Season 2: Chapter 108. Beyond the Wall (1)
At the same time in the Embul community, users asked in confusion.
[Who's that?]
[They’re trying to target Almond's stream right now.]
[LOL, they did that to counter him?]
All the seasoned players gathered in the community and began to claim that Almond’s current opponent was a stream sniper. Users would normally argue about whether the stream sniper accusations were true or not, but these were all skilled players.
They all agreed. It seemed almost certain that the opponent was a stream sniper. The discussion continued on about which was better, stream sniping or a cheesy strategy.
[Stream sniping is wrong.]
[But you can’t complain even if you get sniped.]
[Loop plays Embul, right?]
[The fast archer rush is at least a strategy allowed in the game. How can you compare it to stream sniping?]
[You obviously have to think about the risks if you continuously do it. Someone will eventually prepare a cheap counterattack, LOL.]
And so on. While opinions clashed, they kept uploading posts. As with most community topics, they had no intentions of bridging the gap and agreeing.
However, they unanimously agreed on one thing.
[Almond is going to lose the first game of his promotion matches.]
They all agreed that Almond and BornToB would lose this game. The reasoning went like this.
[Kimchi Warrior is right. The opponent's over-the-top defense is a complete waste. They lost because BornToB was the commander.
The opponent’s strategy is actually optimized to stop a fast archer rush led by Almond. You just need to block off the archers and that's it.
BornToB doesn’t know how to do anything else other than the fast archer rush. No, even if he does, he doesn't know what to do after the fast archer rush gets stopped in this situation.
In short, Loop properly counterattacked at the right time.
You guys keep talking about stream sniping, but being sniped is the default in national matches. Think of this game as a practice round.
Kimchi would probably think the same.]
— They’re going to lose because of BornToB...
— I don't know if the opponent is smart or stupid, but they did stream snipe at the right time as you said.
— Right LOL. Why is everyone so mad about stream sniping in a game where all the strategies are about countering each other? LOL.
— This level of stream sniping is nothing... It’s only an issue because it’s a popular streamer.
Almond continued to blankly stare at the wall while everyone on Embul anticipated his defeat.
***
"Hmmm..."
Almond blankly looked up at the wall. This wasn’t the same wall he initially looked at. It was another wall he came across after circling around the first wall.
“It's blocked here too,” Almond reported to the commander.
However, it was useless.
“Ah... Ah... What should we do??” the commander panicked and lost his mind after his only strategy failed.
Almond was still in his right mind, but couldn’t advise BornToB because he had never commanded the battlefield before.
Then─
"Huh, what's this? Our commander has lost his mind?!"
A complaint came from behind among the nearly twenty archers gathered behind Almond.
Someone else chimed in, "If walls are blocking us, you should just accept it and go to the third era?”
“Why does he keep recruiting only archers?"
"It’s a total disaster. The commander seems stupid."
Murmur. Murmur.
The archers chattered about this and that after the first complaint.
"We're all doomed if the enemy progresses to the third era and brings out knights!"
"Knights are the least of our worries. What if they bring catapults?"
"Knights are the least? Are they peasants or something? You’re dumb!"
"What!? Are you calling me a dumb bitch!?"
"What? No, that's not what I meant... It's a translation error!"
"Stop talking nonsense!"
Soldiers began arguing among themselves.
'This isn’t great.'
Naturally, the army’s morale hit rock bottom.
Almond pondered deeply, 'What if their strategy works?'
What the soldiers said earlier. Was that the right strategy? Should they quickly move to the third era as suggested?
They did find themselves in an advantageous position because the enemy spent all their resources on building walls.
'Perhaps.'
The strategy sounded quite plausible even to Almond. He conveyed those exact words to the commander.
“These walls must have cost a lot. How about moving to the third era?”
— What's with this advice? LOL.
— Free feedback, sweet!
— But will it work just by telling him?
