Toward 160 km/h (1)

Before I started throwing for real, I hung a rubber tube on a bar and pulled it out in long, steady draws to loosen up my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shoulder. Ever since I'd acquired Diamond Body, I could push the joint pretty hard without any trouble, so there were plenty of days I'd half-ass the stretching. But today, of all days, I absolutely could not skip this kind of warm-up. For the duration of this velocity-increase quest, I couldn't use Diamond Body. If I wanted to keep myself in peak condition for fourteen days, I had to sweat details like this from the start.

While I worked the tubing, I picked up where I'd left off with my senior.

"I got leave during the All-Star break, you know? Before the trade, I mean. But on the last day of that leave, I open my eyes and there's a Status Window floating right in front of me. After that vacation my control suddenly went to hell and I turned into an archer, right? That was the Status Window screwing with me."

"Man, that must've been rough."

My senior answered half-heartedly while he set up the gear.

"It's gotten better now, though. Anyway, that Status Window handed me a quest for the off-season — throw 157 km/h every day. That's why I'm here loosening up and about to throw. Quest starts today. So cut me some slack."

I carefully laid out why I'd shown up the day after a start and was about to raise hell over pitching.

"Hey, done. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠You can throw now."

My senior, who'd been listening with one ear and out the other, powered on the tracking equipment and dusted off his hands.

"…Hyung, did you actually hear what I said?"

"Of course I didn't."

Not a shred of hesitation in the answer.

"It's not like this is the first or second time you've spouted nonsense like that. I'll let you throw even without the story, so just get in there. But if it actually feels dangerous, you come out. Got it?"

"Wow. It's real, and he still doesn't believe me."

I'd always been fond of useless daydreams, and back in high school I'd run around spouting this kind of nonsense all the time. Maybe that was why my senior didn't even look flustered — he just casually stonewalled me.

"Hyung, I'm serious this time."

"Yeah, yeah. I got it. You all loosened up?"

"No, hang on a second."

He said that, but his face was less I believe you and more Ah… so that's the concept? That's the setting?

Well, I was pretty sure he wouldn't believe me when I said it anyway.

Who tells someone about a Status Window expecting them to actually buy it? I knew he was the type who wouldn't care either way, so I'd brought it up casually. While I babbled on about this and that, heat gradually built in my shoulder, and my muscles started getting ready to work in earnest.

"Hyung, you got those? The light balls. What were they called…"

"Weighted balls?"

"Ah, yeah. Those."

My senior pulled out a bag and tossed it on the floor. Weighted balls of various colors clattered out and rolled.

"Which one you want?"

"The lightest one."

I flicked my wrist lightly as I answered.

I was planning to reuse the trick I'd used when clearing the Awakening Quest. Back then, I'd used a light ball to force a velocity I could never hit with a regular one. This time the goal was a little different. I needed to hit 157 km/h while using as little power as possible. Throwing at max output every single day for fourteen days just didn't make sense no matter how I looked at it. With a light ball, I could probably hit the high 150s at about seventy to eighty percent effort, which would cut the load on my body way down.

"Here. Your routine's weird. Most guys don't warm up with these."

I took the blue ball from my senior and stepped into the cage.

"Just three pitches and I'm out."

"Sure."

Holding the blue ball, I flicked my arm a few times and quickly adapted to the unfamiliar weight. I'd been through this during the Awakening Quest too — getting used to the weight and applying force correctly was what mattered.

"Hoo."

I'd been doing weighted-ball work regularly with Kim Taehwan during the season, so after a few flicks it felt familiar again.

I stood on the pitching rubber and drew a light breath in.

Okay. Wrap this up quick and get out of here.

I lifted my left foot, stepped, and swung my arm lightly.

— Whap!

With the scrape of my foot dragging on the makeshift mound, the ball punched into the net at bullet speed.

— Beep!

Okay. Easy.

Lucky — 159 km/h on the very first pitch. I grinned smugly and waited for the notification that the task was complete.

But then—

— Ding!

The alert that chimed and appeared before my eyes was nothing like what I'd expected.

…Wait. What?

The smile slowly drained from my face.

— Shake, shake.

Wondering if I'd misread it, I squeezed my eyes shut, shook my head once, and opened them again.

The message I'd seen before was still blinking in front of me. As I stood there staring blankly into empty air, my senior burst into the cage in alarm.

"What's wrong? You hurt?"

Startled by his sudden entrance, I snapped back to myself.

"Ah, no. Not that. Just… it felt so good. Hard to believe this is the same arm that started yesterday."

"…Right?"

I covered quickly, and my senior kept a suspicious look but stepped back out of the cage.

"Oh, right. Hyung. It felt so good I'm just gonna throw regular balls now."

"Yeah? Not the weighted ones — regular balls?"

"Yeah. I think that'll be better."

My senior tilted his head but handed me a ball without comment. The moment my right hand, which had been holding the light ball, took the solid weight of a regulation ball, I swallowed a deep sigh.

Illegal pitch just for using a weighted ball… It never used to be this strict. Why all of a sudden, damn it.

Up through the Awakening Quest, the Status Window had never caught any of my tricks no matter how many I pulled. Something must have happened — it had suddenly gotten smart, and the second I threw a light ball it busted me on the spot.

"Haa…"

A sigh leaked out on its own, half frustration, half disbelief.

…Grind my body down, huh. So it really means grind it down for real.

It was frustrating, but complaining wouldn't change a thing. For now, I'd clear today's quest first and think later.

I took a couple of deep breaths to settle myself, raised my hands high into a windup, and readied every ounce of force in my body.

"Hup!"

— Beep-beep!

…Close.

I'd thought I'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠put good force into it, but the number on the gun was 155 km/h — exactly two short of my personal best. Swallowing the disappointment, I cocked the trigger of my scapula again.

— Beep!

Ah, come on.

The same number twice in a row, and a little irritation rose in my gut. I hadn't expected to hit 157 km/h easily ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠without skills, but the feel had been good enough that I'd hoped for it at least once. Apparently that had been wishful thinking.

"Hey, you're not overdoing it, right?"

From outside, my senior spoke in a worried tone after watching the ball punch the net. Two full-effort pitches back-to-back — fair enough that he'd be startled.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

I understood the concern, but the fatigue from yesterday's start had already been wiped clean thanks to Diamond Body, so it didn't matter. The skill had only been locked once I took today's quest; until yesterday I'd been free to use it normally.

Okay. Refocus. Finish this fast.

I gathered myself again and locked my attention on the throw.

"Ugh!"

Something between a kiai and a scream tore out of my mouth on a full-power pitch.

— Beep!

The net heaved hard, and I heard the gun register the velocity.

"Hoo, hoo, hoo."

After about twenty pitches in a row, my breathing had gotten a little rough.

Please…!

Heart pounding, I checked the number.

…Got it!

I was still cheering inside at finally hitting my top velocity when—

"Hey! That's enough for real! Twenty is a lot!"

My senior shouted from outside the cage. I just nodded, gasping.

"No, seriously — what the hell are you? A guy who started yesterday throws 157 the next day?"

"I'm fine. Hss, hoo…"

I regulated my breathing as I stepped out of the cage.

— Ding!