Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Seong-muk Gay vs Sergei
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[Hello, this is the National Sungkyunkwan Stadium, hosting the fourth game of the spring tournament between Kirin High and Munhyeok High. I'm caster An Jun-kyung.]
[Hello, I'm commentator Lee Hae-song.]
💬 Comments
— Anonymous Ugh, I can't stand looking at Tian Zifeng anymore. — Anonymous Hate seeing that guy's face so I'm rooting for Munhyeok High lol A drone cam shows the fans entering the stadium. A huge crowd is filling the seats, and it looks like it'll be a full house soon.
[Today's Sungkyunkwan Stadium is drawing a whopping 10,000 fans...! You can really feel the massive interest in this game.]
[Of course, with such a great matchup between two strong teams, a big crowd is expected. But I think the fact that Kirin High's star players are from populous countries like China and Russia is playing a big role. Especially thanks to Tian Zifeng's influence, there are a lot of Chinese fans!]
Tian Zifeng, Kirin High's shortstop and core hitter, was hugely popular in China. His consistent China-supremacist comments even boosted his popularity there.
Of course, that made Korean baseball fans hate him with a passion.
[There are plenty of Korean fans too. Munhyeok High, a brand-new baseball team, is showing unbelievable fan turnout! Impressive...!]
[I've heard their cheering squad is amazing too. Their dance videos have already surpassed a million views!]
The caster briefly mentioned Noah's videos. Baseball games had become a staple content for Munhyeok High this semester, with only the chairman who approved class credit for attendance shedding tears of blood.
There were more Korean fans than just Munhyeok High students—most were users from the High School Baseball Gallery, or 'Goyagal'.
This game held huge meaning for them.
It was a matchup between the current 'Gallery Lord' Seong-muk and the former 'Gallery Lord candidate' Sergei.
💬 Comments — Anonymous Sergei was so close. If he hadn't been such a dick, he'd have been recognized as Gallery Lord lol — Anonymous Great skills and variety show charm too. Just a few more votes and he'd have made it. With the Gallery Lord seat vacant for so long, many users regretted Sergei not claiming the throne. Now Seong-muk had taken it, pitting him against Sergei?
Even users watching from home couldn't resist and headed to the stadium for this one.
💬 Comments — Anonymous Seong-muk Gay vs Sergei ㄷㄷ — Anonymous Shit, how do you skip a Gallery Lord matchup? — Anonymous Already took annual leave and came to Sungkyunkwan~ — Anonymous Sergei? Honestly a normie compared to the Gallery Lord. Seong-muk's girls were just as focused on this game.
Noah prepping her cheering squad with full intensity, Do-yeon sitting tensely in the stands, Olivia cheering via live stream since she couldn't come due to illness.
Everyone was deeply invested in this game's outcome. A win here would truly make Munhyeok High the storm's core for Seoul-region seeding.
[Alright, the game begins...! Leadoff hitter Choi Adam faces Sergei Rasputin!]
The tense first matchup.
From the on-deck circle, Seong-muk decided to check Sergei's stats.
'Let's take a look.'
⚔ STATUS ⚔ Name: Sergei Rasputin Nationality: Russia Age: 19 (Senior) Height: 184cm | Weight: 81kg Team: Kirin High School
> Skill: Demon Monk (A)
Ball movement strengthens further in crisis situations.
> Pitching Stats (*Potential) / Right Throw Three-Quarter
💪 Stamina: S (*S+) 🎯 Control: B+ ⚡ Fastball: C 💥 Power: B 🔄 Breaking: C 👻 Knuckleball: S (*S+) High-Speed Knuckle: A (*S) 'A knuckler, as expected. All-in on stamina and knuckle.'
Most knucklers were like that. To become a true knuckler, you had to pour everything into knuckle proficiency, leaving other stats underdeveloped compared to normal pitchers.
There was something abnormal too.
Breaking ball at C, yet knuckle at a transcendent S. It defied common sense.
'Knuckleball talent is completely separate from breaking ball talent.'
Having breaking ball talent didn't mean you'd throw a good knuckle. It all came down to pure 'knuckleball' talent.
"Hup...!"
Sergei went into his windup and fired the first pitch. The ball fluttered like a butterfly.
Thwack!
"...Strike!"
"...What!!"
Pure chaos, impossible to predict. Choi Adam was stunned.
'Yeah, everyone's like that the first time they see a knuckle.'
