“Thirty years ago, we had a thing called professional baseball.”

Mayor Oh’s clenched fists trembled.

“On weekends, stadiums many times larger than this abandoned factory would be packed with tens of thousands of people. All of them there to watch a game played with a bat and a ball. Can you believe it?”

Jae-hee answered honestly. “Nope, not really…”

“There was such a time.” A foolish smile spread across the mayor’s face as he recalled the distant past.

“A time when people would weep and cheer and lose their minds over something as simple as the flight of a ball. A silly, trivial, peaceful time.”

It dawned on Jae-hee. Just as Ghost missed the rock festivals of the old world, this man missed professional baseball.

The difference was, Ghost was content to let her memories be memories.

“My dream is to bring back professional baseball.”

But Man-su had no intention of letting his memories stay in the past.

“That would be the ultimate proof that humanity has overcome the Gates and completely recovered our daily lives!”

“Um, sir. I get the noble sentiment, I really do.”

Jae-hee held up the lion-shaped plush monster. “But what in the world does professional baseball have to do with this thing?”

In Jae-hee’s hands, the monster designated Crying-X let out a series of wails.

What possible connection could there be between a monster that could grow as large as a building and professional baseball?

“Thirty years ago, this city had a pro baseball team called the Lions.” Man-su, truly passionate about the sport, began to gush. “I was born and raised here, so of course I was a fan. I even named my guild after them.”

“I see.”

“If we’re going to revive pro baseball after thirty years, then of course our Lions—as befitting the most prestigious club in all of Korea—should be the first to re-form and establish their dominance! Wouldn’t you agree?”

Man-su rambled on. “So, as I was preparing to launch the team, I commissioned a giant lion statue to be our new mascot. Isn’t that cool? A symbol of hope! A new landmark for Daegu! A giant lion statue!”

“Ooh!”

“And just as I was about to unveil it!” Man-su seethed, punching the air. “Those goddamn Seoul bastards plagiarized my idea and beat me to the punch!”

“They did?”

“They stuffed up a bear monster the size of a house that came out of a Gate and called it the mascot for the new Bears! Started promoting the Bears’ revival right then and there!”

Apparently, there had been a pro baseball team in Seoul called the Bears thirty years ago. They must have been planning a revival around the same time and just managed to get ahead of the Lions.

“And they advertised it as being way better than some ordinary statue, saying the stuffed monster symbolized the conquest of the Gates!”

“That’s awful.”

“The worst, right?!”

“The absolute worst.”

“Right? So the Bears hogged all the attention, and the lion statue I worked so hard on—and the new Lions team—never even got to be announced!”

Man-su threw his hands out to the side. “Fine. I would have let it go if it was just that. The Seoulites stealing everything is nothing new. But!”

The conversation shifted to a now-familiar topic.

“The announcement of the Awakened Protection Act that followed… that was something I could not tolerate!”

“Uh, it’s the Awakened Protection Act again…”

Jae-hee sighed internally. This topic really never gets old, does it?

“All this nonsense about protecting the Awakened is just a flimsy excuse! The central government is trying to worm its way back into the provinces. They abandoned us for thirty years, and now that we’re finally getting back on our feet, they’ve set their greedy eyes on a prize like Daegu. There’s no doubt about it!”

Jae-hee’s eyes widened. “The Awakened Protection Act has that kinda agenda?”

“Of course it does! That bill is designed to take out the regional warlords—no, it’s a bill aimed squarely at me!”

The Awakened Protection Act. A law that stripped Hunters of their right to bear arms and permitted the use of abilities only during Gate-related incidents.

For a man like Mayor Oh, a former provincial warlord, it was no different from telling him to cut off his own arms and legs. His Hunter guild would be rendered powerless without the central government’s permission.

“They think they can just add a few sentences to the law books and gobble up the Daegu I built from the ground up? Don’t make me laugh. You think I’ll go down that easily?”

Man-su gave a chilling smile. “The moment I heard about that bill, I knew. I needed a powerful force to protect my city.”

Jae-hee was beginning to realize the conversation was veering away from professional baseball and into some very strange territory.

“Just then, we managed to capture a ‘balloon doll’ monster from a nearby Gate. It was a monster that was normally small but could inflate its body to threaten its enemies in certain situations.”

“Don’t tell me…” Jae-hee looked down at the lion plush in his hands, a cold sweat breaking out on his brow.

“So, after countless experiments and modifications, we created a living, breathing mascot that could also be used as a weapon if need be—and most importantly, was cute!”

“…”

“The ultimate weapon for our city of Daegu, capable of thwarting the central government’s invasion! It was reborn as Crying-X!”

Man-su added cheerfully, “Though today’s incident was the result of our first test to see just how big it could get.”

Having heard the whole story, Jae-hee couldn’t hold back any longer. “But that has nothing to do with professional baseball in the end!”

Baseball may have been the catalyst, but this was just a story about creating a giant bioweapon to maintain control of the city.

“What do you mean it has nothing to do with it? As the guardian deity of Daegu and the mascot of our baseball team, what could be more perfect? Just imagine it! The mascot of the team you cheer for grows as big as a building to protect the city you live in!”

“W-well, that does sound kind of cool, but the premise is all wrong!” Jae-hee pointed out the core issue. “If it’s a baseball team, shouldn’t they be playing baseball instead of fighting to protect the city?”

