Chapter 18
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: The Left-Handed Pitcher Equips Velocity
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Four days later.
A calamity from Cheongju High descended toward the catcher's mitt.
Kwaaaang!!!
The stadium filled with an enormous roar.
Only then did everyone, who had been holding their breath, finally exhale.
"...Whoa...!"
"What kind of... four-seamer is that...?"
"That's a high school pitch...?"
Exclamations burst out naturally.
"Strike two!"
After the home plate umpire's confident, booming call, silence once again enveloped the stadium.
Thud.
The tall pitcher caught his breath after receiving the ball back from Deok-gu, then settled into his set position once more.
Shin Su-ho.
Blue Dragon Cup, second round.
The opponents were Cheongju High.
The stadium, which should have been brimming with heated energy, was instead Shin Su-ho's solo stage, filled with shock, cheers, and gasps of awe rather than game intensity.
Pahaaat!!
Another blazing fastball.
At 18 years old, his physique towered over 190 cm, utterly overwhelming.
His mixed-race features made him stand out even more.
And above all, his rising fastball shot out like a cannonball, threatening to shred the catcher's mitt.
Kwaaaang!!
"Hup!"
It was so fierce and fast that Deok-gu, masked behind the catcher's gear, had to take a deep breath to handle it.
Some fans and scouts in the stands found themselves clapping and cheering without realizing it.
"Woooaaah...!"
"That's a real fastball! That's what blazing speed looks like!"
Astonishment upon astonishment.
Everyone's eyes turned to the scoreboard, where Shin Su-ho's velocity was clearly displayed.
【159.4 km/h】
An insane velocity.
Shin Su-ho's four-seam fastball was now just 0.6 km/h shy of the magic 160 km/h mark.
He had shattered his personal best once again.
"Woooaaah!!!"
"He's insane!"
More gasps erupted throughout the stadium at this overwhelming speed.
Against the backdrop of those cheers, the umpire announced the result in a powerful voice.
"Strike! Batter out!"
This was already his ninth strikeout call.
In the top of the fifth with one out, Shin Su-ho had struck out 70% of the outs he'd recorded—seven out of ten.
The scouts scattered throughout the stands were left shaking their heads in disbelief at his dominant performance.
"He's throwing it right down the middle like he's begging them to hit it, and they can't even touch it...?"
"No batter would dare swing at something like that."
As the scouts assessed, Cheongju High's cleanup hitter stood frozen at the plate, unable even to swing.
His dejected mutter summed up the entire flow of the game.
"Fuck... how the hell are we supposed to hit that...?"
A pitch that cowed the opposing team's fourth batter.
And Shin Su-ho's rampage with that monster stuff showed no signs of stopping.
"Swing! Strike! Batter out!"
"Out!"
Two more outs racked up in an instant.
The batters who'd faced him all said the same thing.
"His changeup clocks 149 km/h...?"
"A sweeper with that trajectory at 147 km/h? That's straight-up cheating at the high school level..."
Cheongju High's batters grimaced after facing Shin Su-ho's arsenal.
Seeing their reactions, we were convinced.
"We're definitely winning this one."
"It's over."
Calling the game midway was taboo, but that's how it felt.
By the end of the fifth, we were up 9-0 in a total rout.
Shim Chae-geun, who'd been the DH since the last game and crushed two homers there, added multi-homer power to the mix this time too, putting on a full show of force.
"Nice one, Deok-gu!"
"Deok-gu's hitting is on fire today!"
Deok-gu, suddenly seeing the ball well, notched multi-hits and swept up three RBIs.
"They say in a single-elimination tournament, one crazy performance from a single player can win the game..."
"Why does Seomun High have so many lunatics?"
The opponents were wagging their tongues at our overwhelming dominance.
And the crowning touch was Shin Su-ho, who annihilated their lineup before casually strolling back to the dugout.
"Woooaaah!!"
"Su-ho sunbae, you're the best!"
The underclassmen lined up on both sides welcomed their returning hero.
Shin Su-ho.
He was positively sparkling.
"Eh, this is nothing."
Despite his incredible talent, he wasn't arrogant at all.
His great personality earned him admiration and respect from all the underclassmen.
Is that what it takes to be called an ace...?
Impressive.
With Shin Su-ho on the mound, defeat felt impossible—he was that reliable.
If not for the mutter I suddenly heard beside me, I might have been swept up in Shin Su-ho fever for a while.
"That level... I can do it too...."
Ah, Park Jin-woong.
This guy's got a fragile mentality, but his competitive fire is off the charts.
"But why do you sound so unsure?"
"Shut up, Malfoy."
"What?"
"I don't know yet.... Keep training, train more, and someday I'll throw like Shin Su-ho too. I don't know yet, I don't know...."
Even after my jab, Park Jin-woong didn't back down, his eyes gleaming like a leopard's.
The fact that he could say that after seeing those pitches made him impressive in his own way.
"Yeah, keep at it. You lose on looks already, but maybe baseball skills will catch up eventually?"
"Song Hyun-jun."
"What."
"You've been training hard lately, right?"
"Who said?"
"I can tell. Your shoulders, forearms, thighs, and chest muscles look way better than before."
"I have been working at it."
"Does that... boost your velocity?"
Pride aside, Park Jin-woong was a corpse—asking me for baseball secrets? What a day.
What to say?
Time to grind his rival mentality a bit?
"If an athlete trains consistently, everything improves, right?"
I gave a vague answer.
His fierce eyes suddenly lit up with fire.
"Alright! Then I'll do it too!"
"Do what."
