Season 3: Chapter 173: First Time (2)
The stat looked far more overwhelming than the damage dealt. Other players seemed almost non-existent while Almond alone pushed through to the end.
"Ah… I thought I was exaggerating when I said the damage graph was overwhelming earlier…"
The caster looked at the graph again in disbelief.
"This graph really is broken! It doesn’t even fit on the screen!?"
— For real
— The graph is broken (for real)
— How is this real?
"What is this?"
"This is for map utilization. It shows the total distance moved like how they say someone uses the field widely in soccer. It’s like that!"
Yes, this graph showed how much the soldiers moved around the map.
— Map activity??? That’s crazy, for real
— No way…
— Wow
— the movement distance…
A minimap next to the graph showed each player's movements.
The caster looked at Almond’s movement distance and tilted his head.
"Uh… this might be rude, but it looks like Almond played the game alone in the first game!"
It was an unbelievable statement.
— For real
— Hahaha
— Yes!
— Kind of true
— A crazy guy who carries a game for 200 people alone...
— Truly a monster
"Yes, it looks that way based on this stat!"
"Oh. Is there a reason for that?!"
"Do you remember the first game and the spectacle of curve shots?"
In the first game, Joseon showcased curve shots against the Vikings. The Vikings could adeptly use their shields for cover, so they felt confident against ranged weapons, but Joseon countered them with curve shots in the first game.
"Ah! It was a perfect counterpunch! The Vikings were KO’d by something they never saw coming!"
Getting hit by a counterpunch hurt several times more. Joseon's unexpected curve shots completely destroyed the Vikings. However, this strategy had a critical issue.
"But! While Almond can freely use curve shots, other players had to memorize certain positions to shoot from! So they couldn’t move!"
"Ah!"
The stat looked extreme because of this. Almond showed high activity because only he could freely move around.
"Did Almond contribute to all the team’s movement too…?"
In terms of fighting, Almond acted almost all alone.
"Yes! That was the plan from the beginning! They gave Almond special permission to do it exceptionally well!"
— Almond solo strategy
- Just let Almond do everything? LOL
— He’s definitely lucky, born to be
— What’s the difference from a one-man army!?
— The archery focused strategy was incredible
OrangeKing finished his explanation about Almond while pointing at the map.
"Almond kept switching between attack and defense, dragging the enemies around and wasting their time. He perfectly led them to victory in the first game."
— Wow
— He really carried
— Almond probably taught them the curve shots, amazing
"Ah, I see. We understand Almond’s stat now. Let’s explain about the MVP of the much discussed second game!?"
"Yes, for Coffee, we’ll focus more on the scenes rather than stats…."
***
They called Sang-Hyeon away from his Fake National Team interview after announcing the MVP. He didn’t feel too surprised because that was simply his nature. He had already been the MVP in almost every game that they won, so it wasn’t surprising to receive another one here.
However, Do-Joon felt the opposite.
"……!"
His eyes widened as he looked up at the screen and he couldn’t believe that they displayed his ID.
"Th-that’s… what…?"
He couldn’t believe his face had appeared on the screen.
[game 1: Almond]
[game 2: Coffee]
"It’s me?"
Coffee clearly appeared on the screen.
"Why? Are you too ugly? That’s you," Barum spoke bluntly and threw him a towel.
"Wipe your sweat before going out."
She also wiped her sweat with another towel. The match hadn’t been easy.
"Oh… I do look ugly. Thanks to someone," Do-Joon said while grinning and wiping his forehead with Barum's towel.
She chuckled and disappeared into the waiting room, wanting to leave him to his emotions.
"Hey," Do-Joon called out to her.
"?"
"Did you really get rejected from everywhere?"
A brief silence passed. Barum just turned and stared at him without saying anything.
Do-Joon bitterly smiled and nodded to himself.
"Ah, never mind. Just go rest. I’ll get ready for the interview."
As expected, that was a long time ago. Asking out of the blue wouldn’t make any sense.
What rejection? She would’ve asked back. However—
"I was top of my class."
Maybe she recalled the same memory. She replied as if it happened yesterday.
Do-Joon unknowingly bowed his head with a smile.
"Why didn’t you get accepted if you were top of your class?"
He really didn’t understand.
"Must’ve been because of your face. I told you to Photoshop—"
Thwack!
Barum’s towel flew and hit Do-Joon’s face.
***
"Yes! Ah! The irreplaceable core of our Joseon team! The ace! Almond! We’re preparing for an interview ahead of Coffee!"
The interview started with the first MVP, Almond.
— Entering the main game now
— Is the interview devil coming back? LOL
— The mic is scarier than Pyeonjeon
— The interview devil strikes with "Valhalla"~
Many viewers eagerly waited for the interview and commented in the chat. Even though the game had ended, the number of viewers slightly increased instead of decreasing. They felt excited because of Almond’s past interviews.
‘What should I say…?’
Of course, Almond didn’t have the capability or intention to meet those expectations, at least in his opinion.
Regardless, the chat went wild when Almond appeared on the screen.
— Almond! Almond!
— Mom! Why am I not Almond!?
— Whoever Almond taunts next, I offer my condolences x
— Almond…!
— Almond’s interview, I’m excited
— Just tuned in, is the game starting now? Lucky~
It wasn’t just the chat.
“Waaaaaaahhhhhh!!!”
The stadium roared as if a winning goal had been scored in a soccer match.
"Wow!! The atmosphere cooled down for a moment after the match, but now it’s boiling again!"
"Yes! Almond is synonymous with archery and the microphone!"
— Hahaha
— Archery and the mic
— Hahaha
— LOL
"Like the chat says, the real game might start now!"
"The real game in the tournament begins now! Joseon is just getting started!"
The same reporter from before conducted the interview. She also came to Japan to cover the tournament. The difference this time was that it was not a virtual interview. Both the reporter and Sang-Hyeon met each other for the first time.
‘That’s…’
The reporter stared at Sang-Hyeon’s face and repeated to herself.
‘That’s the interview devil in person!’
“Gulp,” she swallowed dryly and gripped the microphone.
Unlike virtual interviews, she couldn’t see the chat and had nowhere to look. She needed a place to focus her gaze for one simple reason.
‘Why does he look like that…?’
She didn’t realize how much more intimidating it felt to face someone in real life compared to virtual reality.
‘Ah… the devil who came to ruin my interview…’
She shook her head vigorously, resisting the devil's charm.
‘He really is a devil!’
With her eyes wide open and her mind clear, she approached him with the microphone.
"Almond!?"
“Waaaaaaahhhhhh!”
Before Sang-Hyeon could speak, the crowd erupted in cheers again.
"Almond! Almond! Almond!" they chanted his name continuously.
"Wow. The energy is incredible and your popularity is unwavering like usual! How do you feel?"
Sang-Hyeon nodded briefly and approached the microphone.
"Ah. Yes. It feels good."
The reporter exaggeratedly nodded and moved on to a proper question.
"You were selected as the MVP for the first game! What do you think was the biggest factor in this victory?"
"Fashion."
At that moment, Sang-Hyeon’s eyes met Sa-Rang's in the coaching area and she laughed incredulously.
"Uh… which faction? Do you mean focus?"
"Fashion."
"Ah… yes?"
The reporter’s eyes darted around. Her head started to spin again.
— LOL
— Oh
— Did he say fashion instead of faction????
— Hahaha
— Makes sense
— It’s like a Balenciaga meme video
— Crazy
"So… you mean you won because you dressed well?"
"That’s where it started."
The reporter awkwardly laughed after getting some information through her earpiece.
"Ah… you mean the map selection right from the dinner party for winning Best Dressed! That’s what you meant?! Wow, what a symbolic and metaphorical answer! Thank you!"
— ??
— Nonsense talk
— Haha
— This will definitely be on YouTube
— So cool, saying “Fashion”
— One thing the Vikings don’t know… fashion.
Then, more information came through the reporter’s earpiece. She received a much more urgent piece of news.
"Ah…!" Her eyes widened as she quickly continued, "Just in! It’s just been confirmed! Persia has advanced to the round of sixteen and they are Joseon’s next opponent!"
The crowd, which had been noisy with laughter, suddenly quieted down.
— Wow
— Persia!!
— It was likely
— It’s here, damn
— Scary
— No one’s easy
"What are your thoughts on facing Persia next?"
Sang-Hyeon thought for a moment. The news about Persia being their next opponent had just been announced, so he hadn’t prepared any comment. He only heard about Persia from other players.
Sang-Hyeon finished thinking and approached the microphone.
"I think we’ll win."
— Straight up, lmao
— Just win
— Cool
— Nice
— This is it
"Oh… that’s confident! Why do you think that?"
"Because fitting an elephant into a capsule isn’t easy."
"???"
He put a twist on a joke that Cookie often made. Did she not get it?
Almond shrugged and added, "They say an elephant is better at the game than a player…"
— Cool
— Wow~
— Awesome
— His tongue dribbles are insane
— It’s a challenge, not a resolution, LOL
— His brain only goes wild when taunting
— LOL
— True
— Promising to lose if they can fit an elephant in the capsule
— His taunting skills are Kim Jong-Un level
It was a famous meme about Persia that their ace player was an elephant. This meant that the elephant faction was powerful. Almond either deliberately or accidentally misinterpreted it as the player being weak.
The reporter quickly moved on to the next question.
"Ah! So! Besides yourself, who do you think was the standout player today?"
He answered immediately and simply pointed at Coffee, also known as Do-Joon.
— Yep
— Coffee
— Yes!!
— Wow
— Awesome
As the next interviewee, Do-Joon naturally came forward and the crowd cheered.
“Waaaaaaahhhhhh!!!”
Do-Joon approached the microphone with trembling steps since it was the first time.