Season 3: Chapter 209. The Eight Archers (1)
Joseon finally won after a long battle.
“Joseon! Joseon has won!!” the commentators screamed at the top of their lungs.
“I can’t believe it. Joseon has made it to the quarterfinals! Just a few months ago, no one would have thought this was possible! And now, our very own Joseon has done it!”
Cheers from the audience were just as loud and shook the stadium.
“Waaaaaah!”
Boom!
The cheers from barely a quarter of the crowd made the ground tremble, indicating the intensity of their excitement.
— Wow!!!
— Congratulations!
— Finally~~~!
— Amazing~~!!
— Are they really going to the quarterfinals?
— I knew they could do it!
— Wow, I can’t believe it...
The chat window scrolled endlessly while the commentators became momentarily speechless and choked up.
“Ah... everyone. I... I...”
OrangeKing felt so overwhelmed with emotion that he couldn’t finish his sentence and his voice continued trembling.
— So emotional, lol
— OrangeKing’s waterfall of tears!
— OrangeKing, you’re making us cry too...
— Stop with the hidden ads.
— Is this real?
— I’m crying...
Although some teased him, most also cried along with him.
— I can’t believe Civil Empire is this exciting.
— If they make it to the quarterfinals, they’re going to blow up.
— Sob sob...
— I can’t believe this is happening after five years of watching.
OrangeKing grabbed the microphone with trembling hands and shouted, “Everyone! Even if it’s an unpopular game, even if no one recognizes it! If you keep at it! If you keep your precious heart and keep going! The day will come when everyone recognizes its value! This is truly amazing!”
The caster nodded in agreement.
“That’s right! The players are truly admirable! Even though Cookie couldn’t participate in the last two games, he led the team this far! Amazing!”
“Yes! No doubt about it! I think we can see Cookie’s influence in Best Yi Sun-Shin’s strategy!”
Discussing and sharing ideas in the same think tank inevitably influenced each other.
The caster started talking about the game.
“Speaking of which, Best Yi Sun-Shin made her debut in this match and secured a win when it was down to match point! What do you think about this?”
“Yes. Although I said we could see Cookie’s influence, that’s just one aspect. On a larger scale, Best Yi Sun-Shin’s victory strategies were clearly different. It was a game where they gradually tightened the noose. Joseon hasn’t shown such a victory strategy this season.”
“Ah, that’s right! Cookie’s Joseon was all about sudden twists and big surprises!”
“Yes. This time, Joseon won by steadily rolling the snowball from an early advantage and against Persia no less!”
This pattern of victory was originally Persia’s forte. Or...
“Isn’t this what Rome was good at?”
“That’s right! The team that gave Joseon their only real defeat this season! Rome! This is their style, isn’t it?”
— Damn, that’s true.
— Absorbed it, huh?
— Wow~~!
— Rome PTSD, lol
— They were really strong though.
— They’re still dominating in the main tournament
“Rome’s performance is also being highly praised, isn’t it?”
“That’s right. They’re being treated as the de facto number one team in the power rankings. They’re being called a dream team and have been winning all their matches in the tournament without dropping a single game.”
“They even finished the round of sixteen way ahead of schedule, right?”
“Yes.”
— Wow.
— Could they possibly face Rome in the quarterfinals?
— That’s scary...
— So intense!!!
“Best Yi Sun-Shin didn’t have a great performance in the second game, right?”
“That’s right. The difference in performance between the second and third games was so stark that it made you wonder if it was the same person. Not just the chemistry with the soldiers, but also the leadership skills changed.”
“It seems they’re continuously growing.”
“Yes, that’s what it looks like with a new commander.”
“What if Best Yi Sun-Shin keeps growing? Could they potentially match up to Anto?”
“We can only hope! Anto is a high wall to overcome this season! But we never know!”
— IDK if Best Yi Sun-Shin can reach Anto’s level...
— That’s ambitious.
— Rome seems like a machine.
— Did the caster even watch the finals? LOL
— Watching the finals feels suffocating.
