Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Imminent Awakening of Golden Sun!
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"Irasshaimase."
"......!!"
Crack!!
The ball rocketed off the bat, streaking straight into the sky just as intended.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Oh, Takahina! He swings... and it's soaring!!]
The ball hugged the foul line perilously close before soaring upward. Everyone in the stadium tracked its path with bated breath.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Home run or foul? Ahhh...!!]
The announcer's sigh said it all—the ball dropped just two sections short of the stands, right on the foul line. Munhyeok High's side let out a collective groan. A golden scoring chance had slipped away.
"Argh, so close...!!"
"If it'd just veered a bit more, it'd have been gone...!"
The fans buzzed with excitement—he'd nearly crushed a homer, so maybe something big was coming. But Ryu Ji, the man at the plate, just sighed heavily.
"Tch, whiffed it."
He'd needed to swing for the fences on that pitch.
Having flashed his raw power, the opponent would crank up their defenses now. No more good pitches coming his way.
Not like this one.
Whoosh!
"Strike three!!"
"Tch, knew it."
Ryu Ji froze on a nasty 12-6 curve and struck out swinging. Muttering, 'That's why I was hunting the splitter...' under his breath, he trudged back to the dugout.
The next batter, Ji Su-yong, whiffed on another 12-6 curve. Jang Tae-san had struck out the side like it was nothing.
'The possibility that I'm the better pitcher than you.'
Seong-muk's words echoed in his ears.
Jang Tae-san shook his head.
'No way.'
Admittedly, the guy's skills were impressive.
Even more so considering he was a lefty.
But that was it. Nothing more.
Jang Tae-san was determined to prove it in this game. For the first time in ages, his competitive fire was roaring to life.
Now entering the top of the fourth.
Both starters had dominated the first three innings perfectly, keeping the score locked at 0-0. The unexpected pitcher's duel stunned fans from both sides.
"What the hell? Why can't we touch this nobody?"
Geumgang High fans couldn't believe their hitters were helpless against an unknown arm.
"That Geum Seong-muk kid... guess he's no fluke special admit. Dude can pitch..."
"Right? Thought he got benched for Hassan in Game 1, but nah."
As Munhyeok High fans marveled at Seong-muk's fire, things started going south for their side.
Thwack!
No. 2 hitter Joo Young-gon's liner screamed into short left-center. Choi Adam raced after it, but he bobbled the stop in his glove. Safe.
Charged as an error on Choi Adam.
"Damn, slipped right through. Sorry...!"
Choi Adam apologized to Seong-muk.
But Seong-muk just flashed a thumbs-up without a word.
'Choi Adam's range is insane, so it got scored an error. Any normal shortstop doesn't even get close.'
With speed at S-rank, Choi Adam covered massive ground. If even he could barely glove it, Seong-muk figured it was as good as a hit.
Shake it off, get the next out—he fired away confidently. But luck stayed sour.
Paang!!
Full count.
To cleanup hitter Yoo Jae-hyun, a fastball painted the black perfectly. Umpire said nothing.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ah, wasn't that a strike?] [I thought it caught the zone too, but Munhyeok High must be fuming right now.]
'Holy crap, he didn't call that?'
Seong-muk was baffled too.
He considered protesting the bad call, but with his looks, even a minor appeal could spark massive drama.
Knowing it'd backfire, he swallowed his frustration.
Next up: Geumgang High's cleanup, catcher Jo Hwi-gyeol.
"......Hmph!!"
Jo Hwi-gyeol stormed the plate, snorting aggressively.
A smart hitter with serious pop—everyone was starting to feel it.
"About time for some runs, right?"
"Yeah, nobody misses a chance with Jo Hwi-gyeol up."
Fans sensed the first score looming. Geumgang High rarely wasted opportunities like this with their stacked lineup.
The pressure bore down on his shoulders.
Seong-muk's response? Simple.
".........Pfft."
He just laughed.
The sudden chuckle caught the announcers off guard.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Whoa, Geum Seong-muk... he's laughing!] ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Desperation? Or is he actually enjoying this...?!!]
'I've held out long enough.'
Seong-muk signaled to Un-gang.
The signal to unleash 'that.'
'Time to try it out, Solar Divine Vein.'
He could've used it sooner but held back on purpose.
If it lasted from the first to the late innings, he'd have fired it up immediately. But Solar Divine Vein guzzled stamina like crazy. Even with his stamina pumped to S-rank by Olivia's bento buff, it was the same story.
The pitching-to-hitting stat swap drained it worst, so he'd skipped it at the plate too. To hand the baton to his ace Ri Dong-hyeok around the eighth, he needed strict stamina management.
A trump card saved for the brink. Now was the time to unveil it for all to see.
'Alright, showtime.'
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ [Solar Divine Vein activates!] [Fastball stat enhanced: B+ → A]
[Fastball stat enhanced: A → A+]
[Pitch power stat enhanced: A → A+]
Thud!
