Season 4: Chapter 156. Spoils of War (3)
After the uproar, the talk of the town was clear. Everyone wanted to know the true identities of those invaders.
[Miho: They say the invaders were from Paprika Village~]
[Takoyaki: You’re kidding. Did they just hide and wait without streaming?]
[CreamPuff: Whoa, so it was Black Pepper! I recognized her voice, it’s too distinct lol]
[CutiePie: Omg you’re right?? I thought I heard her too lol]
Everyone had known about the invasion, but no one had imagined that the attackers were Paprika streamers.
[WhiteChicken: I heard they were all ex-Treevy streamers who moved to Paprika.]
[Miho: So wait... is this basically the old Treevy server reborn? Lolol]
[CreamPuff: No way.]
[Pollock: Nah, I think it’s all part of the platform war event.]
[Takoyaki: Hey, Pollock, no spoilers.]
The streamers quickly realized this could be laying the groundwork for the massive Platform War event.
[Miho: If that’s true, then thank god we at least won here, lol]
The Platform War would be a massive live survival competition between platforms, and almost no one bet on Cheese Village to win. Paprika was stacked with ex-pros. Even their amateurs could hold their own against professionals.
[Bubblegum: We could totally win the Platform War too if Almond is on our side. With him, I’d say it’s possible. Hmph.]
[Takoyaki: lol]
[Miho: haha]
[CreamPuff: Huh??]
[BlackTea: What are you even talking about, old man?]
As soon as the Platform War came up, it reignited the familiar tension and battle over recruiting top players.
— lol Black Tea going full serious
— Bubblegum, learn when to shut up LOL
— lmaooo Gum bro stop embarrassing yourself
Miho, sensing the awkwardness, changed the subject.
[Miho: Anyway, rumor has it Almond was the first to discover Paprika Village, haha]
— Here we go again, Almond worship returns lol
— Is it always Almond?
— Miho, let him go, he’s left Balloon Stars behind...
— LMAOOOO
— The Almond simp strikes again
Everyone laughed it off. Miho complimenting Almond had basically become a meme by now. Then, someone far worse joined in.
[ForeverAlone: That is not rumor, but fact. The Great Lord personally infiltrated Paprika Village alone on the first day and annihilated them. Thus, their forces were weakened.]
— ?
— ??
— Why does he sound like a North Korean news anchor lol
— “Throw a pinecone, it becomes a grenade...”
— ForeverAlone omg
He seemed ready to say more when...
[Miho: Omg! ForeverAlone’s first chat message ever!]
And just like that, he vanished.
Gasp.
He’d never even had the courage to look at Miho’s face properly. Talking to her was unthinkable.
— LMAOOOO
— Bro folded instantly
— Why say anything if you’re gonna panic like that? LOL
— This guy is unreal
ForeverAlone’s viewers cackled as he yanked his hands off the keyboard in sheer panic.
[Miho: Anyway, thanks to Almond, we don’t even have to pay taxes, right? It’s not worship, it’s just facts.]
She typed her reply into the chat herself.
[CreamPuff: True true]
[Takoyaki: That’s right~]
[BlackTea: Of course]
[Kenta: All hail Almond]
...
It wasn’t just in the chat. The rumor spread throughout the entire village.
“They say the Order won on their own, so we don’t have to pay any taxes.”
“What? That’s insane...”
“That’s what you call an alpha.”
No one doubted the story printed in Bubblegum’s article, especially now that their taxes had been wiped clean overnight. The people hailed the Order as heroes and spat on the Nonghyup Union.
“Then, what were those Union idiots doing? Why did they tell us to surrender to Paprika?”
“They were cowards. That’s why.”
“Traitors who’d sell out the country!”
“No wonder ancient Joseon purged appeasers of foreign barbarians!”
Their hatred for the Union came from one particular line in Bubblegum’s report.
[Meanwhile, the Nonghyup Union continued to advocate a conciliatory stance to pay tribute to Paprika.]
