Season 2: Chapter 90. A New and Familiar Encounter (3)

Kimchi Warrior had forgotten about another critical matter while trying to recruit Almond in any way possible: the result of Almond’s alleged cheating case.

"

Ah

, yes. The verdict is in. I'll pass it on now."

The observer received a message that they had concluded Almond’s case. They made an unusually fast decision this time.

"It’s good that the job was done so quickly~"

The observer felt pleased to finish the task so quickly and whistled to himself.

[Observer: It normally takes a bit longer, but... the response came quickly so I'm informing you.]

While he casually copied and pasted the verdict, life didn’t always go as expected.

"

Eh?

What's this?"

Before the observer could send his message, he noticed someone else had messaged Almond since Almond’s screen was still being shared with him.

[Kimchi Warrior: Hey, Almond. I didn't realize you were so famous...]

The message ended with an invitation to participate in the national team.

"Na-National team?!" the observer exclaimed and couldn’t believe this development.

He was about to message Almond the verdict when an invitation to join the national team suddenly arrived.

'Unbelievable.'

The national team proved to be the ultimate content in

Civil Empire

, the pinnacle of the game. It was no exaggeration to say the game existed for the national team competition.

The game company recognized this and poured a lot of effort into the national team format. They were even willing to change existing regulations for its smooth success.

In other words, the game existed for the national team competition. Simply put, even the regulations for determining cheating could be instantly changed for the national team competition.

Given the nature of

Civil Empire

, everyone obviously treated players on national teams differently.

'Wait.'

The observer took another look at his copy-pasted response. Honestly, it looked insincere as if he was trying to rush through it and move on.

'If I send this...'

If he gave this kind of response to a player participating in the national team competition, the head office would be furious.

"I, I should mention this, right?"

He decided to stop writing the response and thought it would be best to report to his superior.

***

"What the hell? The national team competition?!"

Why did his superior seem so displeased? Shouldn't he be grateful for the information?

“Are you crazy?!”

“... Sorry?”

"You’re crazy. He's B rank! How can he go?!"

"... Ah."

Thunk!

The observer hit his own head for being so foolish.

"Sorry, my mistake..."

Almond was B rank and far from qualifying for the national team competition. The minimum rank for participating in the national team competition was S+. This rule was immutable. Regulations for the national team competition could change, but the competition's rules wouldn’t.

The embarrassed observer quickly returned to his seat.

"Phew."

He regretted the needless talk and prepared to send the copy-pasted response when...

"?"

He noticed another exchange of messages.

[Kimchi Warrior: Almond! Let's give it a try!]

"Give what a try? He's B rank."

The observer had a bad premonition. Why was he always wrong?

[Kimchi Warrior: We’ll help you raise your rank. It's possible in theory. I’ve already talked with the guys. Almond, your willingness to participate is what matters most.]

The observer became speechless.

"Reaching S+ rank in a month?!"

They were making an absurd proposal.

Even if Almond quickly rose from C rank to B rank, ranking up in this game wasn’t easy. As one climbed higher, the rank points increased by smaller margins. Ranks only increase by twenty to thirty points in the beginning. Players often celebrated a three point increase in S rank because they usually only earned two points.

Of course, a crazy winning streak could grant rank point bonuses for a faster advancement. However...

How could luck guarantee success in a game where luck played a significant role? Even a national team couldn’t control luck.

"Huh?"

At that moment, a phrase flashed through the observer's mind.

"Wait a minute...”

He hadn't considered one element: the duo play of commanders and soldiers. Players rarely mentioned this system due to its insignificance, but duo rank was also considered an official rank in

Civil Empire

.

"Are they offering to do this? The national team is?!"

If national team powerhouses formed a duo with Almond, they definitely had a chance of success. Even if Almond didn’t perform well, their win rate would be guaranteed to be over fifty percent. However, there was a catch.

"Is there someone of the right rank?"

A duo could only be formed between players of similar ranks. Did the national team have a B-rank player? That was uncertain.

Well, it seemed likely since they suggested it. Most importantly, it was good as done if the national team said they would do it. Their authority in this game was beyond imagination like a majority shareholder.

The observer knew what he had to do.

"

Uh

, manager!"

He stood up again to report to his superior.

***

Meanwhile, Almond’s chat lit up with talk of Kimchi Warrior's audacious proposal.

— Are they really doing this?

— Damn!

— Kimchi Warrior must really want almond

— Kimchi Warrior lives up to his name. He has a discerning eye

— A duo play offer???

Their aggressiveness somewhat surprised Almond. He never expected their sudden proposal for him to reach the highest rank within a month.

'Is it easier to hit S+ rank because of the game's lower player count?'

Almond concluded that ranking up could be easier than he thought, which was a natural misunderstanding caused by Kimchi Warrior.

Kimchi Warrior hadn't explained how intense the journey would be over a month, thinking it would only scare off Almond. Thus, Almond had no idea how much effort it would take to reach S+ rank in a month.

— Is this even possible??

— It's the national team, so who knows...

— It’s not impossible in theory, but...

