Munhyeok High Assemble!

Whoosh!

A fierce wind whipped through St. Petersburg in Russia. A blonde, blue-eyed beauty clung to Park Chan-jun's hand, pleading desperately.

"Jun, can't you just stay? Please?"

"I'm sorry, but I'll never forget your hospitality."

"Jun..."

The beauty looked heartbroken.

She was a servant of the Rasputin family, and it seemed Park Chan-jun was right up her alley.

Screeech!

Sergei Rasputin emerged from the door, followed by members of the family filing out one by one.

They were the ones who had trained him in the knuckleball during his stay. Park Chan-jun had already earned their full respect.

"Brother, you must achieve the great dream of a Sejonggi championship that I couldn't."

"Yeah, Sergei. Thanks for everything."

The balding duo shared a passionate embrace, their brotherhood on full display.

Sergei had ended his studies early after dropping out of the spring tournament and was now back home, awaiting a pro nomination.

Park Chan-jun was the only one returning to Korea from Russia. It was time for him to head back to Munhyeok High, so he bid farewell to the Rasputin family.

"Спасибо за всё (Thanks for everything!)!"

Park Chan-jun waved vigorously, his patchy Russian echoing loudly as he said goodbye.

Ding!

Park Chan-jun had not only leaped over a major wall, advancing his knuckleball by two full grades, but also boosted his stamina and power.

With Sergei gone, it was fair to call him ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the top high school knuckleballer right now.

In Pyongyang's Kumsusan Palace of the Sun.

The Dear Leader's second son, Kim Jung-cheol, couldn't even lift his head before his father.

They'd lost to the Korean team. Worse, he'd faced Ri Dong-hyeok in every clutch moment and dropped all three games.

He'd been utterly crushed. He had no face left to show.

"...Father, I'm sorry."

"Sigh, what's done is done. Go on, get out."

"Yes, understood."

"They say Jung-hong comforted you. Go see him."

"My brother said that?"

Kim Jung-cheol couldn't believe it from someone like him. Still, half-doubting, he went to find Kim Jung-hong.

"Brother, you wanted to see me?"

"Ah, Jung-cheol's here?"

Kim Jung-hong's expression was unreadable.

Gulp!

Kim Jung-cheol tensed up. He knew how ruthless his brother could be. Sweating bullets as he awaited judgment, his brother approached with a smile and patted his shoulder.

"Jung-cheol, no need to get down over something like that. We can punish those South Korean bastards next time."

"Y-yes! Wise words, brother!"

Kim Jung-cheol nodded vigorously.

As he started to exhale in relief, Kim Jung-hong's face twisted grotesquely.

"But whether you'll get that next chance... who knows."

Click!

A gun barrel pressed to Kim Jung-cheol's head. Elite guards surrounded him, ready to blow his brains out at the slightest move.

"...B-brother!?"

Kim Jung-cheol couldn't hide his panic.

Kim Jung-hong lit a cigar and took a deep drag.

"Sigh, Jung-cheol. How about a game of baseball, you and me?"

"Baseball, you say?"

"Yeah. Your Baekdu Bloodline against mine. Let's bet like men and settle it."

"...!!"

Kim Jung-cheol realized his brother's scheme.

Kim Jung-hong had deemed him useless. He planned to absorb his Baekdu Bloodline in this duel and dispose of him.

"B-brother, spare me...! We're brothers!!"

"Heh, funny thing to say. Why would I kill my own little brother?"

Kim Jung-hong inhaled deeply again, smoke curling from his lips as his mouth twisted into a smirk.

"This is mercy, really. Lightening the load on your shoulders. How can a guy who needs to run fast carry that heavy burden?"

"Urgh..."

Kim Jung-hong was immovable.

He had no intention of letting Kim Jung-cheol live.

In the end, the brothers faced off at a ballfield near the palace.

Both were hitters by trade, but with a pistol to his head, Kim Jung-cheol took the mound.

As he climbed it, he clung to a faint hope.

'What if I beat brother?'

He could reclaim the Baekdu Bloodline, maybe even take his brother's position.

But that hope was dashed quickly.

Crack!

Crack! Craaack!

"Gaaah...!!"

His all-out pitches sailed over the fence one after another. Five straight homers.

Unlike his lanky father, the muscle-bound pig of a brother wielded monstrous power. No amateur pitcher like Kim Jung-cheol could beat him.

An invisible status window appeared above Kim Jung-cheol's head.

"Damn it, that Ri Dong-hyeok punk sucked most of it dry anyway."

Kim Jung-hong clicked his tongue, noting the minor stat bump wasn't meaningful.

"Urk, graaah..."

Kim Jung-cheol wailed as his Baekdu Bloodline was stripped away.

A guard approached Kim Jung-hong.

"How shall we dispose of him?"

"Send him to the coal mines. His legs might still haul coal, right?"

Kim Jung-hong turned to leave, then paused.

He glanced back with a mocking grin.

"Wait, no! Without the Baekdu Bloodline, those fast legs are useless now, haha!!"

As he walked away, Kim Jung-hong gazed out a window and murmured lowly.

"Grow up quick, Ri Dong-hyeok."

"I'll reclaim your Baekdu Bloodline myself."

Pyongyang Blue Jays' cleanup hitter Kim Jung-hong eyed Ri Dong-hyeok's pro debut with gleaming anticipation.

