Season 3: Chapter 198: Fast Shield Archer Rush (1)
Best Yi Sun-Shin had been chosen again for the final game.
Ju-Hyeok even called out to his father in this crisis of possibly not making it to the quarterfinals.
“Father! Show me the answer!”
Only silence followed. It seemed the rebellious son who abruptly left home wouldn’t receive an answer.
Instead—
‘Huh?’
Suddenly, his phone rang.
Buzz buzz.
[Punk Manager Oh]
He hadn’t seen this name in a long time.
This person had initially signed Almond as a Punk partner streamer and secured various advertising deals for him. If streamer Almond had a father, it would be this person.
“Father Oh…”
Although Sang-Hyeon was still a partner with Punk, he was busy preparing for the national tournament and Manager Oh was busy with another major project. They hadn’t been in touch for a while.
Why was he calling now?
Ju-Hyeok answered the phone, “Hello, Manager Oh.”
“Oh, Ju-Hyeok. You sound energetic? Are things going smoothly?”
“Haha, not exactly. How have you been? It’s been a while. I should’ve contacted you…”
They exchanged pleasantries before Manager Oh got to the point.
“So, about that Fake National Team. Your company is producing it, right?
“Oh, yes. That’s correct.”
How did he know? Ju-Hyeok felt a strange unease.
The money for the merchandise was dwindling, but the production costs for the Fake National Team were also significant.
Even with 50% support from Civil Empire Korea, the remaining 50% was covered by Almond’s channel. That was the condition for bringing the series on board.
Even if the channel's view count was high, that money would be received later. Production costs were rising and breaking even was becoming uncertain.
Ju-Hyeok began to think that they would also need to reach the quarterfinals to break even for the Fake National Team series.
Then, Manager Oh said something unexpected.
“We’re busy selling merchandise and producing things too. I’d like to discuss this over drinks, but it seems urgent. To be direct…”
What was he about to say?
At first, Ju-Hyeok thought some conflict had possibly occurred between the partnership contract and the Fake National Team production.
‘Is it about the merchandise?’
He scrolled through the contracts in his flickering mind. Would partnered streamers need to share merchandise? That couldn’t be. Being a partner with a game distribution platform and a streamer’s personal merchandise were obviously separate.
Amid the creeping anxiety, Manager Oh mentioned something completely different.
“How about we invest in it too?”
“… Pardon?”
What was this?
“Ah, you know how Monster also invested in the merchandise. So we thought about investing in the Fake National Team too. Is that possible?
An investment from Punk? Ju-Hyeok felt momentarily stunned.
Recruiting partner streamers and investing directly were very different matters. Punk was a giant distributor in the gaming world.
Ju-Hyeok knew well what it meant for them to invest in Almond’s personal business.
‘And how do they know our situation so well? What’s going on?’
A reason for this existed as was often the case with sudden events.
“You probably guessed, but Civil Empire Korea contacted us. They asked what we thought about this trend and said there were a lot of expenses. I heard the cost of filming the Fake National Team isn’t trivial.”
“Ah, yes. That’s right.”
The production costs for the Fake National Team continued to steadily rise. It needed more editors as it gained more attention. Each player had dozens of cameras. No matter how advanced editing software was, it required human hands and employing people cost money.
‘It would have been best if Ji-Ah could join.’
Ideally, Ji-Ah would have joined the team as Almond’s editor. However, that was difficult for her due to psychological reasons.
Ju-Hyeok found it hard to ask as her closest confidant, so they had to hire other people.
“The production costs must be burdensome because you’re airing it through Almond’s channel, right? Ju-Hyeok, you’re good, but you’re too greedy. Haha!”
“Ah… Haha.”
Indeed, his business ambition took over. Uploading such content on Civil Empire’s channel seemed too wasteful.
“Civil Empire Korea requested our investment, but we can’t be too friendly to just one game. That’s our stance.”
“Ah…”
Ju-Hyeok understood why Manager Oh brought this up.
“So you’re investing in our company instead?”
“Exactly. We prefer investing in Korea’s national team! And the company funding that video is our partner’s company, right?
A wide smile spread across Ju-Hyeok’s face.
“Haha! Yes, a partner company!”
It would be hard to receive investment as an individual like Almond. However, they could systematically receive investments more easily as a corporation.
“Glad you’re happy. I’ll send the details and requested shares via email. Check it out.”
“Ah. Yes. Thank you, Manager Oh.”
“We’ll profit from this. No need to thank me. Haha!”
That could possibly not happen if the team didn’t make it to the quarterfinals. Ju-Hyeok swallowed those words and thanked Manager Oh repeatedly before hanging up.
Moments later after checking the email, he stood up and shadowboxed in the air.
“Yes! Awesome!”
The production cost for the Fake National Team seemed covered for the time being. Now, it would be a huge success far beyond breaking even if they just made it to the quarterfinals and sold the merchandise well.
The game that would decide their fate finally started on the screen.
***
“Wowww!”
“Let’s go!”
The arena changed as the audience cheered.
Rumble…
The hologram slowly took the shape of the selected map. This time, it wasn’t a vast plain. Hills began to rise here and there, growing steeper at each faction’s base. No, they weren’t hills. They looked too extreme to be hills, mountains, or cliffs. They were walls.
[Ancient Walls]
Indeed, the Ancient Walls became ruins after the fall of ancient Rome, yet no one could tear down the walls that encircled each faction’s base.
“Ah! The Ancient Walls…!?”
“Wasn’t this the map from last time?”
