Rome turning their troops around to attack Joseon was almost their best choice. The Roman infantry possessed overwhelmingly superior breakthrough power compared to the Joseon archers. Pushing into Joseon’s main base would inevitably be much faster. At this point, Joseon had to split their forces. While all of Joseon’s troops had been stationed to block Rome’s entrance, they would now have to divide. This would loosen the control over Rome’s entrance, putting Joseon in a kind of checkmate. But— Anto’s expression hardened. ‘They’ve blocked their entrance?’ Joseon had completely barricaded their own entrance with buildings. This meant that Joseon would also lack the resources to advance to the third era. Complex scenarios rushed through Anto’s mind. ‘This actually puts them at a disadvantage, doesn’t it? But if I can’t break through... am I actually the one at a disadvantage? No, that can’t be...’ Why would Joseon choose to block their entrance and put themselves at a disadvantage? ‘Or... was that not the case?’ Joseon hadn’t taken a loss. A worker was already outside. ‘... They prepared for this since they saw my troops moving.’ Anto’s gaze shifted to a point on the map. He couldn’t verify it at present, but he felt sure of it. Cookie had stationed a worker outside just as Anto had done in their last match. Anto’s decision to attack Joseon’s main base was not only aimed at forcing an all-out battle, but also at cutting off Joseon’s supply route. He aimed to isolate the troops stationed at Joseon’s main entrance. The commentators, however, hadn’t grasped this yet. “Keep hitting me! Raise my danger level!!” As Joseon’s impenetrable base held strong and OrangeKing’s impassioned cheer escalated, the caster couldn’t help but question aloud, “But wait! If Joseon does this, how will they get out?!” Blocking the entrance was one thing, but how would Joseon get out to gather additional resources? Reaching the third era would require resources outside. For a moment, he stared at the map in confusion. “They’re already... outside!” OrangeKing confirmed it. And sure enough, it was true. Near where Joseon’s troops gathered, a single Joseon worker had blended in. “There’s a worker! One worker!” Even the observer had missed this. — When did they get out? — Did they leave from the start? “When did they get out?! From the beginning?” “No. If they’d done that, they couldn’t have advanced to the second era so quickly. I think Joseon made a quick judgment call as soon as they saw Rome moving!” — Whoa, the decision-making — Did they really do that? — They’re sending it right back at Rome! Beyond Rome’s flanking maneuver, a much more complex psychological game was unfolding, but there wasn’t enough time to explain it all. After being blocked at Joseon’s main entrance, the situation rapidly intensified. “Now, the Roman troops can’t inflict any damage on Joseon’s main base. They’re returning. From here, things get crucial!” “Yes, exactly! They’re positioning themselves to attack from behind, aren’t they?!” This was the first scenario Cookie had feared. Rome was repositioning its troops to attack from behind. This was on the verge of becoming reality. Although Cookie had efficiently prevented the second scenario of Rome attacking Joseon’s main base, Rome was now playing two moves in one turn. If one tactic failed, the next came into play. “Rome is producing weapons en masse! They even built a defense tower earlier! If they don’t break through the entrance, they’ll never reach the third era. They’ve already spent so much!” With fewer forces left to hold back Joseon’s troops at the entrance, Rome had to urgently exhaust their resources. They continued producing weapons and building a defense tower. Rome had to make a decisive move. “This is where Joseon’s choice becomes critical! Joseon can’t bring in any more weapons right now! Their archer count hasn’t increased at all! It hasn’t decreased either!” Joseon hadn’t increased their weapon production. The initial fifteen shortbow archers were Joseon’s entire combat strength. This was another unstable factor as Joseon’s troops were currently isolated. “Aren’t they just slowly going to be outlasted and pushed back?!” Roman forces were gradually reinforced with shields and spears to deflect arrows. “The number of shields is growing!” “The front line of barbarian soldiers is being pushed back!” With their spears, the Romans mercilessly mowed down Joseon’s barbarian soldiers. “They’ll inevitably be pushed