“Now, while we’re talking, the MVP vote is currently happening. Who do you expect to win?”
“Ah... well, it has to be Almond for the first game, right? He won that eight vs. one battle in the forest... And for the third game... I cautiously predict the commander.”
— The commander?
— It’s hard for a commander to win MVP.
— Cookie was the only exceptional commander to get MVP, wasn’t he?
— Hmm, interesting.
Most viewers didn’t understand why OrangeKing picked the commander. Although she led well, a commander needed to do something far more impressive to win MVP.
“Now, the highlights are coming up. Let’s talk while watching, OrangeKing.”
“Yes. Ah, this... the scene where they break through the wall with one shield, right!?”
“That’s right. If we had to pick the most important moment of this game, it would be here. This is where it all started.”
“This is from Moggie’s point of view. The shield-bearer was crucial.”
“Wow, but...!”
As the replay was shown, viewers felt surprised by an unexpected detail.
“We can see the orders now... Wow, so detailed! See?? What did I tell you?”
— Wow.
— OMG.
— What is this!!
— LOL.
— Is this like Lim Yo-Hwan’s strategy?
— The orders were even showing directions.
— Inheritor of Lim Yo-Hwan’s tactics.
“Wow! It’s no wonder Moggie did so well! The commander marked all the archers just before they fired!”
After analyzing the videos after the second game, the commentators found out about Best Yi Sun-Shin’s abilities. Seeing the shield strategy and the shooting instructions for Almond and Pang was impressive even though they knew what was coming.
The scene of Almond hanging on the ladder with just his legs and lifting his upper body played in slow motion.
“This was also ordered, right? Here, Almond lifts his upper body... Pang!”
“There it is! Chikicha! And the person hit was Kenin!”
“This is really a bad relationship, isn’t it?”
— LOL
— Chikicha again, crazy~!
— At this point, it’ll haunt them in their dreams.
— Crazy.
“Next, Pang... It’s like the order even indicated the curve shot position, right!?”
“Yes. I hesitate to say, but this is one of the best tactical controls I’ve seen. By the way, Pang isn’t particularly known for his curve shots.”
While some commanders were known for their micro control, OrangeKing didn’t know anyone who was this capable at it.
Viewers also started to agree.
— Is this Best Yi Sun-Shin?? Is this Best Yi Sun-Shin?? Is this Best Yi Sun-Shin??
— It must be hard to keep up like this.
— THIS IS AMAZING.
— Wow...
— Did they reach the second and third eras that fast while doing this?
— The targeting for the curve shot was just perfect.
What was truly impressive was that she didn’t just focus on the battle.
“And she managed the operations this well. Look here. Despite the archer rush in the second era, their total force never exceeded twenty.”
“Wow, really?”
“Yes. So from the start, Joseon didn’t intend to finish it with this archer rush. At least, not after seeing the Ancient Walls map! Until the pavilion, it had all been planned in the commander’s head!”
— Wow!
— Damn~
— This is crazy.
— Any commander can do that honestly.
— Crazy...
— It’s hard to end a rush on the Ancient Walls.
— Holy moly.
In the third game, Best Yi Sun-Shin showcased her operational ability and strategy. She proved to be a valuable asset as Joseon's candidate commander.
“Wow. At first, many felt concerned because she was a rookie, right? Now it seems Joseon has gained an even better option?”
“That’s right. The decision by Cookie and the think tank team to bring her out even in the third game paid off. Other teams will have to consider two commanders when facing Joseon now.”
This victory gave Joseon significant strategic gains. They won with a completely different style than their other commander. Even the victory formula was different from Cookie’s. This would be a struggle for the civilizations set to face Joseon because they would have to prepare for twice the strategies.
“Ah, the next scene is...”
The commentators explained each highlight.
***
[Current Viewers: 673,000]
Far more viewers joined compared to the start.
The immense traffic made Ju-Hyeok’s computer lagged, but he didn’t care.
Boom!
Ju-Hyeok stood up from his desk and shook with excitement.
