Level Up (2)
"Ahem."
I opened the Gold Shop, putting aside the level-up rewards that tasted blander than expected. So many items it would take ages just to browse them all. Filtering for Mana Level 2 compatible ones under ten million won... Let's see...
Hmm... Scrolling through, there were plenty of useful skills, but even more that were just meh. What do I mean? Skills that are nice to have but you wouldn't miss if they were gone. All the magic ones started at Level 3 or higher—only Master skills in stock. Like the ones I'd seen in the random box earlier. But unlike the random box, these Master skills were all F-rank when it came to actually buying them. Guess a good random box pull really is the way to go.
But no passive skills? Browsing carefully, but with so many items, I couldn't tell what to prioritize. I wanted to buy everything, but the prices... damn, why so expensive?
Alright, let's think. If I don't know what to get, pair it with the skills I just acquired. Anyway, the S-rank Throw Master. How can I work this into streaming content? Hmm... Uuugh... Nothing's coming to mind.
"Screw it. Time to sleep."
No good ideas no matter how hard I racked my brain, so I decided to crash and think fresh tomorrow. But first, brush my teeth?
Heading to the bathroom before bed, toothpaste on the brush, scrubbing away while staring blankly in the mirror. Even after a month, this new face still greets me like it's brand new. Fresh every time. Thrilling.
"Ah..."
Spacing out while admiring my pretty face mid-brush, I dripped toothpaste onto my uniform.
"Oops."
Finished brushing, dampened my hand, and wiped the white streak off my chest. Whatever, it's going in the laundry anyway—just gotta avoid a stain. Then, out of nowhere, an idea hit.
Throw Master. And my one edge: killer athleticism. Back in the day, Seung-yoon and I hit up batting cages as a hobby. And Korea's most popular sport? Baseball, duh.
Got a lead. Back to my room, scouring the Gold Shop again.
"Nah... not this, not that either. Hmm... maybe this one's a candidate?"
Setting aside promising items while scrolling, one skill caught my eye.
"Copycat?"
◈ Kittens mimic every action of their mother cat! Accumulate experience steadily to level up to higher ranks.
◈ Price: 10,000,000 won
◈ Notes: Requires Mana Level 2. Costs 1,000 mana per minute. Designate one target, observe, and mimic their actions. Mimicked action power capped at caster's stats. Requires 70 minutes of focused observation to acquire. Toggle observe on/off via app.
A skill that mimics every action. Reading the description, it felt like exactly what I needed right now. I'd already picked a few solid ones, but seeing this sparked a whole content idea.
Throw Master. Baseball. Copycat.
Combine those three for some sweet synergy? If it plays out like I imagine, it'll blow up in popularity and boost my stream.
Problem: I'd have to do baseball content solo. Can I pull it off? Anyway, prep work for tomorrow's plan first.
"Heh heh."
Grinning like an idiot at the excitement, I hit the bed. Gotta sleep quick to execute tomorrow's half-baked scheme... but sleep wouldn't come...
......
The next day, a bit past lunchtime. Woke up dead to the world, scarfed lunch, and arrived here: the indoor baseball practice range I'd frequented after arcades and PC bangs back in the day. Used to come vent stress pretty often, but work killed the habit. Seeing it again felt nostalgic. And knowing this was step one for my broadcast plan? Heart pounding.
To kick off that plan, I'd booted up YouTube first thing and "observed" someone right after waking. Observation's exhausting, though. Like a kid glued to TV, forgetting to move, sucked into the video—but feeling detached from my body. Weird vibe. Video ends, unconsciously clicking related ones, then bam—70 minutes up, snap out of it like waking from a dream. Unpleasant, like sleep paralysis. No thanks to doing that again anytime soon. Copycat might sit unused for a while.
Anyway, post-meal and full belly, the lingering unease faded into hype.
"Hee hee."
Imagining what's coming, I couldn't stifle the creepy chuckle, scanning around. Weekday afternoon—barely anyone here. Perfect. Lately, stares everywhere I go; today's gig draws eyes easy, so less attention means less embarrassment.
"Oh. Pitching zone's empty."
Batting zones echoed with rhythmic thwacks of ball on bat, but no one in pitching. Screened ones, numpad ones, plain target ones—all vacant. Felt like I rented the place out.
"Time to test the goods?"
Paid at the kiosk, light stretches, then opened the safety gate to the numpad pitching zone. Pro mound distance. Even guys out of shape would struggle. Reviving old memories, aim for 3.
Thwack!
"Whoa?"
Decent power. Not bad after ages off. Felt effortless, but speed gun read 91 km/h. Impressive. Maybe a glitch? Cranked it up properly next throws: 102, 118, 113. Not even full power, already topping my male-era max. Game sessions hinted at it, but this body's specs crush my old self. Control's solid too—Throw Master ain't useless after all. Shoulda grabbed something else if I'd known. Kinda miffed. Even "rotten" elf is elf? Way better specs than expected. Penalty or not, this frame's a beast—makes the spent level-up rewards sting. Plan probably doable with base stats anyway. Sigh. Whatever, let's activate it.
Pulled out my phone, toggled Throw Master on.
"Hmm?"
Instant surge of vitality. Novel sensation, mood skyrocketing. Savoring the buzz, clenched and unclenched fists a few times. Rolled shoulders, then proper pitching stance.
Before: standard overhand I'd always used. Now: signature form from today's "observation." Slow left leg windup, long leg stride forward, torso low, whip arm sidearm from below-up like scooping hard.
Classic underhand pitch. Arm drops below waist—didn't suit me, but I'd always thought it badass. Our Phoenix ace Yoo Ji-soo uses it too. But my Copycat mimic? More extreme, closer to ground—Yoo Ji-soo's idol, a Korean baseball legend.
Most underhanders lack velocity, but this guy's fastballs rivaled MLB power pitchers. Rooted for him post-retirement as he scrapped in majors, despite rival teams. Now that extreme, dynamic form—retired forever?—revived through me.
Target: 4. Tight inside pitch.
Crack!
Unlike prior throws, heavy explosion—nailed 4, dead center where I wanted, right on the body side.
"15...5? What the... hell."
Despite penalty, mana-boosted elf bod outdid Phoenix pride Yoo Ji-soo's idol's peak velocity. Penalty... yeah, earned it.