Season 2: Chapter 133: Veteran vs. Newbie (1)
Almond stared blankly at his empty inventory after dying a frustrating death within the walls. He had lost the expensive Joseon Horn Bow, various arrows, and even his less valuable armor, boots, and gloves. Everything had disappeared.
— LOL, totally emptied out.
— That's why you don't carry expensive weapons.
— This is a real awakening moment for the money crazy
— I kind of expected this to happen, lol
The viewers teased Almond, who had been equipped with nearly seventy gold worth of gear while only earning a wage of three gold. Such risks were always present.
"Everything really disappeared. That's harsh," Almond commented resentfully.
This was exactly how Civil Empire maintained balance. This way, a player’s combat abilities roughly matched the commander's pay. The inherent market principles balanced themselves out as players avoided equipping items that exceeded their employment costs.
However, exceptions always existed. Almond headed to the store and bought something surprising.
[Intermediate Black Horse]
[480 Gold]
— A horse?
— Oh, he bought a horse?
— Normally, people don't buy expensive stuff after such a loss, lol.
— Well, a horse is a permanent investment, so it's okay.
To be more specific, Almond bought an intermediate black horse for a whopping 480 gold. This almost entirely depleted the money he had accumulated so far and he didn't stop there.
Buying a horse meant more expenses. Saddles, horseshoes, and other costs would total an even greater amount. Notably, these were consumables and would vanish upon death.
— Together that's almost 550 gold?
— Isn't he buying a weapon lol?
— Wow…
In total, Almond spent 538 gold. This was nearly his entire fortune because he hadn't been able to earn much due to continuously playing duo.
Ultimately, Almond had to save his money on buying another bow.
“The horn bow is... good, but too expensive..."
[Janissary Short Bow]
[15 Gold]
Almond chose the Turkish-style short bow.
"This bow is said to be quite good."
Although it was much cheaper than the horn bow, the Janissary Short Bow was known for its cost-effectiveness. It was also compact and suitable for shooting on horseback.
— If he's going to use a short bow on a horse...
— Is the Kingdom Archer coming?
— Finally!
As the viewers anticipated, he intended to fight as a mounted archer. That was why Almond desperately bought the horse.
'If I keep my distance while shooting, I can face even veteran knights.'
He anticipated close combat encounters with veteran knights who were all adept at horseback riding. As such, Almond needed a means to maintain the distance. He needed a horse to accomplish this while continuously shooting arrows. It seemed viable.
However…
“Mounted archery? I don’t have that upgrade yet.”
Almond, suspended in mid-air, had to listen to this response from BornToB dumbfoundedly.
— LOL
— That's so BornToB.
— LOL, all that preparation and then...
— Oh no... lol
— That's typical BornToB.
Mounted archery wasn't ready yet. Without the necessary training locations and upgrades from the commander, a mercenary couldn’t be employed in certain roles. BornToB realized too late that Almond wanted to switch to mounted archery and became flustered.
“Oh, uh... sorry! I thought you were just out of weapons when you said you going to the store... Mounted archery isn't cost-effective…” BornToB rambled on and tried to reason. He felt genuinely sorry.
"… Ah, okay."
Almond kept his words to a minimum.
'People are inherently good…'
Almond knew that BornToB didn’t intend for it to happen. Moreover, saying anything more at the moment wouldn't resolve anything.
"I'll go in as a cavalryman then. It seems better than an archer right now."
"Yes! The enemy is pushing us hard right now!"
Almond decided to enter as a cavalryman and equipped the sword and armor he had.
Thud.
[Cavalryman]
The base pay for a cavalryman was a hefty ten gold, which could go up to fifty gold.
Almond entered and took only ten gold to minimize resource loss.
“Neigh!”
The black horse seemed to welcome him with a playful whinny.
'This is my first time riding a horse here.'
He had only ever ridden a horse behind Jessie and never actually rode one himself. It would be interesting to see how much of the riding was automated. Almond's combat ability would be determined by how automated everything else was.
Tap.
Almond mounted the horse and shifted his weight back and forth on the saddle. He cautiously tapped the horse with his foot and it started moving. Leaning forward accelerated the horse and pulling back slowed it down.
'There's some correction.'
Of course, it wasn't as perfect as in Kingdom. However, it was several times easier than real horseback riding.
"Mr. Almond! It's urgent right now!"
BornToB pleaded desperately. The enemy seemed to be pushing them hard.
“Hiya!”
Almond spurred the horse to go faster.
Clippity-clop! Clippity-clop!
The landscape flashed by in a blur.
'With this speed…'
It was a good decision to spend big money on a mid-level horse. Although it wasn't as good as Jessie's white horse, it still provided Almond with much needed speed.
'There's the army.'
He saw the battle up ahead.
'Who's the enemy and who's an ally?'
Enemies could be distinguished by the red aura around their bodies, but it was hard to distinguish them perhaps due to the graphics and everything moved too fast.
'Anyone on a horse is an enemy.'
Almond simplified how to distinguish enemies beyond the red aura. Spearmen were allies and cavalrymen were enemies.
