Chapter 7
The situation was roughly resolved.
The coach of Haneul High School told Kim Tae-kyung that staying on the baseball team was his choice and that he could remain if he wanted. However, Kim Tae-kyung, with his pride on the line, chose to quit the team.
The saying, “Even Haneul High’s backups are starters in other schools,” probably wasn’t made up… He’ll likely transfer to another high school.
-Rustle, rustle
Meanwhile, the school was soon packed with numerous prospects visiting to apply for Haneul High. Most of them were from Haneul Middle School, but there were also students like me, wearing the uniforms of other middle schools.
“Hey, you’re from another middle school too?”
A confident and good-natured student approached me as soon as he saw me and offered a handshake.
“My name’s Oh Ji-hoon. Let’s do well together as fellow outsiders.”
“Sure.”
Shaking hands with Oh Ji-hoon, I checked his skills.
<Info>
<Name: Oh Ji-hoon> (Haneul High Cleanup Hitter)
<Age: 17>
<Skills>
<Quick Legs (R)>
<Keystone (E)>
<Quick Legs (R): Increases speed significantly.>
<Keystone (E): Provides a defensive stat boost. Effect amplifies when paired with a second baseman who also has <Keystone (E)>.>
<Stats>
<Power: 67>
<Speed: 71>
<Stamina: 72>
<Accuracy: 71>
<Defense: 71>
‘Not bad for a freshman.’
Unfortunately, I was aiming for center fielder, so his shortstop-related skills weren’t particularly useful to me. However, they might come in handy later, so I looked at the copy conditions.
“<Copy All>, use.”
A golden spear of light illuminated the conditions required to copy the skill.
<<Keystone> Copy Conditions: Perform a double play with Oh Ji-hoon (0/15).>
‘Easy.’
If we enter the shortstop test together, I could accomplish this quickly.
After that, more students arrived, but none of them had skills as attractive as Oh Ji-hoon’s, so I decided not to remember them.
…
…
…
“Alright, everyone, line up!”
Someone who looked like a senior gathered the freshmen in a line. Then, standing on the prepared platform, the coach removed his hat and started a brief introduction.
“Welcome, everyone. My name is Kim Tae-hwan. I assume you’ve all heard of me.”
‘Of course, we have.’
<Info>
<Name: Kim Tae-hwan> (Coach)
<Age: 48>
<Skills>
<Field Commander>,
<Master Strategist>,
<Quick Decision-Making>
<Field Commander: Boosts the entire team’s defense.>
<Master Strategist: Increases stats when using pinch hitters.>
<Quick Decision-Making: Increases the success rate of steals.>
“The positions we are recruiting for this time are as follows.”
Coach Kim Tae-hwan showed the numbers on the screen.
Pitchers [5], Infielders [4], Outfielders [4], Catchers [2].
‘That’s tough.’
However, to accommodate students who don’t make it through the test, Haneul High’s entrance test period is quite short.
In other words, even if you fail here, you still have time to apply to other schools.
Besides, scouts from other high schools were already here to watch the matches.
The stands were filled with Haneul High students living in the dormitories and scouts from other schools.
“The test will be simple. We’ll start with a defensive test by position and finish with a mock intra-squad game for the final evaluation. Any questions?”
“”””No, sir!””””
‘Wow, they’re loud.’
The shouts were so loud they hurt my ears.
“Good. Then we’ll start with the infield test!”
At Coach Kim Tae-hwan’s announcement, everyone went to the sign for their designated position.
“Why aren’t you going?”
Standing by the infielders’ sign, Oh Ji-hoon asked me.
“Oh, I’m not sure where I should go.”
Maybe I should’ve just applied for the outfield.
“Ah, right. There’s one guy… Lee Seo-jun, step forward.”
“Yes, sir.”
At the coach’s command, I stepped forward. Pointing at me, the coach announced:
“This idiot applied for every position except catcher.”
Hearing that, the students who hadn’t seen me destroy Kim Tae-kyung earlier began to laugh at me.
