The Cricket System : Rise of the Pace Demon

The torrential Delhi monsoon had finally broken, washing away the oppressive summer heat and leaving the city slick and smelling of wet asphalt.

Inside the small, two-bedroom apartment in West Delhi, the ceiling fan rattled with a rhythmic click. Rohan’s father, a man whose shoulders were permanently stooped from thirty years of managing a chaotic retail store, sat at the dining table. He was staring at a thick, cream-colored envelope bearing a very official, very intimidating crest.

Board of Cricket Council In Delhi (BCCD).

Rohan walked out of his bedroom, toweling his hair dry after a shower. His 36 Physique meant he barely looked like the frail kid from a month ago; his shoulders were broader, his posture ramrod straight, and the lean muscle on his forearms coiled tightly beneath his skin.

"Rohan," his father said, his voice unusually hoarse. He pushed the letter across the plastic tablecloth. "This came via registered post this morning. It... it has your name on it."

Rohan picked up the envelope, noting the heavy weight of the paper. He broke the wax seal and unfolded the letter.

OFFICIAL INVITATION: DELHI STATE SELECTION TRIALS

To: Mr. Rohan Roy (St. Peter’s High School)

Based on your exceptional performance in the Zonal Under-16 Finals, you have been scouted and fast-tracked by the BCCD Talent Identification Committee.

You are hereby invited to attend the Delhi State Under-19 Reserve Camp.

Venue: Varun Jaitley Stadium (Practice Annex).

Date: July 14th (Two weeks from receipt).

Note: Please arrive in full whites. Kit bags will not be provided. Selection is strictly merit-based.

Rohan read the letter twice, his face an emotionless mask, though his heart hammered a sudden, violent rhythm against his ribs.

"Under-19?" his mother gasped, setting a plate of parathas on the table. She looked terrified. "But you just turned fifteen! Those boys are grown men. They’ll hurt you!"

"It’s a fast-track invitation, Ma," Rohan said calmly, folding the letter and slipping it into his pocket. "They scouted me at the Zonal Final. They don’t care about age anymore. They care about pace."

His father looked up, a mix of profound pride and deep anxiety swimming in his tired eyes. "Rohan... professional trials? This isn’t school cricket anymore. If you make this team... you get a DDCA contract. You get a stipend."

"I know, Baba," Rohan said softly, sitting down to eat. "That’s the plan."

He didn’t celebrate. He didn’t jump up and down like Kabir would have. The moment he finished his breakfast, he returned to his room and locked the door.

The regional school circuit was a puddle. The Under-19 State Camp was the ocean. And in the ocean, there were sharks.

Rohan sat cross-legged on his bed. He closed his eyes and sank his consciousness deep into his mind.

"System," Rohan commanded. "Initialize Version 2.0. Open Mindscape AI Coach Mode."

The transition wasn’t a fade to white like before. It was instantaneous.

Rohan found himself standing on a hyper-realistic cricket pitch. The grass wasn’t just a generic green anymore; he could see individual blades, patches of dry earth, and the distinct, abrasive cracks of a day-four Kotla pitch. The sky above was a vibrant, flawless blue.

A voice echoed through the stadium. It wasn’t the cold, robotic chime of Version 1.0. It was smooth, analytical, and distinctly human.

[Welcome to AI Coach Mode, Host. System Upgrade v2.0 is fully operational. How may I assist your development today?]

"I’ve been drafted to the U-19 State Trials," Rohan said, looking around the incredibly detailed stadium. "I need a reality check. Load a standard Under-19 State-level opening batsman at the striker’s end."

[Processing Request. Generating ’Standard U-19 Pro’ Profile.]

The golden, faceless avatar materialized at the batting crease. However, this time, it was distinctly larger, heavily muscled, and held its bat with a terrifyingly still, balanced stance.

"Set my physical stats to current," Rohan ordered. "Give me the ball."

A deep crimson SG ball materialized in his right hand.

Rohan marked his run-up. He wanted to see if the weapon that had completely destroyed Prithvi Varma would work on a borderline professional. He gripped the ball, perfectly engaging the Inverted Seam node.

He ran in. His 36 Physique fired, his Intermediate Core Stabilization absorbed the shock, and his Steel Cords & Silk Wrists snapped violently.

WHOOSH.

The ball rocketed out at exactly 132.1 km/h. The seam scrambled, tumbling chaotically through the air. It pitched on a good length and violently jagged inward.

Against Prithvi, this ball had shattered the stumps.

The U-19 AI batsman didn’t panic. He didn’t push his hands out. In a fraction of a second, the AI recognized the chaotic trajectory off the pitch, swiftly rocked onto its back foot, opened the face of the bat, and punched the 132 km/h delivery beautifully through the covers for a simulated boundary.

CRACK.

Rohan stood in his follow-through, his eyes wide.

[Simulation Concluded. Delivery Defeated.]

"Analysis," Rohan demanded, his jaw tight. "Why didn’t it work? The seam was scrambled. He couldn’t have read it in the air."

