Season 2: Chapter 85. Rock Paper Scissors (1)
Someone was receiving a barrage of criticism in real-time as the view count soared.
— Is this how they usually verify in games?
— What's going on? It's so unfair. It's obvious he's not cheating. The observer is really ridiculous.
└ It's so frustrating. I'm trying to call them.
└ All my peers are already making calls~~
— It seems overseas game companies are more rigid and strict.
└ If the observer doesn't answer, call the company's customer service and internal lines ~~ (link)
The person in question was the observer. Their company office was buzzing as if a fire alarm went off.
Ring ring!!!
“Hey, aren't all these calls for you?”
“Supervisor Lee! The phone keeps ringing...”
“Yes? No, what do you mean? Become what when you grow up?”
The calls had been manageable before the observation started, but now every phone in the office was ringing off the hook.
“How did everyone even get these numbers?!” the observer lamented.
“It's like there's a spy among us!”
The employees had to switch to messenger apps for communication as their phones were overwhelmed. As time passed, the observer felt like he was sitting on hot coals.
‘What’s going on...?’
Almond’s plays and the long-distance dismantling of the trebuchet should have been enough to resolve any hacking controversies. However, the observer couldn’t do anything right now due to their company policy requiring multiple reviews of the entire game.
“Our Korean YouTube channel, Lunatic, is also getting bombarded with comments,” a colleague informed them.
“The recent short video got too many views. It’s causing a stir...”
The Lunatic channel, the Korean branch of Civil Empire, was initially unpopular. However, it was in chaos right now.
— Bark! Bark! Bark!
— Free Almond!
— Lunatic jerks, we've come to take you down!
— Nukes? Lol, I'll acknowledge you if one of you beats Almond’s Raina in a fight. Otherwise, let him go.
— I'll offer you corn. Just give us the nuts. Then there will be no bloodshed.
The employees tried to manage the situation following their manual.
— We're just following the procedures. We can’t give Almond special treatment...
Such responses were futile. A full-blown revolt was taking place with no room for reason. Even logically, too many loopholes existed.
└ So why is the procedure like that? lol
└ Will they also say Kim Yuna is fake if she fails three jumps? lol
└ Special treatment? Lol I don't care, just shut down the channel and go home.
The company’s improvised verification system was out of touch with modern gaming culture. This hadn't been an issue before because no famous domestic player had ever been suspected of hacking.
This was the first case involving a streamer as murmurs spread throughout the department.
“Some big shot’s friend is involved here.”
“He played duos with an executive, right?”
“No, it's the son of someone important.”
As such rumors spread, the observer was almost in tears.
‘Why... Why me...?’
He began questioning why he had been assigned to this disaster.
***
Meanwhile, Commander Kimchi Warrior was in disbelief.
‘Did he really stop them?’
The defense had been unbelievable. He couldn’t see it properly due to his role, but it seemed like two archers (or rather one) had stopped twenty men.
Thanks to Almond’s incredible feat, reinforcements arrived without much enemy interference and they successfully defended the walls.
“Woaaaah!”
“We held them off!”
Ping!
The commander directed the troops and planned to push the frontline forward. At the same time, he was looking for the archer who performed brilliantly.
[Proceed]
‘That guy looks like the one.’
He followed the handsome, dark-haired archer with his mouse.
***
‘Phew. I held them off.’
Almond felt relieved after the successful defense. Failure could have meant death and further hacking accusations. He glanced up at the chat window with the observer.
‘The observer hasn't reacted.’
The observer hadn't commented yet.
‘He probably won’t say anything until the end of the match.’
The observer mentioned that he couldn’t make unilateral decisions and was simply there to supervise.
‘I just need to show them more.’
The stage for a comeback was set and more battles would likely occur. Almond decided to showcase even more of his skills. He would only convince them more that way, win the game, and get more footage for YouTube. It was a triple win.
His current wish was simple.
‘A stealth mission would be ideal.’
Like the original video that sparked the hacking controversy, becoming part of a special forces team to infiltrate enemy lines seemed best.
Then, he received a message from the commander.
[Commander]
[Were you the archer who fought 1 vs. 20 on the wall? If yes, give a thumbs up.]
Almond promptly gave a thumbs-up.
[Commander]
[I’ll give you a special mission soon. Just follow orders for now.]
‘Oh?’
The exact opportunity he had been hoping for arrived.
‘I hope it’s a stealth mission.’
Almond wanted a challenging, yet promising stealth mission. He was told to stand by while waiting for the special mission.
[Standby]
All soldiers halted and workers rushed from behind to build watchtowers and defenses. The soldiers were tasked with defending against potential enemy surprise attacks.
