Season 2: Chapter 74. Counterattack (2)
Almond rushed through the wind-swept plains and gasped for breath, feeling more skittish than the wind itself.
“Haah... Haah...”
He was just moving in a game, but the mental exertion still took its toll and affected his body.
‘Did I push too hard?’
He hadn’t exerted this much focus since the LIL tournament. Engaging in close combat with knights while wielding a bow was tougher than he anticipated.
— That was badass
— He killed them all
— That’s crazy
— How many did he kill? Looks like at least ten
— There are still so many left...
He had earned a bonus of thirteen gold, indicating that he killed thirteen of them. However, plenty of enemies remained.
‘Here comes more.’
Dudu! Dudu!
A new group of cavalry charged through the field, ten strong this time.
Almond began to remove his armor.
Thud. Thump.
— Genius Archer Stripper?
— This nut is free to view!
— Is he getting ready to fight seriously?
‘The armor is too heavy.’
He realized it during the fierce battle. While the heavy armor offered him protection, it hindered his agility. Lighter armor was preferable for swift movements.
Now, without the heavy armor and any arrows, he picked up a fallen sword. A sword against an entire cavalry offered no advantage.
Almond smirked and the viewers admired his choice of weapon.
— The blade looks special
— The last samurai: Almond-san
Fortune favored him with a decent sword.
“Hiyaaaa!”
A leading cavalryman lunged with a spear.
Clang!
Almond deflected it with his sword, but another spear came from below.
“Haap!”
Clang!
He deflected again, but another cavalryman charged at him.
Thud!
Clip-clop! Clip-clop!
It would be all over if they hit him once. The situation seemed hopeless.
Almond focused solely on survival and didn’t even entertain thoughts of defeat or hope. That could wait until the situation was truly beyond salvage.
Thwack!
Thwack!
The soldiers continued to thrust at him.
— Damn...
— It’s over...
— A legendary finish!
Thwack! Thwack!
Almond continued to roll desperately, trying to dodge. His leather armor tore apart and he bled through his sides and arm. His rate of dodging slowed as well. It looked like it would all end, but why?
Almond’s eyes glowed brighter than ever. He focused solely on the battle in front of him. He didn’t wonder whether it would end or if there was any hope. That was all meaningless to him. He simply focused on surviving the situation. If it didn’t work out, then it wouldn’t be too late to despair later.
‘It’s not over.’
The match wasn’t over in archery until the opponent's score was revealed. Even if it was mathematically or physically impossible to win, archers still shot until the end. Today's battle wouldn’t be his last.
“Inhale!”
Almond took a deep breath and sprang up.
Whoosh!
He used the momentum to soar up and tumbled through the stampede of horses, landing between their legs.
Almond mustered every last ounce of his strength.
“Urgh...”
Thud─
The ground cracked under his force as he transferred energy through his body into a sweeping sword strike.
Chwaak!
He cleanly sliced through numerous horse legs. Neighing in pain, the horses and their armored riders fell like rain.
Boom!
Thud!
Boom!
— Damn
— It’s over!
— The...
Five of the ten horses collapsed and chaos ensued.
“What... What is this...?”
“Damn!”
Had the sword been cheaper, it would have broken after cutting a few horse legs. However, it remained intact.
‘I’m still good.’
Almond checked his health.
[HP: 19%]
His HP was in danger.
‘I can’t afford to take a single hit.’
He was on his last straw.
“Haah. This guy!”
A fallen knight swung his sword and Almond responded.
Kiing! Clang!
Their swords clashed and his slid toward the knight’s neck.
Chwaak!
The knight’s head fell.
Almond only sustained a minor cheek wound after taking down another enemy.
‘Behind!’
He sensed an incoming attack and instinctively swung without even looking.
Chwaak!
“!”
Luckily, he precisely severed another neck.
He couldn’t relax yet. This time, attacks came from both sides and he tilted his head back.
Clang!
The enemies’ swords sparked against each other, missing Almond. He bent low and swept his blade.
Clang!
He couldn’t injure them through their armor, but he still knocked them down. As he tried to finish one off, another sword thrust approached.
Clang...!
Their blades screeched against one another. This opponent was sharp and skilled, his blade like a steel serpent.
Kiing! Clang!
Several exchanges later, the opponent’s blade began to nick Almond’s neck.
‘Ah.’
It seemed like the end. The knights he had knocked down began rising again. The mission appeared to be a failure.
‘Stay focused.’
As long as they hadn’t chopped off his neck, he still had a chance to counter.
What if a freak miracle occurred? Missing that chance due to being unprepared was unthinkable.
Then...
"!?"
