The Genius Hitter Who Conquered America - Chapter 24

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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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Chapter 24
Alex stripped off his jacket and tossed it carelessly onto the dirt ground.
Then he rolled up his shirt sleeves and approached Soo-ho.
“Stop. That’s enough.”
Soo-ho’s movements halted, as if a machine had been switched off mid-swing.
He stood drenched in sweat, regarding Alex with a puzzled expression.
“From now on, forget about thinking. You just follow my instructions.”
Alex positioned himself behind Soo-ho and forcibly adjusted his stance.
“Your stance is too wide. It’s stable, but it locks up your hips. Narrow it.”
As Soo-ho shifted his feet, Alex’s hand pressed against his pelvis.
“And don’t swing with your arms. That’s not your engine. This is.”
Alex tapped Soo-ho’s abdomen and back with the edge of his hand.
“Now, again. This time, don’t think about swinging an axe. Just think about driving my hand forward with your hips. Go!”
As Soo-ho hesitantly applied force, Alex suddenly barked at him.
“No! Relax your arms! Idiot, drive with your hips!”
Soo-ho clenched his teeth and, releasing the tension in his arms, pushed Alex’s hand away using only the rotational power of his core and hips.
Following that rotation, the axe flew toward the log as if being dragged along.
Crack!
A clear, resonant sound unlike any of his swings today.
Soo-ho’s eyes widened.
Despite barely using his arms, the axe had embedded itself far deeper than before.
Alex clicked his tongue with satisfaction.
‘Exactly. This guy’s raw power is insane. I need to channel it, not suppress it.’
He immediately dismantled the sensation Soo-ho had barely grasped.
“Forget it. Forget what you just did. Next.”
“What? Why?”
Alex ignored Soo-ho’s question.
“This time, raise the axe completely overhead. Then draw your entire back like a bowstring and drive it down into the log.”
Soo-ho was confused, but he obediently followed Alex’s instructions.
He brought the axe down as his entire back stretched taut.
Crash!
This time the sound was duller than before, but it carried a weighty, forceful resonance.
It was as if the log itself were screaming.
“Wow….”
An exclamation burst from Soo-ho’s lips.
With just a few pieces of advice, the results of his swing were transforming in real time.
But it was Alex who was truly astonished.
‘Insane… what kind of talent is this?’
It wasn’t merely that he absorbed instruction like a sponge.
‘That second swing just now—most Major League players would snap their spines attempting that movement without thoracic mobility and latissimus dorsi flexibility to support it.’
Alex had spent decades analyzing thousands of bodies.
Ninety-nine percent of athletes had obvious limitations.
Some possessed raw strength but were rigid, their rotation compromised.
Others were flexible but lacked the core power to generate force.
So his job had always been to find a mechanism—a compromise within those constraints that worked.
But this one was different.
‘Five hours of axe-swinging endurance. Innate, natural strength. And now—the flexibility to execute any movement….’
Alex swallowed hard.
Soo-ho’s body was not a body with limits.
It was a perfect vessel capable of holding anything.
‘Could it be? Could this kid actually master the full-body rotational mechanism that even Major League MVP-caliber players struggle to fully digest?’
What had begun as simple instruction had transformed into inquiry.
Alex’s eyes gleamed with intensity.
In truth, what he was about to teach Soo-ho belonged to the realm of creation.
Like a scientist who had finally encountered the perfect subject to realize his theory at one hundred percent, Alex’s heart began to race.
“Hey. You’ve got a game to play. Let’s do one last thing and call it done.”
“Oh! Right.”
Soo-ho was a minor leaguer now.
A professional player who had to compete.
Lost in training, I had forgotten the most crucial fact.
Alex no longer placed his hands on Soo-ho’s body.
Instead, he began explaining immediately.
No—describing.
“From now on, abandon thought. Your body is simply a massive rubber band.”
….
“Plant your feet into the ground. Then twist your waist. All the way. Until it’s about to snap.”
Alex’s voice rang out one final time.
“And then just let it go.”
Soo-ho closed his eyes.
The sensation of five hours of frenzied axe-swinging.
And the revelation Alex had just forced into him.
All of it merged into one within my mind.
