Chapter 2
The novel’s setting is in a world where soccer’s popularity in Korea has waned due to corruption, nepotism, and political interference in coach appointments by the association.
However, with the emergence of legendary rookies and their remarkable performances in international tournaments, Korea has built a reputation as a baseball powerhouse in this fictional setting.
One out of every four or five apartment complexes had a community baseball field.
Thanks to that, I could frequently meet my dad’s colleague, who lived in a neighbouring apartment complex, making it quite convenient.
Every weekend, people from Apartments A, B, and C, D, F would gather occasionally to play baseball.
The losing side would have to clean up the baseballs or buy dinner afterward—a kind of friendly gathering, you could say.
“Mom even said she preferred playing baseball with me rather than going golfing all the time.”
Since I joined the team recently, we remained undefeated against the opposing team. While our team had a young lineup, which gave us an advantage…
-Smash!
The familiar grip of the softball.
I casually made a half-turn and quickly threw the ball to the uncle already at second base.
He, being a former player, skilfully caught it, making a double play for our team.
“Wow, Seo-jun is really flying out there! You should join the Tigers in the future…”
“Oh, come on, Seo-jun is a middle school league player. It’s no wonder he’s doing well. And Seo-jun, don’t listen to him. The best team has always been the Dragons…”
“Hey, Seo-jun was born in Seoul. He should obviously join a Seoul team, like the Heroes or the Devils…”
“Now, why would you waste Seo-jun’s career like that? He should join a team that has won a championship within five years!”
When I returned to the dugout after finishing defense, they were already discussing which professional team I should join, even though I hadn’t decided yet and didn’t even know which high school I would attend.
‘The protagonist joined the Devils, didn’t he?’
In the original story, the protagonist, Lee Tae-hyun, made a name for himself by leading Haneul High School to victory in the Blue Dragon Trophy, the Phoenix Trophy, and the President’s Cup.
Because of this, the regional draft system made an exception and selected Lee Tae-hyun as the first pick instead of Haneul High’s captain, which would have been the typical choice.
Even though Haneul High’s captain was eventually chosen in the main draft that followed, he must have been quite displeased by the situation, especially since he was a rival of Lee Tae-hyun.
Despite his rivalry, he too grew stronger and eventually followed Lee Tae-hyun to the major leagues…
Anyway, if I were to go to Haneul High School, I would inevitably have to face that guy.
Ideally, I had hoped to debut in high school a year ahead of Lee Tae-hyun, but since Kim Si-hoo, who would later become Haneul High’s captain and is the son of a high-ranking GL Group official, was in the same third-year entry as me at Haneul Middle School, it was certain that we were the same age as Lee Tae-hyun.
In this case, I would either go to the school where Lee Tae-hyun or Kim Si-hoo were headed, or transfer to another school that had a baseball team and a high chance of entering the major tournaments.
‘But among the schools in the Seoul region that enter the Blue Dragon Trophy or similar tournaments…’
Given the large population of Seoul, it had plenty of seeds for the tournaments.
What does that mean?
Since the protagonist frequently faces opponents from the weekend league, it would be tough to secure a starting position.
‘Personally, I’d like to go to the school where that nice guy is.’
Well, I’ll find out once admission season rolls around.
“Seo-jun! It’s our turn to bat now!”
“Ah, I’m coming.”
For now, let’s focus on finishing today’s game, which has a dinner on the line.
…
…
…
<Quest Activated!>
<The pitcher in front of you used to be a skilled amateur player. Try to accumulate over 5 total bases against this pitcher!>
<Reward: Power +1, Pitch Quality +1, Stamina +1, Special Skill Random Change Ticket x 1>
<3/5 total bases>
<Currently in progress.>
<Player Information>
<Lee Goo-hwan>
<Age: 49>
<Skill: Experience>
<Experience (E): When there is a runner, the chance of mistakes and the batter’s chance of hitting decreases slightly.>
<Stats>
<Control: 40>
<Velocity: 67 mph>
<Stamina: 50>
<Pitch Quality: 44>
<Mentality: 55>
‘…He’s tougher than I thought.’
67 mph is about 107 km/h.
He even had a skill that I didn’t have yet.
