Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Golden Sun's New Weapon!?
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Today's Seonggyungwan Stadium was packed to capacity.
The stands were filled nearly 70% by Geumgang High fans, including those from outside, while Munhyeok High supporters made up about 30%.
Considering they were a new team, it was an impressive showing. The weekend crowd that came for Game 1 had a great experience, drawing even more spectators.
And in the stands sat Olivia Ramsey and Do Do-yeon, each in their own seats.
"You can do it, for sure…!"
"…Mr. Seong-muk, do your best."
"Play ball!!"
The game kicked off with the umpire's booming call and dramatic gesture.
Geum Seong-muk took a deep breath and fired his first pitch with power.
Paang!!
"Strike!"
A strike right down the middle.
It clocked 147 km/h—a fastball.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Geum Seong-muk grabs the count early with a fast first-pitch fastball. What do you make of this one?] [A lefty's fastball in the late 140s km/h isn't bad by any means, but the hitter, Bae Jun-min, excels against velocity. Geum Seong-muk needs to be cautious here.] Geum Seong-muk's matchup was Geumgang High's ironclad leadoff hitter, Bae Jun-min—not someone to dispatch easily. He fired his second pitch.
"Strike!!"
A curve barely clipping the top of the zone.
The count was now 0-2.
He followed with a high fastball and a dropping curve to induce a swing, but the batter held off, bringing it to 2-2. Seong-muk rolled the ball in his glove, gripping it just right.
Seong-muk had a hunch.
This game would turn into a pitchers' duel.
'Time to show it off. My new weapon.'
It might be a bit early.
But his experience told him that against powerhouses like Geumgang High, he needed to seize control from the start.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Pitching Coach Lee Tae-jeong, who came to Munhyeok High with Manager Myeong Sin-u, was usually busy with Hassan but made time to watch my pitching at my request. His reaction was pure praise.
"Steady improvement, excellent velocity, control that's not pinpoint but rarely misses the zone badly. No doubt about it—Seong-muk, you're Munhyeok High's undisputed ace."
"Thank you, sir."
I bowed deeply in gratitude.
But Coach Tae-jeong seemed to have some reservations.
"About your breaking ball repertoire, though—circle changeup, slider, curve. The balance among those three is lacking."
"I agree. The power levels vary quite a bit."
The A-grade circle changeup outshines the rest. My slider and curve stats had risen, but they felt underwhelming as primary pitches beyond stealing counts.
"I said the balance is lacking, but your slider and curve aren't bad. They're just textbook and a bit bland."
"So what would you recommend for a power pitcher like me who just fires it in there?"
"For someone like you, there's something even better."
"Something better?"
"Ever heard of the 'sweeper' pitch?"
"……!"
A variant of the slider, the sweeper could pass as one under a different name. But this was a baseball game world with a 'special pitch' system.
'Special pitches have more erratic, powerful movement than standard breaking balls.'
Learning them was tough, though. Few coaches could teach them, and you needed a base breaking ball at a certain proficiency first.
'I wasn't expecting much….'
Special pitches were always worth mastering.
I knew he was a capable coach, but I didn't expect him to teach a special one. Manager Myeong really did guarantee talent.
"Want to learn it?"
"Of course. I'd be honored."
He lit up as I eagerly agreed and was shocked multiple times while teaching me.
"…What incredible talent. I've never seen anyone pick it up this fast."
'Naturally. I used it profitably in my pro days.'
With my B+ slider stat and pro experience, the sweeper proficiency shot up—enough to deploy it in Game 2 against Geumgang High right away.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Count's 2-2. Geum Seong-muk prepares his fifth pitch!] Geum Seong-muk's fifth pitch left his hand.
A sweeper aimed at the outer edge of the zone.
"Ugh…!?"
The batter's swing whiffed wildly.
The ball broke sharply, completely stealing his timing.
Peong!!
"Strikeout!!"
A strikeout for the first batter.
Seong-muk grinned.
He glanced toward the Geumgang High dugout.
'Get used to this sight today.'
In this situation, there was only one thing he'd do.
"……Woo-hyooo!!"
"………!!"
He clenched his fist and roared.
His booming voice pierced the crowd noise, echoing through the stadium. The Geumgang High players were stunned by the outburst—it felt like a declaration that this game wouldn't be easy.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Geum Seong-muk strikes out Bae Jun-min and lets out a roar!] [Geumgang High looks pretty shocked. How often do they see an unknown from a new team provoke them so boldly?] The replay showed Geum Seong-muk's first strikeout.
The announcers marveled at the final pitch.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Oh, is that a slider?] [Looks like a sweeper from the grip! A variant slider—not easy for a high schooler, but he throws it confidently as a finisher for the strikeout!] Next up: No. 2 hitter Joo Young-gon.
The first pitch dove into the right-handed hitter's body side—a fastball.
"Strike!!"
The umpire's hand went up at 148 km/h.
The batter rolled his neck, staring down Geum Seong-muk. A couple pitches missed, count 2-1.
A curve thrown for the count veered foul outside the line, making it 2-2.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Will we see the sweeper again from Geum Seong-muk?!] [Great bite on it—plenty of potential. Here comes pitch five!] 'My real weapon is still this.'
