Season 3: Chapter 184: Three Archers (1)
"Oh... Joseon! They are getting stuck! What should they do? OrangeKing!"
"This is really tough if they get stuck here. Joseon is spending a lot of money and time right now!"
"But they haven't caused much damage! No damage at all!"
"They need to at least disrupt the woodcutting to prevent more enemy archers from coming out...!"
The situation felt frustrating since the Joseon archers couldn't advance from the forest.
Then—
"Oh!?"
Thunk!
A Persian archer fell after an arrow precisely pierced his eye. The figure who shot that arrow could faintly be seen from a distance.
"Almond!"
It was Almond.
"Almond made the first kill!! This is good!"
— Wow
— Incredible
— Awesome
Cheers erupted from the audience.
"Woooaahhhhhh!!!"
With just that one shot, the momentum shifted.
"Back from hell! Joseon!!!"
— What do you mean hell? lol
— OrangeKing is insane, lol
— Was it that bad, lol
"In the match against the Vikings, they really went to hell! They came back from the brink of Valhalla! They can't die here!!"
As Almond successfully assassinated one enemy, the Persian archers seemed to be in a hurry. They thought they had been hidden, but one of them suddenly getting killed made them quickly attempt to reposition. They probably wanted to kill the enemy quickly too.
"Now! The dynamics have changed! The Persian archers are now fully exposed and starting to shoot rapidly!"
Joseon had a clear advantage now compared to before when they couldn't even see the Persian archers.
"Now it's a full-scale battle, right?"
"I don't know how the dynamics changed so suddenly, but this is good!"
***
The moment a Persian archer fell…
"Shoot!"
"Over there!"
Arrows rained down on the retreating Spam, Carrot, and Pang. Some enemy archers openly pursued them in a hurry.
"Damn, we've been discovered!"
"Where's Almond?"
"I don't know! Ugh!"
Thunk!
An arrow struck Pang's leg.
[HP: 75%]
Persian arrows didn’t have much power, but they also dealt a debuff.
[Bleeding]
Once hit, their arrows caused bleeding, which reduced movement speed and left a trail of blood.
"Dammit."
Thunk!
An arrow also struck Carrot's side.
"Dammit..."
"Sir! We need to counterattack! We'll be hunted down like this! Almond, where are you!"
"Let's counterattack on our own!"
Pang signaled them.
"Yes!"
They changed direction simultaneously, scattering in different positions.
Whoosh!
As they momentarily disappeared, the Persian pursuit seemed to stop. After a moment—
"Fire!"
At Pang's shout, they simultaneously appeared and drew their bows.
'Huh?'
They all froze for a moment because the enemies all hid behind cover. If they shot in a straight line, they'd just hit trees or rocks.
'Do we need to shoot curve shots too?'
They had never successfully used curve shots except in specific positions. It felt like standing in front of a huge wall and their bowstrings trembled.
Meanwhile—
"Fire!"
The Persian archers rapidly shot at the Joseon soldiers with their unique rapid-fire technique.
Whoosh!
The arrows curved sharply toward the Joseon soldiers.
"Shoot back!"
The Joseon side began counterattacking, but trees or rocks blocked all their arrows.
Thunk!
Meanwhile, a Persian arrow struck Carrot's knee and caused her to fall.
[HP: 32%]
She was now on the brink of death after getting hit at least twice.
***
The commentators couldn't hide their despair.
"Oh no! They’re getting hit! The Persian curve shots aren’t just a bluff! They are hitting accurately!"
The Persian curve shots had astonishing accuracy. It was no coincidence that they landed seventy to eighty percent of their shots.
"Are the Persian archers in the forest the ones known as the three archers?"
"Yes... The observer hasn't shown them up close, but it seems so!"
— Wow, is this Persia?
— Is Kenin there too?
— This is no joke
"Besides the three archers, it seems most of the first rotation players can shoot curve shots to some extent!"
Even if they weren't the famous three Persian archers, the frontline players could generally also use curve shots. If this was true, the gap in the forest battle was devastating.
— Did they practice?
— Unbelievable
— Indeed
— Wow
— Can we win this?
"Joseon needs to find a solution!"
Joseon, known for their archery skills, was falling behind in archery. This made the situation even more dire.
"Ah... Except for Almond... I don't think this is possible."
"From Almond's position, the situation looks good!"
The Persian archers had no idea where Almond went. They became distracted by Pang's group running away.
"Persia is most afraid of the enemy entering their base! Pang's group is very close to the base! This makes them desperate! They don't know that Almond isn't with them!"
"But how many does Almond have to kill alone? Does he have to take down seven or eight ace players alone!?"
"Impossible. No matter how good Almond is, that's too much..."
Seeing the enemy's skill, OrangeKing felt skeptical.
— Really lol
— ??? Arrows that go anywhere~!
— It’s possible with a bamboo copter
— Almond, the God, lol
"Oh, the IDs are appearing! Indeed, the three archers are there! Kenin is there too! In that forest, each of them is as strong as Tres! Remember Tres!?"
Tres was Spain's ace player and secondary commander. He was known for his exceptional prowess in the game.
The Persian archers in the forest were said to be as powerful as Tres.
"Almond is slowly advancing! He needs to make a decision! Someone has to go!"
It seemed impossible for all the Joseon archers to reach the enemy base. A decision needed to be made.