Catcher Novik saw Choi Adam's face and called for another slow knuckle. It fluttered in again.
'How the hell do you hit this...!'
Choi Adam cursed inwardly. His simple choice?
Pop!
Bunt it.
"Kyaaah...!!"
Choi Adam surprise-bunted toward third and sprinted to first like mad. Novik scooped it and fired with his strong arm, but too late.
"Safe, safe...!!"
"Damn, that guy's fast."
Clever play got Munhyeok High a runner on first right off the bat. Choi Adam threw an uppercut toward the dugout.
"Uracha...!!"
Fans cheered his name from the stands. Feeling good, Choi Adam shrugged. Munhyeok High had a solid start.
"Do-jin! Come here a sec..."
"Yes, Manager."
"So, maximize getting Adam to-."
Next batter Do Do-jin entered the box after hearing the strategy.
'Disrupt the catcher on the first pitch so Adam-hyung can steal second, then sac bunt him to third.'
Not many hitters could pull off both in one at-bat, but Do-jin had Tactical Execution (B) skill, making him adept at strategy.
'First, fake a bunt to bait them.'
Then slash to mess up the catcher's throw to second. That was the plan—but the first pitch shocked him.
[Choi Adam steals on the first pitch. Oh...!!]
Novik popped up outside.
He'd read the steal and pitch-outed.
[Ah, Sergei! Throws it way outside! Catcher Novik grabs it and fires to second...!!]
Novik, anticipating the steal, yanked it outside and threw to second. Sergei even threw a straight fastball he rarely used to deter steals.
The perfectly meshed play spelled trouble for Munhyeok High.
"Out...!!"
"Damn...!!"
Choi Adam, out by half a tempo, slammed the dirt at second.
They say baseball's a battle of momentum. No runner meant no strategy for Do-jin, who whiffed on three knucklers for a strikeout.
'Tch, where'd my 1-out, runner on third chance go...?'
Seong-muk, planning a cheap fly ball RBI, just smacked his lips.
Crack!
[Geum Seong-muk hits it! But right field takes it easy. Sergei Rasputin shuts down the first inning clean...!]
"Hmph! Not good enough for me yet, friend!!"
Sergei especially gloated over Seong-muk. It seemed like his way of showing camaraderie. Seong-muk was impressed by the knuckle up close.
"Tch, what a pain in the ass."
Unlike other pitches you could analyze and counter, the knuckle was unpredictable even for the pitcher and catcher, making it notoriously hard to hit.
'Well, plenty of innings left.'
Not impossible, though. Seong-muk was confident weaknesses would show as the game wore on.
[Bats switch, bottom of the first for Munhyeok High defense. On the mound, their ace, Geum Seong-muk!]
[He dazzled last game and captured high school fans' eyes. Excited to see what he brings today!!]
Kirin High manager Yu Cheon-myeong stacked his top three against the leadoff. He stressed one thing.
"Go after fastballs aggressively...!!"
Geum Seong-muk relied heavily on fastballs—even early before Solar Divine Meridian gear-up.
'Classic slow starter! Best to score early!'
Highly rating Seong-muk, Yu Cheon-myeong aimed to squeeze runs upfront. Kirin High's leadoff, zippy lefty Kim Cheong-ho stepped up.
'Fastball, fastball...!'
Seong-muk wound up and fired the first pitch.
The bat swung right away.
Crack!
A hard-hit ball.
A high liner toward second. Looked like a hit... but
"Hup...!!"
Do Do-jin leaped high and snagged it.
[Oh! Munhyeok High's second baseman Do Do-jin with an insane jumping catch...!]
[He targeted the first pitch exactly? Kim Cheong-ho sighs and heads back!]
"Do-jin, nice play."
"Haha, glad I could help."
Do-jin, sprawled after the catch, grabbed Seong-muk's hand and stood. Heading back to the mound, a deafening roar erupted.
"Zha yo...!!"
"Tian Zifeng, zha yo...!!"
[Ah, Chinese fans roaring through Sungkyunkwan Stadium! They're all shouting 'Zha yo!' What's that mean?]
[In Chinese, it's 'aaja!'—the most common cheer Chinese fans yell for support.]
[Aha, good to know for viewers unfamiliar!]
"That puny fool dared swing at me. Even my father hasn't struck me...!!"
Tian Zifeng stomped to the plate, burning to get on base this at-bat.
