Chapter 13
—
To clarify first, I always give my best swing.
Whether it’s the final pitch thrown after the protagonist’s growth event, the last pitch of a retiring veteran, or even the soft toss thrown by a child first learning to pitch…
Even when my father throws with all his might for a “dishwashing bet,” I coolly send the ball over the fence and end up doing the dishes myself. I never swing half-heartedly.
‘And this time, something important was on the line too…!’
<Quest Triggered>
<An opportunity to educate the arrogant Kim Si-hoo early! Successfully achieve 1 RBI (Four-base hit) or higher in a 3 at-bat showdown with Kim Si-hoo!>
<Reward: All stats +1>
<Current Progress (5/4-base hit)>
<Quest Completed>
<Batting Stats>
Power: 82 -> 84
Speed: 84 -> 86
Stamina: 74 -> 76
Accuracy: 82 -> 84
Defense: 91 -> 93
<Pitching Stats>
Control: 92 -> 95
Velocity: 153 km/h -> 155 km/h
Stamina: 74 -> 76
Pitch Quality: 92 -> 94
Mental: 97 -> 99
Having completed the quest in just two at-bats, I watched my stats climb, feeling like I was watching endless food being stuffed into an already full stomach.
‘Hmm… Why are my stats already this high…?’
At this point, it’s like an MVP-level player dominating the domestic league starting over as a high school freshman. These stats definitely aren’t meant for a first-year.
In any game, this level of spec would make me a ridiculous cheat card that newbies wouldn’t even dare to touch, if not outright endgame material.
‘Not that balance was ever a thing in this game.’
The ranked matches there had average pitch speeds exceeding 170 km/h and brutal 150 km/h breaking balls. Let’s just leave that nonsense aside.
‘But… is this going to be okay?’
I had hit a home run after he finally managed to regain his composure. The shock must be immense…
It could lead to a mental breakdown, a slump, or in extreme cases, even early retirement…
‘Wait a minute. What about the Cheonji Match?’
The Cheonji Match begins with Kim Si-hoo’s rivalry against Lee Tae-hyun. If Kim Si-hoo crumbles here, that entire rivalry gets cut off.
“…Are you okay?”
I quietly called Kim Si-hoo’s name, seeing him just stand there as if dead, staring blankly at where the home run ball had flown.
“…That was it.”
“What?”
“This was because GL Sports’ custom bat was so incredible! It turned what should’ve been a fly-out into a home run! I’ll challenge you again, so just you wait!”
‘?’
Not quite the response I expected.
“Damn it, I need to hit up the nearest batting cages and practice more!”
“Si-Si-hoo, wait up!”
As Kim Si-hoo quickly packed his bag and bolted out of the stadium, his lackeys rushed in to carry his gear.
However…
“I’ll carry my own stuff. A player who entrusts his equipment to others… isn’t worthy of being a player.”
At that moment, I noticed his expression—it seemed oddly relieved.
“Right. You said you wanted the equipment? Your address is already recorded in the student registry, so I’ll send it over soon. Make sure to promote it properly.”
“Oh, and while you’re at it, if it can be customized, change the gold parts to silver or white. I need it to match my uniform.”
Haneul High’s uniform had black and white colors mixed together. If I went out wielding a bat decorated in gold, it wouldn’t match the team image.
‘These little details are important, you know.’
“You sure are demanding… Fine, I’ll do it.”
Satisfied, he agreed to all my requests before hopping into a waiting car to leave.
“Well… I guess that wraps this up…”
“And there’s one condition for giving you the equipment.”
“What is it?”
When I answered with a question of my own, Kim Si-hoo cleared his throat and declared to me:
“Never lose to anyone else. You need to stay at the very top until I’m the one to bring you down.”
With those words, Kim Si-hoo sped off, and his lackeys scrambled to follow.
Before I knew it, I was alone in the baseball stadium.
“Haha, those crazy guys.”
They took all their gear, yet left behind all the practice balls and scattered junk from their drills. If I left this mess unattended and the coach saw it… I could already feel the unspoken pressure of the punishment awaiting me.
Sighing deeply, I muttered, “Fine, you boosted my stats by 2, so I’ll let this sli– Wait, no way. You’re all dead when school starts…”
“Hmm? Why are you still here?”
“Epinel?”
…I take back what I said earlier.
For now, I’m grateful.
‘But I’ll definitely give him a proper punch next time I see him.’
“There’s a lot of balls left here. I’ll help you clean up.”
Epinel, wearing Haneul High’s PE uniform instead of her usual manager outfit, had apparently come out for exercise. Together, we began tidying up the mess Kim Si-hoo had left behind.
…
…
…
“Really? You beat Kim Si-hoo one-on-one?”
“Well, yeah. I got on base every at-bat in the Cheongbaekjeon too.”
Judging by the sheer number of practice balls scattered around, it seemed Kim Si-hoo had spent hours pitching here.
‘You’re really something, Kim Si-hoo.’
No matter how expensive the equipment he gave me, I swore I’d repay this grudge twice over.