back little by little! But Joseon needs to look at the bigger picture! If they panic while in an advantageous position, they’ll ruin everything!” Joseon wanted to produce more weapons, but they couldn’t. More precisely, they couldn’t deliver them. The forge was in the main base and the entrance was blocked. They had blocked it themselves. Now, destroying buildings to reopen the entrance would be a significant loss on the resource constrained Ancient Walls map. Numerous factors became intricately entangled. Every one of Cookie’s decisions from this point became crucial. However, the noteworthy part was that this game had shifted from Anto’s control to Cookie’s decisions. This alone revealed who held the game’s lead. “This worker right here! This Joseon worker is the most important thing in the world right now!” “What will this worker do? Right! Will they build a forge and barracks out here?” A forward barracks and a forge could be built. Then, Joseon wouldn’t starve out. They could keep pushing. “But if they do that, they’ll end up with no future just like Rome!” However, that would mean fighting solely with the limited resources on the Ancient Walls map. They would have no funds left to expand. “Cookie has to decide here! To secure the future or finish it now! The worker... heads to the expansion area!!” The worker moved toward the expansion area with a few barbarian soldiers. Cookie was looking toward the future. Construction on the town hall began. They chose to expand and followed the broad strategy OrangeKing had outlined. Joseon continued their original plan from the start, keeping pressure on Rome’s entrance while expanding. The issue was— “It looks like Rome is aware of this!” Anto was no pushover. “A wolf is scouring the area!” While Joseon’s vice commander could scout with a hawk, Rome’s vice commanders could deploy wolves. Although more limited by terrain than hawks, wolves could scout for much longer. They possessed weak combat strength and low visibility, but could run as fast as third era cavalry. This wolf scouting was possible because Rome’s troops had been freed from the entrance pressure. Had Rome been under siege, the wolves wouldn’t have made it out without being shot down by arrows. This, too, was part of Anto’s calculation. “They’ve been spotted!” Being discovered was expected. The timing was the most critical part. Unfortunately, it happened sooner than expected. The town hall was less than 10% complete. “The Roman troops are moving! Instead of targeting the main rear, they’re going after the expansion first?!” “If I can’t have it, then neither can you! Anto is still making the best possible moves at every turn!” — Wow, that’s relentless — They’re really doing this? — “If I can’t have it, neither can you” "If Rome succeeds in disrupting the expansion, it essentially turns into a resource restricted time attack for both teams! At this rate, Joseon will get the short end!" "Exactly! They had the upper hand!” Of course, Joseon wouldn’t let that happen so easily. A major shift occurred in the main force. “Cookie! He’s taking some kind of action!” Many of the troops blocking Rome’s entrance suddenly picked up hammers. [Defense Tower - 15%] With just one swing, the tower construction progress shot up to 15%. As the construction began, the crowd’s cheers erupted. "Yes, they have the funds for a defense tower! Since they didn't overproduce shortbows!" "If they can’t supply weapons from the forge, they’ll just build them as they advance!” Advancing with towers instead of drawing from the forge would grant Joseon both extra bowmen and a free tower. “A rush with an offbeat-timed defense tower! This is seriously sharp!” “Rome is scrambling to set up a defense tower too!” Rome hurriedly tried to put up another tower, attaching a cleric to speed things up. However, they couldn’t keep up with the sheer numbers on Joseon’s side. [Defense Tower - Complete] Joseon completed their tower and soldiers without bows began climbing it in droves. The archers atop the Roman tower tried shooting them down, but there were simply too many soldiers scaling up. Even if some fell, others continued to ascend. “Joseon is sending a message, aren’t they? ‘If you destroy our expansion, we’ll overrun your base! We’ll cancel the expansion and push through with our towers if we have to!’” [Defense Tower - Complete] Another defense tower finished construction in the front. “Rome’s extra defense tower is only at 50%, but Joseon already