Chapter 16

Chapter 16. Championship Contractor (2)

Choi Seong

Pitcher Status Window

• Stamina: 90/200

• Fastball: 64/100

• Slider: 37/100

• Circle Changeup: 10/100

• Additional breaking ball can be equipped. It can be acquired after throwing more than 100 pitches with the same pitching motion.

• Injury Risk While Pitching: 14.9%

Batter Status Window

• Power: 50/100 (Limit Break possible after exceeding 100)

• Contact: 45/100 (Limit Break possible after exceeding 100)

• Speed: 13/100 (Limit Break possible after exceeding 100)

Potential (Activates when certain conditions are met in specific situations)

• Indomitable Will: Choi Seong from his previous life created miracles no matter the situation. Reduces emotional disturbance.

• Sweet Revenge: Activates when Choi Seong is hit by a pitch or intentionally walked during a game. Triggered when Choi Seong experiences strong emotional fluctuations. All stats increase by 20%.

• Championship Contractor: Activates when the team finished near the bottom of the standings in the previous season. One breaking ball of your choice can be used throughout the season without increasing injury risk.

It was giving me a new weapon...

Honestly, I had considered plenty of other pitches besides the circle changeup.

The reason I rejected them was simple.

Their injury risk was too high.

Originally, I had wanted to choose either a screwball or a forkball as my new pitch.

But both carried too much risk, so I had chosen the circle changeup instead since it was comparatively safer.

[Main Mission: Enter the Pros as the First Overall Pick.]

• Details: Choi Seong, who has been given a second chance, must prove that he is the greatest baseball prospect in South Korea.

• Reward: Potential [Super Rookie], Hidden Mission Unlocked

• Failure means death!

At this rate, there was no avoiding starting my career in the KBO.

But first overall?

That was basically telling me to join the Busan Oceans.

They wanted me to join those lousy Oceans?

A sigh escaped me for a moment, but it was fine.

Becoming the first overall pick wasn't impossible.

I just had to make an unforgettable impression not only during the weekend league, but also during the four major tournaments.

Still, I could faintly hear that beeping sound I had heard shortly before dying in my previous life.

That probably meant I still hadn't reached the necessary level.

While having a team dinner at a nearby all-you-can-eat beef restaurant, I once again resolved to work even harder.

There had been plenty of things I once thought were impossible.

In my previous life, I had entered the pros as the fifth overall pick.

This time, I simply had to pull that ranking much further forward.

Being selected near the top of the KBO Draft, which happened only once a year, didn't guarantee that a player would succeed.

However, it was still proof that the player had shown one of the most overwhelming performances throughout his three years of high school.

In only a few months, I had to surpass every player who had spent the past three years building their reputation.

After the first half of the weekend league ended, three cup tournaments were scheduled almost back-to-back.

The President's Cup, the Bonghwang Flag, and the Golden Lion Flag.

At least the games were played in a dome stadium during the middle of summer.

But even so, we had no choice but to sacrifice some matches.

That was because different cup tournaments sometimes overlapped on consecutive weekends.

Of course, there was no reason for me to lose.

But these cup tournaments weren't quite what I had in mind.

Every tournament included teams from across the entire country.

That meant reaching the championship required playing at least seven games.

There were even cases where matches were scheduled on consecutive days.

With our roster, the chances of surviving every tournament were simply too low.

“We need to focus on one objective.”

Teams capable of competing for championships had proper pitching rotations.

We only had me, Park Seoha, and a freshman who had just joined the team.

And pitching wasn't our only problem.

Outside of the starting lineup, we practically had no players capable of performing at a regular-starter level at any position.

“We are winning the President's Cup. Understood?”

Those were Coach Park Seonghyeon's words.

We weren't merely aiming to win the weekend league.

We intended to challenge the four biggest tournaments as well.

The only one remaining after these three would be the Blue Dragon Flag, held shortly before the draft.

The three high schools that won the previous three tournaments would participate, along with the first-half champions from each regional weekend league.

The previous year's champion would also join them in a single-elimination tournament.

There were fourteen regional champions from the first half of the weekend league.

If the same school qualified through multiple conditions, the second-place team from that region would advance based on its first-half record.

In other words, it was like a dream stage where everything was determined by the results you'd already earned.

“The draft picture is starting to become clear, but we still have to win! Everyone understand?”

“Yes, Coach!”

Everyone shouted loudly.

I had recorded 27 scoreless innings during the first half of the weekend league, and I continued showing nearly the same performance in the cup tournaments.

The only disappointing part was that I had gotten hit a few times.

Those mistakes happened while Yoon Jaejun and I experimented with different pitch combinations.

Of course, even with that, my record was only around three runs allowed in 49 innings.

If I were a professional, people would already be worshiping me.

Well...

They were practically worshiping me even now.

Either way, no pitcher could keep a clean sheet forever.

And since my batting average was .630, I figured I could be satisfied with that much.

The biggest problem was the faint ringing that continued in my ears.

It was incredibly quiet, but it hadn't disappeared.

Am I still not good enough to become the first overall pick?

Late summer arrived while countless thoughts crossed my mind.

My third year of high school.

From now on, every game would be broadcast nationwide.

After all, this was the biggest high-school baseball tournament in South Korea.

Winning had always been simple.

The winner took everything.

The loser was left with nothing.

We were matched against Cheonan Nam High, who had entered the tournament as the previous year's champion.

And the guy who had handed me my first earned run with a home run was on that team.

Naturally, reporters immediately crowded around me.

