Season 2: Chapter 130. The Return of the Elite Four (1)
After the humiliation AK47 faced, the chatroom went silent. Despite the fear of humiliation, it seemed too disappointing to stop there. Messages started appearing again.
[CheesyAttackJudge: AK47 is the weakest among us.]
CheesyAttackJudge initiated the conversation. He had been the most vocal about advocating for BornToB's judgment. Following this, the other members also began posting messages.
[BoySchool: LOL True]
[Brr: That line sounds familiar hahaha]
While not directly participating in the stream sniping, others in the chatroom gently poked fun at them.
[SandSpoon: LOL So are you going to stream snipe again?]
[VeryVeryCastle: I guess they'll do as they please.]
[SandSpoon: It looks like Almond is starting his game.]
It was like putting the bell on the cat. After AK47's incident, it was hard for anyone to come forward first. The cost of defeat was too horrific.
AK47 had been socially annihilated.
[Brr: I guess I'll have to step in.]
Amid this, Brr decided to step in.
[CheesyAttackJudge: Oh. That's a courageous decision.]
[Brr: It's disgusting. Why do I need the courage to catch a mouse?]
[SandSpoon: Damn~~~~~~!]
[SandSpoon: You're done. Then let's go!]
***
“Ladies and gentlemen!” OrangeKing amped up the crowd from the start.
His face filled the camera and the propeller above his head added to the spectacle.
— I’m bursting out laughing from the start LOL
— Hahahaha
— Lol lol lol
“Today! Finally! It’s the A+ promotion match!”
Today was the first round of the A+ promotion match.
“It’s been a really long and hard fight.”
Although reaching A+ wasn’t the end, OrangeKing talked as if everything was concluding.
— Does reaching A+ mean the end of military service?
— Doesn’t Almond have to reach S+?
— He came this far in the shortest amount of time lol
“No, that's not it! The long and hard fight I’m talking about is with BornToB! That’s what I mean!”
Indeed, OrangeKing wanted to emphasize that Almond no longer needed to play alongside BornToB after today's promotion. He jokingly portrayed BornToB as something Almond had to overcome.
— That's too harsh…
— LOL BornToB is crying
— ???: Hey, you crying?
— BornToB's long fight lol…
The viewers scolded OrangeKing, but BornToB couldn't hear these comments anyway. Everyone knew OrangeKing tended to joke around a bit too much.
“Farewell, BornToB! We wish you well on your journey ahead!”
— LOL
— … fired
— Translation: Nice to meet you. Let's never meet again
— Farewell…
— Lol lol lol
As OrangeKing continued to make fun of BornToB, a match was found.
[Opponent Found!]
[Brr]
“Oh, we got a match?” OrangeKing meaningfully said after checking the nationality.
“A Korean commander again? This won’t be easy.”
— Stream sniper lol
— It was bound to happen
— Was wondering why it hadn’t happened yet
Even the viewers noticed it was a stream sniper, so it was impossible for Kimchi Warrior not to realize it. Moreover, Brr was a member of the group chat.
"Back again," Kimchi Warrior confirmed on his shared screen that those guys had gathered again.
The match had already started. OrangeKing was also raising the tension to the max for this game.
"Will Almond finally escape from BornToB? BornToB vs. Almond! Almond vs. Brr! The match begins!"
— That's too funny
— There's something odd in the middle?
— LOL BornToB vs Almond
Almond also realized it was a stream sniper as soon as the match was found.
BornToB noticed it too and asked, “This looks like a stream sniper, right?”
“Yes.”
“Do you think they might suddenly rush with defense towers again...?”
BornToB grew nervous after realizing it was a stream sniper.
"Don’t get nervous," Almond told him.
If BornToB started getting nervous, he wouldn’t be able to build anything properly.
“Don't worry and just play as usual. I'll keep an eye on the map for you.”
Almond hadn't been summoned yet and floated in the sky. He looked around for them.
"It probably won't be much help..."
Hovering in the sky didn't provide any visibility. A unit had to scout to gain visibility, which would Almond to see.
It was more like having one more person watching the minimap in LIL. It wasn’t much help, but there were times when it could be helpful.
"Uh?"
At the edge of the black fog, Almond spotted something squirming. BornToB was too busy to notice it.
Almond watched quietly for a moment and spoke, “A worker and a spearman are coming now.”
A worker and a spearman appeared.
“Wow. Is this a tower rush again?!”
The spearman coming was one thing, but a worker joining meant it was definitely a tower rush.
“They're coming incredibly fast... They're trying to finish the game before Almond even comes out.”
Brr, unlike AK47, acted much bolder. It was the same first era rush, but AK47 came with a bit more troops. Brr practically just rushed it from the start. Only a spearman and a worker attacked.
— They’re doomed.
— No…
— Damn stream snipers.
— Ruthless, LOL
— Is this a real feeder build?
As expected, Brr's worker started building a defense tower near BornToB's lumber camp.
“…”
BornToB didn't even make a fuss. The situation was that urgent. He tried to fend them off by sending over workers.
Thud! Thud!
