Skill Addition
The system window popped up right after the game, displaying my new pitcher stats along with an unexpected gift.
Current skills held: 0/10
Copy Earl? So I can steal someone's skill if I meet the right conditions. On top of that, a player's ability card normally only holds up to three skills... but ten? This was beyond ridiculous.
Theoretically... it means I could stack a ton of high-rank skills, right?
However, only three skills higher than Legend (L) rank may be held at once.
Anything higher than Legend rank... that would only be History (H) grade...
The ranks were divided into Normal (N), Rare (R), Epic (E), and Legend (L). Above all of them sat the pinnacle: History grade. These were the ultimate skills, each named after a legendary player who had left an indelible mark on baseball history. Once equipped, they delivered the highest possible efficiency.
I'm already seeing the good stuff in my head.
Korean Monster (H), Choo Choo Train (H), Born to K (H), Mudeungsan Bomber (H), National Batsman (H), Immortal Phoenix (H), Iron Arm (H), Son of the Wind (H), Master of Hitting (H), Fox of the Ground (H), Joseon's Fourth Batter (H), Merlin (H)...
Countless nicknames of legends flashed through my mind in an instant. Only the absolute top-tier, game-breaking skills could carry the History title.
Well, it's not like I'll ever meet anyone who actually has a History-grade skill.
Most of them had already retired or gone to the States. Synthesizing skills or using a reroll ticket could produce one with an absurdly low chance—less than 0.01 percent—but even in Strike the Show, I'd only pulled a History-grade player a handful of times.
I remember giving Iron Arm to Seon Dong-yeol and the Mudeungsan Bomber to Choi Dong-il once.
Anyway, the skill I'd just received wasn't quite History-tier, but it was still an L-grade monster with top-class performance.
The versatility is insane.
It had no other additional effects, but the ability to copy another player's skill was ridiculous. In theory, I could even steal skills from Legend players I'd never have a chance to meet in person.
I looked at the batter standing in the box.
First Save Situation
📍 Objective: Finish the inning cleanly with three up, three down!
🎁 Reward: Epic-grade Skill Selection Ticket
📊 Outs: 0/3
"Alright. Just keep them off the bases and get all three outs. Simple."
I gave the rosin bag a light toss, dusted the powder off my hands, and slowly ran my fingers across the seams of the ball, searching for the grip that would generate maximum spin.
"Play ball!"
I took a short breath, spread my arms, and began my windup.
—Crack!
"Strike!"
[135 km/h]
Not bad for a first pitch.
When I glanced at Dad, his mitt had dropped low. Is he telling me to use that breaking ball now?
I shook my head. That pitch only became truly effective after two strikes. Plus, I'd only just equipped the skill, so my control was still shaky. For now, I'd stick to the basics I'd already learned: four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, and changeup.
Seven. Two-seam that runs low and away.
Dividing the strike zone into nine numbered sections like a tic-tac-toe board was basic practice. I immediately threw to the left-handed batter.
—Thud!
"Strike!"
The batter and my father, wearing the catcher's mask, exchanged a few quick words. Probably something along the lines of How the hell do you hit something that moves like that?
With Control at 80, Velocity at 87 mph, Stamina at 69, Movement at 73, and Mentality at 80, my pitches had serious bite. Good movement left batters completely helpless. Even without counting velocity—since the stat used miles per hour—my Movement, Control, and Mentality were already at the average level of a pro in the KBL.
Stamina's a little disappointing, though.
At 69 stamina, I could throw about fifty pitches at full power, or seventy to eighty if I managed my effort carefully.
It's the last inning anyway. Full power it is.
I checked Dad's sign inside my glove.
Seven again. That pitch outside the zone...
Fine. Let's see what it can do. I'd practiced it countless times. I could replicate the exact sensation and body position perfectly.
—Whoosh!
I threw a four-seam fastball that seemed to head straight down the middle. The batter, thinking it was a mistake, started his swing, but...
—Whoosh!
"Strike! Batter out!"
"Whoa, that's crazy."
My sweeper had swept sharply out of the zone and dropped at the last second. The batter lost all power in his swing and fell on his backside.
"Hey, what the hell was that pitch? It wasn't a slider... didn't look like a curveball either."
"It's a magic pitch my son developed on his own. He calls it a sweeper. Lives up to the name, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, it really does just sweep them away. Looked like a horizontal slider but somehow different. Pretty amazing."
After a perfect three-pitch strikeout, the next batter's expression was grim. He looked like a college student, and his eyes burned with determination to hit my pitch no matter what.
"Strike! Batter out!"
"Wait, wasn't that a ball?"
"No, it tailed back into the zone at the very end."
A changeup that perfectly clipped the line of zone seven got him swinging for a strikeout while standing still.
—Crack!
[141 km/h]
"Nice!"
For the final batter—one of Dad's coworkers—I painted a high fastball outside zone one, finishing with nine pitches and three strikeouts. A flawless inning. We won the dinner bet.
First Save Situation
📊 Outs: 3/3
🎁 Reward: Epic-grade Skill Selection Ticket
"...Status check."
"Not bad at all."
In the car on the way to the restaurant, I tapped the Epic-grade Skill Selection Ticket.
Epic-grade Skill Selection Ticket has been used.
The list of available skills is displayed!
Steel Stamina, Plate Vision, Comeback Power, Spray Hitter...
Straight Fastball, Ace, Lower Body Training...
An overwhelming number of skills filled my vision. There were so many it was hard to choose.
"...This is the one."
Among them, the most attractive card caught my eye.
Batter's Eye (E)
With a certain probability, you can see the trajectory of the pitch. However, you must concentrate on the ball for at least one second.
This will be useful on defense too. It would come in handy when tracking fly balls.
Name:Lee Seojun
Age:16
Held Skills:Copy Earl (L), Batter's Eye (E)
It was the moment a new skill was added to my arsenal.