Season 3: Chapter 231. The Sea (2)
Ringo had been continuously analyzing Best Yi Sun-Shin’s style. Although Cookie would likely appear, Ringo felt confident that Sa-Rang would return to change the atmosphere if Joseon was ever cornered. Moreover, her ominous nickname was unsettling. It seemed like she was bound to stir up trouble. Indeed...
‘She came out as the starter.’
Sa-Rang came out as the starter and won the first game. However, Ringo wasn’t too shaken. The quarterfinals in the national championship extended up to five games. Focusing on the overall flow rather than each game individually was crucial. Moreover, Ringo actually felt grateful that Best Yi Sun-Shin came out.
‘The analysis wasn’t in vain.’
Ringo had done more analysis on her than Cookie. Cookie had accumulated data over time, but no such data existed for Best Yi Sun-Shin. He had to exert more effort within a short period and fortunately produced some results.
Each commander had their own views regarding their civilization. Their interpretations accumulated and connected to form a playstyle. Ringo had a rough idea of her style.
‘An obsession with early harassment.’
First, she always moved in the second era. From her perspective, Joseon had to gain early advantages through combat. Although he had never considered this strategy from Joseon, it made sense upon experiencing it.
‘She also avoids siege weapons.’
Secondly, Sa-Rang never used siege weapons. She focused on efficient combat with infantry. But why? Ringo couldn’t resolve this question.
He only had hypotheses. Perhaps she lacked confidence in direct control or aimed for extreme resource efficiency. Or maybe both. Although these were hypotheses, they always manifested in her games and Ringo had to prepare for them on this sea map.
‘Both hypotheses suggest fire ships might not come.’
No matter which hypothesis he trusted, there was no guarantee that Joseon would choose fire ships. It would be absurd for another commander, but Best Yi Sun-Shin could opt for swift ships. He had to prepare for this absurdity. It came at a cost, but Ringo confirmed his hypothesis was somewhat correct after losing the first game and willingly paid the cost.
‘If she comes...’
She would probably send archers on swift ships in the second era. He had to prepare for this absurdity.
‘She’ll sneak along the sides.’
He placed two fishing boats on each side to scout. This resulted in a loss for transporting fish, but he had no choice. To defeat her, he had to prepare for this possibility. And—
“...!”
The goddess of victory favored Ringo in this game. The scout fishing boat spotted the enemy’s swift ship.
Ringo’s lips curled into a smile.
“Let’s go, Sekibune.”
Shooosh...!
The Sekibune cut through the water and left the shore.
***
“Wait a minute! They’ve been spotted!”
The casters noticed that Joseon’s swift ship had been spotted. They had a view of both sides and couldn’t be sure, but it evidently became clear.
“They saw each other! And Joseon isn’t stopping. They’re just moving forward!”
Joseon didn’t stop and pressed forward instead, making it obvious that they recognized each other.
— What’s this?
— Why is that ship there?
— Huh?
“Why is the fishing boat here?”
Neither the viewers, casters, nor Best Yi Sun-Shin knew why Japan’s fishing boat appeared in such an isolated spot.
“Did they anticipate this? Were they prepared?”
“Joseon is pushing forward and aiming to land on the shore quickly!”
Shooosh...!
The swift ship sliced through the water without changing direction. However—
“Ah... but it’s slowing down due to its flat-bottomed ship trait!”
Flat-bottomed ships slowed down by up to 20% as they moved away from the shore.
“It’s at its slowest now!”
They would’ve sped up if the Japanese shore was in sight, but this was open sea. The flat-bottomed ship wasn’t suited for this environment.
Meanwhile, Japan’s ship with a pointed bottom was ideal for slicing through the water. It struggled near shores, but excelled in deep water.
Shooosh...!
[Sekibune]
The Sekibune cut through the water and approached.
“Ah... the Sekibune is coming! Joseon might not know!”
Japan had produced the Sekibune earlier than expected.
“Ringo seemed prepared for this!”
— Oh no
— It’s over
— What a mess
— They’re doomed
Joseon’s swift ship moved along the western edge of the map. A fishing boat blocked its path in front as the Sekibune closed in from the east. The speed difference was stark and the Sekibune quickly closed the gap. Of course, only those with an overhead view saw this. Joseon likely didn’t know yet.
“Can they reach the shore before the Sekibune arrives?”
“Almond, our ADC, has always succeeded in the second era! Can he destroy the ship with arrows?”
— LOL
— Can he?
— Is he superhuman?
OrangeKing’s hopeful joke underscored the dire situation. Joseon, unaware of the Sekibune’s approach, could only press forward and hope to reach the shore before the enemy arrived.
