Season 3: Chapter 301. A Familiar Face (4)
"... Coach?"
This collaboration was only made possible through the close cooperation between Civil Empire Korea and the event organizers.
[Former Youth Archery Coach: Yang In-Cheol]
Only when his title appeared did people realize his identity.
— He’s an archery coach??
— Wow
— Whoa
— Wait, Yu Sang-Hyeon’s coach??
The broadcast camera naturally showed Sang-Hyeon’s face in the waiting room. He looked more surprised than ever.
— He looks shocked, lol
— No way, lol
— So cute, lol
— Was his mouth always that big?
The coach’s voice echoed throughout the arena.
"That guy... his archery skills were remarkable from a young age."
— "That guy," lol
— Started right off with "that guy," lol
— Classic
Majestic music began playing in the background of the video.
“Yes, I’ve watched over him since he was young.”
The coach’s voice overlaid the scene.
“So I know. But the truly terrifying thing about him isn’t his archery skills.”
Doom!
With a loud drumbeat, images from Sang-Hyeon’s childhood up to the present day flashed by. An archery target was always in his photos. At some point, the bow he held transitioned into an in-game bow.
“What’s truly terrifying about him...”
However, anyone could tell at a glance. His expression, his gaze when holding the bow—those remained unchanged.
"... is his desire to win."
Dum dum dum...!
The drumbeats intensified as the music grew louder. Scenes of Almond’s gameplay started to flash by faster: shooting arrows while charging into enemy territory on horseback, getting back up with a sword after being knocked down, and hanging off his horse to pierce through Guan Yu’s cavalry.
Thud! Thud! Boom!
The music escalated further. A scene showed him aiming at a Japanese commander with trembling arms. It slowed down, unlike the previous scenes.
And then—
"Aaaaaaahhhhh!"
Thud.
After a dramatic victory, a scene showed him kneeling down and roaring in triumph.
— Epic
— Awesome
— The passion!!
— Wow, that’s insane
— My heart is pounding...
— The Japan match, incredible
Bzzzt.
A clip from Sang-Hyeon's first Fake National Team interview appeared.
"The goal is... to win."
The screen darkened and time briefly passed.
— Wow
— Epic
— This is from episode 1 of the Fake Nation Team series, right?
— Whoa
— It hits different seeing it like this
— Just one step away... damn
As calmer music played, the screen brightened again.
[Roman Commander, Anto]
The Roman commander Anto appeared.
“È chiaramente un comandante eccezionale.”
[Cookie is clearly an outstanding commander.]
Standing atop a high mountain, he looked down below as if appreciating his position.
He added with a smile, “Se non mi avessi incontrato.”
[As long as he doesn’t meet me.]
— Epic
— For real... lol
— "Cookie, you’ve got talent. Keep going."
— It’s so true, hard to argue
— Awesome
— Anto, the legend
Clips of Anto winning in the preliminaries played, accompanied by the voices of international commentators.
“Aaaaah! Ah, Anto!? Did he anticipate this!? I’m amazed by Cookie’s surprising strategy! But he...!?”
“Oh my god! Anto is just schooling Cookie! He knew it from the beginning!”
The first match took place on the Ancient Fortress Walls map, which was more disadvantageous for Joseon than Rome. Cookie, already low on strength, had prepared a single all-or-nothing strategy. If it worked, victory would be assured. It had a high chance of success and was a strategy that no one expected, but Anto was not just anyone.
“Anto’s practically toying with them! He knew it all and was already prepared!”
“天外布です。頭で遊んでいます。”
“Tutte le strade portano a Roma!”
The calm music subtly intensified again. The screen changed, and another figure appeared.
[Joseon’s Commander, Cookie]
Cookie sat in a large chair with his hands clasped. His long hair, lean frame, calm expression, and intense gaze went beyond mere desire or passion. They evoked a sense of sanctity.
He looked into the camera with clear eyes and murmured, “Anto. The team you faced in the preliminaries is dead.”
Boom!
With a powerful shift in the music, Cookie stood up.
“Round of 32.”
With those words, Bread appeared on the left.
“Round of 16.”
Coffee appeared on the right.
“And in the quarterfinals.”
A woman emerged on the throne where Cookie had sat. It was the legendary Best Yi Sun-Shin.
Together, she and Cookie stared at the camera and said, “We have died and been reborn countless times.”
— Epic
— Amazing
— Best Yi Sun-Shin, wow
— Anto: Sister, I’m dying!
— They survived the semis without dying, lol
— Love the detail of skipping the semis, lol
— China: ???
— They didn’t die to China, lol
"This Joseon team in the finals will be different."
Boom! Boom!
The music rose in intensity and reached its full climax. In front of them, Anto appeared. He seemed much larger than the four Joseon members and seemed almost insurmountable.
"Non mi dispiace che abbiano due comandanti."
[I don’t mind them having two commanders.]
From a towering height, he looked down at them with his arms crossed.
"In ogni caso il finale è lo stesso."
[The outcome will be the same no matter who comes.]