[AI Coach Analysis: You are correct, Host. The batsman did not read the seam in the air. However, the U-19 Professional baseline for human reflex speed is 0.18 seconds. At 132 km/h, the ball takes approximately 0.48 seconds to reach the batsman.

Furthermore, your ’Giant Slayer’s Aura’ is ineffective against players who do not have a pre-established ego or fear of you. A professional batsman simply waits for the ball to deviate off the pitch and relies on elite hand-eye coordination to adjust. Pure deception without overwhelming pace is insufficient at the professional tier.]

Rohan stared at the pitch.

The math was brutal, but it made perfect sense. School kids panicked when they couldn’t read a ball. Professionals just waited for the ball to do its thing and reacted.

"To beat a U-19 professional reflex," Rohan muttered, looking at his hands, "I need to take away their reaction time."

[Affirmative. To bypass a 0.18-second reflex baseline using late deviation, the optimal delivery speed must exceed 140 km/h. At 140+ km/h, human biology physically cannot adjust to late seam movement. It becomes unplayable.]

"140 km/h," Rohan breathed.

Just a month ago, 112 km/h had felt like his absolute physical limit. Now, the System was telling him he needed to find another 8 kilometers per hour of raw, unadulterated speed in just two weeks, or he would be eaten alive at the trials.

"System," Rohan said, pulling up his v2.0 Status Panel. "Show me my stats."

[Physical Attributes]

• Physique: 36/200

• Stamina: 36/200

• Agility: 25/200

• Available SP: 103

The stat limits had doubled. 36 out of 100 had made him an amateur powerhouse. 36 out of 200 meant he was barely crawling at the professional level.

He had 103 System Points in the bank from his S-Rank campaign victory. It was a massive fortune, but he needed to spend it wisely.

"System, open the Advanced Trait Tree."

A sprawling, three-dimensional web of nodes appeared in the sky of the Mindscape. These weren’t simple stat boosts or mechanical blueprints; these were physiological mutations.

[Trait Node: Fast-Twitch Muscle Dominance (Tier 1)]

Description:Rewires the Host’s muscular composition in the lower body, converting 20% of slow-twitch fibers into explosive fast-twitch fibers. Drastically increases run-up acceleration and crease-jump height.

Direct Impact: +4 to 6 km/h Base Pace.

Cost: 75 SP.

Rohan’s eyes locked onto the node.

Seventy-five points. It would nearly wipe out his entire vault. But he didn’t need to save points; he needed to survive the Under-19 camp. If he showed up bowling 132 km/h, he’d just be another decent medium-fast bowler in a sea of state-level freaks. If he showed up pushing 140 km/h with a scrambled seam, he would be a nightmare.

"Unlock Fast-Twitch Muscle Dominance," Rohan commanded, bracing himself.

[Ding! 75 SP deducted. Remaining SP: 28.]

[Initiating Physiological Rewire...]

Rohan was violently ejected from the Mindscape.

He slammed back into his physical body on the bed, gasping for air. His legs instantly seized up. It felt as though hot lead was being injected directly into his quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves. His muscles spasmed uncontrollably, the fibers literally tearing themselves apart and rebuilding on a cellular level to optimize for pure, explosive power.

He bit down hard on his pillow to muffle a scream, sweat pouring down his face, soaking his shirt.

The agonizing transformation lasted for ten brutal minutes. When it finally subsided, Rohan rolled off the bed, his legs trembling wildly.

He stood up.

He felt... different. His legs didn’t feel heavy with fatigue; they felt like compressed hydraulic pistons. The sheer, terrifying potential energy stored in his thighs made him want to sprint straight through the bedroom wall.

A blue screen flickered in his vision.

[Trait Acquired: Fast-Twitch Muscle Dominance (Tier 1)]

[Base Pace Recalibrated: 121 km/h -> 138.5 km/h (Peak)]

Rohan leaned against his desk, panting, a wild, exhausted grin spreading across his face.

138.5 km/h. He was knocking on the door of the 140 club.

His phone buzzed on the desk. It was Monu Bhaiya.

Rohan picked it up. "Yeah, Bhaiya?"

"Vikram just called me," Monu’s voice crackled through the speaker, sounding deadly serious. "Word on the street is you got a BCCD letter for the U-19 camp. Is it true?"

"Yeah. Trials are in two weeks," Rohan said, wiping sweat from his eyes.

"Listen to me very carefully, Rohan," Monu said, dropping his usual street-smart swagger. "The U-19 camp is a meat grinder. The guys there have state-sponsored diets, private biomechanics coaches, and sponsors. You are a public school kid with a decent arm. If you go in there acting like you own the place because you beat some rich school kids, they will end your career in a day. Meet me at Iron Core in thirty minutes. We have two weeks to turn you into a monster."

"Don’t worry, Bhaiya," Rohan said, looking down at his trembling, newly mutated legs. "I’m already halfway there."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!