The spearman kept stabbing the workers. It was hard for the workers to counter even just one spearman and it wasn’t cost-effective. Killing one spearman took at least five workers. While workers were precious resources, a spearman was not.
If the spearman was skilled, ten workers would probably get killed. Sacrificing that many workers to kill one spearman was a losing deal. In other words, there was no way to stop the defense tower that was being built.
[Wooden Defense Tower]
[Under Construction]
[33%]
If the enemy built the wooden defensive tower, BornToB wouldn’t be able to harvest wood. That was fine. However, if additional enemy troops kept coming and more towers were constructed, BornToB would be left with no other options.
"Ah…"
BornToB faced a difficult decision. Stick with the fast archer rush like before or immediately produce spearmen to defend.
***
"BornToB, you mustn't be deceived," Kimchi Warrior asserted firmly.
OrangeKing was puzzled.
"Don’t be deceived?"
"Yes, the current tower rush is a feint."
"That tower? It's really being built, isn't it?"
Once the tower was built, it represented an investment and couldn't be considered a mere feint. If the enemy made an investment, the expectation was to make the most of it. The enemy would likely play a tower-centric game. Nevertheless, Kimchi Warrior shook his head.
"If you cancel a tower construction, you get a 90% refund. Brr is aiming for that."
Brr planned to cancel the tower construction.
"What? But why go through the trouble of losing 10%? It's still an investment, right?"
Although 10% of a tower's cost wasn't a lot of resources, it still cost resources. Even a small investment was still an investment. The commander had to consider what outcome the enemy hoped to achieve with this minor investment.
"It's a distraction. It's meant to force BornToB to produce first era spearmen instead of second era archers."
"Really? If BornToB builds a first era spearmen training center and produces spearmen..."
"The second era archer rush will be significantly delayed."
"Ah…!"
The fast archer rush was quick because nothing else was built except for the buildings and archery range needed for the second era. Any additional construction would naturally slow down this speed.
OrangeKing clapped in admiration.
"Wow! So it's like in soccer when a player suddenly gets scared and slows down after a good run, right? It slows the game down a lot just like that!"
"Exactly. Just one diversion can change the outcome completely."
However, OrangeKing still had a lingering question.
"But Kimchi, how did you know it was a feint?"
How did KimchiWarrior deduce Brr's strategy? It seemed like a legitimate tower rush so far.
"Look at the main base."
The camera switched to Brr's main base. Numerous buildings were being constructed.
"See? They’re advancing their civilization. Why would someone who's rushing early invest in advancing? They should be continuously producing and sending troops with their current civilization level."
Advancing a civilization required substantial resources. If Brr really intended to end the game with a tower rush, he would have invested in troops instead of civilization advancement.
"Ah!"
OrangeKing nodded, having another moment of realization.
"That's right! They have no intention of attacking early!"
"Yes. Brr is even building walls. They're trying to slow down the opponent's archer rush while preparing a solid defense.”
Just as Kimchi Warrior said, Brr was surrounding the area with walls and had no real intention of attacking yet. The single worker and spearman had not actually been sent out for an assault.
"Wow, that's it, isn't it? BornToB is shaken up by this situation! The fast archer rush will be delayed... Meanwhile, the opponent keeps advancing their civilization to bring in stronger troops."
BornToB's decisiveness was shaken up, delaying the archers. Meanwhile, Brr intended to barricade himself with walls and advance his civilization.
"Yes, that's the aim. It's a lucrative deal for one worker, one spearman, and 10% of a tower's resources."
Viewers marveled at the intense mental battle between commanders.
"Wow, this is indeed a real-time strategy game! Honestly, I had my doubts before thinking it was just a lottery game."
Viewers mocked the game's element of chance, but OrangeKing continued undeterred.
"Listening to Kimchi's explanation, the high level players really are different. The current opponent is of a high rank, right?"
"Yes, they're at least A+. In fact, they’re in the upper half of A+. Quite a player."
"But!" OrangeKing suddenly raised his voice.
Boom!
BornToB quickly advanced to the second era, the Feudal Age. Considering the opponent was building a tower, it was a risky decision.
"BornToB is just going for it like a true man!?"
The viewers were amused.
— Crazy to just advance like that!
— Seriously, he’s just doing it!
— That's how it's done!
BornToB didn't get swayed by the psychological warfare. The fast archer rush went as planned. Meanwhile, Brr eventually had to cancel the tower at 99% completion.
"Finally, they canceled it! Of course! Even if it's a tower rush, what can one tower and a spearman do?"
"Oh, well done BornToB."
"How did BornToB figure this out? It seems like he knew it was a feint and just went for the upgrade!"
Then, the camera tuned into the commanders' voice chat.
“Haha! The opponent just destroyed their own tower! Did they press the wrong button?!”
BornToB was delighted and blissfully unaware of any psychological warfare. His plan was always to go for the fast archer rush regardless of the opponent's actions.
“Sweet!”
The commentators couldn't help but laugh.
"Ah, try the psychological warfare again~~ If you're dumb, that's it~~~"
Almond appeared like clockwork when the time came as if on a schedule.
[Archer – Almond]