Goldensun Unveils His New Arsenal
A massive pitching cage.
Several pitchers were hurling balls to the catcher right in front of them.
Paang!
"Nice ball...!!"
Bpeong--!
"Ooh, good shot!"
The pitchers exchanged feedback with the catcher after each pitch. When they felt they'd thrown enough, they'd take a proper break—and that naturally brought the pitchers together as a group.
"Your pitching looks solid. That breaking ball has a sharp angle."
"Hyung, your fastball's killer too! As expected from Jeonbuk's pride...!"
Even the awkward ones among them started opening up, and those who clicked hung out together during every break.
Seong-muk glanced around at the scene.
He was already close with Ri Donghyeok since they were schoolmates, but Seong-muk had decided to keep some distance from him for a while.
"Comrade Seong-muk, you've been avoiding me during recent training..."
"Listen, this is all for your own good."
"...What do you mean by that?"
Ri Donghyeok tilted his head, genuinely puzzled.
I explained it to him seriously, for his sake.
"How often do you think you'll get a chance like this, crammed in the same space with pitchers from all over the country?"
"Unless I make the adult national team someday, probably never."
"Exactly. Which means right now is an incredible opportunity. Get friendly with the other pitchers, suck up their essence—it's a golden chance!"
"Oh......!!"
"Got it? Now go mingle with the others."
"Understood! Thanks for the enlightenment!"
Ri Donghyeok dashed off to the other teammates.
I grinned as I watched him go, but suddenly a massive presence loomed right behind me.
"...Jang Tae-san?"
Turning around, there stood Jang Tae-san, the 207cm super-tall curveballer.
"How'd you know?"
"Not many lanky guys like you on the national team. What's up?"
"Overheard it by chance."
"Overheard what?"
"You talking to Ri Donghyeok. About using teammates to extract their essence and all that."
Put like that, I sounded like the bad guy.
I shot back a bit curtly.
"So what?"
"Won't you teach me your breaking balls?"
"Huh, out of nowhere?"
I was pretty surprised.
This guy and I weren't even that close, and here he was asking me for this.
"Why me, specifically?"
"That day you knocked Geumgang High out, you no-hit, no-run us with your insane pitches."
"Oh, right, that happened."
It was my debut in the mass media.
An unforgettable moment, whether I wanted it to be or not.
"Your circle changeup back then was unreal. Even from my side, it was tempting."
"I see. So now that we're connected through the national team, you wanna learn it?"
"Yeah. And I'm not asking for free. If you want, I'll teach you my breaking balls too."
".........."
I pretended to think it over.
Because a sweet opportunity had walked right up to me.
Jang Tae-san requests Breaking Ball Exchange!
Accept to gain massive proficiency bonus!
'Jackpot!'
Breaking ball exchange.
Players teaching each other the breaking balls they need.
Someone might think it's no big deal, just pitchers swapping tips. But the situation here was different.
'Exchanging A+ or higher breaking balls between players gives a huge bonus.'
It was better than learning from a top coach. You'd probably need a legend like Coach Ma Deok-su for an intensive session to top it.
Anyway, the reason I welcomed Jang Tae-san's offer wasn't anything else.
'That guy's 12-6 curve is a legit top-tier specialty pitch.'
My mouth was watering.
Hard to find a coach who could teach it properly, but here was a guy already mastering it, and I could learn with a bonus. No reason to say no.
"Alright, let's give it a shot."
We shook on it.
As breaking ball partners, we stuck together for a while, teaching each other.
"You gotta flick your wrist more like this, okay? Try it again."
"Hmm, got it. One more time."
Jang Tae-san, learning the circle changeup for the first time.
I taught him step by step, like he was taking his first steps.
Then the teacher and student switched.
Now I was learning his 12-6 curve.
"My curve's different from a standard one. Press down hard here when you release..."
"Like this?"
Chalk!
The curve slammed into the net.
Jang Tae-san looked at me with wide eyes.
"...You're a quick study."
The mutual lessons continued.
As expected, I saw results first.
Chalk-!
".........!"
A perfect 12-6 curve.
Then a status window popped up in front of me.
Curveball deleted!
12-6 Curve acquired!
Previous breaking ball stats inherited. 12-6 Curve stat: B+
'Yes!'
Success upgrading my old curve to the advanced version. To test the new weapon, I fired off a barrage into the cage.
"Hup......!"
Chalk-!
How many did I throw?
With Jang Tae-san's feedback, I fine-tuned my release point bit by bit, repeating endlessly.
At some point, he stopped correcting me.
Or rather, he couldn't.
"You're a real monster..."
12-6 Curve stat upgraded: B+ → A
"Whew...!"
I wiped the sweat from my brow and grinned.
The fruits of effort were oh so sweet.
####################
Count was 2-2.
Ryu Ji had already timed up to Seong-muk's pitches.
No matter what came, he was confident he could handle it meaningfully.
'Bring it—clash with my full power!!'
Ryu Ji lifted one foot into his batting stance.
The moment the ball left Seong-muk's hand, he froze.
'High ball.'
He recognized it as a curve.
But considering Seong-muk's curve trajectory, this one was too high to hit.
Assuming it was a ball, Ryu Ji held his swing. But he was wrong.
'What...!'
The ball kept dropping.
Right into the zone.
Ryu Ji clicked his tongue.
"Damn, got me."
Paang!
"Strike OUT......!!"
"Whoaaa......!!"
Ryu Ji, struck out looking without swinging on the new 12-6 curve. A waterfall-like trajectory that fit the name perfectly.
He grinned at Seong-muk—"Good one"—and headed to the dugout.
'Plenty of chances left. Next time, I'll crack it.'
First matchup: Seong-muk's win.
But they could face off at least twice more, maybe three.
