Chapter 159
Score: 4-11.
Munhyeok High had clawed back into the game, only for the gap to widen once more.
In this dire situation, the late arrival of Hassan to the mound drew poor reactions from the online comments.
Why pull the shredded Park Chan-jun now? Hassan's late entrance killed any hype. They should've saved Geum Seong-muk—that was the prevailing opinion.
Of course, without knowing the full story, it was easy to say. But on the surface, the pitching management looked disappointing all the same.
Anyway, they couldn't disappoint the fans any further. Hassan shouldered the heavy burden and took his stance on the mound.
"The lineup's retired in order again. Leadoff hitter Deung Un-hyeon steps up…!"
"He's said to be a descendant of the Wei general Deng Ai, right? Nicknamed 'flying squirrel'—a contact hitter!"
The sole speedy contact guy amid Cheolwon First High's power-hitter lineup. With quick feet and elite contact skills, he knew how to torment pitchers.
'Let's see if I can mess with this one too.'
Overhearing the inside-pitch setup, Deung Un-hyeon had caught on.
He crowded the strike zone and set his stance. Go ahead, throw inside if you dare.
'He definitely can't handle it!'
Hassan's first pitch came in.
Deung Un-hyeon flinched and jumped back.
Thwack—!!
"Strike!!"
"What…!!"
A fastball precisely commanded inside.
All eyes locked on the radar gun.
-160km
"160! Hassan Iqbal blasts 160km on the first pitch! Deung Un-hyeon jumps back in shock!"
"Deung was right on the black—huge burden for the pitcher. But Hassan boldly fires inside!"
"Hoo, that's gotta be cheating, right?"
Deung Un-hyeon wiped cold sweat.
Hassan's straightball at S-grade with A+ velocity was ferocious.
Especially after facing Park Chan-jun's floaty knuckleballs.
'Okay, lock in on the four-seam.'
He tried fouling some off to grind, but Hassan's stuff was too overpowering, Deung admitted.
"Hup…!"
Hassan's second pitch left his hand.
Deung swung at the straight fastball.
'Okay, four-seam…!?'
Timing felt perfect.
But something was off-position.
The ball tailed in sharper than his swing path.
Deung whiffed big.
Paang!!
"Strike…!!"
"156km two-seam! Deung can't touch the tailing movement!"
"Insane command? That break was elite…!"
Ma Deok-su nodded approvingly from the dugout.
Very satisfied.
"Heh, who taught him that."
Hassan prepped his third pitch.
Deung was rattled.
'Tch, I'm toast.'
He shortened his grip for contact. But Hassan gave no quarter.
Whoosh!
"Strike three!!"
"Kuh…!!"
"Three pitches, three strikes! Hassan cooks Deung with the dropping splitter!"
"All three pitches hit their spots perfectly—no hitter survives that!"
"Tough customer…."
The splitter wasn't devastating on its own, but with two fastballs demanding focus, the bat naturally missed.
And Deung wasn't the only victim.
Thwack—!!
"Strikeout!!"
"……No way!?"
"Strikeout! No. 2 Baek Ya-geon duped by the two-seam…!"
Whoosh!
"Strikeout!!"
"…!?"
"Three straight strikeouts!! Even No. 3 Puncha Lama goes down!"
Following Seok Un-gang's lead, Hassan K'd the heart of the order that had been feasting. Perfect shutdown.
"Hassan makes a massive impact! Shuts down the 4th and heads off the mound…!"
"Keep this up, and Munhyeok High regains momentum. Watch their next bats closely!"
Now it was the top of the 5th—Munhyeok High's turn at bat.
Cheolwon First High's coach Lee Yuk-song sensed danger from Hassan's entrance. Stroking his mountain-sage beard, he urged Kim Eol heading to the mound.
"Eol, their vibe's off. Shut 'em down hard this inning."
"Got it."
Kim Eol nodded and climbed the mound.
True to orders, he cooked the first two with his best stuff.
"Kim Eol Ks Seo Kyung-su and Lee Tae-kyung in order! Two out, no runners—leadoff Choi Adam up!"
"Huff, huff."
Choi Adam stormed in, snorting like a bull. Still pissed his good hit got snagged by Kim Eol last at-bat.
This time, he crushed the first pitch clean.
Crack!
"Single past short! Speedy Choi Adam to first!"
First blood for Choi Adam.
Munhyeok High pressed relentlessly.
"Do Do-jin up. Had a hit last at-bat."
"Choi Adam steals on the pitch!"
Crack!
