The Cricket System : Rise of the Pace Demon

Chapter 55: Team 7 vs Team 9 - Part - 1 : The Dark King’s Shadow

Rohan’s grip on the leather ball tightened, his dark eyes reflecting the rising morning sun.

"Don’t worry, Captain," Rohan said, his voice cold, focused, and steady. "We have a plan. Let’s go show Team 9 what we’re made of."

Aryan looked at his strike bowler, taking in the serene, unshakable confidence in Rohan’s eyes. There was no trace of hesitation, no fear of the dusty track, and no doubt about the daunting task ahead. Aryan nodded firmly, slinging his kit bag over his shoulder.

"Let’s get back to the dressing room," Aryan said, clapping Rohan on the back.

30 Minutes Before the Match

The Head Coach’s Office

The morning sun filtered through the heavy blinds of the Head Coach’s office on the third floor of the stadium complex. The room was deathly quiet, save for the low hum of the air conditioner and the steady ticking of a wall clock.

The Head Coach sat in a leather armchair behind a wide wooden desk, his face set in a cold, unreadable expression. He lifted a porcelain cup to his lips, taking a slow sip of hot black tea. Sitting across from him was two other assistant coaches, their tablet screens illuminated with player data and pitch reports.

Assistant Vashisht hesitated, looking up from his tablet. He leaned forward, unable to contain his burning curiosity any longer.

"Sir... if I may ask," Assistant began cautiously, adjusting his spectacles. "Why are you putting Team 7 through such an extreme trial? Pitch Number 4 hasn’t been watered in two days. It’s a bone-dry, crumbling wasteland. Throwing such a young team—especially with a raw fast bowler like Rohan—onto a spinner’s graveyard against Team 9’s lethal spin attack... isn’t that a bit too cruel?"

The Head Coach slowly set his tea cup back down onto the saucer with a soft, precise clink. The room instantly grew two degrees colder as his sharp, dark eyes swept across his assistants.

"Cruel?" the Head Coach repeated softly, his voice carrying an intimidating weight. "The State Crucible isn’t a nursery, Assistant . It is an anvil. We are not here to comfort boys; we are here to forge men capable of representing Delhi on the national stage."

He leaned back, intertwining his fingers over his desk.

"Besides..." the Head Coach added, his gaze drifting toward the glass window overlooking the stadium grounds, "...some time ago, I received a phone call."

Assistant Coach blinked, caught completely off guard. "A call, sir? From whom?"

The Head Coach’s expression turned extremely serious, his brow furrowing as if recalling a ghost from a forgotten era.

"The Dark Generation King... Monu."

The air in the room seemed to freeze. Assistant Coach’s breath hitched in his throat, his eyes widening in absolute shock. The other assistant coaches looked at each other, murmuring in confusion.

"Monu?" one of the younger assistant coaches asked softly. "Who is he, sir?"

The Head Coach cut him off with a single, sharp raise of his hand.

"There is no need for you to know," the Head Coach stated coldly, his tone leaving zero room for argument. "He belongs to a time when Delhi was ruled by sheer violence and untamed talent. As long as he stays in the shadows, it is better for everyone ."

He turned his gaze toward a blown-up photograph of Rohan Roy on his computer monitor—a snapshot taken during his 139 km/h yorker against Team 4.

"Monu rarely reaches out to anyone in the official circuit," the Head Coach mused softly, a faint, dangerous smirk playing on his lips. "When he called, he didn’t ask for favors. He simply told me to watch the boy carefully. That piqued my curiosity. I want to know... what exactly is the relationship between Monu and this kid? What did that ghost teach him?"

The Head Coach picked up his pen, tapping it against Rohan’s file.

"Testing Rohan on a bowler-friendly green pitch proves nothing. Any fool can bowl fast when the ball bounces to the chest. But testing him on a dead, dusty track where his pace is useless? That will show me if he possesses a true cricketer’s brain. Testing Rohan is going to be incredibly entertaining."

His smile vanished, replaced by a ruthless, unyielding glare.

"Because if you fail under my test, Rohan... if you break under this pressure, I will personally ruin your career before it even begins."

9:00 AM - On the Field

Pitch Number 4

The heat was already rising off the pale, sun-baked surface of Pitch Number 4. Thin cracks snaked across the length of the pitch, and puffs of gray dust rose into the air with every step the groundstaff took. It was a absolute graveyard for fast bowlers and a heaven for spinners.

In the center of the ground, the two team captains stood alongside the official match referee. Aryan adjusted his Team 7 cap, taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart.

Beside him stood the captain of Team 9—a tall, lean left-arm spinner named Sameer, who wore a cold, arrogant expression. Sameer looked at Pitch Number 4, then looked at Aryan, his eyes practically screaming confidence.

"Gentlemen," the referee announced, holding up a shiny gold coin. "Team 7, Captain Aryan, your call."

The referee flipped the coin high into the bright morning sky. The metal glinted in the sun, spinning rapidly before descending toward the dry grass.

Aryan closed his eyes for a fraction of a second, calming his mind and trusting his instincts.

"Tails!" Aryan called out clearly.

Clack.

The coin landed flat on the parched turf. The referee leaned over, inspected the result, and pointed directly at Team 9’s captain.

"Heads it is. Team 9 wins the toss."

Sameer didn’t even hesitate for a second. A sharp, confident grin spread across his face. "We will bat first, sir."

Aryan didn’t flinch. He didn’t let a single flicker of disappointment show on his face. He simply shook Sameer’s hand politely and turned around, walking back toward his team standing near the boundary rope.

As soon as Aryan reached the huddle, Kabir and the rest of Team 7 looked at him anxiously.

"Did we lose the toss, Captain?" Kabir asked nervously.

