Season 3: Chapter 97: God Show (1)
"Sigh. Why do they even drag us here to watch this?"
The Spanish assistant commander, Tres, crossed his legs as he sat in the stands. Then, as if expressing his reluctance to be there with his entire body, he stretched in every direction.
Thud.
He ended up touching the spectators next to him.
"What? What? It's not even real, so why the glare when I touch you a bit."
"... What?!"
The offended man stood up scowling. Just as he was about to say something, Uno intervened.
"Ah... that... translation. It's a way of apologizing in our region."
"What... Make some sense. What country are you from?"
"We're French. Sorry."
"... Really. The French talk like that? Anyway, don't annoy me."
The man shook his head as if it was strange and sat back down. After all, it wouldn't mean anything to start a fight here.
Uno checked that the situation had calmed down and glared at Tres for a long time.
"What? Did I say something wrong?"
"Yeah. From now on, you're French. That's good enough," Uno muttered and sat next to Tres, leaving one seat empty between them.
"What's this? A spot for Nacho?"
"No. I booked an extra seat because I didn't want to sit next to you. Nacho is behind us."
"I see. Smart as always. Well done."
"..."
Shortly afterward, Nacho arrived and took his place behind them.
"Looks like you two are getting along well today."
Tres and Uno simply looked forward without responding.
"Who do you think will win?"
Tres snorted.
"What are you saying? Italy of course."
"Why?"
"Because the basic level of their players is incomparably different. Fighting against the Roman elites is like battling a wall."
"And what about you, Uno?"
Nacho turned to Uno, who took a little longer to respond.
"Italy will win."
"Why?"
"In addition to what Tres said, Anto has an advantage over Cookie. No matter what variables arise, Rome will win."
It took more time, but his answer sounded more certain.
"Ho. No matter what variables?"
"Yes. The gap is that big."
Especially after seeing the Ancient Walls map, Uno's belief solidified.
"This is..."
Uno shook his head disapprovingly.
"Heaven is on Rome's side. This map almost completely blocks any early tricks Korea might play."
Nacho agreed with this.
'Certainly.'
The map did not allow Korea to use their usual strategies.
'Is there another strategy for victory?'
If there was, Korea would need to show it in today's game.
“They’re not defending their own gate! They're blocking the opponent's exit!?”
The Spanish commentators’ excited voices filled the air.
Nacho and Uno's eyes widened.
"!"
They hadn't thought Korea would use this method to resolve the situation.
"This is unexpected."
They looked at each other and their expressions reflected a sense of surprise. They thought Korea wouldn't be able to use their early gimmicks and hadn't thought of any other methods.
"Could it really end like this?" Uno asked incredulously.
"Why can't we see the Roman camp?"
Even from the stands, the view was projected through the observer on the field. In other words, the spectators couldn't see either if the observer hid it.
"Wooooo...!"
Boos erupted from those supporting Rome. They came to see Rome, but Rome wasn't visible.
"Nacho. Why would the observer hide it?"
"... A worker managed to escape."
Nacho quickly realized it with the hint from the observer.
"What?! A worker?"
"There aren't many variables that could turn this situation around. The only reason the observer would hide the map is because of that."
Shortly afterward—
The observer revealed what had been hidden and tremendous cheers erupted from the Roman camp.
“No way!? Anto! The Roman commander Anto! Is this even possible!?”
“He just outplayed Korea!”
As the commentators made a fuss, Anto had already sneaked a worker out.
Uno was at a loss for words.
'Did I really come all this way just to see them lying down?'
Firstly, it was surprising that Tres could fall asleep during such a game. Secondly, the game itself was shocking. Uno never thought that watching a match between Korea and Italy would make him think.
'The level of fighting is too high.'
He could feel the difference in levels.
'Even though I’m watching from a third person perspective, I can’t get ahead in this battle of numbers.'
Uno was fully engaged in the game. Even though he could act as the commander in Nacho's absence, the gap was immense.
“Korea! They're making a bold move to take the two o'clock base! They've almost given up on the six o'clock area!”
A raging battle was imminent. Joseon and Rome were moments away from a direct confrontation. Both sides had somewhat gauged the other and were trying to cut each other's resources.
'They’re taking action at two o'clock?'
Uno scrutinized the Joseon soldiers heading toward two o'clock. Although there were only ten of them, they were elite soldiers that Joseon prided itself on.
'Even so, with just ten players? Isn't that too ambitious?'
Cookie had only organized ten players for this crucial battle. Were they expecting the enemy to be unguarded? It was a clever move with their best troops.
“If Joseon can inflict damage on the workers here, they’ll survive the game longer!”
“What if they devastate the base?”
“Then, they’ll gain the strength to counterattack. That's being greedy though. Rome wouldn't fail to anticipate this, would they!?”
“They've met! The Roman soldiers were hiding under the stairs!”
The battle unfolded and the observer captured this fight between Joseon's archers and Rome's renowned heavy infantry in great detail. This was the only chance for Joseon to counterattack.
The problem was the range was too close for archers. This favored the heavy infantry. However—
'Huh?'
The archers were clearly at a disadvantage both in numbers and because of the situation.
Rome, like a predator lying in wait with its mouth wide open, was ready for the Joseon soldiers.
“The archers fight like the mythical Spartan warriors!? Are these the archers of the East!”
“An unbelievable battle! Joseon grabs the reins for a counterattack!”
Uno watched their fight, barely able to breathe.
'How is this possible? What is this? Korea is this capable?'
Suddenly, he heard the heavy breathing next to him.
"Shit..."
It was Tres. He looked like he was about to burst with curses as he craned his neck to watch the match.
"Weren't you asleep?"
"Shut up," he snapped back and adjusted his posture. However, his eyes still trembled and his heart pounded fiercely.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
'What was that battle just now?'
Even Tres, who rarely used a bow, felt his blood boiling from the fight and not in a good way. Was it rage? It would have been better if it was rage. Outwardly, the emotion he showed wasn’t much different from rage. Internally, it was something else.
This was an unfamiliar emotion for Tres.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The emotion his heart felt was fear.
***
High on top of the city walls, Pang's neck stretched out over the stair railing.
"Are you alright there!?"
It was hard to see from above whether the two who went ahead were alright due to all the bodies there.
"Ha... Ha..."
Spam, gasping for breath, couldn't respond. Almond gave a thumbs-up instead.
"O~kay! We’re coming down! You guys freaked us out!"
No matter how positively one tried to put it, they had all been scared for a moment.
Almond gestured for them to come down. At least they had overcome one hurdle.
"We suffered just one casualty. Latte is dead."
All the archers came down and their remaining members totaled nine. Only Latte, initially struck by a javelin, had died. The rest had survived.
"Anyone with any weapon issues?"
Pang went through the essential checks one by one. In Civil Empire, weapons had a durability factor and could suddenly break or bend. In such cases, one had no choice but to pick up an opponent's weapon or receive a new one.
They were at the opponent's two o'clock base with no facility to resupply weapons.
"We're still okay."
The archers checked their crossbows and reported.
"Good. Just in case, let's pick up... Ah, right."
Pang lifted the Roman spears with damaged tips.
"Damn, these nasty bastards."
The Roman pilum was a type of javelin used by Rome. It featured a very fine tip, enhancing its penetrative power. Once used, it would bend or break, making it unusable for the enemy. What was more infuriating was that the Roman troops could simply replace the front part and reuse it.
"Well, anyway, let's at least grab some shields. From now on, we have to survive whatever happens and torment the enemy workers."
Everyone nodded at Pang's words and picked up whatever usable equipment they could from the fallen Romans.
Sang-Hyeon debated between a shield and a longsword. He ended up taking both. It felt a bit heavy and uncomfortable, but he figured everything would be useful.
"Let's go."
Pang led the way into the forest path. This was the most basic route for worker harassment, starting with woodcutters along the forest before identifying the location of the gold mines.
Pang chuckled and looked back, "From now on, the counterattack begins. Let's go!"
The Joseon archers marched in line deep into enemy territory.
At this time, the Joseon troops received an upgrade.
Ding!
[Upgrade complete!]
[Militia]
[When activated, all equipment will experience a 200% decrease in defense and a 150% increase in movement speed, penetration, and sharpness.]
The militia trait, known as the Spear of the Third Era, had been upgraded. Unlike regular traits, this trait was essential for Joseon.
'Maybe...' Almond thought as he gazed down the endless forest path.
As Pang said, this really was the beginning of their counterattack.
"Waaaaaaaaaaa!!"
At that moment, a cheer erupted from the stands. Were they celebrating the recent upgrade? It was quite a loud cheer.
***
The Korean commentators were still excited about the successful infiltration of Joseon's ten person commando team.
"Ten Joseon archers at the two o'clock base! No, nine have successfully infiltrated! They're heading to where the enemy workers are!"
"And! The militia upgrade too!? This is Joseon's third era trait! They jokingly call it the Lucky Spear. Honestly, it's a trait that’s hard to compare with anything else! They’re super lucky!"
— Lucky Spear lol
— Militia is good
— Almost like Berserk
— What’s militia??
Many new viewers didn’t know about the militia trait.
"Is that so!? Please explain what the militia trait is, OrangeKing!" the caster asked OrangeKing to explain.
"The militia trait! To put it simply, it’s like berserker mode! Phase two! Gear second! Something like that!"
OrangeKing considered the viewers' understanding and explained it as simply as possible.
"Berserker mode?! So, forsake defense and go all-in on attack and speed!?"
"Yes! That’s what happens when it’s activated! But do you know? Joseon isn't exactly a civilization known for the defensive power of its armor! So using the militia trait isn’t a big loss!"
"Ah… so we should welcome it, right!?"
— That’s kinda sad…
— Gear 2nd lol
— Not sure whether to be happy or sad…
"Just looking at the different traits, you can see the characteristics of each civilization! Joseon has things like the bamboo spear, the militia trait, and on-site construction for quick reversals! Rome has cathedral fundraising! Clerical buffs! Things like that, so you have to play solid!"
"Joseon needs to play fast!"
"Yes. But…!?"
They amusingly explained the differences between the civilizations' traits.
Crrrrrrrrrrrunk… Thump!
A door opened.
"Ro, Romeeee!!!"
"What, the door?!"
At eleven o'clock was Rome's main base. For the first time since the game started, Rome's firmly shut gate finally opened.
"Are they finally advancing!?"
Then, the main forces of Rome appeared.
Thump!
They stepped forward without a millimeter of error, all at once.
Koong!
Now, they intended to break through Korea’s pressure.