'Fastball, target the fastball...!'
Seong-muk wound up and unleashed the first pitch.
But it wasn't a fastball.
Thwack!
"Strike...!!"
'Damn, a curve.'
He'd heard Seong-muk threw curves to grab counts sometimes. Next one had to be a fastball. Seong-muk fired the second.
'Got it, this is it...!'
Whoosh!!
The sweeper dove outside near the plate like it was fleeing. Tian Zifeng whiffed big.
"Guhk!!"
Tian Zifeng grimaced.
Seong-muk just smirked.
'Way too obvious you're hunting fastballs, buddy.'
Still green, Seong-muk thought—terrible at hiding emotions.
'Want it that bad? Here, have one.'
Big windup, third pitch. The fastball Tian Zifeng craved. No doubt, bat swung.
'This time, fast one, power...!!"
Thwack!!
"Strikeout...!!"
Tian Zifeng swung through a chest-high fastball. Three whiffs, three strikes—he was done.
[Three pitches, three strikes!! Geum Seong-muk turns Tian Zifeng around! Despondent Chinese fans...!!]
Seong-muk fanning Tian Zifeng thrilled Korean fans, especially Goyagal users.
💬 Comments ⭐ Top Comment — Anonymous Kya ㄷㄷ Gallery Lord's class — Anonymous So refreshing lmao — Anonymous Feng~~!! (Tian Zifeng's mom exploding in rage) "Guhk, just you wait, you puny fool...!"
Tian Zifeng grumbled back to the dugout, where Sergei stood arms crossed. He patted Tian Zifeng's shoulder and nodded.
"Losing to Jum Seong-muku is no shame, Chinaman."
"Wh-what...!?"
Teammate praising an opponent and butchering his name—Tian Zifeng's temper flared. But
'...This guy's kinda scary.'
Sergei's antics made anything possible, cooling Tian Zifeng's rage naturally. He chuckled awkwardly.
"My name's Tian Zifeng. Remember it this time."
"Mm, got it. Chinaman...!!"
"Remember it properly!!"
Kirin High dugout echoed with his wail as Seong-muk cleanly retired the follow-up hitters.
[Geum Seong-muk circles back with a changeup, popping Seong Gyu-jin to center to end the inning!]
[Nice breaking ball usage today? Different from last game—Geum Seong-muk!]
Seong-muk's clean frame.
The quality hid his off-condition even from experts.
'No point showing it.'
Acting more relaxed than usual, minding every step and gesture.
The effort paid off—he kept scoreless innings going.
[Strikeout, strikeout...! Geum Seong-muk sends Kirin High down scoreless again!]
[Early pitchers' duel! Munhyeok High's top order again—can they score this inning...!]
Now top of the fourth, no runners, one out—Seong-muk stepped up, adjusting his batting gloves and breathing deep.
"Hoo..."
He recalled pro days facing knucklers.
'Ran into a few back then.'
Seong-muk had faced legendary knucklers at the plate. He felt confident—once he got the feel, he could rake.
[Geum Seong-muk flies under the radar with his 0.00 ERA pitcher stats, but at the plate: .583 average, 5 HRs...!!]
[Tops the home run charts—even ahead of teammate cleanup Seok Un-gang! Can he deliver again...!]
'Thanks to Solar Divine Meridian, Un-gang, and Ryu Ji.'
Power hitters like Seok Un-gang and Ryu Ji behind created an umbrella—pitchers challenged him head-on.
Letting him feast on homers. Protections would ramp up, but for now, sweet shelter.
Thwack!!
"Strike...!"
The fluttering knuckle stabbed the zone. Seong-muk empty-swung, reading their intent.
'Not dodging battle.'
Sergei locked serious eyes. Rankings be damned—he wanted a real duel with his acknowledged friend.
'Sergei, straight knuckle again...'
Shake!
Sergei shook his head firmly.
'I'll show Jum Seong-muku all my weapons...! And win!'
'Stubborn as hell...'
Novik shook his head and set. Second pitch: 130km/h high-speed knuckle incoming.
'...As expected.'
Seong-muk grinned.
He'd gleaned it from their battery chatter.
"Thanks, Sergei."
"...!!"
Sergei's eyes widened.
Seong-muk's bat ignited.
Crack!!
[Geum Seong-muk connects! This one's deep...!!]
The ball soared high, streaking away.
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