Toying with a Genius Hitter

Four hours before the game started.

"………."

Seong-muk sat perched on the edge of a seat in the stands at Jongmyo Stadium.

He silently gazed at the overcast sky blanketing the field.

Suddenly, something blocked his view.

"Guess who~?"

"…Noah?"

"Hehe, correct!"

Noah pulled her hands away, beaming with joy.

She grinned brightly and asked Seong-muk,

"Mind if I sit next to you…!?"

"Yeah, make yourself comfortable."

"Yay~!"

She bounced with delight, full of energy.

A faint smile crept onto Seong-muk's otherwise expressionless face.

"This is rare—Seong-muk oppa getting all sentimental…! Are you feeling the pressure from today's game…?"

"A bit? It'd be a lie to say no."

Back in his pro days, when it was just about him shining, he wouldn't have felt this way.

But the more precious the people around him became, the heavier the burden of not wanting to see their smiles fade.

Noah seemed to read those emotions in his expression. She suddenly popped up from her seat.

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"I've got a great idea—wait right here…!!"

And off she dashed.

About five minutes later, she returned clutching something in her hand.

"Seong-muk oppa, give me your right hand?"

"Huh? Out of nowhere?"

"I wanna do something for you! Close your eyes too…!"

"Hmm…."

Seong-muk complied for now.

He shut his eyes and held out his palm, feeling a strange sensation.

Screeech, scraaape—!

Something smooth gliding across his skin. The odd feeling startled him.

"Ugh…?!"

"Shh! It's almost done—just keep 'em closed!"

Noah scolded him, blocking his eyes. Just as curiosity peaked, she finished.

"All done—you can open them now!"

"Whew, what is it…?"

Seong-muk opened his eyes.

And there it was, written on his palm.

"This is…."

"Whenever you're struggling on the mound, just look at it and think…! Hehe, I'm the nation's number one…!!"

"Number one, huh."

His potential was undeniably top-tier—no exaggeration. But that was still in the future.

"I've got a ways to go still?"

"You'll get there eventually, right? What's wrong with claiming the title early! And…."

"And?"

"Umm, wellll…."

Her face flushed as she fidgeted, then stood and grabbed both his shoulders firmly.

Noah slowly brought her face close to his, whispering into his ear.

"…You're already number one to me, no matter what anyone says."

"…!"

"Kyaa, so embarrassing…!! I'm outta here first…!"

She bolted away.

Seong-muk blinked at the unexpected words.

Then he broke into a grin.

"……Haha."

He slipped off his right glove, and there it was: the words Noah had written before the game—Nation's No.1 Pitcher!!

For some reason,

just seeing that simple phrase put his mind at ease.

Nation's number one.

Being the top high school pitcher in Korea meant standing at the pinnacle among promising pitchers worldwide.

Number one among millions of pitchers across hundreds of baseball-playing nations.

What kind of performance would it take to claim that spot?

…A Special One that no one else can replicate—mine alone.

And Seong-muk had just the thing.

The unparalleled Solar Divine Vein, a skill that let him freely boost and drop his stats on demand.

Impossible for a full season or even a whole game. But against just one batter? He could mimic it.

"Yeah, why not borrow the nation's number one title a little early."

Seong-muk closed his eyes.

He opened them with a resolute expression, murmuring low.

"…Off."

Seong-muk temporarily disabled his stat boosts.

He lifted his leg high and fired the first pitch with power.

Thwack!!

"Strike…!!"

Bulge!

Off-state ended, Seong-muk's lower body swelled again. Before anyone noticed, he kicked off with his right foot and unleashed pitch two.

Thwack—!!!

"Striiike…!!"

"……!!"

'I figured it'd be in the 150s.'

Having timed for 150 km/h, reacting to a pitch 10 km/h faster on one ball was tough.

'…If it can suddenly slow down, it can suddenly speed up too.'

Park Taeje recalled the pitch Seong-muk showed Choi Hyeok-su in the first—that insane velocity shift.

Choi Hyeok-su, with elite contact skills, had cursed in frustration.

