The Gates Opened on the First Day of Debut - Chapter 62

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Gate Burst Open on My Debut Day (62)
“Can I come to love this work?”
But Kang Hae-soo didn’t seem to find me particularly convincing.
“…To be honest, I don’t think I’ll even be able to debut.”
Right now I’m fumbling around with sub-quests instead of the main quest.
Kang Hae-soo added in a very small voice.
“Ha…”
I let out a light scoff and flicked Kang Hae-soo’s forehead with my index finger.
“You’re misunderstanding something.”
“Ugh…!”
Kang Hae-soo clutched his throbbing forehead and stared at me blankly.
“A sub-quest is just a sub-quest.”
Even if you don’t perform well in a sub-quest, it doesn’t affect your debut at all.
Look at Han Theo.
He botched the PR video, which was his first sub-quest, yet he’s still maintaining first place.
“And you don’t need to worry.”
I smiled like a villain as I looked at Kang Hae-soo’s swollen red forehead.
“We’re going to win this game.”
I stood up, leaving the bewildered Kang Hae-soo behind.
The match against Baseball D Team was right around the corner.
Glancing around the Small Sports Field, I spotted Jo Min-jae doing warm-up exercises and sneaking glances in my direction.
‘Whether you win or I win.’
Let’s have a proper showdown.
As our eyes met, I waved lightly at Jo Min-jae and thought to myself.
‘First, I’ll use an item.’
I pulled out a small pill from my pocket.
A blue pill the size of my index fingernail.
Without hesitation, I popped the pill into my mouth and swallowed it dry.
* * *
Kang Hae-soo, dressed in catcher’s gear, sat down while suppressing a sigh.
On the mound stood Kim Chowol, calmly handling the ball with a composed expression.
In the second game, Baseball D Team batted first and Baseball B Team batted second.
The umpire behind Kang Hae-soo called out loudly for everyone to hear.
“Play ball!”
A trainee from Baseball D Team walked up to the batter’s box.
At the familiar face, Kang Hae-soo unconsciously furrowed his brow.
‘Jo Min-jae…’
Jo Min-jae stepped into the batter’s box with a relaxed expression, swinging his bat.
His stance was clearly different from the other amateur-level trainees from the start.
Whether it was the first game or the second, the batting order always had the best player take the first spot.
In a normal game, I would have arranged the batting order considering the lead-off, cleanup hitters, and the flow of the match.
But at an amateur level that doesn’t even reach the standard of adult recreational baseball, the orthodox approach is to place the skilled players at the front of the order so they get more at-bats.
“Your team’s pitcher throws pretty well, doesn’t he?”
Jo Min-jae spoke to Kang Hae-soo while looking toward Kim Chowol.
Kim Chowol was still fidgeting with the ball.
“His breaking balls are quite usable. Did he learn baseball as a hobby?”
Kang Hae-soo’s eyes narrowed slightly.
At first glance, it seemed like he was provoking Kang Hae-soo, but….
‘He’s nervous.’
The skill Kim Chowol displayed in the first game was too exceptional to call a beginner, yet something about it seemed amateurish for someone who had learned baseball.
‘It looks like he’s thinking of Chowol as a beginner….’
The way he was subtly probing suggested he wasn’t one hundred percent certain.
“Kim Chowol is a complete beginner who held a baseball for the first time today.”
“Really…?”
Kang Hae-soo answered honestly.
Jo Min-jae tilted his head with an uncertain expression.
He seemed to be judging whether Kang Hae-soo’s words were truth or lies.
‘There’s no point in telling a lie that’ll be exposed so quickly anyway.’
Even a rotten fish is still a fish—Jo Min-jae had seen countless balls thrown by people who seriously prepared for baseball.
Once he properly saw Kim Chowol’s pitches from the batter’s box, he would quickly realize that Kim Chowol was indeed a beginner.
‘Kim Chowol said he’d strike me out, but… it’ll probably be impossible.’
Kim Chowol’s breaking balls were decent enough, but he couldn’t throw a fastball.
Well, he could throw it, but… the velocity, which is most critical for a fastball, was pathetic.
Without a proper fastball, the range of applications for breaking balls shrinks dramatically.
Thank goodness his control was decent; otherwise, he would have given me an endless supply of walks.
‘For the first pitch… should I go with a curveball? Even if it’s a ball, that’s fine—just drop it hard. If he swings, great; if not, no problem.’
Still, he had some pride, so the probability of him swinging was high.
Kang Hae-soo gave Kim Chowol a sign that Jo Min-jae couldn’t see.
Kim Chowol, narrowing his eyes as he watched the sign, slowly shook his head.
‘Huh?’
Kang Hae-soo was flustered at having his sign rejected.
Kim Chowol had never refused one of Kang Hae-soo’s signs before.
‘Well… maybe he wants to throw a different pitch.’
Kang Hae-soo quickly accepted this and gave a sign for a different breaking ball.
But the next sign, and the one after that—Kim Chowol kept shaking his head.
‘What does he want to throw?’
As Kang Hae-soo’s bewilderment became obvious, Jo Min-jae let out a scoff and mocked him.
