The Greatest Catcher in History
Episode 2
2. Baseball Manager
1.
[Initiating Baseball Manager.]
[Synchronization in progress. 0%.. 23%.. 50%. 76%.. 100%. Synchronization complete. Welcome to Baseball Manager.]
At the hologram that suddenly appeared before his eyes and the woman's voice echoing from the air, Gim Jihun's body staggered backward.
"What the hell."
[Hello. I am Baseball Manager 'Jini.' Before starting Baseball Manager, I will check your current physical condition.]
While Gim Jihun stood rubbing both his eyes to figure out what on earth was happening, another sound reached him. Not only that, a blue will-o'-the-wisp whose origin was unknown swept over his body once. As the blue spectral flame touched his body, a cold sensation rose and goosebumps covered his entire body.
"What is this?"
—Ding!
[Gim Jihun, 28 years old, 187 cm, 85 kg, Throws Right, Bats Right, Catcher]
[Defensive Abilities]
[Blocking : D] [Framing : C] [Caught Stealing : D]
[Offensive Abilities]
[Contact : D] [Power : C] [Eye : C]
[Baserunning Abilities]
[Speed : E] [Stealing : D] [Baserunning : D]
[Strategy Abilities]
[Bunt : B]
— Overall ability evaluation in progress.. Beep. Grade D.
A report that looked like it had recorded the club's cold evaluation exactly as it was unfolded before Gim Jihun's eyes. The word Grade D made him feel bad, but right now he didn't seem to have the mind to worry about that; his attention was elsewhere. First, after the blue energy left his body, he touched himself here and there, waved his arms around to check for pain, and after confirming that he was intact, his voice rose again.
"What is this? No, am I the weird one? Yeah.. I'm the weird one.. Was the shock of being released too much?"
[I am Baseball Manager 'Jini.' I cannot grasp the meaning of the word 'weird' that you just used, but judging as Baseball Manager, player Gim Jihun's current physical condition is normal. And in your current state, as a professional baseball player, you possess no value whatsoever, so the release was an appropriate measure.]
He wondered if traces of the concussion still remained even though he thought he had finished rehabilitation..
"Should I go to the hospital?"
Gim Jihun, denying reality, blinked his eyes several times and rubbed them hard with both hands, but the hologram still didn't disappear. Instead, as if she had more to say, Jini's voice rang ceaselessly in Gim Jihun's ears.
[The scan results found no injuries severe enough to warrant a hospital visit. However, 'Jini' agrees that your physical condition is not good. I recommend raising your physical condition through Daily Quests.]
"Daily Quests?"
It was a question thrown out because he wanted to know what on earth she was talking about, but as if his intent didn't matter, the moment the words ended, another hologram unfolded.
[You have selected Daily Quests.]
[Daily Quest]
[Know Yourself and Your Enemy, and You Will Win Every Battle : A true baseball player must always keep his body and mind in order and maintain his condition to always be ready to play in games. As it is the off-season, I recommend maintaining only the minimum amount of exercise.]
[Conditions : Running 5 km, 500 Swings]
[Reward : 100 Gold]
[Daily Quest begins. The time limit is 24 hours from now. Good luck.]
"Ha.. What is this."
The hologram disappeared into the air along with the words wishing him luck.
No more sounds could be heard either.
Gim Jihun stared blankly at the clear sky with nothing in it and eventually couldn't hold back and blurted out a word.
"What the hell, seriously?"
2.
"Four hundred ninety-one.. Hah.. Four hundred ninety-two."
Even thinking to himself, it was something that didn't make sense, but he couldn't just ignore and move on because what he saw with his eyes was too vivid and the voice he heard was too real.
Today, he had planned to drink heavily and soothe the pain of being released, but he couldn't quite abandon the 'what if' hope blooming in his chest. The moment he arrived home, Gim Jihun headed to the nearby high school field with one bat. Having filled 5 km of running by running around the school field for 30 minutes, sweat beaded on his forehead and his white T-shirt was already soaked. Perhaps because he had rested for over two weeks since the season ended, just 5 km of running and 500 swings made his breath rise to the tip of his chin. After the 400th swing, he looked like he was swinging his bat more out of spite than training.
"Four hundred ninety-nine.. Hoo."
With one last swing remaining, Gim Jihun took a deep breath, corrected his stance again, and unleashed a full swing into the air.
"Five hundred!"
After finishing his swing, Gim Jihun panted, his eyes filled with an expectant anticipation. If there was a god of baseball, if what he saw earlier was reality, it could become a lifeline to escape this hopeless situation. He had endured 500 swings on that deluded hope alone.
"…"
But as if thoroughly betraying that expectation, nothing could be seen or heard. Wondering if there was some special command, he shouted out keywords as they came to mind.
"Baseball Manager!"
Was this not it?
"Daily Quest!"
