My Prince of Tennis has a high proficiency level.

But his father's face had never been as clear as it was at this moment.

I went back to my room.

Yumi took out a yellowed photograph from the middle of a magazine that was clearly quite old.

He was a young man with flaxen hair and a robust build. He had a high nose bridge, and his narrow eyes shone with a sharp light like a hawk's.

At the top of that magazine page, the headline read: 'The Strongest Man in Men's Singles in the Kanto Region—Kohei Kimishima!'

"I never imagined that 30 years would have passed in the blink of an eye."

Seeing the date written in the magazine, Yumi felt a mix of emotions, but also a struggle in her eyes.

She thought of her own father, who hadn't achieved his dream, and knew how much effort he had poured into tennis. But she was even more worried about the immense pressure that dream would place on Shibukawa.

"Let's forget about it."

She shook her head, put the photo back, and placed the magazine in its original spot, as if she had never opened it.

Chapter 6 National Competition

Seven o'clock in the morning.

Shibukawa then went to Yamabuki's tennis club.

It's summer vacation now, so he doesn't need to waste time on other coursework. Besides, in his previous life he was a student who got into a top-tier university (985), so junior high school courses are no problem for him at all.

Given his current low starting point, he's no match for even third-rate players like Muromachi, let alone the top-tier school team members from the original story.

Fortunately, he had a system he was proficient in.

With enough time and effort, one can continuously gain training experience and quickly improve their skills.

but.

Shechuan underestimated the amount of training he did yesterday.

At this moment, he felt an inexplicable soreness and swelling in his legs and right wrist. He knew very well that this was a normal reaction of his body after a long period of inactivity followed by a sudden high-intensity workout.

therefore.

What he needs today is adaptive training.

You must avoid putting excessive strain on your body while ensuring you get basic training every day.

Shechuan was also well aware of this.

What I need right now is not to improve my ball skills, but to make my body stronger as soon as possible.

This requires him to train consistently. Fortunately, he has a proficiency panel, so what is tedious and repetitive training for ordinary people is as interesting as leveling up in a game.

Look around.

Shibukawa found a secluded corner and began his warm-up. Next came jogging to activate his body. After that, he did push-ups, crunches, and other exercises to strengthen his physique.

Unsurprisingly.

After his training reached a certain level, push-ups and crunches were activated into skills that could be seen with the naked eye.

Encouraged, Shechuan threw himself into training even more diligently.

...

the other side.

On Kyushu Island, on the western side of the Japanese archipelago.

In the heart of Kumamoto city, the largest tennis park was packed with people.

Without him.

This is simply because this year's National Junior High School Tennis Tournament is being held here.

now.

The top 24 teams in all of Japan gathered here. Even many teams that did not qualify came to watch.

This includes Yamabuki, who was eliminated from the top four in the Kanto Tournament and missed the national tournament.

"This year's Rikkai University team is clearly stronger."

In the audience seats, a burly, brown-haired boy spoke in a deep voice.

Kenichi Uesugi.

The captain of the Yamabuki Tennis Club.

At 14 years old, he's a well-known figure in the Kanto region. But on a national scale, he's not quite there.

"Ah."

Upon hearing Uesugi's words, everyone nodded in agreement.

These 24 teams are all serious opponents for Yamabuki. But only Rikkai University Affiliated Junior High School, which handed back the banner bearing the word "Victory" to the official staff, is the true champion team.

In the eyes of Uesugi and the other third-year students, the only team that could be compared to it was probably the team led by that godlike man two years ago.

the difference is.

That team was just a flash in the pan, falling from grace last summer, and replaced by this top-tier team from the Kanagawa region in the Kanto area.

and.

Rikkai's roster this year is almost unchanged from last year. In particular, the key players remain the absolute core of the team.

What's even more terrifying is that these people have become stronger!

really.

With the conclusion of the national competition opening ceremony.

After a bye, Rikkai's first match showed everyone what absolute dominance truly meant.

Takagi Academy from Fukuoka Prefecture was utterly crushed with a clean 5-0 score. Even more shockingly, Rikkai University's captain, the one known as the "Child of God," Yukimura Seiichi, didn't even play.

"Is this... is this the strongest sense of oppression in the entire country?"

The members of Yamabuki were stunned. Even Uesugi, the captain with the best mental resilience, was extremely shocked at this moment.

They are also teams from the Kanto region.

