Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: We Will Find the Answer
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"Seong-muk, I'm sorry...!!"
Just before group training began, Manager Myeong suddenly bowed his head deeply and apologized to me. He seemed to feel intense guilt for drawing Group A, the hellish party of all time.
"Hoo..."
A sigh escaped me naturally.
Until Ryu Ji joined us, I'd thought, 'Now we're getting somewhere!' But that didn't mean this infernal bracket was no problem at all.
'I can't pitch against all four of those teams myself...'
The spring tournament had a total of seven games.
Even excluding the finals—where a loss still got us to nationals—that left six games, four of which pitted us against powerhouse high schools that had made nationals last year. With pitch count limits in this tournament, I'd have to handle three games, and Hassan three more...
'But Hassan's still a work in progress...'
For now, he was just a one-tool pitcher with killer velocity potential. Against a lineup strong against fastballs, he could easily turn into a home run factory.
And it wasn't just Hassan who was unfinished. With so many late-bloomers on the team, plenty of guys hadn't unlocked their potential yet.
Time would fix it eventually, but the original plan was to face some mid-tier teams in spring, rack up experience, then dominate summer. Who knew we'd draw the group from hell right out of the gate?
The bracket was brutally tough all around, deepening my worries. For now, I brushed it off casually to reassure Manager Myeong Sin-u.
"What can we do about it now? It's already drawn. I'll rally the guys, so take your time getting to training."
"Yeah, got it..."
Leaving the dejected manager behind, I headed to the field. Sure enough, the team members waited with stiff expressions.
"Everyone, assemble!!"
At my shout, they gathered swiftly and orderly. Once they formed a circle, I scanned their faces and asked,
"Why do you all look like you're at a funeral? The group draw?"
"…………."
They glanced around awkwardly—it looked like I'd nailed it. Aside from Ryu Ji grinning like it was fun, Seok Un-gang and Ri Dong-hyeok who rarely showed emotion, most were intimidated by the Group A schools.
I got it, honestly. The powerhouses we'd face—Geumgang High, Kirin High, Daegwallyeong High, and Hancheong High—were all stronger than Cheonghyeon High, which we'd barely beaten by twisting ourselves inside out in a friendly. It was natural for morale to dip.
'No, screw that, natural my ass.'
Thinking about it, hell no.
These were the guys I'd scouted. I couldn't stand seeing them shrink before even facing them. Time for some tough love to straighten them out.
"Unbelievable, kids. Draw a sweet group and we're auto-nationals? Death group means auto-elim?"
"………."
"Your heads are all screwed up. If you're this scared before the tournament even starts, you'll drop anyway—might as well quit now."
"No, that's not it..."
A few underclassmen tried fumbling excuses.
But I was done lecturing them.
"From what I see, you guys have zero self-awareness."
"………?"
"You have no clue how strong you've gotten."
After the stick, time for the carrot. I turned to Seok Un-gang and asked,
"Hey, Un-gang, one question."
"Yes, go ahead."
"Honestly, what's Munhyeok High's level right now?"
"……."
"No exaggeration—just the facts."
All eyes locked on Seok Un-gang.
The Shaolin Temple monk with his upright character wouldn't lie, so everyone tensed, waiting for his words.
"Honestly, I'm shocked every day."
"Why?"
"I've never seen a school with this much potential. No exaggeration—this is the absolute truth."
"……!"
The team stared at him in shock.
No one expected such high praise from a player of his caliber. I smirked at Un-gang's clever wording.
'That's the most motivational line he could muster.'
He'd praised our potential, not current skill. Probably his last shred of conscience.
Still, the team's morale visibly lifted. That's the power of a famous name.
"Hear that? Self-proclaimed top prospect, Un-gang, says our school's amazing. Look around at your teammates now. Some had rough starts to end up here, but these guys wouldn't fold anywhere."
They started glancing around. From the foreign quartet—Seok Un-gang, Takahina Ryu Ji, Hassan, Ri Dong-hyeok—to Ji Su-yong, Choi Adam, Do Do-jin, Seo Kyung-su, and more. All had the potential to start at powerhouse schools.
And the same went for me, with my top-tier worldview talent.
"I ditched my own powerhouse, Bujeon High, for this place. Prestige schools? Honestly, nothing special. You've got more going for you right now."
"Oh……!!"
Pure lie, of course.
