Chapter 5: The Ritual of Varsity

8

The supplement that athletes and coaches spend their lives seeking—was right in front of me. But I felt only intense revulsion.

Seeing that I still hadn’t taken it, Coach was puzzled. “Why are you hesitating? The Chairman needs to rest.”

I bit the tip of my tongue to steady myself, held the ‘supplement’ in both hands, and bowed. “Coach, I’ve already failed once at making varsity. If I fail again, I’ll let down the hopes of the board and you.”

I said earnestly, “I remember that in the next few days, some new recruits will also take the supplement and train. I’d like to observe and learn under Marcus’s guidance.”

Before Coach could become suspicious, I quickly added, “If possible, could you keep this supplement for me for a few days… I’m not worthy of it yet.”

Since childhood, because of these eyes, I have seen many secrets. Naturally, I know how to play dumb.

Sure enough, Coach pondered for a moment, just about to speak, when the Chairman spoke first, laughing: “Let him. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a sincerely fearful recruit.”

“Thank you, sir.” I bowed respectfully.

I could hear the wind chimes under the old eaves ringing in the wind:

Ding—

In that eerie moment, the sound seemed to echo in my bones, like the creak of a swing in an empty park on a cloudy day.

9

There are many wind chimes at Silver Hollow. Under the painted eaves, in the octagonal pavilions, even the training ground has chimes hanging from the coiled eagle columns.

Sometimes, on a quiet night, their sound blended with the crickets and distant train horns, haunting the campus. On windy nights, the chimes sounded almost like a warning—high and sharp, echoing off the empty bleachers.

The new recruits take the supplement here. Second teammate Marcus held his bat in his arms, standing high, watching the new recruits file in.

He raised his eyebrows and smiled: “Our Silver Hollow isn’t like other academies. We’re the gentlest. The supplement only nourishes—it won’t make people explode and die like elsewhere.”

“You’re too cautious.”

I held two water bottles and also climbed up to the platform, tossing one to him, saying: “It’s not good to shamelessly waste the Chairman’s efforts.”

“Don’t worry, this time you’ll definitely make varsity.” Marcus happily took a few gulps, smiling as he waved and instructed the new recruits: “Time’s up, take the pill, focus, train.”

I watched coldly from the side, like an outsider, silently watching the new recruits joyfully receive the supplement, then devoutly swallow it.

I stared hard at those pills. Hundreds of cases were displayed before me.

Marcus accompanied me in watching for a whole day.

So, I could clearly see how they took root and sprouted. In the first hour after swallowing, the golden shell melted. In the second hour, the worms extended slender tentacles, piercing the stomach and burrowing down to the belly button area—that is, the core. Next, they absorbed nutrients from the stomach acid. Until the sixth hour, the athlete would suddenly feel a slight stomach pain. That was because the sticky worm, piercing down from the stomach, taking part of the stomach tissue, floated down to the core like a vesicle—like a dandelion seed, rooting and settling.

In the seventh hour, the worm fully attached to the core, spreading its filamentous tentacles, penetrating the nerves, gnawing at flesh and blood, stealing nutrients, merging with the owner of the body. After two or three days of gnawing, the human skin would metabolize mortal impurities. This is… the process of making varsity.

I watched the new recruits’ faces—some grinned, some winced, and one kid puked into a trash can. None of them knew what was burrowing inside.

The recruits’ eyes would light up, their bodies humming with new energy. I wondered if they’d ever really be themselves again.