Season 4: Chapter 170. The Clash of the Peaks (1)

After Paprika Village revealed itself to Cheese Village, a wise man on LIL Pro posted.

[Big. Anyway, the devs’ intentions are so obvious, hahaha.]

==== ====

Didn’t they just set this up so the platform-loyal idiots could have a giant brawl before the real Platform War even starts?

==== ====

— Yeah, that checks out.

— Paprika can’t survive unless they raid other villages for food anyway, lol

└ Basically, they’re saying, “Just fight already.”

— The devs totally set the stage for it.

— Now I don’t even want to fight, but honestly, Paprika’s platform is better. Cheese just gives loser energy.

└ ?

└ HAHAHAHA way to expose yourself mid-sentence.

└ Paprika is giving “amateur soccer club” vibes though. ^^

That post turned out to be right. The devs had set up a rivalry between Paprika and Cheese, but it wasn’t PD Jang’s idea. It came from the Cheese planning team, specifically Ju-Hyeok.

“Having Paprika as our rival works to our advantage. It makes us look equal.”

In any fight, the underdog always benefited the most. When two sides clashed, the audience instinctively viewed them as equals, regardless of who won. Ju-Hyeok had always understood this basic marketing principle.

So, they built this premise. Paprika would dominate and oppress Cheese until Cheese sparked a revolution and turned the tables. At least, the narrative was supposed to unfold that way.

“

Ahem...

It’s collapsed more than expected.” Ju-Hyeok watched the two factions face off at Zelo’s execution. “Only now does it finally look like a real battle.”

Ironically, Paprika stood in the revolutionary role. After getting stomped by Cheese for so long, they finally had a real chance to fight back.

“At least the audience response is great.”

He scrolled through the community threads. The most heat came from Streamer Garden. It wasn’t even a Paprika hub and leaned toward Treevy. However, frequent arguments occurred since many Treevy streamers had migrated to Paprika.

[Why’s Paprika acting cocky?]

==== ====

Didn’t they already get wrecked by the Knights? LOL

==== ====

— That was when they were unarmed and just came to collect grain.

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

— Cheese only won because they set traps and ambushed them, hahaha. Try fighting fair.

└ If you lose to an ambush, you still lose. What’s war to you, tag?

└ They ambushed first to steal food anyway.

└ They were just commoners who struck while Lord

Almond was asleep...

— They’re crying over a no-skill survival server, lol

These flame wars spread fast because rumors of the upcoming Platform War had already been seeded.

[Say what you want, but Paprika streamers have real gaming skills.]

[Cheese mold freaks are just scared they’ll cry when they lose the Platform War, haha.]

[Yeah~ we’re just “losing for fun,” sure.]

Paprika streamers were known for their skill-focused streams. Treevy streamers? Not so much. This perception only strengthened after many of Treevy’s skilled players defected to Paprika.

[Let’s be real. Team Rocket wins in a fair fight.]

Some even claimed that Team Rocket, who’d been annihilated once already, would beat the Knights this time. They had their reasons.

[Adamantium, lol]

[How do you even counter that? hahaha]

[Pretty convincing, right?]

Not all of the Paprika villagers, but many were now armed with Adamantium.

[Waiting for Black Pepper the Avenger.]

[Cheese doesn’t even know she has that class. They’re screwed, lol.]

[The Nut Gang is about to be wiped out.]

Apparently, Cheese had no clue about Black Pepper’s Avenger class, and neither did Ju-Hyeok.

“What even

is

that class...?” He opened the rulebook to check. “

Hmm...?

”

***

In front of the Knights’ fortress, aka Almond’s castle, stood a vast plaza memorializing the dictator’s glory with a massive statue of Almond himself. Down the central path lay a circular stage: the Great Arcade, where they held Zelo’s execution.

And now, tunneling up from below, rebels had come to defy the dictator’s authority.

“Release Martyr Zelo at once! Do that, and we’ll withdraw peacefully!” Shrimp shouted boldly toward the three judges.

[Adamantium Sword]

He wasn’t bluffing. Ample backup stood behind him.

The Servants beside Almond froze, but Almond rose from his seat.

Shff.

He drew his bow. Only then did Team Rocket see his face clearly.

“Th-That’s him...! That’s the bastard who killed us the first time!” Salt recoiled at the sight, trembling.

Black Pepper furiously pointed at Almond. “You! The unknown anomaly! You were the leader of the Knights!?”

Almond tilted his head, unfamiliar with their terms for him. “I don’t know what that means, but you’ll all die if you don’t leave.”

“You killed us for no reason!” Black Pepper pulled Salt forward, practically spitting as she screamed. “You came to our village by the lake and slaughtered everyone! Don’t you dare say you didn’t!”

“Huh?” Almond blinked as the realization finally dawned on him. “Oh.

That.

”

“So you

do

remember, you monster! Why did you do it!?”

“I didn’t kill you. I was checking if you had fishing rods.”

