《Ace of Ace》 Chapter Pr Chapter Prologue - Prologue 5th June, 2022 Gun Choi went to the local council light-heartedly . ¡°Today is finally thest day¡± Thest day of the 24-month public military service . Beep . Beep . Lowering his head to check his smartphone, he found a message from his colleague . ¡°Don¡¯t forget! after work we¡¯re having your discharge celebratory get-together!¡± The colleague who¡¯d been assigned to the civil service department due to his obesity had been counting down days for this gathering . However, Gun himself wasn¡¯t even the slightest bit interested in the uing event . There was only one thing in his mind right now . ¨C THE MAJOR LEAGUE ¨C The day had finallye after a long wait of nearly 3 years since hisst attempt at the league . He was finally re-entering¡­ . to prove those who doubted and abandoned him wrong . ¡°This time¡­ Finally¡­¡± As he was walking across the street, he witnessed a pram racing down a hill uncontrobly . Within moments Gun had taken off to save the pram from crashing¡­ to save the baby that may be lying there innocently . ¡°NO!!!¡± *THUMP* With screams of terror and shock echoing his surroundings, he slowly lost consciousness . Chapter 1 Chapter 1 - An Angel¡¯s Life on Chance (1) When Gun had regained consciousness, the situation had already been settled . He woke up startled, to find a young girl looking down on him . ¡°What happened¡­?¡± The girl responded indifferently . ¡°You¡¯re dead¡± ¡°What?¡± Gun hastily pushed himself up . Then he raised his voice in anger . ¡°Look, I can move so freely, and you say that I¡¯m dead? You don¡¯t joke about those things little girl¡± The girl remained calm and indifferent, and simply pointed her finger behind him . When Gun turned his head around to look, he found his body lying in the middle of the road . ¡°Your life was ended when you saved a baby in a pram and was hit by a truck as a result . But do not worry, you sacrificed your life for the baby, so you will be sent to Heaven . ¡± Gun wavered his arms as he responded in shock . ¡°Wa¡­ Wait, what do you mean Heaven?! I¡¯m not yet¡­¡± The girl cold-heartedly cut him off and continued speaking . ¡°Eliminate any secr desires you may have for the things you failed to achieve in this world . Those will all disappear once you reach Heaven . ¡± As soon as she finished, a beam of light came down from the skies and pulled Gun upwards . ¡°Dammit¡­ my life ends here¡­ without ever standing on the Major League mound . What were all those countless hours of practice and rehabilitation training for¡­?¡± As she watched Gun float to the skies, the young girl thought to herself . ¡°Hmph¡­ not bad for my first mission . I had perfect control of my facial expressions too . ¡± As of this mission, she was graduating from being a trainee angel . ¨C Gun is approximately half way up to the skies ¨C Someone had sent a message to her mind . ¡°Ell, didn¡¯t you forget something?¡± Ell responded to the high angel, Veness¡¯s question . ¡°This mission was on an ident urred at local time 08:21:23, on the 5th of June, 2022, in the A-12 region of Seoul, South Korea, which resulted in a death . The target is Jang Geun Cho, a person with enough pure and good deeds to be admitted to Heaven entry . During the procedures, he seemed to have no forgotten memories . ¡± Veness sighed as Ell responded . ¡°Ell, as an Appointed Angel, it is one of the most fundamental principles to check the target¡¯s name¡± Appointed Angels, aka ¡°AA¡±s, were those that lead the dead spirits to Heaven . Ell froze in shock and horror as she heard Veness¡¯sment . ¡°No way¡­¡± ¡°YES way¡± Ell hastily shot up to the skies and grabbed Gun, who was about to disappear into the clouds . ¡°Wait a moment¡± Gun looked down at Ell in wonder . ¡°¡­Yes?¡± ¡°Tell me your name¡± ¡°¡­ Gun Choi¡­ is there a problem?¡± As Ell heard his answer, she pulled him down with all her strength . Unfortunately, the beam of light from Heaven was too strong, and had pulled both Gun and Ell above the clouds, into Heaven instead . ¡°NOOO¡±
Chapter 2.1 Chapter 2.1 - An Angel¡¯s Life On Chance (2) ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± Ell dropped her head at Veness¡¯s question . ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the problem . Their distorted destinies are too great, That man¡­¡± Ell continuously dropped her head and bowed to Veness . ¡°I¡¯m sorry . I¡¯m sorry . I¡¯m sorry . ¡± Veness led the truck driver Jang Geun Cho to Heaven . The correct target Ell should have led to Heaven . However, despite Veness¡¯s quick response to the mistake, the destiny had been too greatly distorted to be recovered fully . ¡°Your trainee graduation¡­ will have to be postponed for now¡± Veness turned her attention to Gun . Was Ell simply unlucky? Her mistake wasn¡¯t entirely her fault¡­ The given situation could have easily led to an incorrect assumption . The truck driver Jang Geun Cho saw the pram racing down the road and quickly turned the wheel . His quick response avoided the truck from running over the pram . However, that wasn¡¯t it . The truck soon ran uncontrobly, straight into a 5-metre high wall . The destined task to sacrifice one¡¯s life to save the baby in the pram was Jang Geun¡¯s task, NOT Gun¡¯s . Gun bolted for the pram and pushed it out of harm¡¯s way, and in the process had simply lost consciousness . Ell asked Veness in a greatly troubled tone . ¡°Wha¡­ What do we do now? The spirit already reached all the way here, his physical body down there will hardly be recoverable . Even if we send his soul back down, I doubt his body will be able to ept it and revive¡­¡± ¡°The situation has gotten serious . I mean, we can¡¯t even use the Angel¡¯s Miracle for an incident like this¡± An Angel¡¯s Miracle was the angels¡¯ ability to bring a dead person back into life, in itself being a miracle to ovee death . However, to have this ability, you had to have the consent of those in the High Angel or Chief Angel ranks . Gun had reached the entry of Heaven but could not enter . He was troubled between the two angels who were holding a discussion regarding the situation . ¡®Hmm¡­ I¡¯m sure there¡¯s something wrong . But I can¡¯t see what it is¡­ . Surely not a problem as stupid as bringing the wrong person . Nah, no way . ¡¯ Veness lectured Ell once more and turned her head to Gun . ¡°Seems like this is the only way¡± ¡°Veness, please, not Angel¡¯s Miracle . You must first acquire the Chief Angel¡¯s consent for that . ¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not using the Angel¡¯s Miracle . ¡± ¡°Then wha¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to utilise the trainee angel mission program . There¡¯s a revival program included in it . ¡°Do you think that will work?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just hope his mental durability and will power is sufficient to withstand it¡± Veness approached Gun after she finished the conversation . Gun grew slightly nervous about Veness¡¯s approach . ¡®Maybe they found a solution¡¯ As Veness got closer, Gun could feel his consciousness bing weaker and harder to grasp a hold of . The presence of the High Angel and her spiritual power was overwhelming for a normal human being to handle . Gun stayed conscious with all his might . Then he asked her . ¡°What¡¯s happening? My mind¡¯s bing weaker¡± After seeing Gun still standing, Veness thought . ¡°With mental power this strong, it should be sufficient for him to withstand the program¡± Veness asked him with a typically bright angel¡¯s smile . ¡°We have decided to return you to the secr world . As it seems, that is what you desire as well¡± ¡°You¡¯re sending me back? Is that even possible?¡± Gun¡¯s consciousness grew weaker and weaker . ¡°Of course, It¡¯s not that simple . However, we are going to repay you for your good deeds sufficiently . ¡± ¡°Wh . . What?¡± Gun wanted to ask what the repayment was going to be, but had lost his consciousness .
Chapter 2.2 Chapter 2.2 An Angel¡¯s Life on Chance (2) ¡®5,311 hours?! That¡¯s¡­ 220? 221 days?! And let¡¯s see¡­ That¡¯s over 7 months!¡¯ ¡®Dammit, 7 months from now it¡¯ll be early next year . I need to recover before this year passes¡¯ Next year he¡¯d be turning 26 . Including rehabilitation time, he¡¯d be well over 27 before he could start pitching properly . ¡®Isn¡¯t there a way to recover faster?¡¯ As if the program was responding to his thoughts, new messages were disyed . ¨C recovery time using mental enhancement: 1,244 hours ¨C ¨C may Imence the mental enhancement? 1,244 hours was equivalent to approximately 2 months . ¡®Full recovery in 2 months, then I may be able to finish the rehab program by early next year¡¯ This was Gun¡¯s final chance . Without hesitation, he responded in his mind . ¡®I don¡¯t know what mental enhancement is, but desperate times call for desperate measures . Hurry andmence the enhancement¡¯ ¨C initialising mental enhancement ¨C Within moments, Gun could feel his body rapidly heat up . He wanted to groan and scream in pain, but no sound, nor words could escape his mouth . *12 days after the ident* Gun was recovering at an unbelievable rate, surprising all the doctors and nurses . ¡°I have never seen a patient recover this quickly¡± ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because he¡¯s an athlete that his recovery is outstanding!¡± ¡°Hm¡­ maybe he was born with unique genes . His muscle density and recovery rate is no match for an ordinary human being¡± ¡°You mean to say, he was blessed with special gifts or powers?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ as reluctant as I am, I¡¯d have to assume so¡± Gun was lying down on his nursing bed, looking at the texts that were disyed . Health: D Strength: E Agility: E Responsiveness: D Trust: C Luck: B Mental Power: A As the recovery processes progressed, the mere F¡¯s on his stats were beginning to slowly rise . ¡®Hm¡­ I guess there¡¯s no point telling other people about these stats, they wouldn¡¯t believe me¡­ What a shame . ¡¯ Gun also knew that even if he could somehow prove that he could magically quantify and produce an urate table of his stats, the people would only take him to a hiddenboratory for cruel experiments in an attempt to extract the power from him . ording to the messages, there were approximately 40 days left until all stats were to return to normal . ¡®I wonder how long the rehab would take . I¡¯d have to start from rock bottom again right¡¯ He let out a deep sigh . The minor league life was dooming . ¡®Herees the bread and strawberry jam again¡­¡¯ ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª 4th of January 2020 (2 years and 6 months ago) Gun let out a breath of relief as the doctor notified him that the operation was sessful . ¡°Only thing you need is some good rest now¡± Gun delivered his words of gratefulness on his nursing bed . ¡°Thank you very much¡± 2 months ago, with the help of his minor league team, he was drafted into the top 40 list of the Major League and was aiming to be drafted officially into a team . The major league, which he dreamt of for years . However, due to a critical elbow injury, he ended up undergoing a surgery . There were 2 things pointed out as the cause for his injury . Firstly, his incorrect pitching form . Gun held the ¡®Inverted W¡¯ pitching form . Numerous major league pitchers from the past with high speed balls fell with the Inverted W form . Gun also knew very well of the dangers and risks of adopting this form . However, this form was also the best form to produce top speed fast balls . Gun was unable to resist the temptations of immediate quality performance for taking the risks of injuries, much like other pitchers from the past . Secondly, he often overworked his body . Gun was known for his significantlyrge amount of training . He trained even after games, typically working on mastering his Breaking Balls . It didn¡¯te to a surprise that Gun faced such injury, for he was overworking his body with an incorrect form . ¡°It ¡®s a miracle that your body endured for 4 years¡± After he was discharged, the draft team officials visited his cabin . Gun regarded it as a necessary visit of manners and courtesy to check up on a yer¡¯s conditions after an operation . However, their purpose for the visit was different to what Gun had expected . ¡°Mr . Choi, you are now an unrestricted free agent, able to establish contracts with other teams¡± Gun hadn¡¯t even entered the major league yet, but they were talking about free agency . It took Gun several moments to figure out the deeper meaning of their notice . ¡°¡­Are you saying that I¡¯m no longer part of the team?¡± ¡°Mr . Choi, the team can no longer wait for you¡± Gun¡¯s age had already reached the end of that of a super rookie . He knew that very well . Which was exactly why he had spent so much time and effort training harder than others . ¡°Is it okay for a team to abandon their injured yer like this? Without pre arranged meetings or negotiations?¡± Gun yelled in a tone filled dense with emotions . The team¡¯s draft officials had experienced these types of abandonments numerous times, so they had grown ustomed to the yers¡¯ outrages . ¡°Mr . Choi, your talent is sensational . However, you are slightly different to the rest of the yers . You own an absolute Achilles heel . ¡°I¡¯m different to other yers? Is it the injury?¡± The official replied as he shook his head . ¡°It¡¯s not the injury, Mr . Choi . It¡¯s the military service . ¡± It was true . Gun hadn¡¯t yet served in thepulsory South Korean military service unlike many other yers in his age . Had he entered the Major League he wouldn¡¯t have these worries . If you enter the Major League, and ultimately the Olympics and win a medal, you are able to apply for an exemption . However, all such hopes were blown away by the injury . ¡°Mr . Choi, I hope you are able to respect the team¡¯s decision . ¡± The official used the excuse of the military service, but in fact he wasn¡¯t regarding Gun¡¯s abilities that highly at all . Had he seen true potential in Gun¡¯s abilities, then despite the military service issues, the team would have waited 2 years or so . However, that wasn¡¯t the team¡¯s decision . They regarded Gun¡¯s talents as quite ordinary . Gun asked . ¡°Is there no other way?¡± The official shook his head firmly . ¡°It was Thompson¡¯s final call . It would be impossible to oppose it . Mr . Choi, please respect his decision¡± A . Thompson was Boston Red Sox¡¯s new GM . As soon as he was newly appointed, he used his very first opportunity to eliminate ¡®ordinary¡¯ or ¡®hopeless¡¯ rookies, and Gun was his first target . ¡°Pardon me, but I will be on my way, I have a lot to take care of today¡± *Thump* The door closed, and the draft official disappeared . Gun murmured, filled with rage . ¡®Damn it¡­ To be abandoned like this . I will show those bastards what I¡¯m capable of . I will be the second Bambino . * *Legendary home run king, Babe Ruth¡¯s nickname . After Boston traded away Babe Ruth at an incredibly low price, they failed to win a World Series for 86 years until 2004 . They often referred to this as the Bambino¡¯s Curse .
