Season 3: Chapter 193: The Elephant (1)
Almond’s arrow instantly took down one of the soldiers on the defense tower.
“Aaaagh! It hit!?”
“What!? How!? They were all hiding! Did they get careless because Joseon was retreating!?”
Almond’s feat was surprising enough, but that soldier wasn’t just any ordinary soldier.
“Wait, hold on. That’s... Kenin!? It's Kenin!?”
“Kenin died again!?”
“So this isn’t just some random assassination. He specifically targeted Kenin!”
Almond had aimed for Kenin. At least, it appeared like that to the commentators.
— Kenin dies again lol
— LOL
— The grudge is real
— Nice
— But isn’t it a huge loss if Almond dies after killing Kenin? lol
“Did Almond risk everything to kill Kenin by charging back!? He’s in danger himself right now!”
— LOL
— ??? I only beat one guy
— Kenin’s humiliation is real
— What did he do to deserve this...?
“Almond probably knew he’d die anyway after the attack, so he decided to take out their ace!”
Taking down the enemy ace in exchange was a good move. On this map where food was scarce, it would take time for anyone dead to respawn.
“Yes, it seems that was Almond’s judgment! And now, because of Almond’s move, all the defense tower archers are focused on him!”
“Ah, yes! I hope something happens during this distraction!”
All the archers on the defense towers focused on Almond, almost as if taking out all their hostility on him.
Twang!
Arrows poured down on Almond. This meant that the other Joseon archers would be momentarily unmarked.
The Joseon commander didn’t miss this opportunity.
Ping.
[Move]
“The Joseon archers have quickly changed formation toward the gold mine!”
Despite having the option to target wood, Joseon aimed for the gold mine instead.
“This is to prepare for the future!”
They targeted gold, a resource heavily needed after the third era since it would be too much to end the game in the second era. This seemed like the perfect move against Persia, whose attention became split between the wood resources and Almond.
“The workers are falling! One! Two!”
“Three! Four! Five! Six!”
“They’re killing quite a few! Seven! It’s up to seven now!”
Pang and his group quickly penetrated deep into the base and took out many workers. It seemed like they would keep causing damage, but...
“Ah, the enemy archers are quickly returning fire!”
Twang! Twang!
Arrows rained down from the Persian camp and quickly suppressed them.
“Ah, they’ve fallen! But this is better than just retreating, right?”
At least they had inflicted some damage on the enemy workers. If they hadn’t, they wouldn’t have gained anything.
“Yes, Almond created a significant opportunity!”
“Ah… Almond has fallen too! But it’s okay. It’s almost an even exchange.”
Almond couldn’t hold out for long and eventually died in the heavily fortified area.
“There was no way he could’ve survived that far in, right?”
“Exactly. If he had survived, Joseon would need a balance patch.”
— LOL a balance patch
— Super play indeed
— Rush failed though
“Anyway, Joseon launched an early rush, but the harvest wasn’t great. It felt like they just broke even.”
“Yes. It didn’t feel like they had coordinated synergy inside enemy territory.”
“Meanwhile, Persia’s turtling shone brightly.”
“Right. Persia’s defensive tactics are so refined that they likely didn’t need specific commands from their commander!”
Without seeing individual commands on the screen, many speculated that the issue lay with the new Joseon commander.
— If it were Cookie…
— They’re getting through but it looks tough
— Honestly, the difference in commander skills is noticeable
— Sigh
— Why did they change the commander?
Such reactions were expected since the commander held the most influence in a game. Furthermore, the new commander Best Yi Sun-Shin was playing for the first time in the tournament.
OrangeKing was concerned about this.
“It could be tough for a rookie commander in such situations. They need to maintain their mental state.”
“Yes. The initial archer rush wasn’t bad.”
The initial second era archer rush had been a good move to carry their momentum and assert that Joseon had the advantage in archer battles. However, commanders could waver when such rushes failed, especially against a civilization like Persia.
‘But…’
OrangeKing closely observed the commander’s expression on the monitor and scratched his head.
‘No change in expression.’
The commander’s expression remained unchanged. Did they have strong mental fortitude? Something else seemed odd.
‘Seeing this person’s face, why do I feel... emotional?’ OrangeKing thought to himself and rubbed his eyes.
It was strange, but he ignored the feeling and focused on commentary.
“Now, Joseon should slowly prepare for the third era and plan a new strategy.”
“Yes. Meanwhile, Persia is starting free upgrades and gradually gaining the advantage due to the time.”
“Right. They don’t need gold for upgrades, so they can use it for elephants or horse archers.”
“Meanwhile, what strategy will Joseon show in the third era? They have armored infantry, horse archers, and crossbows.”
“They’ll need to think carefully. It’s the new commander’s first game, so using crossbows boldly might be too risky. Maybe play it safe…”
***
“Hey? Look, Sung-Hyun is out. She’s really in the game! Isn’t this crazy!?”
In a large house with a big TV, three men gathered and drank beer. They hadn’t paid much attention to the TV about ten minutes ago. They just listened to the sounds while focusing on their own conversation. It had been a while since they gathered.