Aryan looked at his teammates, and then a bright, genuine smile broke out across his face. He clapped his hands together loudly, calling the team into a tight huddle.

"We lost the toss, boys," Aryan said, his voice filled with an infectious, uplifting energy. "But guess what? Everything is going completely according to our master plan!"

The players looked at each other, their tension instantly dissolving under their captain’s absolute composure.

"Team 9 thinks they won the jackpot by batting first on this pitch," Aryan explained, his eyes burning with tactical fire. "They are expecting us to play defensive. They are expecting us to panic. But we are going to strike first! We are going to hit them so hard in the powerplay that they won’t even realize what hit them!"

Aryan turned his head, his gaze locking firmly onto Rohan.

"Rohan... take the new ball. You are opening the bowling. Are you ready for the first over?"

Rohan reached out his right hand, taking the fresh, hard leather ball from Aryan’s palm. The red seam felt rough and defined against his calloused fingers.

"Always ready, Captain," Rohan replied, his voice cold and unwavering.

"Let’s go, Team 7!" Aryan roared. "Attack!"

The eleven players scattered across the field, taking up their defensive positions. Kabir ran behind the stumps, strapping his helmet on, while Aryan took his place at extra cover.

Two Team 9 opening batsmen walked out onto the field, tapping their bats against the dusty ground, looking relaxed and confident. The strike batsman, a heavily padded right-hander named Vikrant, took his guard at the batting crease.

Rohan walked to the top of his bowling mark, twenty-two yards away. He turned around, facing the batsman, and adjusted the ball in his grip.

Suddenly, right before he could take his first step, a bright, blinding cyan light flashed directly in front of his vision.

DING!

A massive, glowing holographic panel erupted into existence, hovering over the pitch.

[Ding! New Quest Triggered.]

[QUEST: KING OF SELECTION CAMP]

[Description: The State Crucible is designed to eliminate the weak. To prove your dominance and secure your place as the undisputed anchor of Delhi’s elite squad, you must achieve complete statistical dominance across the selection tournament.]

• Objective 1: Take 4 / 18 Wickets in total during the Crucible.

• Objective 2: Complete a 5-Wicket Haul 0 / 3 times.

• Objective 3: Complete final selection into the Delhi Under-19 State Team.

[QUEST REWARDS:]

• +90 Skill Points (SP)

• [In-Swing Mastery] (Skill Unlocked)

• +5 Agility Stat Points

[FAILURE PENALTY:]

• Completely banned from Under-19 State Selection for 3 years.

Rohan’s heart skipped a beat as he read the sheer magnitude of the rewards. +90 SP?! In-Swing Mastery?! That was enough skill capital to transform him from a raw fast bowler into an absolute cricketing monster! But the failure penalty was terrifying—a complete 3-year ban from state cricket would effectively kill his professional dreams before they even started.

18 wickets... three 5-wicket hauls... Rohan thought, his dark eyes narrowing with intense determination. It’s insane, but I will achieve it!

He blinked, dismissing the main quest panel, and focused entirely on the batsman standing twenty-two yards away. He took a deep, rhythmic breath, feeling his upgraded Physique and Agility syncing harmoniously.

Rohan began his run-up.

One, two, three...

His strides were fluid and explosive. He glided across the turf, his footfalls light yet packed with kinetic energy. As he reached the bowling crease, he didn’t try to force extreme speed. Instead, he relied on his newly upgraded Line & Length.

He gathered his body, drove his front knee up, and snapped his wrist with surgical precision.

SWOOSH!

The ball left his hand at a crisp 133 km/h, hurtling down the pitch on a tight, uncompromising 4th-stump line.

The batsman, Vikrant, expecting a wild, bouncier delivery that he could easily slide away on the dusty track, was forced to adjust instantly. The ball pitched right on a length, gripped the dry surface slightly, and darted straight toward the off-stump.

Vikrant quickly brought his bat down, offering a firm, defensive stroke.

THWACK!

The ball struck the dead center of the bat and rolled harmlessly onto the pitch. Rohan ran through his follow-through, fielding the ball himself with smooth, athletic grace, and tossed it back to Kabir behind the stumps.

First ball of the innings: A picture-perfect dot ball.

Rohan walked back toward his bowling mark, feeling completely in control. He had established his line. He had felt the pitch.

But just as he turned around at the top of his mark, a second, flashing red-and-gold holographic panel slammed into his vision with a sharp, frantic chime.

DING!

[Ding! New Side Quest Triggered!]

[QUEST: CRUSH TEAM 9]

[Description: Team 9 believes their spin attack and tactical superiority make them untouchable on Pitch Number 4. Destroy their arrogance and dismantle their core leadership.]

• Objective 1: Take 0 / 3 Wickets in this match.

• Objective 2: Dismiss the opponent Team Captain (Sameer).

• Objective 3: Hit 0 / 2 Sixes while batting.

[QUEST REWARDS:]

• +15 Skill Points (SP)

[FAILURE PENALTY:]

• Deduction of -20 Skill Points (SP)

Rohan stood frozen at the top of his bowling mark, his eyes wide as he stared at the red text glowing in front of him.

"Whaaaaaat?!" Rohan blurted out in his head, his jaw dropping under his breath. "-20 SP penalty if I fail?!"

He currently had 0 SP sitting in his inventory after his midnight spending spree! If he failed this side quest and suffered a 20 SP deduction, his stats would literally be forced into negative debt, crippling his progression indefinitely!

And to make matters worse... Objective 3 required him to hit 2 Sixes! On a crumbling, dry pitch against elite state-level spinners, with a pathetic Batting stat of timing and power !

Rohan looked up at the sunny sky, clutching the red leather ball tightly in his hand, a mixture of shock, adrenaline, and pure madness washing over him.

The State Crucible had just dialed the difficulty up to maximum.