Chapter 3 Chapter 3 ¡°Mr . Gun Choi, Are you okay?¡± Gun nodded to the doctor¡¯s question . ¡°I don¡¯t feel any pain at all . Thank you very much, Doctor¡± The doctor let out a smile of relief . ¡°I think your determination to ovee this injury allowed such a quick recovery to ur¡± However, Gun knew that it wasn¡¯t the doctor, nor his determination that allowed this . ¨C trainee angel mission program ¨C Veness had imnted an Angel Mission Program which had a quick body recovery system incorporated into Gun¡¯s body, and Gun knew that it was this program that led to his miraculous recovery . After the doctor had gone, Gun called out his stats on the program . ¨C disying user¡¯s general stats ¨C Health: C Strength: C Agility: C Responsiveness: B Trust: C Luck: B Mental Strength: A+ Gun was relieved to see every category of his stats higher or equal to a C . ¡®I don¡¯t know what my ordinary stats are meant to be, but I¡¯d assume this is very close to full recovery¡¯ In reality, he had no sore or aching parts anymore . ¡®Transform¡¯ At themand he whispered in his mind, the system¡¯s stats list immediately disappeared . His vision was clear again . Gun shifted his attention to a table that was ced next to his bed . On it, there were fresh flowers and presents that were given by his fans . After the day he saved the baby on the pram, numerous news reports had been made . ¡°A Minor League baseball superstar unconscious after saving a baby¡± ¡°Gun Choi, sets an examples of a baseball yer¡± ¡°Gun Choi, one of most anticipated Minor League superstars, unconscious after saving a baby, recovery yet to be made¡± ¡°Honourable yer, Honourable citizen Gun Choi, Company ¡°L¡± deres full coverage for his medical fees!¡± Gun wondered if all these were gifts sent from the angel . He didn¡¯t have to worry about his medical fees, and had received a significant amount of donations from all around the nation for his honourable deed . ¡®I guess the only thing left to do is seed as a baseball yer¡¯ A few dayster, Gun walked out of the hospital with his mother . It was his first time entering the society since the ident . Despite sending nomands, a message popped up before his eyes . The message contained the information that from now on, all his injuries will be recovered 22% faster than before . Gun headed home with a big smile . After de-hospitalisation, Gun was contacted by numerous ces . Professional baseball managers, journalists from various ces, a number ofmunity service organisations and finally governmental bodies . He was starting to feel overwhelmed at the attention he was receiving for his single deed . ¡®hm, let¡¯s not worry too much, it must be a gift from the angel¡¯ Gun contacted all the national baseball teams that had contacted him after his return . ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Hey, this is Mun Cheol Kim from AT tel, how are you today?¡± ¡°Hey, I¡¯m fine thanks . ¡± Mun asked in a bright tone . ¡°yer Gun Choi, have you decided yet?¡± ¡°Yes, I want to y with the AT Tel yers¡± AT Tel¡¯s contract offer was a rehabilitation program with the organisation¡¯s B team . This was a win-win situation on both parts . AT Tel would acquire a yer that was nationally popr with a honourable citizen image, and Gun had found a ce which he couldfortably begin his rehab . ¡°Tomorrow we will send one of our guys to pick you up¡± ¡°Could we start today?¡± ¡°Today? Yeah, there is nothing wrong with that . We will send a person within the next 2 hours¡± ¡°Thank you¡± After he hung up the phone, Gun prepared his gear for training . Suddenly, a message popped up before his eyes . Beep . ¨C starting rehabilitation . Utilise eleration? ¨C The trainee angel¡¯s mission program didn¡¯t merely stop at Gun¡¯s recovery . The program inside Gun¡¯s body had progressed in an entirely different direction as that of which was anticipated by Angel Veness . Gun hesitated at the word ¡®eleration . ¡®Does that mean I need to exchange pain and time likest time?¡¯ He let down a dry gulp . The pain he had endured on his nursing bed was none like he had experienced before . ¡®Do I have to endure that kind of pain even during the rehabilitation trainings? This pain is too overwhelming to be ssified as a ¡®gift from angel¡¯¡¯ Gun had anticipated something more grand, luxurious and warm when he first heard of a gift from an angel . ¡®Is this what the angels endure to train themselves? To be sess?¡¯ After a long sigh, he asked the system . ¡®How long can I reduce the time?¡¯ ¨C calcting time required for full rehab ¨C time required for full rehab: 2,751 hours time reduced from eleration: 1,288 hours Gun was slightly frustrated at everything disyed in hours . ¡®Can¡¯t you show that in days?¡¯ days required for full rehab: 114 days days reduced from eleration: 53 days With the eleration, he could potentially save close to 2 months . ¡®Sigh¡­ yeah, let¡¯s do this . Pain is temporary¡¯ Gun recalled a quote that was written on a table at his previous training facility . ¡®If you can¡¯t avoid it, enjoy it¡¯ Gun decided to try his best to enjoy the pain . ¡®Start the elerated rehab¡¯ System responded quickly . ¨C initiating eleration ¨C Rehabilitation Day 8 Gun¡¯s body was improving at an incredible speed . However, his face was not so bright . Training eleration . It wasn¡¯t as simple as enduring pain likest time . As soon as he started the eleration, his body became instantly heavier, as if the force of gravity applied to his body had multiplied . He could not grow ustomed to this sensation even after a week . ¡®No pain, No gain¡¯ ¡®I mean, yeah I can ept the whole enduring part and the pain part . But wouldn¡¯t this much pressure on the body incur another injury?¡¯ As if the system was conversing with his thoughts, it responded . ¨C it is impossible to attain any injuries during training eleration ¨C Gun had previously gained injuries due to excess training . The system¡¯s assurance of his freedom from injuries during rehab delighted him . ¡®Okay, so I can train as hard as I want and I still won¡¯t get any injuries right? Then I¡¯ll be able to lift up a gear in my training . This, I like . ¡¯ He began his training routine . Even the most basic stretching and warm-up lifting routines had left him in exhaustion . *pants* Gun was breathing heavily after his pre-training warm up routine . ¡®Damn it, I will ovee all this and enter the Major League . And I will show that bastard Thompson who kicked me out that his decision was wrong . That¡¯s all I need to think about right now¡¯ As Gun was resting after his warm up, the A¡¯s agency trainer approached him . ¡°Mr . Gun, let¡¯s work on your form¡± ¡°Sure thing¡±, Gun replied rigidly, as if he was nervous . ¡®Why am I all frozen up?¡¯ The trainer began the training,pletely unaware of what Gun and his body was going through due to the elerated rehab program . ¡°Mr . Gun, please follow my lead¡± Gun carefully observed the trainer¡¯s form and tried his best to copy it . As Gun embraced the form, the trainer supported Gun¡¯s legs with his hands . ¡°Very good¡± ¡°How long do you want me to hold this position?¡± ¡°Just for a few more seconds¡± Gun stood up from the position after he was signalled to stop by the trainer . And he repeated this process over and over . A repeated process of perfecting his pitching form was enough exercise for him to experience tremendous physical fatigue . ¡®If this eleration program doesn¡¯t have a clear impact on my rehab, I don¡¯t care whether angel or demon, I will destroy them¡¯
Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Rehab (2) When you watch baseballmentaries, you often hearments about pitchers pitching with only their shoulders . Pitching with their shoulders mean that they are unable to utilise the rotational force from their bodies . The weight shift training that Gun was undergoing now was to ensure that he could utilise and maximise his rotational force . Amateurs typically referred to this as ¡®being able to use the hips¡¯ to pitch faster . Gun and his trainer took a hiatus after a half an hour of weight shift training . ¡°let¡¯s end it here for today¡± Gun dropped to the floor as soon as he heard his trainer¡¯s voice . ¡°phew¡­¡± Trainer was surprised to see Gun struggling to keep us with what is supposed to be a simple training course . ¡°Gun, are you sure your body is fully recovered? There is nothing more lethal than overtraining your body . You should seriously re-examine the state of your body¡± Gun shook his head . ¡°No, that¡¯s not it . It¡¯s due to the long break from physical activity that I am struggling . Nothing wrong with my health . ¡± Trainer nodded andmenced the next training course . THUD . THUD . The sound of the ball hit the gloves echoed the room . Gun checked the state of his shoulders as he pitched light short tosses . ¡®Apart from the unusual heaviness of the body, everything else feels fine¡¯ He kept pitching .
¡°How does it feel?¡± Gun replied in a delighted tone . ¡°It feels perfect!¡± ¡°That¡¯s good¡± The trainer took his gloves off as he nodded at Gun¡¯s response . ¡°we¡¯ll end the short tosses here¡± For the state of Gun¡¯s yet weak shoulders, he ended the short tosses early . It was lunch time after morning training . Lunch time for the second division was far from luxurious . Despite the poor quality of the food, Gun was able to gratefully enjoy his food . ¡®Compared to the dried bread served in the Minor League, this is fabulous¡¯ Seeing Gun enjoy his food, a rookie yer approached and asked him . ¡°Gun, is this really delicious? Is it that enjoyable?¡± Gun replied with a grin . ¡°There¡¯s no way this isn¡¯t enjoyable! In the minor league, you only get bread and jam¡± ¡°Whoa, really? A friend of mine that recently went to the US told me that the food wasn¡¯t THAT bad¡± Gun exined further to the clueless rookie before him . ¡°If it¡¯s recent that I¡¯d assume he is still in the Rookie league . There are many teams in that league that are run directly by major league teams . Food that is served from any major league team is decent . But from A-level onwards, that food only gets worse . ¡± He stood up as he finished his food . Afternoon training was to enhance his overall bnce . ¡°One of the main reasons why pitchers fail to recover fully is because the focus too much on their shoulders¡± ¡°are you saying that because they focus too much on their shoulders, they neglect other parts that also need slow and steady recovery?¡± ¡°that¡¯s right . Pitching isn¡¯t all about the shoulders . As you would probably already know, you need a good bnce amongst all parts of your body including the thighs, the hips, the lower back and so on, to be able to pitch effectively . ¡± Trainermenced long stride training to work on Gun¡¯s legs . ¡°Gun, you are aware that many yers actually pitch faster after they undergo the Tommy John Surgery? (operation in which a ligament in the medial elbow is reced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body) ¡°Of course I am aware¡± . Gun stretched his legs as he replied . He could feel the rigidity and the heaviness on his legs as he performed the training . ¡®Legs have definitely gone weaker . I also cannot predict when his heaviness will go away . If the program was to enhance my body, shouldn¡¯t I feel lighter? This is the exact opposite¡¯ ¡°the reason their pitching got faster is not because their tendon got stronger¡± said the trainer as he fixed the positioning of Gun¡¯s feet . Gun replied as he was puzzled at his trainer¡¯sment . ¡°you mean to say that it¡¯s not their fully recovered tendon that they are able to pitch faster?¡± ¡°that¡¯s right¡± Trainer replied as he took a short glimpse at the second division yers training from afar . ¡°It¡¯s because they trained their legs meticulously and diligently whilst they weren¡¯t able to move their shoulders that their pitching eventually got faster . They dedicated their upper body training time entirely into training their lower body . ¡± Trainer¡¯sments weren¡¯t scientifically certified, but were advocated by many . ¡°No sessful fast pitcher has unstable, weak lower body . It is the strength that stems from the lower body that allows fast pitching¡± Gun nodded and focused on his training even harder . The tedious and dragging rehab training continued for nearly 2 months .
In that period, Gun met up with journalists a couple of times . Gun was aware that those photos would be used as the cover images for AT tel¡¯s image making in the media sphere . ¡®It¡¯s troublesome, but I¡¯ve got nothing to lose . Take a few pictures and I get a personal trainer with a rehab training program so It¡¯s a gain for me actually¡¯ Gun thought to himself . Gun bumped into other injured yers during his rehab at AT tel . The faces of those enrolled in the first division were bright, whilst those that were bouncing back and forth between first and second vision had chronic distress . ¡°Mr . Gun, are you returning back to the US?¡± Gun shook his head at Sang Jung¡¯s question; a pitcher in his second year . Sang Jung was one of those that had chronic pressure, bouncing between 1st and 2nd division . ¡°well I need to find a team first . I¡¯m undrafted at the moment¡± ¡°But weren¡¯t you in the top 40 Major League roster? With that kind of resume, wouldn¡¯t you be able to find a team straight away?¡± Gun shook his head once more . ¡°That was more than 2 years ago . People in the team then probably don¡¯t even remember my name anymore . Plus, that top 40 roster isn¡¯t even anything special . You need to make it to the top 25 to be globally recognised as a major leaguer¡± Gun let out a sigh as he stood up . Sang Jung asked another question as he followed . ¡°But you still have an agent right?¡± Agent¡­ it was a word that was long forgotten in Gun¡¯s life . ¡°Well, I do . But they probably forgot about me . ¡± Gun¡¯s contract was until 2022 . However, both Gun and the agentpletely forgot about this fact . ¡°Should I contact them again?¡­ actually no, it¡¯s too early . It¡¯s better to recover fully before contacting them again¡± Training rmenced . The heaviness was still there .