“What...?”

— Hahahahahaha!

— LMAO, what a psycho.

— Bro said, “Just checking your skull for thoughts.”

— This guy is unhinged, omg.

Ding!

[CowboyLord has donated 10,000 won.]

[I’m not going there to die... I’m going to check if I’m still alive.]

A viewer, impressed by his line, sent a donation. A random buff lit up for Almond.

Crackle!

[Attack Power +25%]

It was just a simple donation buff, nothing more. For Team Rocket, still traumatized from last time, those glowing letters triggered them.

“Thank you, CowboyLord...”

“ATTACK!!!” Shrimp’s roar cut through the air.

Team Rocket instantly charged forward.

“Eh!?”

“W–Wait, what!? I thought we were still talking!” The Servants scrambled to their feet.

They had assumed there’d be some dramatic banter first. Team Rocket went full throttle out of nowhere.

“I’ll consume every last one of you... IN FLAMES!” Shrimp bellowed like a stage actor in a musical.

BOOM!

Twin red orbs ignited in his hands as he cast his ultimate skill.

[Volcano]

A pillar of molten fire erupted in the center of the Great Arcade.

***

The war had begun without warning.

“

KYAAAAAA!!

”

“Terrorists! We’re under attack!!”

Panic instantly spread. Screams rose from every direction as crowds scattered. People collided and toppled over each other.

Among them, Bubblegum stumbled and tumbled across the floor. “

Guh...!

H-Help... me...”

BOOM!

The volcano exploded, hurling blazing chunks of magma. Bubblegum struggled to get up, certain that he would be burned alive.

“W-What!?”

Ssshhhk!

Green vines shot out and wrapped around his ankle, yanking him away.

[Vine Grasp]

It was a Druid’s skill.

“Y-You are...”

The Druid was one of the top talents in the Nonghyup Union, the farmer-invested prodigy.

[Pepperoni]

A former member of Team Fearless Deer from the LIL Tournament.

“Just this once, Fake News Daily.”

“R-Right... Thanks, Kid News.”

— LOL

— LMAOOOO

— Just this once, we’re allies.

— Kid News, hahahahaha.

“

Hmph.

Don’t expect a second time.”

With that, Pepperoni coolly transformed into a bear.

“

ROOOAAARR!

”

Then, he charged straight at Team Rocket.

— Damn...

— That’s badass.

— Nonghyup still has monsters like that?

***

BOOM!

Watching the Volcano erupt, Almond instantly realized something.

‘He’s faster than before.’

The Lava Shaman’s abilities had improved. Team Rocket had grown stronger, especially now that they possessed Adamantium.

‘Still...’

Almond rolled aside, narrowly dodging a falling fireball, and drew his bow.

Creak.

Flames surged in his eyes.

[Runway of the Vermilion Bird]

Fwoooosh!

The arrow on his string ignited into a blazing phoenix. Team Rocket had lined up like targets in the chaos.

Almond let loose his arrow.

Whssst.

It was the perfect shot. The Vermillion Bird’s fire would engulf them all.

“Domain Expansion.” A voice rang out.

Thud.

Then, everything dimmed.

— ??

— ?

— What’s happening?

— Huh?

Fwoooosh!

The bird vanished after colliding with an unseen wall. A dark, sinister barrier shimmered around Almond.

From above, someone called out, “Your opponent is me.”

She hovered in the air, staring down at him.

[Black Pepper]

It was Black Pepper, the Avenger.

“In this domain, only you and I exist. We can neither harm nor be harmed by anyone else.”

— Whoa...

— What is this?

— There’s a skill like that??

— They’re trapped together!

— Almond and Black Pepper locked in, lmao!

— RIP Knights!

— LOL they’re doomed!

Thwang!

Almond fired immediately.

Crack!

Black Pepper vanished with a flash of violet sparks, reappearing somewhere else entirely. “In here, I’m a god.”

Her speed was unreal.

“What is this nonsense skill?”

— You’re one to talk, lol

— Says the guy who solos armies

— HAHAHAHA

— For real, dude

— Bro complaining about balance, hahah

Black Pepper laughed gleefully. “This is the Boundary of Retribution. A space that grants the Avenger a chance to strike back.”

Woooong...

She descended slowly until she stood before him. “I exist to take revenge on you. And in this space created for that purpose... I’m a god.”

— Daaamn.

— Black Pepper is eating up the camera right now, lol

— This is straight-up Marvel-tier

— Is Almond finally going down?

— Basically, her version of Nuts Punk Domain Expansion, huh?

— The consequences of killing her ten times, bro

Almond’s eyes narrowed. Such a broken skill couldn’t exist without a flaw.

‘There’s got to be a weakness.’

There had to be. Then, he noticed something strange.

‘Wait... Why isn’t she attacking?’

She only circled him while laughing, skipping, and taunting him. “

Hahahahahaha! AHAHAHAHAHA!

”