Even viewers familiar with

Civil Empire

felt skeptical. After all, no one had ever attempted the challenge of reaching S+ rank in a month and the offer came from top experts on the national team.

Naturally, people assumed the national team was right.

"Then it’s possible? Well, no reason to refuse."

— Yep, it seems so

— If the national team helps, maybe

— Are you really? Are you really!?

Almond took on the challenge without realizing how impossible it was.

[Almond: Alright. It's an honor for me.]

[Kimchi Warrior: Wow! Thank you! I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Let's do our best!]

— Yay!

— Let's go!

— 38,297 patriotic videos on standby.

— It's gonna be fun

— National team Almond! I’m already emotional.

The chat overflowed with messages as Almond decided to prepare for the national team competition.

The national team competition wasn't exactly the same as being a national representative, but it was virtually the same thing in

Civil Empire

at least.

Everyone watching the stream knew about Almond's thwarted dream of being a national archer, so they all excitedly looked forward to this journey.

Then, a message finally came from the observer.

Except it wasn't the observer.

[Hello, Almond...]

A different person addressed him on the same communication line.

'What's this?'

***

The atmosphere in the community naturally turned negative when Almond was accused of cheating. It wasn't an exaggeration to say this was the most aggressive controversy Almond had ever faced.

[Almond: One Second Before Being Branded a Cheater]

[All that talk about being the strongest player, huh? It's all lies. What are you going to do about it now~]

[LOL! It’s the end of the road for him, right? Feels good, doesn't it?]

It felt as if all of Almond's hidden haters suddenly emerged. It made sense since Almond was famous for his overwhelming skills. Now, he was under suspicion of cheating.

Naturally, public opinion wasn't in his favor. His haters seized the moment to downplay all his achievements.

[Was Almond's record-breaking run in Battle Large also a lie? LOL]

[I doubt his perfect shot in Kingdom was also real. Did he set it up with Acorn Jelly?]

Their unfounded hatred was accompanied by their wild imagination. They claimed Almond cheated in games that were clean from cheats and even doubted his relationship with Acorn Jelly, who first brought Almond into the spotlight.

They seemed determined to uproot him entirely.

[You know, Acorn and Almond have similar names and vibes now that I think about it, right?]

[Wow, I’m mind blown. Have we been deceived all this time...]

[Fake Almond smh]

These posts didn't become a major issue, but their constant appearance seriously bothered Almond’s fans.

Then, the tides turned.

[Almond's Disgusting Resurrection LOL]

A post emerged and quickly gained immense popularity.

[Almond has now been cleared by the observer ^~^]

— LOL, it’s truly an insane resurrection

— Now the doubters will all go into hiding

— As expected

— Props

The post included a screenshot from Almond's stream.

[First of all, we sincerely apologize for mistaking you as an illegal program user. This matter was strongly argued by the observer in charge, leading to a swift invalidation.]

The important part was selectively extracted to show everyone, which led to another major misunderstanding.

— What does an observer know? LOL They just gave in because those ignorant Almond fans bombarded them with complaints

— A contract worker simply acknowledged it, so what? LOL

— Official statement LOL

Ridiculous arguments questioned the worth of an observer's opinion when, in reality, an observer's job was to discern the truth regarding all suspected cheaters. Not trusting their judgment was like not believing a judge's acquittal.

It was impossible to argue with the haters and their unjustified criticism.

However, it was different this time. They bit the wrong bait.

[You asked what an observer knows? LOL. Here's the original, you stupid doubters]

The original poster, seemingly infuriated, posted again and included the entire message this time.

[Hello, Almond. I am Cimmy, the general manager of the Korean branch. First of all, we sincerely apologize for mistaking you as an illegal program user. This matter was strongly argued by the observer in charge...」

It was clear that not just the observer, but the general manager also acknowledged Almond’s innocence from the very first line.

— What? The general manager??

— That’s unexpected...

— What???

— Who’s Cimmy? LOL

The general manager himself had messaged Almond, but that wasn't all. The following message was even more surprising.

[We cannot fathom the distress you must have experienced due to this controversy as a streamer. Therefore, we would like to send you a small gift set as a sincere apology. We would be grateful if you continue to enjoy our game. If possible, we would like to meet you in person to apologize once again...]

The general manager promised proper compensation to restore Almond’s honor.

— Gifts too??

— Nice LOL

— They don't bow down easily, what's going on?

— Seriously?

They didn’t just simply apologize, but also wanted to provide Almond with sincere compensation. Their last words even hinted at a personal meeting. Such treatment from the management branch was enough to silence those who tried to defame Almond.

— Game over! Lock them all up!

— The doubters are annihilated LOL

— Amazing how they all vanished LOL

For a while, no more harsh comments about Almond appeared in the community. Instead, anecdotes praising him started pouring in.

[That's what a real man does. Show and prove himself.]

[He proved himself with his bow without a single complaint. Legendary.]

[How does Almond never get shaken up?]

Everyone admired his mental strength to overcome all the controversies without any apparent struggle.