"Train! Bench press! Shoulder press! Leg press! 500 reps a day, and I'll throw like Shin Su-ho!"
"That's a bit... And doing that every day might leave you with no arm strength for pitching."
"300 then!"
"You're insane—that's still too much."
I think this sometimes, but Park Jin-woong is a total baseball junkie.
Looking back, even his sharp jabs at me in the past felt like his competitive drive spilling out uncontrollably.
"By the way, like I noticed last game too, why are there so many foreigners in the stands?"
He scanned the crowd, changing the subject.
"When did our Blue Dragon Cup turn into such a global event?"
"Major League scouts came to see Shin Su-ho."
Park Jin-woong looked shocked at my response.
"What...? Major League scouts?"
"You didn't know?"
"Know what?"
"After the last game, some came to school looking for Shin Su-ho's training logs."
"MLB scouts were at our school...?"
"Yeah."
"Damn! Why tell me now?"
"What would change if I told you earlier?"
He gave a ridiculous answer to my puzzled question.
"I missed a chance to show off my stuff to Major League scouts!"
"..."
"Why are you laughing?"
"Just suddenly felt happy. But Park Jin-woong, you're not seriously thinking of going to the majors, are you?"
"Why not?"
"For real?"
"Of course! I'm always dead serious about baseball."
I get his passion for the game, but his self-awareness is wrecked.
This could be trouble.
"What."
He tilted his head at my indifferent expression.
"Song Hyun-jun, if the majors called, you wouldn't go?"
"Of course not."
"What? Why not?"
"With my current stuff, how could I make the majors? I'd just eat minor league ramen and come home."
Major League teams are packed with rookie monsters throwing 100 mph in Single-A.
Some teams even rate 165 km/h guys as Triple-A level.
Jump into that demon den now?
No way, even if they begged.
"Even Shin Su-ho couldn't guarantee a big league call-up. We're not ready to aim that high yet."
"...Any pro dreams of the big stage. For baseball players like us, that's the majors."
"Dreams need skills to back them up. Grow in a domestic pro team, put up numbers, then post to the U.S. later—plenty of time."
Somehow, I ended up counseling Park Jin-woong on his career path.
That was my plan, anyway.
The majors.
I wanted to go someday, but a guy fresh off his Blue Dragon Cup debut challenging the big leagues at season's end? Ridiculous.
At the high school level, maybe only Shin Su-ho could pull it off.
No matter how much Sol's Eye boosted my velocity, hitting MLB level by year's end was impossible.
"Gotta prepare step by step. Rush it with greed, and you'll blow it."
"Coward."
"What, punk? Say that after you beat me for the rotation spot, rookie."
"What?"
"Who started Game 1 against Bucheon High?"
"...It wasn't me losing. They just had a lefty weakness, so the manager strategically picked you. That's all."
"That's losing."
"You son of a—!"
That was when.
As Park Jin-woong's forehead veins bulged and he lunged at me.
The pitching coach approached and spoke to us.
"This game's likely ending in a 7th-inning cold game."
"Yes, sir."
"Shin Su-ho handles through the sixth. Second pitcher up in the seventh."
Our eyes met at the coach's words.
The timing was perfect—the guy the manager picked would be the debate winner.
And right then, the coach called my name.
"Song Hyun-jun."
"Yes, sir."
"Get ready."
"Yes, sir!"
I jumped up with my glove after the crisp reply.
As the coach walked away, I flashed a grin at the fuming Park Jin-woong.
"Don't gloat."
"I didn't say anything."
"Don't piss me off."
"Got it, heh heh heh."
"Stop laughing, you—!"
I teased the near-breaking Park Jin-woong just enough and headed to the mound.
"Hyun-jun, let's wrap this game up strong."
"Yes, sir!"
I'd prepared for this day, manager's words or not.
The 2,200 points from the last game.
I'd blown 2,100 on seven cans of Sol's Eye.
"Gah, that's the stuff! The taste of blazing speed!"
The velocity rush was always thrilling.
After downing five cans, another message popped up.
You can no longer raise stats with this item.
"Huh? Already?"
Purchase points for 2 Velocity Enhancement Potions (D) refunded.
Held Points: 100P → 700P
The points for two cans of Sol's Eye came back.
Fine by me.
I'd hunt down a C-grade potion when I had time.
"Mixed sundae soup here!"
Instead, I used 400 of the remaining 700 points to boost power.
One bowl a day.
I avoided overeating to keep up with training.
That netted +5 velocity and +4 power.
Time to see the results.
"Hoo—"
A deep breath, then my four-seam fastball to close out the game.
Taaaang!!!
It slammed perfectly into Deok-gu's mitt.
At that moment.
"Huh?"
"Who's that pitcher?"
"Did Seomun High have another lefty besides Shin Su-ho...?"
The MLB and pro scouts who'd come for Shin Su-ho.
I noticed them, who'd lost focus as he left the mound, now straightening up intently.
【148.1 km/h】
One more step, closing the gap with Shin Su-ho.
Velocity up again.
"Strike one!"
Amid the umpire's resounding call.
I eyed the crisp numbers on the board and unleashed my own pitch—different from Shin Su-ho's.
Taaaang!!!
My second pitch, thrown with my dynamic delivery.
Deok-gu, receiving it directly, murmured softly.
"Hyun-jun sunbae's power... it's gotten even nastier."
In Deok-gu's brief awe,
I wrapped up the day with a perfect finish.
11-0 in the seventh, cold game.
Another total victory in our second Blue Dragon Cup game.
This was right when baseball fans' eyes were starting to turn toward us.