On the day of the competition at 4 P.M. when neither school nor work had ended yet, two hours still remained until the start of the competition.
People already began to crowd into Embul and LIL Pro.
[Alright, alright, those chatting about LIL~ those networking~ clear the room~]
[The era of Civil Empire is about to start. No cultural governance, so clear out.]
[This winter, in 2 hours. My life begins...]
The atmosphere grew so intense that it became hard to distinguish between LIL Pro and Embul.
The crowd was noticeably larger than during the match against France. This was because the news that Korea had defeated France spread far and wide.
The news even made it into mainstream media articles.
[Korea's Unpopular Game Event, The Amateur's Revolt]
It wasn't featured on the front page, but reaching the general public was good news.
— Is this a game?
— It must be fun to thrash those old pirates as Joseon, haha
— With spears, LOL, this looks fun
Even those who usually didn’t engage in gaming had learned about Civil Empire and the national competition through the article. The national competition could be enjoyed like a national soccer match even by those unfamiliar with gaming.
The spreading of this news was significant.
— It's innovative and looks fun. Why isn’t it popular here? As usual, Koreans just indulge in sensational stuff like LIL, cursing their moms and dads... tsk tsk
└ Uncle, there's never been a popular history game in our country...
└ If it gets popular, they’ll be calling for their moms and dads too LOL
└ Talking about thrashing pirates isn’t sensational, it’s educational, isn’t it?
To the general public, this game seemed like a somewhat dignified history game. However, the reality was different. It was a game that even placed bounties on people.
[Currently a bounty on Almond in Spain LOL]
[Almond
DEAD or ALIVE
Bounty: Currently collecting]
— DEAD or ALIVE LOL
— Are these guys serious LOL
— Scary! The No-Job Fleet!
— Surely they don't mean to actually cut off Yu Sang-Hyeon’s head, right? Haha
└ Do you think Spain is some South American country? LOL
— Hey Spain, if you're going to kill him, hire a devil hunter.
— Dead or alive.
— A bounty being currently collected is terrifying LOL
└ Crowdfunded bounty LOL
└ Really LOL
└ How much will they raise? LOL
Not long afterward, news about the bounty spread domestically.
[Korea vs Spain, National Competition Live Broadcast]
The live broadcast of the national competition began.
"Good evening, wandering mercenaries! I am caster Kim Sang-Hoon."
"And I'm the analyst, OrangeKing."
"Pleased to meet you!"
The number of viewers was unusually high despite there still being time before the game.
— Hi Hi
— Finally
— Here it comes... my life...
— Please win today!!!
Viewers flooded in.
[Current Viewers: 73,000]
The rapid climb past 70,000 viewers was so notable that the broadcasters couldn't help but comment on it.
"Ah, our viewers right now!?"
"The numbers are impressive! Could Civil Empire really take off? Are we going to Mars!?"
"We don’t know yet! Why do you think it's gaining popularity now, OrangeKing!?"
"It’s because of the last game against France! Not because the LIL Cup failed!"
"That’s right! It’s because of the game against France!"
— LOL LOL LOL
— Exactly right
— Agreed
— I agree
— That game against France was legendary
"Since we’re on the topic, let’s watch the highlight video from the game against France!"
As usual, the broadcast showed a series of previous highlights.
OrangeKing’s excited voice from the recording, the caster's shouts, and the cheers from fans could all be heard again. The fervor of that moment still felt alive even now.
"Ah... when the spears were first drawn! Wasn’t that amazing?"
"Absolutely. The spears coming out in second era rush... Ahhh! It really made you want to call for the bar owner!"
"Ta! Down!"
"Ta! Down!"
Click! Click!
Like soldiers, they even matched the sounds of their steps to execute this operation perfectly. More than being fast or slow, acting in sync seemed to be key for this operation.
[Entering the game]
Swoosh.
A white blaze instantly covered the field and everyone appeared on the field. Almond and his archers were no exception.
"Phew... I wonder if it will go well in the real game," Latte muttered nervously to himself.
"Don't talk nonsense, Latte. Haven’t you seen this bro nailing it in the real game? Eh? This is our team, man. We’re the real deal. Not golf players, but pro golf players," Pang comforted him from the side even though half of it was boasting about his own achievements.
"Yes, I understand—"
They exchanged casual chatter and walked across the field.
Boom!
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
A light suddenly turned on and the stands appeared.
"!"
At that moment, all the players couldn't help but widen their eyes.
"There are more now."
"Wow..."
This was because the red wave was noticeably larger than during the match against France. It was enough to fill an entire side. When looking north, only Korean supporters could be seen. They filled more than a quarter of the stadium. It felt quite different from when fans were sparsely scattered around the stadium.
In Almond's stream chat, viewers talked about the stands too.
— It’s exploding like crazy LOL
— Should we start selling cheering gear?
— It'll be chaos if we lose today LOL
— Let's just win today
— But Spain is really tough
Along with mentions of Korea’s growing popularity, many worried about losing today's game and reasonably so. Simply losing and losing in front of so many spectators were two different things.
France, the toothless tiger, and Spain, dubbed the golden generation, were currently incomparable in strength. Of course, the civilization matchup had been overwhelmingly in favor of France. However, the Korean team had shown that matchups weren’t everything in this game.
Like in real warfare, the players also mattered. In that context, viewing Spain as a championship contending team was reasonable.
'Cookie really needs to perform well today.'
Today, more than ever, it was likely to come down to the skill of the commanders because the opponents consisted of exceptionally good players.
"Alright! It's about to start!" Pang pumped up the archers.
[10 seconds until the game starts]
The countdown proceeded.
"To the Spanish pirates! Let's show them what it's like to live next to China!"
"Waaaaaaaaaaah!!!!"
Flap──!
In sync with that, the Taegukgi flag fluttered above the town hall.
— LOL LOL LOL
— What kind of slogan is that? LOL
— Wow!
— Really LOL
— Back then, China was almost like America LOL
— True LOL
— Genghis Khan died and they survived by luck LOL
— Acknowledging living next to China LOL LOL
The Korean team had tremendous morale after winning their previous match, but the Spanish team was not to be underestimated either.
"Korea is a team of losers that didn’t even pass the preliminary rounds last year and the year before!" Assistant Commander Tres shouted with a flushed face, "And it will be the same this year! Because they met us!"
"Waaaaaaaaaaah!" the Spanish team roared with the Spanish flag fluttering above their town hall.
Soon afterward, the game began.
Beep──!
[Game Start]
***
"Now, the game has started. At six o'clock, we have the Korean team! At twelve o'clock, Spain's España! Mr. OrangeKing, what do you think?"
Typically, they didn’t have much to commentate about in the early game. Discussions often revolved around the teams' relative strengths.
"Ah. As I've mentioned continuously, Spain is a team made up entirely of professionals. There will likely be a significant difference in combat effectiveness between soldiers. Therefore, the commander's strategy and the soldiers' teamwork seem even more crucial today."
"Ah, so you're saying a one-on-one fight would be difficult?"
"Yes. If we think about it coolly, that's what it seems like... Huh? What's this right from the start!?"
OrangeKing, who had been leisurely explaining about the teams' setups, had to stop speaking. The in-game situation was not following the usual patterns.
"Ah. What's happening?"
"Spain’s strategy is...? Quite extreme!?"
OrangeKing had anticipated that Korea would use an extreme strategy.
‘Spain is starting like this?!’
This game was off to a start that broke all of OrangeKing’s expectations.