Chapter 16
—
‘Already a practice match?’
“The time is right after tomorrow’s classes. If anyone can’t participate, raise your hand now. I’ll promote someone from the second-string team immediately.”
The starters’ response was a silent agreement.
Well, it was normal to try to impress the coach during the first practice match of the semester.
‘…Ahem, I was planning to watch anime, though.’
Unfortunately, it seemed I’d be getting home late that day.
“The game will be short, just six innings.”
“Coach, who’s our opponent?”
“Oh, I forgot to mention that.”
Scratching his head awkwardly, Coach Kim Tae-hwan displayed a logo on the screen.
“The school we’re facing is… Seoul High. They were last year’s Weekend League champions for Seoul B Division.”
“Seoul High… You picked a pretty tough opponent.”
“Is Seoul High really that strong?”
Curious, I asked the question, and Heo Kang-min kindly began to explain.
“Well, let’s see… Seoul High’s ace pitcher is a strong candidate for a first-round pick in this year’s draft. Their batting lineup is said to be on par with ours, so they’re not an easy opponent.”
A dominant left-handed pitcher, supported by a powerful lineup… That sounded exactly like—
‘A budget version of Haneul High?’
By the third year, Kim Si-hoo grows into an incredibly strong left-handed fireball pitcher. Even though Yang Eui-ji, the top high school catcher, will have graduated, the lineup that supports him remains formidable.
“Kim Si-hoo will be the starting pitcher for the Seoul High match. The lineup will stay the same… Lee Seo-jun, you might go in around the fifth or sixth inning, so be prepared.”
“Yes, sir.”
Just as the meeting ended and I was about to head home, Kim Si-hoo stopped me. The reason was the equipment he promised to give me.
“Here. I included both a pitcher’s glove and an outfielder’s glove.”
“Oh.”
Checking the equipment Kim Si-hoo gave me, I found a black-outlined white outfielder’s glove and a white-outlined black pitcher’s glove.
There was also a black-and-gold bat, and another bat engraved with my name and number in silver on its black base, along with a massive bag to hold all the gear.
[no.11]
[S.J.LEE]
‘Oh.’
He had engraved my jersey number and name on all the equipment?
‘I might be a little touched by this.’
“It’s a custom bat optimized for you based on data… I’d like to say that, but there’s already a bat designed for a player with similar physical abilities to yours. I just had it painted in a different color.”
“Thanks. It feels great.”
I turned the bat in my hands, admiring its weight and perfect grip that didn’t interfere with my control.
‘Even if I don’t hit perfectly, this bat should send at least 30 to 40 meters easily…’
For the reward I got back then, this was impressive and generous compensation.
My old glove had been so broken in that the leather was practically falling apart, and my bat was close to breaking. Receiving this gear at such perfect timing was a huge blessing.
“If the bat breaks, call or text this number, and a new one will be sent immediately.”
“…?”
“Well, you helped open a path for me, so this is a gift. I was taught to repay favours and grudges double.”
Wait, all those curses I hurled at him ended up earning me this?
“In exchange, when we get to nationals, make sure the logo gets some camera time and show off. If you want an official sponsorship deal, you can call that number.”
‘Ah, so this was advertisement money?’
Usually, when players accept sponsorships, they get equipment and money, but for me, this was perfect.
It wasn’t a forced equipment change due to a sponsorship; instead, I got the best equipment suited for me, and it was free. I didn’t even need the sponsorship fee at this point.
“By the way, this glove is already broken in?”
I thought a new glove would be stiff, but surprisingly, it had an excellent grip and was easy to handle. There was no chance the ball would slip out unexpectedly.
“Yeah, it’s GL Group’s leather conditioning technology. Amazing, right?”
Having received my new gear, I immediately ran to test it on the mound… where the seniors were already practicing their batting.
“Eui-ji, can I catch some balls in the outfield?”
“Oh, you’re asking for it, huh? I’ll hit some nasty ones for you, then.”
‘Is this guy crazy?’
As I stepped into the outfield, I noticed Lee Soo-rin and Jung Ji-man were already there, apparently working on their fielding.
The only senior outfielder, Lee Hyun-bin, was pitching balls for Yang Eui-ji to hit.
“Alright, Hyun-bin! Give me a good one!”
“Haha, you’re always so energetic and crazy.”
Lee Hyun-bin’s pitch came flying, and Yang Eui-ji slammed it with a powerful swing. The ball shot into the air at an incredible speed.
“Wow, that’s a home ru—”
-Thudthudthud…!!
‘Wait… I can catch that.’
