Season 3: Chapter 105: Unemployed Fleet (1)
Korea secured an easy victory against France and Spain suffered an easy defeat against Italy.
“Aaah! Rome is truly powerful! It’s a complete victory against Spain!”
“On the other hand, Spain collapsed too easily, don’t you think? They had a chance to turn things around with their battle monks in the third era, but they squandered it too easily!”
“That’s right. It seems they were mentally shaken…”
With Spain losing to Italy, a great opportunity arose for Korea.
Korea’s next match would be against Spain. If they won this match, they would advance to the finals.
Viewers felt excited.
[If we beat Spain this time, we’re definitely advancing to the finals. Amazing!]
Some already felt certain that Korea would make it to the finals.
[Wow, Korea is going to the finals. Incredible.]
[Currently, Korea has 3 wins, Spain has 1 win.]
[They’re really going to the finals. Who’s the next opponent? Vikings?]
Even if Spain won against Korea, their advancement wouldn’t be guaranteed. If Korea won against Spain, they would definitely move on. This was bad news for Spain, but great news for Korea.
Even worse for Spain, they were mentally shaken now.
Viewers noticed this too and posts like these spread in the community.
[The Demon of Interviews... cutting down Spain without lifting a finger...!?]
[Is this the power of the demon? Spain is really out of it.]
[What’s wrong with them? lol]
Even Rome’s MVP mentioned this in an interview.
“Pierre, how do you feel about this victory against Spain?”
“Well, it seems like Spain isn’t doing well lately. They seem to be mentally shaken. It felt easier to win this time than the last…”
Rome’s ace publicly stated that Spain seemed shaken and effectively confirmed it in his interview.
— See, it’s not just us. Pierre says the same.
— Pierre is sharp, haha.
— Oh. Did he feel the Demon Duke’s curse?
— The path to the finals is clear~
If Korea did well, they would secure their place in the finals no matter what.
***
An elderly man with white hair and a stern expression was reading a large newspaper made from recycled paper. In a corner of this old-fashioned newspaper was an incongruous headline.
[The flame of Korean esports has not been extinguished]
Such a newspaper didn’t commonly cover esports on the front or second page. The article highlighted Korea’s performance in the ongoing national competition.
Despite their poor performance in practice matches, Korea was soaring in the actual competition.
“They said Korea always lost in practice matches. It seems real games are also like sports. You never know until you face off. Tsk tsk.”
The middle-aged man clicked his tongue. One would think he would complain about such content in the newspaper from his strict appearance, but…
“It’s a pity there are no pictures.”
Instead, he regretted the lack of photos in the article.
“That kid’s looks are the most important factor here. Why didn’t they include that? Tsk tsk.”
He mumbled to himself about the declining quality of newspapers and folded it in half. Usually, a newspaper he already read would go in the trash. If recycled, it could be used as packaging for cheap goods or as a cloth for cleaning windows. However, this man chose none of those options.
He opened a drawer on one side of his desk. In a corner of the drawer was a section with neatly stored newspapers like documents.
The faded appearance of the newspapers suggested how they had aged over time. A quick glance at the front page revealed news about a local archery competition.
The man seemed to be lost in thought as he gazed at the newspaper for a while.
Just then—
Knock knock.
Someone knocked on the door and called him, “Coach, it’s Coach Oh.”
“Oh, come in Coach Oh.”
A young man carefully opened the door and entered.
“The new recruits are here to greet you.”
“… Ah, right. Bring them in.”
“Yes, just a moment.”
Coach Oh briefly left the door open and turned around.
It all happened in a short span. The new recruits had probably lined up around the corner of the hallway. It didn’t take longer than ten steps. In that brief moment, the middle-aged man’s mind drifted to old memories.
A young boy bowed as he entered through the door.
“You’re Sang-Hyeon, right?”
It was his first meeting with that boy.
Apart from being notably handsome, the boy was a taciturn child who preferred nodding instead of speaking. A somewhat impudent kid who didn’t like to talk much.
“Answer the question properly. Life in the sports club won’t be easy.”
“… Yes, sir.”
The newly established archery club at a small middle school had been hastily formed a few years ago thanks to the government’s push for more participation in physical education.
Life was unpredictable.
“You were the first to apply. Why do you want to join the sports club?”
A boy joined the archery club, which had been created hastily and for show. However, that boy turned out to be the most talented among all the children he had ever seen.
“A sports club? Isn’t it an archery club?”
“Yes, it’s a sports club. Isn’t archery a sport? Why do you want to join? Sports clubs are tough in this country.”
“I heard I could get a scholarship if I do archery.”
The boy confidently said he wanted to join to get a scholarship.
“Kid… You’re a man.”
“?”
Ignoring the boy’s confused face, the coach hid his emotions and brushed it off.
“Then, let’s cut to the chase and see you shoot.”
“Shoot? I don’t know anything yet.”
“Just try it once. For fun.”
“Oh… for fun.”
Paaang—
The coach could still recall that moment. The path of the arrow shot from the bow held by the boy for the first time in his life.
“You… Were you lying?”
“Lying about what?”
“You said you didn’t know anything. How do you know how to shoot?”
“I watched it on YouTube yesterday.”
The arrow he shot after watching YouTube the day before was on the level of an amateur competitor.
“You don’t seem to be a person who actually studies in advance.”
He had brushed it off as no big deal back then. Beginner’s luck always existed and the dilemma of prodigies who seemed extraordinarily talented at first often turned out to just be a head start.
They were just fast learners. Many kids were like that. In fact, there was a jinx that those who stood out in their youth often fell as adults.
Life was truly unpredictable.
‘But he was different.’