has two finished towers!” Such speed was incomprehensible to Rome. Joseon could build defenses using their entire force, after all. Once again, the fully energized OrangeKing leaned into the camera. “Italy? You've got construction talent... up to the Pantheon at best!!” — A parody of Anto’s words, huh?! “Have you ever built an apartment block in a month? Can you put two hundred households in there in a month?!” — The nation of apartments, wow — Totally OP civilization, LOL — So this is the “Industrial Workforce” unique unit?! — They’re just really good at construction — South Korea’s special unit: Industrial Workforce Meanwhile, Rome finally completed a defense tower. However, Joseon already possessed two towers. The count was now two-to-two. Joseon’s tower performance, however, was incomparable to Rome’s. "Joseon’s defense towers! Especially those in the second era, they’re just overpowered! The focus trait’s power shows through!” Archers stationed in the tower began shooting. Arrows, powered up by the focus trait, quickly reduced Rome’s troop numbers. The frontline began noticeably shifting. Rome started to retreat. “Rome is pulling back!” The barbarian soldiers’ clubs smashed through shields and spears. “Is Rome still heading for the expansion?” Joseon was hoping for the Roman troops to retreat to their own base. "Rome seems resolute though! They’re still dead set on canceling that expansion first!” Rome moved more decisively than expected. They wouldn’t be swayed by psychological tactics. The entrance would take time to break through, so canceling the expansion first and then defending would still be possible. Joseon needed to pick up the pace, but more towers would cost too much. "Joseon’s threat seems a bit weak! Rome’s basically saying, ‘You’re bluffing! If you build one more tower, we might believe you!’” “Aah! But if Joseon does that, their resources would become too unstable, right?” “Exactly! Joseon’s struggling to respond quickly! Oh...wait. No, that’s not it! ‘I mean it! I’m really going to take you down!’” — Isn’t OrangeKing’s voice gonna give out? — Putting his whole heart into the performance — That whiny voice acting though, LOL "To make the threat work, they need to break through more decisively! It has to feel like they’re truly about to wreak havoc!” “Yes! But Rome isn’t feeling that kind of pressure right now! They think it’s fine to cancel the expansion and come back later!” “Yes, that’s how their calculations are looking right now. That’s the movement...!” “To pick up the pace, Joseon even put barbarians in the towers. Now archers are climbing up for extra firepower!!” Almond climbed the tower as well to target more effectively from a higher vantage point. His aim? As Almond’s arrow cut through the air, the commentators’ voices also split with shock. At the start of the game, Rome received a unique cleric unit in place of an extra worker. This cleric could buff workers for faster labor or speed up weapon production at manufacturing buildings. This role was similar to China’s tax collectors, but with enhanced abilities since they could heal as well. With this cleric, Rome began with one less worker and lower starting resources. In exchange, the cleric was an incredibly valuable unit. By constantly buffing and managing resources, the cleric could pay off significantly in the late second or early third era. However, due to Joseon’s entrance siege, Rome hadn’t reached that tipping point. Instead, the cleric was increasing the speed of the defense tower’s construction rather than boosting resource gathering. The commentators, Anto, and even Cookie hadn’t noticed this unusual detail. The chaotic battlefield and the cleric’s support role in the rear made it seem natural. However, one person didn’t see it that way. The figure repeatedly casting suspicious buffs in the back stood out. That person stood on the tower for maximum range. He saw the exact path to strike his desired target. Almond aimed directly at the cleric. Then, the cleric’s head burst into white flames and exploded. Before reaching the third era, Rome lost its sole cleric, a unit they couldn’t replace until much later. For a moment, silence fell over the entire Roman audience. Anto’s entire expression also hardened. OrangeKing jumped to his feet and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Rome! You’re finished!” The Roman troops heading for the expansion halted in their tracks. Now, Joseon finally dealt a heavy blow to Rome.