***
Regardless of Joseon's decision, the battle continued.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Arrows rapidly crossed paths.
Thunk!
Another arrow struck Carrot in the shoulder.
'Is this impossible?'
She tried shooting curve shots like she learned, but executing them properly in a real battle was nearly impossible. Her arrows missed wildly.
Meanwhile, the enemy's arrows hit accurately and pierced Pang's side.
Thunk!
"Dammit... These bastards, where are they shooting from!"
Pang's face contorted in frustration.
"There's no time."
"Where's Almond?"
"I don't know! He told us to run earlier! He's not here!"
The enemies kept shooting rapidly, hoping another arrow would hit.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Arrows flew wildly, causing enough threat to restrict Joseon’s movements. It was a suppressive fire.
"Dammit."
Pang flinched, but crossed to a seemingly safe spot behind a rock. Surrounded by trees, he felt safe from curve shots.
He crouched low and shouted, "Carrot! How much time have we bought?"
Carrot's voice came from somewhere, "I don't know! How much time... No idea!"
"Dammit!"
Pang pondered. They needed to split their forces.
'Almond is the only one who can deal with these guys... Where is he?'
Pang roughly estimated the distance.
'We're actually closer to the enemy base.'
Their positions had shifted and they grew closer to Persia's base while the Persian archers chased them. If they ignored the enemies and ran, they could reach the base. However, the enemy archers would chase and potentially kill them all.
'On the other hand, we can send one in. Or...'
They could divide their forces, allowing someone to reach the base while others held the enemies back.
'If only I knew Almond's position.'
Pang scanned the forest. In the distance, he saw a red light creeping up. It was one of the leader's functions, allowing better identification of nearby allies.
'Almond.'
Almond seemed to have noticed Pang too and signaled him.
'What?'
Honestly, Pang couldn't understand at all.
'You fool, how can I see from here…?'
Regardless, a smile appeared on Pang's face. He couldn't see, but he understood.
"Carrot. Spam!"
"?"
"We're running again."
"What about Almond? We're slow right now."
"They won't catch up. Besides, we need to act as bait."
Pang already prepared to run.
'I trust you.'
He gave a determined command.
"Run to the base! The survivors should kill at least ten workers. Got it?"
"O-Okay..."
"Go on my signal!"
Thunk!
As Pang raised his hand, the leader's skill activated and displayed a countdown in the squad members' vision.
[3]
[2]
[1]
Thump!
The three of them started running.
"Run!"
***
As they ran, the Persian archers reacted again.
'Perfect.'
Almond drew his bow and raised the focus stat to the limit. He needed to divert the attention of many skilled enemies.
Fortunately, Pang understood perfectly.
Rustle.
The Persian archers appeared one by one again as they gave chase. They moved silently and swiftly as if hunting, but they didn't know one thing.
Joseon had left a hunter behind too.
'There.'
Whoosh.
Almond slowly released his arrow.
"Three."
Whoosh!
"!?'
The enemy couldn't react in time.
Thunk!
The arrow deeply pierced his head. His body twisted like a pretzel and fell.
"What the!?"
A nearby Persian archer turned around and aimed at Almond.
"Four."
Almond's arrow already pierced his temple.
Thunk!
As the second soldier fell, Almond started running forward.
The Persian archers chasing Pang's group chose to ignore him. Almond had to chase and disrupt them as much as possible.
"They're coming!"
The enemies noticed Almond and started shooting arrows. Their curved arrows flew and struck the trees.
Thunk!
Thunk!
Almond ran alongside them.
'How many are there?'
He tried to estimate, but couldn't tell exactly.
Thud, thud, thud...
Every time he ran, thick and thin trees passed between them.
Thunk!
Thunk!
Arrows continued to strike the trees and rocks.
The Persian archers shot with almost superhuman speed due to their rapid-fire trait. Their rate of fire didn't decrease while running. Arrows conveniently appeared as they drew their bowstrings, but that didn't matter much in the world of archery. It was about hitting or missing. Only those two things mattered.
If one missed, even ten or twenty arrows would be useless. Rapid fire was ultimately just a trick to hit the target.
Creak—
[Focus]
A white light glowed at the tip of Almond’s arrow.
Almond's eyes intensely focused on the head of the nearest Persian archer. The distance wasn't far, but numerous trees obstructed the way.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Even for curved shots, landing it while running through so many trees seemed impossible. In such an environment, one would naturally think so.
However, Almond didn't lose focus. His pupils contracted, his breathing stopped, and the passing trees slowed down.
Whoosh. Whooosh...
A path existed even in this complex forest. A shining path for the arrow with a faint light. Sometimes, the light could only be seen when enveloped in darkness.
No problem. He had walked through pitch-black darkness before.
'I can see it.'
Almond’s eyes snapped open and he released the arrow.
Whoosh—
The glowing white arrow flew out. It traveled straight through the entwined trees and—
"Five...!"
Almond exhaled the breath he had been holding. Simultaneously, the arrow pierced the enemy's head.
Thunk!
The enemy archer crashed into a rock and lay sprawled.
'Did that just happen?'
'What was that?'
'Did he really land a curve shot while running?'
The remaining three Persian archers looked around and felt bewildered even while running. Yes, only three of them remained. They were the ones known as Persia's three ace archers.