<Name: Lee Seo-jun>
<Batting Stats>
<Power: 84>
<Speed: 86>
<Stamina: 76>
<Accuracy: 84>
<Defense: 93>
<Skill>
<Professor (L)>
<The ball’s trajectory and drop point are displayed as a solid line proportional to your defensive stats.>
Accelerating like a supercar speeding across the outfield, I could see that while it looked like a home run at a glance… the trajectory showed it was still within my range.
Which meant…
“Got it, right?”
Leaping into the air, I could already see the stunned reactions around me.
‘You can’t be surprised just yet.’
Planting my foot on the fence, I jumped even higher and snagged the home run-bound ball out of the air.
At that moment, I finally saw the reaction I’d been waiting for.
-Clang!
“He caught that? That crazy bastard!”
“Wow, Seo-jun’s defense is insane today?!”
After landing safely with a slight roll to avoid injury, Yang Eui-ji stared in shock, his face full of disbelief.
The two other outfielders standing nearby also looked a bit surprised at my jump, which gave me a small sense of satisfaction.
From then on, the other outfielders—whether impressed by my defense or annoyed at Yang Eui-ji—started making comments…
“Oh wow, this is the first time since his freshman year that Eui-ji hasn’t hit a single ball during practice.”
“Ahhhh! My record!”
Yang Eui-ji ended the practice session without recording a single hit.
To be exact, about twenty hits were “stolen” right in front of his eyes…
But honestly, that’s not my problem, so let’s move on!
After finishing practice and continually being dragged away by Epinel to make microscopic adjustments to my pitching and batting forms…
-Vroom…!
‘Ah, it’s today.’
A bus with “Seoul High” written on its side drove through Haneul High’s front gate and entered the parking lot.
“Ugh, what’s up with this hill?”
“If the escalator here breaks down, the students would probably refuse to come to school.”
“Man, dome stadiums are great. Whether it’s cold, raining, or blazing hot, we can always play baseball. Should we ask for one too?”
“We’re graduating next year, you idiot.”
And as the Seoul High players confidently appeared in their uniforms…
‘…Here they come. My experience points shuttle.’
I couldn’t help but lick my lips in anticipation.
…
…
…
“Yo, Kim Tae-hwan. Long time no see.”
“Have you been well? Still sulking after we thrashed you in the President’s Cup last year?”
“…Just play the game.”
The two coaches stared at each other, their eyes practically shooting lasers.
“Are your pitchers still a mess?”
“No, you’ll find out soon enough. We’ve got… a ‘monster’ among our freshmen this year. A terrifying kid.”
“Haha! If even Kim Tae-hwan’s saying that, I better stay on guard, huh?”
After shaking hands, the two coaches moved aside as both teams took their positions.
The starting lineups were already set, so we immediately went to the mound, looking over the Seoul High players.
[Haneul High] [Seoul High]
- Heo Kang-min (3B) – Park Dong-hwan (C)
- Oh Ji-hoon (SS) – Ryu Ji-hyuk (SS)
- Yang Eui-ji (C) – Oh Man-seok (1B)
- Lee Soo-rin (DH) – Choi Yi-do (2B)
- Lee Yuta (2B) – Park Min-seok (DH)
- Lee Seo-jun (CF) – Lee Byeong-gyun (CF)
- Jung Ji-man (LF) – Joo Hyun-jun (RF)
- Oh Han-il (1B) – Noh Min-jun (3B)
- Lee Hyun-bin (RF) – Park Won-jun (LF)
- Kim Si-hoo (P) – Lee Sang-hwi (P)
‘Too bad I’m out in the field; I can’t steal Seoul High’s skills as freely from here.’
As I watched Park Dong-hwan step into the batter’s box, the first practice match began.
<Quest Activated!>
<Seoul High is one of the top 16 powerhouse high schools in the country. Prove your skills!>
<Achieve multiple hits (0/1)>
<Hit at least one home run (0/1)>
<Show a spectacular defensive play (0/1)>
<Reward: Epic-grade Skill Copy Ticket>
‘A copy ticket, huh…’
It probably meant I should observe the Seoul High players and copy their most useful skill.
Kim Si-hoo was our starting pitcher. He confidently threw the first pitch…
-Smack!
Park Dong-hwan pulled Kim Si-hoo’s pitch, and the ball rocketed toward the outfield, speeding dangerously close to the fence.
Any ordinary outfielder would lose track of the ball’s direction and fumble it here.
And they’d be right—it was the kind of hit even professional players would struggle to catch.
Knowing this, Park Dong-hwan sprinted toward first base…
‘But my defense is already Gold Glove level.’
There it was: the bright blue line clearly indicating where the ball would land.
“Got it.”
-Snap.
I jumped backward, snagging the ball just as it was about to drop.
Park Dong-hwan froze on first base, staring at me in disbelief.
—
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