He shouted, swallowing his embarrassment at the thought of 'what if,' but only the hollow sound of the wind brushed past Gim Jihun's ears. Neither hologram nor sounds could be heard.
"There are all kinds of crazy bastards in the world."
"They can hear you. Speak a little softer."
At the meddling of an ajusshi circling the school field, Gim Jihun's face flushed red.
"Ah, shit."
As the great anticipation transformed into great betrayal, he hurled curses worse than when he had been released and threw the bat he held to the ground.
"Baseball Manager? Bullshit, and what the hell is Jini. Ha.. What the hell did I just do."
At the same time, the voice he had so desperately wanted to hear echoed from the air.
[Did you call for me?]
So the answer was Jini.
He didn't know if it was a lifeline from heaven or what, but not wanting to miss it, Gim Jihun caught his panting breath and threw out several questions that came to mind.
"Jini? You only come out if I say that?"
[Yes, if you call for me, Baseball Manager will begin.]
The vivid voice in his ears proved that what happened earlier was not a dream. He couldn't see the hologram, but it was definitely the same voice he heard before.
"Th.. then about that Daily Quest you mentioned earlier.. I fulfilled the conditions, but nothing came out. What happened?"
After a brief pause, as if having finished her analysis, Jini displayed a hologram and answered the question.
[Player Gim Jihun has not yet fulfilled the conditions of the Daily Quest. Current progress: 5 km running complete. Swings: 476; 24 more swings remain. Swings must always be in the same form to produce results, so swings with broken form were excluded from the count.]
"W.. wait a minute."
Gim Jihun picked up the bat he had discarded on the ground, carefully fixed his batting form, and began to swing. Since he could see the numbers on the hologram rising each time he swung, the bat spun faster and more powerfully than before.
"Four hundred ninety-nine, five hundred.. Is it done now?"
He had been expecting Jini's voice, but her voice was not heard. Instead of her voice, as the number 500 filled on the hologram, a window announcing quest completion appeared, rewarding the sweat he had shed for several hours.
[Daily Quest Complete]
[You have completed Know Yourself and Your Enemy, and You Will Win Every Battle. 100 Gold is given as a reward. Time remaining until the next Daily Quest: 14 hours 23 minutes.]
[Reward : 100 Gold Payment Complete]
"Di.. did it work?"
The letters '100 Gold' were clearly visible at the edge of the hologram. He didn't quite understand what was what, but for now, Jini's congratulatory words also followed.
[Congratulations on completing the Daily Quest. The 100 Gold received as a reward can be used to purchase items at the Baseball Shop. Would you like to open the Baseball Shop?]
"Shop?"
This too was a question, but as if she still didn't care about such things, just as he was about to ask what the shop was, the hologram changed shape and the shop Jini mentioned opened.
[Baseball Shop] [Owned Gold : 100 Gold]
Beginner's Brown Random Box - 1,000 Gold
Skilled's Green Random Box - 5,000 Gold
Master's Red Random Box - 10,000 Gold
Grandmaster's Transparent Random Box - 50,000 Gold
Artisan's Golden Random Box - 100,000 Gold
Gim Jihun stopped what he was going to ask Jini and began to examine the hologram before his eyes carefully. Though he hadn't heard an explanation, the hologram before him looked roughly like a shop.
Slowly taking ample time, he examined the shop thoroughly. As he compared his owned gold with the prices of the boxes while looking at the hologram, Gim Jihun's expression changed subtly.
"Jini, are you listening?"
[Yes, please speak.]
Perhaps now somewhat accustomed, Gim Jihun's voice was much calmer than before.
"Isn't this too expensive? Is there no other way to get gold?"
A penny saved is still just a penny. It was a truth that Gim Jihun, who had received the league minimum salary for the past 8 years, had also experienced.
To get the golden random box, he would have to do quests without rest for at least 3 years, and by then he'd be at an age where he'd have to worry about retirement. The other boxes were also too expensive compared to the rewards. He had thought a lifeline had descended from heaven, but as expected, it seemed difficult to climb up with just one rope. His voice sank low, perhaps thinking it was harder than expected.
[Of course there is. In Baseball Manager, there are a total of three ways to receive rewards: Daily Quests, Game Quests, and Achievement Quests.]
"Game Quests.. Achievement Quests..?"
Gim Jihun chewed over Jini's words and nodded as if he could guess what they meant just from the names.
[Do you need a more detailed explanation? Game Quests are literally quests that begin when you play in a game, and rewards are paid when certain conditions are met. Achievement Quests provide rewards when you achieve accomplishments worth being proud of as a baseball player.]
"I get it.. so basically, I have to play in games. Uh, by any chance.."
[For your reference, Game Quests and Achievement Quests are only recognized for professional games, so please keep this in mind.]
He had wanted to ask if he could coast by playing in adult amateur baseball games or independent league games, but as expected, that didn't seem possible. But pro games..
Only one answer came to mind immediately. Tryout.