Zaid Khan : A billion Dreams

Zaid rolled his shoulders, feeling the tension in his muscles. Nine more hits.

The target shimmered slightly, as if taunting him.

He adjusted his stance, inhaled deeply, and bowled again.

Thud!

The ball struck the target with pinpoint accuracy.

[ 2/10 Succesfull hits ]

Zaid exhaled sharply. He couldn't lose focus.

His fingers tightened around the ball as he prepared for the third shot. This time, he increased the spin slightly, testing his control.

The ball curved in mid-air—

Thud!

Another hit.

[ 3/10 Succesfull hits ]

A small grin tugged at Zaid's lips.

But just as he was about to bowl again, the System flashed a new notification.

[ New Variable Introduced: Fatigue]

Your stamina is depleting. Accuracy may be affected.

Stamina:55/100

Zaid clenched his jaw.

So, the System was testing him now?

He took a moment to steady his breathing. If fatigue was setting in, he needed to adapt.

He adjusted his grip again and focused.

The fourth ball flew—

Thud!

[4/10 Successful Hits]

He could feel it now. The strain in his arm. The dull ache spreading through his shoulder.

But this was nothing.

He had endured worse.

And he wasn't about to stop now.

Zaid wiped the sweat off his forehead and lined up the next shot.

He was going to finish this.

Zaid shook out his arm, rolling his shoulder to ease the stiffness. The System's warning about fatigue lingered in his mind, but he forced himself to focus.

Six more to go.

He could feel the sweat dripping down his temples, the sun climbing higher in the sky. The park around him was coming alive—children chasing each other, old men deep in discussion, the distant honking of rickshaws on the main road. But in his world, only one thing mattered.

The next throw.

Zaid steadied his breath, his fingers finding the seam of the ball. He took a short run-up and released—

Thud!

[5/10 Successful Hits]

His stamina bar flashed again.

[ stamina: 49/100 ]

He exhaled through gritted teeth. His energy was draining faster than he expected.

But so what?

He had trained in worse conditions.

Ignoring the ache in his muscles, he bowled again.

Thud!

[6/10 Successful Hits]

Another perfect hit.

But this time, the System threw something new at him—

[New Obstacle Introduced: Wind Interference]

A strong breeze will affect ball trajectory. Adjust accordingly.

Zaid's eyes narrowed. He hadn't expected the System to add real-world conditions into the challenge.

He wiped his sweaty palms on his shorts and observed the subtle movement of the leaves around him. The wind had picked up slightly, pushing toward his left.

That meant he had to compensate.

Taking a deep breath, he adjusted his aim slightly to the right before releasing the ball.

The wind carried it—

Thud!

[7/10 Successful Hits]

A rush of adrenaline surged through him.

This was more than just practice now.

This was war.

And Zaid wasn't backing down.

Zaid wiped his sweaty palms on his shorts, his breath steady but his body aching.

Three more to go.

The wind still howled lightly around him, rustling the trees, but he had already adjusted to it. His mind was locked in. Nothing else mattered—just him, the ball, and the target.

He took a slow breath, feeling the weight of the cricket ball in his palm. This was it.

With a sharp step forward, he bowled.

Thud!

The ball slammed into the target, dead center.

[ 8/10 Succesfull hits ]

His fingers tightened around the ball.

Two more.

His muscles burned, his legs felt like lead, but he ignored it all. He visualized the next throw, adjusted for the wind, and let it fly.

Thud!

[ 9/10 Successful Hits]

[System Notification: Accuracy Boost Activated – Your next throw will have a slight precision enhancement due to consecutive successful hits.]

Zaid's lips curled into a small smirk.

One last shot.

He exhaled, rolling his shoulders. His fingers felt raw from gripping the ball for so long, but he embraced the pain. He lived for this.

He took his stance, locked onto the target, and bowled.

The ball sliced through the air—

Thud!

[10/10 Successful Hits]

[Mission Complete!]

+2 Bowling Accuracy

+1 Mental Resilience

A rush of satisfaction washed over Zaid as the blue notification faded.

He had done it.

And more importantly—he had pushed past his limits.

But as he caught his breath, a new notification flickered before him.

[New Feature Unlocked: Skill Customization]

Zaid's eyes widened.

What the hell was this?