Chapter 861 The Bet (1)
[User has been added to the Triple-A Team: Toledo Mud Hens]
#NEW MISSION: Triple-A Season.
Note: Tasks have been adjusted due to shorter season.
*Task 1: Hit 20 home runs [0/20]
*Task 2: Finish season with ERA below 2.5
*Task 3: Finish season with greater than 70 RBIs [0/70]
*Task 4: Achieve greater than 0.600 win rate when playing
*Task 5: Win with best record in International-League
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*Task 6: Qualify for Playoffs
*Task 7: Win Triple-A National Championship
REWARDS:
>Task 1 rewards – 500,000 Major points
>Task 2 rewards – 500,000 Major points
>Task 3 rewards – 700,000 Major points
>Task 4 rewards – 1,000,000 Major points
>Task 5 rewards – 1,000,000 Major points
>Task 6 rewards – 1,500,000 Major points
>Task 7 rewards – 2,500,000 Major points
Once he had finally sat down on the plane, Ken was able to open up the system, finding out that the notification was indeed for a mission. At first he had thought that it might have had something to do with Rohan, but the timing had been just a coincidence.
The first thing that he noticed was that the rewards were only Major Points. Unlike every other time that he received one of the season missions, there were no Elixirs or lottery tickets.
It felt odd.
Now that he was a professional, did that mean the system would no longer give him these types of rewards? If that were the case, then the skills and traits he had now might be all he received in the future.
But Ken wasn’t worried. As it stood now, he believed that he had all the skills he needed. The only thing that he needed was experience.
‘Could it also be because of the unknown system function?’ He thought briefly.
After thinking about it for a while, Ken shook his head. ‘It’s always something…’ He thought with exasperation.
He laid his head back in the seat and waited for the plane to take off. Soon enough, they shot into the air and Lake Erie came into view. It was beautiful.
Despite only being in Erie for only 4 days, Ken felt like he had benefited. Meeting Rohan had helped steel his resolve and only further ignite his determination to succeed no matter what.
‘They should be packed on a bus by now, headed to Binghamton.’ Ken thought.
“Ah crap!”
He quickly sat up, realizing that he had forgotten something important.
The woman next to him was jolted, looking at him with horror. Ken quickly apologized, feeling his face turn red from embarrassment.
However, he was still filled with shame. Ai was meant to be meeting him at Binghamton and staying for a few days during the week since school had not yet started.
But he had not told her that he was moved up to Triple-A…
So Ken spent the next hour of his flight stressing. As soon as he could use his phone, he called his fiance and told her the news. At first she was ecstatic, but after he admitted to knowing the night before, Ai scolded him gently.
However, it was only a little, and she quickly moved past it. He was a lucky man in this case, but they would still lose money on the cost of travel. Of course Ken could afford it, but losing money was still something that pained him.
Once again, another driver was waiting for him as he went through arrivals. Ken followed the man and was led to taxi.
‘I feel like I just went through this the other day…’ Ken thought with a chuckle.
Soon enough they arrived at Fifth Third Field, the home of the Toledo Mud Hens, his new team. The stadium felt larger than the one at UPMC park, which made sense.
This time, a man dressed in a gray polo and wearing the team hat greeted him as he got out of the taxi. The man looked to be in his early 40’s and was rather stern-faced.
“You must be Ken.” The man said, holding out his hand, “I’m Coach Dean, the Head Coach for the Mud Hens.”
Ken clasped the hand and bowed slightly, “It’s nice to meet you Coach. Happy to be part of the team.”
“Mmm. It seems you’ve got some friends in high places young man. It’s not often that someone gets moved up from Double-A so quickly.” Coach Dean stated.
At this, Ken frowned. While it might sound like a compliment, he could tell that the guy did not mean it that way.
‘Is he trying to say I only got moved up because I know people?’
Part of him wanted to react to the comment, but he kept it inside. This was his new coach. The guy could literally make his life a living hell if he chose to, there was no point in making an enemy on the very first day.
“Thank you sir. I will do my best for the team.” Ken replied.
Coach Dean nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly, “Come on through. We already have your medical results so there’s no need to go through that again. We’ll get your uniform and you can join the morning training session right away.”
And so they walked into the stadium and Ken was given his new uniform before being directed to the locker room. None of the players had arrived just yet, he was the first.
The uniform was white with some lines of black on the front. The word “Mud Hens” were prominent on the chest. It was not the worst uniform he’d worn, but it certainly wasn’t the best.
As he tucked the uniform in, the door to the locker room opened. A man wearing a tank top strolled in with a bag over his shoulder. His large arm muscles were covered in a sheen of sweat, as if he’d just come from the a work out.
He turned his gaze to Ken, the only other person in the locker room and gave him a quizzical glance.
“Who are you?” he asked in a deep voice.