“Ah! They see it now!”
At that moment—
“The Sekibune is accelerating!”
The Sekibune appeared on the eastern horizon.
***
“It’s a ship? We’ve been spotted.”
Almond scratched his head nonchalantly. He spotted a ship ahead instead of an island. That was all.
“Hmm... We need to be careful when disembarking to avoid falling into the water.”
“Sir, if you have no orders, please don’t say anything.”
“... Ahem.”
Latte thought Almond was just speaking to sound like a leader, which was an accurate assessment.
“A true leader should utilize their capable subordinates.”
Latte gestured toward Carrot.
“Oh, right.”
Almond nodded and asked Carrot, “Carrot, what should we do?”
“Pffft.”
The members all laughed.
‘Is he Siri?’
‘An AI?’
Carrot didn’t laugh. She had been looking toward the east.
“What we should do is... prepare to jump onto their ship and fight. A ship will soon ram us from the right.”
“...?”
Almond tilted his head, bombarded with too much information.
‘Oh?’
Something was indeed approaching from the east at an incredibly fast pace. Pang had been sitting quietly at the stern and sprung up.
“It’s coming! What’s that!?”
“A Sekibune,” Carrot muttered as she climbed to the eastern edge.
Almond also took his position, ready to fight. However, the approaching ship looked significantly larger.
‘Why aren’t there any orders...?’
No orders had come from above yet. If this ship sank, ten archers would die.
***
Sa-Rang’s eyes widened.
‘What?!’
A Japanese ship had unexpectedly appeared. The sight of the fishing boat already put her on high alert. And now, a Sekibune approached from the east.
‘This is... bad.’
They had been completely outwitted. Losing these ten archers would be a severe blow. However, she couldn’t let the enemy off easily.
‘I have to take control.’
She had to hang on somehow.
‘Advance.’
Sa-Rang let the ship continue advancing toward the Japanese shore since appearing suspicious would raise alarms. The Sekibune aimed to ram them, which was the standard tactic for early Japanese ships.
‘It’s coming. A bit more.’
The distance between the ships was around a hundred meters.
‘More.’
They closed the distance to around eighty meters.
Shooosh...!
The fast-approaching ship stirred and splashed waves onto the swift ship. The archers began shooting even though sinking the enemy ship would take an enormous effort. Sa-Rang didn’t give them any orders and only focused entirely on controlling the ship.
‘Now!’
As the Sekibune lunged at the swift ship’s bow, the Joseon ship suddenly turned.
***
The Sekibune lunged with its massive ram.
“It’s coming!”
The archers clung to the edges, ready to jump.
“What!?”
Swooosh...!
The Joseon ship suddenly turned sharply.
“Whoa!”
The sudden turn threw the archers off balance, nearly capsizing the ship. Almond recovered first and nocked an arrow.
“Did they... miss?”
The Sekibune had overshot them.
“!?”
The players on the Sekibune felt equally shocked and made eye contact with Almond.
“Wha... why?”
They desperately tried to regain control, but couldn’t do anything without orders. The Sekibune couldn’t turn as sharply as the flat-bottomed ship. Its pointed bottom meant it took significantly longer to turn.
***
Thud!
The casters grew excited.
“This is the flat-bottomed ship’s advantage!”
This maneuver showcased the flat-bottomed ship’s strengths.
“This is what critics of the flat-bottomed ship need to see!”
— LOL
— Exactly
— Praise the flat-bottomed ship
— Is this the flat-bottomed ship?
Although often criticized, the flat-bottomed ship had clear advantages, especially for Joseon’s artillery-centric strategy. Its strengths were evident even without artillery.
“But the Sekibune will return! Can they do anything now?”
This maneuver only delayed the inevitable. They were still at sea and the Sekibune would return.
“What now? Ram the fishing boat as a last resort?”
OrangeKing suggested a desperate move to take the enemy with them. This was a decent fallback plan, but Joseon aimed for more.
“No... wait!”
Shooosh!
As the Sekibune lunged again, the swift ship also turned again.
“Are they bullfighting? Joseon dodged again!”
“Joseon, who defeated Spain, is now bullfighting!”
It didn’t stop there. The archers inside the swift ship—
[Attack]
They stood and shot arrows as the ship dodged.
“They’re shooting the enemy ship?”
All their arrows, with three seconds of focus, struck the Sekibune.
Bang! Bang!
The Sekibune’s health slightly decreased.
— ?
— Really?
— Sinking a ship?
They attempted to destroy the enemy ship with arrows.
“I only mentioned this as a joke! Are they really doing it?”
It would take ages, but Joseon intended to do it.