Almond turned to read the chat in this brief lull.
— Wow, he held them off
— This guy is insane
— Wow
— Sweet, a mission?
Amid the various conversations in the chat, Almond saw a common scene for streamers.
‘... Huh?’
His eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the number of viewers.
[Current Viewers: 31,000]
The count had soared past 30,000. Wasn't this the number he reached right after winning the LIL tournament? Almond tilted his head in wonder.
‘Why is it increasing now?’
Even as he watched, the numbers kept climbing.
[Current Viewers: 32,000]
An explosive influx of viewers poured in. The short that Ji-Ah uploaded caught the algorithm’s attention and became a hot topic in various communities. Apparently, it sparked significant interest since the event was ongoing. Those intrigued by the news tuned in live to his stream.
— Did he block them this time?
— Wow, he's really playing lol
— Hack verification lol why is this funny?
A catalyst arrived that would ignite the interest of these new viewers even further.
Ding!
[Special Mission]
Objective: Annihilate the enemy's spearmen unit
Details: The enemy will counter our cavalry with spearmen. The ambush will take place in the eastern bushes. As our cavalry fakes a retreat, the archer unit will strike the enemy's flank.
Rewards: 1 gold per spearman, 20% bonus for total annihilation, and 1 silver for each spearman killed by your unit members.
Privilege: You have been appointed as the leader of the special mission squad. You have been temporarily granted command authority for this operation.
‘It’s not a stealth mission, but it’s still a special mission.’
Almond accepted without even checking the rewards. His current goal wasn't money, but an opportunity to showcase his skills.
[Accept]
Ping!
A light shone from above and a band appeared on Almond’s arm.
[Special Mission Leader]
He was now the leader of the special mission.
“Nice.”
— Wow, it looks so cool
— A band, lol
— Unenlisted squad leader, impressive
The archers assigned to the special mission started gathering around him.
“Hello.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Wow, it's him. The guy from earlier!”
They all seemed experienced and were of various foreign nationalities.
“Lucky, I made it too!”
A familiar face joined. It was the Japanese archer, Whiskey. Almond was unaware that Whiskey actually contributed significantly to his viewership and was oblivious to the chat's reactions.
— Nani guy, lol
— Whiskey-san!!!
— It's fate
— Mr.NANI brought me here
— Nani man, lol
Almond wasn’t aware of Whiskey’s nani exclamation from earlier and simply greeted him as they waited for the commander’s instructions.
[Commander]
[Sending a fake cavalry unit.]
First, the commander dispatched a cavalry unit to start a fake battle against the enemy.
“Yeehaw!”
The friendly cavalry charged forward, followed by some infantry and siege units as a decoy. Then, the commander's order for an ambush came.
Ping!
[Ambush]
Almond led the way, signaling the twenty or so archers to follow him. The commander kept sending them briefings, emphasizing the importance of this operation.
[Commander]
[The enemy will counter our cavalry with spearmen.]
This was the basic tactical concept of the game.
Spearmen were strong against cavalry, archers were more effective against spearmen, and cavalry had an advantage over archers. This rock-paper-scissors relationship made combat in Civil Empire quite challenging.
The cavalry would charge to lure the spearmen. Then, the archers would move in to shoot followed by the enemy's cavalry and spearmen again. In this cycle of endless repetition, the battle was decided by where and when a mistake occurred.
The battle could also be decided by a strategy that anticipated and exploited an enemy's error from the start.
[Commander]
[Therefore, we're conducting this ambush operation.]
‘Let's wipe them out.’
Almond was ready to make a significant impact on this mission.
***
Shuffle.
The squad under Almond's command successfully hid in the bushes, waiting for the friendly cavalry to lure the enemy spearmen. Then, they would unleash a barrage of arrows.
Thud-thud-thud!
The sound of hooves approached.
‘Here they come.’
Almond readied his bow and commanded the archers, “Load! Hold!”
The archers prepared, but didn’t fire yet. The enemy hadn't come close enough.
Thud-thud-thud!!!
The friendly cavalry rushed past below, followed by the enemy spearmen.
After a brief silence—
“Fire!!!”
Swoosh!
Almond's arrow flew out first, striking the lead spearman in the eye. This signaled the rest of the squad to unleash their arrows and dominate the battle.
However—
“What?!”
Arrows started flying in from behind them.
“What's happening?!”
One by one, archers on the special mission quickly collapsed.
[20/28 squad members left]
“We're being ambushed! It’s a trap!”
In the blink of an eye, their squad had been decimated.
‘An ambush within an ambush?’
The enemy commander had completely outwitted them.