Season 4: Chapter 148. Knights vs. Paprika (1)
Paprika’s leader was Shrimp. He was so well-versed in Survival Craft that he could have built an entire server on his own and had quickly devised the strategy of funneling all their resources into a single Lava Shaman.
“Food comes from Cheese. All we need to do is keep scaling our combat power.”
Shrimp instantly understood how to grow Paprika Village. Their barren land made farming inefficient, but the soil was rich in iron and perfect for forging weapons. He grasped this faster than anyone, and his plans always unfolded smoothly.
‘If not for that bastard...’
Everything had gone wrong since that one outsider appeared. His original plan hadn’t been to scrape food from Cheese with bluffs and a single Lava Shaman. Paprika was supposed to be strong enough by now to swallow the entire Cheese village whole. Now, he was staring at his second crisis.
“Hmph. No tricks here.”
Shhhk!
Radish Servant drew his sword, and flames erupted across the field.
“It’s a proper trick.”
The blaze reflected in Shrimp’s widening pupils. Anger burned inside him to match. “These bastards won’t be reasoned with!?”
He couldn’t let Paprika be belittled.
‘Nobodies, daring to deceive us?’
He would wipe them all out.
“Die!”
Rrrrrumble!
A ball of molten lava swelled in his palm.
Radish Servant’s eyes flashed. “Now!”
From the flank, Servant Lemon suddenly leaped out. “Heeheehee! Here I cooome!!”
She charged with several Knights at her side.
“Chaaarge!!”
“Uraaaaah!!”
— Holy crap
— They’re just rushing in??
— LMAO
— Servant Lemon so reckless lol
Even knowing that the enemy had a Lava Shaman, the Knights charged in headfirst.
“A Lava Shaman can’t use skills with allies nearby!”
“Stick close! Get in his face!”
The Lava Shaman’s spells were so destructive that nearby allies made any casting impossible.
“Hah! This is your strategy!?” Shrimp laughed. “Show them!”
“Yes, sir!”
Shhhk!
Dozens of Paprika villagers drew their blades.
Radish Servant’s eyes shook at their weapons glowing violet.
‘Obsidian.’
Their blades, forged of obsidian, were far superior to mere steel.
“Cut them all down!”
“Waaaaah!!”
The Paprika warriors surged forward. Their combat power had always outmatched Cheese Village.
Claaang!
Servant Lemon’s sword was stopped in mid-swing.
“Urgh!”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A relentless flurry forced her back.
“Too early for you, little rookie.”
[Black Pepper]
It was Black Pepper, the fighting game veteran. After her defeat to Almond, she had sharpened her technique and drove her blade into every blind spot.
Clang!
Clash!
[Durability: 25%]
Servant Lemon’s blade had already become a chipped wreck. She couldn’t keep up. Neither could the others.
“D-Dammit...!”
“Ugh!”
Paprika’s obsidian-wielding elites overpowered even the hand-picked Knights.
‘We knew this would happen.’
The Knights had prepared for this very moment.
“There are exactly two ways they lose to us,” Almond had explained during the briefing. “One: they can’t receive donation buffs.”
The Paprika residents didn’t stream.
“Help me out, guys!!” Servant Lemon raised her blade high.
[LemonGuardian has donated 10,000 won!]
[Ade has donated 10,000 won!]
[:O has donated 10,000 won!]
...
Bzzzzzt!
Stacks of shimmering buffs enveloped her.
“Again?!”
“What the hell... Is she the chosen one?”
“Don’t panic! That’s just stream...”
CRAAASH!!
Servant Lemon’s slash hurled Black Pepper flying across the field.
“Guhhh!” Black Pepper continued tumbling and spat as she hit the dirt.
— Wait, that really sounded like Black Pepper.
— The hit sound LMAO
— #$@&
— !)#@(@#(%*
The other Knights cried out.
“Help me too!”
“Me as well!”
They weren’t the most popular streamers, but this was no ordinary fight. This was the holy war to protect Cheese Village from invaders. It had a perfect cause.
[GoulashFan donated 10,000 won!]
[Let’s keep Goulash alive~]
In a channel where even five-thousand-won donations were rare, the screen now poured with tens of thousands.
[DonaeDo donated 10,000 won!]
[Let’s gooo!]
[YES donated 10,000 won!]
[LET'S GO]
[TeaTea donated 10,000 won!]
[Please, give her a good buff!]