“Kim Si-hoo has been famous since elementary school. He was the ace starting pitcher back at Haneul Elementary, studied abroad, and during middle school, pitchers were so rare…”
‘Yeah. When you study abroad and people hype you up, it’s only natural to feel a little overconfident.’
I’ve seen it often—so-called “once-in-a-lifetime talents” get swept up in their own titles, neglect their self-discipline, and ruin their careers.
“It must have been from that moment. The moment Kim Si-hoo entered Haneul Middle School, the starting players looked as if they were under immense pressure and gave up their positions… It was especially shocking when the then-captain of Haneul Middle School gave up the number 1 jersey.”
‘Well… it’s true that pitchers are rare no matter where you go.’
Pitchers dominate the game, directly throwing balls to steal a batter’s timing. Catchers who coordinate those pitchers, and fielders with the ability to erase hits are important too, but…
‘Ultimately, the pitcher is the most critical.’
If, through a free agent transfer, a foreign pitcher joined a team expected to finish last and led them all the way to the playoffs—would you believe it?
Surprisingly, this kind of thing happens a lot in real baseball.
The presence of a pitcher who gives their team absolute confidence that “there’s no way we’ll allow a run,” while making the opposing team think, “How are we supposed to get a hit off this monster?” That’s what a pitcher is.
“Still, he works hard at baseball, and he pitches pretty well, so it’ll be fine. And when he left earlier, I saw his expression—he didn’t seem like he’d try anything against me.”
“That’s a relief. Kim Si-hoo does pitch well, but… I haven’t seen any high school player as good as you. Oh, right! I meant to ask earlier—when did you decide to switch to pitching? The database only has records of you as a batter.”
“I was preparing for it. I realized my pitching velocity was pretty fast when I was playing catch, so I started getting ready.”
“Then you came up with that pitching form all by yourself? Can you show me one more time? During the Cheongbaekjeon, I was too busy noting down player details to watch closely…”
‘…During the Cheongbaekjeon, I didn’t get to show my prepared pitching form because I was pretending to lack stamina. Can I pull it off now?’
At Epinel’s request to see my pitching form again, I silently walked toward the pitcher’s mound.
‘It’s perfect timing, since we haven’t finished cleaning up all the baseballs yet.’
I grabbed a few balls lying nearby—enough to throw about four or five pitches. As I held the ball, I noticed something suspicious being set up beside me.
“?”
“Oh, I set up some cameras to get a detailed look at your pitching form!”
Feeling like I was being forced into a model photoshoot, I began pitching.
‘Now that I think about it, doesn’t this pitching form look a bit like Yamamoto’s?’
Later on, Yamamoto becomes the Japanese pitcher who joins the Dodgers for the largest signing bonus in MLB history. His leg kick-less pitching form left a strong impression on me, but… I never realized my own pitching form resembled his.
While it’s not perfectly identical to Yamamoto’s, my pitching form also doesn’t require a leg kick during the windup.
Personally, I always thought leg kicks often served as a trigger for batters to time their swings, and windups with leg kicks naturally made pitchers more vulnerable to stolen bases… So, I’d already been working on improving it.
‘This is the pitching form optimized for modern baseball.’
I threw the ball, using my entire body as if launching a spear.
1st pitch: Four-seam fastball straight down the middle.
[153 km/h]
2nd pitch: A slider starting in the 3-zone and sharply breaking into the 1-zone.
[141 km/h]
3rd pitch: A curveball dropping perfectly into the 9-zone.
[127 km/h]
4th pitch: A two-seam fastball starting outside the strike zone but sharply rotating back into the zone—reminiscent of Maddux’s pitches.
[149 km/h]
5th pitch: A changeup in the same location as the two-seam, but significantly slower.
[140 km/h]
“What was that pitching form!? It’s completely different from the Cheongbaekjeon! I can’t believe you’re achieving such clean and fast velocity without a leg kick. That’s incredible!”
“I didn’t have the stamina to use it during the Cheongbaekjeon. I prepared this on my own.”
“You developed that form by yourself?”
“I taught myself.”
When I admitted I had developed the pitching form on my own, Epinel praised me with an amazed expression. It was the first time, aside from my parents, that anyone had complimented me like that. I started to feel a little embarrassed.
“That’s amazing! Before you go… Here, take this.”
Suddenly, she scribbled something in a notebook, ripped out the page, and handed it to me.
When I opened the paper to check, I saw a phone number written on it.
“If I find any improvements while analyzing your pitching form, I’ll call you right away! See you later~”
Epinel clapped her hands as if impressed, then left for the dormitory, carrying the cameras.
‘…She’s really full of energy.’
Watching her disappear, I felt a strange sense of pride, like I had gained a fan. I then returned home…
“Wow, our Seo-jun is going to Haneul High. And as a special recruit on top of that?! Come on, if not us, then who else would claim that spot at Haneul High?”
“?”
“If you’re going to Haneul High, you probably won’t have time to play baseball with us old men anymore…”
“Oh, I’m not staying in the dorms, so I can still play with you guys here. Only when there’s no weekend league…”
“Wha—ugh!?”
-Thud!
“You’re truly the ace of our club!”
That day, another perfect game was born at the Nowon-gu baseball club.
—
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