Season 3: Chapter 313. Heaven’s Help (3)
Inside the think tank meeting room, Hui-Chul listened intently to Chi-Seung’s words with a serious expression. Chi-Seung claimed to have identified Rome’s weakness.
“A weakness...?”
Hui-Chul found it hard to believe. How could someone suddenly discover a weakness in one of the strongest civilizations? Surely, it wasn’t something already known. He asked for clarification with his curiosity piqued.
“Yes. It’s the priests.”
Chi-Seung had pinpointed Rome’s reliance on its priests as their Achilles’ heel. SharpSphere and Water Dumpling looked at him skeptically with disbelief written all over their faces.
“That’s it? Everyone already knows priests are important to Rome!”
“Come on, oppa. Stop joking.”
Indeed, it was common knowledge that priests were essential to Rome. They were also a natural target for enemy attacks. Therefore, priests were usually stationed at the rear in the safest position, making them difficult to target. Even with the ranged capabilities of the third era, priests could often be replaced quickly. This diminished their strategic significance. What Chi-Seung suggested seemed almost absurd.
“Wait a second,” Hui-Chul said and raised his hand.
A specific moment from the last game flashed in his mind.
“Now that you mention it... A priest did die in the second era.”
He had assumed it was a fluke at the time.
“Was that not an accident?”
“It wasn’t,” Chi-Seung replied firmly.
“Joseon is the only civilization capable of assassinating a priest in the second era.”
“What?”
Hui-Chul felt stunned. The idea that Joseon had a unique capability no one else did intrigued him.
“In the first game, something unusual happened. It was subtle because the game progressed so quickly, but it wasn’t an accident.”
Most had assumed that Anto had carelessly left a priest vulnerable, allowing Almond to take him out. That was only half true.
“Anto didn’t just misplace the priest. He miscalculated.”
Chi-Seung began sketching diagrams to explain. He drew a steep hill overlooking a depression where the enemy base lay. He placed a watchtower atop the hill and wrote: [Focus: 3 seconds!].
“Who here knows the exact range this would cover?”
“...”
In theory, the maximum range of Joseon’s short bow was common knowledge. However, exact calculations were far more difficult in the unique circumstances depicted with uneven terrain and strategic elevation.
In Civil Empire, a weapon’s range wasn’t absolute but dependent on its power. Curved shots, for instance, reduced effective range because the arrow traveled farther due to its arc.
“No one knows for sure, right? That’s normal. Terrain differences vary too much to calculate accurately in real-time.”
Such calculations were usually situational and challenging to execute mid-game.
“But I tested scenarios using the most frequent height variations and factored in the priest’s healing range. During a standoff, could our archers target a priest?”
Scribble, scribble.
Chi-Seung drew an extended arc that landed squarely on the priest’s head.
“If the watchtower is built on a hill five meters high, and we maximize its range...”
He tapped the diagram with his pen.
“The priest becomes vulnerable as soon as they engage in battle.”
Hui-Chul’s eyes widened.
‘So that’s why...’
They had built the watchtower on what seemed to be advantageous high ground, but the added height also contributed to something no one had anticipated: an extended attack range capable of exploiting the enemy’s positioning.
‘Almond didn’t calculate that, right?’
Hui-Chul was certain. Almond wasn’t one to do complex calculations, but his instincts and intimate knowledge of his arrows’ range allowed him to seize an opportunity others missed.
‘No, it wasn’t a mistake on Anto’s part.’
Without Almond, that setup wouldn’t have been a miscalculation. The priest had been in a perfectly valid position, but Almond turned it into a vulnerability. Almond was five meters above the defense tower. Coincidentally, the priest became vulnerable from there.
‘This is an unforeseen vulnerability... a weakness.’
Almond could see it. That sliver of opening was Rome’s weakness.
“A watchtower adds elevation, creating a height difference of over twenty meters. Even priests stationed at the farthest range of their healing abilities become targets.”
“Exactly. While it’s unlikely the exact same situation will occur again, we can use the first game as a reference,” Chi-Seung explained.
“So we should create similar scenarios?” Hui-Chul asked.
“Yes. We can force the situation. However...”
Chi-Seung displayed an image of the Mongolian Plains map.
“If we’re stuck with a flat map like this, we’ll need to adjust. It’s worth trying if there’s any significant elevation difference.”
Hui-Chul nodded. The plan was sound. Targeting a priest in the second era could cripple even Rome.
‘If this works...’
The first game’s map, the Ancient Walls, had made such tactics challenging due to the protective barriers.
‘But what about priests stationed in the main base?’
Once the possibility of assassinating priests opened up, countless new strategies flooded Hui-Chul’s mind.
“Let’s discuss this further, Chi-Seung.”
“Yes, sir!”
***
Meanwhile, the Fake National Team production crew recorded footage of Hui-Chul’s strategy session and the waiting room atmosphere.
“... The players are so quiet,” one staff member muttered.
Typically, the Joseon team’s waiting room would be quite lively after a victory. Players would brag about their accomplishments, share war stories, and create a market-like buzz. Now, the room was eerily subdued.