It mentioned conciliation, but everyone knew it meant surrender. The Union had become appeasers begging to pay tribute.
“This isn’t right! We were just talking about how much tax, not surrender!” Horn Ramen protested bitterly, but it didn’t matter.
‘We were doomed the moment Almond said they’d handle the fight themselves.’
Donuts knew it too. Bubblegum exaggerated the article, but it wasn’t wrong. From the moment Paprika first invaded, the Union had agreed to pay taxes to drive them off. They’d planned to redistribute that tax internally... In the end, the Order won and completely erased the taxes. That outcome rewrote the entire narrative.
“Dammit... What the hell am I supposed to do now?” Donuts slumped in despair.
— HAHAHAHA
— Absolutely destroyed
— GG go next
— Just give up bro
— Make it official: surrender
— lol he’s spiraling
— If he moves wrong now, it’s over! Just stay quiet
Ding!
[CurrentEvents has donated 20,000 won.]
[Introducing Donuts, a nostalgic creator once famous for stock trading and Blood RPGs 10 years ago. After the Cheese Village incident, his career collapsed...]
— LMAOOOOO
— Too soon
— They are already predicting his downfall on the news!
— Donuts is finished hahaha
The chat howled. A fake donation predicted his tragic future appearance on a washed-up creator series. Things had become that dire for the Nonghyup Union. They had hit rock bottom.
***
Meanwhile, the Order experienced the exact opposite. Everyone gathered at Sweet Radish’s house with bright, satisfied smiles.
‘Wow, that haul was insane.’
‘Those Spirit Bomb donations earlier? Unreal.’
‘This was so much fun.’
The players felt ecstatic at the donations that had flooded in. Morale had never been higher. However, the senior officers were nowhere to be seen.
“Sir, I don’t see the lord or Potato Servant anywhere.”
“Just wait. You think you’re ranked high enough to be calling for your superiors?”
“S-Sorry, sir!”
Sweet Radish managed the group in their absence, though even he didn’t know why they took so long.
‘What’s taking them so long?’
Almond and Potato Servant were still down in the basement. They said they had to discuss something, but it had been quite a while now.
[(Whisper) SweetRadish: Why aren’t you coming up yet!? The others are starting to wonder!]
Ding.
He messaged Almond. A reply came soon afterward.
[(Whisper) Almond: Doing the calculations. Send the others to dinner.]
[(Whisper) SweetRadish: Ah...! Understood!]
Of course, it was dinnertime.
Sweet Radish turned to the knights. “All right! You’ve all fought well. Go eat dinner, then gather here again in one hour.”
The sudden dinner order caught everyone off guard.
“In war, meals come without warning! Move it! Execute!”
“E-Execute!!”
In the Order, ranks were absolute. Everyone logged off in an instant.
Pop!
[(Whisper) SweetRadish: They’re gone.]
[(Whisper) Almond: You come down too.]
[(Whisper) Sweet Radish: On my way~]
Sweet Radish descended to the basement beneath the hall. There, beneath the flickering torchlight, Almond and Potato Servant stood surrounded by crates filled to the brim with loot. It was a good problem to have.
“Oh, you’re here.”
“Yes, sir. It took some effort to make the dismissal look natural.”
“Well done.” Almond nodded and gestured toward the chest. “How should we divide the spoils?”
Deciding how to split it would take time with such a huge quantity.
“I believe we should follow rank order, my lord.” Potato Servant suggested rewarding the seniors first.
Radish Servant, however, disagreed slightly. “I agree with Potato Servant in part, but among them, some deserve extra recognition.”
“For example?”
“Lackey ForeverAlone and Lemon Servant, both charged into the enemy line alone, certain to die, and bought us precious time.”
Almond nodded. That was true, but the tricky part was how to differentiate rewards.
“What if we award full Obsidian sets to those two alone?” Radish Servant proposed Obsidian gear.
Almond blinked. “Weren’t we giving everyone Obsidian?”
“Ha! My lord, are you saying that just for the camera again?”
