a veil covering her face, holding a pipa, her eyebrows shy, appearing both delicate and graceful...He raised his alluring eyes, recalling the girl said she knew a little about musical instruments and chess; she was modest.Seeing him in the audience, her heart raced, wanting to perform well but accidentally struck the wrong chord, fortunately unnoticed by him...Later still, the young girl, now grown, suddenly confessed to him, and the usually calm and composed man was caught off guard...It was a love she had hidden deep in her heart for many years, like shards of glass in her palm, both a patient endurance and impulsive agony...The joy of love at first sight, a hidden affection...She would never know that the brother she secretly admired had been waiting for her to grow up...

Kazura was selected as the winner on a lottery that he bought on a whim and received ¥4,000,000,000 (4 billion yen).

An unearthly beauty with black hair, snow-white skin, and bright red lips... Yue Ran has been told that she was born exceptionally beautiful for as long as she can remember. She meets all people's expectations for beauty, but she is a girl who loves no one but herself.Only such a person can be invincible in many small worlds.Ah, but there is one thing she lacks: free will.

Eli Turner had perfected the art of coasting through life, gaming, lounging, and vibing with no grand ambitions beyond the next high. But his laid-back existence is upended when his laptop inexplicably transforms into a gateway to another world. What starts as a surreal escape becomes a perilous journey as Eli finds himself wielding a mysterious system that allows him to level up, fight monsters, and gain abilities beyond his wildest dreams.At first, the portal world feels like a haven, offering purpose and adventure Eli never knew he craved. Guided, or manipulated, by Azrael, a mischievous god orchestrating the game, Eli rises as one of the system's chosen players. But as the quests grow more dangerous and Azrael’s true intentions begin to surface, Eli struggles to balance the fantasy world with his life back home. His girlfriend, Sara, and his friends are left grappling with a version of Eli they hardly recognize, as the lines between his two lives blur.When the system expands to players worldwide, Eli crosses paths with others drawn into Azrael’s cosmic experiment: Yumi Tanaka, a fiercely disciplined Japanese student with a perfectionist streak, and Arjun Mehta, a charming Indian playboy with secrets of his own. Each carries their own burdens and ambitions, but all three must face the harsh truth: Azrael’s game is far more than it seems.As alliances are forged, rivalries ignite, and the stakes escalate, Eli must confront not only the dangers of the portal world but the growing rift between the person he is and the hero he’s becoming. In a game where every move is a test and every choice ripples across both worlds, the question remains: can Eli, Yumi, and Arjun uncover the truth before the system consumes them all?