Season 3: Chapter 235. Leader (3)
He recalled a particular day when the national championship was approaching. It was when the classroom’s old wooden floor turned orange. Most of the kids had left for the day.
He drew his bow at the archery range as usual when a student approached and said the coach was calling for him. The coach rarely called during practice, so he tilted his head in curiosity.
Entering the office, he saw the coach holding something white like a cloth.
“Sang-Hyeon, come here and take a look at this.”
“?”
Swoosh.
As the coach unfolded the white cloth, the outline of the sunset became visible. The coach wasn’t just holding a white cloth. It was his T-shirt from his athlete days.
“Do you see this?”
“Yes.”
Sang-Hyeon could clearly see what the coach was pointing at. He could see it even better with the eyesight and concentration of an archer. The red and blue intertwined pattern of the Taeguk mark symbolized the national team.
“This is from my national team days.”
The coach smiled proudly. The setting sun accentuated every wrinkle on his face, yet all those traces of time culminated in his current smile.
“Being on the national team is a lifelong achievement to be proud of.”
“Gulp,” Sang-Hyeon swallowed his dry throat.
“When I decided to become a high school archery coach...”
The coach stood up and held it out to him.
“I thought it would be great to pass this on to someone worthy.”
“...!”
Even at a young age, he understood. It wasn’t easy to pass on something one was so proud of.
“Are you really giving this to me?”
“Yes. Take it before I change my mind.”
Swoosh!
He snatched it quickly, making the coach laugh.
“You really don’t hesitate, do you? Ahem. Anyway, wearing this Taeguk mark means...”
At that moment, the coach’s words barely registered in his ears. The round Taeguk mark already filled his eyes.
“... You must not lose.”
“Pardon?”
The coach wasn’t someone who usually said things like that. His philosophy was to do your best until the end, win or lose.
Sang-Hyeon asked again, “Must not... lose?”
Perhaps his innocent eyes made the coach’s heart waver.
The coach suddenly changed his words.
“Hm. Saying you must not lose is too much? Then...”
He placed his hands on both of Sang-Hyeon’s shoulders.
“Even if you lose, never show weakness. Never avoid a fight. Always be confident. If you wear this mark...”
***
Creak.
Sang-Hyeon’s eyes opened wide as he muttered the coach’s words from that time.
“Then you become the nation. That’s the literal meaning of national representative...”
Bang!
Honda’s foot hit the ground and his figure scattered. That was an accurate description as he used his agility to the extreme.
However, Sang-Hyeon did not lose his target.
Ting—
He released another arrow.
Clang!
This time, Honda deflected it and almost closed the distance.
At this speed, Sang-Hyeon could only shoot once more. However, that was under normal circumstances.
Creak—
Sang-Hyeon already had several arrows in his hand.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
“!”
Honda’s eyes widened.
Clang!
He deflected one, another glanced off, and the last one?
Thud!
It hit him square in the chest, but he didn’t mind. He had intended to take one hit. The rapid-fired arrows without full focus didn’t do significant damage.
Thud.
He lightly stepped, but his left foot struck the ground hard.
In that instant, Sang-Hyeon’s pupils expanded and shone.
Honda’s hand blurred as he slashed.
‘Got him...!’
Swish!
A terrifying sound echoed in Honda’s ears, but no spray of blood could be seen.
‘He dodged?’
Sang-Hyeon had evaded the sword by slightly leaning back without any agility stat.
However, Honda responded quickly. Thanks to the ruthless blade trait, Honda could execute a proper slash with just a slight swing, making it easy to change the sword’s path.
Clang.
His blade aimed downward.
Whoosh!
It struck the ground.
Sang-Hyeon had no angle to avoid it.
Clang!
However, he blocked it with his bow while leaning back nearly fifty degrees. And it didn’t end there.
Creak.
‘What?’
Honda widened his eyes at the arrowhead.
Sang-Hyeon had drawn the bowstring while blocking with the bow.
Honda quickly leaned his head back.
Bang!
The arrow grazed his nose. He swung his sword wildly without even looking, trying to hit anything. His desperate effort paid off.
Whoosh!
Sang-Hyeon rolled on the ground and dodged the sideways slash.
“!”
This was it. Honda’s eyes gleamed fiercely. He wouldn’t get another chance like this. This wasn’t a fair fight. A swordsman didn’t normally struggle this much against an archer. He had to end it quickly.
Swish!
His stance shifted and he aimed for Sang-Hyeon’s throat. Like a snake striking its prey, he coiled and thrust with explosive speed. He rarely used this technique because it significantly wore down his katana’s durability, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
The opponent was down. If not now, when would he make his move?
Swish!
The venomous fangs shot toward Sang-Hyeon’s pale neck.
“!?”
Thud!
Something pierced him from below. It was a glowing white arrow.
“Crazy... with his foot?”
Sang-Hyeon had used his foot to shoot the arrow from below. It was darkest under the lamp. He had shot from a blind spot.
Honda himself was known for using such tricks.
“Ha... ha...” Sang-Hyeon panted while staring at the sword tip inches from his face. “I won.”
Thud.
Honda collapsed.
‘What about the others?’
Sang-Hyeon quickly stood up, aiming his bow around. No other swordsmen were in sight.
Carrot, Spam, and the others had become corpses along with the enemies. They had fulfilled their roles till the end.
A small smile tugged at Sang-Hyeon’s lips.
“Wow!!!”
The crowd erupted in cheers at the ace’s victory.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Drums echoed around.
***
“Almond! Did he really need to fight Honda head-on?”
“Maybe he was afraid of getting caught later?”
“Or maybe he didn’t realize the swordsmen had already fallen?”
The commentators were initially shocked by Almond’s direct confrontation with Honda.
As an archer, especially on mountainous terrain, Joseon didn’t need to engage the enemy directly. Agility didn’t increase movement speed, so he could have easily escaped.
The swordsmen weren’t Vikings and couldn’t match the speed of the archers’ mountain tribe trait. However, such detailed calculations meant nothing in this world of instincts and competitive spirit.
Bang!
“He closed the distance instantly!?”
“Is this a bug where arrows don’t hit!?”
The clash happened so quickly that the commentators only saw Almond falling.
“Ahh!? He fell. Oh?”
However, Honda was the one who collapsed in the end. It happened so fast that there was a delay in their commentary.
“...?”
“!?”
OrangeKing’s mind finally processed what had happened and he shouted, “Almond shot with his foot!?”
— ?
— What?
— What the hell?
— Wow
— How did he shoot like that?
— With his foot???
“He used his foot to push the bow from below and shot! This is an ancient archery technique!”
“Ah! Even on replay, it’s hard to see! He really shot from a blind spot while falling and pushing the bow with his foot!”
“He shot as Honda approached! He charged the focus for about 1.2 seconds! And since he had already hit one arrow, a headshot would kill!”
— Seriously, with his foot?
— Wow
— He’d win even with his feet
— This is crazy
— What a move
— He’s like a medieval Ottoman special forces
— If guns weren’t invented, Almond would have conquered the world...
— Insane
The chat exploded and lagged with the influx of messages.
“Wow!!!”
The crowd’s cheers roared louder.
OrangeKing also shouted, not to be outdone.
Joseon had landed with little success. This was a small but significant achievement. More than anything, it greatly boosted everyone’s morale.
“Ahhh! This is Almond! He defeated the enemy’s ace!”
Almond, an archer, had won against the enemy ace. The soldiers who hadn’t yet respawned also witnessed this from above. The news would spread.
“Now Almond can move forward, right? There are no more swordsmen left!”
“Yes! Japan trusted Honda and didn’t send any additional units! Almond is on the brink of finding the main base! He’ll be there once he descends the mountain! We don’t know what damage he’ll cause!”
“Almond is moving!”
Almond stood up and began running again.
“Go! To Valhalla!!”
— Valhalla lol
— Almond is shouting out to Jessie lol
— Valhalla lol
— Honda is gone now
— Kr~
— Let’s gooo
At that moment...
Thud—
[Joseon - 3rd Era]
Joseon advanced to the third era and Japan wasn’t far behind.
[Japan - 3rd Era]
Both civilizations reached the third era.
The observer zoomed out and looked down. Almond, who had fought a great battle, became a tiny speck.
White clouds revealed the Japanese ships: numerous fishing boats, newly produced Sekibunes, and the starting production of Atakebunes. With a surplus of food, numerous workers continued chopping wood.
Zooming across the sea, an empty blue expanse appeared. Approaching Joseon’s coast revealed fewer fishing boats than Japan. Nevertheless, something huge began construction at Joseon’s shipyard.
[Panokseon - 7%]
The Panokseon was the representative ship of the third era.
Joseon’s soldiers lined the coast, ready to set sail. Below, many workers continued chopping wood for the next ship.
Zooming further out, both sides’ bases became visible. Soldiers gathered at both coasts in preparation for the main naval battle.
Almond was a mere speck in this grand scheme, but he continued toward the enemy base.