Something suddenly flashed through the air and knocked both Almond's chin and the opponent's sword. Almond flipped backward while the opponent's sword... broke.
‘It broke...?’
The broken sword surprised him. Almond quickly regained his composure and leaped up. A new opportunity had presented itself whether it was a natural disaster or something else.
‘I can’t believe I survived this.’
He remained ready and thrust out his sword almost reflexively to pierce the skilled opponent's neck.
Thwok!
However, another sword already pierced the enemy’s neck.
‘Whose sword is that?’
He followed the pattern on the long, elegant sword and saw a knight when he looked up. The knight wore shining silver armor with a fluttering green banner and long red hair.
[wackjassey]
It was Jessie. She had returned on a magnificent horse that neighed impressively.
She extended her hand without any greetings and shouted, "What are you doing? Get on!"
A smile crept onto Almond's lips.
‘As expected.’
Unforeseen opportunities came to those who stayed prepared.
Clack─
He grabbed Jessie's hand and leaped aboard.
"Hiyaa!"
The stationary scene suddenly began to move past them.
***
Jessie's reappearance sent the chat rolling.
— Jessie, our savior!
— I can’t believe she came back!
— What a twist, turning up in the middle of a battlefield!
— She's stirring my heart!
— Here comes Raina’s ultimate rival!
Almond tagged along on her horse and was still processing the surreal turn of events.
‘Did she come alone?’
It seemed Jessie had ridden this far out alone. She now donned top-tier equipment, which was a stark contrast to her earlier appearance.
‘What happened?’
Almond felt confused. Jessie seemed like a regular spearfighter, yet now she looked like a royal knight reborn. She skillfully led her horse through the forest without a hiccup.
Clippity! Clop!
The trees blurred past them like a green wave and they easily outran the enemies chasing them.
“There! Catch up!”
“It’s over if we lose them!”
Only six enemy soldiers remained, including the veteran knight.
“Follow me!!!”
The knight who only stayed in the backlines finally participated in the battle.
Jessie muttered to herself as if she was complaining, “Weird. They should be giving up now. We must’ve pissed them off quite a bit.”
She smiled as she met eyes with Almond and saw his surprised expression.
“Are you surprised? Because of my gear?”
“Ah, yeah...”
— For real
— Were you hiding it all along?
— Jessie was the scav, LOL
“I was just scavenging earlier. I don’t have time to explain, so ask your viewers.”
— CivilFan! Where are you!?
– She’s asking for donations!
— Oh yeah, Jessie knows you’re streaming
— LOL
— CivilFan is being summoned even by Jessie!
[CivilFan has donated 1000 won!]
[Scav means starting with the cheapest gear, getting the most out of it, and buying time!]
Scav was short for scavenger. Despite being veterans, such players used cheap gear to get the most out of the battles they entered. Veterans were expensive to hire and had long wait times, so most of them resorted to this strategy. It disrupted the game’s ecosystem and many looked down upon doing this, but it was the reality of the game.
‘But...’
Jessie looked beyond well-equipped.
‘So this is what her original full-set looks like.’
Jessie started as a scav, but now she wasn’t.
— Jessie’s serious mode
— No wonder. She wasn’t really good at throwing spears, but she was a good fighter.
— Jessie was a veteran player!
Almond recalled Jessie holding up against a knight on a horse. He should’ve recognized her skills then, but no one noticed because of Almond’s overwhelming skill.
"Here, a gift."
Jessie handed him something.
"It's a bouquet."
It was actually a bundle of arrows, considering Almond's needs.
“I’m not confessing. It’s for you to shoot.”
“I can’t use these right now,” Almond said.
Riding backward and shooting arrows was practically impossible.
Jessie nodded knowingly, “Just keep them. You'll need them soon.”
“...?”
Soon, her words made sense as they emerged from the forest into the plains.
‘Our allies.’
Dudu dudu dudu!
An approaching flag signified a large cavalry about fifty to sixty strong.
— It's Commander MyDinner’s counterattack!
— The game begins!
The cavalry grew louder as they closed the gap.
"Hiiiyaaaa!"
"Wowwwww!!!"
Jessie turned around at about two hundred meters.
“Neigh!”
The situation suddenly flipped. Jessie and Almond, once fleeing, now led the charge.
“Which horse do you like?”
Without hesitation, Almond pointed at the veteran knight's horse.
“That one.”
“Okay.”
“Hiya!”
Jessie charged toward the enemy line.
— So cute, our little Almond! "That one! I want it!"
— Straight to the point, Almond!
— Jessie, the girl crush!
— So cool!
— Picking horses like a pro!