The finals. This was the time when all hidden variables appeared. Similar events always occurred throughout the history of sports. Countless examples existed. At this moment, no matter what happened, it wouldn’t be surprising at all. It didn’t matter whether past opponents were weak, strong, or evenly matched. Now that everyone had reached the finals, the past held no significance. Even the future potential of a team didn’t matter anymore. The finals were solely about clashing with full strength in the present. The bodies and minds forged through endless tempering bloomed like brilliant flames. However, no one could predict whose flame would become the victory torch. White flames flared up, and the cleric’s head exploded. At that moment, everyone in the audience jumped to their feet and cheered loudly. "Whooooa! Almond! That crazy guy!" "Almond, you’re insane." "Almond oppa! Kyaaaaa!" "That guy’s a total lunatic." The Balloon Stars members also jumped up and threw in a word of praise for Almond. The chat reactions mirrored the audience and short exclamations rapidly scrolled by. This simultaneous response created a ripple effect as others joined in. More structured comments appeared after the barrage of exclamations. — No way, he actually did it? — He sealed the deal right there. — This guy’s just good at the game. — Almond doesn’t even know what a cleric is. Rome's early-game cleric wasn’t supposed to have died so meaninglessly. "This is huge! It really is!" "Yes! Rome had opportunities to defend and turn this around, but there’s barely a chance left!" "Rome needs to reach the third era to get another cleric, but that’s not feasible with the characteristics of this map!" This was due to the unique features of the Ancient Walls map. Resources in the main base were limited, so teams had to expand beyond the walls to advance to the third era. On other maps, it would have been time to ascend to the third era. This would have made the cleric’s death less critical, but advancing to the third era wasn’t just a matter of time here. It was something to be fought for. "A truly shocking blow! Almond!" With that single shot, Joseon secured a foothold for advancing to the third era while Rome fell even further behind. OrangeKing shouted with bulging veins, "Almond with a shockwave! No, a shock arrow!" — Is that an actual skill? "The cleric died so anticlimactically!" "Yes! Even I didn’t expect it at first, but looking back—he really shouldn’t have been there!" "Was that Anto’s mistake?" "It was a tiny, almost imperceptible error! But Almond’s arrow found that needle’s eye and—aaah...!" The commentators watched the replay and marveled again. "This is true artistry!" "That single arrow completely shifted the flow of the battlefield! It was literally a shockwave! A clutch play! Back to the live feed now!" They quickly returned to the live feed due to the urgent situation. "Rome’s detached force has paused! They’re debating where to go!" "They’ve decided to split their forces again!?" Rome sent its detached force to Joseon’s multi-construction site. However, that force split into two once again. Now, Rome’s troops were divided into three groups: the main force guarding the base, the detached force heading for Joseon’s multi-site, and a support squad from the detached force returning to Rome’s base. "Rome’s forces are scattered, but there aren’t many troops guarding Joseon’s multi-site... This might work!" "It’s an optimal decision for now!" "But what if Joseon speeds up?" The battlefield was always rife with variables. No matter how optimal the decision was, there was no guarantee it would succeed. A living breathing player controlled every soldier. "Joseon is gaining momentum and pushing against the front of Rome’s main base!" Joseon began pushing further after completing the defensive towers. With the cleric’s death and multiple towers, nothing was holding Joseon back. "Rome’s support squad has to quickly launch a surprise attack from the rear!" Rome’s support squad finally arrived. "They’re charging in!" "But their formation...? It’s too rushed!" Pressed for time, their formation looked suboptimal. Their target, however, was clearly the Joseon archers. "Joseon’s archers are protected!" "Yes! This is different from when they first broke through! The archers are all retreating to the defensive towers!" Joseon had built three defensive towers. Defensive towers were most efficient with five units each, meaning Joseon’s fifteen archers could fit perfectly. "Rome’s detached force has become like dogs chasing chickens—completely useless!" Rome’s confident charge was now rendered ineffective. Ultimately, they turned their attention to the barbarian soldiers. All the Joseon archers stationed on defensive towers were ordered to attack the detached force. A hum of concentrated energy filled the air. "Ah... This, this is...!" OrangeKing trailed off. Roughly a third of the detached Roman force seemed to be struck by arrows. However— Among the detached force, legionaries raised their shields to protect themselves and their comrades. "They’re countering and blocking even this! All of them?!" "Well, the angle is predictable. It’s always from above!" It was generally difficult to see attacks from above on the battlefield, yet the Roman army blocked the arrows flawlessly. "Unbelievable. This reaction speed isn’t something a commander can predict! Someone on the ground must’ve read the situation!" The camera zoomed in. A fighter with long hair stood in the center of the shields, protecting the soldiers. It was Pierre, Rome’s ace soldier. In this desperate situation, he led his troops and commanded them to raise their shields toward the defensive towers. Quickly, they broke through the rain of arrows. "Wait! Are