“They’ve been changing bit by bit since the Japan match... Now, they seem like completely different people.”
“Yeah.”
Joseon had become a different team. Even after a monumental first game victory against Rome, the players remained composed. Their focus already shifted to the second game. Whether they were restraining themselves or had grown accustomed to winning, the team was clearly preparing for the next step.
“Players, get ready for the stage!”
The break ended and the players stood, forming a line with serious expressions. The second game would soon begin.
‘They’ve really changed.’
‘Impressive.’
The production crew followed with their cameras, capturing the team’s transformation. Meanwhile, highlights from the first game played on the screen with added voice clips.
“Follow me! Follow me!”
“Push in!!!”
Hearing the players’ calls added another layer of excitement to the footage. The pivotal moment appeared again: the scene when Almond and Pang saved the watchtower with their spectacular archery.
Pierre and his ally climbed the tower while Joseon’s soldiers fell one by one. Pang’s curve shot flew through the air and both enemies instantly collapsed.
“Dammit!”
“Argh!”
As the Joseon soldiers fell one by one, Pang fired a curve shot. Then, the two enemies fell.
Boom!
Almond climbed the tower, confirmed the kills, and declared, “Pierre... down!”
His voice echoed throughout the stadium. Then, Almond found out that it wasn’t him.
‘It wasn’t me..?’
The audience erupted with laughter as Pang met Almond’s gaze, barely suppressing a grin.
“Wahahahaha!”
The screen displayed the Balloon Stars members laughing hysterically, particularly Bubblegum, who doubled over in mirth. Almond’s face flushed with embarrassment. The Joseon team bit their lips, stifling any sound. The memory was enough to remind them.
‘Laugh now, run later.’
Though unlikely in a finals match, their instinctive discipline kicked in. As a result, the team maintained serious expressions as they entered.
“Players, enter the stage!”
***
“Here come the players!”
“Waaaaaaaah!”
The stadium roared as the players entered.
“Joseon leads Rome 1-0 in this grand finals! The second game is about to begin!”
The casters kept the excitement alive as the players entered their capsules.
“OrangeKing, what’s your take on this second game?”
“Well, we haven’t seen the map yet, so it’s hard to say. Joseon looks surprisingly capable today!”
“Really?! Even against Rome?”
“Yes! They were incredible in the first game. Their condition looks fantastic today! I have a strong feeling they can do it!”
“Do you think Joseon could go all the way to win the championship?”
“Absolutely! If they keep playing like this, anything’s possible! I made a promise to take my family to Hawaii if Joseon wins. I might have to book my tickets now!”
“Oh no!”
The chat retorted against OrangeKing.
— Stop jinxing it!
— Are you on their side?!
— Knock on wood!
— If Rome wins, I’m going to confess to my crush! How did Rome become the strongest contender?
— So sudden!
— Are you a sorcerer for Rome?!
— Are you insane OrangeKing!?
For important matches like this, it was a rule not to get ahead of oneself. In the past, excitement often brought disappointment.
“Hahaha! What OrangeKing meant was that if Rome wins, he’ll visit Rome!”
The caster quickly changed the topic back to the match.
“Alright! The players have all entered! Joseon vs. Rome in the finals! Let’s watch the second game together~!”
As the caster finished talking, the hologram lit up and the stadium became full of sand and dust.
Kukuku...!
The environment shot up all over the place with sharper points than the previous map.
“This isn’t... a sea map, is it? If it’s a sea map, they tell us in advance. For example, the third map is a sea map.”
Maps that had multiple elevations tended to be sea maps because the high points would act as archipelagos once water filled the gaps. However, the sea map was reserved for the third game, not the second.
“Then, that means this is a mountain map!”
With that, the casters turned to the action as the map revealed itself.
Shaaaaa...!
[Rocky Ravines]
Green leaves sprouted and covered the area.
“Waaaaaah!”
The Joseon think tank erupted with renewed energy.
— Oh!
— Kya~
— The heavens are on our side!
— This is it!
— Oh yeah
OrangeKing clenched his fist.
“That’s right! Finally, a map for Joseon!”
It didn’t hurt even though map advantages didn’t greatly impact win rates. The enemy team had to consider one more obstacle.
“It’d be perfect if Joseon wins the second game as well and clutches the third sea map and wins 3-0. Rome is so good that anything beyond that is scary!”
“Yes, you’re right! No nation would want to go to a best of five against Rome. When you land the first lucky punch, you keep going!”
“Alright! The game has started. Rocky Ravines! In the north is Rome as blue and Joseon as red in the south.”
***
As the map was revealed, Joseon’s think tank felt ecstatic.
‘Perfect...!’
This map benefitted Joseon for a bigger reason.
“Chi-Seung, this is...”
SharpSphere nervously looked at the nodding Chi-Seung. Chi-Seung clenched his fists. The map featured extreme elevation differences and no watchtowers, which were ideal conditions for their strategy.
“It’s here. A map where we can assassinate the priests.”