The gap between the two sides had become so vast that it was despairing. Not to mention Uesugi himself, even Sengoku, who had participated in the national youth selection tournament and was known as "Lucky Sengoku," could not compare to these monsters in front of him.

"By the way, where's Sengoku?"

Thinking of something, Uesugi frowned.

A boy with a middle parting and a swirl sticker on his face next to him smiled wryly and said, "If nothing unexpected happens, he should go find an opportunity to strike up a conversation."

"This guy... sigh!"

Uesugi sighed helplessly.

He clearly has amazing tennis talent, but he doesn't seem to put much effort into his daily practice. He spends all his time chasing after girls, and he's never discouraged even when his advances are rejected.

"If that kid spent more than half the time practicing as he does chatting up girls, he could probably become a top player like Atobe and Tezuka."

Uesugi felt a pang of emotion.

But there was nothing he could do; after all, it wasn't Sengoku's fault. The overall strength of the Yamabuki team wasn't enough to propel them into the national tournament.

Ultimately, the team's individual lineup is too weak. The only two players they can truly rely on are him and Sengoku.

Even Uesugi himself switched from doubles to singles. In this situation, if he were Sengoku, he probably wouldn't be motivated either.

"Among the rookies on the team this year... if I remember correctly, Muromachi's performance has been quite good."

Information about Muromachi came to Uesugi's mind.

He secretly made a decision in his heart: before leaving the tennis club, he would do his best to discover new talents and strengthen Yamabuki's singles lineup.

...

In the blink of an eye.

The first day of the national competition has already ended.

Schools including Rikkai University, Makinofuji, Shishiraku, Shitenhoji, as well as Rokkaku Junior High and Hyotei from the Kanto region, have all advanced to the top eight.

On the other side...

Tokyo.

Yamabuki Tennis Club.

In the corner, Shibukawa, covered in sweat, gritted his teeth and persevered to complete a standard swing.

[Complete a basic swing]

[Swing Experience +1]

[Current swing level Lv4 (0/1000)]

In an instant.

The warm current of skill enhancement flowed through Shibukawa's right hand, greatly relieving the soreness in his arm.

Just when he thought it was over.

The proficiency panel that had previously dimmed became clear again.

[Through consistent training, your control over your arms will improve, technique +0.1]

immediately.

Shibukawa felt a strange sensation arise from within his right hand, where the warmth had just faded. He instinctively moved his fingers and found that his wrist and fingers seemed to have become more flexible.

"Does this mean that for every skill I level up in the proficiency panel, I'll get a direct boost to my five main attributes?"

Thinking of this.

Shibukawa's heart immediately burned with excitement.

Chapter 7 Encounter with Hyotei

Five dimensions.

In the original work, there are five standard attributes for measuring the strength of a fighter: speed, strength, stamina, technique, and mental strength.

While the level of each of the five dimensions (stats, abilities, and stats) doesn't completely determine the outcome of a match, sheer numerical strength can clearly demonstrate a player's ability to win or lose.

Furthermore, this aligns with Shechuan's current goal of improving its basic capabilities.

"According to the original work, when Tezuka joined the U17 team, his total five-dimensional value was 19.5. The so-called national-level peak should be at the level of a total five-dimensional value of 20."

"If we use Tezuka as the evaluation standard, an average national-level player should have a five-dimensional score of 17."

"By analogy, the sum of the five dimensions of the Kanto-level threshold is approximately 14 points."

Furthermore, the five dimensions at the county (city) level or even the regional level are meaningless to Shechuan.

His vision will not be limited to this level.

If someone has a cheat code and still can't surpass this level in a short time even after giving it their all, then it means they're simply not suited for tennis.

After finishing training, Shechuan returned home.

Just like yesterday, her mother, Yumi, prepared dinner in advance, left a note, and went to the bakery.

After dinner and a short rest, Shechuan changed his clothes and went downstairs for a night run. The skill level boost wouldn't immediately grant him immense power, but it showed him the possibility of becoming stronger.

Shechuan also knew the saying that one cannot become fat in one bite.

The core of the Prince of Tennis World Tennis is the power of numerical values, which are equivalent to five dimensions. Improving these five dimensions is not something that can be done overnight; it requires persistent training.

...

Complete one basic run.

[Running experience +1]

Current running level: lv2 (48/100)

When Shigekawa's body reached its limit, and it was extremely difficult to even lift his legs, he stopped only after the notification of increased experience points appeared before his eyes again.