“…”

“Mr. Mayor, you just used baseball as an excuse to create a giant monster you could order around as you please!”

Refuted, Man-su let out a hollow laugh and snapped his fingers.

“Heh heh. You’re right, kid. But who’s going to stop me? In this city, the Lions are the city, and I am the Lions.”

Finally sensing something was wrong, Jae-hee glanced around.

A detachment of Blue Lions had approached without a sound and now had him surrounded.

So that’s why he was rambling on without a filter. It was all a ploy to draw his attention and buy time to trap him.

Click! Click!

At the same time, guns were aimed at Shylock from all directions. Down on the factory floor, Romeo and Juliet were also surrounded by Scar and his knife-wielding thugs.

“I was running out the clock because I had a card up my sleeve,” Man-su said with a cruel smile. “No witnesses will be left alive. Once we eliminate you, we can bury this whole incident.”

“…”

“The last thing I need is for the central government to get leverage over me with the Awakened Protection Act just around the corner.”

But Jae-hee, despite being surrounded, wasn’t flustered at all. He just shook the plush toy in his arms and spoke calmly.

“Mr. Mayor, I could have just grabbed the doll and run. Why do you think I chose to show myself?”

“What?”

“Don’t you think I might have stepped forward to buy some time because I had my own play to make?”

“…!”

At that exact moment, the thunderous sound of helicopter rotors echoed from directly above the abandoned factory.

Thwup-thwup-thwup-thwup-thwup!

«Ah, mic check.»

A cool, clear voice boomed down from the sky.

«Kid. Team Shakespeare. You in there? I’m here to pick you up.»

“…!”

«If the deal is done, get ready to clock out. Our commander isn’t exactly the patient type.»

It was Ghost’s voice.

While Jae-hee had been drawing their attention, Status Window had activated a communication device in the factory’s broadcast room—the same one where Jae-hee had played the cassette tape.

He had sent an SOS to the Black Parade’s main unit, and they had scrambled to their location.

“Boss, it’s a transport with the post office logo! It’s them!” one of the Blue Lions reported, his face slick with sweat.

Man-su had already received reports about the Awakened who had taken down a monster the size of a building.

Jae-hee puffed out his chest and nodded sagely. “The very scary masters and mentors who can level this entire factory in a heartbeat are on that transport. I’d recommend you stay put.”

“…Heh heh.” A low chuckle escaped Man-su. “Hey, kid.”

He suddenly pulled something from his pocket and shook it.

“How about… we have a game of catch?”

It was a baseball.

Jae-hee tilted his head. “Huh? A game of catch? What’s that?”

“This… is what it is!”

Fwoosh!

In the next instant, Man-su kicked one leg high into the air, slammed it down, and hurled the baseball in his left hand forward with all his might.

The ability of A-Rank Awakened Man-su—Knuckleball.

It allowed him to throw any object in his hand at high speed. The thrown object would then fly in an erratic, unpredictable trajectory to destroy its target.

And he was left-handed.

A left-handed fireballer, the kind they say you’d even recruit from the depths of hell.

The founder, owner, and ace of the new Lions roared, “I am the Lions!”

Thwoom!

The ball shot from Man-su’s fingertips like a bolt of lightning.

If the kid had dodged before the pitch, it might have been different. But he was still standing there as the ball left the mayor’s hand, and Man-su was certain his body would be torn to shreds in the next moment.

If I can eliminate them and take the lion doll’s Core before their main unit lands, I can still keep this from the central government!

And then…

“Whoa?!”

On pure instinct, Jae-hee swung his sheathed long sword to block the ball.

The knuckleball’s signature lack of spin and its erratic movement made it difficult to read, but time seemed to warp, the world slowing to a crawl around him as he swung with everything he had.

Clang!

With a satisfying impact, the ball ricocheted away.

For a second, Man-su was horrified, but he felt a wave of relief as the ball bounced off the floor.

Just a bunt grounder.

But in the next instant, Jae-hee unleashed all the stamina he had recovered while resting and tore through the factory like a gale.

Swoosh!

He knocked the knives from the hands of the thugs surrounding Romeo and Juliet, swatted away the dozens of pistols aimed at Shylock, and finally, tripped Man-su and pinned him to the ground from behind.

Clang-clang-clang!

Thud-thud-thud!

Crash!

Only after the knives and guns had flown from the thugs’ hands and Man-su was slammed to the floor did the sounds finally catch up, echoing through the factory.

“What—!”

“Huh?”

“What the hell?!”

“What just happened?”

The thugs, unable to even react, let out simultaneous grunts of confusion.

“…!”

For a split second, Man-su had seen it clearly.

He had seen Jae-hee make a precise, lightning-fast lap around the factory interior and return to his starting point.

“A bunt followed by an inside-the-park home run?”

Man-su looked up at Jae-hee with trembling eyes. “You… you have an incredible talent for running the bases. No, for stealing bases!”

“Huh? Stealing?”

“It means stealing a base!”

“Oh, yeah. Well, I was a petty thief, wasn’t I? Stealing is what I do best.”

Even while pinned to the ground, Man-su babbled desperately. “Kid, won’t you play baseball with me? With your talent, you could dominate the Korean Series!”

He was trying to recruit him, even now.

“Wait… what exactly is baseball?” Jae-hee asked, dumbfounded. “So it’s a game where you hit a ball with a stick and then run to win?”

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