Sang Jung joined Gun in the lower body training . ¡°Gun, can I call you my brother?¡± ¡°No . ¡± Sang Jung¡¯s faced dimmed at Gun¡¯s immediate and emphatic rejection . Gun let out a sigh after looking at Sang Jung¡¯s face full of disappointment . ¡°I¡¯m just a minor leaguer, why do you want me as your brother? There¡¯s no gain!¡± ¡°Just in case! You never know . If you be a major league star, then you will be our juniors¡¯ pride!¡± Gun replied as he took another stride . ¡°Fine . You can call me your brother . But don¡¯t think or expect to have me as something to brag about in the future . With that kind of soft mentality, you¡¯ll never seed amongst the professionals¡± ¡°I, too, wanted to be a major leaguer you know¡± Sang Jung replied . Gun replied as a droplet of sweat fell off his face . ¡°It¡¯s still not toote . If you be the best in the nation, then you can get promoted and drafted into the US¡± ¡°Yeah, well I know that¡­¡± ¡°If you know the path, then simply shut up and walk it¡± Gun took another stride with clenched teeth . ¡®hmph¡­ this is incredibly heavy¡¯ Sang Jung wanted to get some helpful advice from Gun . However, Gun wasn¡¯t interested in giving advice to other people nor did he have many circumstances to do so . He always thought he was in no position to advise others on their lives . ¡®I¡¯m not even a sessful major leaguer, I¡¯m in no position to give advice¡¯
Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Rehab (3) ¡°Break for 10!¡± Gun once again dropped to the floor at the Trainer¡¯s call for a break . ¡°This is bloody hard¡± He let out a deep sigh and thought to himself . ¡®can you show me aparison of my stats before and after the rehab program?¡¯ ¨C disying User¡¯s general stats ¨C Health: C -> B Strength: C -> B Agility: C -> C Responsiveness: B -> B Trust: C -> C- Luck: B -> B Mental Strength: A+ -> A+ Health and Strength showed signs of improvement, but his trust had deteriorated . ¡®What, what did I do wrong? Is this because I didn¡¯t reply to the second division rookies¡¯ questions properly?¡¯ He shrugged his shoulders and moved on . ¡®show me pitcher stats¡¯ ¨C disying pitcher stats ¨C Pitch Speed: C -> B+ Pitch Control: C -> B+ Movement: D- -> C Pitch Type 1 ¨C Fastball: E -> C Pitch Type 2 ¨C Slider: E -> C Pitch Type 3 ¨C Change Up: E- -> D Pitch Type 4 ¨C Knuckle Ball: E -> E O Skills: Level 1 ¡°Beast¡¯s Blood¡± Gun shifted his attention to the stagnant growth of his knuckle ball . ¡®Rank E? it¡¯s exactly the same as prior to the rehab program¡­ I won¡¯t be able to use knuckle balls at all in actual matches¡¯ Prior to his return flight to Korea from the US, he met up with the retired Knuckle Baller Tim Wakefield . Tim Wakefield saw the bandage around Gun¡¯s arms andmented . ¡°Do you know how many yers in the likes of you approach me every year?¡± Gun replied, ¡°About a 100 people?¡± ¡°no, it¡¯s actually not as many as you¡¯d think . The number sits closer to 10 . What that means is that not many yers want topete by mastering the Knuckle Ball . ¡± ¡°oh I see¡± ¡°Gun Choi, right? Would you be interested in vesting your life on your knuckle ball?¡± Gun replied with intensity, ¡°if I can return to the major league and avenge Thompson for what he did to me, I¡¯d do anything¡± Tim Wakefield let out a smirk . ¡°You mean to say Thompson from Boston? Who do you think I am?¡± Gun soon realised that he had made a big mistake . ¡®oh, no . Wakefield is one of Boston¡¯s legends¡­¡¯
The sole reason why he was able to get in touch with Tim Wakefield was because Gun¡¯s prior team was Boston . ¡°You don¡¯t have to be too concerned, I¡¯ll teach you everything I know about the Knuckle Ball . But promise me that after you be a knuckler baller, if someone approaches you just like you are approaching me, seeking to master the knuckle ball, you¡¯d teach them regardless of the circumstances . The responsibilities of a knuckle baller don¡¯t end at throwing good knuckle balls, the spreading of the craft¡¯s knowledge is also included . Gun replied with certainty, ¡°that, I give you my word¡± ¡°Alright, then from today I shall teach you all about the knuckle ball¡± ¡°Thank you very much¡± Tim Wakefield replied as he spun the ball in the air . ¡°gratitude should probablye after you¡¯ve made the knuckle ball part of your arsenal . There are more than 100 yers who I¡¯ve taught, but only one was able to throw the knuckle ball on the major league¡¯s mound . ¡± The knuckle ball . It is a killer pitch type which even some of the most skilled and experienced veteran Major League batters have a hard time dealing with . But reaching the maximum level of fluency and being able to pitch a knuckle ball perfectly as desired was one of the most challenging obstacles for pitchers . But Gun could not give up the knuckle ball . For if his elbow was to not heal to its 100%, then he would lose his main pitch type, the fastball forever . He needed a back up n, and a n that would carry him to the top . ¡°let¡¯s begin¡± Tim Wakefield taught all the fundamentals about the knuckle ball during the first few days . On thest day, he added . ¡°I hope you discover, learn and adopt the rest on your own . The rest of the journey cannot be taught, but only discovered¡± ¡°okay, thank you so much¡± Gun told Tim Wakefield that he would do whatever it takes to stand on the Major League¡¯s mound eventually and returned to Korea . And 2 years had past . Gun continued practising the knuckle ball and had reached a recognisable standard . However, the 2 years of practice was thrown down the drain as he received an ¡°E¡± rank after the ident . Gun could not stop the wave of disappointment overwhelming him . ¡°Is it the way I throw? Or perhaps I¡¯m putting the spin on the ball incorrectly?¡± Whatever the problem may be, they both weren¡¯t easy obstacles to ovee . ¡°Let¡¯s begin!¡± And with that, his break ended, and the rehab training rmenced . Rehab Training had entered its final stages, and based on the System¡¯s estimated time, it was practically finished . Gun picked up his phone and called a number nervously . The basic phone ringing sound filled the room¡­ Soon, a man¡¯s voice in an uplifted tone responded on the other end of the call . ¡°Mr . Choi! It¡¯s been a while, how have you been¡± David¡¯s voice over the Pacific was bright . He was Gun¡¯s agent, who was English, Korean bilingual . ¡°My rehab is nearly over, and I was looking for a new team to y for in the next season . ¡± ¡°That¡¯s fabulous news! Could you tell me basic information of your current status, such as the speed of your fastballs and etc¡­ I need information to advertise to the teams . ¡± Gun¡¯s rehab stage was the level right before he got back on the mound, ready to pitch . Therefore, he hadn¡¯t yet measured his pitch speed properly . However, Gun was confident . ¡°Although I haven¡¯t measured it properly, I¡¯d assume that it is at the very least 142km¡± 142km/hr was a decent number, but no where near the standard at which Major league teams expected . ¡°That¡¯s not too bad . I guess we could expect at least 145km/hr when you fully recover . I¡¯ll look for a decent, and a suitable minor league team for you Mr . Choi¡± David thought that since Gun was enlisted in the top 40 Major League Roster not too long ago, a AAA or a AA team would be rtively easy to find . To this, Gun had the same thought . But he decided to take an extra step . ¡°David, do you think I can make it to the show case?¡± As expected, David¡¯s response was negative . ¡°Show case? No way Mr . Choi . That¡¯s only possible for yers with Major League experience¡± ¡°I know that, but there is something I want to show to the Major League teams¡± Gun¡¯s profound confidence triggered David¡¯s interest in his proposal . ¡®Hm¡­ he must¡¯ve developed a new type of pitch form or something during his rehab, or else where would his confidencee from? Maybe I should try and trick teams that urgently need recement pitchers¡¯ David hesitantly continued . ¡°hmm¡­ how about, Mr . Choi, we try and get you into the mini show case held towards the end of December? During the winter meeting, teams that yet need to work on their pitching will definitely show interest . ¡± Gun was delighted by the news . ¡°Is that possible?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s a mini show case, then I think there may be something I can do . There won¡¯t be as many teams attending though¡± ¡°That is fabulous . Thank you very much . I will be ready by December¡± ¡°Very well then Mr . Choi, I will contact you again in December . Until then, please concentrate on your full recovery¡± Gun ended the call and lied down on his bed . Everything worked out easier than expected . ¡®Maybe if I¡¯m lucky, I could make it straight into the top 40 roster again!¡­ Although, there are always conservative teams that tend to refrain from risking and stick to more certified yers from safer and stable backgrounds . ¡¯ In the case of Gun, he only had a record of earned run average (ERA) rate of 3 . ?? from the AAA league to show to the conservative teams . And even this record was achieved before he got injured . Gun got up, grabbed his phone and rang up his trainer . ¡°yer Gun, What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I want to stand on the mound tomorrow . Can you prepare for some pitching practice please?¡± ¡°Sure thing! I will be looking forward to the pitching training tomorrow¡± As he hung up, a new message popped up before his vision . ¨C elerated rehabilitation training has ended ¨C And at the moment, he could feel the daunting heaviness that had been dragging him down being lifted and removed, and his body felt as light as feather . ¡®wow¡­ is this what the training has done?¡¯
Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Rehab (4) Gun put on the glove that he uses for official games and stepped on the mound . The distinct feature of a pitcher¡¯s glove is that the crotch ispletely sealed up in a web . This meant that once the ball was inside the glove, nobody else could see the ball through the glove . This was a special consideration for pitchers to hide their grip of the ball from other yers such as the batter . Pitching gloves also had colour restrictions; a restriction that is exclusive to pitching gloves . White and grey leather were always banned; and the leather, the web and even the thread had to be the same colour . This was to prevent pitchers using their gloves as a distraction for the batters . Gun took a deep breath as he got ready to pitch . This was the first time pitching on a mound in 2 years . It would be weirder to feelfortable after such a long hiatus . Gun tried waving his arms about, and jumped lightly on the spot . Ever sincest night, his body¡¯s been feeling a slight as a feather . He felt like he could pitch better than he¡¯s ever done before . ¡®alright¡­ here goes nothing¡¯ Gun embraced the four-seam fastball grip . And he pitched with all his might . POW! The sound of the ball hitting the back of the catcher¡¯s mitt echoed the stadium . Kang Han, a bullpen catcher of 2 years at AT tel, returned the ball to Gun with a smile, shouting ¡°nice ball!¡± He honestly thought Gun¡¯s ball was good .
¡®his fastball is good¡­ the balles straight into the mitt . Is this the level you need to be at to aim for the Major League¡­?¡¯ Ever since the eleration program ended, Gun¡¯s conditions were at an all time high . He felt like he could easily pitch above 160km . POW! Trainer, who was keeping an eye on Gun¡¯s second pitch, apuded as he yelled, ¡°nice pitch!¡± The pitch was at such a speed that even spectators could feel its power . ¡®Alright, this is enough for four seam fastball¡¯ Gun fixed his hat and sent out a sign for his next pitch; sign for a Breaking Ball . Kang Han nervously put up his mitt . ¡®if Gun was sessful in the AAA league, then his breaking ball will be good . I better concentrate so I don¡¯t miss this ball¡¯ In the second division that he primarily trained in, not many pitchers had critical breaking balls . Kang Han focused on the ball that was leaving Gun¡¯s hand . But the next moment, he was stunned and amazed . ¡®What the¡­¡¯ It was a pitch he¡¯d never seen before . Kang Han could see the ball dance its way towards the mitt, but did not know how to react . He put up his mitt towards the ball but the ball flew by the mitt, as if it simply ignored its presence . After missing the pitch, he looked at Gun . Gun didn¡¯t seem too satisfied . ¡®Was it because I couldn¡¯t catch the ball?¡¯ But catching a pitch which he had never seen before on his first attempt was too much to ask¡­ for anyone . But the reason behind Gun¡¯s dissatisfaction was different to what Kang Han presumed it to be . ¡®the ball didn¡¯t even go near the home te, if Ick this much control then I cannot use it during an actual match . ¡¯ The ball the he had pitched was the knuckle ball that he mastered over the period of 2 years before the injury . Movement of the ball was definitely good . It was enough to be used in an actual match . But Guncked control and aim . Throwing the ball at a wall, like he did in the 2 years, was greatly different to throwing it at an actual catcher on a mound . ¡®Maybe the stats are urate after all¡¯ Gun had to ept the E rank that he received for his knuckle ball from the system . ¡®Damn¡­ there¡¯s not much time until December . Could there be a way for me to drastically improve my control?¡¯ As he let out a sigh, the trainer approached and said, ¡°yer Gun, don¡¯t be too discouraged . First pitch at this standard is brilliant! And also¡­ wasn¡¯t thest pitch a knuckle curve?¡± Gun could acknowledge other spectators around the stadium so he raised his voice enough for them to hear . ¡°the reason why I lost control of the aim of the ball wasn¡¯t due to the knuckle curve, but rather it felt like it simply slipped out of my hand . It doesn¡¯t feel like the way it did before the injury¡± Trainer broke a smile and replied, ¡°That¡¯s okay, it¡¯s only the first pitch . It will gradually get better¡± ¡°I hope so¡± Kang Han realised that Gun was not dissatisfied because he failed to catch his ball . He quickly threw the ball back at Gun . ¡°let¡¯s move onto the next pitch form!¡± Gun nodded and prepared his next pitch form . This time, it was his main form, the slider . The ball swiftly curved in the air and flew right into the mitt . POW! Kang Han was amazed by the slider . ¡°your slider is on point, yer Gun!¡± Kang Han thought that with a fastball and slider at this standard, Gun could easily thrive in the first division . ¡®In the national league, he could aim for more than 10 wins with his skill set . He¡¯d be easily making more than $100k a year . ¡¯ However, the trainer¡¯s thought was different to Kang Han¡¯s . ¡®Hm¡­ not sure about other teams but it would be hard to draft him into our team . He¡¯s 25 years old now, even if he gets drafted into the 1st division next year, he has 9 years till FA¡­ that¡¯s too distant . Gun¡¯s only option is to try out for the major league . ¡¯ He figured that it would be difficult to draft Gun even if AT tel is able to offer their best possible conditions . Gun thought likewise . He had already eliminated AT tel from his potential destinations . After the slider, the trainer brought a speed metre . ¡°yer Gun, would you mind if I measured your speed?¡± ¡°no not at all! I was actually going to ask you to measure the speed for me . I¡¯m assuming the speed will give me quantitative measure on how much the rehab has done for me¡± His internal system already announced the end of his rehab . If that¡¯s true, then he should at least be getting the speed he was at before the injury . Gun pitched the ball with all his might . POW! Gun could notice the shift in the trainer¡¯s face . ¡°What does it say?¡± ¡°It¡¯s saying 148km¡­ isn¡¯t this the same speed as prior to the injury? Does that mean you¡¯ve fully recovered yer Gun?¡± ¡°oh wow¡­ that¡¯s so good to hear!¡± ¡°your rehab results are outstanding, yer Gun¡± 148km was equivalent to 92 miles . Even during his prime in the AAA league, his best speed was 94 miles . It was safe to say that, as the system announced, his rehab stage had officially ended . ¡®even got my pitching speed correct, is the system really able to examine every detail of my bodily conditions?¡¯ The system was initially created for angels working under God¡¯s omnipotence . It was almost natural for the system to urately see through the capabilities of a mere human being .
Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Live Pitching(1) Suwon SW Park . Upon hearing the news about Gun Choi¡¯s recovered pitching speed and control, AT tel offered him a session of live pitching . Live pitching is the final stage before full rehab, and he showed no hesitance in epting the offer . ¡°Sure, that¡¯s fabulous¡± ¡°Okay, what day is good for you?¡± Live pitching urs under same conditions as real game pitching so it wasn¡¯t an event to ur spontaneously . ¡°I think 3 days from today would be good¡± Team manager replied, ¡°What about batting? Usually they don¡¯t batters leave the ball in live pitching¡± Gun let out a grin and replied, ¡°I think it¡¯s only real live pitching if the batter tries his best in batting the ball . If possible, please prepare both left, and right handed batters . I¡¯d like to throw about 20 balls, and I¡¯m aiming for at least 3 out-counts . ¡± This meant that Gun wanted to pitch against both left handed and right handed batters . ¡°Okay, understood¡± Manager delivered Gun¡¯s request immediately to the 2nd division¡¯s coaching staff for preparation . 2nd division director and the batting coach immediately frowned upon hearing the request . ¡°Both left and right? Not sure if he¡¯s arrogant or confident¡± ¡°I did hear that he was a decent pitcher before the injury¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, major league h h¡­ . I still don¡¯t like the guy . He has no concrete achievements or statistical deeds to back up his supposed ¡®skill set¡¯¡± ¡°what would you like to do?¡± The director replied with no hesitance . ¡°send out numbers 3, 4 and 5¡± This was intended to send out the 2nd division¡¯s best batters to crush Gun¡¯s confidence . ¡°Director, isn¡¯t that too much?¡± The batting coach stressed that this may backfire and negatively impact the reputation of AT tel¡¯s 2nd division . The director shook his head as he replied, ¡°in either circumstances, it is a win-win situation for us . ¡± ¡°If the clean up squad (best batters in the team) gets striked out by Gun, wouldn¡¯t the team¡¯s passion and morale be discouraged?¡± The director raised his tone and volume and replied enthusiastically . ¡°Why do you think our batters in the 2nd division fail to move up to the 1st? because they are not skilled enough? Because they¡¯re inexperienced? No, I personally do not believe so . I believe they are where they are because they fail to acknowledge the ws in their skillset . They always me it on luck, orck of opportunity, or even other minor, petty circumstances . They are full of shit . I really want to use this opportunity to give them a wake up call . ¡± The batting coach agreed with the director¡¯sment . ¡°Yes, sir . I will do as you request . ¡± The 2nd division clean up squad was not happy at the news . ¡°why do we have to go out to another yer¡¯s live pitching session? There are plenty of other bench members¡± ¡°That¡¯s right . This should be used as an opportunity for rookies to stand on the field . I heard he was once a major leaguer, it would be an even greater honour for them¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to help an arrogant person like him¡± Main yers in the 2nd division all had a sense of repulsion against Gun . The main ones that hated on Gun happened to be the veterans in the division . The batting coach raised his voice upon hearing the 3 yers¡¯ments . ¡°Batting is allowed in this live pitching session . I want you guys to go out there and crush the so-called ¡®major leaguer¡¯¡± The yers¡¯ attitudes changed at hearing the coach¡¯sment . ¡°batting is allowed?¡± ¡°that is some exciting news¡± ¡°I will let the major league punk know that bing a professional isn¡¯t easy¡± The yers happily packed their bats . However, the batting coach thought that Gun wasn¡¯t going to fall so easily like the yers nned . ¡®¡­he threw around 148km at bullpen pitching, so I¡¯d say he¡¯ll throw around 150km . If you underestimate him, you 3 will be the ones to get crushed¡­¡¯ Gun got up on the mound and began lightly warming up for the session . He threw all his practice balls at approximately 50% of the force . PANG! The catcher for the session was Kang Han . He supported Gun after every pitch . ¡°nice ball!¡± Gun thought that Kang Han¡¯s fundamentals as a catcher were very solid and impressive . ¡®I wonder why such a stable and skilled yer is still only a bullpen catcher?¡¯ He thought that Kang Han could easily make it into the 1st division as a back-up catcher . Focusing entirely on his defence, Kang Han was definitely an impressive yer . However, his batting rate was critically low . His performance in the 2nd division did not reach above 0 . 200 . A catcher who could not bat above 0 . 200 in the 2nd division . Just when he thought he could no longer continue his career as a professional baseball yer, he got offered the position as a bullpen catcher . He epted the offer immediately, and since then he¡¯s been providing service for pitchers in the 2nd division . Gun threw 10 practice balls before he went into live pitching . ¡°we will nowmence live pitching¡± Upon trainer¡¯s signal, Gun nodded . ¡°Yes, sir¡± At the very moment he nodded, a new message popped up before his vision . ¨Cmencing live pitching mission ¨C Conditions: Pitch out 3 batters in a row . Rewards: a point to invest in skillset rank ups . Gun was puzzled at the message . ¡®I didn¡¯t even request for such mission . A point for skillset rank up? I don¡¯t know what this is about but I guess I¡¯ve got nothing to lose . ¡¯ First in line was yer Min Suk who has a batting rate of 0 . 331 in the 2nd division this season . Min Suk went on the te staring at Gun, determined to crush him . ¡®Major League? Stop kidding me . I will show you that we are no joke¡¯ Gun was again puzzled at the stare . ¡®he seems too serious for a live pitching session . Is this also because of the system? Man, it¡¯s going to be difficult¡¯ After controlling his breath, and following up with his pre-pitch ritual, hemenced his first pitch . First pitch was a fastball . WHOOSH . Min Suk went for an emphatic all out swing, but Gun¡¯s ball reached the catcher¡¯s mitt before the bat . PANG . ¡°STRRRRIKE!¡± The ball was faster than what Min Suk had expected . ¡®this guy is pretty good¡­¡¯ In the referee¡¯s role was Shi Hyung, a 2nd division personal trainer . He had an amateur referee certificate so was rightfully qualified for the position . Upon realising that Gun¡¯s fastballs were faster than 2nd division pitchers¡¯ fastballs, he gripped onto the bat closer . ¡®that¡¯s okay, we also have a guy in our division that can throw 150km+ fastballs . But I was able pull off hits off him . 150km doesn¡¯t actually mean much, just a number¡¯ He prepared himself again for a fastball, but his bat once again only cut the air as a slider came flying in . The angle of Gun¡¯s slider was entirely on another levelpared to the 2nd division pitchers . ¡®damn¡­ 150km+ fastball along with a killer slider? This is beyond 1st division pitching¡¯ Gun received the ball expressionlessly . ¡®2 strike, no ball . Following the traditional ball formtion, you¡¯d go wide this time round¡­¡¯ But instead of pitching wide to the side, he pitched high middle . WHOOSH . Along with a rapid gush of air, the fastball that left Gun¡¯s hand raced threw the strike zone . This was not only a good pitch, but a formtion that caught Min Suk off guard . ¡°STRRRRIKE! BATTER OUT!¡± Min Suk was striked out without even touching the ball . Won Yong and Gil Sung, who make the rest of the clean up squad of the 2nd division frowned at Min Suk as he returned to the bench . ¡°oi, what¡¯s with the 3 strikes?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t pitch that formtion in Korea . You usually go safe when its 0-2¡­ hepletely caught me off guard¡± ¡°that¡¯s true¡­ that punk, he¡¯s getting all cocky with his ¡®fancy¡¯ major league ball formtion¡± Won Yong approached the te . His 2nd division performance was better than Min Suk, with his batting rate sitting at 0 . 347 . He was an outstanding batter with a 15-home run record .
Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Live Pitching (2) e at me, let¡¯s see what you¡¯ve got!¡¯ Gun¡¯s first sign was a slider that stretched far wide . Kang Han was slightly puzzled . ¡®not many yers pitch around the batter on their first pitch during a live pitching session . He must be really taking this session like it¡¯s a real match¡¯ There was only one reason why Gun was taking this session as a real game . He was determined to clear the mission that the system had given him and earn that mysterious point . ¡®it¡¯s offering me something and there¡¯s no reason to decline¡¯ Gun readjusted his grip and threw his first pitch . WHOOOSH . Won Yong, who was expecting a middle fastball, began panicking as he was greeted by a wide slider . ¡®damn¡­ pitching around me on his first pitch during a live pitching session¡­ is he insane?¡¯ Gil Sung was disappointed to see Won Yong¡¯s unprofessional response to Gun¡¯s pitch formtion . ¡®sigh¡­ he¡¯s all worked up . He¡¯s already lost to the pitcher mentally¡­ there¡¯s no way he¡¯d win now¡¯ Gun threw the next pitch; a deep fastball towards the batter . Won Yong once again swung his bat . THUD . The ball was caught on the side of the bat and flew beyond the 3rd base . ¡°FOUL!¡± no balls, two strikes . The count was in the pitcher¡¯s favour . Won Yong had already witnessed Min Suk¡¯s 3-strike out so he could not let this third pitch fly by .
Nervously, he muttered to himself¡­ ¡®if you are nning another strike-zone fastball, you will regret it for sure¡¯ Gun¡¯s next chosen pitch was a change-up . Along with his slider, his change-up has a history of sending countless AAA league batters back to the bench . From Won Yong¡¯s vision, Gun¡¯s change-up seemed like an ordinary, slow fastball . ¡®hm¡­ a fastball at this speed¡­ it¡¯s hittable¡¯ He swung his bat with all his might¡­ and it seemed like it was going to be an urate hit . However, the moment before the ball was about to touch the bat, it sunk like a submarine . ¡®DAMN!¡¯ Won Yong quickly tried to stop the bat¡¯s swing, but it had already travelled beyond and home te . ¡°SWING STRRRRIKE! BATTER OUT!¡± Won Yongpletely lost his bnce and copsed to the ground on his knee . ¡°damn¡­ . ¡± 2 batters, 2 consecutive strike outs . They were also both 3-ball 3-strikes; K strikeouts . Si Hyung, the referee, as well as other 2nd division yers spectating the session were all shocked to witness Gun¡¯s dominance . ¡°this guy is crazy!¡± ¡°did you see the change-up just then?¡± ¡°I thought it was a forkball¡± ¡°the drop of the ball is insane¡± ¡°but didn¡¯t itck a bit on the speed?¡± ¡°what? No way . If that pitch had high speed, then it¡¯d just simply be impossible to hit¡± Gil Sung, thest batter, had realised that he¡¯d began sweating as he got more and more nervous . ¡®damn¡­ am I really that nervous?¡¯ Furthermore, he was left-handed, which made it more challenging than the previous 2 batters . Instead of getting emotionally worked up, he tried his best to keep his cool and remain rational . ¡®let¡¯s not get caught up in his pace . We¡¯re the aces of the 2nd division, we cannot back down this easily¡¯ Gun allowed a dry gulp as he saw Gil Sung approach the te . ¡®his atmosphere is entirely different¡¯ He carefully exchanged signs with the catcher, and threw his first pitch . His first pitch was a wide ball to the side . He tried to pitch narrowly within the strike zone but it had gone beyond . ¡®hm¡­ it¡¯s not going to be too easy¡¯ Gun¡¯s control of his pitches hadn¡¯t yet been perfected . On top of that, thest batter Gil Sung was somehow imposing this pressure on him . After seeing through Gun¡¯s first pitch, the strategic formtion game between the pitcher and the catcher heat up . The ball count was 2-2 . You could see droplets of sweat forming on Gun¡¯s forehead also . ¡®it¡¯s really hard to pitch around him . Should I throw a deep slider? No, if I do that, there¡¯s a risk of it bing a full count . It¡¯s too risky . And I know the batter is aware of that too¡¯ 5th pitch . Gun decided to pitch a change that fell wide . However, Gil Sung was able to see through the pitch and let it fly by . That made it a full count . A ball count that was definitely in the batter¡¯s favour; a situation which Gun desperately wanted to avoid .
He wiped the sweat off his forehead and regathered himself . ¡®let¡¯s not lose the focus . You struggle and fail here, then there¡¯s absolutely no chance of getting to the major league¡¯ Gun fixed his grip and threw thest pitch with all his might . ¡®I won¡¯t back down¡­!¡¯ The ball pierced threw the air as it raced its way towards the mitt . WHOOOOOOSH! Gil Sung¡¯s concentration had already reached its peak . ¡®this is a definite strike¡­¡¯ With the urate judgement, Gil Sung¡¯s bat began making its way towards a full swing . Tick . With a short, sharp sound of the ball ticking the bat, the course of the ball was disrupted, albeit continuing in the direction of the mitt . Foul tip, strike out . ¡°STRRRRRIKE! BATTER OUT!¡± Gun¡¯s fastball had beaten Gil Sung¡¯s swing on a head-to-head sequence . ¡°this is incredible! 3 consecutive K strikeouts!¡± ¡°oh man¡­ I didn¡¯t know senior Gil Sung would be striked out too¡­¡± ¡°the clean-up squad all turned down by K strikeouts¡­ the difference is too great¡­¡± Gil Sung dropped his bat and let out a deep sigh . ¡®that ball was beyond 150km¡­ I was not expecting a 150km+ fastball pitched deep . I doubt even a 1st division batter would be able to handle such a formtion¡¯ Unlike the previous 2 batters, he showed great sportsmanship by admitting his defeat . Gun let out a deep breath of relief as he saw Gil Sung make his way back to the bench . ¡®man¡­ I just cleared that mission . I didn¡¯t I¡¯ve been too arrogant recently . I still have such a long way to go¡¯ Soon, the system disyed a message . ¨C first missionpleted . Reward granted ¨C Reward: 5 points . Gun was puzzled by the message that was disyed . ¡®5 points¡­ where am I supposed to use this?¡¯ As if reading and answering Gun¡¯s thought, a new message popped up . ¨C points can be used for skill level ups . ¨C ¨C currently equipped skill: Beast¡¯s Blood level 1 ¨C ¨C invest the points into the skill? ¨C Gun only had one skill to invest in, so realistically he had no alternatives . ¡®sure . Let¡¯s do it!¡¯ ¨C investing points into ¡®Beast¡¯s Blood¡¯ ¨C ¨C Beast¡¯s Blood level up! ¨C ¨C Beast¡¯s Blood level 2: bodily recovery 24% increase ¨C Gun was excited to see that his body could now recover even faster than before . ¡®level up aye, man this is like a game¡¯ He felt like he gained some supernatural powers . But statistically, the increase of his bodily recovery stat from this level up was only 2 percentage points . This meant that an injury that would require 100 days to recover, would not take 98 days . From one perspective, this may not be such a significant level up .
Chapter 9 Chapter 9 - Live Pitching (3) ¡°Gun¡¯s pitch reached 151km?¡± ¡°He also passed the live pitching session . I think his talent is good enough for the Korean national league¡± Chief leader let out a smile after hearing the scout manager¡¯s report . ¡°then try to scout him in . if we are lucky, his story may be ¡®the next big news¡¯¡± Nam Hyun, the scout manager, was a bit hesitant in taking the chief leader¡¯s order . ¡°hm¡­ well¡­¡± ¡°why, is there a problem?¡± ¡°yer Gun, he himself has let others know that he strives to y in the major league¡­ it¡¯ll cost a fortune to get him in¡± ¡°well isn¡¯t it your job to negotiate and makepromises on both ends to make it work? We don¡¯t pay you a high sry for no reason . Gun¡¯s not even from the major league, he¡¯s from the minor league . Shouldn¡¯t this be a breeze to work out?¡± Nam Hyun let out a sigh and simply nodded . ¡®yeah¡­ got to do as I¡¯m told¡­ that¡¯s why I get paid¡¯ The sry cap given to him for Gun was $350,000 . It was a rate that a rookie straight out of high school would be willing to ept . But Gun was no rookie, he was a 25-year old star dark horse pitcher dreaming of the major league entrance . There was no way that Gun would ept this offer . ¡°this is going to be very tough¡­¡± Nam Hyun let out another deep sigh as he left the office . Nam Hyun stood at Gun¡¯s doorsteps . Gun lived in an old apartment located in a newly developed area in Seoul . It was an apartment that Gun bought from the money he received from entering the contract with his agent 7 years ago . The nned venue for the meeting was a caf¨¦ located not far away . The reason Nam Hyun travelled all this way was to get a brief insight of the yer¡¯s personal life . ¡®seems as though he¡¯s not doing too well financially¡­ I might have a chance if I talk this out well¡¯ Nam Hyun was nning to offer an unusual deal, such as an upfront, one lump sum payment, in order to make the offer more desirable . Half an hourter, Nam Hyun met up with Gun at the caf¨¦ . ¡°yer Gun! You look fabulous . ¡± ¡°Thank you! It¡¯s all because AT tel has taken good care of me!¡± Gun had a general idea of why Nam Hyun had approached him . But he tried to hide this knowledge as much as possible . Judging from Gun¡¯s rather positive responses, Nam Hyun decided to be advance hastily with the offer . ¡°yer Gun, I¡¯ll be very straight forward here . Would you be interested in continuing your career with us, AT tel, at all?¡± Gun lowered his tone and replied . ¡°I will surely never forget the grace and care you¡¯ve shared with me in a number of different asions . I will never forget it . But, my heart still belongs in the major league¡± Nam Hyun was almost expecting to hear this instant rejection . But as the scout leader, he could not back down here . ¡°yer Gun, please do not take any offence in what I am about to say . I mean no disrespect . But let¡¯s get real . Next year, you are turning 26 . How long are you going to stay in the minor league, getting paid petty sum? You need to think about your family too . ¡± Instead of frowning, Gun let out a small smirk . ¡°It¡¯s because of that age that I cannot give up the major league¡± ¡°because of the age? What do you mean? If you let your 20s pass like this, you won¡¯t get another opportunity in your 30s . Take this as yourst chance . ¡± Gun returned a question back at Nam Hyun, ¡°What would happen if I join the national professional major league? Will I even get a chance of bing an FA (free agent)?¡± In the professional baseball league, the requirement of an FA was 9 seasons of career . Even if Gun started right away next year, he could only get his FA qualification when he is 35 . Nam Hyun could not say anything else . ¡®he¡¯s absolutely right¡­ there¡¯s nothing else I can do about this¡¯ After re-organising his thoughts, Nam Hyun continued the conversation . ¡°yer Gun, this isn¡¯t all about bing a FA . You need to think of your career . If youe back to the national league in your 30s, no team will ept you . But right now as of this moment, the story is entirely different . You can easily get six-digit sries and contract deals . It helps the family RIGHT NOW . Do you understand?¡± How would Gun not know that? However, the fear of failure was not going to stop his dream journey towards the major league . As if testing the waters, Gun asked Nam Hyun, ¡°if I was to stay in Korea, how much would the down payment be?¡± It was a question out of pure curiosity . Gulp . Nam Hyun let down a dry gulp . This was the difficult part . Money . ¡°I can give you $300,000 in cash¡± $300,000 was not a small sum . It was what an average businessman with the average sry of $30,000 could make in 10 years . But it wasn¡¯t a sum big enough to weigh down Gun¡¯s dream of the major league . ¡°¡­ . ¡± ¡°yer Gun, $300,000 is not a small amount . It¡¯s an amount offered to only 1st round draft picks¡± Gun dropped his head . ¡°that¡¯d be tough¡± Nam Hyun offered his maximum amount . ¡°I will give you $350,000 . I will also think of clearing away the tax . ¡± It was true that Gun¡¯s been facing a financial downfall in the recent days, but it wasn¡¯t so critical that he needed urgent cash . Gun proposed a higher agreement as a means to reject Nam Hyun¡¯s offer . ¡°I¡¯m not saying this because I y for money . I¡¯m sure you are already aware, but professional yers have a high sense of pride . I would have to get at least as much as yer Woo Chul Park who returned to Korea from the major league 5 years ago¡± Woo Chul Park had 7 wins as a left handed pitcher in the major league and when he returned to the national league, he was offered a down payment of $800,000¡± ¡®a yer who hasn¡¯t even entered the major league is offering such an amount¡­ this negotiation is over¡± However, Nam Hyun already knew before that $350,000 would not be enough . ¡°yer Gun, I will go back and have a talk with the chief leader¡± ¡°Can I add onest thing?¡± Nam Hyun raised his eyebrows . ¡°yes?¡± ¡°In December, Arizona, there will be a show case . If I still haven¡¯t found a decent team by then¡­¡± ¡°then you¡¯de back?¡± ¡°I¡¯d presume so¡± Nam Hyun¡¯s face brightened . ¡°okay . If you do ever return to the national league, then I may be able to give you an offer at around half, if not higher, of Woo Chul Park¡¯s contract¡± Park¡¯s down payment was $800,000, so half of that is $400,000 . This meant that Nam Hyun is promising a contract worth around $450,000 ¨C $500,000 . However, it still didn¡¯t change the fact that a contract with AT tel was towards the more undesirable options in Gun¡¯s mind . His goal was the major league, and in order to achieve that, he was willing to ept AAA or AA contracts . However, if he failed to acquire a AA contract, then he would be left with no other option but to return to the national league . Gun¡¯s age didn¡¯t allow him to participate in the rookie or A league . He let out a deep sigh as he exited the caf¨¦ . ¡®hmph¡­ am I getting old? Back in the days, I would¡¯ve rejected meetings like this upfront . I was so determined to avenge Thompson, filled with passion . But here I am now, considering a national league debut¡­ . ¡¯ Unlike the old days, Gun was thinking to himself that he was makingpromises with the world, and his dream .
Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Live Pitching (4) As Gun¡¯s physical conditions gradually improved, his pitch stats also slowly advanced . His current stats were¡­ Speed: B+ Control: B- Movement: C+ Pitch Type 1: four seam fastball: B Pitch Type 2: slider: C+ Pitch Type 3: change up: C+ Pitch Type 4: knuckle ball: E O skill: Beast¡¯s Blood level 2 Upon examining his stats, there was one category which made him frown, and that was the knuckle ball . ¡®The knuckle ball just won¡¯t go up¡¯ With the uing December Showcase, he was preparing the knuckle ball as his secret weapon . However, with no signs of improvement, his worries were getting greater day by day . What was the reason? Gun lied down on his bed, pondering about this issue . At that moment, the system reactivated . ¨C Activate ¡®the arena¡¯ for pitch mastering? ¨C ¡®The arena¡¯? Gun was puzzled by the system¡¯s message . ¡°What¡¯s ¡®the arena¡¯?¡± The system replied . ¨C it is a virtual realm which you can enter to practise against virtual opponents ¨C Virtual opponents . Was it like a simtion program? Gun¡¯s already utilised the system to receive a number of benefits . Whatever this ¡®arena¡¯ may be, he was certain it would do him more good than harm . ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll use ¡®the arena¡¯¡± At that moment, his surroundings blurred into a chaotic mixture of shapes and colours, and rapidly reformed to be a baseball stadium . ¨C ¡®the arena¡¯ formationplete ¨C Gun was familiar with this stadium . ¡®Isn¡¯t this the SW park? Park used for AT tel¡¯s 2nd division?¡¯ ¨C there is currently only one arena registered ¨C Gun realised that the system could only register venues in which he has practised or yed in in real life . ¡®Hm, so it¡¯s incapable of realising mysticalnds or imaginary environments?¡¯ Gun threw another question at the system . ¡°How are my physical stats in here?¡± ¨C ¡®the arena¡¯ is purely for obtainment of experience, so any activities here remain exclusive of bodily stat enhancements ¨C It was a ce to practise learned skills . Gun thought that this function of the system was very useful . ¡®If my bodily abilities don¡¯t increase in here, then it should also mean that they don¡¯t wear down right?¡¯ Gun figured that within ¡®the arena¡¯, he could freely train for as long as he wanted without the limitations of fatigue or hunger . ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start!¡± As he got up on the mound, a number of people appeared around the home te . AT tel¡¯s Gil Sung Lee, the batter which Gunst went against, the catcher Gang Han Kim, the referee Shi Hyung Gong . ¡®This is a reanimation of the live pitching session . ¡¯ As he stretched his shoulders, a glove and a baseball appeared . ¡°Oh wow, this is actually pretty cool¡± Gun embraced a knuckle ball grip and pitched against Gil Sung . ¡®Let¡¯s go! No spin knuckle ball!¡¯ The ball swiftly flew by Gil Sung . The batter did not swing his bat, and the ball simply flew past the catcher . The pitch control was disastrous . The catcher hadn¡¯t even bothered to catch the ball . ¡°The catcher didn¡¯t even raise his mitt, that¡¯s going overboard¡± The control and aim of his knuckle ball needed improvement but it was so horrendous that the catcher would give up on it . As Gun was raisingints, a new ball formed within the ball . ¡°Hm¡­¡± ¡®Perhaps the catcher is just for decoration? And he¡¯s actually not meant to move?¡¯ He wondered if the batter, too, was just a virtual image that¡¯s incapable of moving . To test his theory out, he threw a slow fastball instead of a knuckle ball . Gil Sung swung his bat against the fastball . PANG! Based on the direction and the speed of the hit, it was easily a double (ball is hit far enough that the batter is able to safely run to the second base) . Gun thought that unlike Gang Han, the catcher, the batter Gil Sung was a proper opponent . ¡°Oh the batter is not too bad at all¡± Gun thought that Gil Sung was a suitable opponent to train against . ¡°Alright, knuckle balls from now¡± Gun once against embraced a knuckle ball grip, and pitched while letting out a short, sharp exertion . It was a virtual reality, he thought that it didn¡¯t matter whether he cursed or screamed in this stadium . The ball hastily made its way towards the home te, but in a route that was greatly different to the one he had intended . The ball control was worse than the first pitch . ¡°What the hell? Is my knuckle ball this bad? Damn I swear there is something wrong with this arena . ¡± After spending the next few minutesining, Gun threw another knuckle ball . ¡°Repeat until perfection!¡± Since there were no physical restrictions within the arena, he could pitch as many as he wanted . However, only about 50% of the balls pitched actually flew towards the catcher . The rest were either too wide, too close to the batter, or simply fell short of the home te . Gun took a short pause as he did not know the root cause of his knuckle ball dilemma . ¡®It¡¯s not the arena . There¡¯s something about my knuckle ball that is wrong . I just can¡¯t get a good hold of it . ¡¯ He checked his surroundings . A big, empty stadium with zero signs of vitality . ¡°Hm I really can¡¯t get a good idea of the environment like this¡± He carefully stepped down from the mound and started wandering about . It was an attempt to get a direct feel of the atmosphere . At that moment, he felt a quick sensation against his cheeks . Wind . Everything clicked on as soon as he felt the cool breeze of wind . ¡°This must be it!¡± He¡¯d finally found the reason behind why the aim of his knuckle ball was so unstable . ¡°That¡¯s right! I failed to predict and take into consideration the atmospheric current of the air and the flow and speed of the wind within the stadium . The knuckle ball that he practised for the duration of 2 years was in an enclosed corridor on the top floor of a state apartment . In there with no wind, he had maximum control of his pitches . A knuckle ball mastered within a venue with zero wind . Any pitch, especially the knuckle ball, practised and mastered in a no-wind zone was good-for-nothing when games took ce in open grounds . ¡®Hmph¡­ maybe this is why he said the knuckle ball isn¡¯t something that can be taught, but discovered . ¡¯ After stepping down from the mound, Gun focused all his senses on reading the movement, direction and speed of the wind . ¡®The wind is currently blowing from the right to the left¡¯ That meant there was a need to pitch leaning towards the right a bit more than usual . ¡®There¡¯s also an ascending current in a day like this, so pitching in a slightly higher course would improve the uracy¡¯ Gun took a deep breath and applied his understandings of the environment to his pitching . WHOOOSH . The ball got caught in the wind and fell slightly short, near the catcher¡¯s knees . There wasn¡¯t a significant difference between his intended aim . At that moment, the system disyed a new message . ¨C Knuckle Ball Rank increase ¨C E -> D ¨C Control Rank increase ¨C B- -> B With one simple discovery, both the knuckle ball rank and the rank of his pitch control had both improved . Gun was amazed once again at the system for its instant response to his both mental and physical findings . ¡®So it¡¯s possible to increase multiple categories at once¡¯ Just as he was about to throw another pitch, the system disyed another message . ¨C ¡®The Arena¡¯ terminating in 1:00 minute(s) ¨C Gunid down the ball in his hand, puzzled . ¡®There¡¯s a time restriction on this thing?¡¯ ¨C the restriction of ¡®The Arena¡¯ is 2 hours per day ¨C This was a huge disappointment for Gun . ¡®I was looking forward to unlimited training and practice, free from physical wear downs¡­ but I guess that¡¯s not exactly the case¡¯ Gun was ustomed to relentless training from his previous experiences and therefore regarded an arena with no physical exhaustion as the most ideal training grounds . But the Arena was not open to unlimited usage . Gun ended ¡®the Arena¡¯ and turned his head to the clock . 11:21PM . Time spent in the Arena had applied equally to the reality . ¡®I guess that system doesn¡¯t have a function to stop the time from ticking . Well, even if it did, it wouldn¡¯t be given to me at least¡¯ The next day Gun left hisptop camera filming, and entered ¡®the Arena¡¯ . This was to observe his bodily reactions once he was in the Arena, training . After throwing a few pitches, he immediatelymanded the system . ¡®End ¡®the Arena¡¯¡¯ . ¨C ending ¡®the Arena¡¯ ¨C Immediately after exiting the Arena, he checked the footage . ¡°What the hell, I¡¯m sleeping standing up¡± As he entered the Arena training, his physical body had entered into a deep slumber . ¡®Hm¡­ sleeping standing?!, I won¡¯t be able to use this during broad daylight¡¯ Gun concluded that the usage of the Arena could only take ce right before he went to sleep at nights, or during long trips .
Chapter 11 Chapter 11: Live Pitching 05 Chapter 11 ¨C Live Pitching 05 The yers of the secondary string changed their opinions of Gun Choi . ¡°Could we ask him to teach us the changeup? ¡°No way, he¡¯s a cold-hearted person . ¡± ¡°But Sung-Guk talked with him . ¡± ¡°He is different with us . He¡¯s went back and forth the first string . ¡± ¡°Has he?¡± ¡°Yes . ¡± Gun Choi tsk-tsked as he heard this conversation from far away . ¡®Sung-Guk Jung isn¡¯t any different . ¡¯ Gun Choi only faced Sung-Guk Jung because he constantly talked to him, not because of his position in the team . Gun Choi thought that his persistence was the reason why Sung-Guk Jung could enter the first string . ¡®Persistence is the cornerstone of sess . He might be a regr in the first string faster than expected . ¡¯ The morning training started at the order of the batting coach . ¡°Ok, let¡¯s get started!¡± Gun Choi warmed up his body by running and stretching with the second string yers . ¡®If I can¡¯t focus on winter training, I¡¯ll have a hard time in the next season . ¡¯ Gun Choi and the second string yers spent a bit more time due to the cold weather . ¡°One! Two! One! Two!¡± yers practiced at the word ofmand . Gun Choi thought that AT Communication¡¯s degree of training intensity was normal . It wasn¡¯t harder or easierpared to the other teams . After warming up, the yers grouped in threes and started intensive training . ¡°I¡¯m bored of repeating . ¡± ¡°We need this . We can¡¯t go abroad training in November . ¡± The yers ran 60m at full sprint before warning track at themand of a coach . It was Gun Choi¡¯s turn . Every yer of the second string watched him . ¡°How fast is he?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not going to run at full power, this is winter . ¡± ¡°I think he will run normally . ¡± ¡°Right . . . If he gets injured, that would be a big loss . ¡± The coach made a signal while the yers were noisy . ¡°Go!¡± Gun Choi started to run forward rapidly . He was very fast . The yers couldn¡¯t believe his running speed . ¡°He doesn¡¯t need to run so fast . ¡± ¡°Right, it¡¯s easy to get injured during winter . ¡± ¡°Real training starts from spring camp . We just need to stretch our muscles . ¡± If Gun Choi had heard the second string yers¡¯ conversation, he would have said: . ¡®Keep practicing until you vomit . Otherwise, you can¡¯t go to the first string . ¡¯ Gun Choi had practiced a lot when he was in the Minor League . Every one of his colleagues acknowledged that . A genius of practicing, that is who Gun Choi was . After training, he went home . The yers of the second stringined that he never mingled with others . But Gun Choi thought it was natural not to join them in drinking a beer or coffee . The most important things for yers were practice and rxation . ¡°Brother!¡± Gun Choi looked at him with his bag on shoulder . It was Sung-Kuk Jung . ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°I¡¯ have one thing to ask you . ¡± ¡°To me?¡± ¡°Yes . ¡± Gun Choi looked annoyed but didn¡¯t turn his head to him which meant he would answer him . ¡°Brother, you¡¯re right-handed but how you are good at changeup?¡± In the baseball world, many left-handed pitchers were good at the changeup . So Sung-Kuk Jung thought the changeup was the main weapon for those left-handed . Gun Choi hesitated a moment . ¡®If I don¡¯t exin well, he will keep asking me . No way . I¡¯ll answer correctly . ¡± He sighed and talked to Sung-Kuk Jung . ¡°If you want to be good at using the changeup against those right-handed, you¡¯d better change your stance . ¡± Right . The reason why Gun Choi¡¯s changeup had threatened the right-handed batter was because he stepped on the left of the mound . To cover this weakness, Gun Choi sometimes stepped to the right of the mound and pitched . Sung-Kuk looked as if he had learnt a big lesson . ¡°Oh! Position of feet¡­Ok, I see . ¡± After his teaching, Sung-Kuk Jung bowed ny-degrees . ¡°Are you done?¡± Gun Choi carelessly responded and turned away . And a message showed up . - Credibility rank increased . Credibility: C- ¡ú C Credibility rose to C from C- . Gun Choi was little astonished that the system could also check the rtionship among people . ¡°Someday this system is going to check my personal love life . ¡± - Your love rank is F . Gun Choi bent his brow at the unexpected message . ¡°Hey, that¡¯s too bad, F? My character is not bad . ¡± But the system didn¡¯t change the rank . Gun Choi tutted as he walked . ¡°AI ying with a human . ¡± Gun Choi continued his practice even after getting back home . In the virtual ground by using the ring . Here he trained in the knuckleball . The ball rode the winds and passed by the mitt . ¡°I considered too much wind . Let me try again . ¡± He pitched exactly where he wanted . And then he loudly shouted . ¡°Strike!¡± One of the problems of the ring was that people in the ring never spoke out . So he often spoke loudly when he was in the ring . Once he got the knack, his knuckleball improved a lot . He trained in the knuckleball and his skill reached the peak . His rank developed to D+ in a few days and to C by the end of November . And after 3 days, his rank increased again . - Knuckleball rank increased . C- ¡ú C Gun Choi jumped up suddenly when his rank reached C . ¡°Ok, I¡¯m ready for the showcase!¡± Rank C meant that there wouldn¡¯t be any problem in a real game . Gun Choi thought that he could show something to Tomson who abandoned him from Boston because of his confident 150km fastball and knuckleball . ¡°Wait for me, Tomson . I¡¯m going to the Major League . ¡±
Chapter 12 Chapter 12: People Scratching at Lottery Tickets 01 Chapter 12 ¨C People Scratching at Lottery Tickets 01 11th Dec, 2022 . Gun Choi arrived at Sky Harbor Airport at Phoenix, Arizona . It was a 21-hour long flight . There were no direct flights so he had to transfer at Los Angeles . ¡°Hmm, Look at the temperature even in winter . ¡± Gun Choi braced his mind as he went through immigration at the airport . Before his departure to America, he heard that his father had voluntarily resigned . Voluntary resignation was normal after IMF . But it was a shock when it happened to his family . His parents said to him that he only needed to focus on his practice . But Gun Choi didn¡¯t feel good . He wanted to be sessful and support his family . After passing through an immigration desk, he looked for a sign for him . With a few attempts, he could find his name on a sign . ¡°Here!¡± A man with ck hair and meless sunsses . Gun Choi recognized him at once . ¡®He¡¯s still same . ¡¯ He waved his hand and approached him . ¡°David, it¡¯s been a while . ¡± David, Gun Choi¡¯s agent, smiled and waved his hand . ¡°Mr . Choi, I was a little afraid that you were not going recognize me . ¡± ¡°You are pretty much the same as before, David . ¡± David took the lead and said, ¡°Ok, this way . I prepared a car . ¡± The car was a Chrysler 300C, 286 horse-powered sedan . But the car looked too much for David . David used to drive both Benz S ss and Porsche 911 in turns . ¡°Is this a rental car?¡± David shrugged his shoulder at Gun Choi¡¯s asking . ¡°No, It¡¯s not . ¡± ¡°Did you drive this car to Arizona?¡± ¡°Sure, a ballpark lender provided this car . I don¡¯t like to drive for long distances . ¡± David leased a whole ballpark for one day of showcasing . There should be a proper investment to get something, this was what David thought . Gun Choi thought David was careless . But Gun Choi knew that he also had a different side to him . When David was on a table for negotiation with teams, his attitude changed totally . He knew where to attack and what to protect . David turned the wheel and said . ¡°The showcase is set to be 3 dayster due to your timeg . ¡± Gun Choi tilted his head and asked, ¡°You don¡¯t have any other work to do?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve used the inte for over 20 years already . I can work anywhere except in a meeting . ¡± David was humming as he drove . Gun Choi thought David was in a good mood . ¡°Looks like you made something?¡± David smiled at Gun Choi¡¯s asking . ¡°Inded a 3-year contract . The contract amount is 50 million . ¡± Around 20 million per year . The total amount wasn¡¯trge but not bad . Agents at the Major league got 5% fee out of annual sries . That is to say, David made $270,000 . Of course, this was the sum before tax . Gun Choi asked David briefly . ¡°Was it Greg?¡± ¡°Bingo!