Season 2: Chapter 124: The Named (1)
The blue dots on the minimap belonged to BornToB and the red dots represented AK47's forces. These dots began to move. Not just one or two, but nearly all of them.
"Finally! Both camps are moving!"
The red forces moved east and the blue forces moved west.
Indeed, both camps headed toward the center of the map. Why?
"Now, they’re all heading to the center of the map! It's because of the gold mine there!"
The only remaining gold on this map was at the massive gold mine in the center.
"They even brought workers! Are they planning to build a fortress there!?"
They planned to fight while using workers to build fortresses, erect towers, raise walls, and claim the area. The one who claimed this area would win the game.
Rumble rumble...
Numerous horses galloped and kicked up dust.
Even though swords hadn't clashed yet, the air felt tense. They could all see each other face to face.
"Gulp. Should the cavalry charge first like usual?" OrangeKing swallowed dryly and asked.
The most standard tactic was for the cavalry to charge first and secure advantageous terrain. This was typically how European plain battles began.
AK47 chose such a tactic.
"AK47 makes the first move!!"
Ping!
[AK47]
[Charge to the designated location]
“Waaaaah…”
With a wave of cheers, the red cavalry began their charge.
Thud thud thud thud!
Behind them, infantry and a few workers followed hastily.
"They’re trying to secure the center first! Then, they'll defend this point whether it's with towers or fortresses!"
"If they build a fortress on the hill, it'll be absolutely impregnable. BornToB needs to move quickly."
The center of the map was rich in gold veins and rose higher than the surrounding land. In other words, it was a hill.
What would happen if AK47 constructed a fortress there? A fortress was the strongest defensive building. BornToB would have no way to break through if the enemy established such a stronghold.
"BornToB is also moving!"
BornToB's blue forces also moved.
"BornToB is making a slightly different choice from AK47!?"
He took a slightly different approach.
While AK47 used a conventional plan, BornToB took a more strategic approach. If a strategy worked well, it would prove effective. If not, it would lead to annihilation. It wasn't yet clear what the results would be.
"His forces are starting to take a detour around the center!"
BornToB's forces didn't head straight for the center.
[Archery Unit 1 is moving to the north]
[Archery Unit 2 is moving to the south]
Two archery units split north and south, enveloping the center with a pincer movement. On the map, it looked like giant wings were spreading.
"They're spreading wings!?"
It was a familiar formation.
"Ah! Cranes in Formation!? This is Cranes in Formation!" OrangeKing excitedly shouted.
The wings were archers, the head was cavalry, and the body was spearmen.
"Exactly! You can't resist Cranes in Formation! The editor must be drooling right now!"
— BornToB, did you aim for this!?
— Genius streamer BornToB, haha!
— I can already predict the result of the match...
Amid the excited chatter, Kimchi Warrior threw out some cold hard truths.
"Ah. But Cranes in Formation only makes sense if the opponent charges in."
BornToB's choice was puzzling.
"AK47 has no reason to attack them. He just needs to secure the center, mine the gold, and build a fortress."
"Ah..."
Just then…
“Waaaaah!”
Cheers erupted as BornToB's cavalry began their charge.
"What! They’re charging in with Cranes in Formation!? Was it not a crane but a hawk!?"
— So~ if I charge in, that's all it matters~
— LOL.
— Reversal of cranes in formation, haha!
The Cranes in Formation advanced, tightening their wings.
"But this, this is..."
Kimchi Warrior became flustered.
"Archers can't attack while running! This seems like a mistake!?"
Most archers, except Almond, couldn't shoot properly while on the move.
"The wings are powerless!"
The most crucial wings of the Cranes in Formation couldn't fulfill their roles properly. The enemy also perceived this and perfectly countered.
"AK47 is handling this well! His cavalry scattered to the wings, charging toward the archers!"
It was a superior matchup against archers. The enemy cavalry swiftly dispersed left and right, charging toward the wings.
The archers, who had been running, would be slow to respond. That wasn’t all.
