Season 3: Chapter 316. The Bigger Picture (3)
Joseon’s soldiers scattered in all directions to engage in reconnaissance and hunting. As a result, they had no clear grasp of the situation. Communication between them was virtually nonexistent with each soldier isolated. Even Carrot, positioned next to Almond, couldn’t fully comprehend the current circumstances.
‘What exactly is going on...?’
Carrot and Almond were far from the Roman base, roaming in areas disconnected from the unfolding events. Indifferent to tactical details, Carrot remained oblivious that Joseon’s scouts had repeatedly fallen into Roman ambushes. To her, everything seemed to be proceeding according to plan.
[Joseon - 2nd Era]
The notification echoed out.
‘The second era feels a bit delayed.’
Their progression into the second era seemed slower than expected. However, this could easily be attributed to variables such as terrain, resource distribution, or other random elements inherent in Civil Empire. The placement of structures and pathing efficiency, determined by the commander, heavily influenced the pace of development.
Although Cookie was skilled, he wasn’t the fastest in optimizing such elements. Thus, everything appeared to be going smoothly until another command came.
[Infiltrate]
When Almond and Carrot received the infiltration command, Carrot immediately sensed that something was wrong.
‘Infiltrate?’
This wasn’t a simple movement command. It was an infiltration order. Such an order meant entering enemy territory undetected and left most of the execution to the player rather than the commander. The inherent variability in infiltrating enemy territory required the soldier to adapt and make decisions in real time.
‘This wasn’t part of the plan.’
Based on the original strategy Carrot had heard, it was supposed to be a straightforward movement order rather than infiltration.
‘We don’t have any intel on the enemy base’s terrain.’
Had the interior terrain of the Roman base been thoroughly scouted, the command would have been for a simple approach rather than a cautious infiltration. The difference was critical. A movement order would have allowed a direct, uninterrupted path to the target and saved precious time. An infiltration command implied hesitation, delays, and the need for calculated caution.
‘This is different from the plan.’
Time would be everything in such an operation.
‘The plan was to assassinate the priest.’
***
Meanwhile, the commentators remained unaware of the overarching strategy.
"Wait, Joseon’s movements have shifted immediately after entering the second era?"
"Is this a fast archer rush?"
— Another fast archer rush? Really?
— Doing this against Rome? Bold.
— Even if they know, they might still fall for it...
To the commentators, the troop movement seemed unusual. The number of soldiers involved in the operation was significantly smaller than expected for a traditional fast archer rush.
"This seems odd. Why send so few troops?"
Even stranger was that both vice commanders, who were valuable assets, were being deployed in this risky maneuver.
"Wait, both vice commanders are approaching the Roman base?!"
"Isn’t this dangerous? Even on horseback, they’re vulnerable in mountainous terrain. If they get trapped, they might have to abandon their horses to escape."
The commentators debated the risks. Mounted units were difficult to catch in normal circumstances, but the horses became a liability in mountainous terrain. Meanwhile, Almond and Carrot returned to Joseon’s base to reclass.
"Now, the shortbows are being distributed with Almond and Carrot receiving them in order. Almond has been made the leader... but calling this a mass archer strategy seems strange as there are far too few of them!’
“Meanwhile, Rome is slowly but solidly building their forces, aren’t they? This is why using a mass archer strategy against Rome in the second era is so difficult.”
“Exactly. Rome can build up their military in the second era with ease. Their second era units are efficient enough to remain viable even in the third era. It’s almost like pre-producing.”
“Yes, exactly! Producing too many units in the second era can be burdensome for other civilizations, but not with Rome. Still, Joseon seems to be making a bold move. Perhaps it’s some kind of gambit in the second era!”
The dynamic between Joseon and Rome always followed a familiar pattern. Joseon held a slight advantage in the first era. The second era belonged to Rome. Then, Joseon’s turn came again in the third era. And in the fourth era, Rome would regain a slight edge. This had long been the established balance in Joseon vs. Rome matches.
“This finals match! As expected of a finals match, everything we thought we knew—common knowledge, balance dynamics—none of it seems to matter anymore!”
“That’s right! It’s like in martial arts stories when true masters face off against each other!”
Even the usual advantages and disadvantages of the Ancient Walls map were irrelevant there. In this second game of the finals, all prior expectations and familiar strategies had been thrown out the window. That was the nature of international competitions. When different concepts clashed, they rapidly evolved over a short period and new strategies unique to the tournament arose. On this finals stage, that phenomenon was more pronounced than ever.
“Almond and Carrot! Just the two of them are advancing now? Is this for real!?’
The vice commanders illuminated the path to the entrance and the two followed it.
“The vice commanders have only lit up the entrance! Beyond this, it’s complete darkness! Are they really going in!?”
“Losing two archers in the second era would be a significant blow, especially when one of them is Almond! He’s no ordinary archer!”
“They’re climbing through the mountains! Rome doesn’t seem to know yet, but—”
As the commentators focused on Rome’s potential response...
Tap.
Rome’s vision darkened.
— Damn
— Wow, is this Joseon’s vision?!
— So tense.
— Nerve-wracking.
The broadcast displayed Joseon’s perspective as they infiltrated Rome.
“Ah, this is seriously nerve-wracking!”
Almond and Carrot advanced through a path shrouded in darkness. This completely unknown terrain had never been scouted.
‘But what does this even mean?’
Watching, OrangeKing still couldn’t grasp the purpose of this infiltration.
“I don’t think Rome can predict this, but I don’t understand what this is for. What can two archers even accomplish...?”
Then, as if mocking OrangeKing’s words, Rome’s vision lit up again.
Flash!
“!”