— LOL
— Classic Almond move
— There he goes again, pretending to be generous on stream
Almond was being sincere. He seriously considered giving everyone Obsidian as it would significantly enhance their combat strength.
“If everyone gets Obsidian gear, it ruins the prestige!” Potato Servant quickly backed up Radish Servant.
— Potato Servant, lmao
— He’s obsessed with “the look”
— Hierarchy over efficiency, baby
“Ranks must be visible at a glance, my lord!”
“Hmm.” Almond understood that logic.
Hierarchy mattered, but still...
‘There are over thirty Obsidian sets. What’s the point of hoarding them?'
He grasped the value of hierarchy, but status could be marked in other ways.
“Radish Servant.”
“Yes, sir?”
“How’s the War Prep Division running?”
“Well... it was paused when Paprika invaded, but we can restart it now.”
Right, the Order’s true objective wasn’t just defense, but expansion abroad. They planned to colonize Paprika Village in return.
“You were organizing a mining team, right?”
“Yes. Ore is critical, and we can’t rely on Zelo forever. I’ll recruit more miners.”
Almond nodded. “All right.”
***
Later, after dinner, the Order reconvened outside Sweet Radish’s house.
“The Lord approaches!”
Clack!
At Lemon Servant’s shout, the ranks straightened in unison.
Almond and Potato Servant entered through the door.
“Loyalty!”
Almond casually waved for them to relax, and their hands dropped.
— Now this is power
— Damn, that discipline though
— Commander Almond!
— Cheese Village army looking legit
This rigid discipline was the work of Potato Servant and Maid Black Tea, with help from a few overly enthusiastic trainees. Hierarchy clearly had its place.
“Hmm.” Almond cleared his throat. “Everyone performed admirably in today’s battle. Of course, I performed the most admirably. Still, well done.”
— LMAOOOO
— He’s not wrong tho
— You can’t argue with facts
— The man did solo half the war
— The interview demon returns!
Almond had personally taken down more than half the enemies himself. No one dared to contest that.
“As much as effort deserves praise, effort also deserves reward.”
Gulp.
The Knights stiffened. Even the Servant squad fell silent.
“Everyone fulfilled their role, but those who distinguished themselves will receive greater compensation. The reward distribution begins now.”
In other words, commendations and loot would be handed out.
“First off, I’ll be taking the most since I did the most.”
“...”
— LMAO
— The boss who stays late and pays himself first
— Can’t even be mad
— True though
— It’s just so blunt LOL
“Now then, the Peasant squad, step forward!”
The first division lined up in a straight line.
“Yes, sir!”
Clack!
Eight Peasant members stood at attention.
“You will each receive a full set of Obsidian equipment.”
Their eyes went wide.
Meringue, the leading member, stammered, “A-A full set? You mean both weapon and armor, my lord?”
“Exactly as the Paprika soldiers wore them.”
The chest opened, and Potato Servant handed out the gear himself.
“Well done.”
“Loyalty!”
The grand reward automatically drew salutes.
“Oh~ good work Cocolackey~” Even Potato Servant, who had opposed giving out the sets, handed them over with a grin.
The once-fearsome drill sergeant smiled and patted their shoulders, which brought tears to their eyes.
“Sniff...! I didn’t even do much... Thank you, sir!!”
Some Peasant members outright bawled as they accepted their Obsidian gear.
— This is wild
— It’s literally a boot camp
— I’m crying lol
— Watching the Peasant squad’s POV makes it emotional
— Fun fact: Almond has never served himself LOL
“Next, the Lackey squad.” The moment Almond called them, the Lackey members stiffened, including ForeverAlone.
‘What about us...?’
If the Peasant squad received full Obsidian sets, surely they would get something even greater.
“Members among the Lackey squad will receive special commendations for exceptional valor.”
ForeverAlone’s heart pounded at the special awards too.
— Jung Gi-Chan! Jung Gi-Chan!
— His heart rate is spiking!!
— He’s gonna log out from excitement lol
— This is legit