Chapter 3.1: Practice

TL: Pineapple

Editor: Isalee

Since he lacked talent, Han Woo Jin woke up very early in order to practice. He normally woke up at 5:30 and went running at 6:00, but today was a little different. He took out his spare racket. As soon as he picked up the handle, his stats popped up.

[Han Woo Jin]

Strength 48 / Stamina 45 / Agility 40

HP 1800/1800 SP 330/330

Forehand: 9/20

Backhand: 4/20

Serve: 10/20

Volley: 3/20

Smash: 7/20

Special skill: Sparrow (Serve)

"…It's still the same."

His stats were the same ever since he pa.s.sed the exam yesterday, which was expected because he didn't practice at all after the exam. Han Woo Jin thought as he played around with the racket.

'How should I properly use this

He still couldn't utilize the full potential of his power. Anyway, today was a rest day because it was the day after the exam. He unexpectedly got a free day, so he wanted to use today to understand his ability.

He wrote down a list of what he knew so far.

He took out a notepad, wrote everything down, and reviewed it to make sure he didn't leave anything out. He couldn't think of anything else. This was what he knew so far.

"Can I level up by practicing?"

'If I can only gain points and experience through games, practice would be useless. It would only increase my physical capabilities.' Han Woo Jin's skill had already reached the limit of his talent. It was a skill cap that anybody could reach with enough time and effort. There was no point in being able to reach a level that everyone could get to.

No, his ten years of experience would still be useful. It was the same as pa.s.sing on a 33-year-old's experience to a new 23-year-old player.

He needed time to do some fine tuning on himself.

"Anyway, I should go do some practice after lunch."

There was a tennis court in the park in front of his apartment. It couldn't actually be called a tennis court since the ground of the court was sand and there were old b.a.l.l.s all around the court. But even with the bad conditions, Han Woo Jin was thankful that there was still a place for him to practice. Anyway, he wouldn't be able to come back after he started his training tomorrow.

As soon as he put down his racket, someone knocked on his door.

"Hey, Woo Jin, are you okay? Why didn't you go practice this morning?"

"Ah, because I got drunk yesterday, I wanted to rest. I didn't want to accidentally get hurt while running."

Han Woo Jin replied to his mother who suddenly knocked on the door. He wasn't wrong. If he accidentally got hurt while running, it would have affected his training that would start tomorrow.

"Oh is that so? Then we can have breakfast together. We haven't done so in a long time."

He always ran in the morning so he always had breakfast after his family. He couldn't remember the last time he had breakfast with his family. He always used to eat meals by himself.

"Make something delicious, Mom."

"Okay, expect something good."

His mother was really happy because he gave her a favorable answer.

He put the racket down and turned on his laptop.

He had returned ten years into the past. He decided to look up recent news because he wanted to become familiar with the current state of the world. His room was quiet except for the clicks that came from the mouse.

Midday, at the tennis court.

Han Woo Jin bounced the tennis ball up and down with his racket. Front, back, and diagonal. He twisted his grip while bouncing the ball and handled it adeptly. He was able to do this easily since he had a good foundation.

He smashed the ball hard toward the ground and immediately caught the ball. Then he took a deep breath.

"Okay, let's give it a try."

He threw up the ball into the air and used an overhead stroke. This was a basic move. The ball traveled from the left side of the court to the right side.

*Pabang!*

The ball nearly hit the service line and bounced back up. The ground was st.u.r.dy, but because it was sand the ball didn't bounce correctly. He served several times, then he decided something in his mind before throwing up the ball.

His body once again moved in the motion of a serve. His right foot moved behind him with his waist turned and his muscles were strained. The hand that was holding the racket was putting so much strength into gripping the racket that it was trembling. This serve required an insane amount of spin and speed, Sparrow.

*Papang!*

The 200 km/h serve was impressive to see. There was a small hole where the ball landed in the sand, but Han Woo Jin still wasn't satisfied.

'… I know the principle behind it, but is it bad to just follow along?'

He now knew what to do. However, he didn't know how to use Sparrow without the using the system due to his lack of talent. He might be able to do it if his skill level rises.

'As the serve level rises, the serves improve. That's for sure.'

Speed and precision improved. After hitting a few serves, he was able to tell the difference. Han Woo Jin's main skill in his previous life was being able to consistently and quickly to the service line. He was only good at serving.

"Ah, this again."

He ma.s.saged his aching wrist and complained to himself. He was thinking of how to deal with his self-blaming att.i.tude which became a bad habit of his. Then he heard a voice call to him.

"Hey Woo Jin! You're working so early!"

"Ah, Mr. Hw.a.n.g."

His name was Hw.a.n.g In Soo. He was one of the tenants in the same apartment and one of the neighborhood ahjussis that occasionally played tennis. His skills weren't that bad compared to the average person so he sometimes played with him. He was reminded of old memories when he saw his face. If he didn't see him, he would have never remembered him again.

Han Woo Jin grabbed Hw.a.n.g In Soo's racket. He opened his mouth and said, "Ah".

[Hw.a.n.g In Soo]

Strength 41 / Stamina 33 / Agility 32

HP 1290/1320 SP 210/210

Forehand: 5/20

Backhand: 5/20

Serve: 6/20

Smash: 5/20

Special Skill: None

'Oh, he's better than I thought.'

He turned 45 this year and he was better than Lee Jin Seob whom he played against in the exam. Compared to Lee Jin Seob who played by only focusing on his strength, Hw.a.n.g In Soo was an all-rounded player. However, he didn't have drop shots or lobs in his skill set which are heavily reliant on his reflexes.

While Han Woo Jin was looking at Hw.a.n.g In Soo's status window, he noticed that his own status had changed a little.

SP 315/330

'My SP decreased…? Is it because I used Sparrow?"

As he observed his status, his SP didn't decrease through just normal moves/skills. When he hit serves a couple times his HP went down but his SP never did. Han Woo Jin made the a.s.sumption that special skills used SP.

A large, wrinkled, and tough hand tapped Han Woo Jin's shoulder.

"What's wrong? Are you tired today? I was going to play with you today."

"Ah, sorry, I was thinking about something. You should warm up."

"Oh, so you can play? Alright, I'll start warming up."

Although he didn't have the talent, he was still a pro. There was no one in this neighborhood who played tennis better than himself. Hw.a.n.g In Soo was excited that he could play a game with someone that was on a high level like Han Woo Jin so he began warming up.

Han Woo Jin ma.s.saged his wrist until it no longer ached. Suddenly, he heard a voice pop up.

[You have finished your practice. I will calculate your practice experience.]

[… You practiced the serve 8 times. Your serve skill experience has increased a little.]

'Good.'

Han Woo Jin clenched his fist as he pumped himself up.

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