160 km/h followed by 150 km/h from the same form. Utterly unbelievable control.

'Shifting velocity that much from the same slot? Impossible….'

Yet here was the guy doing it. So he had to account for it.

'…Just knowing that's an option is enough.'

Park Taeje was a hitter worthy of the genius label—cutting foul off most pitches, with power to send good ones over the wall.

'Come on…!!'

Dead serious, waiting for pitch three. Seong-muk grinned at him.

"…Switch."

Three pitches, three stat sets.

Seong-muk's gamble.

'Consider it an honor—you're the first…!!'

"Hup…!!"

Ignoring the runners, he went into a full windup and fired pitch three. Park Taeje's bat swung with total conviction.

'Inside fastball. I can drive this—.'

Then it hit.

A siren blared in Park Taeje's head.

This fastball felt different.

'Timing's off…!?'

Not 150, not 160.

Somewhere in between.

But velocity wasn't the issue.

The ball was rising.

It perfectly evaded his bat's path, soaring like a dragon ascending.

Seong-muk's prior pitches had some rise, but nothing like this single ball's surge. S-rank ball power was monstrous.

'How the hell…!!'

Park Taeje's eyes bulged.

Felt like facing three pitchers in one at-bat.

Pitch one, sub out. Pitch two, sub in. Total three.

Good hitters adapt fast to new arms. Park Taeje was one—but this was beyond.

A pitcher changing balls completely every pitch? No way to handle that.

Thwack—!!!

"Strike three…!!"

A futile whiff.

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Three fastballs, three strikes.

Total domination.

Hancheong High's cleanup hitter, Park Taeje.

In a chance to break the shutout, he knelt before Seong-muk.

"Uhyoooooo…!!!"

Seong-muk roared with an uppercut pump.

Savoring victory fully.

"Woooaaah—!!"

"Insane, for real…!!"

Seong-muk's utterly unforeseen win.

Even the great Park Taeje folding so pathetically.

Hancheong High fans had never seen it.

Their team's cleanup whiffing helplessly for three strikes.

Hancheong High's stands felt doused in cold water. Led by their cheer captain, they tried reigniting the fire.

"Come on, everyone knows our lineup's hidden power. Cheer till the end…!!"

"Ooh!! Hancheong High fighting…!!"

Hancheong fans ramped up, chanting for their school's fightback. But Geum Seong-muk showed no mercy.

Thwack—!!

"Strike three…!!"

"Uhyo…!!"

"…Fuck!!"

Carlos, struck out on Seong-muk's heater, chucked his bat and stormed off.

Crack!

"Out…!!"

Ko Eun-chan swung hard but popped a weak pitcher flyout.

Thwack!

#7 Han I-an reached on an infield single, but it wasn't a big deal.

Thwack—!!

"Strike three…!!!"

"Uhyo…!!"

Seong-muk crushed #8 Shim Geon-woo perfectly. He dominated Hancheong's lineup in the 7th too.

Like screaming, don't even think about scoring while I'm here.

Even neutral casters were hyped over Seong-muk's pitching. Munhyeok High students started feeling hope.

"Man, Geum Seong-muk's dealing too well…?"

"Something big's happening today, right?"

As excited murmurs spread, drops fell before them.

Drip, drip—

"Uh…."

"Rain."

Pourrrrr—

Rain as forecasted.

Fans pulled out ponchos one by one—the downpour was too heavy to ignore.

"Clouds look thick; won't stop anytime soon."

"Forecast says till dawn—no stopping during the game."

As fans donned rain gear, one man sat unmoving, laser-focused.

Seong-muk's mentor, Ma Deok-su.

"Tch tch, rain in this crucial game…. Heaven decides today's outcome."

Ma Deok-su glanced at the heavy clouds, convinced this rain would sway the result massively.

Normally, less experienced Munhyeok High would struggle vs. a powerhouse in wet conditions, but… hmm.

Something nagged at him.

He sensed untapped power in Munhyeok High. At its core, Seong-muk.

Pourrrrr—

The relentless downpour.

Who it favors? No one knows yet.