Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Golden Sun Shows No Mercy to Weak Teams
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Crack!
The cleanup hitter, Seok Un-gang, crushed a home run.
It was a back-to-back shot right after mine.
Before long, the score was 4-0.
Munhyeok High had taken a comfortable lead.
Next up, Ji Su-yong stormed into the batter's box snorting with determination.
"Urraaah! I'll smack one too!"
The guy entered the box swinging his bat wildly with gusto. He seemed fired up by the previous hitters launching home run after home run.
But his style was all about concise swings for maximum power. Overthinking homers made his swing too big, and the result was predictable.
Whoosh!
"Strike three!"
"Kuaaagh, so close...!"
Ji Su-yong struck out on a whiff and trudged back.
The inning turned over just like that.
I figured it was time to head out for some defense, but Hassan was mowing down batters with strikeouts, ending the inning in a flash. It would've been nice if he'd allowed some fly balls to boost our defense stats.
Munhyeok High's bottom of the fifth attack rolled around again.
Crack!
No. 6 hitter Seo Kyung-su ripped a sharp liner.
The ball sailed deep into left-center.
But there he was again.
The shortstop, Lee Tae-kyung, snagged it with a sliding catch.
Seo Kyung-su hustled but was called out at first and sighed as he returned to the dugout.
With Lee Tae-kyung putting on a clinic of highlight-reel defense since the early innings, I sidled up to Manager Myeong and asked casually.
"Manager, what do you think of that guy?"
"Oh, the shortstop? His defense has some real edge to it."
"Right?"
"Why, you wanna try recruiting him?"
"His bat's plant-level, so it's iffy, but we're not in a position to be picky about hot or cold rice right now."
"Fair point, Seong-muk. After the game's over, go sweet-talk him a bit."
"Roger."
Before long, the two of us were casually plotting to poach players from other schools. Our mindset was straight-up criminal.
An infielder like Lee Tae-kyung with rock-solid defense was no loss. If we lucked into one with a decent bat, he'd be backup gold. If not, that glove could plug third base nicely.
Crack!
Hassan cleaned up the batter with a weak grounder to the infield.
The kid threw six clean innings today with straight heat and splitters. Not tested against top teams, sure, but the confidence shining on his face meant this outing would be a big asset for him.
"Manager, should I start warming up?"
"Nah, kid. No plans to use you today. You don't burn an ace in every random game. Just focus on hitting."
Manager Myeong Sin-u shut it down firm—no pitching for me today. I nodded and glanced toward the bullpen.
"You putting Hyung-nim Chan-jun out there today?"
"Yeah, Chan-jun needs real-game reps if we're gonna use him in the tournament."
Park Chan-jun, the garbage-time arm Manager had scouted, was diligently loosening up. Truth was, stacking experience in spots like this made total sense. Bomun High was probably the weakest squad we'd face moving forward.
So I figured they'd hold the line decently...
Crack!
Once Hassan came out and Park Chan-jun took the mound, Bomun High's bats caught fire. Useless against Hassan's mid-90s heat, they turned cocky as fish to water against late-70s gas.
And this was the result.
SCOREBOARD Munhyeok High: Bomun High 5 : 3
Bomun High had clawed back to within two runs.
But their top of the seventh wasn't over yet. Runners loaded the bases with one out.
Park Chan-jun, who'd dug his own hole, was sweating bullets.
"Tsk..."
Honestly, it was uncomfortable.
As one of Munhyeok High's precious four pitchers, he needed to earn his keep. This wasn't cutting it.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 👤 Name: Park Chan-jun 🇰🇷 Nationality: South Korea 🎂 Age: 20 📏 Height: 184 cm SKILL Yard Dog (B)
>Fatigue decreases in consecutive pitching situations. POTENTIAL KEYWORD Steel Stamina (A+) PITCHING STATS (*Potential) Righty Three-Quarter Stamina: A (*A+) Control: B Fastball: C+ Velocity: C+ Breaking: C+ 'He's definitely improved... but...'
His fastball and breaking ball stats had ticked up from before.
The problem? Even those gains weren't enough to dominate hitters effectively.
"Hoo, haa..."
Park Chan-jun wiped sweat, doffing his cap.
I held back from chewing him out—every glimpse of Chan-jun Ham's scrawny forehead undercut my edge.
He wasn't my pick, but I racked my brain for ways to salvage him.
'Teach him a high-value breaking ball...? Or tweak his mechanics into something funky...?'
As I mulled options...
Crack!
The batter's hit rocketed my way.
I dashed forward, gauging the distance.
'Bit iffy...'
Too far to run down, too close for a dive.
That's when you bust out the special.
Shwoosh!
Dropping one knee, I skidded grassward like a magnet, glove at the drop zone. The ball sucked right in. Normally, my defense would've caromed it off, but the glove work paid dividends.
"Back! Back...!!"
Runners, assuming hit, scampered back on the call. Panic set in. No mercy from me.
