Season 2: Chapter 87. Rock Paper Scissors (3)
After their ambush was ambushed, Almond successfully boosted his unit’s morale with his precise shooting.
[Command]
[Attack the rear archers! Break through at one point!]
At his command, the special unit members rose and charged forward with spirited shouts. Their high morale while running was a good sign.
The special unit, composed of veteran archers, shot down the enemies as they charged.
However, Almond couldn't calculate the next step.
'What now?'
They initially caught the enemies off guard and killed several of them, but the enemies quickly responded.
The enemies dispersed throughout the area where the allies attempted to break through and positioned themselves on both flanks. No one stayed in front anymore as the enemy archers shifted to both sides.
Charging any further would turn it into a game of dodging arrows.
The enemies had to diligently aim and shoot at the charging allies. It would be a straightforward situation.
Some would survive even if a few died from their one-directional charge.
'But we're not even running in one direction.'
The special unit ran together, but they all looked in different directions. Everyone had their own interpretation of one point.
"What, that way!?"
"Isn't it here? Follow the leader!"
"The leader is going back and forth!?"
Almond couldn't just run in a straight line either. Arrows flew at them from both sides and this wasn't a highway, but a forest. The concept of a straight line was nonexistent.
That was when it happened.
Pshew!
[Charge Point]
The commander marked the best point for them to charge. All the special unit members turned toward that direction.
'That’s it.'
'Okay.'
'Finally.'
More directions continued to come through.
Ping!
[Cover]
Their commander also provided routes for them to take cover.
Almond reacted the fastest.
"Over there!"
He rolled and dived at where the commander marked an area for cover. Arrows would have to be shoved in to penetrate the dense rocks and trees.
Whoosh.
Almond drew his bow in that gap.
Pshew!
Pshew!
Almond and the enemy simultaneously fired their arrows.
Thud!
Almond's arrow pierced the enemy's philtrum while the enemy's arrow bounced off a rock.
"Here!"
"Come this way!"
The special unit members followed Almond into the cover area. Only their upper bodies leaned out as they drew their bows.
Pshew! Pshew! Pshew!
Arrows from both sides crossed in the air and dozens struck unfortunate trees.
"Retreat!"
"The enemy is retreating!"
Victory cries could be heard as the enemy subtly began to pull back their front line.
***
Betty, the enemy commander who ranked 46th, raised her eyebrows in confusion.
"Hmm?"
Why were her ambush archers retreating? Even wiping out the enemies there would have been insufficient.
She didn’t see exactly what happened as a commander who always observed various situations at the same time.
"Was spreading to the sides not enough?"
However, it didn’t fluster her. If a new situation arose, she would analyze it and issue new commands.
First, she needed to understand why they lost. She paused production for a moment to focus on what happened.
"An interesting variable appeared."
She grinned. This game's charm lay in its unpredictability. No matter how perfect a strategy, it was humans who executed it and humans who faced it.
Variables always arose. Some seemed insignificant at first, but could grow into insurmountable mountains by the end of the game.
She needed to nip such variables in the bud. Like a skilled gardener, she carefully managed her forces and removed the enemy's sprouts while nurturing her own.
"Oh?"
She briefly observed the battle and quickly noticed something.
"There's an interesting player here."
[Commander]
[There's a leader among the enemy archers. Black hair. Increase the distance and focus fire on that person.]
Pshew!
She marked a point further back from the current frontline formed by her archers.
[Retreat Point]
"Let's pull back further since we've already started. Until their formation falls apart."
Like actual military personnel, individuals moved at different speeds when walking or running. Terrain also varied and made it hard to maintain formation. Most formations fell apart over long distances unless the soldiers were highly trained. For instance, the formation of a full sprint could change from ─ to I over time.
Betty wanted to aim for that point when the enemy soldiers lined up to face her troops.
"They'll probably come this way."
[Ambush]
She set another ambush point.
The enemy would likely pass through there.
***
"... Seems like they've all retreated, right?" Almond leaned against a rock and asked his viewers.
— Yeah
— Right
— Did they run away?
— Did we win?
— Almond wins!
For now, they succeeded in making the ambush troops retreat.
Ding.
[Gandhi has donated 1,000 won.]
[Can't we just stay here and build a fortress? I'm worried about dying, haha]
The donor suggested they hold their position. It seemed reasonable as their current cover almost acted like a natural fortress.
Commander Kimchi Warrior had chosen a good spot.
However, Almond shook his head.
"If we just stay here, we'll still get sandwiched by the enemy's spear troops. Also, we can't build a fortress without any workers."
Staying put wasn't a solution. If the spear troops arrived, their cover would become meaningless. The spearmen could close in and stab them, so what difference would the current obstacles make?
— Oh...
— Walnut high-speed processor
— Rare good judgment from Almond.
Moreover, the commander ordered them to advance through this area instead of holding their ground.
"We'll probably have to move to the next area."
The commander marked three cover spots. Like a linked quest, they had just cleared Cover-1. Now, it was time for Cover-2.
[Cover]
A light shone down from the sky in the distance. They had to move to that spot next.
'How many of us are left...?'
[12/28]
Only twelve of them remained. It was regrettable, but Almond chose to focus on the next target considering they survived.
Then, Whiskey expressed a plausible concern.
"... Captain, what if the enemy is anticipating our route and is waiting for us?"
The enemy commander seemed quite sharp and such a scenario seemed likely.
'Should we take into consideration a strategic counter like that?'
How should they move if the enemy did anticipate them?
