Season 3: Chapter 23: The Good Old Days of Star League (3)
Although Korea versus England was just a small event match on a test server, choosing the Korean civilization was enough to attract attention even from the Civil Empire players on national teams.
"Uh... isn't GreatYiSunShin that person from before?"
Kimchi Warrior recognized her first.
"Cookie hyung tried so hard to recruit her..."
"Right."
Cookie nodded.
"She never even gave us a chance. That's why I remember."
Many commanders had declined to participate in the national competition, but what made GreatYiSunShin so memorable among them?
'It’s because she declined despite having such overwhelming results.'
To Cookie, GreatYiSunShin was someone who had staked her life on Civil Empire. The win rate and play she demonstrated weren’t possible without being deeply invested. She used strategies that could only be developed through years of research too adeptly.
Why would she refuse the honor of a national competition? It was strange. Even more strange was refusing to even meet Cookie. If the player was a commander playing earnestly in Korea, they’d be fascinated with Cookie.
Of course, GreatYiSunShin was not like that at all and continually refused.
'She was incredibly stubborn.'
Cookie's eyes drifted toward Sa-Rang's wheelchair. Was it because of that?
***
"Wow. A spirited pick with the Korean civilization!"
"This means it's a bow versus bow battle!"
England used the longbow, and Korea used the composite bow.
"That's right. It’s the longbow versus the composite bow!"
Although from different eras, both civilizations needed to maximize their use of archery. England needed to gain a significant advantage in the second era with the longbow, and Korea needed to survive until the third era to advance with composite bowmen and fortress tactics.
"Uh... one moment?" the caster paused at the broadcast screen and pointed somewhere.
'Huh?'
‘Is that me?’
The caster pointed to where Sang-Hyeon was and he appeared on camera.
"That's right! When it comes to bows, it has to be Almond! Almond is over there watching!"
“Waaaaah!”
The audience erupted in cheers.
Jessie, standing beside him, felt startled. She hadn't realized he was this popular.
"Ah. Who's that next to him?"
The camera briefly shifted toward Jessie before quickly switching to the game screen.
"Ah... um... I'll pretend I didn't see~"
— LOL
— That makes it worse LOL
— You talk like there's something going on
“Ooooooh~”
The crowd let out an intrigued cheer.
"Now, the master of bows. Almond is watching this bow duel, everyone."
"Yes! Let's get back to the game discussion!"
"These two civilizations are quite famous for their matchup. Generally, England has the advantage, right?"
"Yes. The fact that longbowmen can come out starting from the second era, and they're relatively cheap... is a significant advantage."
"Actually, they're expensive. But the cost of composite bowmen is so high that it offsets this. That's the compatibility."
"That's right."
"Unless Admiral Yi Sun-Shin has brought some special tactics, it's a disadvantageous matchup."
This was commonly called a counter-pick. When A had certain advantages that B not only matched but exceeded and even had additional strengths, there was no reason to ever use A over B because B was the counter to A.
In this case, B was England and A was Joseon, at least until the second era. One could think Korea had a chance of winning if they reached the third era, but there had to be a second era for a third to follow.
"Korea needs to employ some clever tactics."
The underdog always needed a clever tactic. At the cost of taking risks, they had to gain something like giving up flesh to take bone. Usually, it was not giving up bone but merely severing a nerve. However, Sa-Rang took the bone.
"Here! Here, the Joseon shortbow troops! It's rare to see so many shortbows deployed! They're infiltrating the enemy lines stealthily!"
"It's like guerrilla warfare!? The shortbow troops are among the fastest of archers!"
The Joseon shortbowmen, who did nothing better than the English longbowmen in terms of archery, had one advantage: their mobility. This was one aspect where they weren't superiorly replaced.
Pew! Pew!
The shortbow men who circled back behind the gold mine began to inflict significant damage on the workers. They would naturally lose if they faced the longbowmen directly, so they avoided fighting them head-on.
"If this is the case, the longbowmen should return to the main Korean base!"
"But they've already been tricked. The workers are already relocating, and the resource line has been temporarily frozen!"
Shortbowmen were even cheaper than longbowmen. Although not efficient and rarely used, they could be effective if used strategically like this.
"The longbowmen are belatedly heading to the main Korean base..."
"This isn't an active move. It's almost like they're being forced! It's a forced move! A forced move!!!"
— Forced move LOL
— LOL
— Really forced LOL
— Wow, Korea's mobility, wow
— Is this Korea or Vietnam?
By the time Sa-Rang's guerrilla strategy manipulated them, their route had become completely predictable. The Korean civilization was known for making extensive use of terrain tricks.
"You shouldn't go there!"
Boom!
Several longbowmen fell into a large pit with plenty of sharp stakes inside.
Splurch!
The pit turned into a bloodbath, annihilating them.
"This is Korea!"
"This is Korean land, you island ruffians!"
— The trap placement was brilliant
— Is this the nation of vultures and mines!? Is this the nation of vultures and mines!?
— Wow
— This is! Korea!
Korea was adept at stalling with such traps if they knew where the enemy would come.
"But Korea has few soldiers left to defend!"
"The workers are mobilizing! Korea, with its faction characteristic of military-farmer unity, has slightly stronger workers than other civilizations!"
"That's right! Back in the Joseon era, weren't there cases where farmers were forcibly enlisted?"
"It's the reserves! Everyone, come out! Mobilize the reserves!"
— The nation of military service LOL
— Solid appearance LOL
— The reserves LOL
Korea indeed had good worker combat efficiency, but workers were still workers. While they fought, the resource collection suffered.