On either side of him, the Roman vice commanders appeared and behind him stood Rome’s ace, Pierre.
"Per un dilettante, ha fatto bene. Saranno ricordati per sempre."
[For an amateur team, Joseon did very well. They’ll be remembered forever.]
As Pierre spoke, cheers erupted from the audience. Like Almond, Pierre was highly popular in Italy for his looks and stellar play. The cheers grew even louder at his next words.
"Al secondo posto."
[As the runner-up.]
With a sly grin, Pierre’s remark caused the crowd to burst into applause.
"Wooooaaahhhhh!"
— LOL LOL LOL
— Wow, every word he says is pure gold
— Hahahahaha
— Did the writers put them up to this? LOL
Bam...!
With a flash of light, all two hundred players lined up in formation. As the music intensified, the faces of each player quickly passed by on the screen.
Boom...!
The music reached its climax and a view of Osaka appeared.
[Joseon vs Rome]
[National Tournament Finals]
[17:00]
Bzzzt.
The screen went dark.
Sang-Hyeon’s coach appeared once more.
“Huh? Amateur?”
He tilted his head as if questioning what that even meant.
“As far as I know, that kid’s always been a pro.”
Baam~!
The music wrapped up as the video ended, and the screen faded to black. The broadcast screen returned to its original view.
==== ====
Joseon 0
Rome 0
==== ====
“Wooooooaaahhhh!”
— Wow...
— There are no amateurs in archery~ LOL
— Coach!!
— They’re really pushing Almond as the main character now, LOL
— Oh man...
— God Almond...
— This is epic~
— This looks insanely fun.
The immense cheers from the crowd filled the stadium. Finally, the voices of the commentators could be heard.
“Aahhh! This energy! It’s intense! This is the finals! Something we didn’t get to see at the LIL World Cup!”
— LOL LOL
— Sheesh... LOL
— We got our revenge against China, so all good~
— D:
— Ahaha
“Yes! This is the finals! Oh, and that earlier celebration performance was fantastic! The tribute video for the finals was even more impressive! I think they paid extra attention to make Joseon the hero as the underdog, don’t you agree?”
“That’s right! And from what we’ve heard, Joseon’s popularity is huge! It’s not just Koreans cheering them on, but also people from Japan, South America, the US, and other European countries with strained ties to Italy!”
— Haha, the ones who aren’t on good terms with Italy
— LOL
— China is definitely cheering for Rome, LOL
“Exactly! Western audiences especially love an underdog story! And the pick rate for the Joseon civilization has skyrocketed!”
“Oh, really!? It wasn’t that popular before, was it?”
“Correct. Typically, fans picked it for naval battles and its iconic turtle ships. Overall, it was considered a weaker version of Mongolia. But the pick rate and win rate have both stabilized and increased after watching Cookie, Best Yi Sun-Shin, and our national team players this season!”
Previously, those who played the Joseon civilization had to endure using survival playstyles in the third and fourth eras like Persia and China. Joseon didn’t have any resource-based advantages, so its endurance playstyle took too long. The civilization excelled in the third era, but getting there was grueling. However, Joseon’s newly refined second era rush strategy became well-known this season, causing a rise in both pick and win rates.
— Whoa...
— Is this gonna get nerfed now? LOL
— For real
— The developers were right after all, LOL. Joseon wasn’t weak... you guys just didn’t know how to use it.
— National pride, right? LOL
“What better way to promote our nation! Spreading awareness of Joseon! And of course, K-pop from the earlier performance! Right!?”
“Yes! The prestige and honor of the national tournament team have also become monumental.”
“Oh, right? I saw Cookie featured on the 9 o’clock news. I was genuinely shocked.”
“Yes! There’s this famous K-pop meme in the esports world. Now, Cookie can finally say it!”
“What is it?”
“NewJeans, get out of the way!”
— LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL
— Has Cookie finally surpassed NewJeans?
— LOL LOL
— So, who’s the real Cookie now?
— Step aside, tough Cookie~ NewJeans, come out!
— LOL LOL LOL
— A historical scene
— NewJeans for the celebration performance, where are they?
“Speaking of Cookie, they hinted at it in the finals tribute video. Any chance that Best Yi Sun-Shin could be selected?”
“That... I can’t predict. Honestly, no matter who they choose, it’s gonna be amazing! Anto’s got a headache on his hands, doesn’t he?”
“Absolutely. You could tell it was bothering him! No one even asked, yet he addressed them having two commanders and answered his own question. It’s clearly on his mind!”
— LOL LOL LOL
— That’s harsh, LOL
— They edited that part though, LOL
— LOL LOL LOL
— The caster is hilarious
“As we’re talking, the players are making their entrance! Everyone! Presenting! Korea’s pride, the national tournament team!”
Cheers erupted.
“Woooooaaaaaaahhhhh!!!”
At the forefront of the Joseon team stood Cookie. Behind him followed the two vice commanders and the team’s ace, Almond. Today, Almond’s expression looked noticeably different from usual.