It didn't take long for suspect Noh Ha-jun to get his turn.
Fortunately for us, the other hitters' skills seemed to be good.
Blanche's verdict also came quickly.
Clang!
A very clean long hit.
The cheers of the audience echoed throughout the stadium.
[Checking the magical power response at the moment of impact... Mr. Noh Ha-jun is not simply a magical power holder. He definitely possesses the abilities of a hunter.]
"Then how did you not get caught until now?"
[Except for the moment he steps onto the batter's box, the magical power reaction isn't detected, not even when he runs to first base. It seems like the ability has extremely limited activation conditions.]
"ah..."
Well then, I understand it roughly.
Perhaps Noh Ha-jun himself doesn't know that he is a hunter.
Seo Ji-yu continued to argue as if she still didn't understand.
"Isn't there a magic detector installed in this stadium?"
"Don't think of it as Hunter City. Production is still insufficient, so we can't install detectors in places like this."
Hunter City is dotted with magic sensors, but...
The situation is very different in other cities.
The magic sensors developed by the company will be supplied first to Hunter City, followed by key facilities such as associations, government agencies, banks, and military installations in each country...
It seems that these types of sports facilities are of low priority.
Fair competition among sportsmen comes after people's safety has been addressed.
However, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is not completely giving up, so if Noh Ha-jun's abilities had been just a little more general, it would have been discovered a long time ago.
Blanche, who did a little more analysis, also agreed with my opinion.
[It seems like the ability only activates when holding the bat.]
"I see. I don't think it's right to arrest them right now..."
"Now it's time to investigate."
Lee Seo-woo noticed that I was deliberately lengthening the end of my sentences and nodded.
Now this side is also pretending to be pretending.
"What is the point of the investigation?"
"It's about assessing intent. Whether or not a suspect acted intentionally is a factor that actually affects sentencing."
This time, the second Green Dust guy answered.
I looked at the two men and smiled happily.
"I told you there's nothing more to teach you."
"Team Leader... no, it's all in the book the Chief wrote."
Lee Seo-woo gently shook the smartphone containing the e-book.
The Hunter Criminal Investigation Record Book that I distributed for free before.
It has already become a must-read for hunter crime investigators.
Blanche was already conducting her investigation skillfully.
[Searching smartphone usage history... It seems your love for baseball is genuine. You frequently volunteer for your alma mater's baseball team. It seems like you only recently awakened your Hunter abilities.]
"Even if it wasn't intentional... I can't play professional baseball anymore, right?"
When Alice spoke anxiously next to me, I nodded without hesitation.
"Of course. Hunters are banned from professional sports."
Every time you hit, it's either a double or a home run, so there's no way you can be respectful of sportsmanship or anything.
Alice's voice became a little darker after she shared Blanche's findings.
"Baseball must be everything to that player... but he can't do it anymore."
"It's right to quit, for the sake of the other players. It's only a matter of time before your abilities are discovered anyway."
"That's true..."
Even though Alice is like this, she is very kind-hearted and often thinks about the suspect or victim.
This is especially true when there are people who have been wronged, like in this case.
Hunter abilities are not something you can awaken if you want to, and you can't avoid awakening them if you don't want to.
Research to date suggests that genetic traits associated with magical power are expressed probabilistically.
Even someone who normally dislikes hunters can easily awaken after experiencing a shocking incident.
Noh Ha-jun certainly loves baseball and is known for his great fan service, but...
Hunter's participation in professional sports is clearly against the rules.
No matter what, it's not like we can let a gorilla arm wrestle with a person.
The game ended while we were talking.
Thanks to Noh Ha-jun's performance, the home team won narrowly.
He was truly delighted with the team's victory and excitedly high-fived the audience that came out to see him off.
We also waited leisurely until all the events were over and then went to meet him.
I'd love to wait until the season is over, but...
It's literally just a feeling.
If we end up winning like this, it could be a really big problem.
Unlike in the stadium.
We met in a private space, and it seemed that we were not very welcome guests.
Noh Ha-jun's face became like that of a grim reaper.
"T, Special Investigator?"
"Mr. Hajun, can we talk for a moment?"
"A story, what the..."
Noh Ha-jun reacts violently when Lee Seo-woo starts talking.