“Huh!? Eh, isn't it already too late? We went all-in... and don't have many workers...” BornToB hesitated as expected.
Anyone would if they had to suddenly change from the strategy they practiced, especially if the one suggesting the change had a similar level of command skills to Almond.
“The other soldiers here are saying we have a higher chance of winning if the commander makes good decisions,” Almond emphasized that this wasn't his opinion and came from the rest of the group.
Maybe it was because of that? BornToB seemed willing to try something.
“Ah... that... Yes. Yes. I understand.”
The resource numbers being displayed suddenly dropped significantly. It looked like something big was being built.
— Sigh. At least he’s trying something.
— I’m really curious what OrangeKing would say. I gotta go watch it after the delay, LOL.
— DumbToB...
Whether or not they knew Almond was relaying their words, the soldiers continued to give more unsolicited advice.
“No! We should patrol around the wall to make sure their workers can't sneak out and mine resources outside!”
“Right. Right.”
“Agreed.”
Almond relayed their advice to BornToB again.
“They said this... and that...”
“...”
BornToB decided to pass command authority on the battlefield to Almond.
“I'll give you command authority. Just please don't do anything reckless. I'll try to get to the third era as fast as possible. Of course, I know how to do that!”
‘No one said you didn't know how to do it?’ Almond thought to himself.
It felt more worrying since BornToB said that of his own accord.
Thud!
A band appeared on Almond's arm.
[The commander has appointed you as the Leader.]
[You temporarily have command authority on the field. Soldiers cannot openly refuse your orders.]
The sudden appointment of a leader surprised the soldiers.
“Why him? Is it because he came to the front first?”
“Is he playing as a duo? He hasn’t said anything in a while. Seemed like he was talking to the commander.”
“So everything is on us now?”
While the archers openly complained, Almond just silently stood and stared at them.
“Hmm...” Then, he muttered softly as if he had an idea, “Ah.”
It seemed like a good idea.
He suddenly declared, “I’m giving out an order.”
The soldiers chatting among themselves suddenly turned toward Almond.
‘Out of nowhere?’
‘Is he going to search around the wall?’
‘Probably dispersing troops for reconnaissance.’
‘Probably trying to trap the enemy inside the wall.’
Everyone thought along these lines, but something entirely different came out of his mouth.
“Go there and....”
He pointed toward the back wall.
“Lie down.”
— ???
— ?
— ...?
— He literally just got the armband and told them to stay low, LOL.
— Is he establishing discipline first? LOL.
***
Meanwhile, OrangeKing and Kimchi Warrior discussed BornToB’s current situation.
“What do you think about the situation BornToB is in right now?”
It seemed like they would have to change their strategy for the first time.
Kimchi Warrior didn’t respond.
“...”
He just clasped his hands and closed his eyes.
“Ah...! Everyone! Kimchi Warrior is praying right now!”
— LOL.
— Don’t talk like a commentator.
— You make it sound so urgent!
— The prayer meta, lol.
“Isn’t Kimchi Warrior atheist?”
“Yup, that's right...”
“Wow! Everyone! This is the level of skill BornToB has! The evangelist of victory! BornToB!”
— Don’t hype him up for that LOL.
— What kind of god is the evangelist of victory? LOL.
— God himself doing the evangelizing?? LOL.
“But really, what do we do now?” OrangeKing returned to the game. “It seems my invented Rainawood strategy isn’t working either...”
— Is that... a strategy...?
— Why are they regretting it? LOL.
— Because the wall isn’t made of Rainawood.
“Seems like BornToB has to switch to a more typical strategy. The enemy is advancing quite rapidly.”
“That's right. They produced a lot of workers since the beginning...”
“Yes, they produced a tremendous number of workers as if they knew the walls wouldn’t be breached.”
Just then, the camera shifted back to the enemy’s base. At a glance, several new buildings appeared with one particular building standing out.
[Cathedral]
[Under construction...]