His stats ballooned in three stages under the Hyper Arousal state. The broadcaster gawked at his lower body.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Wh-what...?!?] ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [What... is that?!]
The camera operator flinched too—the feed shook wildly as it broadcast live. The chat exploded instantly.
💬 Comments — Anon ?????? — Anon Insane, am I seeing this right? — Anon First time in 20 years of baseball I've seen something like this lololol — Anon What is he packing, a python? Wild — Anon This dude pure Korean? Half-black or what??? The announcers sweated bullets, desperately defending Geum Seong-muk.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ahh, yeah. He's, uh, full of youthful vigor.] ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Yes, exactly. Been there myself. Give it a sec to settle and he'll fire away...] [Whoa, Geum Seong-muk! He's throwing right through it...!!]
Defying expectations, Geum Seong-muk wound up immediately—heavy thighs and all.
The radar gun flashed—
Thwack!!
—157 km/h.
".........!!"
An unbelievable number that made eyes widen.
The announcers' jaws dropped.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [One-fifty... seven!!] ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [What in the world...!!]
A monstrous fastball left viewers speechless. Jo Hwi-gyeol at the plate couldn't believe his eyes.
'...The ball's rising?!'
A rising fastball exploding in his face. Nationwide, you could count lefties throwing at this level on one hand. And this nobody suddenly unleashes it?
'What the hell, you kidding me...!!'
Up to now, Geumgang High hitters had thought, 'Eh, decent stuff.' But that was premised on him being a step below.
This pitch wasn't in their calculations. First the bulge, now mid-150s heat? They'd never heard or seen such a freak.
The count ran away quick.
Jo Hwi-gyeol's head spun from the shock.
'Damn, velocity and movement both jacked up. Timing the fastball's gonna be brutal...'
He committed to fastball timing. Meanwhile, the camera whipped around frantically—the operator hunting safe angles to avoid the lower body.
Unusual for baseball's steady broadcasts, but it oddly amplified the drama.
As if Seong-muk owned the stage.
Thwack!!
"Strike three...!"
"Woooah...!!"
Seong-muk roared after fanning the cleanup hitter. Their best bat crumbled. The rest followed suit.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Strikeout! High heat fools Lee Seong-un!!] ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Looking strikeout!! Park Cheol-hoon can't touch it...!!]
Three straight strikeouts to end the inning.
Seong-muk's roar shook the stadium.
Everyone watching thought the same:
This might be the birth of a truly mad pitcher—in more ways than one.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Bottom of the fourth, Seong-muk's second at-bat.
He held off boosting his hitting stats again.
'Not yet.'
He battled with contact, fouled off a grounder for an out, and returned to the dugout. He'd hoped Seok Un-gang or Ryu Ji would deliver, but they hadn't connected solidly either.
Munhyeok High's bats were quiet, but the game stayed tight solely thanks to Seong-muk. He kept the strikeout parade going in the fifth and sixth, shutting down Geumgang High.
'...Damn, this stamina buff is nuts?'
Even using it conservatively, he still had gas left. With his tenth "wooah" banked, Seong-muk spun his arm and headed to the dugout.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Geum Seong-muk is etching his name into every high school baseball fan's memory with this masterful pitching!] ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Unbelievable. Who saw this elite pitchers' duel coming...?]
The broadcast team reeled from the irregular pitcher's shock value. They praised Seong-muk endlessly.
The rookie camera op had steadied up, framing him perfectly now. Deep down, he knew:
'This game's star is that pitcher...!'
He lit Seong-muk up whenever he hit the mound or dugout.
Now the seventh inning.
A strange vibe settled over the park.
Fans were piecing it together.
"Wait... no way."
"How'd we miss this...?"
Amid Geum Seong-muk's wild aggro, one fact had flown under the radar: zero hits from either side!
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Breaking: Both pitchers have yet to allow a hit!] ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [No kidding! Totally missed it. Geum Seong-muk: no-hitter with 1 BB, 1 E. Jang Tae-san: no-hitter with 1 BB!]
But the booth doubted either would hold the pace.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Stamina's fading now—stuff should dip. Who cracks first...?] ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Geum Seong-muk faces Geumgang's terrifying 3-4-5 here in the seventh—Seoul's top-seed cleanup! Can he fool bats who've seen his stuff again...?!!]
"Hoo..."
Seong-muk dusted his hands with rosin, breathing deep. His face was deadly serious.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Geum Seong-muk's expression... dead serious compared to before! He knows he's chasing history!] ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [He gets this inning's stakes better than anyone! Dead set on a no-no!!]
The announcers spat fire echoing his "intent." But the truth? All wrong. His serious face had a different cause.
'Fuck, sweat's pooling down there.'
Seong-muk had no clue he was no-hitting.
A powerhouse clawing for history vs. a pitcher oblivious to it. Fate's inning was about to begin.