ep2: 50m Sprint and Long Throw
882 Words
I lightly tapped the ground beneath my feet. The sensation of stepping with my feet was certainly there. If I had to think, it seemed that this wasn't the afterlife.
I had no idea what events had occurred. Maybe it was some trap set by the Demon King's army. But as long as events were happening, I had to clear them.
"Next, let's begin."
Finally, it was my turn. I relaxed my muscles. To move quickly, I didn't need any unnecessary strength. I focused my nerves and stood almost like a statue, just ahead of the white line.
"Ready..."
Others standing beside me were half-ready, probably preparing to run, but I didn't. With a bit of magic, I could manage without wasting any unnecessary physical energy.
"Start!"
Before I knew it, the people who had been standing beside me were already running. Oh, so the test had already started. In that case...
"Air Candus!"
Air Candus, a wind attribute support magic. It increased the agility of the target. It might not match the magic skills of a priest-like profession, but even a hero like me could handle this basic spell.
I ran straight through. Despite starting a bit late, I effortlessly passed and left the others behind. In the blink of an eye, I reached the goal.
"Huh!?"
At the goal, a man was standing, holding something black. He was looking at the thing he held, and his hand trembled. He had a slightly wry smile, but sweat was flowing down his forehead. What happened?
"What's the time?"
"Oh, haha... Take a look, Nishiki-san."
"Wh-what is this!?"
Beside the man holding the black object, the man with the zigzag mouth from earlier was there. His name seemed to be "Nishiki," and he looked surprised by the black object.
"Five seconds seven! Isn't that at an Olympic level?"
"What's so surprising?"
"Nishiki, look at this!"
The man holding the black object rushed towards me.
"Your name?"
"Ah, I'm Alan."
"Where did you play baseball?"
"Baseball? What's that?"
I was puzzled. Why would Air Candus surprise him? And what did he mean by "baseball"?
"It's baseball. Do you really not know that word despite being fluent in Japanese?"
"Baseball? What's that?"
What was baseball? I became more confused.
"Hey, Nishiki-san... Just a moment."
The man called out to Nishiki-san. Nishiki-san, who seemed excited earlier, snapped out of it. He cleared his throat and said,
"After the 50-meter dash, we'll have the long throw test. Wait over there for a while."
Following Nishiki-san's instructions, I waited where the others who had finished the test were.
☆★☆
I grabbed a white ball and threw it. A red thread was sewn into the ball.
"What kind of grip is that?"
"Looks like an amateur."
Laughter came from behind. Was it that strange? I always threw it this way.
Peep!
The whistle blew. It was the signal for throwing. Apparently, we had to throw the ball without going beyond a white line, competing for distance. I decided to throw the ball with all my might according to the event.
"Here we go!"
The thrown ball flew with a low trajectory. It hit a large green wall far ahead. Just as I aimed. I didn't need to say that I threw it much farther than the others.
"Measuring impossible..."
"It should be around 160 meters!"
"Even with such a crazy throwing form..."
I activated the skill [Throwing]. It was a simple ability to throw things. A basic long-range attack skill used when facing airborne creatures like Roc Birds or Wyverns. I threw the ball towards the large green wall using that skill.
"Physical ability is excellent. Now let's see how practical you are."
Nishiki-san had been staring at us. Honestly, it was scary. Those eyes seemed to have gone through quite a lot.
☆★☆
Only a few people, including me, had passed the test so far. Many people who were there earlier were gone. Among them was the black-haired boy who had spoken to me.
"So, you made it too."
"And you?"
"I'm Hideto Kurono, a pitcher."
Kurono, huh? But a pitcher? What kind of profession was that? What kind of spells or abilities did he have?
"What are you good at?"
"Curveball, I guess. But I'm most confident in the fastball."
Curveball and fastball? I had never heard of such spells before. I couldn't help but ask.
"What about you?"
"I usually use this grip."
"You're an amateur, huh."
He smirked while saying that. I wondered what was wrong. I had naturally learned this grip and throwing style. While we were talking, Nishiki-san stared at us and warned.
"Stop chatting. Be quiet."
Chrono seemed annoyed. Despite being about the same age as me, he didn't seem to be intimidated by Nishiki-san. He must have gained considerable experience as an adventurer. He was quite composed.
"Next, separate into infielders and pitchers for defensive practice. Infielders, head to the field, and pitchers, go to the bullpen for practical training."
Nishiki-san announced, and we split into two groups. I tried to follow Chrono, but...
"Hey, where are you going? You're an infielder. Stay here."
"Huh... Y-yes."
I was scolded by Nishiki-san again. It seemed I had to stay with the "infielder" team. I wondered what kind of event awaited me next.
- Writer