It was a winner-takes-all world.

Every team that had reached this stage was impressive.

But I was even more impressive.

Even now.

And from now on too.

“You're one of the key players who helped your team qualify for the main stage of the Blue Dragon Flag. How do you feel?”

“Nothing special.”

“Why is that?”

“Because we haven't won the championship yet.”

Several reporters hurriedly wrote down my answer.

There were about two months left until this year's draft.

Would they choose me?

Or would they choose that guy from Cheonan Nam High?

It was only natural for the media to be interested.

“Your first opponent is Cheonan Nam High. They have another player currently receiving just as much attention as you. Do you have any strategy for dealing with him?”

“I'm just going to throw the ball. Whether it ends in a strikeout, an out, or a home run will be decided by skill.”

Honestly, I didn't care whether Cheonan Nam High was one of the most prestigious baseball schools in the Chungcheong region or anything else.

What mattered was the Busan Oceans.

They might be last place in the professional league, but for the past few years, they had held the top draft position like it was their birthright.

And there was one player they desperately wanted.

Originally, they had intended to take him first overall without hesitation.

But because of my sudden appearance, articles kept saying that they were now conflicted.

All I had to do was make things perfectly clear during this game.

Who stood above whom.

“Several teams are hoping to select you with the first pick in the draft. Is there still no particular team you want to join?”

“I'll join the Busan Oceans as the first overall pick.”

It was a bombshell statement.

I had never said anything like that before.

The reporters immediately knew what their next question had to be.

“Could that statement be interpreted as a challenge toward Cheonan Nam High's Park Soran?”

“It's nothing as low-level as a provocation. That's simply what I think right now.”

“Then are you conscious of him? Do you consider him your rival?”

“At this point in time, I don't have any rivals.”

The reporters stared blankly at me.

They seemed genuinely shocked.

Were they surprised that I had said something so bold during the Blue Dragon Flag, the biggest high-school baseball tournament?

Or were they surprised because I had said it right before facing Park Soran?

Either way, I was simply myself.

And I thought it was finally time to be honest.

That faint mechanical ringing still hadn't disappeared from my ears.

“That's incredible...”

Some reporters even muttered in admiration.

Either way, after I announced my intentions, countless articles immediately flooded the internet.

• Choi Seong Drops Bombshell: “Park Soran? He's Not My Rival”

• ‘No-Hitter’ Choi Seong: “I Haven't Won the Blue Dragon Flag Yet... I'm Not Satisfied”

• Choi Seong: “I Want to Join the Oceans... I Want to Be the Main Character”

• Park Soran: “Choi Seong? I'm the First Overall Pick.”

• ‘Cycling Hit’ Park Soran: “My Current Batting Mechanics Are the Best Among All Prospects”

I smiled as I watched all kinds of articles appear.

So Park Soran had given an interview too.

Whatever.

A game against Cheonan Nam High?

I was confident we would win.

There was only one reason for that confidence.

I believed in myself.

And I believed in my teammates.

Kwon Geonwoo, Yoon Jaejun, and the rest of the players were currently in peak condition.

With the draft approaching, they had put everything on the line to catch the scouts' attention.

“Guys, we can win, right? Don't you want to become champions?”

“Yeah!”

Before I knew it, I had started encouraging the team like I was the captain.

It wasn't exactly something I had wanted.

But the guys kept expecting this sort of thing from me...

So there wasn't much I could do.

In my previous life, I had never even been a captain once.

“Then let's win.”

I gave each player some mental coaching.

Once they entered the professional league, I wanted them to grow into juniors who actually listened well.

I had no intention of creating the kind of atmosphere where seniors bullied younger players into submission.

Watching these guys shrink whenever they saw me made me resolve that all over again.

Although, to be fair, I was really only telling them one thing.

“If you guys lose today, you're training with me afterward. You all saw Kwon Geonwoo crying last time, right?”

“We'll win!”

Everyone let out one final shout before the game.

Even though this was only the Round of 20, an enormous crowd had come to watch us.

At a glance, there seemed to be more than a thousand people.

And they weren't just players' parents.

There wasn't just one broadcast truck either.

There were several.

Everyone's attention was focused on us.

“Let's win. If we lose, there's nothing after this. Let's give everything we've got for today.”

When I spoke calmly, everyone moved closer so they could hear me.

“Give it everything you have. For the team, and for your own futures. The Blue Dragon Flag is the tournament every scout pays the most attention to. Let's survive as long as possible and all make it to the pros together.”

It was still uncertain, but players who genuinely had the talent to reach the professional level were gradually starting to appear.

That was the result of all our continuous training.

Which meant we had to rise together.

I wasn't the only main character here.

Every one of my teammates was the protagonist of his own life.

“Yeah!”

At my words, everyone went around exchanging high-fives.

Top of the first inning.

The Round of 20 match of the Blue Dragon Flag against Cheonan Nam High began.

I calmly stepped onto the mound.

The cheers of countless spectators filled the stadium.

The first half of the weekend league?

The other three major tournaments?

None of that mattered.

In this game alone, I would leave an unforgettable impression on every scout watching.

I would show them that I was the best.

And I would make one thing perfectly clear to the Oceans.

Who I was.

What kind of pitcher I had lived as.

And sometimes—

what kind of batter I could be.

“Play ball!”

The game began.

Park Soran stepped into the leadoff spot and glared directly at me.

This team had spent years at the bottom.

A team that had almost forgotten what winning felt like.

These underdogs.

I would plant championship DNA into them.

And together—

we would keep moving forward.