"Urrah...!"
I exploded up, firing a heater. The first-base runner dove desperately, but too late.
"Out...!"
The ump's cold call left the runner dirt-pale. My play nabbed two outs, ending the inning.
Heading to the dugout, I clapped the dejected Park Chan-jun on the shoulder.
"Hyung-nim Chan-jun, give up some runs if you have to—just rear back and fire."
"Seong-muk...!"
Chan-jun Ham lit up at the pep talk.
But was this guy really okay?
At this rate, he'd never see a big game...
Anyway, with Park Chan-jun's runs tightening the score, Bomun High got aggressive. They yanked their ace.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 👤 Name: Yoo Seong-hyeon 🇰🇷 Nationality: South Korea 🎂 Age: 19 📏 Height: 187 cm SKILL Sharp Ball Edge (B+)
>Velocity rises on starting appearances. POTENTIAL KEYWORD Fireballer (A) PITCHING STATS (*Potential) Righty Three-Quarter Stamina: B+ Control: B Fastball: A (*A) Velocity: C+ Breaking: B 'Oh, not bad.'
Way better stats than the previous guy, Lee Dong-jae. Sure enough, Bomun's ace retired the bottom order effortlessly right out the gate.
"Okay, we got this...!"
"It's doable, guys!"
Down just two runs, with the Arab flamethrower long gone from the mound, Bomun High smelled blood. They thought they could win.
And honestly, they had a shot.
If the pitcher had stayed Park Chan-jun, that is.
Whip!
"Strike three!!"
Ri Dong-hyeok's sinker danced.
Bomun hitters couldn't track the filthy movement. Ri Dong-hyeok set down the side on groundouts, not even letting them touch first.
Munhyeok High's bats came back around.
With one out, runners on first and second, it was my turn at the plate.
'Mid-90s fastball, changeup, curve—those three are his bread and butter.'
Yoo Seong-hyeon was the pitcher hogging the most ink in Do Do-yeon's Bomun report. Still peanuts compared to Cheonghyeon High's Lim Tae-yul, though.
'Time to test it out.'
I'd been studying my EX-grade skill, Solar Divine Meridian.
Testing it on teammates revealed three stages.
They split by qi emission strength—what the pros call "Initiative Power"—into Weak Surge (弱勃), Mid Surge (中勃), and Strong Surge (強勃).
Weak Surge for middling foes.
Mid Surge for solid threats.
Strong Surge for true bosses.
How's this guy stack up?
'Weak Surge should smoke him.'
Buuulge!
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Solar Divine Meridian [Stats enhanced by Solar Divine Meridian!]
>[Power stat: B+ → A]
Perfectly tuned for this "decently tough" matchup—one step up was plenty. Enough to turn that smug pitcher's grin to a grimace.
Bomun's ace went into a big windup, body tensed—he was hell-bent on a scoreless frame.
Too bad.
I had no plans to oblige!
Crack!
"............!!"
Pure contact echoed.
Yoo Seong-hyeon's face drained to dirt the instant it left the bat. I strolled, admiring the flight. High, higher—gone beyond the wall.
A three-run dagger of a homer.
My first multi-homer game as Geum Seong-muk.
Sauntering the bases home, I bumped into lead runners Do Do-jin and Choi Adam.
"Hyung Seong-muk, nice cut."
"Damn, Geum Seong-muk's on fire today. You pop some pills or what...?"
Fist-bumps all around with their congrats.
Score now 8-3.
My second bomb tilted the game fully our way.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "“Good game...!!”"
Postgame handshakes between teams.
Final: 14-3.
After my homer ignited the lineup, Munhyeok High's bats wouldn't cool. Six more runs before mercy.
A feel-good win heading into spring tourney season.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Victory against Bomun High!] [MVP: Munhyeok High 3rd year, Geum Seong-muk] [Additional stat bonus granted to MVP] [Speed stat: B → B+]
[Defense stat: D → D+]
[Defense stat: D+ → C]
"Oh ho."
Speed, stubborn despite weights, finally nudged up. Defense leaped two tiers from its low base. Solid haul for beating a mid squad.
But satisfaction wasn't Golden Sun's style.
I didn't just claim my gains—I eyed others' too. Time to slide up to my target.
"Get home safe. I'll hit you up later."
"Ah, yep! Waiting for it!"
Flashing a warm smile, I waved to Lee Tae-kyung. I'd swapped numbers on Bomun's turf unnoticed. My fine plays afield and twin bombs at plate had awe in his eyes for Geum Seong-muk.
'Recruitment's looking smooth.'
A near-10-run thrashing? He'd feel the gap. I doubted he'd pass a scholarship ride to a powerhouse.
Grinning sly with the haul from this game, one thing escaped Geum Seong-muk's notice.
Someone had watched the whole match in secret.
"Hee hee..."
It was a high school girl.
Pure white skin, cute features. Pink twin-tails framing a sly smile, like she'd spotted something fun.