Ryu Ji vowed he'd crush a homer off Seong-muk in one of those at-bats.
"A 12-6 curve, huh? Neat trick you picked up. Teacher's that Jang Tae-san guy?"
Ryu Ji recalled struggling against the 2m-dropping 12-6 from Geumgang High back then.
He'd adapted and gone yard after, but he never expected it to resurface from Seong-muk's hand.
"Even you got done by him."
"Told you, he's no pushover."
"So, no cracking him?"
"Nah, next time I will."
His Japanese teammates nodded confidently at Ryu Ji's bold claim. They'd never seen him bluff.
Ace Kato Tsuyoshi nodded firmly and thumbs-upped the team.
"I'll shut down the Korean hitters, so rack up those runs easy."
Kato Tsuyoshi took the mound.
The Korean batters struggled against his forkball.
Kato Tsuyoshi's pitch was a high-speed fork, an advanced forkball topping 148km/h—tough to distinguish from a fastball.
The pitchers' duel dragged on.
Seong-muk's outing today was unique.
Thwack!
Toong!
Whenever he put a runner on, he'd induce a double play from the next hitter like clockwork, ending the inning. His new 12-6 curve wasn't in the Japanese hitters' data, leading to a ton of weak contact.
Now it was the top of the 5th.
The rivals faced off again.
"........."
"........."
Goldensun on the mound again, Ryu Ji at the plate.
Kwak!
Ryu Ji gripped the bat tight.
Finishing his setup, he glared at the mound with burning eyes.
Seong-muk realized it.
Time to unleash that.
"Alright, Johnson. Time to cut loose after a while."
Bulge!
1 stat can be boosted now.
His crotch swelled up.
Not fully recovered, so only stage 1 boost, but that was plenty. More than enough for Seong-muk right now.
Fastball stat: A+ → S
"Hup...!"
Seong-muk went into his windup and fired the first pitch.
Bpeong---!!
"........!!"
Ryu Ji's eyes went wide.
He looked up at the scoreboard and let out a groan.
"...No way."
-160km
Whatever. Ryu Ji reset his stance.
With Ryu Ji set, Seong-muk murmured low.
"Switch."
12-6 Curve stat: A → A+
Whoosh--!
The 12-6 curve left Seong-muk's fingertips.
The enhanced version dropped in a majestic waterfall arc.
"Strike...!!"
"Tsk."
Ryu Ji clicked his tongue at the pitch threading the zone.
An unfamiliar pitch coming harder? Tough to handle.
Count already 0-2.
No dragging it out—Seong-muk went for the kill.
"Switch."
Circle Changeup stat: A+ → S
"Hup...!"
Seong-muk's third pitch left his hand.
Heading outside the zone—but with massive backspin, it dove in.
Whir!
But in the expected range, Ryu Ji swung.
Thwack!
The ball soared deep to right field.
Ryu Ji frowned—his hands stung—and started running.
"That's extra bases for sure..!"
"Urrarararut.....!!"
Machowon bolted like a wild horse.
He stretched out, rolling across the turf.
Heart pounding, he opened his glove.
A baseball nestled shyly inside.
"Sigh, my fate."
Ryu Ji sighed and trudged to the dugout.
Seong-muk thumbs-upped right field.
"Machowon, nice play!"
Thanking Machowon, Seong-muk reflected.
'Too hasty there.'
Solar Divine Vein switch was a powerful weapon.
But it guzzled stamina too.
He'd rushed the finish, nearly giving Ryu Ji a big one.
"Okay, refocus!"
Seong-muk slapped his cheeks and dialed in.
Japan already couldn't touch him.
With his dick standing tall too? No contest.
Thwack!
"Out...!"
Pung-!
"Strike out...!"
The game's hot commodity: 12-6 curve.
Japanese hitters couldn't solve the beautiful waterfall path.
'Damn, wasn't in the scouting report!'
'Didn't expect the curve to be this good...!'
The pitchers' duel held.
Top of the 7th, still 0-0 into Korea's turn.
Two outs, no runners.
Cleanup Goldensun stepped up.
On the mound: Japan's ace, forkball master Kato Tsuyoshi.
Taking Ryu Ji's advice, Tsuyoshi painted outside to lure without tempting Seong-muk.
It kinda worked—Seong-muk fouled out both prior at-bats.
A thought crept into his head.
'Goldensun might be manageable at the plate?'
'Wanna go 8th, save pitches—let's battle quick.'
Mistake: mistaking luck for skill against Seong-muk.
He wasn't the type to let that slide.
Thwack!
Thud-!
Ball ricocheted off Wembley Diamond's massive fence.
Would've been out anywhere else. Announcers sighed.
But no time to lament.
The carom went opposite the outfielders' expectations.
While they fumbled, Seong-muk's feet didn't stop.
Then the relay from outfield.
Shortstop fielded and fired home hard.
Shwaaak!
Seong-muk slid home.
The catcher's tag hit his body.
Dead even.
The ump's arms shot up.
"Safe, SAFE...!!"
"Woooaaah..........!!"
The crowd erupted.
Inside-the-park homer, foot by foot.
The 0-0 tie was broken.
"Kuh, damn...!!"
Ryu Ji paid dearly for ignoring his own advice.
Goldensun's rare inside-the-parker.
Top 7th, Korea leads.
Ace Tsuyoshi rattled after the homer.
Pung-!
Thwack!!
Now a three-run game.
Korea padded it nicely to end the top 7th.
Seemed like Korea's win, but a hurdle remained.
'Bottom 7th, one more with Ryu Ji—that might be the last.'
Japan's bottom 7th from the top of the order. One runner on, and cleanup Ryu Ji comes up.
Seong-muk's pitch count climbing toward the end.
Their final showdown loomed to decide the game.