Soo-ho opened his eyes again.
And following Alex’s instruction, I swung the axe.
Starting from the soles of my feet pushing into the earth.
Power flowing explosively through rotating hips.
Passing through a spine that bent like a bow.
Finally erupting through arms that snapped like a whip.
It was one seamless flow, utterly natural.
And the result.
CRACK—–!
Incomparable to anything before.
A deafening boom—as if a bomb had detonated—echoed through the entire forest.
I had swung the axe only once at the new tree.
Yet the core was pulverized beyond recognition, as though a colossal beast had torn into it.
I stood frozen, axe in hand, breathing heavily.
I couldn’t believe what had just happened.
“What… what is this…?”
But Alex didn’t give me time to process my shock.
“We gotta go!”
“Yes! Yes!”
I wiped my face with my sweat-soaked shirt and hesitated as I reached for Alex’s car.
“Um…”
“Just get in. I’ll get it washed.”
* * *
Inside the car on the way back.
Alex broke the silence.
“How was it?”
How was it?
It was simply the best.
I’d never experienced such a refreshing swing in my entire life.
‘There are dozens of mechanisms alone.’
But until now, everything felt unnatural somehow—like wearing clothes that didn’t fit my body.
Yet that mechanism Alex taught me at the end was on a different level entirely.
Alex raised one eyebrow with satisfaction.
“You’ve studied mechanisms a lot, haven’t you? I could tell when you were swinging the axe earlier.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“But that last one was your first time, right?”
I nodded.
I had studied mechanisms extensively.
So much so that I prided myself on knowing every mechanism in existence.
But that last one—I had no knowledge of it whatsoever.
For some reason, it wasn’t in my data.
But it made sense.
Currently in the Major League, the players credited with implementing such a hitting mechanism are Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout.
And they were among the greatest players the Major League had to offer.
That was why.
Not just anyone could replicate it.
So no one had ever thought to teach it.
“But here’s the thing. How could you be such a mess when you knew so many different mechanisms?”
I offered a bitter smile.
“It seems I lacked opportunity.”
Alex stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“Impressive. You can diagnose yourself properly. You’re right. If you’d been given consistent opportunities, you might have become an even better player than you are now.”
Alex didn’t know my past.
But even so, he could tell well enough that I hadn’t been given proper chances.
It was a tragedy that occurred not just in Korea, but commonly in the United States as well.
A famous example was the Yankees.
The Yankees pitching coaches, in pursuit of results,
forced pitchers who weren’t suited for sliders to throw them, ruining the arms of several players.
Though the circumstances differed, the fundamental truth remained the same: there was no luxury of investing years in individual players’ potential development.
If even America operated this way, what could one expect from Korea?
With such a shallow talent pool, not even receiving opportunities had become the norm.
“It’s fine.”
“What?”
“I’m grateful that I found what suits me, even if it’s now.”
Huh….
Alex barely managed to swallow the hollow laugh threatening to escape.
What kind of mental fortitude was this?
If judged purely on mentality,
he would far surpass current Major Leaguers.
Alex hadn’t reviewed my scouting report.
Therefore, he didn’t know that I had received a perfect score in mental strength.
It simply wasn’t something he concerned himself with.
‘This guy. He’ll succeed faster than expected.’
Soo-ho would undoubtedly produce outstanding results starting immediately.
After all, he had found the mechanism that suited him.
‘Baseball is called a mental sport, after all.’
Possessing superior mental strength compared to current Major Leaguers.
Now Soo-ho had acquired both batting skill and mental fortitude simultaneously.
Therefore, before long, this small stage called Low-A would prove insufficient to contain him.
‘Of course, that doesn’t mean he’s complete yet. There’s still plenty of room for growth ahead.’
After all, the foundation had only just been laid on barren ground.
Still, the foundation was always the most crucial element in anything.
‘And this is the most critical period.’
Players who became overconfident from small successes,
lost their way and collapsed—such types were abundant in this field.
Of course, judging by his character, Soo-ho wasn’t the type commonly seen in America.
‘Still, since I came to help, I can’t let such tremendous potential wither before my eyes.’
Alex decided to offer me some guidance.
