Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: A School That Loves Horses to a Suspicious Degree
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Grrr…
An empty zoo with no visitors in sight.
Do Do-jin stood before the netting enclosing a massive Siberian tiger.
The tiger showed zero interest in him. To get the beast's attention, he'd have to step inside. Only someone with balls of steel could pull that off.
But then, Ryu Ji's words echoed in his mind.
'For baseball, I'd even stake my life.'
"…Damn it."
Their mindsets were worlds apart.
Do-jin bit his lip hard, thinking how his attitude toward life differed from this guy's—the one who'd tried to end it all because the present felt too tough.
'In the last game, I couldn't help the team at all.'
While his teammates pooled their strength to tackle Sergei, Do-jin kept dousing their momentum, killing rallies left and right. His limits were showing already, and the road ahead was long.
'If we aim higher, I might just become dead weight.'
Cold, hard reality.
He knew he lacked any standout talent compared to his sparkling teammates.
He didn't need to shine. But he hated the idea of becoming an obstacle on their path forward.
"Hoo, ha…"
Do Do-jin took a deep breath, steeling himself. He lifted the loose netting and slipped inside.
Grrr…
The Siberian tiger noticed the intruder and started prowling closer. Do-jin froze in shock.
Locking eyes with the tiger blanked his mind. Facing the king of beasts bare-handed revived primal prey instincts modern man had long forgotten.
Grrrrr!!
"..........!!"
Do-jin flinched back a step. Alarms blared in his head, screaming to turn tail and run.
But he couldn't retreat anymore.
Backing down now felt like it'd doom him to get weeded out on every trial ahead.
'Yeah, this life's on loan from Seong-muk hyung anyway…!'
When he saw himself as worthless, Seong-muk had extended a hand, giving him purpose and getting him this far.
So risking it once for Seong-muk felt right. One step forward. Two. Three.
Grrr!!!
Ignoring the tiger's warnings to stay back, Do-jin pressed on. He stared it straight in the eyes.
"Huff, huff…"
His breath came ragged.
Terror seeped into his bones.
Imagining Ryu Ji staring down this beast, winning a battle of wills—it highlighted their vast gap. Still, Do-jin held his ground amid the fear.
Grrr…
After an eternity, the tiger turned away, as if saying that was good enough.
Left alone in the enclosure, Do-jin collapsed, legs giving out.
"Haa, ha… It's over…"
A rush of euphoria hit post-victory.
And a strange energy coursed through him—like some real power had taken root.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Do Do-jin's Foresight Potential has been enhanced: A+ → S!] [Do Do-jin's Foresight Stat has been enhanced: A → A+!] These breakthroughs happen sometimes.
Players who shatter their innate limits. Even Seong-muk was stunned in the original story by the rare "limit exceed" message.
Oblivious to his massive leap beyond expectations, Do-jin panted and gazed at the sky.
"…Clear today, huh."
######
Time flew to Game 5.
A huge crowd swarmed Jongmyo Sajik Stadium, the decisive battleground—commonly shortened to Jongmyo Field. Built by an ancient king, it served as a tourist spot usually, hosting games only on special days.
"And one of those special days is Seoul Seed's quarterfinals and beyond…!"
With scrubs weeded out and only the strong remaining, today's sacred Jongmyo showdown pitted Munhyeok High against Daegwallyeong High. The stadium front teemed with people dying to watch.
Noah and Shin Hye-ji had stepped out to buy drinks for Munhyeok's baseball team. Less clued in on baseball than Noah, Hye-ji asked,
"One thing I'm curious about—why is Daegwallyeong High a Seoul Seed team? Isn't Daegwallyeong in Gangwon Province?"
"Heh, great question…! Short answer: they got too strong and got booted out."
"…Too strong?"
"Yep. When in Gangwon Seed, they made the Sejong Tournament 70 years straight!! Get the picture?"
"70… seventy years in a row!?"
Even powerhouses slip sometimes—especially high school teams with annual roster churn. Yet one school dominating a seed for 70 straight years?
No wonder the other schools in the seed griped. With one spot always snatched by Daegwallyeong, local committees and the baseball federation debated swiftly, exiling them to Seoul Seed.
Gangwon's other schools cheered; Daegwallyeong whined about being local but forced to rep Seoul.
But complaints faded fast.
In Seoul, they flaunted their dominance, drawing unprecedented buzz and fat sponsorship cash.
Daegwallyeong embraced capitalism, yelling "Seoul's the best…!" The school stayed in Gangwon Daegwallyeong, but competed as Seoul Seed—an odd setup.
"Daegwallyeong's that strong…?"
"Their hallmark? Insane 'power' from rock-solid legs forged horseback on vast plains. Nicknamed the 'Living, Breathing Home Run Factory'…!"
Daegwallyeong kids grew up riding horses on wide meadows, building iron thighs. A lineup where all nine spots could crank homers—that was their edge. Especially four standouts: the annual "Four Heavenly Kings," the mightiest sluggers.
They bore a heavy duty: entering the field "on horseback."
"What kind of insane tradition is that!?"
"Started as a protest when exiled to Seoul Seed, but fans loved the cool factor, so it evolved into pure showmanship…!!"
Noah added they bled yearly to claim those Four Heavenly Kings spots; Hye-ji nearly fainted.
"A school like that in 21st-century Korea!?"
Culture shock for Hye-ji.
Just as Noah finished, distant hoofbeats rang out.
Clop clop…!!