Whiff!

"Gah...!!"

Choi Adam whiffed big on a swing.

He was impressed by Ri Dong-hyeok's sinker.

"Kha, you go to the national team and come back with an even nastier sinker!"

"You're too kind. You've gotten way better at picking pitches yourself, Comrade Adam."

"Right? I've been grinding hard, haha...!"

Munhyeok High's field was alive with live batting practice.

The scattered members, who'd trained separately to improve, were now showing off their gains like it was a showcase.

Crack!

"Ooh, over ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the fence again."

Coach Myeong Sinu marveled.

Seong Muk, standing beside him, nodded.

Ji Suyong—nicknamed "Black Soybean" for tanning even darker than Seong Muk—was in top form.

"Monster fish, monster fish...!!"

Crack!

Another ball cleared the fence.

Choi Adam and Do Dojin, watching from behind the cage, were impressed too.

"Tanned pitch black, did his genes turn black too?"

"That springy swing definitely has a black vibe."

Ji Suyong had trained on a boat, gripping anchor lines, casting nets, hurling harpoons—facing every sea scenario.

His situational awareness had skyrocketed, and even his weak defense had improved noticeably.

Coach Myeong Sinu seemed quite satisfied with his progress.

"Now you get it—use all your senses to cover that weak hearing."

"Oh ho, so I won't have to sweat center field pitch selection as much?"

Next, Coach Myeong and Seong Muk turned to Do Dojin. In live batting, he peppered the park with crisp, compact swings.

Ding!

"Oh ho..."

Seong Muk whistled at the stat window.

He could tell how hard Do Dojin had worked this training period.

'This growth spurt means he'll pull his weight plenty this summer too.'

He'd flailed at hard fastballs in the spring semis, but these stats meant no worries now.

Seong Muk scanned the other players. Two caught his eye.

Ding!

'Whoa, impressive...'

They'd put in the work too.

Sejonggi pitchers would be tougher, but with these guys in the lower lineup, outs would come easier—no need to worry.

Before, they'd been outclassed below the core hitters compared to top schools, but now they could compete.

'Ryu Ji and Un-gang go without saying.'

Already S-grade anchors like national dishes, they'd grown insanely too. If they drew heat off Seong Muk, he'd breathe easier at the plate.

Then, a familiar voice called from afar.

"Guys, I'm back!"

"Hyungs, I'm here!"

"Oh...!!"

The last two overseas holdouts: ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Park Chan-jun and Hassan Iqbal had finally returned to Munhyeok High.

The team dropped training and bolted over.

Choi Adam especially chucked his bat and leaped onto Park Chan-jun's neck.

"Chan-jun ham, you didn't, right!? No happy times with Russian beauties, right???"

"Gack, ack. Adam, you know I have a girlfriend."

"Whew! Knew it, Chan-jun ham!"

Choi Adam hopped down and thumbs-upped.

Park Chan-jun added sheepishly,

"Haha, I appreciated the interest, but tall girls intimidate me... My girlfriend's size is just right."

"Ah, I see..."

The teammates sensed something off.

Recalling Park Chan-jun's girlfriend—barely 140cm—they broke into cold sweats.

"...That hyung's not in dangerous territory, is he?"

"Shh, still legal. Let him enjoy."

"...?"

Park Chan-jun tilted his head at the whispers.

Next, attention turned to Hassan.

"Hassan, learn a ton in Pakistan?"

"Yes, Seong-muk hyung! Lots!"

Hassan's face beamed with energy.

Seong Muk and the others understood why Ryu Ji said not to worry about him.

The Hassan before them was the same pure kid they knew.

After the welcome, they resumed training pace, but Hassan handed Seong Muk a worn booklet.

"Seong-muk hyung, our association president said to give this to the team."

"Huh?"

Seong Muk took it. Scrawled crookedly on the cover:

"User manual...?"

Seong Muk blinked at the appliance-like title. Flipping through, his face lit up in surprise.

"This is..."

It detailed how to summon Hassan's "other personality"—like what he'd seen in the Pakistan-Japan game.

Seong Muk showed Coach Myeong Sinu right away. They decided to test it in front of everyone.

"First, seat him in a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠chair and tie him, or have two strong guys hold him."

Seok Un-gang and Ryu Ji—powerhouses—grabbed Hassan.

"Second, recite these phrases in order."

"Ishq (اشتیاق / Longing)."

"Zang (زنگ / Corrosion)."

"Azm (عزم / Resolve)."

"Nur (نور / Light)."

"Urgh...!!"

"Whoa!?"

"Hold tight!!"

Hassan began trembling violently.

His resistance was fierce—even S-grade Ryu Ji and Seok Un-gang struggled to restrain him.

Seong Muk rushed the rest:

"Haqq (حق / Truth), Fajr (فجر / Dawn), Iman (ایمان / Faith), Itaat (اطاعت / Obedience)...!!"

"Grrrk...!"

Hassan let out a guttural death-rattle and slumped.

As everyone approached worriedly, his head snapped up.

Ding!

"...I receive Allah's command."

Murderous intent flickered in his eyes.

This Hassan was a completely different person.

'Crazy, they turned the kid into a Winter Soldier?'

Seong Muk facepalmed.

Munhyeok High was growing stronger today too.

Though the direction was utterly unorthodox.