Seong-muk's fifth pitch broke sharply—a circle changeup.
Even Seok Un-gang had been fooled by its movement at first. No need to mention other hitters.
Peong!!
"Strikeout!!"
No. 2 Joo Young-gon stood there dumbfounded.
Two straight strikeouts to start the game.
But Seong-muk wasn't satisfied yet.
Bwoong!
"Strikeout!!"
"Woo-hyooo……!!"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Strikeout on swings! Three straight strikeouts, and Geum Seong-muk roars again!] He used the sweeper to draw a whiff from No. 3 as well. KKK right out of the gate in the first. Fans from both Munhyeok High and Geumgang High were stunned by the hot start no one saw coming.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Geum Seong-muk shuts down Geumgang High's lineup with a strikeout show from the first inning!] [Hard to believe this guy was unknown! He looks right at home against a powerhouse like Geumgang High!!] Geum Seong-muk had turned the announcers' question marks into exclamation points. Now it was Munhyeok High's turn to bat—but Geumgang's Jang Tae-san was no pushover pitcher.
Peong!
"Strikeout!"
"Argh…!! You damn idiot…!"
No. 1 Choi Adam whiffed on all three pitches for three quick strikes.
Ttwung!
"Kuh…."
No. 2 Do Do-jin made some contact but failed to square it up.
Jang Tae-san easily dispatched Munhyeok High's table-setters.
Stepping up next: Munhyeok High's starter and No. 3 hitter, Geum Seong-muk.
"Hoo."
Seong-muk adjusted his batting gloves and settled into his stance.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ Name: Jang Tae-san
Nationality: South Korea
Age: 19
Height: 207 cm
Skill / Everest (S): Breaking balls drop more sharply toward the zone.
Potential Keywords: Adaptable (S+), Genius Pitcher (S)
⚡ Stamina: A+ (*A+) 💨 Control: A (*A+) ✨ Fastball: A+ (*S) 💪 Velocity: A (*A+) 🍀 Breaking: S (*S+) • 12-6 Curve: S | • Splitter: B+ / Right-handed Overhand
'A national-level pitcher, as expected.'
No way to match his raw stats without doping. He'd even honed the special pitch '12-6 curve'—stronger than a standard curve—to S-grade. To win today, that curve had to be neutralized somehow.
Do Do-yeon's intel on Jang Tae-san also involved his curve.
'Around pitch 80, when stamina dips, his upper body opens early on curves….'
Not usable yet, but a key clue for cracking him.
Of course, the game needed to go into the mid-to-late innings for it.
'Hoo. Crush the first good one.'
Thwack!
Seong-muk cut at Jang Tae-san's fastball.
He clicked his tongue.
'Release point's insane—way too high.'
Nearly 2 meters tall with an overhand delivery—pitches felt like they came from a two-story apartment.
He fouled off a few, fought to a full count.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Full count 3-2—what's the battery's choice?!] Thwak!
"Sss…."
Insane curve break.
Seong-muk barely made contact, popping it toward center.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Geum Seong-muk makes contact with the curve but pops to center. Center fielder catches it—fly out, inning ends!] 'Hoo, no joke.'
Was a national team pitcher just different?
Seong-muk was impressed by that final 12-6 curve.
But he had no intention of backing down.
Thwack!
"Okay, first base!"
Ryu Ji fielded a scorching liner to third and threw to first for the out. Ri Dong-hyeok's great right-field play, a sweeper strikeout—clean 1-2-3 inning.
Now Munhyeok High's bats again.
Cleanup hitter Seok Un-gang stepped in.
Munhyeok High's sole well-known star and top prospect, he drew a busier reaction from Geumgang High than before.
But pitcher Jang Tae-san stayed cool. He had the scouting report on Seok Un-gang.
'Seok Un-gang, you have a weakness too.'
He fired the first pitch.
Peong!!
"Strike!"
A fastball boring low in the zone.
Un-gang watched it go by impassively. But Geumgang kept attacking low.
"Strike!!"
".....!"
A splitter clipping the edge of the low zone. Un-gang thought it was low, but the ump called it a strike. More low-zone heat followed.
Jang Tae-san's signature 12-6 curve.
It dropped out of the zone, whiffing Un-gang's bat.
Bwoong!
"Strikeout!!"
"……Hmm."
Perfectly fooled.
Un-gang muttered as he passed Ryu Ji heading to the plate.
"Ryu Ji, that curve is vicious."
"Yeah, he's no fluke national guy."
Ryu Ji grinned.
He stepped in.
"……Ball!"
First-pitch curve missed—1-0.
Ryu Ji didn't budge.
'Gotta hunt that.'
He had a plan.
The battery often used splitters to grab counts on weaker hitters after retiring stars—especially if the first pitch missed.
Just like now.
Sneer—
Ryu Ji grinned with gleaming eyes.
The catcher flinched, but the pitch was already on its way.
"Here it comes."
Thwack!!
Ryu Ji's bat flashed like lightning.
The ball soared high into the sky, higher and higher.