Ken laid in bed after the days proceedings, yet instead of being tired he was itching to try out the new Image training option within the system. He had waited patiently throughout the day for this very moment.
#NOTICE: IT IS ADVISED THAT USER ENTERS THE IMAGE TRAINING WHEN HE WILL NOT BE DISTURBED.
DOES THE USER WISH TO ENTER IMAGE TRAINING?
[YES/NO]
Ken clicked yes without hesitation, yet he was met with another notice.
USERS MENTAL CAPABILITIES HAVE NOT MET THE CRITERIA.
REQUIRED MENTAL GRADE: C+
PLEASE COME BACK ONCE YOU HAVE MET THE MINIMUM GRADE…
Ken's mouth gaped open and he was instantly dissatisfied.
'What the hell? Why didn't you say so in the first place!' he screamed internally.
Yet before he could wallow in despair, he suddenly remembered that he had received a B-grade Mental Conditioning Elixir as a reward from an earlier mission.
"Hehehe. If it's B-grade it should be enough to bump me up 3 grades right?" He rubbed his hands together and moved through the menu and into the inventory section of the system.
[Are you sure you wish to consume: B-grade Mental Conditioning Elixir?]
[Yes/No]
Ken quickly said a prayer, hoping with all his heart that it would increase by at least 3 grades. He wasn't sure how to increase his mental grade otherwise, so this was his only shot at unlocking the new Image training feature of the system.
He clicked the Yes button and waited patiently.
DUE TO USERS INEPT MENTAL GRADE, THERE MAY BE SOME ADDITIONAL UNEXPECTED PAIN WHILE THE SYSTEM ADMINISTERS THE ELIXIR.
Seeing the bold writing flash in front of him, Ken blinked a few times, yet he steeled his heart in the next moment. He had lived a life of pain with his shoulder, so he was confident that he would be able to deal with some momentary pain.
Yet in the next moment, he felt his head throb before a splitting and agonizing headache shocked his brain. It was like someone had set off explosives in his mind, threatening to blow it to pieces.
Ken did not see, but another notification appeared on the system while he was writhing in pain on the bed.
SYSTEM HAS DETECTED ABNORMAL LEVELS OF PAIN IN THE USER. COMMENCING MUTE FUNCTION.
Ken howled out in pain, unable to keep his mouth shut from the pure agony he was experiencing. However, it sounded like a whisper, blending in with the soothing sound of his ceiling fan.
The screams did little to help alleviate the pain that was wreaking havoc on his mind, yet he found some solace in burying his head in the pillow, albeit a small amount.
After what seemed like an eternity, Ken felt the torture receding slowly until it was gone altogether. His body was now soaked in cold sweat as he stared at the ceiling after the intense battle.
Despite it being dark, he felt as if he could see things much clearer, even picking up on the small details he would have either missed or ignored previously. The small nicks in the paint on the walls, or dust particles floating around freely.
[You have consumed: B-grade Mental Conditioning Elixir.]
[Mental grade has been increased by 6!]
USER STATS:
>Physical Fitness: C+
>Pitching: F (B)
>Fielding: C
>Game Intelligence: C+
>Mental: B+
>Skills: 4
"6!?" Ken shot up in fright. He had jumped 6 grades from D+ all the way to B+ and all it took was what seemed like an eternity of torture…
Although he was happy, he now grew a little warier towards the systems Elixirs. Ken could already feel that his mind was many teams clearer, which included his vision and thinking capabilities.
He even had a feeling that he would be able to achieve twice the results while completing his studies. Not only this, he felt that his memories were easier to access, especially those from his past life.
"Now that that's done… It's time for Image training."
#NOTICE: IT IS ADVISED THAT USER ENTERS THE IMAGE TRAINING WHEN HE WILL NOT BE DISTURBED.
DOES THE USER WISH TO ENTER IMAGE TRAINING?
[YES/NO]
"Yes."
Ken suddenly felt his consciousness waver as he fell back onto his pillow. His surroundings were dark for a moment before light particles started to appear all around him.
In the next moment, the light particles assembled themselves into a baseball field. But this was no ordinary field, he recognized this field as the one where he had played at nationals in High School.
"Koshien…"
It was surreal to see the stage that he had yearned to return to currently empty.
PLEASE CHOOSE A SKILL TO PRACTICE.
#IMAGE TRAINING MENU:
>PITCHING (Locked)
>BATTING
>FIELDING
Ken was a little disheartened upon seeing that the pitching section was locked, however he had been expecting it. It would have been nice to at least gotten a few pitches in, even if it was just inside his mind.
However, what he needed now was skills that would allow him to become a better player and make it into the starting lineup. Now that they had almost 3 months of no baseball, Jin would likely recover from his injury and could retake the 1st base position from him.
He debated for a little while before choosing to do some batting. The biggest difference between him and Jin was there batting capabilities. While he could only bunt and effectively run between the bases, Jin was capable of hitting the ball more often than not.
#BATTING MISSIONS:
> Hit 500 bunts successfully - 100 Major points + Bronze Lottery ticket
> Hit 500 balls into outfield - 100 Major points + B-grade Balance and Coordination Elixir
> Hit 1000 foul balls - 100 Major points + Silver Lottery ticket
> Don't swing on 1000 balls - 100 Major points
> Hit 500 Home Runs - 1000 Major points + B-grade Strength Elixir + Gold Lottery ticket
PLEASE PICK UP THE BAT AND HEAD TO THE BATTERS BOX TO BEGIN THE IMAGE TRAINING. PLEASE NOTE THAT TIME HERE IS ALIGNED WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD.