Season 3: Chapter 150: Steep Mountains (3)
[Archer Training Camp]
Building an archer training camp allowed the soldiers to switch their roles to archers. Erecting such a building at this time meant that archers would come out in the second era.
Kang...!
As expected, the smithy also began producing short bows.
[Short Bow]
[In production - 1%]
“So this means they’re definitely going for short bows in the second era...”
“Can you calculate the damage?”
“With short bows, it takes two headshots to bring an enemy down. The problem is headshots. In other words, the Vikings can just roughly cover their heads with shields.”
[Short Bow - Production Complete]
The first short bow had been produced.
“Alright. It’s Almond, as predicted! He’s the first to be bestowed a short bow!”
Bam!
[Viking - Second Era]
In the meantime, the Vikings also advanced to the second era.
***
‘That was faster than expected.’
Cookie’s hand trembled slightly. He couldn't help but feel nervous no matter how experienced he was. Their victory plan was completely different from what Joseon had shown so far.
‘We need to make the right investment here.’
The goal was to produce about twenty soldiers. This would significantly delay their progress to the third era. The resources spent on producing twenty short bows meant that the workers had to earn more.
‘This is the most crucial moment.’
Cookie knew this choice would be the most critical part of their prepared strategy.
Anyone watching would probably be puzzled. Crafting a strategy to fight in the second era against the Vikings on this map that they chose seemed almost insane.
‘The opponents probably think the same.’
The Vikings wouldn't have expected to fight on this map in the second era. They would have leisurely gathered food and spread their forces wide for maximum gains. They probably thought they wouldn’t lose against Joseon’s second era forces. 𝙍ä𐌽ꝋВƐṠ
‘In normal circumstances, that is.’
A determined look flashed in Cookie’s eyes.
Twenty shortbowmen had gathered and a leader was appointed among them.
[Almond]
Almond had been appointed as the leader of this unit. This did not imply that he was expected to demonstrate leadership. However, it symbolized the unit's role in this operation.
[Attack]
They began moving toward the area with the most wild animals.
‘If this goes as practiced...’
***
Swoosh!
Cookie gave them an order.
Almond gripped his short bow tightly.
‘Like we practiced.’
They had planned to engage in the second era. Not only Almond, but every soldier here already knew. Joseon had practiced on this map in advance.
Thud.
Pang patted his shoulder from behind.
“Don’t worry, leader. We practiced to death.”
Latte and Carrot chimed in and sounded exasperated, “Hey, stop shaking your legs and just talk.”
“Just do your job, old man... you were the worst during practice.”
They weren’t merely joking.
“...”
Pang was actually trembling. Despite being a veteran among veterans, he felt extremely nervous because he had performed the worst during practice. He was the oldest player, so it took him longer to adapt to new combat methods compared to younger players.
‘It can’t be helped. Everything is different.’
Almond didn’t find it strange. The current situation was entirely different from how Joseon fought in the past. It wasn’t an unexpected strategy or a sudden twist. It required direct confrontation and overcoming it through sheer skill and practice.
In other words, they would fight the Vikings straightforwardly.
“Huff, huff.”
“Don’t breathe so loudly. It’s distracting.”
“Dammit...”
Everyone, except Almond, couldn't completely shake off their anxiety. Perhaps this was why Almond was appointed as the leader instead of Pang.
Almond maintained the utmost tranquility with steady breaths, a calm heart, and no trembling hands or feet. Maybe it was because he would execute the required strategy this time or perhaps he possessed a different level of mental strength? Whatever the case, he perfectly controlled his nervous system.
“Let’s go.”
He signaled with his hand and led the unit of twenty soldiers.
***
“They’re moving!”
“The Vikings are completely unaware. This is an advantage, right?”
“Ah... yes? It would be strange if they expected this?!”
— LOL, true
— Who would expect a suicide mission?
— Is this right? Still don’t know
— What are they trying to do??
As the debate about this strategy heated up in the chat, the commentators’ voices grew more intense.
Whether this would lead to victory or defeat, Joseon’s first battle in the main tournament would soon unfold. This match would present its first significant turning point.
“Ah... I’m getting nervous! OrangeKing, what’s the benefit if they win this battle?!”
The commentators’ voices started to tremble as the distance between the soldiers on both sides narrowed.
“If they win, it’s a huge advantage. The Vikings rely on their early strength to monopolize food supplies! Stopping this once would be significant! Controlling food is the Viking’s primary win condition! Stopping this alone has meaning!”
— True, it’s significant if they win
— The Vikings are in trouble if their hunting gets stopped. Their farming efficiency sucks
— Heart-pounding LOL
— If Korea wins, we should give Cookie a shoutout LOL
The Vikings didn’t need a lot of resources to win, but they highly depended on food since they weren’t an agricultural civilization. They relied on human resources and securing stable food in the late game was challenging.
“So winning means stopping the enemy’s food supply?!”
“All Joseon needs to do is disrupt the food supply, not necessarily kill them. OrangeKing says even that would be a win.”
“That’s right. Joseon just needs to disrupt their food supply without taking casualties!”
“Then, how about a hit-and-run?!”
Such a thought was natural. Joseon could move faster in the mountainous terrain. Even if melee soldiers generally moved faster than ranged ones, it would be different in the mountains. Joseon’s archers would still move faster than the enemy’s melee soldiers.
However, OrangeKing shook his head.