'What to do?'
He suddenly recalled the nightmare of being under a commander like MyDinner. It was hard to think of him as a competent commander.
Would Kimchi Warrior be any different? Better than the enemy commander? Such thoughts filled his mind.
"I have a good idea," Whiskey suggested.
***
Pssht!
Without any hesitation, Almond's special unit burst out.
Betty observed the scene through her scouts and smiled.
"Caught again."
Commander Kimchi Warrior’s win rate was good for his rank, but only within his rank. The two of them were playing on completely different fields.
Kimchi Warrior had a conventional playstyle. Commanders who stuck to the royal road were delicious prey for mavericks like Betty.
"Koreans play like a textbook."
Betty could read the typical command patterns of Korean players. They responded identically as if they all trained at the same place.
It was efficient for sure. Beginners could quickly climb the ranks by simply imitating Koreans. However, they thought in a confined way. Just because the cage was large and cozy didn’t mean it was the world.
Betty was a commander who roamed the world.
[Commander]
[Here they come. Prepare concentrated fire.]
Click!
Her archers simultaneously drew their bows.
The unaware enemies quickly charged to secure their cover area. They weren't in the proper posture to shoot arrows.
'There you are. Black hair.'
Betty spotted their leader amid the chaos.
[Commander]
[Here.]
Pshew!
The bushes likely obscured their view. Betty directly marked the target area.
[Fire]
Boom─
Bowstrings trembled and the shooting began. Arrows split the bushes and all headed in the same direction toward the enemies.
Such concentrated fire would kill at least one of them even if they wore the best armor or had the best dodging skills. The one to die would be their leader.
Pssht! Pssht! Pssht!
"Good."
The black-haired man instantly turned into a porcupine. He trembled and fell back.
"Nip the variable in the bud. Now it's over... Eh?"
Pssht! Pssht! Pssht!
Suddenly, three of Betty's archers fell and she looked at where the arrows came from.
"Ah, he's not dead?"
The black-haired archer hung upside down from a tree and ignored taking cover while shooting at her troops.
"What? He's hanging from a tree? Then, what about earlier...?"
Almond was in a completely different place from where the enemy had concentrated their fire. He was moving separately from his unit.
Then, who who died earlier?
***
— Whiskey-sama...
— He made an important sacrifice...
— Is this some kind of ritual suicide or something?
— What a man.
— The Shadow Warrior Whiskey
The viewers praised Whiskey for a reason.
“I have a good idea.”
His strategy had worked. In other words, Whiskey successfully died in place of Almond.
“In such special operations, the enemy commander will usually target the best player or leader. If the enemy is planning an ambush to regain the advantage, they’ll most likely target you.”
He proposed to wear Almond's clothes and deliberately expose his black hair as they charged.
“I'd rather die and join the reinforcements. You're needed here.”
Whiskey would resurrect and rejoin them after dying. Almond accepted the plan and they had gone through with it.
Swoosh!
Almond hung upside down from a branch and drew his bow. His comrades had disappeared along the normal route. This was now a solo operation.
“You can do it, captain. I'll tell you. In this game, quivers don't spill arrows.”
Whiskey had shared this tactic with him. It was still possible to shoot even while hanging from a branch that wasn’t thick enough to stand on.
Bang!
An enemy fell with each shot from Almond.
The enemies hid behind a good cover, but...
“Their cover is meaningless if you shoot from above.”
Their cover to block arrows on the ground was useless against Almond hanging from a tree.
Bang!
Bang!
Pshew!
The enemies chaotically collapsed as Almond continued shooting.
Thud. Thud.
Bodies quickly piled up with an arrow piercing their heads.
[20/30]
[18/30]
[15/30]
"Over there! In the tree!"
Half the enemy forces had died by the time they spotted Almond.
Most importantly, Almond's special unit wasn't just standing by.
"Charge!"
Pshew! Pshew!
They quickly closed the distance during the enemies' confusion and wildly shot.
Thud!
"Ah!"
They either forced arrows through the enemy’s cover or shot upward to create a rain of arrows.
In the meantime, Almond jumped to another tree.
"He's gone!"
The enemies aiming at him became flabbergasted.
"Where is he?"
"The ping is there, but...!"
The commander's ping wasn’t in 3D, so they only received 2D coordinates that were insufficient. It was hard to pinpoint Almond's location due to his curved shots and constant movement through the trees.
"How many are there?"
"It doesn't seem like just one!"
Almond reappeared hanging from a completely different tree. He seemed like a ghost to the enemies.
"There, there─"
Thud!
The one pointing at the ghost suddenly collapsed after being shot.
[10/30]
The enemies dwindled to ten, which also equaled the number of Almond’s allies.
Only Almond knew this as he observed them from above and shouted an order.
[Command]
[We have equal numbers! Don't lose heart. Wipe them out!]
His command echoed in every special unit member's ears.
"Die!"
"Aargh!"
"Get close! Shoot them point-blank!"
"Stab them with arrows!"
The special unit boldly charged into enemy cover and continued to reduce the enemies’ numbers. Finally...
"!?"
Thud.
Almond’s arrow struck the last soldier trying to flee and they successfully annihilated the enemy ambush unit.
"We still have Cover-3 left."
Their original plan was to break through and survive by bypassing the enemy. Instead, they had annihilated them.
— Did they kill them all???
— Crazy LOL
— He’s definitely a nuke. Just annihilated them
— I’m getting dizzy
— Passing through~(Annihilation)