“You’re trying too hard. Just have him throw anything. I’ll even give you a free swing on the first pitch.”
But unfortunately, Jo Min-jae’s provocation didn’t reach Kang Hae-soo.
Understanding what Kim Chowol was thinking was far more important than listening to Jo Min-jae chatter away beside him.
Kim Chowol shook his head at every breaking ball sign Kang Hae-soo sent.
Only one sign remained… a fastball.
‘Surely not….’
Kang Hae-soo sent the fastball sign with half doubt, half hope.
Only then did Kim Chowol nod, straighten his bent waist, and prepare to pitch.
‘But he’ll definitely hit it.’
The average fastball velocity for an untrained ordinary person was 70~80km/h.
Kim Chowol’s velocity was roughly 80~90km/h—better than an untrained person, but falling short of the 100~110km/h standard in amateur baseball.
Naturally, for Jo Min-jae, who had played baseball until middle school, it would be nothing more than a batting machine—nothing less, nothing more.
‘But I can’t back out now.’
Kim Chowol entered his pitching motion.
Balancing on his right leg, he lifted his left leg in a wind-up.
He pulled his hand back from inside his glove and drove his lifted left leg forward with force.
He swung his arm forward and released the ball….
‘Huh?’
From the moment Kim Chowol entered his pitching motion until the ball flew toward Jo Min-jae and Kang Hae-soo.
A very brief instant.
Kang Hae-soo’s instincts tingled, warning him of something.
‘Wake up! Focus!’
Kang Hae-soo’s pupils tracked the ball veering sharply to the right.
‘It’s fast.’
Much faster than I expected.
Kang Hae-soo exploded from his position with extraordinary athleticism.
He stretched his arm to the right and barely caught the ball.
―Crack! Whoosh!
A sound erupted from Kang Hae-soo’s glove—one he’d never heard in the first game.
And a moment too late, Jo Min-jae’s bat sliced through empty air.
“Uh… S, strike!”
The staff member umpiring from behind shouted with a bewildered expression.
Kang Hae-soo wore the same expression, alternating his gaze between the ball in his glove and Kim Chowol.
“This….”
What on earth was happening?
* * *
As expected, focusing on velocity ruins my control.
I exhaled deeply and brushed my hand lightly.
‘Still, that pitch I just threw… it felt good. I must’ve hit around 120km/h, right?’
I flashed a grin at Kang Hae-soo and Jo Min-jae, who were staring at me with bewildered expressions.
“Nice ball!”
Kang Hae-soo, finally collecting himself, sat back down.
The reason I, who had been throwing balls at merely 80~90km/h, could suddenly throw at 120km/h was obviously….
‘It’s all thanks to the item.’
A C-rank item I drew with a B-rank item draw ticket.
[Strength Pill
Grade: C-
Description: Doubles the consumer’s strength for approximately 2 hours.
*Provided in pill form and can be used on others.]
At first, I couldn’t believe such a useless item even existed.
It could only be used once, and the duration was a mere two hours.
And it doubled strength—something utterly worthless for the Idol Industry.
‘But right now, it’s exactly what I need.’
Even junk items have their uses sometimes.
And that time is now.
“Strike, you’re out!”
Jo Min-jae stepped away from the batter’s box after his third swing and miss.
From the second pitch onward, I faced him with slower breaking balls.
But hitting a 100 km/h breaking ball after seeing a 120 km/h fastball?
That was impossible unless you had insane talent like Kang Hae-soo’s.
As expected, Jo Min-jae never found his timing, and his bat kept whistling uselessly through the air.
“This… this can’t be real…”
Jo Min-jae muttered in a daze, unable to accept reality.
Kang Hae-soo stared at his glove and the ball with the same disbelief, unable to process what was happening.
“Next batter!”
I shouted loudly toward Kang Hae-soo, and he slowly lifted his head.
His pupils were trembling violently.
I waved my index finger at Kang Hae-soo and called out again.
“One out! Next batter!”
Get your head in the game. It’s still just one out.
Kang Hae-soo finally snapped to attention and gave me a sign.
The results for the second and third batters were…
“Strike, you’re out!”
“Strike, you’re out! Sides switch!”
Phew…
Honestly, once I got Jo Min-jae out, the rest was easy.
I watched the batter trudge back into the dugout with his head down, barely suppressing a grin.
Finally, our turn to bat.
“Kang Hae-soo, let’s go!”
Kang Hae-soo, our team’s first batter, stepped up to the plate.
The starting pitcher from Baseball D Team looked somewhat nervous.
He knew that in the first game, Kang Hae-soo alone had scored 3 runs with a home run.
‘I thought he’d intentionally walk him.’
It seems he’s determined to have a proper match after all.
Well, it’s an amateur game, not professional, so intentional walks would look a bit unsightly.
‘But… knowing when to compete and when not to is also a skill.’
The pitcher threw the ball.
Kang Hae-soo drove the incoming pitch with a clean, economical swing at a moderate speed.
―Crack!
Yes, it’s flying beautifully as expected.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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