"Oh, here they come…!!"
"Daegwallyeong High's Four Heavenly Kings!!"
The massive crowd at Jongmyo Field's entrance fixed eyes on the road.
Neigh!!
"Hmmm, we've arrived at last. Jongmyo Field."
First up: the Four Heavenly Kings' low man, Ha Hu-dong, core hitter for China's youth national team.
Descendant of Three Kingdoms general Xiahou Dun, famed for his one eye, he wore a white patch over one socket.
"What's that? No way one eye's really blind like his ancestor…?"
"Nah, eye condition. Gets 'em often since his eyes are weak."
"……."
Next, spots two and three: two guys rode in, oozing boss-underling vibes.
"The masses flock to witness the Khan's procession. With this crowd, victory's assured today."
"No complacency, Altan. Munhyeok High's momentum looks fierce."
"Understood, I'll keep it in mind."
Number two: Borjigin Temür. Number three: Altan. Mongolian exchange students.
Borjigin traced straight back to Genghis Khan. Altan served loyally as his right-hand.
Clop clop!
Neiiiigh!!!
Last: one man atop a roaring stallion. Daegwallyeong's top dog, ace and cleanup hitter Ma Cho-won.
"Wooo, it's Ma Cho-won…!!"
"The wild horse of Daegwallyeong, Ma Cho-won!!"
Daegwallyeong's biggest star in a decade, Ma Cho-won chomped jerky, arms wide, soaking it in.
"Keh, Jongmyo Field always gives that thrill!"
Brown long hair whipping like a mane, he inhaled deeply, then yanked reins, itching to gallop.
"Alright, let's run…!"
"Halt, Ma Cho-won!!"
Neigh!!
Ha Hu-dong's shout slammed brakes on Ma Cho-won. Miffed at the joykill, he barked,
"Damn it, Ha Hu-dong! Blocking my run? You nuts…!!"
Eyes bulging like he'd pay if no good reason, Ma Cho-won glared. Ha Hu-dong pointed calmly at a sign.
"Child protection zone. Over 30 kph, and it's a fine."
"Fi… fine…!"
Ma Cho-won flinched.
A dirt-poor country boy, speeding tickets hit hard. He'd eaten one last tourney charging like a mad colt—signs terrified him more than tigers.
"Damn, why…! Slow for kids? Shouldn't they learn to bond with horses young…!"
"………."
His Four Heavenly Kings crew skipped rebuttals—waste of breath on this fool. Altan coughed, tossing a handy excuse.
"Seoul kids breathe soft air, bones weak. Can't compare to steppe-raised toughies."
"Ah, got it…! Protecting the weak is the strong's virtue. No helping it…!"
Ma Cho-won bought it wholesale, easing reins.
'…Lucky Ma Cho-won's such an idiot.'
The other three thought as one. Despite frequent unreliability, one truth held firm.
'Ma Cho-won is our team's ace.'
No Daegwallyeong soul doubted it. Even these elite imports acknowledged his skill without question.
"A-alright!! Let's head in!"
Guided by stadium staff, the Four Heavenly Kings entered via the players' tunnel. Dismounting, Ma Cho-won bolted to the field, dropping low to sniff.
"Phew, Jongmyo Field's earthy scent. Feels sacred…!!"
Sniffing done, he headed to the outfield, flattened again to eye grass sway.
"…Wind's wild today. Big fly incoming!?"
Ma Cho-won popped up excited.
Scanning the stadium, his eyes lit on something fun: Geum Seong-muk.
"Whoa, Geum Seong-muk…!!"
He charged. Spotting Seong-muk catchballing by Munhyeok's dugout, he grabbed both hands without warning.
"You're Geum Seong-muk, right…!!"
"…What the hell, Ma Cho-won?!"
Seong-muk's mild shock fit—no way he'd expected this pre-game. Reason?
'This guy's not the type to fixate on anyone.'
Ma Cho-won was too dim to even memorize names properly. Him homing in on Seong-muk? Bizarre.
"Heard about you. Following my path in two-way play…!!"
"What…?"
Trailing Ha Hu-dong and Altan smacked foreheads. Called it.
Ma Cho-won, stellar hitter-pitcher, got compared most to Seong-muk.
Seong-muk had more homers, better ERA—but Ma Cho-won never felt inferior.
'Me, steppe warrior riding since age three, under someone? No way…!!'
Absolute self-belief. Deciding to mentor his "two-way junior" Seong-muk,
"As my junior, you deserve guidance!! Throw your best at me today. I'll drop wisdom for your future…"
"Not starting today?"
"Wha…!?"
Ma Cho-won gawked at the scoreboard: "Hassan Iqbal," not Geum Seong-muk.
"Geum Seong-muk, you bastard…! Born a man, yet dodging head-on clash, running scared…!"
"You're crazy. You're not starting either."
Thwack!!
"Guwaaak…!!"
Ha Hu-dong and Altan iron-fisted him down. Clearly dying to face Seong-muk's stuff. His crew bowed apologetically.
"Sorry, our ace is a total moron."
"…No apology needed. What you see is what you get."
Thus, Ma Cho-won got dragged off.
Seong-muk scratched his head, eyeing the board.
"Number two starters' showdown."
Jongmyo Field's brute-force clash. No aces starting, so slugfest likely.
'Eh, maybe a couple bombs per team.'
Seong-muk's rough guess.
He had no clue.
Soon, Jongmyo Field would erupt in unimaginable homer apocalypse…!!