Basketball System: Rebound of the Underdog

The class turned silent as soon as Kai said those words. Bao looked at his friend with wide eyes, in disbelief that he was able to complete such a phrase.

Haobin, too, flipped through his textbook to look at which page the topic may be. However, in the end, what Sir Dao said was right—this was a lesson for third-year students.

His classmates started speculating about his answer, while Kai remained unfazed.

Meanwhile, Sir Dao was the most bothered about his answer, his eyes instantly narrowing in doubt.

"What did you just say?" he asked.

"To be, or not to be, that is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing, end them."

Kai repeated the entire phrase this time, making his classmates even more surprised.

Sir Dao's back straightened as he thought of a plausible explanation for Kai's answer. He didn't write down the questions, nor did he divulge it to anyone else, so there wasn't a possibility of a leak.

However, Kai must have gotten the answer based on pure luck.

"Who wrote this literary piece?" Sir Dao asked as a follow-up question.

"You already said so yourself, sir," Kai smirked. "It's from Shakespeare's Hamlet."

Sir Dao clicked his tongue. "Well, it's quite a famous piece, and the statement I've provided is also a well-known one."

"It is?" Bao muttered, not even remembering a single word from the phrase.

"What does this mean then?" Sir Dao asked, confident that he would stump Kai with this particular question.

However, much to his surprise, Kai answered without any hesitation.

"Hamlet is contemplating the nature of existence and the human condition, particularly the idea of enduring suffering. He's essentially pondering whether it is better to passively endure the hardships of life, symbolized by the metaphorical 'slings and arrows,' or to actively resist them, represented by 'taking arms against a sea of troubles.'"

Sir Dao's eyebrows furrowed deeper and deeper as Kai continued speaking. His other classmates were the same, still trying to comprehend Kai's deep explanation.

"In simpler terms," Kai quickly added when he saw the confused looks on their faces.

"Hamlet is choosing between being lazy or getting his ass up and fighting for what he wants," he said, making his classmates exclaim in understanding.

"Ah, so that's what it means."

Sir Dao's jaw clenched. "No cursing in my class!"

However, even after his angry outburst, his classmates were still stuck on the fact that Kai answered his question without any trouble.

"How does he know that?"

"I definitely know that too…It just got stuck somewhere."

"Did it get stuck in your ass?"

"I'm still thinking about ham."

"How do you know of these answers?" Sir Dao asked since he couldn't refute Kai's responses.

His interpretation of the quote was nearly spot-on, and he found it impossible for a person like Kai to comprehend such complicated literature.

"I read Hamlet, sir," Kai honestly answered, making even more of his classmates surprised.

"He reads?"

"Idiot! He wouldn't be able to make it here if he couldn't read."

"I know, but he beats people up during his free time. It's surprising that he knows about Hamlet."

Even then, Sir Dao was still not convinced.

"So, am I going to get those plus points?" Kai asked in an almost teasing tone, making Sir Dao even more fired up.

The other students who were standing cheered for Kai, excited to sit back down and gain one extra point for their class standing.

However, Sir Dao didn't want to let this topic go.

"What is the grammatical term for a construction consisting of a noun or pronoun followed by a participle and any accompanying modifiers, providing additional information about the subject of the sentence and typically set off by commas?" the old man quickly asked.

"An absolute phrase," Kai responded.

Sir Dao's heart felt like it was going to pop out of his chest as he thought of another question.

"What term describes the use of a word that imitates or suggests the sound it represents?"

"Onomatopoeia."

"What term describes a figure of speech in which contradictory terms are combined to create a paradoxical effect?"

"Hmm," Kai hummed, seemingly stumped.

"Moron," he smirked as he looked at Sir Dao.

The old man's eyes widened in surprise. "What did you say?"

"My bad," Kai chuckled. "That would be an oxymoron, sir."

"Spell it out loud," Sir Dao instructed.

"O-X-Y-M-O-R-O-N."

By the end of their question-and-answer question, Sir Dao felt breathless. He even had to place his hand on one of the student's desks to keep his balance.

"I'm feeling lightheaded," he muttered, wanting to believe that all of this was just a dream.

"So, can we sit now?" Kai asked, already having enough.

"Sit," Sir Dao snapped, subtly glaring at the student. Then, he went to the board and fanned himself with his hands before grabbing his water bottle on the table. He drank the remaining liquid in one go before returning his gaze to Kai.

He was about to say something to him when the bell suddenly rang, signaling the end of the class.

The students cheered while Sir Dao pursed his lips in disappointment. Then, he quietly gathered his belongings on the table before walking over to the door.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow," he quickly said before leaving the room.

That was the first time he had left their classroom so meekly.

As soon as he was gone, the chatters inside the room increased in volume, with most of them talking about Kai.

"Is he actually smart?"

"I really thought he called Sir Dao a moron just now."

Haobin shook his head and also quietly left the class. Meanwhile, Zeren pouted to himself since he wanted to get the questions right himself.

"It's alright," he sulked. "I'm better at basketball," he assured himself.

Bao, on the other hand, excitedly turned to his friend.

"That was so cool just now! I knew you were smart the moment I saw your answers for our last assignment."

"What do you mean?" Kai asked.

"Your answers—they were all right, but Sir Dao accused you of cheating. However, I think you've shown him what you're really made of!"

Kai nodded with a satisfied smile, looking at the current counter on his user interface.

[People proven wrong (he's pretty smart!): +14]

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