Season 2: Chapter 82. Nani?! (1)
Siege weapons were incredibly important assets in Civil Empire because swords and bows couldn't breach walls no matter how many players attacked with them.
[Protect the Siege Weapons]
For this reason, commanders continuously emphasized the importance of protecting siege weapons. The players, in turn, fought fiercely to defend them.
"There's the catapult! Run!"
"Attack!"
Naturally, the enemy team also rushed toward any siege weapon with determination. However, siege weapons were akin to buildings and difficult to neutralize with just swords or bows.
"Switch to torches!"
The easiest way to destroy a siege weapon was to set it on fire. Before upgrading to fire arrows in the game, the infantry had to rush in and set the fires themselves. However, this strategy had a major flaw. Holding a torch clearly advertised an attack on a siege weapon, making it relatively easy for defenders to counter.
"There's a torch!"
"Block them!"
Torches could be easily spotted at night. Defenders simply had to point their spears in the direction of torches.
"Stab them!"
Thwack! Thwack! Thrust!
Almond's side, armed with torches, was ruthlessly killed.
"Arrgh!"
"Ugh!"
Everyone fell. They either dropped their torches and caused random fires or died without igniting anything significant.
One of them shouted, "Cut the rope! Cut the rope!"
A secondary method to neutralize siege weapons was to sever the ropes. Medieval catapults functioned by releasing tension from tightly wound ropes. Cutting these ropes would render the weapons useless.
"Cut it!"
A soldier attempted to sever the ropes.
Whoosh!
He swung his sword with great force.
Thump...!
However, a few tons worth of rock-flinging catapult rope couldn't be cut so easily. Without a saw, slicing through in just one blow was almost impossible.
"Ah... Damn it!"
They wouldn’t get a second chance to strike. The defenders weren't fools.
Thud, thud, thud!
The enemies pushed the soldier back and spears pierced his entire body.
"We couldn't break it..."
Thump!
The soldier lifelessly collapsed onto the ground and turned into a soul.
‘Ah...’
He tried to sever the rope before the catapult struck again, but failed. Would there be any hope in this battle?
‘This looks bad.’
The game's outcome could hinge on whether the catapult struck three or four times. They were already at a disadvantage. It seemed hopeless now that an extra hit was imminent.
He contemplated whether to renew his contract.
Swoosh!
Something whistled past his ear.
Thud!
An arrow accurately struck the rope.
Flutter, flutter, flutter...
The rope didn't sever, but about a third of it frayed off.
"What's that!?"
"An arrow!"
The enemies grew startled too and looked around. Initially, it seemed like an accident.
"Just bad luck."
"Quick, load the stone!"
"Yes, hurry! Load it! Let's fire again!"
The enemies rolled a giant rock and loaded it onto the catapult. Firing repeatedly was crucial, but─
Swoosh!
"!?"
"!"
This time, another arrow frayed the rope halfway. Could this be a coincidence? Twice in a row? Then, the arrow type caught their attention.
"Look at this. It's an X-crash. The last one was an X-crash too."
"Insane... Is this intentional?"
The axe-bladed arrow was perfect for tearing through soft materials. Twice, the same type of arrow had hit the rope. If it broke, the catapult would need extensive repairs.
"Pull!"
They decided to proceed. Even though the rope was half-frayed, it was just a game. The catapult would work as long as the rope was still attached.
Screech!
The stone-loaded catapult arm pulled back and the rope stretched taut.
"We can survive two more!"
"Fire...!"
They didn’t have time to aim and had to fire immediately before another arrow struck the rope. Just as the catapult was about to launch...
Swoosh!
Another arrow came flying just before the catapult launched. The arrow landed precisely at the same spot again.
Swoosh!
It should’ve been able to withstand at least two more shots.
“!”
“!?”
“Oh, oh no!”
This time, the rope completely snapped due to being stretched taut.
"Shit, jump!"
"Ugh!"
The rock that was about to be launched tilted toward the side of the broken rope and rolled off.
Rumble...
It crushed the catapult.
Boom!
***
"Ah, that worked," Almond muttered in satisfaction.
'But why did it collapse?'
In theory, the catapult shouldn't have collapsed. The timing happened to work out miraculously and the rock made an incredible impact.
Almond feigned ignorance and asked the observer via chat, curious if this achievement was enough for a pass.
[Almond: Is this good enough?]
