Sweat came before fear.
It gathered along Rudra's spine, dampened his collar, clung to his palms no matter how many times he wiped them against his shorts. It wasn't panic sweat.
It was honest.
The kind that said the body was working exactly where it should.
The Inter-School Selection ground felt different from anything before. Larger. Cleaner. Watched. Players from multiple schools stood in loose groups, pretending calm, failing quietly.
Rudra stood among them.
Hands slightly tense.
Eyes steady.
Good sweat.
Stamina
Lv 03 (66 / 100 EXP) → (69 / 100 EXP)
The drills began with batting technique.
One by one, players stepped into the nets.
When Rudra's turn came, the bat felt familiar the moment it touched his palms. Grip adjusted naturally. Stance aligned without thought.
Adult memory surfaced—not as confidence, but as structure.
The bowler released.
Rudra watched the ball closely, picking length early. He stepped forward, bat coming down straight, face clean.
Perfect contact.
The ball rolled neatly along the ground.
Not fast.
But correct.
Batting Timing
Lv 01 (24 / 100 EXP) → (31 / 100 EXP)
Another delivery.
Shorter this time.
Rudra rocked back smoothly, guiding the ball square.
Again—no power.
Just placement.
A coach scribbled something.
Rudra felt it immediately.
The technique was there.
The body wasn't.
His arms didn't drive through the shot the way his mind expected. His shoulders followed form, not force.
This body is still building, he acknowledged calmly.
No frustration.
Only assessment.
Strength
Lv 02 (38 / 100 EXP) → (40 / 100 EXP)
Fielding came next.
A sharp catch flew toward him.
Hands reacted cleanly.
Secure.
Reflex
Lv 05 (18 / 200 EXP) → (24 / 200 EXP)
A throw from deep followed.
His body aligned, weight transferring correctly—but the throw lacked sting.
It reached the target.
Late.
He noted it.
Power lagged.
Between drills, Rudra stood quietly, watching others.
Some hit harder.
Some ran faster.
Many broke form under pressure.
He didn't.
His hands trembled faintly—not from fear, but effort held in check.
Emotional Control
Lv 05 (80 / 100 EXP) → (83 / 100 EXP)
This was the balance point.
Adult technique.
Child's engine.
Not a weakness.
A timeline.
As the session ended, Rudra wiped his face and exhaled slowly.
He had entered the inter-school selection.
Not as a prodigy.
Not as a powerhouse.
But as something rarer—
Someone whose eyes did not rush ahead of his body.
And the numbers, honest as ever, agreed.