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Season 3: Chapter 182: Bow vs. Bow (2)

Joseon had executed a fast second era archer rush.

— Archer Rush!

— Archer Rush baby!

— Finally here… Archer Rush

— My savior who ruins my build… "BornToB"

— Awesome

Shortened to archer rush, civilizations strong with bows typically used this build as a cheese strategy.

“The viewer reactions are very enthusiastic right now!”

“Yes! Naturally so! It’s been a long time since we’ve seen an archer rush! When it comes to Joseon, it's known as a cheese strategy!”

— When did that become a thing

— Nothing feels as good as winning with a cheese strategy

“But this archer rush is different from what we've seen before!”

“Ah, really? How so?”

“It’s a double forward barracks!”

Joseon had built a barracks, a building for re-enlisting fallen soldiers, near the enemy’s base.

“They’re not even considering the third era!”

— Damn

— Before, they would look toward the 3rd era

— They’re ending it in the 2nd era!!

Having built a structure that was supposed to be in their own base near the enemy’s, a retreat was almost impossible.

“The last archer rush against Spain took into account the third era. This time, it's different.”

Joseon once attempted a second era archer rush against Spain. Back then, they considered the third era because Spain didn’t have archers in the second era.

It was different against Persia.

“A forward barracks, but Persia is a different story!”

Persia was also an archery civilization and they had strong archers in the second era too. Attempting a second era archer rush against them was different because they couldn’t consider the future. A fast second era archer rush was, in other words, an all-in second era battle.

“This is Joseon saying, ‘I don’t want to see your elephants! I’m not going to the third era!’”

— They don't want to see elephants LOL

— No elephants!

— It’s a 2nd era battle!!

— Crazy from the start

Joseon perhaps didn’t want to face Persia’s elephants. That seemed to be the reason for this strategy. Of course, there was more to it.

“And one more thing! Joseon is probably—”

***

“Joseon is confident in their battles, right?”

This was something Choi Sa-Rang said during a think tank meeting.

“… What?” Chi-Seung asked with wide eyes.

“The Joseon civilization ranks among the top in battle variables among participating teams.”

“Battle variables…?”

Having high scores in battle variables meant that they could turn the tide in their favor during battles. In simple terms, it meant they were good at fighting. However, the think tank team wouldn’t have been unaware if such a statistic existed.

No matter how skilled Yi Sun-Shin was in the game with Joseon, no one analyzed the Joseon civilization as deeply as the national team’s think tank.

“What do you mean? The data doesn’t show that at all…”

“Yeah, that’s too far-fetched.”

“Come on…”

The other think tank members shared Chi-Seung's opinion. Joseon didn’t have particularly good battle results.

“Let her speak.”

Cookie gestured to silence them so they could hear Sa-Rang’s opinion.

“Okay. The data you mentioned tracks whether battles were won or lost.”

That comment left Cookie and the entire think tank baffled.

“Isn’t that battle variable data?”

If they lost battles, they were bad at fighting. If they won, they were good. Where was room for another interpretation?

“I’m talking about considering the characteristics of the Joseon civilization.”

“Our characteristics…?”

“Joseon doesn’t have a resource faction.”

“… That’s true.”

“The game developers tried to balance this by focusing Joseon on battle factions instead.”

“Well, I don’t know about balance, but yeah?”

Everyone chuckled at Chi-Seung’s remark.

“When you consider only the efficiency and effectiveness of battle factions, Joseon’s combat power should be high.”

“…”

Everyone scratched their heads in confusion.

‘Does that mean we’re just bad?’

‘What’s she saying? We should be good at fighting, but we’re not?’

This statement could easily be misunderstood, but that wasn’t Sa-Rang’s point.

“But the data shows losses, right? This isn’t just national team data, but overall civilization rank data.”

Even non-Koreans could choose Joseon in rank games, yet Joseon still had a low win rate. It couldn’t simply be explained as Korean players being bad at the game.

“Then, does that mean all Joseon players are bad?”

“No. They’re losing in battles because of the resource factions.”

Everyone’s eyes lit up in realization.

“!”

They knew the concept, but thinking about it in that way was enlightening. They only thought Joseon was weak because it lacked a resource faction, not that the lack of resource factions made them lose battles. This seemed like a minor difference, but even small differences mattered in the professional world. It allowed them to reframe the question.

“So, if we start battles before the resource factions gain an advantage…?”

Chi-Seung quickly caught on to the difference.

Resource factions didn’t provide immediate benefits. They accumulated over time, snowballing into significant advantages. As they helped gather resources, the longer the gathering time, the greater the benefits.

What if that time wasn’t allowed?

“Exactly. The goal is to initiate battles before resource factions maximize their advantages.”

Joseon would naturally gain an advantage.

“…!”

They finally understood why Cookie’s new style had higher win rates. Sure, the addition of Almond had improved their battle variables. The early strategies had also delayed the opponent's resource faction advantages.

Cookie wasn’t consciously aware of this.

“Huh. That’s a new perspective.”

This wasn’t a microscopic analysis, but a broad macroscopic view.

“So the low win rate in rank battles was because Joseon preferred third era battles?”

The win rate was low in rank battles because they invested differently from the start.

“The only reason we managed to beat the Vikings in the fourth era was because we effectively harassed their hunting outposts…”

Joseon’s late-game victories always involved early disruption of the opponent's resources.