Bujeon High, nationals regular? No way they were nothing. But no guilt—Geum Seong-muk's memories from back then were long gone anyway.
Now, time to drive it home.
"Bust through this bullshit bracket, and no one can deny we're the stars of this spring tournament. Let's become national names, you bastards."
Their faces hardened with resolve.
Finally, decent expressions.
"This'll be fun—imagine knocking over all those fancy schools as a newbie team. Everyone'll flip out."
"Woooh! I'll give my all to win...!!"
Ryu Ji smirking, Ji Su-yong fired up.
Do-jin and Hassan chimed in too.
"Knew you'd say that, bro. Let's do it."
"...I'll do my best too!!"
Motivation complete.
Winning the first game would boost confidence plenty. With wrap-up training soon, time to end it.
"Okay, huddle up."
They crowded in at my gesture. Hands together in the center, we roared across the field.
"Munhyeok High...!!"
"“Fighting………!!!””
Nothing changes.
No matter how screwed the situation, we'd smash through and head to nationals. No doubt.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Do Do-yeon had been incredibly busy lately.
She'd planned to swing by home during the draw, but time slipped away.
Tak!
Stepping out of her sleek new Porsche SUV, she headed into a spacious office, head throbbing.
"Haa, of all groups, A."
Munhyeok High had drawn the worst possible bracket.
Objectively, they weren't weak. They'd plug holes with monster-potential players overnight, their skills visibly skyrocketing.
But inexperience and thin depth were unavoidable.
No quick fix there. That's why the bracket mattered so much.
Facing weak teams occasionally would give breathing room, masking those flaws. Even in this nightmare, Do-yeon had one ace.
"At least that kid's there..."
Geum Seong-muk—she couldn't stop thinking about him.
He'd saved her brother Do-jin, but as a player, his potential was insane.
'A pitcher who tweaks velocity and spin within a consistent mechanism—unprecedented talent.'
Misunderstanding from the Sun God Vein skill, but to her, who dissected baseball into thousands of data points, Seong-muk was an unpredictable mega-variable. She was sure he hadn't tapped half his gifts yet.
And, more personally, that sweat scent from their first talk. So raw, so male—it lingered in her mind.
"...Me, seriously."
She fanned her flushed face, shaking off the thought. Entering the large office, a dozen staff already there bowed politely.
"Welcome, President."
"Hi, good to see you all."
"Haha, it's launch day—had to be."
A diverse group by age and gender: data experts, ex-scouts, sports journalists— all hired by Do Do-yeon.
From odd jobs to hiring talent? Simple trigger.
'Who'd have thought that impulse buy would change my life...'
The day Seong-muk mentioned no budget for gear, she'd bought sports toto on a whim. Pro games were data goldmines; her picks hit every time. Suddenly, she was rolling in cash.
The pricey apartment and SUV? Same source.
'Sis, where'd all this money come from?!'
Do-jin, her near-only family, was stunned—as expected. He worried at first about shady dealings, but she had the perfect cover.
'Do-jin, don't tell a soul.'
'Promise. What is it?'
'I won the lottery jackpot.'
'L-Lottery!?'
Seeing billions in her account matched online info—he had to believe.
She could've quit work, lived toto-rich like a chaebol heir. But no more betting.
'This is plenty.'
Retirement secured. Buying Do-jin a Seoul apartment for his wedding? Easy.
Better than endlessly growing unused cash—time to chase her dream.
'My own data analysis team.'
Her lifelong goal.
A team her way: ruthless data scraping, total opponent breakdowns, head to toe.
With no connections or cash, she'd have started as grunt at a pro club—decades to prove herself. But now? Different story.
"President, ready to roll out?"
"Yes, please."
Tournament season meant she couldn't cover everywhere alone. More targets, so staff hit stadiums for data.
'More hands, more analysis scope.'
Before: plate discipline, hot/cold zones, velocity shifts.
Now: pitchers' quirks, walk rituals, ump tendencies—deeper dives.
This edge would crush info wars, giving Munhyeok High a massive lead. Even solo, her hit rates were legendary, shaking the industry later—but now, she was becoming something greater.
'First game's tomorrow, right?'
She'd sent microscope-level opponent data to Seong-muk. Per that, game one should be a breeze.
And beyond.
'...I'll always have your back.'
Do-yeon would put Munhyeok High on top.
By any means.
Her personal bias in that resolve? She hadn't realized it yet.