Coach Hanada stared at Ken like he was some sort of freak, which wasn't far from the truth. He had heard that athletes could sometimes improve their performance by taking well-timed rest periods, but a year was too exaggerated.
Of course he was over the moon about securing such a player, however there was one thing that wasn't sitting right with him.
"Ken, why didn't you apply for any prestigious baseball schools? Surely with your talent you could have easily made a team."
Although he was a little hesitant at first, the coach decided to ask the question in order to clear up some doubts. Since they would be together for the next 3 years, he wanted everything out in the open.
Ken saw the hesitation in the coach's eyes, but softly smiled once he was asked. He was happy to know that Coach Hanada was still the forthright and honest coach that he knew in his previous life.
Therefore in order to be transparent, he told the truth.
"I entered the tryouts for Osaka Toin and was even offered a scholarship."
These words caused the coach to look even more confused. But before he could ask why he didn't accept, Ken continued.
"However, the scholarship was only valid if I gave up pitching and played at 1st base."
"HUH!?"
For the second time in a matter of moments, the coach's jaw had dropped in shock.
"Just what kind of idiot would turn down a pitcher who can throw at 147km/h!? And for what? To isolate him on 1st base where he can't use his arm? Foolish!"
'147km/h? What?'
Now it was Ken's turn to be shocked. Since when had he been throwing so fast?
Even in image training he could only pitch at maximum 130km/h so what had changed?
'Is it possible that the image training is limited by my own assumption of my abilities?'
Ken was deep in thought, not even noticing that the coach was staring at him as if he was expecting an answer.
"Huh? Sorry?"
"I find it hard to believe that Osaka Toin, one of the best baseball High Schools would tell you to stop pitching. Unless they were blind of course. Could you tell me more of what happened?"
"Ah, since my shoulder was still injured a couple of months ago I was pitching with my left arm. It lacked a bit of power compared to my right." Ken said nonchalantly.
Since he had already moved on from the whole ordeal, it wasn't painful bringing it up any longer. This was especially the case now that he knew how much he had improved since his shoulder had healed.
Coach Hanada paused for a moment, before gripping his heart.
'Oh man, I need to stop talking to this guy. If I get any more shocks I might end up having a heart attack.'
After a while the coach let out a sigh, feeling the energy leave his body.
"Okay okay, head back to the bench. You can throw with Yuta at tomorrow's practice."
With that, the coach returned to his spot in the dugout and told the umpire to continue the game. His eyes moved over to the first team's bench and paused his gaze on Akira who still had his head in his hands.
'Mmm, it seems that Akira is feeling threatened. Good.'
The coach was not stupid, he knew exactly how Akira acted to others in the team. However, since he generally behaved and sucked up to him whenever he was around, the coach did not have a good reason to reign him in.
They were also in the position of needing his skills since they lacked any better pitchers. However, with the addition of the first year monster Ken, he now had another option, significantly reducing the value of Akira.
Ken made his way over to the bench and opened up the system out of habit, only to see something flashing at him.
[NEW NOTIFICATION]
#HIDDEN MISSION: Show your resolve (limit time mission: 48hrs) [Completed]
*Task: Incorporate your image training into physical training within a limited time frame, showing your resolve to be the best.
REWARDS:
>Unlock Skill: Doryoku (Effort)
>Unlock Mission: Ascend to the Peak
'Huh!?'
Ken stared at the screen for a few moments in disbelief. He had somehow uncovered a hidden mission within the system, just by merely pitching a few times.
Of course he had worked to his limits the night before in the image training which likely was a prerequisite for such a thing in the first place. However, it still felt as if a pie dropped from the sky right into his lap.
'Just what are these rewards?'
Ken opened up his skill window with curiosity.
Doryoku: You are rewarded based on the effort you put in. Increases training benefits up to 20% when giving it your all.
'Holy crap! What is this skill?'
With the addition of this new skill, he would be able to get a huge advantage when compared to his peers just by working harder. Since he already had the Disciplinarian skill, he could potentially improve 40% faster than everyone else.
'Hold on. I had to stop pitching for a whole year in order to get the Disciplinarian skill, so how did I get something so overpowered after only 1 day?'
What he didn't know was that healing his shoulder was actually the biggest gain from the year long quest. Even if he had gone to physiotherapy or gotten surgery for the injury, it would have never been the same.
Not to mention the painful and long physical therapy associated with recovering from such an injury. The system had essentially saved his professional career without Ken fully understanding.
Ignorant of the full impact the system had on his life, Ken turned his attention to the missions tab.
#MISSION: Ascend to the Peak (part 1)
*Task: Throw 150 pitches both physically and in image training per day.
TIME: 30 days remaining.
REWARDS:
>Gold Lottery Ticket
>Unlock Mission: Ascend to the Peak (part 2)
'Wow the reward is pretty good…' He thought inwardly.