— OMG
— Crazy
— This is ridiculous
— Not rigged? lol
— It was in the Rome game
“It was the Rome game that Joseon lost, right?” the caster reminisced.
“They didn’t just lose one game. They lost every game against Rome… so of course it was a loss.”
— lol
— Oh no…
— Ugh…
— This is the worst
— Can’t use the rush strategy???
— The rush strategy blocked again
The Ancient Walls map had appeared once during the preliminaries against Rome. Joseon had struggled significantly against Rome, who was known for solid strategies.
The high walls provided considerable protection for each base from the start, making it very difficult to gain any advantage with so-called rush tactics.
— Worst timing for the Ancient Walls…
— Nation’s fate at the Ancient Walls…
— Bad map luck
— If it were the Yonsei wall, Joseon would win~ agree?
— ??? We filmed Fake National Team ep.8, but that video never went up on YouTube
— Luck-based bad game
— This has been Korea! Thanks a lot!
— Ah…
Viewers reacted as if they had already lost due to the risks of changing commanders coupled with a map favoring late-game play.
Still, OrangeKing offered some hopeful words.
“Joseon! They must have gone over some feedback in the waiting room! If they resolved their previous issues, I actually think their chances are high! They’ll adapt to the map eventually!”
“Ah, right. I also saw the highlights you showed earlier, OrangeKing. There were many close scenes! They just didn’t execute the orders well! It’s all about adapting and mindset!”
— ??
— What did he see?
— Oh
— Not forced excuses
— ?
— If the experts say so, it must be true
— Stop the excuses
— Trying to balance
Viewers thought that the commentators tried to forcefully balance the commentary. That was understandable since they couldn’t see any advantages for Joseon, especially since the previous game’s clumsy battles and indecisive strategies left a strong impression.
Moreover—
“Even if Joseon loses here, the path they’ve shown in this tournament has surely been engraved in the hearts of gamers worldwide!”
The caster’s preemptive excuse worsened public sentiment.
— Yeah…
— Already preparing to lose lol
— Sigh
— ??? The spirit of the Taegeuk Warriors is something (crashed out in the round of 16)
— Seen this pattern a lot lol
— We all know the plot.
“Still, the path is straight, which is a relief?”
OrangeKing offered another hopeful perspective regarding the short rush distance.
“Ah, yes. Persia is at nine o’clock in the west and Joseon is at three o’clock in the east.”
Although a wall separated them, this was the closest distance between them among the maps so far.
“OrangeKing, how do you think both sides will react?”
“Persia looks excited just by the commander’s expression. They’re not building many towers or showing a super fast build into the second era.”
Persia seemed to exclude an early rush entirely.
“Ah, they’re proceeding without towers and just a few archers to defend with minimal burden. That’s the psychology?”
“Yes, they’re trusting the walls. Moreover, despite having walls, three consecutive…”
OrangeKing stopped mid-sentence and stared at Joseon’s side.
“Three consecutive!!!”
Then, he started repeating the same words.
“Three consecutive!!! Are they going!?!?!”
Joseon’s building speed seemed unusual. They didn’t focus on scouting much and the soldiers simply stood on standby.
“Is this really another rush strategy!? It’s the last game!!”
— lol
— Why have a one-trick?
— Seriously???
— Wow
— lol
— Yeah, let’s go!
— ???
— One-trick?
Viewers felt tired of seeing the same pattern as the previous game, but a distinct difference could be seen this time.
Firstly, it was the speed.
Dum dum.
Joseon quickly reached the second era.
[Joseon - 2nd Era]
“That was really fast! Isn’t this faster than Cookie!?”
— Super fast rush, damn
— Wow lol
— ???
— What is this?
— They cut it even more?
— They’re serious!
“Ah, were they nervous in the previous game!! What’s with this speed!”
Their entry speed to the second era, which seemed impossible to cut down further, happened at a record pace. Although the map shape and layout influenced this, they still achieved an incredible speed.
Dum dum.
[Persia - 2nd Era]
Persia had thrown everything into reaching the second era, but still arrived over twenty seconds later.
By then, Joseon had already activated the forge and started producing short bows.
Clang!
“No delay at all!?”
“Are there three commanders?”
Short bows appeared at an unbelievable speed and were given first to…
[Almond]
Indeed, Almond took the lead this time.
[Leader]
This was the difference from the second game.
“Almond is the leader! Did they have a change of heart?”
“Yes. We didn’t mention it before, but there was some miscommunication due to the new commander’s order style.”
“Can Almond communicate well?”
“We don’t know, but it looks like they have a plan!”
— ?
— What’s different?
— One marine against a lurker?
— The speed is insane
— The 2nd era speed is promising
— Hm, is it enough?
“They’re clearly rushing judging by the number of archers!”
After Almond, around six archers received bows too. Starting the second era with this many archers meant that they would soon attack.
— Let’s go!!
— Please win!
— Just go to the 3rd era, can’t we do it?
— Another trick?
“Whoa!?”
“What’s this?”
In the forge, Joseon was producing something unusual.
[Shield]
It was a shield.
“Are they mixing in shield-bearers…?”
A shield-bearer joined and the unit moved out immediately.
OrangeKing couldn’t predict things any further.
“Alright, good! This is a new meta! The fast shield archer rush! Gooo!”
— Fast shield lol
— Let’s go~
— One-trick shield lol
— Really? A shield?
— Huh? What is this?
— Fast shield archer rush??
— Sigh
— Fast shield lol