[Observer: Sorry, but I can't make a unilateral decision. We need to review the footage together. It's difficult for me to say anything definite.]
The observer evaded giving him a direct answer. Almond understood he was just an employee following company protocol and couldn't make decisions on his own.
'At least he didn't say it was iffy this time.'
It sounded better than the previous games when the observer outright said his performance was ambiguous. This time, they deferred any judgment.
'Good.'
Almond figured the observer probably thought it was good enough, but couldn't confirm it due to their position.
'I doubt shooting down one catapult makes me look like a hacker.'
Besides, Almond had high standards for himself and the observer's reluctance didn’t bother him.
Almond didn’t find his own actions impressive, but the Japanese archer who had been commenting from the side approached him in astonishment with dropped jaws.
"Hey, did you really do that?!"
Almond stared at him for a moment and nodded.
“Yeah.”
The Japanese archer’s jaws dropped again.
"How did you do that?"
"I severed the rope."
“...?”
The archer became flabbergasted.
"From here?" he asked and pointed into the distance.
Almond simply confirmed without any interest to further the conversation, "Ah, yeah."
He continued shooting arrows at the next targets.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Soldiers kept falling to his arrows.
"Crazy...!"
— LOL, he has such good reactions
— This is the power of Joseon’s arrows!
— Haha he’s quite likable
The Japanese archer, convinced of Almond's skill, kept asking more questions.
"Hey, but that rope doesn't cut in one go. Did you keep hitting the same spot with X-crash? Is it because of the Korean horn bow and its strong tension? Huh? What rank are you? S-class? Where are you from? Are you Korean?"
‘Who is he?’
Almond frowned at the incessant questioning and finally checked the archer's ID.
[ウイスキー]
The archer’s name meant Whiskey in Japanese, but Almond didn't understand and didn't care. He had no time for friendly chit-chat with this person.
"No, I'm Chinese. There are videos on YouTube saying I'm Chinese."
— LOL, he’s a Chinese hacker
— So funny
— Hahaha
"Chinese? But why did you create an ID in Korean?"
"Just to look like I’m good."
— Just keep lying~
— Did you practice your lines?
— Corporate experience!
Almond remained resolute against any further questions. The Japanese archer, Whiskey, kept wanting to continue the conversation.
"Are you really Korean? You look like..."
A loud noise drowned out his words.
Rumble!
It came from the enemy's siege tower. A massive uproar drowned out his words again.
Rumble!
The noise came from the enemy's battering ram targeting the wall about one hundred meters away.
"It’s the battering ram!"
"Block it!"
***
The siege tower, or more accurately a tower cart, matched the height of the walls and featured great mobility. Soldiers boarded this tower to rush the enemy's walls. The tower served as a makeshift elevator, a much safer alternative to ladders, and allowed access to enemy walls.
Boom!
The enemy's siege tower crashed against the wall.
Creak!
The door opened, revealing dozens of soldiers charging and screaming.
"Attack!"
Rumble!!!
Dozens of soldiers, heavily armored with shields, surged onto the walls. This was a nightmare for archers and clearly the enemy commander's strategy.
"This is bad! We only have archers on the wall!"
"This is insane... How many are there?"
The archers faced a dire situation trapped on the wall like cats dropped into a box of mice.
Ping!
The allied commander ordered a retreat.
[Retreat]
Where could they retreat in this narrow space? Only a few of them could pass through the stairs at a time.
Thud!
An enemy mace struck down an allied soldier.
“Attack!!”
The enemy assault began.
Patter, patter, patter!
The archers retaliated with arrows, but the enemies’ shields and armor blocked them.
The archers tried to flee while swearing and panicking.
"Damn it!"
“God damn!”
"Move! Didn't you hear the retreat order?"
The enemy soldiers, emboldened by the chaos, pushed forward. They became filled with grit and charged.
Rumble!
"We've got them! Finish them off!"
“Alright!!”
The enemy split into two groups, aiming to conquer both sides of the wall. The archers split too as they desperately fled.
A cat-and-mouse chase took place on the east side, but the west was different.
Click.
Two archers blocked the path down the road. One of them was Almond.
“Uh, uh... Is this alright?”
Whiskey stood alongside Almond. He had unwittingly followed Almond and found himself in a twenty versus two fight.
Almond drew his bowstring and advised him, "Shoot if you want to live."
— (I need to perform here)
— The Japanese guy is confused!
— Why did you follow him? LOL