After his mother left, Ken laid back down and let out a sigh.
'Why did I have to get sick?' He complained inwardly.
His mind moved to the terrible nightmare he had gone through last night and couldn't help but shudder. He really had made a mess of things after getting injured.
"If I never went back in time and received the system…" He muttered.
'Ah!'
He suddenly remembered that today was the day his year long mission would end, the one that would heal his shoulder for good. Without wasting another moment, he hastily brought up the system window.
MISSION: Shoulder Injury Recovery (completed)
*Task: Do not pitch a ball for the entire year (365 days)
[Congratulations, you have completed the mission: Shoulder Injury Recovery]
#Rewards received
>Complete healing of shoulder injury
>A-grade physicality enhancing elixir
>Skill: Disciplinarian (+20% increase in all training benefits)
Ken felt a huge wave of relief overcome his body, followed by immense excitement. Finally after a full year of not pitching with his right arm, he would no longer be held down by the thing that had ruined his past life.
He wasn't sure if it was the sweat on his forehead or pent up emotions, but he couldn't help but wipe his eyes with his blanket. If he didn't have a fever right now, Ken would be jumping for joy.
"I wonder what my pitching will be like now?" He mumbled to himself.
While he had learned to pitch with his left arm, the pitches lacked strength and a sense of danger that he was used to. This was a cause of immense frustration for him who had thrown his way to Nationals before.
Being hit so easily by run-of-the-mill players like the ones trying out for Osaka Toin had hurt his pride. Naoki could also tell that his pitching was not up to par and probably thought that it was a waste of his talent to focus on.
Of course he couldn't blame Naoki for coming to this conclusion.
"Ahhh, I want to pitch…"
Ken couldn't help but fidget underneath the blanket, itching to get out on the field and throw some balls. At the same time, he didn't want to make himself worse by trying to play through a fever.
'Maybe I can take the A-grade physicality enhancing elixir?' He thought.
Since the elixirs usually made him go through pain or drowsiness, he usually waited until just before bed to take them. But since he was home and in bed now, he didn't have to wait.
[Are you sure you wish to consume: A-grade physicality enhancing elixir?]
[Yes/No]
"It should be fine right?" Ken thought aloud, hesitating for a few moments before eventually accepting.
Since it was an A-grade elixir, the pain would likely be intense so he grit his teeth, waiting for the discomfort.
However, after almost a minute nothing seemed to be happening.
"Huh? Did it not work?" Ken scratched his head in thought, bringing up the system.
He did not receive any notifications that something had failed, so it was rather weird that it didn't seem to come into effect.
"A-ARGH"
Just as Ken was about to complain, he felt a wave of pain assault his muscles, causing a pit of despair to form in his stomach. He quickly turned onto his stomach and screamed into the pillow to try relieve the torture.
Starting from his toes, the pain worked its way up to his calf muscles, stretching and wringing them like the worlds worst cramps. He had no time to worry if his mother had heard the initial outburst and did his utmost to focus on other things.
After what seemed like an eternity, his calf muscles began to vibrate, bringing with it a warm and relaxing sensation. Ken couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, at least until it moved onto his quads and hamstring muscles.
Once again he had to endure the pain of his muscles being twisted and wrung like last night's washing. Despite the torture, Ken did his best to keep his mind occupied.
He imagined himself on the mound in the 9th inning, wearing a Hanshin Tigers jersey. He stared down the plate to where his brother and best friend Daichi wore a warm smile.
Daichi threw the ball to him, yet spoke no words. There was no need to speak at all, everything was relayed through their eyes.
The amount of trust and belief they had in each other required nothing else. With his arm and Daichi's leading, there was no hurdle that they could not overcome.
A grin formed on Ken's face as he handled the ball and positioned himself on the mound.
He wound up his arm and released the ball, causing a frightening noise to ring out across the empty field.
PAH
***
Ken woke up several hours later feeling groggy. He felt sticky yet dehydrated, almost as if he had melted into the bed.
'I need to shower…' Were the first words that went through his head.
He got up out of bed and went straight for the shower. As he made his way down the stairs he couldn't help but notice he felt a lot better than this morning.
'Huh, my body feels light.'
After jumping into the shower he was finally in the right frame of mind to open up the system and check his progress.
[You have consumed: A-grade Physicality enhancing elixir.]
[Agility grade has been increased by 2!]
[Strength grade has been increased by 1!]
[Stamina grade has been increased by 4!]
[Congratulations, user has reached S grade Stamina and will be rewarded with the skill: Fatigue Management]
[Fatigue Management: Reduces fatigue and boosts recovery for extremities]
Ken's eyes widened in disbelief as he read through the rewards of taking the elixir. Not only had his grades increased by a total of 7, he also managed to reach S grade stamina and was given a new skill.
"Reduces fatigue and boosts recovery for extremities… That's perfect!"
This truly was one of the best days of his life since returning. His right arm was now fully healed and he was gifted the perfect skill to avoid getting injured again. Not only would he be able to pitch longer, he also wouldn't have to worry about getting hurt again.
Since extremities referred to his head, legs and arms, this was a great boon for someone who wished to play any professional sports.