"The hidden spearmen from behind are charging at the cavalry in the front!!"
Enemy spearmen also charged at BornToB's cavalry, which was the head of the crane. This was also a matchup with superior advantage.
"They’re going to collide!"
Boom!
The two formations finally clashed.
The massive lances and hooves of the cavalry trampled the archers.
“Ouch...!”
“Ah!”
Screams echoed everywhere and the crane's wings were swiftly severed. However, the crane's body looked slightly different from how it was supposed to be.
"Huh!?"
The crane’s head and body continued to push forward.
"What's going on!? Why are the spearmen being pushed back by the cavalry!?"
The spearmen were numerically superior to the cavalry, but they were being pushed back. This was inconceivable given the matchup.
"Huhhhhh?!" OrangeKing's eyes widened.
On closer inspection, the troops positioned behind the cavalry weren't spearmen.
"The crane's body is made of archers..."
The archers wildly shot their arrows. The crane's body was entirely made of archers. There were even more archers in the body than in the wings.
"How did this happen!? The body was archers!? Did we see wrong!?"
The camera zoomed in on one of them.
"Almond! Almond is there too!"
Almond was positioned on the side.
"That, that means... surely this is the main focus?!"
Thwack!
Arrows madly flew forward and AK47's spearmen fell like dominoes.
"Ah! AK47's spearmen are crashing into the worst matchup and getting swept away! There are no more spearmen left to check the cavalry!!"
Kimchi Warrior exclaimed, "This is...! AK47 has been tricked?"
AK47 had been completely deceived. The wings were a decoy. The body was the real deal. This strategy ensured them a clear advantage in the matchups.
"Howe were we also deceived? I thought they were spearmen too!"
The question was how they deceived everyone. Even the commentators, observing from above, had been deceived.
"That's right. Can we briefly see a replay?"
A replay from three minutes ago played on the screen. The central part of the Cranes in Formation was filled with soldiers holding spears three minutes ago.
"They’re holding spears?"
Shortly after the battle began, those soldiers discarded their spears.
— Holy shit...
— An unexpected identity change!
— I'm a spear~man? How about now~!
"Huh? Oh! It’s the spears dropped by the enemies!"
"Yes! They picked them up and pretended to be spearmen! Bows are also less noticeable than spears!"
BornToB's tactic was picking up spears to disguise some archers as spearmen. Not every archer needed to hold a spear.
Spears were long and noticeable, so only one in three or one in two archers needed to hold a spear after hiding their bows. They all looked like spearmen from a distance.
"Excellent strategy, BornToB!"
BornToB's cunning plan worked perfectly and the tides of war began to turn in his favor.
"Ah! BornToB's cavalry stormed in bloodlessly and ravaged the enemy! There are no more spearmen to handle them!"
BornToB's cavalry turned north and charged.
"AK47's cavalry split north and south. They’ll be defeated one by one!"
The enemy cavalry divided north and south to catch the archers in both wings, but they would now be eliminated one at a time.
"The numerical difference is huge due to the split!"
BornToB still had his entire main force intact while AK47 split his in half. BornToB naturally had the advantage.
"AK47 should retreat!"
"That's right. It seems better to avoid this battle."
However, AK47 didn’t issue a retreat order. He simply couldn't.
[Fortress]
[Construction: 76%]
"Ah! There’s only one-third of the fortress left until completion!"
The desire to complete the fortress delayed AK47’s decision.
Boom!
Eventually, the two cavalry forces collided and the red dots instantly disappeared.
"AK47's southern cavalry is being called back!"
[Retreat]
AK47 called back the cavalry that went to the other wing. Combining his two forces was his only hope and chance, but BornToB wouldn't just let that happen.
"Here come the spearmen!!!"
Finally, the real spearmen appeared.
Chk! Chk! Chk!
They positioned their spears and formed a line toward the south.
"The archers are also turning this way!"
Behind the barricade of spearmen, Almond led the archers and they all drew their bows at once.
"Fireeeee!" OrangeKing screamed right at that time.