OrangeKing’s eyes widened.
“Why...?”
Rome’s movements seemed peculiar. No, could this even be called movement?
‘Why does it feel like they’re waiting for this!?’
The Romans had already moved into position like deep-sea predators waiting with glowing bait, their jaws wide open.
‘Bait...? What’s the bait?’
As he observed, OrangeKing finally understood. All the oddities until now condensed into a single realization. Why Joseon had desperately tried to scout Rome’s main base, how Anto knew, and why Joseon sent just two archers into the darkness. Anto had also prepared for that.
Both sides were looking at the same thing.
“The priest! They’re targeting the priest!”
— ??
— What??
— For real???
— Can they even kill it??
— Oh, wow.
— Crazy.
“Is that even possible!?”
It was astonishing. The strategy was clear. Joseon was targeting Rome’s priest, but could it work? Apparently, it seemed possible, at least to the two best commanders in the world. That was what Cookie was aiming for and Anto was defending against it.
“Wait a minute. Then, this is... serious trouble!”
An overlooked element became evident.
“Anto knows everything!!!”
Anto understood the entire setup. With that knowledge, the strategy was bound to fail.
“If the enemy is already lying in ambush on mountainous terrain, there’s no way to break through!”
— Wow.
— For real??
— So that’s what happened in the first ear...
— Amazing...
— What even is this?
— Unbelievable.
“And since the plan involves assassinating the priest, every second wasted is a significant loss! Moving slowly through the darkness is already a disadvantage. For Joseon, this is too dangerous. They can’t advance quickly...”
It was then.
Whoooosh!
[Falcon Scouting]
Joseon’s falcon soared into the sky.
“!”
Suddenly, Rome’s entire position was revealed.
“Ah, everything’s been exposed! If they move carefully now, knowing all the threats, they might have a chance!”
“But... even if they know, can they avoid them!?”
With only Almond and Carrot advancing, they were up against approximately twenty Roman soldiers lying in ambush. Numerically, the battle seemed hopeless.
‘There are so many.’
Almond’s view lit up with red danger markers everywhere.
[Danger]
[Danger]
[Danger]
And yet, that wasn’t the only issue.
“Rome knows that Joseon used Falcon Scouting!”
The downside of Falcon Scouting was that the enemy was also alerted to being scouted. The Romans quickly adjusted their ambush positions, relocating their troops. The previously revealed information would now be outdated.
‘Which way should I go...?’
Carrot anxiously calculated different routes since the commanders had yet to assign a path. And then—
‘Huh?’
Almond suddenly bolted without a moment’s hesitation.
Ta-da-da-da-da!
“Wait, Almond!”
Even the commentators were stunned.
‘He’s running straight in despite all those danger markers?’
“Almond’s running! And Carrot is scrambling to follow him!”
— Carrot’s face, lol.
— That’s the DNA of a true warrior, Carrot.
— Looks like he’s saying something funny.
— I can’t believe he’s doing this.
— YOLO charge!
— Classic reckless hero behavior.
“Even with the mountain tribe’s speed boost, this is unbelievably fast! But why!?”
In Civil Empire, movement speed remained fixed regardless of skill. There was no way Almond could physically run faster than usual. And yet, he seemed quicker.
“Because he has no doubt!”
“What!?”
He sprinted without the slightest hesitation.
— Cheetah: ???
— He’s not thinking, just running, lol.
— All in!
“It’s like a racehorse! Its peripheral vision is blocked, so it can only think about running forward!”
“Almond... is he his own racehorse!?”
— Crazy, lol.
— Not thinking is definitely working for him.
— He’s just running like a beast...
“It’s usually dangerous when you run that fast! But right now, it’s making him less vulnerable!”
The Romans hadn’t anticipated such a sudden dash. They knew about the falcon scouting but had no idea where Almond and Carrot were, let alone that they’d charge in so boldly.
“It’s like the saying, ‘Run fast enough and you can walk on water! But doubt for a moment and you’ll sink!’”
— Legendary quote.
— Military training vibes, lol.
— Jesus Almond, lol.
— Still, you’ll sink eventually.
Almond instantly processed the visible safe path amidst the danger markers and sprinted through. The Romans hadn’t fully repositioned their ambush yet. He instinctively realized that the information Cookie had provided was only valid for this fleeting moment. And his intuition was spot on.
“Almond and Carrot!! Have they... bypassed the ambush!?”
As they scaled the treacherous mountain, not a single Roman soldier appeared.
“They’ve made it through!?”
And when they reached the peak...
Whoooosh!
[Falcon Scouting]
Joseon’s falcon soared once more, revealing Rome’s main base workers mining gold in plain sight.
“We can see it now!”
In Almond’s view, the priest providing buffs among the workers could faintly be seen in the distance.
‘There it is.’
The target was clear and time was running out. He drew his bow.
‘They’ll be coming for me.’
Ta-da-da-da-da!
Footsteps echoed across the mountain as the Roman soldiers began their pursuit. He nocked an arrow and pulled the string taut, waiting.
‘One second.’
[Focus]
A white glow began to gather.
‘Two seconds.’
The light shimmered, growing brighter.
‘Three seconds.’
Wooong!
The glow flared intensely. The arrow aimed at the priest’s head before tilting high into the air. Even for Almond, this was a daring shot. To hit the priest from this distance with a second era shortbow required precision far beyond ordinary. He had to utilize every ounce of power in the arrow, right to its very limit.
In real life, an arrow would lose its power over such a distance. However, things were different here. If it hit, even if it merely touched...
‘It’ll kill him.’
Almond’s eyes gleamed as he released the taut string.
Thwack!
The arrow soared high into the air.