BUZZ BUZZ
While Ken was staring at the system window, he felt his phone vibrate, removing him from his shock. He half-mindedly checked his phone, only to see an email from Ai asking how the tryouts had gone.
‘Ah damn…’
He had meant to mail her earlier but he had been forced to listen to Kei’s life story. Ken quickly sent a message back, saying that he’d been selected for the preliminary squad but wouldn’t find out until tomorrow afternoon.
Ken made an excuse that he needed to go to sleep and would contact her tomorrow afternoon once he found out the results.
‘Man it’s tough being popular’ He thought inwardly, before turning his attention back to the system window.
Ever since he’d received the system, he’d never heard of a Trait. There were skills and functions, yet this was the first time hearing of something like this.
‘I wonder what it does.’
Without waiting another moment, Ken brought up the system window and tried to locate it.
USER STATS:
>Physical Fitness: SS
>Pitching: SS-
>Fielding: B
>Game Intelligence: B
>Mental: SS
>Skills: 20
>Traits: 1 (new)
He clicked on the flashing icon that drew his attention, only to be assaulted by a wall of text.
Trait: Dauntless
Description: The Dauntless trait endows the user with an unwavering resolve and an indomitable spirit, allowing him to face any challenge head-on without fear or hesitation. This trait enhances his mental fortitude, making him exceptionally resilient in high-pressure situations and virtually immune to intimidation or discouragement from opponents. With Dauntless, user becomes a beacon of courage and determination, inspiring his teammates and setting an example of relentless pursuit of victory.
Effects:
Fearless Mindset: User’s confidence is unshakable, enabling him to maintain composure and clarity of thought even in the most daunting circumstances.
Resilience Boost: Increases user’s ability to recover quickly from setbacks, whether it’s a poor performance or an injury.
Inspiration: User’s courage and determination have a motivating effect on his teammates, boosting their morale and performance.
Intimidation Resistance: Opponents find it significantly harder to unsettle or demoralize user, no matter the situation or provocation.
Enhanced Performance Under Pressure: user’s skills and abilities are amplified in critical moments, allowing him to excel when the stakes are highest.
‘Eh?’
Ken blinked a few times almost not believing his eyes. It was as if he had suddenly won the lottery overnight, bringing with it a rush of euphoria.
For the first time in a long while, Ken felt once again just how cheat-like the system really was.
This trait was like having 5 skills at once.
He found it rather odd that this was the first time finding out about traits despite having the system for well over a year now. It was as if he was missing the right circumstances or prerequisites in order to access it.
‘Could it be because of my mental grade?’ He thought inwardly.
Now that he thought about it, the Dauntless trait was primarily centered around his attitude and mental state. After all, the word Dauntless meant courage and fearless determination in the face of adversity.
Ken felt his body heat up in excitement. Not only was this trait beneficial to him during games, it would also spill into his real life. He could already feel his unease regarding Kei begin to slip away completely.
‘What a treasure… I wonder what other traits there are.’
He quickly shook his head, admonishing his greedy thoughts.
‘I should already be happy getting this much.’
A wide grin formed on his face as he stared at the description a few more times. At the very least this should help him in his quest to make it onto the National Team.
‘Mika, can you please activate sleep protocol.’ He asked politely.
He knew that with this much excitement before bed, he would have a lot of trouble sleeping. Thankfully he had a useful friend who could help him out.
[Understood. Activating sleep protocol, good night.]
‘Eh?’
As Ken’s eyes began to close, he realized that Mika had said good night. Something that she’d never done before.
However, before he could bring it up, he had already entered the dream land.
BUZZ BUZZ
Back in Yokohama, Ai was laying in bed and staring out the window at the crescent moon outside. The moment she heard her phone, she quickly opened up the message.
However, her pretty face turned disappointed in the next moment.
“Why is he being like this?” She muttered before closing her phone abruptly.
She had been wanting to tell Ken about her decision to change schools so that she could pursue her dream, yet the opportunity hadn’t presented itself.
The school semester was about to start in 1 week. After which she would be moving to Tokyo to live in her own apartment with the help of her parents.
It might be a little selfish of her, but she wanted to see him a few more times before that happened. But it seemed as if fate was against it.
Ai shook her head.
She couldn’t blame Ken since he was actively pursuing his dreams of playing baseball at the highest level. If anything, Ai didn’t want to disturb him in case the news affected him negatively.
‘I wonder if he’d be sad when I leave?’
Ai thought wistfully.
‘Would he miss me?’
***
The next morning, Ken woke up at 5am feeling refreshed.
As he sat up and let out a big stretch, he heard the rhythmic snores of the delinquent in the other bed. Unlike the night before, Ken felt no intimidation from him any longer, likely from his lottery reward last night.
With a grin, he jumped off the bed and quickly got changed. He wanted to get a run in before it was time for breakfast.
After leaving his room, he walked over to the room where Daichi and Hiroki were staying.
Just as he was about to open the door, he heard something odd.
“Urgh Haah urgh haah.”
The sound of grunting and heavy breathing was coming from the other side, causing his face to morph into one of shock and disbelief.