“Dear god! Thank you! As promised, I won’t go home! Haaa!”
Joseon had advanced to the quarterfinals.
Aside from the players, this held the most significance for Kim Ju-Hyeok.
“Yu Sang-Hyeon, you amazing bastard! Nuts!!”
The scene where Sang-Hyeon neutralized three elephants at the end sent a jolt of pleasure through Ju-Hyeok’s nervous system as if it electrified his brain and sent signals through his entire body. The joy of investing in a high-risk product that skyrocketed felt like winning a gamble.
“Holy... shit... Yu, Yu Sang-Hyeon, this guy is fucking amazing...” Ju-Hyeok panted and tried to calm himself down. “Oh man, getting old makes even joy exhausting,” he muttered and finally sat comfortably on the sofa.
He also visited the online community to indulge in the victory.
“Wow. These guys all switched stances.”
Unsurprisingly, the community was devoid of the negative comments about the commander, which had been prevalent after the second game.
Instead, plenty of positive remarks appeared.
[Best Yi Sun-Shin has legendary solo queue stats]
— Wow.
— Just a natural talent.
— Crazy...
— Fyi: Cookie had been in contact with her, but she refused due to real-life commitments and only accepted now.
└ So she has a job??
└ She doesn’t look that old. Maybe a college student?
└ She can’t have a job, must be a student to play this much.
The commander’s rank in the solo queue became a hot topic.
[Best Yi Sun-Shin suddenly looks really pretty]
— I thought so from the start.
— She didn’t win a fashion contest for nothing.
— Oh yeah~
— My type for sure.
— She looks like she’d leave messages on read.
└ LOL
└ True
└ Actually, I like it...
└ “Messages are only for soldiers”
└└ LOL
└└ The only way to get a message from Best Yi Sun-Shin is to join the National Championship LOL.
— She’s not a classic beauty, but really charming.
“Definitely lots of comments about the commander,” Ju-Hyeok muttered while scrolling through comments.
After being the biggest worry in the second game, the commander became the highlight after the third game.
‘Makes sense... That person was...’
Although Sang-Hyeon hadn’t told him directly, Ju-Hyeok had a good idea that person was JeonJaPa.
‘If you’re good at one game, you’re usually good at others to some extent... But she’s this good.’
JeonJaPa was a legendary player in LIL and performed remarkably in Civil Empire too. If people knew that, they’d be even more amazed.
Besides the commander, most comments mentioned Almond.
[Almond is insane]
[So nuts...!]
[Stopping three elephants, unbelievable]
The posts praised Almond’s performance.
[MVP has to be Almond this time, honestly]
[If Almond does the interview alone, there’ll be no breaks LOL]
[I think it’s Best Yi Sun-Shin and Almond]
[Moggie and Almond]
They discussed who would get the MVP.
Almond was a definite candidate thanks to his performance in the first game.
“Sang-Hyeon should get it alone! Definitely!”
Despite that, Ju-Hyeok wanted Sang-Hyeon to get the MVP alone.
“After all this hard work...”
Ju-Hyeok glanced at the now empty capsule. He had always watched from the side of the path that Sang-Hyeon walked.
Just then, a post caught his eye. It was about to hit the big list with many upvotes.
[Insider news: MVP announced!!!]
Ju-Hyeok looked at the live screen again in surprise. The highlights were still playing. He couldn’t help but click on the post.
[And the MVP is...
(Picture)
Fuck That Ninja
“Solo MVP”]
It was a large picture of an Arab man, Kenin.
— Fuck That Ninja LOL
— Crazy LOL.
— LOL!!!
— Most impactful in the game, HAHAHA.
— Fuck Ninja LOL
— He was a pushover~
— LOL
Ju-Hyeok chuckled with a smirk and gave it a big upvote despite being tricked.
Meanwhile...
[The MVP has been announced.]
Now, the live broadcast revealed the real MVP. Of course, Kenin wasn’t on the list. Instead, there were two others.
[Almond]
[Best Yi Sun-Shin]