“It won’t be easy. The Vikings gain a new trait in the second era, so they’ll catch up once they engage.”
“Oh, what is it?”
“Berserker.”
— LOL, berserker is OP
— Oh right
— But without it, Vikings are trash LOL
The game company’s explanation of the berserker trait was as followed:
[Berserker]
[Gain a burst of speed when charging toward enemies.]
If the Vikings spotted the enemy, they could always catch up.
“Ah! The berserker trait! Is it faster than the mountain tribe’s speed?!”
“Yes. It’s different if it’s melee vs. melee... but it’s melee vs. ranged, isn’t it?”
“Oh... so hit-and-run tactics won’t work. How will Joseon disrupt this?!”
“Who knows!?”
— So confident LOL
— True, how would he know? LOL
— Only Cookie knows
— LOL
“As I said, the Vikings are spread out wide. It looks like Joseon could pick off a few of them?”
The Viking soldiers had scattered in pairs across the map, hunting animals leisurely.
“Even if they kill a few, the Vikings will quickly realize that Joseon has twenty archers!”
“Ah!”
The Vikings hunted efficiently while scouting.
“Now! They’re about to encounter each other!!”
“Joseon’s destination is the hunting ground near the valley! It’s a prime spot! They need to get there, but it looks like they’ll be spotted first?”
“They’re about to encounter a few Vikings! No! They’ve seen each other!!!”
Three Viking soldiers faced the Joseon archers.
— They’ve been spotted
— Ah
— Kill them quickly!!
— Can they hide and kill them??
At that moment, Almond started running forward and closed the distance to the Vikings.
“Alright! Almond is running! He’s moving forward!? Why is he so fast!? Does he have a skill multiplier for speed?”
— LOL, true
— What’s this?
— Placebo effect LOL
“Ah! He’s closing in quickly and not giving them a chance to hide!”
“I thought Almond was good at shooting even when hiding!?”
This move ensured a direct shooting line because shooting in the woods was difficult. Given Almond's well-known accuracy with curve shots, the commentators hadn’t anticipated this.
“It’s better not to show that technique yet.”
They had pre-discussed this strategy to avoid the enemy accounting for the curve shot.
“Until the right moment.”
Almond would reveal that technique when the right time and place came.
Currently, he simply rushed forward to ensure a direct shooting line.
“Will this work!? What’s the use if a ranged soldier gets close!? The axe will teach them a lesson!”
“Ah, no! It looks like he’s saying, ‘Come at me!’”
Almond raised his taut bow as he secured a direct line and aimed precisely at the enemy’s head.
[Focus]
Woooong...!
A white light burned at the tip.
“Ah! It’s the focus trait! He’s charging the headshot with focus!”
Even a Viking soldier would go down with a fully charged headshot. The problem was the distance.
“But the Viking will get to him first!”
The Viking soldier pushed off the ground and flew toward Almond.
Kwaaang!
[Berserker]
The Viking instantly closed the distance and swung his axe.
Whoosh!
The diagonal downward strike left no room for Almond to dodge. However—
“No way!?”
“S-Spam! From the side!”
Kang!
An arrow came flying from another angle and hit the Viking’s wrist guard with a spark. The axe’s path shifted drastically and completely missed.
Whoosh.
The axe cut through the air.
— Yeah
— Wow
— Amazing
— It was bait
— It was bait all along
The Viking widened his eyes in surprise. His narrowed pupils reflected—
“Full focus!!”
A white flame engulfed the arrowhead. Almond released his grip with an indifferent expression and the arrow instantly pierced through the Viking’s head.
Pop!
Red blood splattered and the Viking collapsed backward as the first death in this game. At that moment, it felt like several minutes passed as every player watched him fall.
Thud.
As the dead Viking’s body struck the ground—
“One shot to the head! Almond! As expected, with a headshot!”
“Spam buys time with a regular arrow! And Almond finishes it off with a full focus shot!”
— Yeah
— Wow
— Yeah
— He’s using all the focus he couldn’t use in school~
— His form is insane~
— What? A full focus headshot is one hit?
“A perfectly instinctual play! This is truly winning through skills!”
“That’s right! It wouldn’t have been one shot only if Almond hadn’t fully charged it! If he shot even 0.1 seconds earlier, he would’ve died instead! They’d be Pat and Mat instead of Spam and Almond, but they did it! They pulled it off! That’s amazing!”
— Pat and Mat LOL
— LOL
— The risk is immense
— Mortgage-level risk
— It worked from the start
“Now! The Vikings have fully realized what’s happening!!”
Swoosh! Swoosh!
[Counterattack]
Red dots on the map started converging toward their area. The Viking commander had witnessed the battle.
“The Vikings are reacting!”
“What about the other two!?”
The other two Viking soldiers who encountered the Joseon archers turned to flee. The Joseon archers didn’t chase after them.
“Ah, they’re letting them go?”
[Move]
The Joseon archers received another order to reach their destination.
“Oh!? They’re going deeper!?”
OrangeKing felt puzzled.
It would be better to pull back with the Vikings converging on them, yet they pushed deeper into Viking territory.
“No! Just calling the Vikings here and causing confusion is enough! Why go deeper!?”
“Is there honey in that valley!?”
— True, what is this??
— Is it just bait?
— What is this?
From the start, Cookie intended to send the archers to that location. They could hunt the many animals in the valley, but... other places had animals too.
Why did they have to go there? It remained a mystery.