Twack, twack, twack!
Arrows decorated the blue sky and rained down.
Prrrbbbt!
The charging red cavalry fell.
“Neighhh!”
Despite that, the rest kept charging in.
"AK47's cavalry keeps charging! They're determined to see it through."
Their battle formation was already in its worst state. Fleeing seemed hopeless at the moment, so they kept charging. They could possibly have a chance if they could just break through the spear barricade and reach the archers.
"Almond quickly draws his bow and even the cavalry are falling one by one!!!"
"It's over if you let Almond stand still and just draw his bow like that!"
“Neighhh...!”
Horses continuously screamed. Nearly 30% of the enemy cavalry had fallen, yet they kept charging.
Thud thud thud...
They were almost there.
"Finally, they've arrived!"
"The spearmen have to grit their teeth!"
Kwaaaang─
Long spears impaled the horses and horses trampled spearmen as they collided.
Papapapabat!
Arrows flew out again, but the cavalry didn't fall like before this time. It became difficult for archers to shoot their arrows with their comrades also in the mix.
"Huh!? Could this turn the tables again?"
War was always unpredictable. Strangely, the red dots started pushing forward again and forced the blue spearmen back. This was happening for a reason.
"It’s a veteran knight! AK47 has a veteran knight pushing through with tremendous force! This is really impressive!?"
It was because of a veteran knight.
"Huh? That person!" Kimchi Warrior became startled.
"Why, what's wrong?"
"He’s a named knight."
The opponent who came in as a veteran knight was a famous skilled player. He leaped into the center of BornToB's formation and swung his long halberd all around.
Swoosh─
BornToB's soldiers were split and pushed away, losing their formation.
“Ah, Almond's archer unit and the spearmen unit have been separated!?”
Each unit found itself separated from the others as enemies surrounded Almond. Their formation had been completely destroyed.
***
Almond also felt perplexed.
'What's going on?'
Enemies surrounded him on all sides. He didn’t know how this happened and had no time to find out. He just decided to shoot and quickly pulled his bowstring.
Phew! Phew!
Each shot brought down enemies breaking through the formation. Despite being cavalry, they fell as he perfectly hit their vital points.
“That’s 410,000 won.”
Almond didn't forget to count his money. It was more of a chant to maintain his concentration rather than actually counting money.
The viewers saw it differently.
— LOL.
— He’s crazy about money.
— This is a streamer!
— How much is that?
— Money is pouring in LOL “420,000 won. 430,000 won.”
Almond continued to shoot arrows in every direction. Being surrounded by enemies made it a fifty-fifty situation that could swing in anyone’s favor. All his distractions disappeared while picking off the tangled enemies one by one.
'This is... remarkable.'
Almond felt a thrill for the first time in a while. Had he ever shot his bow so desperately? Had he ever focused so long on just shooting?
“That’s 460,000 won… 470,000 won...”
Thump. Thump.
As his heart rate increased, the speed of his shooting also accelerated. His accuracy never dropped.
Thud!
Thunk!
Enemies continued to fall from their horses and bled. He killed countless enemies.
“... 570,000 won.”
He counted that much money so far, but his allies were still gradually being pushed back because of the veteran knight.
“Hey! Hey! Don't get pushed back! Defend!”
“Defend! Damn it! Spearmen! You have to defend so I can shoot! Damn!”
“Cr-Crazy! Defending is not working─”
The spearman who was the last wall between Almond and the enemies couldn't finish his sentence.
Swoosh!
A long curved blade severed his throat. Beyond the thinly stretched line of blood, a figure appeared.
Almond finally faced the protagonist who was turning this war around.
[Veteran Knight]
[Jancos]
It was a peculiar sight seeing a Western face dressed in Eastern armor. It seemed more fitting to call him a warrior than a knight.
His name was Jancos.
“Wow, Jancos...”
“This is crazy. That’s Jancos. Are you fucking kidding me?”
More than a few players knew him.
Someone close behind Almond murmured as if to make sure, “The rank 18 Jancos?”