“Ah! The cathedral is under construction now!”
OrangeKing grew excited after seeing the cathedral. It sounded like an important building.
“That’s when they get to the third era!”
The cathedral would upgrade the player’s civilization to the third age.
“Workers are swarming and hammering away! Tick! Tock! Tick! Tock! The countdown to their execution begins! Kimchi Warrior is about to get some space to pray!”
— He’s commentating even on construction......
— The praying will stop once that’s up, right? LOL!
— Tick! Tock! Tick! Tock! LOL.
“On the other hand, it’ll take longer for BornToB! The difference in the number of workers they have is almost double! BornToB can't even dream of a cathedral right now!”
BornToB tried to catch up in terms of economic growth and upgrades, but the gap had already widened too much.
“They wasted some time. That’s for sure!”
“That’s right. There was a chance earlier, but...”
“Kimchi! At least BornToB is trying to catch up, right?”
OrangeKing waited for an answer from Kimchi Warrior, seemingly pleading for some validation.
— You... still love BornToB, right?
— How can he love BornToB~ He’s in love with Almond. ^~^ LOL.
“Sigh,” Kimchi Warrior exhaled deeply.
“He’s not catching up too well. Each decision he makes is so poor. It’s hard to even comment.”
“That’s... somber...”
OrangeKing lowered his head.
— Why do you even make sound effects? LOL.
— Somber LOL.
— Why say somber out loud? LOL.
“Is there no hope?”
“Ah... now is the time.”
“Now?”
“Yes, right after advancing to the third age is when the enemy is most vulnerable. This is true for any age upgrade. Commanders use up all their resources for the upgrade and their number of workers is highest then. You’ll see hardly any soldiers if you look at the main base right now. None at all.”
“Ah, I see. So what should BornToB do now?”
“Actually, it would have been better if he quickly made a siege engine from the second age and brought it over instead of advancing to the third age.”
“Oh~ That’s right! As you said, he hesitated for too long!”
“It’s too late now. There’s no siege workshop and siege engines are fucking slow.”
“Wait, then it’s over!?”
— LOL!
— Suddenly swearing, LOL.
— The sincerity bursting out, hahaha.
“No, they have to upgrade to the third age and get better siege weapons before fighting. They need to stall for time until then...”
“What!? What’s that? What’s happening?”
OrangeKing suddenly spotted odd behavior from Almond.
Almond gave his soldiers an order.
“A front leaning rest position?”
The soldiers went to the wall one by one and lay down flat.
“No, Almond! Your school habits are coming out. Foreigners don’t know that!!”
— Almond with the honey club, holy shit.
— Someone must have bought the wrong bread......
— OrangeKing, you crazy guy, LOL.
— Korea's intangible cultural heritage: disciplinary action...!?
— ??? Didn’t I say I wanted peanut soboro bread?
Everyone thought it was just for fun at first when around six soldiers lay flat at the bottom of the wall. Then another five came and lay on top of them. Then four more, followed by three... Like a pyramid, humans began to stack up. It was, in fact, a strategy.
“What... is, is this?”
They formed a human pyramid and Almond finally climbed up using the pyramid.
“They’re using a crazy tactic! Almond, this is amazing!? He's finally going over the wall!!!”
— What insane creativity, LOL.
— A human pyramid? Hahahaha.
— Wait... will this even work?
This strategy required extraordinary creativity and determination as Almond used the human pyramid to climb over the wall alone.
“He’s finally going over this cursed wall!”
“It seems too shaky.”
“But he’s still climbing! To the very top! He’ll conquer the Alps!! What incredible willpower! Loop, you didn’t make a single soldier, did you!? Huh?”
— Is this walnut!? Is this walnut!?
— But there are so many guard towers inside. What can he do after climbing to the top?
— Mom! When I grow up, I want to be Almond’s stepping stone! Mom! When I grow up, I want to be Almond’s stepping stone!