'Concentrate.'
As everything and everyone passed by so quickly, he heightened his concentration to the max.
Clippity-clop...! Clippity-clop...!
The sound of horse hooves seemed to come from beyond a dense fog.
Swish...!
He subconsciously drew his sword and swung to the right.
Swish...!
The enemy's blood spurted from behind as Almond severed his neck.
“Neigh...!” the horse's neigh burst out belatedly.
Almond didn’t slow down. He readied his sword again toward the two o'clock direction this time.
Fwoosh...!
His blade pierced someone's heart. At the same time, he quickly twisted his upper body to the left.
Whooosh...!
A sword grazed where his neck had just been. The enemy swung his sword again.
‘… It’s not coming out?’
The sword that Almond had stabbed into an enemy wouldn't come out. Nevertheless, Almond didn't slow down on the horse. He was still inexperienced in mounted combat, so speed was his only lifeline.
… Snap!
He decided to let go of the sword hilt. The attacker also passed by. If he slowed down now, he would become a target for the enemy.
‘Keep running.’
Clippity-clop...! Clippity-clop...!
The horse's speed increased even more. Another cavalryman rushed toward him and the distance between them quickly closed due to both of their speeds.
Whooosh!
The enemy slashed out.
'This will do.'
Almond's gaze focused intently on the enemy’s sword. Then, his arm swiftly crossed the enemy’s arm. He made his move after slightly adjusting the direction of his upper body.
Whoosh...!
The enemy suddenly flipped off their horse and fell to the ground with a thud. The fallen enemy blankly stared at the ground before looking at Almond's retreating figure.
"Oh. My weapon..."
He slowly realized that Almond had snatched his sword. That very sword then swiftly claimed the necks of several of his comrades.
Swish! Swish!
Almond dashed away, spraying blood in his wake before disappearing into the distance.
The first impression Almond left on those he encountered was…
"… Fast."
He was exceedingly fast. Although his horse was not the highest grade, he fought on it as if it were. The horse, the sword, and his body merged into one, never slowing down even for a moment.
Even with a fast horse, one’s speed would usually decrease when confronting an enemy to strike or block an attack. Players couldn’t react properly to every situation while moving so fast.
However, Almond fought while riding at full speed while easily dodging and striking enemies. He even effortlessly performed the highly difficult maneuver of disarming an enemy’s sword while on horseback. He had succeeded and departed with that very sword.
"What kind of person is he…?"
Thwack!
An arrow struck the head of the soldier who had been disarmed, bringing a sudden anticlimactic end to his bewilderment.
"Charge! Their formation has collapsed!" BornToB's blue soldiers yelled and charged down the path created by Almond.
***
OrangeKing's face turned red and he screamed excitedly when Almond returned as a cavalryman, "He's back from hell! Almond is back like a reborn hellhound!! This is insane! Almond just decimates every enemy without stopping for even a second!"
Kimchi Warrior jumped and shouted, "He's broken through and divided their ranks! This is bound to cause chaos in their cavalry!"
The viewers were equally thrilled by the sight of Almond swiftly breaking through the enemy lines.
— Wow!
— Was that Almond? Incredible!
— Almond, I want to grow up to be like Almond!
— He's playing like he's in a league of his own.
— His mounted combat control is amazing!
Almond was surprisingly displaying an impressive performance on horseback despite it being his first time. What could be the reason behind this exceptional show?
"Isn’t Almond new to riding horses? What's this? Kimchi Warrior, is this normal?" OrangeKing asked in disbelief.
"No, it's quite rare to fight at full speed while riding. I've only seen it a few times," Kimchi Warrior explained.
It was indeed due to the speed. Almond's extensive training in virtual reality had honed his ability to maintain extreme focus. Where most people would be overwhelmed by the speed and wouldn’t be able to see or react, Almond could.
"Almond seems quite accustomed to this speed," OrangeKing noted.
"Yes, that makes sense. His main characters were Flashy Blade and Raina, who are known for their blinding speed. That experience is shining through here!" Kimchi Warrior added.
"Swordsmanship is one thing, but fighting at such speed is exceptionally rare. I've only seen it a few times," Kimchi Warrior remarked.
Despite the remarkable display, Almond's newly acquired sword shattered under the force of a blow from a veteran knight. He narrowly avoided a potentially fatal strike by dodging at the last second only to find himself pursued by the knight. Seemingly without a backup weapon, he fled to his own lines with the knight hot on his heels.
"This is strange for Almond to flee without a fight," OrangeKing commented in surprise at Almond's retreat.
The reason behind Almond's retreat soon became apparent. Almond wasn’t just fleeing. He was drawing the veteran knight into a trap and leading him away from the main battle into a position where his allies could surround and overpower the veteran knight.
"What an incredible strategy! Almond wasn't running away. He was luring the enemy into a trap!" OrangeKing exclaimed after understanding the plan.
As the veteran knight followed Almond, he found himself isolated and surrounded by Almond's allies. The tide of the battle swiftly turned as the pursuing knight became the prey, caught in Almond's well-laid trap.