Cricket Ascend System

Chapter 33: Grinding Beyond Matches

Sahil finally understood something important.

Matches alone weren’t enough anymore.

Not if he wanted rapid improvement.

Because now—

every small stat increase required ridiculous effort.

And school cricket was getting harder every week.

Bowlers smarter.

Fielders sharper.

Pressure heavier.

Which meant one thing.

He needed faster growth.

That night—

instead of joining Riverside boys immediately after school—

Sahil went alone to the empty practice ground behind the government park.

Just him.

A bag of old balls.

And the system.

The blue screen appeared quietly.

CURRENT DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIES

Highest Growth Areas: ✔ Timing ✔ Control ✔ Mental Stability

Growth Bottleneck: Host relying too heavily on natural power.

Suggestion: Increase focused repetition training.

Focused repetition.

Basically suffering.

Again.

Sahil sighed.

Then began drills alone.

Straight drives against wall.

Front-foot movement.

Shadow batting.

Sprint intervals.

Repeat.

At first it felt boring compared to actual matches.

No crowd.

No pressure.

No sixes.

Just repetition.

But slowly—

Sahil started noticing changes.

Tiny ones.

The bat returned straighter after swings.

Balance recovered faster.

Feet reacted quicker against imaginary deliveries.

Even pickup movement felt smoother.

Then suddenly—

the system flashed unexpectedly.

HIDDEN ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED

"Obsessive Repetition I"

Condition: Complete 5,000 additional practice swings outside missions.

Reward: +1 Control

Sahil froze.

"...There are hidden achievements too?"

The system responded immediately.

SYSTEM RESPONSE

Exceptional growth behaviors may trigger hidden rewards.

Not all achievements are visible beforehand.

That instantly changed Sahil’s mindset completely.

Because now—

everything mattered.

Extra training.

Discipline.

Practice quality.

And honestly?

That motivated him more than normal missions.

Over next few days—

Sahil became almost addicted to improvement.

Morning: School practice.

Afternoon: Fitness work.

Evening: Riverside matches.

Night: Solo drills.

His friends started noticing too.

"You train too much now," Ravi complained one evening.

"Normal people also sleep sometimes."

Sahil smirked slightly.

"Skill issue."

But secretly—

his body actually felt exhausted constantly.

Wrists sore.

Legs heavy.

Shoulders burning.

Still—

the rewards kept coming slowly.

HIDDEN ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED

"Street Survivor"

Condition: Play 25 consecutive matches without duck.

Reward: +1 Mental Toughness

HIDDEN ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED

"Boundary Pressure"

Condition: Maintain strike rate above 180 across 10 innings.

Reward: +2 Timing

The rewards looked small.

But Sahil understood their value now.

Because every point had become harder to earn.

Meanwhile—

school selection match came closer every day.

And pressure inside school camp kept increasing.

One afternoon during practice—

Coach Verma finally made Sahil bat against senior fast bowler Aman for extended spell.

And honestly?

It was brutal.

Sharp bouncers.

Late swing.

Fast yorkers.

Everything far harder than Riverside cricket.

Sahil got beaten repeatedly early.

One ball struck directly against thigh pad.

Another flew past edge near face height.

Senior players watched carefully nearby.

Some looked amused already.

Then Aman smirked slightly.

"Still only knows six hitting."

That line irritated Sahil instantly.

Old Sahil might’ve tried reckless slog immediately.

Current Sahil stayed patient.

Barely.

Next delivery.

Full outside off.

Sahil waited longer.

Then drove straight back past Aman.

FOUR.

Clean.

Controlled.

The net session became quiet briefly. freeweɓnøvel.com

Because that shot looked proper.

Not lucky.

Not wild.

Proper.

SHOT ANALYSIS COMPLETE

Connection Quality: 88%

Timing: 84%

Positive: ✔ Improved patience against pace ✔ Better reaction stability ✔ Reduced emotional response under challenge

Even Coach Verma nodded slightly afterward.

And from Coach Verma—

that tiny reaction felt massive.

Then the system appeared again quietly.

HIDDEN ACHIEVEMENT PROGRESS

"Pressure Learner"

Condition: Improve performance after repeated failure against stronger opposition.

Current Progress: 72%

Sahil smiled slightly afterward.

Because for the first time—

even his struggles were turning into progress.