“So, the early game is more advantageous.”

“That’s how it seems. As you know…”

“Right. I watched all of Yi Sun-Shin’s plays. You favored early builds.”

Cookie nodded.

It wasn’t just sharp build orders that increased win rates, but a principle of numbers.

“Then we need an early build against Persia.”

Chi-Seung excitedly joined in.

“Persia is incredibly strong in the late game. We have to shake them up early for a chance.”

After hearing everything, the think tank team mostly agreed. However, the final decision was up to the commander on the field.

Everyone looked at Cookie.

“Hmm…”

Cookie stroked his chin and pondered.

‘New perspectives from new people…’

Surely, the Joseon team was evolving. Both their strategic and physical aspects were improving. Waves of change were spreading.

***

Ping!

A light shimmered and spread at a point on the map.

Cookie had marked it.

[Attack]

He ordered them to quickly attack after the fast second era archer rush.

‘Now.’

He decided that the timing was right.

OrangeKing shouted excitedly, “Speaking of which!! The archers received their bows and are rushing forward!!”

Joseon’s elite archers grabbed their bows first and rushed ahead.

“Does Persia know!?”

Persia already sensed something suspicious about Joseon’s movements.

“Persia follows them into the second era! They’re producing and distributing bows!”

Persia quickly entered the second era and prepared as best as they could.

“They’re expecting an early poke!”

“But will they expect ten archers!? Ten archers!! Will Persia expect this many!?”

“Persia has only five archers! But they can always stall and increase their numbers!”

Persia hadn’t yet produced archers in large numbers.

“Joseon’s archers have reached Persia’s base! They’ve spotted them! Can they stop this!?”

“We don’t know. Persia is a master at defense! There’s a reason they’re known for Persian Turtling! Joseon must advance carefully!”

Persia’s commander started marking the map.

Ping!

Ping!

[Gather]

[Move]

The barbarian soldiers moved en masse.

***

Pang was in the lead. Next was Latte, followed by Almond, Spam, and Carrot in that order. This was their standard five man frontline formation.

“They’ve seen us!”

Pang, who had a keen sense for distance, warned everyone based on the enemy’s line of sight.

“They’re coming!”

Rumble...!

Nearly all of Persia’s barbarian soldiers charged and surrounded them.

“Persia is using barbarian soldiers to buy time!?”

“If those archers enter the base, the worker damage will be significant!”

The Persian soldiers needed to prevent the Joseon archers from entering the base at all costs.

Swoosh.

Pang signaled and all the archers took their positions.

“Alright! It’s half water, half fish!”

Pang raised his hand, signaling them to prepare.

Rumble!

The Persian soldiers arrived closer.

“Ready!”

Almond, Spam, and the other archers drew their bows at Pang's signal.

“For the archers, this is terrifying!? They’re drawing bows against charging soldiers!?”

“They need to maximize their kills by shooting from maximum range! Timing is crucial!”

“The outcome will be determined by this first battle!”

Crackle...

White lights glowed intensely.

[Focus]

The Joseon archers activated their focus trait.

As the Persian soldiers got closer, Pang lowered his hand.

Thunk!

The command also factored in the focus trait’s range.

Everyone released their arrows.

Swish!

Countless arrows flew across the plains toward the Persians.

Thunk!

Many soldiers fell, some tripping over the fallen, causing a domino effect.

“Nice shot!!”

— Wow

— Perfect distance

— Amazing calculations~

The Persians continued charging and the Joseon’s archers kept shooting.

Swish!

Thunk!

However, the barbarians didn’t stop and maintained their formation blocking the path. They desperately defended with overwhelming numbers.

“The archers need to enter, but Persia’s blocking them! They can’t seem to break through!”

“Persia is the master of defense! How will they enter!? It looks tough!”

— LOL

— Master defense LOL

— Is there no way around?

“Joseon’s archers keep shooting! Oh!?”

OrangeKing noticed something.

A part of Persia’s formation seemed off. As they charged the archers, they still had to block the path to their base.

One spot started to break down.

“Something’s odd over there!”

“Oh!?”

The line began falling faster. It was just one spot, but it impacted the entire formation. Persia struggled with the sudden severe gap.

“Fill the gap!”

“It’s broken!”

Persian soldiers from other parts moved to fill the gap, blocking the path again.

Suddenly, arrows started flying too quickly. From the other side, someone shot at an incredible speed.

“Almond!?”

“What crazy rapid fire!! No wonder that spot is breaking down!!!”

Almond started shooting arrows faster and faster.

“He’s extraordinary! He’s standing and shooting like a machine! A machine!!”

Swish!

Thunk!

Persian soldiers tried to fill the gap, but fell with arrows in their heads.

“Almond! He’s too fast! Persia has the auto-reload faction, but when did they even use it!?”

Almond was in his element just standing and shooting, the motions ingrained in his muscle memory.

Was it thanks to the optimization?

‘It definitely feels lighter.’

He was in much better condition than in the previous game.

Rumble...!

The Persian soldiers stood about ten steps away from the archers. They’d reach them in seconds, but—

“They’re through!!!”

Thunk!

The last soldier filling the gap fell, completely breaking the line.

“Persia can’t block the path anymore!?”