“So, prove yourself if you don’t want to be mocked. Show us whether you’re just cheap scrap metal… or the real deal.”
“…Yes, sir.”
I now had one more goal.
I would make sure to draw a word of admiration from the coach’s mouth.
…
…
…
<Quest Triggered!>
<The deeply insecure Kim Tae-kyung will become a major obstacle to your high school baseball career! Take care of him now to ensure a smooth high school journey!>
<Three consecutive outs against Kim Tae-kyung (3/3)>
<Reward: Epic-grade Skill Random Ticket>
<Quest completed.>
Before entering the field, I opened the reward I received.
<Do you want to use the Epic-grade Skill Random Ticket?>
<Yes> <No>
“Of course, yes.”
As soon as I pressed the button labeled <Yes>, a glowing roulette began spinning.
-Roll roll roll roll roll.
-Ding!
<Seo-jun Zone (L)>
<When playing as a center fielder, the defensive range significantly increases.>
‘Ah, so that’s what it is.’
In baseball, terms like “roaring zone” and “defensive zone” are common, but combining them with my name? Nice touch.
‘What a sly move.’
Still, I appreciated it. This was exactly the skill I needed right now… Wait, what’s this?
-Fwooosh!
Both my <Plate Discipline> and <Seo-jun Zone> started glowing.
‘No way…’
<Similar traits between skills have been detected. Would you like to fuse these skills?>
<Yes> <No>
Skill fusion.
A feature that allows you to combine skills to obtain an advanced skill.
But this… wasn’t something player skills could normally do, was it?
‘Is it okay to use a feature meant for coach skills here?’
Even if it fails, all I lose is some in-game currency. Since there’s no such thing as game money here, it seems like a free fusion, but…
<Cost: 50,000 won>
<Auto payment in progress… Payment completed!>
<Fusion starting.>
“Are you kidding me? Seriously?”
With my expletives, the skills <Plate Discipline> and <Seo-jun Zone> entered what looked like a blender and began combining.
-Ding!
<Fusion completed!>
<Your first payment benefit has increased success rates!>
<Professor (L)> (New!)
<The ball’s trajectory and drop point are displayed as a dotted line proportional to your defensive stats. However, the line disappears if you do not observe the ball for more than one second.>
‘…Wow.’
My defensive stat is currently… 89. I wonder how well this works.
‘Who knew defense could be this easy.’
Irregular bounces and whatnot were trivial now that I could see the trajectory. It felt like a training exercise.
“…Now I see why you applied for all positions.”
With those words of praise from the coach, I confidently passed the first defensive test for both infield and outfield.
…
…
…
Now, the only position left is pitcher.
It’s the most popular position, and thus has the most available slots.
‘But when’s he coming?’
I was sure he applied for the pitcher position… but Kim Si-hoo was nowhere to be seen.
-Vroooom!
An all-too-familiar car engine echoed nearby.
-Screeeeech!
A car crossed the school gate and stopped right in front of the baseball field.
Out of the car stepped someone who looked every bit the son of a wealthy household.
“Is the intra-squad game starting yet?”
“What? You’re late, and you’re worried about passing the test…”
“Wait, does he not know who I am?”
A student from another school started arguing with Kim Si-hoo, but Kim Si-hoo, looking incredulous, asked the student:
“You don’t know who I am?”
“…Who are you supposed to be?”
“You’re out. If you’re clueless enough not to know my name, you clearly lack the skills to be a starter at Haneul High.”
“What?! You’re late, and now you’re saying you’ll pass the test? This doesn’t make sense, right, everyone?!”
Fuming, the student gestured to others, attempting to rally support.
“…….”
“Why is everyone so quiet?”
“What do you think? Everyone here knows my name.”
Since most of the applicants were from Haneul Middle School, it was clear they were well aware of Kim Si-hoo’s reputation.
The student, visibly shaken, performed miserably in the pitcher test and was quickly eliminated.
“…Apologies for the commotion. Please proceed with your tests.”
Indeed, Kim Si-hoo’s actions were befitting a perfect student.
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