‘Experience… it’s a perfect skill for a closer.’
“Seo-jun, are you ready?”
“Yes, uncle.”
“When you join the Oceans later, I’ll make it easy for you.”
‘Hah.’
Looking at the pitcher, it didn’t seem like he meant it at all.
-Thud!
“Strike!”
‘Amateur baseball has such a wide strike zone.’
In professional baseball, that would have been a ball for sure.
“Great! Let’s strike out this middle school hotshot and enjoy dinner afterward!”
Handing the ball back to the pitcher, the atmosphere rose as the uncle cheered.
Alright, let’s assess the situation.
It’s the top of the 6th inning, and the score is still tied at 0-0 in a fierce battle.
In amateur baseball, there are only six innings, so this was our last chance.
How many outs? Two. And my dad is currently standing on base.
‘With dad’s running speed, he won’t be able to reach home in one go.’
I needed to hit a long ball over the outfielder’s head to ensure he could score.
-Thud!
“Strike two!”
“You’re being cautious, but… if you keep this up, you’ll get struck out looking.”
‘…Even though you’ve been walking everyone up until now.’
The next batter is the top hitter in our team’s order. In a situation where even a single could be fatal, the pitcher seemed determined to challenge me.
‘…Hoo.’
The feeling of the spikes digging into the ground. My breathing was steady, and my vision was clearer than ever.
The pitcher in front of me seemed to be throwing a fastball right into the strike zone.
‘Too slow.’
-Bam!
I hit the ball effortlessly.
The sound it made was so loud it seemed like the baseball might split in half as it flew through the air. The outfielder tried to chase it, but… no matter how fast he ran, he couldn’t get past the fence.
“Uncle, I think I’ll have beef tonight.”
“Ugh… my wife is going to give me an earful. Seo-jun, I don’t mind spending money on beef for our future Oceans player… but could you tell your dad not to eat too much, okay?”
‘Like I said, it’s still undecided.’
It was a clean two-run homer.
…
…
…
Bottom of the 6th inning.
“Wow, is Seo-jun pitching again? Does he think he’s Kim Sung-hoon or something?”
‘Ah, I guess Ohtani hasn’t come around yet.’
Before Ohtani, the famous two-way player in Korea was Kim Sung-han. In this world, it seems like he’s known as Kim Sung-hoon.
“Hoo!”
-Smack!
I casually caught the softball and began warming up with a few practice pitches with my dad, who had put on the catcher’s mask.
Since I discovered this talent later, I had to leave room to grow in this area as well… If things go well, I might be able to play as a two-way player like Ohtani.
“Oh, come to think of it…”
<Quest Activated!>
<The pitcher in front of you used to be a skilled amateur player. Try to accumulate over 5 total bases against this pitcher!>
<Reward: Power +1, Pitch Quality +1, Stamina +1, Special Skill Random Ticket x 1>
<7/5 Total Bases>
<Quest Complete!>
Can I claim the quest reward now?
As I pretended to fiddle with something in the air, people around me reacted a bit oddly, but they seemed to understand when I brushed it off as just part of my routine.
<Pitching Abilities>
<Control: 80>
<Velocity: 87 mph>
<Stamina: 68 -> 69>
<Pitch Quality: 72 -> 73>
<Mentality: 80>
<You have obtained a Special Skill Random Change Ticket. Would you like to use it now?>
<Yes> <No>
“Of course, I’ll use it now.”
When I pressed the button labelled <Yes>, a glowing golden roulette wheel started to spin.
-Spinning… spinning…
‘The change ticket is an item that allows you to randomly change three skills on a character card.’
Lower-grade cards only have one skill, so even if you use the change ticket, it doesn’t add more skills… Oh, wait, I don’t have any skills at all right now…
‘I hope it doesn’t mean that nothing changes.’
-Ding!
<Since there are no skills available, you are temporarily granted Fastball (N)!>
“Good, that’s a relief.”
And at that moment, the roulette wheel began to spin rapidly. An alarm sounded as the needle stopped at a specific spot.
<Copy All (L)>
<You can copy a target’s skill when certain conditions are met.> (Cooldown: 5 days)
“Huh?”
I’ve never seen this skill in the game before.
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