“You still have a long way to go. There’s still a thousand miles to cover before you reach the summit of the Major League.”
His voice remained arrogant, laced with a sharp warning.
“Enjoy that thrill you just felt—but only until you get out of the car. The moment you step out, forget it all. This industry is littered with geniuses who lost themselves to that intoxication and abandoned their efforts. Your batting form is still a mess. Your stance, your weight transfer, the angle of your wrists at impact—there’s a mountain of things to correct.”
It was a fair assessment.
Now that the foundation was set, I had to completely discard the old and build an entirely new framework.
Soo-ho immediately bowed his head at Alex’s counsel.
There was no trace of dissatisfaction or resentment on his face.
Only the earnest gravity of a disciple absorbing a master’s teachings.
“Yes. Thank you. I’ll remember every word. What I felt today is only the beginning—I’ll never forget that.”
At that response, Alex couldn’t help but let out a short laugh.
‘This guy is the real deal.’
He’d been impressed by the frenzied determination Soo-ho showed while chopping wood.
But what truly moved Alex was the sight before him now.
Talented yet humble, not arrogant—someone who knew how to listen to advice.
And above all, someone with the cold clarity to understand his own position.
A prospect with such character was a rare breed in the United States.
If he ever became a star someday.
‘No, there’s no need for that.’
Alex shook his head inwardly.
‘A guy like this will be loved anywhere, anytime.’
* * *
Soo-ho and Alex headed straight to Director Taylor’s office.
The moment they entered, Taylor, who had his nose buried in documents, immediately furrowed his brow.
His gaze passed over Alex and fixed on Soo-ho standing behind him.
Soo-ho’s appearance was a sight to behold.
His entire body was caked with sweat and dirt, and his training clothes were marked with scratches as if he’d been clawed by branches.
His face was etched with extreme exhaustion, yet strangely, his eyes shone with a brilliance incomparable to before.
He looked like an ascetic who had returned from deep in the mountains with some profound revelation.
Taylor opened his mouth in utter disbelief.
“…What in the world have you been doing?”
He’d sent him to learn mechanics.
Instead, a wild animal that looked like it had been rolling around in the mountains stood before him.
Alex simply shrugged and replied as if it were someone else’s concern.
“Don’t tell me you don’t trust me now?”
“Well, that’s not exactly it….”
“Then what’s the problem?”
What’s the problem?
Taylor barely swallowed the words threatening to burst out.
The very sight before his eyes was the problem.
But he held his tongue.
Alex Rivera.
In this field, questioning his methodology was utterly meaningless.
So Taylor changed his approach.
“Can this kid play today?”
“I don’t know. Why are you asking me?”
As Alex gestured toward Soo-ho with a tilt of his chin, Taylor’s gaze shifted back to him.
“Can you play today?”
Soo-ho nodded briefly.
“Yes. I can play.”
“Good. But you can’t take the field looking like that. Go wash up and change into your uniform.”
Soo-ho bowed respectfully and left the office.
As the door closed, Taylor got down to business.
He had no interest in the process.
“So? Think he can deliver results? As you know, we’re in a pretty fierce playoff race right now.”
“Who knows. Baseball is a sport that defies prediction, after all.”
“That’s true.”
“But this much I’m certain of.”
A wry smile played at the corner of Alex’s mouth.
“He won’t be the same player you saw in the footage.”
Taylor’s eyes widened.
“What? He’s already installed the mechanism? In just one day?”
“Honestly, even I find it absurd. I’ve never seen anyone pick things up this fast. If I had to guess, he played baseball before, so he wasn’t starting from nothing. Plus, he already understands the principles. It seems he studied extensively to master the mechanism.”
Alex paused, then leaned back deeply into his chair.
His eyes gleamed with amusement.
“Anyway, you need that kid right now, don’t you? If I’d said no, would you really have sent him out looking like that? Would you have held him back?”
“Well, that’s not… exactly…”
Soo-ho’s bunt yesterday still lingered in Taylor’s mind—a play that had energized the entire team.
The Major League thrives on superstars.
Superstars were players who could shift the momentum of a game in an instant.
Soo-ho clearly possessed that potential.
And so.
Even they couldn’t help but wonder just how much he’d grown in a single day.

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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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