they breaking through!?" "To the rear!? Joseon’s rear is exposed!" "But the archers are still firing. Can this work?!" The Roman crowd erupted in cheers at the swift and organized response. Pierre’s leadership turned the detached force into Rome’s last hope. However, even they couldn’t block all the arrows raining down. The archers atop the defensive towers fired with even greater intensity. "Wait. They’re climbing!?" The Roman soldiers began scaling the defensive towers. They targeted the tower tops instead of attacking the barbarian soldiers and blocking the entry. One legionnaire led with a shield while others followed. An arrow bounced off the shield. For the archers firing from above, the angle made it nearly impossible to land a hit. However, Joseon wasn’t without a counter-strategy. Each defensive tower began firing at each other. Since they couldn’t shoot soldiers climbing their own towers, they relied on each other to handle the threats. "Joseon! That’s right! They’re adapting and firing laterally now!" "Blocked that? Then block this!" However, shields emerged even from the sides. "The Roman soldiers climbing the ladders are all legionnaires! They’re blocking in every direction with their shields as they ascend!" The shields rose methodically as if they had anticipated this counterattack. Even while climbing the ladders, they maintained a turtle-like shield formation. "Ah! The archers can’t deal with this! They’ll need barbarian soldiers!" Barbarian soldiers could bash shields away with blunt force, but arrows couldn’t do the same. The shields were explicitly designed to counter long-range attacks in this game. "They’ve covered every angle! But maintaining this formation while climbing ladders is incredible!" Creating a shield wall wasn’t difficult, but doing so while ascending ladders was an entirely different challenge. They even picked up speed as they climbed the ladders. "If they neutralize the defensive towers, they can essentially use those towers for Rome’s benefit! Joseon will be pushed back!" This was one of the risks of defensive towers. If taken over, they could be used against their original builders. "Wait, can they use captured towers to fire arrows? Don’t they run out of ammunition?" "That’s true, but legionnaires can throw their spears!" Legionnaires could throw their spears at regular intervals. The spears also automatically replenished over time. Although they had a shorter range, their high damage and melee-like precision made them deadly. If they captured the defensive towers, their positioning in the enemy’s territory would make the short range irrelevant. "Rome is... Wait, but look!" OrangeKing suddenly noticed another development. "They failed to disrupt the multi-construction!" Fifteen Roman soldiers had been sent to cancel Joseon’s multi-construction, but it seemed they had failed. Only about ten Joseon soldiers guarded the location. "They’ve built a defensive tower!?" A defensive tower stood next to Joseon’s multi-site. — Joseon’s relentless! LOL — Joseon in the 2nd era is unstoppable! While one worker continued building the town hall, another constructed a defensive tower for Joseon. "This... this worked!?" "Yes! They built a tower! That’s why the Roman soldiers couldn’t approach! This detachment was made up entirely of barbarian soldiers!" Anto’s decision to send only slightly more soldiers than the number guarding the site had backfired. Joseon had countered with yet another tower. "But this means Joseon doesn’t have resources left for their main force!" Building four defensive towers at this stage wasn’t necessarily the best choice. It would protect the multi-site but weaken Joseon’s ability to pressure Rome’s base. "Yes! We originally thought Joseon would cancel the multi-construction and use those resources to flood towers at Rome’s entrance for a full takeover!" Instead of focusing on offense, Joseon had completed the multi-site and defended it with towers. With those resources, they could have fully blockaded Rome’s entrance. However, Cookie chose a different path and looked further ahead. "Was this all because of the cleric’s death? It feels like that single shot is snowballing into something bigger! Joseon now has a clearer long-term plan!" The cleric’s death seemed to be the turning point. Cookie was betting on this new variable. [Town Hall – Completed] The town hall finished construction and workers began to emerge. Joseon’s future steadily took shape. However— "Joseon will now generate more resources with the multi-site! But they need time!" At the same time, their main force would lack reinforcements. "Right now, Joseon’s main strength is their defensive towers! But they can’t build any more now!" "Hold on. This means Pierre’s decision to climb the tower was brilliant! It’s the best possible move! A true stroke of genius! They can’t leave the towers as is, but retreating isn’t an option either!" "If the towers are captured, the pressure at Rome’s entrance could end!" Almond’s single arrow had pushed Cookie into making a decisive move, but Pierre also found a gap in their strategy. No matter how well a commander strategized, a war's outcome often depended on execution. And in moments , key players made all the difference. Rome had Pierre. By choosing the audacious strategy of climbing the towers instead of attacking the rear, he had saved Rome from the brink of defeat. "Wait. What is Almond doing!?" Almond happened to be on top of the tower Pierre was climbing. Pierre felt puzzled as Almond jumped off the tower. The commanders’ expressions looked drastically different on the screen. Cookie smiled confidently as if he expected this while Anto’s face turned rigid. Almond had landed directly on top of the Roman soldiers’ shields.