...
BZZZZT!
A thunderclap struck down where Goulash stood.
“Guhhh!”
Other streamers followed suit.
“Haaaaaaah!!”
BOOOOM!!
Empowered by overwhelming buffs, the tide of battle turned.
— LET’S GOOOOO
— \o/\o/\o/
— \o/\o/\o/\o/
— Push!!
— \o/\o/
...
***
“They, they’re pushing Paprika back!!” Park Oh-Hoon shot to his feet in shock.
“What? You’ve got to be kidding me...” PD Jang stood too, torn between laughter and dread.
“The donation graph is insane!”
Some staff were thrilled at the numbers. Others panicked over the collapsing scenario.
“Shouldn’t we nerf sponsor buffs right now!?”
“No way. It’s a streamer game. That’s the whole point.” PD Jang’s words sounded absurd.
This flood of support was supposed to be impossible. The Knights had created a situation so righteous and compelling that viewers emptied their wallets of their own accord. All the momentum belonged to Cheese.
“But why isn’t Shrimp streaming? Didn’t we say to go live when invading?”
“This isn’t an invasion, though.”
“Oh...”
The Paprika villagers had only come to collect food and not to formally invade.
“Or maybe... he’s saving it for the critical moment?”
“What? At a time like this?”
“They haven’t lost anyone yet.”
It looked like the Paprikare villagers were retreating, but they hadn’t suffered any casualties. Beneath their robes, they wore the obsidian armor crafted by Zelo.
“They’re holding back. They’re fine.”
“The buffs have expired!”
“Close-up on Servant Lemon!”
“Yes!”
Shhhk!
The camera zoomed in just as a blade thrust toward her.
***
Shrimp smirked.
‘As expected... Zelo was right. Donation buffs have time limits.’
They already knew and didn’t panic like before. The Paprika villagers had prepared this time.
“Kyaaaaaaah!!” Servant Lemon screamed and fell.
The rest of the Knights collapsed soon afterward.
“Playtime’s over, bastards!”
“They resisted us! Mongol style! Wipe them all out!!”
Fury drove the Paprika villagers into a frenzy.
“Die! Die!”
“Urk!”
However, Shrimp froze as his eyes flicked to the front line.
‘Strange.’
Radish Servant and the Knights behind him hadn’t moved an inch.
‘Why?'
This was the perfect moment for a counterattack. Why weren’t they pressing? The answer soon came.
“Awooooooo!!”
“Huh?”
Radish Servant grinned. Servant Lemon and the others had been bait. Their collapse was nothing more than a distraction. The real plan would unfold now. The second weakness that Almond had revealed.
‘The monster waves.’
Paprika knew nothing about Cheese Village.
RUMBLEEEEEE!!
A horde of monsters surged from the rear.
“What the hell!?”
“F-Fire Wolves! Fire Wolves!!”
Flames clung to their pelts as they charged. Among them, a new beast appeared.
“ROAAAAAR!!”
[Trollshich]
The giant wielded a massive club.
— Why is it named Trollshich? LMAO
— Bruh
— Damn Trolls!
Its name sounded ridiculous, but its power was no joke.
CRAAAAASH!!
One swing of its club sent the Paprika fighters flying like dust.
“Arghhh!!”
“Gyaaaaah!!”
“Damn Trollshich!!”
The Paprika villagers reeled in chaos.
“D-Dammit! Regroup!” Shrimp scanned the battlefield and pointed toward the Radish House behind Radish Servant. “Break through there! Charge!!”
It was possible. That side didn’t have any of their allies. With lava magic, they could smash through.
[Magma Beam]
Rrrrumble...!
Shrimp’s robe trembled as magma surged to life.
BOOOOOOM!!
“What!?”
The ground itself erupted, and the Magma Beam fizzled against a wall of earth.
‘A Geomancer?’
No.
‘Huh?’
Whoosh...
The ground vanished from beneath them. Shrimp felt his body drop.
Radish Servant stared down from above with a remote detonator in hand. The ground had collapsed after being planted with explosives. His grin said it all.
‘Goodbye.’
Shrimp’s face flushed scarlet. “Y-You insane son of—Aaaah...!!”
— LMAO
— This is it!
— They actually pulled it off!
— Genius
— Obsidian? Yeah, they grow from the ground!
RUMBLE...!!
Dozens of Paprika fighters plunged into the chasm, only to be swallowed by the monsters.