Chapter 35
Chapter 35
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Thrilling Contact!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The day after becoming friends with Olivia.
I made one request of her as a friend.
"Here, Olivia. Take this."
"...A glove?"
"That's right."
These were high-end calfskin gloves I'd bought not long ago.
I'd snuck them out of the warehouse without Manager Myeong knowing.
"Why are you giving a glove to me...?"
"Steam it in the steamer for me."
".........?!"
She looked utterly baffled, like she couldn't believe what she'd just heard.
There was a reason I was suddenly entrusting this to her.
'Because this is one of the few ways to make use of the cooking-world heroine.'
Consider this scenario.
What would happen if someone with real-life S-grade defense skills entered a game with D-grade defense stats?
'The glove itself starts feeling awkward.'
The glove on your hand feels like a foreign object attached to your body. It's routine for the ball to pop out of the glove on slightly tricky plays. Ignore it while pumping other stats, and it'll smack you in the back of the head at the worst moments.
'Conversely, if you can do something about the glove, it roughly covers for low defense stats.'
The process I was asking Olivia to do was called "water molding" in the game.
It's steaming a new glove in a steamer to break it in quickly. Technically, it's not something a chef does—it's usually done by pros with specialized glove steamers.
But the devs thought it was funny that the tool name sounded like a cooking one, so they made it so the cooking heroine could break in gloves with a kitchen steamer and get special bonuses. It was surprisingly effective, to the point where players on teams full of defensive liabilities actually found her useful.
Anyway, Olivia, being a top-tier chef, could pull this off blindfolded.
But right now, she wore the most serious expression I'd ever seen, deep in thought.
"...This must be another test, right?"
"Olivia?"
"Got it. Leave it to me."
"Oh...!"
"It'll be tough, but I'll do it—for a dish for Seong-muk!"
"..................??"
What did she just say she's doing?
She suddenly grabbed the glove and dashed off somewhere.
I wondered where, and sure enough, she headed straight for the shelf stocked with seasonings.
Did she seriously misunderstand "steam the glove" as "cook me a glove dish"?
"No way! Who the hell eats a glove? Hey, Olivia, hold on...!"
This was prejudice-free thinking taken way too far!
I bolted after her to stop the precious new glove from being reborn as some freak meal.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Oh, this is nice...!"
Pang! Pang!
I distributed the gloves Olivia had steamed to the teammates struggling with defense. Ji-su especially marveled as he caught a ball with the one I gave him.
It felt like the glove closed around the ball on its own if you just positioned it roughly where the ball was. These were great for anyone C-grade or lower in defense.
"Seong-muk hyung, thank you!"
Hassan bowed deeply as he took the remaining glove.
He was starting today, so no outfield practice, but he'd benefit hugely from it as a reliever too. And it wasn't just the teammates using these gloves.
'...My defense stat is still trash.'
There were so many stats that needed priority, my defense was still stuck at D.
But that was fine.
I could tough it out with this glove and pump defense hard. The durability was halved from the water molding, but by the time it wore out, my defense should be B-grade. Swap to a fresh one then, done.
"Okay, last one!"
"One-two, one-two...!!"
The warm-up chants from Bomun High School, today's opponents, drifted over. Unlike our trip to Asan against Cheonghyeon High, they'd come all the way to Seoul. They were decent in the Daedeon region, apparently, but our win over Cheonghyeon had enough clout to summon them to our home turf.
"Hello...!"
Bomun High players greeted ours as they crossed paths.
I suddenly recalled the report Do Do-yeon had given me.
'Hmm, the report said their win rate was definitely...'
Bomun High's roster was slightly above average. Even so, Do Do-yeon hadn't agonized much over the prediction.
-Munhyeok High win probability: 91%
An overwhelming win rate, as expected.
Of course—the players I'd scouted weren't pushovers.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Please take good care of us...!!"
The game kicked off after the booming mutual salute from both teams.
On the mound: Hassan, making his first start.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ Name: Hassan Iqbal Nationality: Pakistan Age: 17 Height: 186 cm Skill / Allah's Magic Wand (A)
>Velocity rises one rank in crises. Potential Keywords: Fireballer (S+), Iron Stamina (A+), Straight Bullet (A+) Pitching Stats (*Potential) / Right-handed Three-Quarter 💪 Stamina: B+ (*A+) 🎯 Control: C ⚡ Fastball: S (*S+) 💥 Velocity: C (*A+) ✨ Breaking Balls: C 'Oh, he's improved?'
Thanks to all that tire-pulling, his stamina had jumped a grade, and breaking balls had risen two whole grades.
As I checked Hassan's status, Manager Myeong approached.
"Seong-muk, what do you think of Hassan?"
With only two starters, he was tense for Hassan's debut. I smirked and assured him.
"He won't struggle against a team like that."
I had reason to be confident.