¡± Greg was a right-handed pitcher, 35 years old, who won 17 gamesst year . ¡°Where did you sell Greg?¡± ¡°Oh, Gun Choi, selling him? Your joke goes too far . ¡± Gun Choi bent his brow . ¡°Greg won 17 gamesst year but he¡¯s too old . How could it be possible?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why 3 years . If he was younger by 3 more years, the amount would be 120 million . ¡± Gun Choi calcted by himself when he could reach the age of FA . ¡®If I start at 27, after 6 seasons is FA . Then in the winter at 32 years old? What a coincidence!¡¯ He could be eligible for FA at an age that is 3 years sooner than Greg . This meant that he could sign for an over 100 million dor contract if he could enter the Major League and y well . ¡°Gun Choi, let me ask you one thing . ¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°What is your hidden weapon, the one you spoke ofst time? I just want to make sure of that . ¡± Gun Choi thought the time hade . He wanted to surprise David, but he needed to give correct information to the agent . Gun Choi answered shortly . ¡°It is a knuckleball . ¡± David shouted in surprise at Gun Choi¡¯s answer . ¡°Oh, knuckleball, Mr . Choi . Were you lying when you said that you¡¯re recovered?¡± Gun Choi startled at David¡¯s furious voice . ¡°Lie? My recovery was perfect . ¡± ¡°Then why knuckleball? David had a negative opinion on the knuckleball but Gun Choi didn¡¯t know about this . ¡°Why knuckleball? This is the most threatening weapon . ¡± David sighed deeply and said, ¡°Gun Choi, it is powerful, but there are not many catchers who can take it . Only Chan Gang at Philies or Yadin at Angels can catch that . ¡± Chan Gang was the best catcher in the Major League from the end of 2010 up till now, and Yadin was a superb catcher who got rated on defense . ording to David, a normal catcher couldn¡¯t catch a knuckleball . But Gun Choi thought differently . ¡°That¡¯s why I said please find a catcher who¡¯s good at catching a breaking ball . ¡± David nodded his head . ¡°Gun Choi, you still don¡¯t know . A knuckleball is not a breaking ball . It¡¯s a magic ball . It¡¯s not so simple only with a catcher . ¡± He was negative towards Gun Choi¡¯s knuckleball from cover to cover . There was a silence for a while due to David¡¯s firm voice . David couldn¡¯t bear it and started to talk . ¡°Gun Choi, how¡¯s your ball speed?¡± David¡¯s voice was stiff . He had thought that Gun Choi would prepare a splitter or forkball . But he never expected a knuckleball . Gun Choi replied . ¡°94 miles . ¡± David was surprised at his answer . ¡°Are you sure?¡± Gun Choi bent his brow at David¡¯s excited action . ¡°I don¡¯t have any reason to tell a lie, it¡¯ll be proved in 3 days . ¡± As David heard the ball speed, he smiled . ¡°Good for you . It¡¯s worth preparing for the showcase . ¡± He didn¡¯t think about the knuckleball anymore . ¡®94 miles, it¡¯s almost the same as during his peak time . Then I can sell him at a high price . ¡¯ David had sent invitations to 7 teams that needed to improve their pitching power . Four teams sent an RSVP . Two of them had interest in him from his time in the Minor League . David thought there should be a proper team who could make a contract with Gun Choi . ¡®It would be minimum sry for 3 years but I have Major League promotion bonus and sign up bonus . It will be enough profit . ¡¯ He stopped his car in a baseball town . And there, they could see series of baseball fields . Gun Choi opened his eyes wide at the scene of green grass and logo of the baseball town . ¡°Here¡­ . ¡± ¡°Right . The giants had spring camp here 3 years ago . ¡± Gun Choi imagined the Major Leaguers on the empty ground . ¡®Wait for me a little everyone . I¡¯ll be standing on the same stage soon . ¡¯ David gave enough time for Gun Choi to see the baseball town . David asked him in a low voice . ¡°Are you confident?¡± Gun Choi answered shortly . ¡°Of course . ¡±
Chapter 14 Chapter 14: Chapter 13 - People Scratching at Lottery Tickets Chapter 13 - People Scratching at Lottery Tickets 02 Gun Choi called the system as he moved to hotel with David . ¡®Abilities . ¡¯ -Disying the user¡¯s basic abilities . Physical strength: A Muscr strength: B Agility: B Reaction: B Reliability: C Fortune: B Mental strength: A+ Over thest few weeks, Gun Choi seed in improving his physical and mental strength rank to A . They were very important to a starting pitcher . ¡®I have a low rank in reliability . I hope this won¡¯t affect my rtionship with a catcher . ¡¯ He checked the next abilities . -Disying pitcher abilities Ball Speed: B+ Movement velocity: B+ Ball control: B+ Movement: B 1st Grip: Four-seam fastball B 2nd Grip: Slider B 3rd Grip: Changeup C+ 4th Grip: Knuckleball C Skill: Blood of the wild animal Level 2 Most of the abilities improved through live pitching . ¡®I have a rank C knuckleball, this will be enough . ¡¯ Gun Choi was confident about his knuckleball in spite of David¡¯s negative opinion . After they arrived at the hotel, Gun Choi just rxed on the bed due to jetg . ¡®I can only use the ring for two hours during such a long trip . ¡¯ Gun Choi researched records of minor league yers who were on the same ne . Some of them became a main yer in the Major League but some of them gave up baseball . Gun Choi checked the record of Don Blesso, a rival of his, and was surprised . Don Blesso yed actively while Gun Choi was in Korea . He won 31 games for 3 years . 10 wins per year . He had arge role in the Major League . ¡°Already 3 years . His sry will be raised a lot next year . ¡± A yer became eligible for negotiating their sry after 3 years, which meant that he would not get minimum sry anymore . Gun Choi thought that he could y as well as Don Blesso, as long as he didn¡¯t get injured . ¡¯10 wins in the Major League . It¡¯s too hard . He might have a hard time right after entering the Major League and be degraded to AAA¡¯ There was no ¡°if¡± in baseball . Gun Choi needed to be able to judge his current situation perfectly . ¡°I have brace my mind . I need to focus on the showcase . ¡± He had a deep sleep to recover from his jetg . Alex didn¡¯t obtain good results at the winter meeting . ¡®I didn¡¯t know I was going to be here . ¡¯ His team, Baltimore, had a problem with pitching power during thest season . Alex wanted to find a good pitcher during this winter meeting . But he couldn¡¯t make a contract until thest day of the meeting, due to insufficient funds . At thest day of winter meeting, he made his final move with permission from the team owner . He made an offer to Greg, who won 17 games . Greg and Gun Choi¡¯s agent was the same David . David made a counteroffer with amount of fifty million for three years . Alex gave up on Greg because of his high counteroffer . ¡°He¡¯s 36 years old next season, it¡¯s not worth it to invest fifty million in him . ¡± He described David as an exorbitant trader and criticized him . But Alex is back in Arizona to see him . ¡®I need to see him again . ¡¯ Pitching power at Baltimore was in a terrible condition, so Alex needed to see David, however unpleasant it would be . As he opened a door onto the field, he saw a familiar face . It was Gordon, Strategy Analysis Manager of the Chicago Cubs . Gordon saw him and waved . ¡°Alex, you¡¯re here . ¡± They were in the Minor Leagues before, as yers . Alex shrugged his shoulder . ¡°I had no choice but toe, I couldn¡¯t find any pitchers during the winter meeting . By the way, why are you here? You already selected all your pitchers . ¡± Gordon sighed slightly . ¡°One of our bullpen pitcher got injured . ¡± ¡°Hmm, you need a backup . ¡± Gordon didn¡¯te to the showcase to just find a backup . He had lots of options from AAA . The reason he¡¯s here due to his interest to Gun Choi . Gordon had an interest in Gun Choi when he was in Boston . ¡®He had a nice pitch three years ago . I¡¯m not sure about today . ¡¯ The teams at the showcase were Chicago, Baltimore, Houston, and Colorado . The four teams were evenly split between the National and American leagues . They were here to gather a lottery, Gun Choi . ¡®This lottery is literally a lottery . Little chance for the jackpot . ¡¯ Anyway, he wanted to see the showcase . David spoke loudly after he saw the PIC (Person In charge) from each of the four teams . ¡°It looks like everybody is here, let me start the showcase . Here is Gun Choi . ¡± Gun Choi lightly stretched his shoulders and entered ontothe mound . He already done his warmups . As Gun Choi ascended the mound, David introduced him again . ¡°Gun Choi finished his mandatory military service in Korea . Is there anyone worried about his injury? If so, please don¡¯t worry about that . If he got injured, how he could finish his service?¡± Serving in the military is respectable in America, so each scout gave Gun Choi a high score on that . But nobody knew how and where he finished his service . David looked at Gun Choi and spoke . ¡°Now, Gun Choi will pitch 20 balls . If you want to check their speed with speed gun, please stand behind the fence . ¡± After his words, 3 of the four scouts moved to the fence . Alex asked to Gordon as he saw that he hadn¡¯t moved . ¡°Can you tell the speed just by seeing the pitch?¡± ¡°You guys can check the speed . I just want to see his pitching . Frankly, I didn¡¯t bring a gun . ¡± ¡°Ok . ¡± Alex shrugged his shoulders and moved to the fence . ¡®It¡¯s been a while since I used a speed gun . ¡¯ He aimed the speed gun at Gun Choi . Gun Choi felt little frustrated due to the small number of team at the showcase . ¡®Only 4 teams? This is a really tiny showcase . ¡¯ He threw his first ball after exchanging a sign with a catcher . The ball flew through the air and entered into the mitt .
Chapter 15 Chapter 15: Chapter 14 - People Scratching at Lottery Tickets Chapter 14 - People Scratching at Lottery Tickets 03 The PICs from the four teams nodded their head with a sound of approval as the ball entered into the mitt . ¡°92 miles per hour, good . ¡± ¡°I got 93?¡± ¡°Either is good . ¡± ¡°He must be fully recovered . ¡± Gun Choi threw five four-seam fast balls, one after another . At the 3rd ball, his peak speed was 94 mph . Gordon became aware of Gun Choi¡¯s pitching speed through the others¡¯ expressions . ¡®He must be getting good speed . It¡¯s not a lie that he recovered . That¡¯s why he¡¯s putting on this showcase . ¡¯ He carefully observed Gun Choi¡¯s pitching bnce instead of checking a speed gun . He evaluated him after 5 pitches, and it wasn¡¯t bad . ¡®His center movement is better than before . He must have trained his lower body . He¡¯s prepared as David is his agent¡¯ Gordon thought his evaluation was correct . But he thought that Gun Choi¡¯s sess would be based on his continuous training . Gun Choi pitched a change-up after the fast balls . He used to get good evaluations on his change-up in the Minor Leagues . The ball dropped sharply as he yed with AT Communication¡¯s batter . Gordon also gave good grades to Gun Choi¡¯s change-up . But they were less than the fast ball . ¡®It¡¯s a nice change-up even though he¡¯s right handed . But I¡¯m not sure of the next pitch . With that foot position, both a curve and a sinker would be better than a slider . ¡¯ He remembered that Gun Choi¡¯s main weapons were a slider and a change-up . If Gun Choi had a skill for a sinker, he would get a contract immediately . Gun Choi pitched 3 change-ups and threw a slider . The speed of a slider was about 82 mph which made the hitter to swing, but miss . Gun Choi¡¯s slider made a smooth arc in the air . But Gordon¡¯s evaluation was different than the previous one . ¡®It¡¯s normal . ¡¯ The others also though like that . They evaluated also Gun Choi¡¯s slider as normal . ¡°Angle and speed are normal . ¡± ¡°This is a slider . ¡± ¡°We need to see more . ¡± ¡°Right, we need to check more . ¡± The top group of yers threw a ball over 85 mph, but Gun Choi¡¯s was 3 miles per hour less . But it¡¯s not enough to devalue him to the Minor League level . ¡°Show some more . ¡± ¡°His change-up is good, so he could y a major role in the bullpen . ¡± ¡°I agree, but his slider isn¡¯t good . ¡± The PICs of Houston Astros and Colorado Rockies didn¡¯t think that he would be a good starting pitcher in the Major Leagues . 5 more balls remained . David detained Gun Choi, but Gun Choi wanted to try a knuckleball . The PICs of each team were shocked by the floating ball in the air . ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°Knuckleball . ¡± ¡°66 mph, it¡¯s great . ¡± Houston was the only team that had a catcher who could manage Gun Choi¡¯s ball . But the PIC of Houston was curious about a knuckleball . ¡°His speed is at 94 mph, but why a knuckleball?¡± Alex nodded his head and spoke . ¡°Absolutely not . He could win 7, maybe 8 games with this ball . ¡± After the short showcase, Gun Choi left the mound . He did his best, but only got 70 out of 100 . ¡°Speed wasn¡¯t bad, but the breaking balls weren¡¯t good . I need to consider the differences between domestic and Major League official ball . ¡¯ He thought that the angle of the breaking ball wasn¡¯t as good as he expected . While Gun Choi wrapped up his showcase, David was asking the PICs about it . Only 2 teams expressed interest to him . The offer David received was exactly what he had expected . ¡®I need to deal with these 2 teams for good results . ¡¯ He knew exactly what the PICs wanted . A button clicked, and a familiar voice sounded out . ¡°Hello? This is David . Is this Gun Choi?¡± ¡°Yes, this is Gun Choi . ¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got good news . Two teams showed their intention to invite you . ¡± ¡°Two teams?¡± That meant two teams gave up, but two teams were interest to him . Gun Choi furrowed his brows . ¡°How are the offers? Are they both contracts for the Major League?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to get a Major League contract with only a mini showcase . This is a split contract which includes a contract for the Minor Leagues too . But you got bonus options . ¡± yers in the Major Leagues received a minimum sry, and they had to stay on one team for three years . But their actual pay was different depending on their contract . This is because of promotion bonuses and other possibilities . David was considering how to make more money by increasing the promotion bonuses . ¡°Bonus options? Are you talking about a promotion bonus?¡± ¡°No, there also is sign up bonus . ¡± Gun Choi¡¯s present situation was uncertain . Usually yers became eligible to be a free agent 5 or 6 years after entering the Major Leagues . But Gun Choi didn¡¯t have any experience in thest 3 years . So, Gun Choi would be entering a team as a new yer . In this case, he could get a sign-up bonus like he¡¯s a top pick in the draft . ¡°Is there any team than will give me a sign-up bonus?¡± ¡°Of course . That¡¯s the reason we did the showcase . ¡± A sign-up bonus ranged between one and two million for the most desirable yers . Some yers got more than this, but the ability Gun Choi showed at the showcase couldn¡¯tmand that much . ¡°How much can I get?¡± ¡°I¡¯m expecting to get five hundred thousand . ¡± The offered amount was alreadyrger than what AT Communication offered, even only with a split contract . ¡°Is there any way I can get more?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so . But if you moved to AAA, you will get enough money . ¡± ¡°More than one hundred thousand?¡± ¡°Almost . ¡± Gun Choi thought he could live with that money in America . ¡®If I downgrade to the Minor Leagues, I can send a sign-up bonus to my parents, and I can cover my living cost with one hundred thousand . ¡¯ David talked to Gun Choi . ¡°The offered sries for the Minor Leagues and sign-up bonuses are almost the same . But there are differences in the promotion to the Major Leagues bonus . ¡± ¡°Which one is better? More money?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not the only difference . They offered more of a bonus but overall it¡¯s not good . ¡± ¡°What?¡± Gun Choi didn¡¯t understand what he was being told . David exined a detail to Gun Choi . ¡°One team wants you as a starting pitcher and the other team wants you y at bullpen . ¡± Now Gun Choi caught a meaning . Namely, the position was different . ¡°I¡¯d prefer to be a starting pitcher . Which team?¡± ¡°Baltimore . ¡± Baltimore Orioles at American league . This team failed to find a pitcher during winter meeting . Gun Choi eyes glowed . ¡°Eastern . ¡± ¡°The best region in American league . How¡¯s the offer?¡± Boston, the team that released Gun Choi, also belonged to Eastern region . Once signed with Baltimore, he would quickly show Boston and Tomson what they had missed . ¡°If I¡¯m guaranteed to be a starting pitcher, I¡¯ll sign the papers right now . Are you sure?¡± David coughed and replied . ¡°Yes, but it is important that you are on the top five list . At least you¡¯ll have a chance in spring training . ¡± Gun Choi wanted to choose Baltimore due to the chance of being a starting pitcher there . ¡°Can you give me more details?¡± ¡°You will get a hundred thousand if you y for AAA Norfolk . And if you enter the Major Leagues, you¡¯ll also get three hundred thousand for a promotion bonus, and four hundred thousand for sign-up bonus . ¡± Minimum five hundred fifty thousand to max 1 . 4 million, financially it was not bad . Gun Choi was in favor of Baltimore . ¡°Wait, Gun Choi . ¡± David interrupted, as he got another call .
Chapter 16 Chapter 16: Chapter 15 - People Scratching at Lottery Tickets Chapter 15 - People Scratching at Lottery Tickets 04 David got a phone call from Alex and furrowed his brows . ¡°Hello? What?! No contract?¡± David narrowed his eyes . Whenever a problem urred, his facial expression changed . Alex talked to David with a heavy voice . ¡°I¡¯m so sorry . Top management already found a VIP pitcher . I didn¡¯t know about this . ¡± David had been talking with Gun Choi about the Major League . Free agent(FA) with VIP pitcher . David spoke loudly . ¡°You told me yesterday¡­¡± Alex sighed and responded . ¡°Hmm¡­Yesterday was yesterday . Anyway, we can¡¯t provide a sign-up bonus . ¡± Without a sign-up bonus, it was just a generic Minor League contract . ¡°Really, is there no way?¡± David tried to persuade Alex some more . ¡°Ok, then can you provide a bigger promotion bonus?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Surely you don¡¯t think it¡¯s the same contract? I thought Baltimore had enough money . ¡± Alex also wanted to invite Gun Choi . But the owner of team had already made a decision . ¡°We decided to find a pitcher amongst our own yers, not from outside . Most likely it will be an internal promotion . ¡± David became speechless . He was caught in a dilemma . Alex decided to hang up before David could catch his breath, and respond . ¡°David, hope to see you next time with good news . ¡± Alex hung up the phone . David sighed deeply . ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say to Gun Choi . ¡± After a little while, David called Gun Choi . Gun Choi answered the phone immediately . ¡°Who called? David answer frankly . ¡°It was from Baltimore Orioles . ¡± Gun Choi¡¯s voice was cheerful . He didn¡¯t know what Alex and David had discussed . ¡°Did they want to sign a contract soon? Or review details?¡± David spoke with his hands sped tightly . ¡°No¡­ Baltimore decided not to provide a sign-up bonus . ¡± Gun Choi was shocked by the Orioles rapidly and unexpectedly changing their decision . ¡°What?!¡± ¡°The owner of team is interest in signing free agents for VIP pitchers . ¡± Gun Choi realized that this situation put him at a huge disadvantage . Hiring an FA meant there would be no more out of team hiring . ¡®Things went badly, as I feared . ¡¯ As he spoke, his face showed mixed expressions . ¡°If Baltimore doesn¡¯t need me, then don¡¯t I only have one team left? Who¡¯s that?¡± David felt relieved due to Gun Choi¡¯s positive outlook . He talked about the team . ¡°It¡¯s the Cubs . But the Cubs wants you to y in the bullpen . Their pitcher, Samaja, got injured recently . But if you y well in the bullpen, you¡¯ll absolutely get a chance . You¡¯re still young . ¡± Gun Choi answered as he nodded . ¡°Back up for Samaja . There¡¯s still a chance . ¡± ¡°Sure . ¡± But being a backup meant having few chances . Anyway, there¡¯s a vacancy for a starting yer . ¡°How are the contract details? Same as the Orioles?¡± ¡°Little better¡­but it¡¯s not for a starting yer . ¡± Gun Choi thought debuting at the Major Leagues was better than being a starting yer in the Minor Leagues . ¡°I don¡¯t care about a position . I want to be in the Major leagues by any means necessary . ¡± David¡¯s voice became cheerful . ¡°Do you think so?¡± ¡°It was 3 years . I¡¯ll thank whoever calls me . ¡± David told Gun Choi that he would try to negotiate a better contract . Gun Choi¡¯s goal was to y in the Major Leagues, not staying in the bullpen . ¡°Ok, only 1 year . ¡± He wanted more benefits due to his ying in the bullpen . ¡°Oh, David . I need to add more options instead of the basic conditions . ¡± David tilted his head . Gun Choi¡¯s suggestion had no benefit to him . ¡°Options?¡± ¡°I mean the same conditions as Daiye . ¡± Daiye lowered his annual sry, but added several options for a multiple year contract with the Dodgers . This surprised a lot of people . At that time, there were lot of concerns about the contract, but he shocked people by getting arger amount than expected . Gun Choi wanted a contract like this . ¡°What do you want me to put in?¡± ¡°There should be good options to hold or save . I made a concession on position, they need to make a concession on the bonus . ¡± David disagreed with Gun Choi . As an agent, he thought Gun Choi¡¯s decision was not reasonable . ¡°Gun Choi, that¡¯s not a concession . Challenging is good, but wouldn¡¯t you prefer something stable? And also think about your age¡­¡± Gun Choi tly refused . ¡°David, I¡¯m still young . You talked about stability, but I don¡¯t want to make do with the current situation by epting a sign-up bonus . I¡¯ll raise my sry by entering the Major Leagues . ¡± He intended to enter the Major Leagues the next season . David nodded his head in the end . ¡°Ok, then I¡¯ll discuss it with the Cubs . ¡± Gun Choi hung up the phone andid down on the sofa . ¡°I hoped things would go smoothly but¡­ it was same 3 year ago . I thought I had a chance when I was on the expanded roster, but I got injured . ¡± As he closed eye, he saw an unusual message . - Here is your first mission . Make your debut in the Major Leagues . This mission does not expire until youplete it . There was no conditional term for the mission . ¡®You don¡¯t need to say it . That¡¯s exactly what I wanted . ¡¯ He thought it was going to be a simple mission because there was no condition or time limit . But he couldn¡¯t understand the next message . -You can¡¯t use the eleration program until you achieve the mission . Gun Choi used the ring every day, but he forgot about the eleration program after he recovered . ¡®Hmm, was I allowed to use the eleration program outside of recovering from my injury?¡¯ Suddenly, he regretted that he didn¡¯t use the eleration program after live pitching . ¡®It might be helpful to increase my physical and muscr abilities, but overall it¡¯s better not to use it . Baseball should be learned by the body, not by the mind . Gun Choi didn¡¯t think that the heavy feeling on this body wouldn¡¯t affect his performance . E/N: FA refers to a free agent . That is a yer who is not contractually bound to a team, and can negotiate their own contract and sry .
Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Chapter 17 ¨C Lonely Christmas 02 ¡®I must show something great . If not, it¡¯ll be a big shame on me . ¡¯ Gun Choi stood up and hailed a cab . ¡°Where to?¡± Gun Choi showed the memo that Gordon gave him to the driver . ¡°To here . ¡± The driver wondered about Gun Choi¡¯s Cubs uniform . ¡°We don¡¯t have Cubs fans here . Are you from Chicago?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a yer for the Cubs, not a fan . ¡± The driver opened his eyes widely as he was introduced to an Asian amor leaguer . ¡°Are you really? You¡¯re only wearing the top . ¡± ¡°I signed a contract today and I¡¯ll be starting next year . And I didn¡¯t get the pants yet . ¡± Gordon didn¡¯t prepare pants because he wasn¡¯t sure about the contract . The uniform was a spare authentic jersey . Gordon gave it to Gun Choi after the signing . The driver thought Gun Choi was Japanese so he started to talk about his grand-father¡¯s service in the war . Gun Choi agreed with the driver . Then the driver realized that Gun Choi wasn¡¯t Japanese . ¡°Are you from China?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m from Korea . ¡± The driver nodded his head . ¡°You¡¯re from the same country as Hyun-Jin Cha . The most well-known yer in the south-west was likely Hyun-Jin Cha from the LA Dodgers . ¡°Yes, I am . ¡± The driver also talked about his grandfather¡¯s participation in the Korean war . After around 20 minutes of driving, a series of ballparks came into view . Gun Choi smiled at the grand scale of America . ¡®If these ball park were in Korea, the cost would be very high . ¡¯ He paid the fare and tip, and exited the taxi . ¡°Wow¡­pretty spacious . Clean air . ¡¯ Gun Choi stretched his arms and took a deep breath . ¡°Will I see you on TV next year?¡± The driver rolled down a window and asked him . Gun Choi nodded his head . ¡°Of course . ¡± ¡°Ok, it¡¯s time to get serious . ¡± Beep . Beep . Gun Choi opened his eyes with difficulty . He had a hard time waking up after he arrived in Arizona . Maybe he needed more time to recover from his jetg . ¡°Little more¡­ just a little more¡­¡¯ He tossed and turned for 3 minutes, and woke up rubbing his eyes . ¡°To be a Major Leaguer, I can¡¯t let myself be defeated by tiredness . ¡± He ran to the bathroom and cleaned his face with cold water . Then he became fully awake . ¡°Bull pen, I¡¯ve never been in the bull pen until AAA . ¡± He didn¡¯t have any intention to stay in the bullpen . ¡°1 year is enough . ¡¯ His intention was to stay in the bullpen for a year, until he got noticed by the others . He went outside and the warm sunshine blinded him . ¡°I need to do basic physical training until the instructores . ¡± Gun Choi jogged 3 km around a field . He didn¡¯t run fast, but he started to sweat and it made him more vigorous . A custodian and some people looked at him curiously . ¡®It must look weird . No Major Leaguer practices in November . ¡¯ After jogging, Gun Choi knocked on the door of custodian¡¯s building . ording to the announcement, breakfast started at 8 am . ¡°Hello?¡± He knocked twice . A man finally showed up . Gun Choi had almost been about to shout . ¡®Well, who is this?¡¯ A man with a long beard asked . ¡°Gun Choi?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me . ¡± ¡°Come in . ¡± As he came in, three people were eating a breakfast at the table . Bread, soup, and eggs . It was a very regr breakfast . The man introduced himself as Hardy, and offered Gun Choi an empty seat . ¡°Do you need to practice alone?¡± Gun Choi shook his head and said . ¡°An instructor will be here . ¡± ¡°Really?¡± Hardy smiled and put some eggs on Gun Choi¡¯s te . The food was not super, but not bad . ¡°Lunch is served at noon, and there¡¯s no dinner . ¡± ¡°What? No dinner?¡± ¡°There are some restaurants in the town of Reeku, it¡¯s about 3 miles to the south . ¡± Gun Choi was at a loss because he didn¡¯t have a car . ¡°I don¡¯t have a car . ¡± Bank, a custodian of ball field, shrugged and mentioned . ¡°3km, it is a walkable distance, isn¡¯t it?¡± About 30 min walking . There was no reason not to walk, but an hour round trip was waste of time . In the middle of Gun Choi¡¯s worry, a message popped up . -Repetition mission: Walk to the town of Reeku . Condition: Repeat daily . Rewards: Points will be given uponpletion . Gun Choi was excited to get rewards only by walking to Reeku . ¡®It¡¯s so easy . ¡¯ He nodded his head as like he epted the difficulty . ¡°You are right . I can walk . It¡¯s not bad, I can even save money . ¡± Bank was confused . ¡°R-right?¡± ¡°Yes . ¡± Bank thought Gun Choi was not an easy match . Bank wanted to measure him by questioning him . But Bank get puzzled when Gun Choi listened to him seriously . ¡°Come with me . I¡¯ll show you a field . ¡± Gun Choi followed him as he finished breakfast . Bank opened a fence which was at the far left and talked to him . ¡°You can use this field until 5pm . When you¡¯re done, or need to leave early, please return the key to the office . ¡± ¡°Ok . ¡± Gun Choi nodded and got a key . Gun Choi didn¡¯t have any special feeling towards Bank, but Bank thought Gun Choi was special . ¡®Is he the type of person who can¡¯t see anything other than a baseball? If so, he¡¯ll be in the Major Leagues soon . That type of yer enters into the Major Leagues . ¡¯ As Bank left, Gun Choi started to practice . 25 meters of running . Leg stretching . Center movement training with one foot . Long stride position repetition . Shadow pitching with a towel . As he finished 5 courses, it was almost 12 pm . ¡°System, any increased abilities?¡± -No increased abilities . Gun Choi shrugged his shoulder . ¡°No increased abilities with only one day training?¡± In the afternoon, he trained to adapt himself to the Major Leagues official ball . He tried to get a feeling for its grip by pitching lightly, not by strong pitching . The Major Leagues official ball had a more slippery surface than a domestic ball . This made lots of pitchers have a hard time . ¡°I got the feeling for the change-up, but a slider¡­¡± After he finished grip training, he went to the office . Bank tilted his head as he checked a watch . It was earlier than expected . ¡°Are you already done?¡± Gun Choi nodded and returned the key . ¡°Because I need to go Reeku . ¡± Bank told him quietly . ¡°It is little far, but the trail is a good walk . ¡± ¡°Ok . ¡± As he hit the road, he could see a sign which said 2 miles to Reeku . ¡°Ok, let¡¯s go . ¡¯ Gun Choi was encouraged at that point so he decided to run . ¡®I can reduce recovery time by up to 30% with my skill up . So I can recover within 2 months, instead of 3 . ¡¯ Even if it¡¯s not supernatural, fast recovery was a blessing for any yer .
Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Chapter 18 ¨C Lonely Christmas 03 Reeku Town came into view after 15 minutes of running . ¡°It''s over there?¡± There were a few three or four story buildings . It wasn¡¯t a big town . ¡°It¡¯s not a big town, but there are fast food restaurants . Not bad . ¡± Gun Choi went into In&Out and ordered from the menu . In&Out was a restaurant famous for its low prices and high quality food . They used to only have branches in California, but they expanded their locations to Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and other states . Now they had more than 300 branches . Gun Choi smiled at the two patties in his burger . ¡®I like the burgers in America . ¡¯ He usually never drank Coke but he did make an exception to to his rule when eating at In&Out . ¡®I''ll only get Coke today . ¡¯ Gun Choi finished his meal, and returned to the field . He was excited to get points, and hummed as he walked . Gun Choi couldn¡¯t believe that he could get points so easily . ¡°A refreshing breeze, I''m in a good condition, everything is good . ¡± 30 minutester . Gun Choi arrived at the field, and fell down with a thud when he read the new message . -Missionpleted . Reward point 0 . 1 . ¡°Oh my God . ¡± He hadn¡¯t expected the reward would be a decimal number . Gun Choi sighed at the system¡¯s sudden attack . ¡°Hey, that''s not fair . Not a decimal . A whole number . But the system was silent . The system only spoke when it had something to say . Gun Choi would get only 3 points with a whole month of walking . He didn¡¯t know how many points were needed to rank up, but at least 2 months were required to rank up once . Gordon, the manager of strategy analysis at the Chicago Cubs, passed a paper to a wide-shouldered, middle-aged man . ¡°I want you to go to Arizona . ¡± The middle-aged man looked displeased . He received the paper, and arched his brows . ¡°Who¡¯s gonna work in December?¡± He asked a question in return . ¡°Didn¡¯t not have any ns?¡± The middle-aged man¡¯s face became dark . ¡°We have a pretty close rtionship, but you¡¯re crossing a line . ¡± Gordon didn¡¯t care about his protests . ¡°You''re single and your family is far away . What are you gonna do here alone? You''ll get drunk and have an ident . Go to Arizona and sunbathe . Think about your age . ¡± Gordon¡¯s word made the man hesitate . He must have done something problematic while drunkst year . ¡°But not in December . ¡± The middle-aged man turned his head impudently . ¡°January?¡± ¡°Not until the third of January . ¡± Gordon spoke to him while spinning a pencil . ¡°Ok . What about the fifth? I want you to take care of him until spring camp . ¡± The middle-aged man shrugged as he reviewed the paper . ¡°Ok, that¡¯s good . Anyway, does he have potential? He didn¡¯t even get a sign-up bonus . Do you still want me to go?¡± Gordon dropped the pencil and replied, ¡°He gave up the sign-up bonus . ¡± The middle-aged man was surprised at his answer . ¡°What? Did he give it up?¡± ¡°He asked for a bonus by score . ¡± ¡°That¡¯s a shortcut to a high sry . ¡± ¡°There was no other way . We don¡¯t lose anything . If he gets a high sry, it will also benefit our team . ¡± The middle-aged man turned and raised his right hand . ¡°You''re still a devil . ¡± Gordon raised his lips and disputed . ¡°Am I a devil? The real devil is Bend at Zero Corp . ¡± ¡°Bend is an angel to yers . ¡± The meaning of a devil was being a devil to yers . Gordon looked at the map on the wall after he left the room . ¡°Hmm, a confident new yer versus a pitcher with two hundred saves . I don¡¯t know what the result will be in Arizona . ¡± Gun Choi was alone for Christmas in Arizona . He didn¡¯t have a girlfriend, or even a fellow yer . The field custodian had gone on vacation with his family, and even Hardy left to go to the East . ¡°Do I need to call friends in the Minor Leagues?¡± Gun Choi muttered, but it didn¡¯t help . Even if he could contact somebody, he didn¡¯t have the money to fly there . ''I regret not asking for a sign-up bonus, even for $100,000 . '' He didn¡¯t have $10,000, not even $1,000 in his ount . He shook his head strongly and braced himself . ''Hey Gun Choi, this is the best time to catch up with the others . '' He ordered the system for the ring and gripped a ball . ¡°Change the ring to KC town . ¡± KC town was the official name for this ce . -Setting up to KC town . Even it was empty at KC town, he called the ring to test his pitches with Kil-Sung Lee in KC town . ¡®I need to check my knuckleball here in Arizona . Lots of updraft . ¡¯ He threw a knuckleball at Kil-Sung Lee . He pitched a little lower but the ball lifted up, curving to the right, due to the updraft changing towards the northwest . Kil-Sung Lee didn¡¯t swing at the knuckleball . 1 ball, no strike . Gun Choi nodded as if he understood the movement of the current, and then pitched a second ball . The knuckleball flew from the inside towards center . Kil-Sung Lee swung, but failed, and Gun Choi smiled . ¡°Look . ¡± He kept throwing knuckleballs and caused Kil-Sung Lee to strikeout . Kil-Sung Lee sometimes hit the ball, but it didn¡¯t fly well . Gun Choi thought his knuckleball had improved a lot in Arizona, but the rank didn¡¯t change . He didn¡¯t think that the system was wrong, because from his past experiences he knew that the system was urate . ¡®If the system says yes, it means yes . It''s not good to judge by feeling . ¡¯ Gun Choi used to measure his improvement through feeling . But the results weren''t that good . The reasons were obvious . He hadn¡¯t improved like he thought . It was due to misunderstanding, and self-conceit . Gun Choi thought he could exclude these through the system .
Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Chapter 19 ¨C Spring Camp in Winter 01 In the morning of the December 25th . Gun Choi received a text message from Gordon . -Merry Christmas! It was a simple text . Gun Choi replied the same way, with a straight face . ¡°Should I say thank you? He sent a text to me when I haven¡¯t even entered the top 40 rosters . ¡± He sent a text, and went outside . He could feel the cool morning breeze on his cheeks . ¡°Ok, let¡¯s go . ¡± He started running the 3km to get breakfast . 15 minutester . Gun Choi took in a deep breath as he arrived in Reeku Town . ¡°What happened here?¡± No restaurants were open . Was it a mistake toe looking for an open restaurant? Gun Choi approached an old man who was sweeping leaves and asked,¡°Excuse me, where is the nearest town?¡± The old man nced at Gun Choi, and silently pointed to the east . There must be a town in the east . ¡°Thank you . ¡± Gun Choi started to run east . 30 minutester . Gun Choi regretted not asking the old man about the distance . ¡°I should have considered that, since this is America . ¡± He wiped the perspiration from his face and sighed . ¡°How far do I need to go? Maybe not to the next town?¡± There was nothing but spacious fields as far as the eye could see . There weren¡¯t even any cars to hitchhike . Gun Choi just kept walking . 1 hourter . Gun Choi didn¡¯t know whether to cry orugh . -Physical rank increased . Physical Ability: A ¡ú A+ It was worth him practicing the whole of December . ¡°The increased rank is good, but where''s the town?¡± He sighed deeply and moved on . Gun Choi stopped walking exactly after 2 hours,14 minutes and 22 seconds . He was urate down to the second because the system replied rapidly to his self-questioning . The system had a hateful point . ¡°Where are you going?¡± A man driving a pickup truck smiled at Gun Choi . Gun Choi didn¡¯t like this macho man but he didn¡¯t have any options . ¡°I¡¯m going to the town at the end of this road . Actually, anywhere is good if I can get breakfast . ¡± ¡°Breakfast?¡± ¡°Yes, the restaurant in the dorm where I stay is closed for Christmas . ¡± The macho man raised his lip and replied . ¡°Ok . Get on . ¡± He added more power to his truck after Gun Choi got in . The 8 cylinder gasoline engine screamed that a man who worried about miles per gallon is not a man . Gun Choi almost cried as he ate a ham sandwich . He had such a hard time getting this food . ¡°Hey, go ahead . No appetite?¡± Gun Choi ate a sandwich at this prompting . The macho man was startled by Gun Choi''s appetite . ''He''s quite the hotshot . '' He dropped off Gun Choi at small convenience store along the highway . The convenience store stayed open for travelers during Christmas . Gun Choi ate and ate . The macho man left the convenience store when Gun Choi had finished four sandwiches . ¡°Enjoy your time . ¡± Gun Choi waved his hand at him and took a gulp of coke . ¡®I used to only have coke at In&Out, but now I drink it everyday . ¡¯ He purchased food for survival, hitchhiked and returned . A message showed up as he got out of the car . -Today¡¯s mission failed . It was natural that he was failed, because he took a car . Gun Choi admitted defeat to the system . ¡°Ok, you win . ¡± Heid down on the bed and looked at the ceiling aftering back to his room . ¡°It¡¯s a horrible Christmas . ¡± Gun Choi thought that his Christmas during his time doing public service was better than now . Gun Choi only had canned food until Bank and Hardye back . He might have been dispirited because of the junk food, but Gun Choi overcame everything, and he even achieved a lot during their absence . First, his physical rank was increased from A to A+ and his movement also increased from B to B+ . This increase of movement was due to his intensive knuckleball training in the ring . And in addition, he had collected 0 . 9 points, by performing missions . ¡°So will it be 1 point tomorrow?¡± Gun Choi wanted to earn up to 1 point and give up the round trips to Reeku Town . ¡®It¡¯s hard walking everyday . I¡¯d better get a bicycle . ¡¯ It was in this moment that he calcted the money needed for a bicycle . Abruptly, the door opened . ¡°What?¡± Gun Choi turned his head and saw a middle-aged mane in . ¡®He¡¯s tall . Over 2 meters?¡¯ The middle-aged man strode along towards Gun Choi . Gun Choi tilted his head at his vigor . ¡®Uh, he looks like he¡¯s about to take out a gun . ¡¯ Gun Choi opened his mouth and spoke before the man approached him . ¡°This ce is only for authorized persons . Please leave . ¡± The middle-aged man didn¡¯t care and kept walking, then stopped before Gun Choi and looked down at him as he asked, ¡°Are you the novice that Gordon mentioned?¡± Gun Choi swallowed dry saliva . ¡®A novice!¡¯ It was umon to speak so thoughtlessly in America . ¡°What are you talking about¡­¡± ¡°Gordon told me . Go to Arizona and teach a novice . Gordon was a greenhorn like you when I was in the Cubs . ¡± Gun Choi realized who the man was after he spoke . ¡®Over 2 meter tall, an instructor who yed at Cubs . . . then¡­he is¡­¡¯ He blurted out the middle-aged man¡¯s name by reflex . ¡°Eric Vans?!¡± Eric smiled, while looking at Gun Choi . ¡°You know who I am?¡± 16 wins, 28 losses, 221 saves . He yed with the Cubs, Giants, and Minnesota . Selected twice as an Allstar . In particr he had a good rtionship with management because of his record saves .
Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Chapter 20 ¨C Spring camp in winter 02 Gun Choi became stiff hearing the words of the ex-Major leaguer . ¡®I didn¡¯t expect to get this qualified an instructor . Did Gordon assess me as good?¡¯ Eric looked around, and asked Gun Choi, ¡°Where''s Bank?¡± He knew Bank, a custodian, because he yed 7 seasons . ¡°He¡¯s in the office . ¡± Eric furrowed his brows . ¡°At office? He''s lucky . ¡± He headed to the office with a big stride . It looked like he had something to tell Bank . After a while, shouting was heard . Bank quickly came out . He moved around and grabbed gear for practice . A fence with webbing in it, a helmet, a bat, and box for the balls . Gun Choi was astounded at Bank''s attitude . ¡®Huh, I¡¯ve never seen that before . He''s always been calm . ¡¯ Eric grumbled at Bank, and returned his attention back to Gun Choi . ¡°Are you aiming for the Major leagues?¡± Gun Choi replied confidently, with his chin up . ¡°My goal is not a simple debut . I want to be a star in the Major leagues . ¡± Eric tilted his head . ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it''s possible . ¡± Gun Choi was a still novice who hadn''t even entered into the 40 rosters to Eric . A novice wanted to be a star . Eric smiled . But Eric talked to him, instead ofughing . ¡°If you survive training with me, you can be an Allstar in the Major leagues . Can you do that?¡± Gun Choi thought that Eric¡¯s training would be easier than that of the system . ¡°Any way I can improve my skills, I¡¯ll do . ¡± Eric listened to him silently . ¡°Every yer has said that but, gave up within a week . ¡± Bank set up the gear while Gun Choi and Eric talked . Bank installed a fence, brought balls to the mound, and ttened the ground with tools . Gun Choi became tense as he saw the scene . ¡®Too many balls . Surely I don¡¯t need to pitch thousands of balls, do I? If so, there''ll be a problem with my elbow . I got injured before . ¡¯ As the setting up was done, Eric ask Gun Choi to pitch a ball . Gun Choi asked cautiously, as he saw lots of balls, ¡°How many do I need to pitch today?¡± Eric answered curtly, ¡°5 fastballs . ¡± There were hundreds of balls in the box . But Gun Choi only had 5 balls to pitch . ¡°What? Only 5?¡± Eric furrowed his brow and answered, ¡°It''s useless to pitch a lot, because your pitching form isn''t set up . ¡± He answered, and pointed at the mound . ¡°Go and pitch . ¡± Gun Choi nodded his head, and took the mound . 5 fastballs . No need to overwork . He just needed to pitch as calm as usual . Gun Choi pitched as he did during live pitching, without full power . The ball flew into the air and hit the . It was a fresh pitch . ¡®Not bad . It¡¯s better than live pitching with movement and velocity . ¡¯ The ball speed was 93 mph, but Eric¡¯s opinion wasn¡¯t good . ¡°Not good, not bad . ¡± Gun Choi pitched the 2nd ball with more power because of to Eric¡¯sment . ¡®Not good, not bad? He isn''t satisfied with my pitching, is he?¡¯ This time, the ball made a big wave on the webbing, and fell down . It was the best ball during Gun Choi¡¯s recent pitches . But Eric shook his head like he didn¡¯t need to see any more . ¡°Stop it . ¡± Gun Choi clicked his tongue inwardly . ¡®What do you want me to do? I¡¯m not a pitcher who can throw a ball at 98 mph like you . ¡¯ Eric was a closer who pitched fast balls at the speed of light . He often shocked people with a 99 mph ball . Gun Choi thought Eric wanted a faster fastball . Eric spoke, as he walked to the mound . ¡°I heard your position is at bullpen . ¡± Gun Choi nodded and said, ¡°Yes, for this year . ¡± Eric raised the end of the word like he heard an unpleasant story . ¡°This year?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be selected as a starting member next year . ¡± Eric snorted at Gun Choi''s words . ¡°You can¡¯t enter the Major leagues with that mindset . In the Major leagues, you can¡¯t survive if you don¡¯t do your best at any position . ¡± Gun Choi thought that he already knew that . But Eric asked him for more than that . He thought that Gun Choi needed to be a real bullpen pitcher . ¡°Listen . Your pitch is not for a bullpen pitcher . ¡± Eric pointed out that Gun Choi threw a ball with same form as when he was a starting pitcher . Gun Choi was in difficult situation . He''d thrown the ball with the same form for his whole life but his form needed to be changed . Eric talked as like he was on a high horse . ¡°Bullpen pitchers throw a ball for only one inning . In other words, you need to pitch with full power as you attack a hitter . ¡± Gun Choi¡¯s previous pitch was soft and smooth . The pitching itself was good . But Eric shook his head . ¡°Your pitching is for ying several innings . So you that''s how you arranged your physical ability . In other words, you showed me a pitch of a starting pitcher . Eric told Gun Choi that he needed to fix the problem with how he unconsciously arranged his physical ability . Bullpen pitchers didn¡¯t need to pitch for long innings . ¡®Am I saving my physical ability unconsciously? It became my habit due to being a starting pitcher over 10 years . If so, it should be fixed . ¡¯ Gun Choi asked to Eric . ¡°Do you mean I need to pitch little more explosively?¡± ¡°Not a little more . You should be an exploding ball . This is the ball of a bullpen ace . ¡± Eric pointed out that Gun Choi should change his pitch propensity prior to changing his form . Gun Choi agreed with that . He decided that he would be a perfect bullpen pitcher . Eric shouted to Gun Choi as he saw his expression . ¡°You will be born again as a bullpen pitcher in a month . Can you do that?¡± Gun Choi shouted in response to the Major leagues All Star . ¡°No problem!¡±
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