However—
"Wait a minute!? Something strange is happening on the English side of the map!?"
"A tower rush! It's a defense post rush!"
"There were workers among the shortbow troops!?"
It seemed some workers were mixed in with Korea's guerrilla forces. They had driven the English workers from the gold mine and were building a defense post.
"Let's turn this into a free-for-all!"
"Are the troops being redirected!? Will they mine the gold!?"
"The workers are dying!"
"No. Those soldiers seem like they've been trained specifically for this guerrilla warfare!"
What set Civil Empire apart from typical RTS games was that each unit was an actual player. This was what drove people crazy about the game. No matter how great the commander's plan was, it wasn’t always executed properly. The opposite was also true, but the soldiers perfectly coordinated with Sa-Rang and showcased flawless guerrilla warfare this time.
"Is this also a testament to the commander's ability?"
There were such tutors when it came to studying too. Those who pinpointed just the essential points to somehow get through the exam. Some commanders could perfectly command their troops by focusing on just the crucial points.
"England! They're retreating!!"
"Ah...! Now, England can't see the situation for Korea!? That's why they're retreating!?"
Korea was already in chaos. However, England did not know the extent of the situation because they couldn't penetrate deep inside due to various traps and fierce resistance from the workers. In reality, the workers' corpses had blocked the enemy's entry.
Of course, from England's perspective, how dire Korea's situation was couldn't be ascertained. They only saw their homes burning, leaving them no choice but to retreat.
"Ah... retreating was the worst decision!"
Dudum.
[3rd Era - Fortress Era]
The fortress era featured castles, composite bowmen, and mounted archers. All these favorable features for Korea had arrived.
"They call it the fortress era, but Korean players call it the prime time of castles.'"
"It's the golden age of Korea!"
— Golden age LOL
— Really
— Can't resist the golden age
— Price surge wow
The dynamics of the match completely flipped as the third era began and the composite bowmen started appearing.
"Ah... England doesn't have much in the third era!? Maybe just crossbowmen and elite knights!?"
"Elite knights are essentially covered by basic spearmen! The problem is the composite bowmen! And the horse archers!"
The fall of the enemy's main base happened in an instant.
Boom…!
"Damn. She’s good."
Jessie admired from the side.
Sang-Hyeon didn’t understand the game well, but he knew it was impressive just to win having faced England before.
'The first and second era matchup is really bad.'
Of course, many variables existed like the skill of the opposing commander, the skill of the soldiers assigned to the opposing commander, etc. Civil Empire was that kind of game. Nevertheless, it was still a game where one could win with better strategies.
"Korea! Victory!!!"
"Wow! Give her a round of applause!"
The victorious player received cheers and applause.
"Now, with a first-to-five-wins rule! Let's hear it... Next up! Make some noise for the GreatYiSunShin!"
Honestly, Sang-Hyeon didn’t expect Sa-Rang to respond. She was a well-raised, polite, but prickly lady. That was the image of Sa-Rang in Sang-Hyeon's mind.
However, she raised her hand excitedly and shouted, "Next!"
Sang-Hyeon laughed heartily without realizing it. That person... to think she could get so excited.
***
After Korea versus England, Sa-Rang did not choose the Korean civilization again. Perhaps she wanted an easier victory and Sang-Hyeon didn’t bother to watch the following matches.
It was time to say goodbye to Jessie.
"See ya~"
Jessie expressed her affection with a light hug and an air kiss before leaving.
— So jealous of Almond
— Today's lesson: Even if you butcher English, they understand perfectly if you're handsome,
— Mom! I should have gone to a plastic surgeon, not a TOEIC academy! I never had a chance anyway!!
Despite the very light skinship from Jessie, viewers who were easily set aflame continued chattering.
— Jessie... We love her.
— She leaves so coolly…
— Jessie, my lord…
— When will we see her again?!
— 21st century means of contact, they exchanged RuneStar, all good
— Such a pity...
Naturally, a lot of chat messages expressed regret over parting with Jessie.
"Hm. I'm a bit sad too. I thought we'd at least have dinner together."
Since they hadn't met by appointment, they each had their own schedules. It couldn't be helped. If fate allowed it, they would meet again.
"Then, I guess I'll have dinner with the manager and BornToB..."
Just then, a message arrived that would instantly fill the void left by Jessie.
Ding!
[This evening at 9:30 PM. Rewards will be provided based on the challenge points you've accumulated!]
Rewards? Suddenly, a memory from the back of his mind stirred. Something he had forgotten until now.
"At G-Star, if you win a lot of challenges, they rank you and give additional rewards. It’s quite a good deal…" Ju-Hyeok had said when briefing him about G-Star.
"Ah."
Only then did Sang-Hyeon look at the challenge points on one side of his goggles.
"… I'm not sure how high this is."
Without a point of comparison, he couldn’t tell how high his points were.
"No. I haven’t even done that many challenges to begin with."
He couldn’t compare with anyone else and too much time had been wasted. It certainly didn’t seem like enough to be first.
Sang-Hyeon’s gaze shifted to the clock.
"It’s 5 P.M. now."
He had about four more hours left.
As Sang-Hyeon fell silent, the viewers teased him.
— Why does he look like he’s hearing this for the first time?
— Did you seriously not know? LOL
— Is this why you're quitting now?? LOL
— Even a “dog” should have known this LOL
"What’s the reward for first place?"
Sang-Hyeon’s pupils dilated as he quietly scanned the chat.
"Ten million won!?"
No, it was actually one million won. The viewers were misleading him.
"Onto the next challenge."
However, Sang-Hyeon already turned his attention to the next challenge.