His face was already painted with fear.
It is already common knowledge that hunters cannot participate in professional sports.
There can be no other reason why we should come to him.
"I, I'm not a hunter! I passed the last test too!"
"Unfortunately, the test was inadequate. In this match, a magical reaction was definitely detected."
By now, you probably have a rough idea.
But he couldn't accept reality.
If he accepts reality, he will never be able to play professional baseball again.
That's not all.
Even the things he has worked so hard to build up until now may be unfairly criticized.
"Well, I'm only just now doing one person's share, so... what will our team do without me?"
"Unfortunately, it's a rule that hunters are immediately expelled from professional sports upon awakening. I'm sure you already know this, Mr. Hajun."
He has no choice anyway.
If you do not respond here, you will be immediately forcibly taken to the association headquarters...
In the worst case scenario, you could be banished to Hunter City.
However, we also have a certain amount of compassion for the suspect's pitiful situation.
I patted his back and reassured him belatedly.
It's really convenient here because I'm not the one yelling at the suspect.
"Don't worry too much. Registering as a hunter doesn't necessarily mean you can't participate in professional sports."
"Huh? What's that... Did the law change?"
"No, not yet."
Noh Ha-jun was dumbfounded by my ambiguous answer.
Still, a glimmer of hope appeared on his face.
Noh Ha-jun had clearly awakened his hunter abilities, but he showed no signs of being aware of it.
There isn't even a related search history.
Therefore, the match-fixing charge does not apply to Noh Ha-jun.
I don't even want to apply the charge of not reporting the hunter's awakening.
It is true that it is a type of ability that is actually very difficult to distinguish.
"Hajun's abilities are reaction speed and strength enhancement... typical physical enhancement. However, they only activate when holding a bat."
"Oh, yes..."
And, under current law, hunters are prohibited from participating in professional sports.
However... this 'current law' part is important.
"The law hasn't changed yet, but it's going to change soon."
"Huh? Is that true!"
"Yes. In fact, that's why we watched this game."
Ariel and I looked at each other and smiled, and decided to reveal the information that was supposed to be announced later a little early.
"Currently, Hunter City is preparing a professional sport for hunters to compete in. For convenience, we'll call it the Hunter League."
"Oh my god..."
Noh Ha-jun's face was instantly filled with intense joy.
All the gates have already been closed, and most of the dungeons have been cleared...
We are trying to do something positive by using the power of the remaining hunters.
At that time, Noh Ha-jun, who thought he could still hit the ball in the future, felt a sense of discomfort belatedly.
"Wait a minute. If it's a professional sport... what exactly is it?"
"Ahaha, that's..."
"Baseball? Soccer? Basketball?"
Yes...
If you were thinking of starting a professional baseball league, you would have said professional baseball.
There is a reason why I called it professional sports.
He looked at my expression and said, clutching at straws.
"At least it's a ball game, right?"
"We also wanted to use existing sports, but there was a possibility of conflict with civilian sports organizations."
"So... you're saying you've prepared a completely new event?"
"Yes."
If hunters played baseball, would it be okay?
Hunters have different abilities and it would be difficult to maintain rules, right?
And if that were to work... who would watch a regular baseball game?
Ultimately, we had no choice but to create a completely new professional sport that had never existed before.
It is also a sport related to hunting, which is the fundamental activity of hunters...
"What on earth is the name of the sport?"
"TO THE."
"yes?"
"We will give Mr. Noh Ha-jun priority to participate in the AOS Hunter League. That is the most we can do for you."
Noh Ha-jun, who finally realized the identity of the subject, had an expression on his face that was difficult to describe.
Tia patted his back, who was taken aback, and chuckled.
@
About three months after that.
Noh Ha-jun received a huge cheer at the first officially held Hunter League match.
[Player Hajun! Blast the cannon minion's head off with a baseball bat!]
[There was a lot of public concern about a hunter with no real-world experience joining the league...]
[Player Hajun, the ruler of the battlefield!!]
We were slightly relieved to see that he had adapted better than expected.
Red also liked it, saying that he liked it even more than baseball games.
"Isn't it much more fun to hit your opponent with a bat?"
"... This time, I can't deny it."
I reluctantly agreed with the guy.
There is now a sport you can enjoy with your family.