Not just the stat boosts—he'd picked up a new breaking ball perfectly suited to him.
'He finally equipped it.'
A splitter, ideal for Hassan.
Whoom!
"Strike three!"
Bomun High's leadoff hitter whiffed helplessly at the splitter dropping off the zone. Still only C-grade, so the break wasn't huge. The splitter alone wasn't impressive. But...
Thwack---!!
Paired with his overpowering fastball, it was a different story. From the first inning, Hassan was pounding 156 km/h heat into the mitt. The Bomun batter was too scared to even swing properly.
'Yang-hak might actually be worse at pounding weak teams than me.'
Once my potential fully blooms, no comparison—but right now, against scrubs, Hassan's pure velocity might be the better matchup.
No harm in our #2 starter shining; I'd keep nurturing him.
Hassan cleanly wrapped up the top of the first.
Now our turn to bat.
Leadoff Choi Adam grounded out.
#2 Do Do-jin ripped a single to right, taking first.
I strode to the plate.
A notification popped up before my eyes.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [You can view Lee Dong-jae's status. Would you like to view it?] "Yes."
⚔ STATUS ⚔ Name: Lee Dong-jae Nationality: South Korea Age: 18 Height: 174 cm Skill / Sharp Instincts (C)
>Pickoff accuracy improves with runners on base. Pitching Stats (*Potential) / Right-handed Three-Quarter 💪 Stamina: C+ (*B) 🎯 Control: C+ ⚡ Fastball: C+ 💥 Velocity: C+ ✨ Breaking Balls: C+ 'Pretty average.'
Testing the waters, maybe? A run-of-the-mill pitcher. Comparable to our garbage-time guy Chan-jun Ham, if anything.
The pitcher went quick for the first pitch.
A bland slider that didn't even miss the zone. Couldn't let this go.
Crack!
I crushed the first pitch hard.
The liner shot past the pitcher like a bullet.
With that speed, it looked headed between second and short. I was sure it was a hit—
"Hup...!"
"........!!"
The shortstop dove out of nowhere for a sliding catch. From his belly, he tossed to second, who forced out the runner. Second hesitated a beat before firing to first.
"Safe, safe...!"
I ran like hell and barely beat the throw. Jog casually thinking hit, and it'd be a double play. I glanced at the shortstop who'd nearly given me a heart attack.
'Oops, don't know his name.'
Status view requires the name.
Whatever—no name? Just ask.
"That guy's defense is insane. What's his name?"
"Oh, yeah, defense is nuts, right? Tae-kyung. Lee Tae-kyung."
The first baseman spilled it, even with potential poaching on the line.
If I snag him, it's thanks to you, nameless friend.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [You can view Lee Tae-kyung's status. Would you like to view it?] "Yes."
⚔ STATUS ⚔ Name: Lee Tae-kyung Nationality: South Korea Age: 17 Height: 175 cm Skill / Premium Defense (B+)
>Infielder range expands. Potential Keywords: Defense Genius (*S), Iron Grip (A+), Speed Runner (A) Batting Stats (*Potential) / Left Throw, Right Bat 💥 Power: F 🎯 Contact: C 🏃♂️ Speed: B+ (*A) 👁️ Eye: D 🛡️ Defense: A+ (*S) 💪 Arm: A (*A+) Recommended Position: Infield 'Oh ho.'
Normally, a one-tool defense guy like this wouldn't catch my eye. But with two glaring holes in our infield right now...
I hadn't planned to scout anyone from Bomun High, but that changed. After the game, I'd pitch an offer to him too.
Seok Un-gang followed with a flyout to the outfield, keeping the score 0-0. We shifted to defense, but it didn't last long.
Crack!
"Mine!"
The batter barely met Hassan's pitch, popping it to right field—right into my glove. We'd issued one walk this inning, but wrapped it up quick.
The early game flowed at 0-0.
No runs yet, but everyone sensed it: Munhyeok High would score first.
In that atmosphere, my second at-bat came up.
Two outs, runners on first and third. A feast laid out before me.
I adjusted my batting gloves and settled into my stance.
"Hoo, haa."
Pitcher Lee Dong-jae breathed deep, looking tense.
Don't wimp out, man—I won't bite.
When you're cleanup, it's only polite to savor a spread like this.
Swoosh!
First pitch from the hurler.
A curve missing outside the zone.
I laid off, of course.
"......... "
He shook off the catcher's signs a few times before the second pitch.
A straight fastball with honest movement—right at my favorite spot, high-inside.
Crack!
Thrilling contact raced up the bat.
The pitcher's head drooped.
The ball kept carrying deep, deep into left.
"This is it."
I tossed the bat and trotted to first.
Thud!
It cleared the left-field wall.
The go-ahead three-run homer, breaking the scoreless tie.
3-0, Munhyeok High.
'Feeling good today?'
Maybe batting-only kept me fresher.
Time to swing for the fences today?