Yes, life was unpredictable. The dilemma of prodigies, a poor family, and a hastily formed archery club.
That boy overcame all those limitations and rose to the top among his peers. Not only that, he was expected to win an Olympic medal.
Life was truly unpredictable.
That kid then was…
“Coach?”
Coach Oh’s words made the coach quickly close the drawer.
Drurrrrk—
In an instant, the scene before him completely changed.
Thud!
The drawer loudly closing startled the players wearing white uniforms standing before him.
“Coach…?”
Coach Oh tried to draw the coach’s attention by walking back and forth in front of him.
“Oh… yes.”
The coach nodded and stood up. He slowly looked over the faces of the players and didn’t need to ask their names because of the name tags already pinned to their chests.
He began to speak after clearing his throat, “Welcome to the youth national team. You guys should all know the basics of archery, I assume.”
He wasn’t one to give long speeches.
“Now that you’re here, shoot until you die. Cry when you miss and laugh when you hit. Those who excel will move up. Those who don’t will leave.”
At Coach Oh’s signal, the players responded energetically.
“Yes, sir!”
“Full of spirit. Good.”
The coach waved with a smile.
“That’s all. We’ll be seeing each other every day anyway. Go on.”
“Yes, sir!”
The players turned to leave with Coach Oh.
As the last player was about to exit, the coach casually stopped him.
“Hey.”
The player looked around, unsure if the coach was talking to him.
“Yes?”
“Do you have any siblings? An older one, I mean.”
“No, I’m an only child.”
The coach gazed at him for a moment and nodded.
“I see. On second thought, you don’t look alike. Anyway, your name doesn’t look easy. Work hard.”
It was a strange thing to hear, but the player still found the coach intimidating and simply answered energetically.
“… Yes, sir!”
He bowed and turned to leave with his name tag, which read Yu Kang-Hyeon, shining on his chest.
‘What a coincidence?’
Watching him leave, the coach leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
‘I knew there were none…’
Was age making him more emotional these days?
Time was relentless.
***
“Ugh… it’s cold.”
It was now late February and would normally have been warming up. However, an unusual cold snap and snowstorm raged outside.
In such weather, who would think of exercising?
“I’m heading out.”
Despite this, Sang-Hyeon dressed warmly and set out in the morning. Since losing the match against Italy, he had changed. No, it was more accurate to say he had returned to his old self.
Even during his playing days, he meticulously followed precise rules and patterns. A bit of cold wouldn’t make him abandon his morning routine.
One of the documentary team writers also tagged along on his morning routine.
“Oh, are you going out for a jog again today? I was wondering if you would, given the weather.”
The writer’s hair grew white from the snow. Although he heard that Sang-Hyeon would be exercising, he doubted that Sang-Hyeon would actually go out.
Indeed, Sang-Hyeon did come out.
“Is there a reason you’ve resumed your morning workouts?”
“Hmm… I used to do it all the time and I just felt like doing it again lately.”
“Oh… Even in this cold?”
“If I stop, it’ll be hard to start again.”
He gave a simple excuse. However, he started this endurance training again for a reason.
‘I’ve lost stamina.’
In the match against Italy, Sang-Hyeon felt that his stamina had decreased. In the final battle, he felt more fatigued than his opponents.
He could still vividly recall it.
Swoosh!
The speed and accuracy of the sword slash. The man who gracefully cut him in half while deflecting arrows shot at close range.
‘Pierre, was it?’
Pierre wasn’t a secondary commander like Tres nor was he a leader. He was just an ordinary player, yet he had conducted two MVP interviews. He was undoubtedly the ace of Rome.
When it came to close combat, Sang-Hyeon didn’t stand a chance against him.
If only Sang-Hyeon could maintain his initial concentration, could he have managed? He wasn’t sure.
That was why it felt more frustrating. To address this frustration, Sang-Hyeon resumed his morning runs.
“Hey! You’re here! You managed to come without falling!?”
As he descended the stairs of the slums, Pang was already waiting for him.
“Oh…”
Sang-Hyeon’s attention was elsewhere because of another person behind Pang.
She wore a training suit with thick padding that didn’t seem to be just for exercise and had a tightly tied ponytail.
“Oh, this is Carrot. It’s your first time meeting in person, right? Say hi.”
Surprisingly, it was Sang-Hyeon’s first time seeing her in person.
“Oh, Carrot. Hi.”
“Ah… Hello…”
She always acted quite boldly in the game, but seemed shy in real life.
“Are you joining the exercise group too?”
“Huh…?”
Sang-Hyeon felt like teasing her more, but decided to let it go for now.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Yeah~ Let’s go, boss! Start running!”
Pang started running ahead. However, he soon lost the lead to Sang-Hyeon.
Brrrr…!
The writer and a cameraman followed on a scooter.
“Carrot! Why did you come today?”
“Huff… Exercise… to exercise….”
“Why come all the way here? You could have done it nearby!”
“I don’t have any friends.”
“Oh…”
Hearing this, a sad tune automatically played in Sang-Hyeon’s head.
***
Regardless, the morning jogging group had grown to three. They met and ran diligently every day.
Pang’s stamina improved rapidly and Carrot, being young, also quickly built up her endurance. People new to running often felt surprised by how quickly they could build up endurance to a certain level.
“Huff… Huff… Wow! This is getting manageable!?”
“Wow.”
Sang-Hyeon nodded and started to increase his speed.
“Then, let’s run at normal speednow~”
“Gasp… Hey! Hey! You’ve got something wrong! You… that’s not normal!”
Pang cursed his own moment of bravado for the entire day.
In any case, days passed with them running every morning.
[Korea vs. Spain]
The match that would decide their fate in advancing to the finals had arrived.