Chapter 17 - Dive

Shun continued pitching using the form ingrained in his mind until he heard the system's voice.

[DING]

[100 Daily Pitches Complete]

Shun quickly opened the system menu and checked the progress of his missions.

[Main Missions:

#1 Greatest of All Time (Part 1)

Win the Koshien

Rewards: Unknown

#2 Two-way Player (Part 1)

Make 500 swings every day for 60 days (1/60)

Throw 100 pitches every day for 60 days (1/60)

Rewards: 500 coins and a silver mystery box.

WARNING: The user is prohibited from playing as a pitcher until the special mission Perfect Form is completed!

WARNING: The user cannot throw any other pitch until fully mastering the legendary pitch in their inventory. All other pitches will be locked!

WARNING: The mission will be considered a failure if the user ignores the warnings!

Failure Penalty: Loss of the system]

He felt satisfied having completed the 500 swings and 100 pitches, but when he looked at his special missions, all that satisfaction vanished.

[Special Missions:

#1 Perfect Form

Master the perfect pitching form for the user

Requirements to complete the mission: throw using the form without any errors 500 times. (0/500)

Rewards: qualification to learn the legendary pitch and the quirk Injury-free.

#2 Full Integration

Achieve full integration of the new shoulder with the user's body.

Requirements for integration:

10% - 10,000 pitches

25% - 25,000 pitches

50% - 50,000 pitches

75% - 75,000 pitches

100% - 100,000 pitches

Pitch Count: 100

Rewards: quirk Bringin' the Heat]

"What the hell? Why didn't the pitch count for the Perfect Form mission change at all? I threw a hundred times, but did I make mistakes in every pitch? This stupid system has got to be kidding me."- Shun couldn't help but feel frustrated with the system. The Perfect Form mission was the only one he thought he'd be able to complete without much trouble, but in the end, he underestimated the system. There was no way this crazy system would give him an easy mission. Shun started worrying, wondering if he would ever be able to pitch again.

"Ahhhh forget it, there's nothing I can do. I'll just finish the exercise list. If I keep thinking about this, this stupid system will drive me crazy before I can pitch again."

Shun left the bullpen and started working on the long and exhausting list of exercises. Most of the team's players had already finished their training. The coach allowed the players to train as they wished after the batting practice. Most of them did a short routine of exercises and went home, the long defense and batting practice was exhausting enough.

"Hey Shun, you finally left the bullpen. Kenta and I are heading home, are you coming with us?" - Ren asked, looking at his friend lying on the ground, breathing heavily.

"Huh? You're leaving already? I haven't finished here, so you guys can go without me." - Shun said with difficulty due to the exhaustion.

"Ehh, you still haven't finished? Alright then, we'll see you tomorrow." - Ren was surprised and said goodbye. He didn't know why his friend was training so much, but he wasn't crazy enough to keep up. The batting practice was already much more intense than he was used to.

Even Kenta decided to leave. He didn't have the energy to train any longer. He thought his friend was trying to make up for lost practice and would return to his normal training routine after a while. Little did Kenta know that Shun didn't have the option to return to normal practice, his training would only get harder from here on out.

After an hour, Shun heard the system's voice in his head. He lay down on the ground, breathing deeply. He was the last one left on the baseball field.

[DING]

[Physical Training Mission Complete]

[Rewards have been sent to the user's inventory]

Shun walked back home with difficulty, went straight to take a bath, and lay down in the tub, relieved. After a few good minutes of doing nothing, Shun opened his inventory to check his rewards.

[Inventory:

-1 legendary pitch (learn)

-1 silver skill box for outfielder

-1 bronze mystery box]

Since he couldn't learn the legendary pitch yet, he moved on to the next item.

[Do you want to open the silver skill box for outfielder?

Yes/No]

"Yes!"

[You received the silver skill: Dive]

[Dive (C+)

Allows the user to dive toward balls out of their reach and catch them.]

"Ohh, not bad." Shun was pleased with his new skill, which meant his performance in the outfield would improve even more. He then moved on to the next reward.

[Do you want to open the Bronze Mystery Box?

Yes/No]

"Yes!"

[You obtained 1 bronze arena pass]

"Huh? This thing again? I got one of these yesterday too, but it's not in my inventory. Oh well, it's not like I can expect anything from this system. I'll just wait until the arena is unlocked, and then I'll think about it."