“Sung-Hyun is out? Really… can she do it? Isn’t she just a strategist?”
“The main commander just uses their hands. She retired and played this game all day long.”
The person they referred to as Sung-Hyun appeared on TV with a face quite different from what they remembered.
Then, someone murmured bitterly, “Now we’re all together. Ah… except Woo-Joo.”
It was Banana, the jungler.
“Does he still dislike it that much?” Popcorn cautiously asked.
“Well… who knows. He still plays games well.”
“Yeah. Everyone lives their own life. Let’s have a toast!”
Popcorn raised his beer mug.
“CK Assemble! Cheers!”
“Cheers~”
The rest chuckled, clinked their mugs together, and gulped down their beers.
They focused more on the game after the commander changed. Except for Popcorn, none of them knew much about Civil Empire. However, the game didn’t require much knowledge to watch and they didn’t experience any issues watching it.
Soon, they noticed.
“Hey… isn’t this a bit difficult?”
They realized that the game wasn’t flowing favorably for Korea.
Popcorn nodded in agreement.
“Ah, hmm. Seems like it.”
Their expressions turned grim, especially someone in particular.
“Ugh… it’s her first tournament since then… What should we do…? Won’t she lose her mental stability…?” Marshmallow, the supporter, mumbled worriedly.
“Ah, why are you mumbling again? Just watch. No way she’s going to lose her mental state after all this time.”
“Oh, uh… I guess…?”
“She’s much stronger than us old-timers. Don’t worry.”
Although Popcorn sounded harsh, he also felt concerned. However, he believed in her just as he did when they were teammates.
“Our mid has been shaken, but never broken.”
Not even the trial of being unable to walk broke her. She would find a way.
Popcorn believed so.
***
As time passed, the impact Joseon made in the second era became less significant to the overall game.
Persia had recovered as if nothing happened and both sides advanced to the third era.
Dun.
[Joseon - 3rd Era]
[Persia - 3rd Era]
Joseon started producing crossbows as soon as they reached the third era.
Persia…
“Persia is now…”
The commentators sounded tense because what Joseon feared the most and what Persia prided itself on had finally appeared.
“Bwooooo—”
The largest animal on land, the war elephant was a terror to all other nations in the game and reality.
“The elephants are out!”
“Oh, we’re seeing them today as well!”
“Yes. They don’t appear often unless it’s against an archery civilization.”
“War elephants aren’t the most efficient choice given their cost.”
“True. Their efficiency varies greatly depending on the situation.”
The biggest weaknesses of archery civilizations were stone walls and armor. These two defenses nullified almost all damage from arrows.
“In Civil Empire, ranged attacks do minimal damage to mounts due to the game’s balance.”
This was to prevent mounted units from falling after being hit by arrows, which was another game mechanic for player convenience like how they removed the possibility of friendly fire with arrows.
“But elephants are mounts too!”
As expected, the gigantic elephants were considered mounts. However, they weren’t just transportation aids.
“They are the only mounts that attack!”
“Exactly.”
Elephants could effortlessly demolish stone walls and cause irreparable damage to defense towers with just a few hits.
“Moreover! When they fall, they crush infantry! It’s devastating for the enemy!”
Even in death, elephants caused damage. If an infantry got crushed under a falling elephant, they would die or become incapacitated.
“Every move from an elephant is a critical hit!”
If struck by an elephant’s foot, units would get knocked back and incapacitated.
“Elephants don’t take realistic damage, but the damage they deal is excessively realistic!”
OrangeKing’s description was spot on. Whether it was intended or not, the game’s system gave elephants many advantages.
— LOL
— Selective matrix LOL
— Even with all these perks, they’re ineffective against some civilizations?
— LOL terrifying
— They deal damage even when falling?? LOL
Despite this, Civil Empire didn’t get any major complaints about balancing elephants for a simple reason.
“They’re incredibly expensive!”
Elephants cost an extraordinary amount.
“They cost as much as a building.”
“Yes! And buildings can generate rent! Elephants just consume resources!”
Purchasing elephants required a lot of gold.
— LOL
— That’s not the kind of building we’re talking about…
— LOL
— Pure flex LOL
— Maintenance cost LOL
“Their maintenance cost is like a Ferrari or Lamborghini!”
“More like the latest tanks!”
It wasn’t just gold. Elephants were the only mounts that consumed food in the game. In Civil Empire, only players and workers consumed food. Strangely, elephants also required food, and a lot of it.
“So Persia gathered about five elephants! They’re advancing!”
“Does Joseon know!?”
For the first time in the tournament, Persia initiated an attack.
Rumble…!
The ground trembled across the area.
“The Persian soldiers are determined! Even though it just looks like five elephants, there might be more at stake!”
“Yes! The Persian fans are as passionate as those from Spain! The pressure is high! Will Joseon be able to defend!?”
— Determined LOL
— LOL what’s more at stake? LOL
— OrangeKing’s illogical victory wish LOL
— Everyone bet their elephants…!
— ??? Bet 100 elephants and 100 more.
— LOL