"Drops in front of right! Choi Adam scores from second—Do Do-jin safe at third!"
"Tch."
Kim Eol grimaced.
Bases loaded? No—runners on corners now facing Takahina Ryuji.
A nightmare matchup for any pitcher.
'Already gave up a homer-scare last at-bat.'
If Ryuji was Munhyeok's only S-grade slugger, he'd pitch around. But Geum Seong-muk loomed behind, plus Seok Un-gang off his grand slam.
No choice but to challenge.
But Ryuji had other ideas.
'Hmm, give Seong-muk a setup?'
With Seong-muk scorching, Ryuji figured he'd get intentional walks plenty from here on.
That freed him up tournament-long. Time to pass the torch.
Crack!
"Foul!"
Paang!
"Ball!"
Crack!
"Foul…!!"
Fouling strikes, ignoring balls. Total shift from last at-bat.
'That punk, no way….'
Kim Eol caught on.
Ryuji grinned back.
'Whatcha gonna do about it?'
S-grade eye at minimum. He could crush longballs on hot blood alone—but dialing for walks? Piece of cake when he wanted.
No pitch he couldn't lay off.
Thump!
Sinker tails near the zone.
Ump flinches, holds back.
"Take your base!"
Walk issued.
Half a ball off the plate—Ryuji never twitched.
"Heh, insane eye."
Kim Eol shook his head.
Bases juiced. Worst-case batter incoming.
"Geum Seong-muk! Geum Seong-muk! Geum Seong-muk!"
"Munhyeok fans chant Geum Seong-muk's name! Shaking Cheolwon Stadium!"
"Bases loaded! No escaping now? How does Kim Eol handle him…!!"
Score: 4-11.
One big rip here, and Munhyeok erases the deficit in a flash.
"C'mon, walk me too."
Seong-muk tugged his batting gloves and stepped in.
Kim Eol eyed him.
'…Should I?'
Serious consideration. Intentionally load him for one run? Cheap shutdown.
But coach's words echoed pre-mound.
'Eol, their vibe's off. Shut 'em down hard this inning.'
"Haa…."
Kim Eol rubbed his temple, headache brewing.
Coach was right—crush the momentum now, or risk the game flipping wild.
Seal it clean, they stay buried. Slip, and it's chaos.
'Fine. Nothing breaks momentum like feeding Geum Seong-muk.'
Decision made. No dodging.
Seong-muk sized him up and pulled his status.
Name: Kim Eol
Nationality: South Korea
Age: 19 (Senior)
Height: 177cm
Affiliation: Cheolwon First High School
Skill / Hidden Black (S): Control surges massively in crises.
# Pitching Stats (*Potential)
/ RHP Three-Quarter
Stamina: A+
Control: S (*S+)
Four-Seam: B+
Velocity: A+ (*A+)
Breaking: S (*S+)
- Sinker: S
- Slider: A+
- Curve: A+
'Impressive.'
Top-tier high school finesse arm.
Sloppy approach, and he'd pay.
Seong-muk murmured softly.
"Switch."
Stat changes from Solar Divine Vein reset!
Power stat enhanced: A+ → S!
Power stat enhanced: S → S+!
Roooar!
Immense power surged through his body.
All three stages from his strong pulse dumped into power.
First taste of S+ power? Terrifying realm.
'Could kill a man.'
Seong-muk smiled lazily, half-lidded. But Kim Eol felt pure dread inside.
Exchanged signs with the catcher, gripped his best pitch.
'Data says Seong-muk rarely swings first.'
Waits for his pitch, then crushes. Plan: sinker outside for a strike.
"Hup…!"
Sinker released.
Kim Eol thought it perfect—until Seong-muk's bat ripped through the air like a guillotine.
"…Huh?"
Craaaaack!!
Ear-shattering rip, like shredding the ball.
Kim Eol's mind blanked.
"Yeah, that's it!!"
No point grinding a sly fox like Kim Eol. Seong-muk hunted the sinker first pitch—pure hand bliss rippled up the bat.
"He crushed it!! Geum Seong-muk stands and admires!"
"Kim Eol hangs his head…!!"
Broadcast booth stunned by the raw power.
Seong-muk's monstrous force plus Cheolwon Stadium's deep dimensions? Ball kept flying forever.
"Where's this going?! Where—oh…!!"
No drop in the park.
It soared out entirely.
"Out-of-park grand slam!! Geum Seong-muk clears the damn stadium! Monstrous power!! Score 8-11! Chills Cheolwon to the bone!"
"Munhyeok fans go berserk! Kim Eol forces a bitter laugh!"