Civilizations like Joseon, which emphasized archery, were inevitably weak in close combat. Therefore, they often added factions that could complement this.

For Joseon, that faction was precisely the bamboo spear. Of course, its performance was not very good. At least, that was how players perceived it as could be seen from searching "bamboo spear" in the community.

[If it breaks, you can't use it again and it even costs resources to upgrade?]

[Comparing it to the English shield, is it even reasonable?]

[Selling a disposable starch toothpick for money lol]

[Costs resources to upgrade? lol It could be given as a passive and still the balance would be utterly unproblematic lol]

It dealt slightly higher damage than a basic spear. That was good. The problem was the conditions.

A bamboo spear could never be used again once it broke and one had to put down their weapon to pick it up in the first place. Moreover, it required a considerable amount of gold to upgrade and use.

[Who's upgrading to bamboo spears in the second era… They need to go to the third era]

When excellent factions appeared in the third era, players usually didn’t spare any money on second era bamboo spears.

[Delaying third era upgrades for bamboo spears??]

[If any commander spends gold on bamboo spears in the second era, they deserve to get knocked out]

The majority considered bamboo spears merely as an entertainment faction not really for victory.

[Joseon doesn’t have any close combat factions?]

[Persia has elephants at least...... Why don’t we…?]

Korean gamers always thirsted for a close combat faction other than bamboo spears.

[I've sent an email to the headquarters.]

True to a community known for taking the initiative and having surprisingly many capable people in the real world, quite a few had actually sent emails to the headquarters in English.

The developers always sent the same response.

[Bamboo spears are superior~ Alright~ You understand? Love you guys~]

A sarcastic reply came back similar to the players’ sarcastic ones. Always about the bamboo spear, what more could they want? This was the gist of the replies. 𝘳

— lol lol lol lol I want to smack that pronunciation

— Entertainment news lol

— Ah, if Japan had asked for a ninja faction, they would have considered whirlwind blades lol

└ They’d probably include brain-fry too

└ For real, brain-fry lol

└ Just because our market is tiny compared to other countries... the market...

— For real, I’m craving bamboo spears lol

└ lol lol

└ 2222

Kim Chi-Seung and his think tank team considered this phenomenon.

"If they have nothing to say, they don't need to reply, right? But why keep responding about bamboo spears?"

"So..."

"We need to analyze this. No one has really focused and experimented with it."

Could there really be something about bamboo spears as the solution for Joseon’s close combat problems? Unless the developers were simply teasing them.

"Let's find out for ourselves. Korea can't afford to use any faction frivolously."

It seemed like it wouldn’t be a meaningless experiment because they hardly had any data on bamboo spears. The bamboo spear patch was relatively recent. Everyone thought poorly of it and hardly used it in practice.

The think tank team thought they had nothing to lose and began analyzing. During that time…

"Wait! This... now that I think about it, it also changes one’s class to a spearman."

This fact hadn’t been much noticed.

"What about it? That’s obvious since it’s a spear."

"Is it? Does an archer become a spearman if they pick up a spear while walking?"

"That’s not it, but we all knew that, didn’t we?"

Holding a bamboo spear granted the spearman class. It could be seen as obvious. Chi-Seung certainly knew that.

"Wait... wait... There’s something here. Something is shining... What is this…?"

At that moment, Chi-Seung realized he had to reconsider the concept of bamboo spears.

"The bamboo spear wasn’t just designed as a spear to use temporarily."

It wasn't about the weapon's performance itself. When upgraded, everyone could use a bamboo spear at least once.

"Everyone."

That word was a hint. Everyone could use a bamboo spear even if it was only once.

"Once the bamboo spear is upgraded, an entire force could potentially transform into spearmen."

They could all temporarily become spearmen.

"Imagine an entire force changing instantly!"

"!"

"There was a case like this in old RTS games too. A build commonly known as a counter-mutalisk."

"That was incredibly tricky to deal with."

"Right. If we do it right, we can use it that way."

They imagined Joseon's entire force composed of archers suddenly turning into spearmen. From the enemy's perspective, a terrifying battle would unfold.

"However, we would have to give up on the third era."

"... Would that really work?"

Joseon's third era was its golden age. While other civilizations also peaked in the third era, Joseon experienced particularly stark differences. Could giving up Joseon's third era for a turnaround with bamboo spears really work?

Chi-Seung nodded.

"It will work. Once."

***

Snap!

The knight struggled and panicked when green spears burst forth from every direction.

"This, this is...!"

However, it was too late. Almond's spear already burrowed into his abdomen and he found it difficult to move.

"Ugh...!"

[Spearman: When attacking cavalry, additional damage is inflicted along with stun.]

Almond fully embodied the trait of a spearman now.

"Damn it? Is this really the effect of a spearman?"

The royal knight could only be bewildered.

"I should have recognized this faction!"

He had hardly ever seen bamboo spears used in actual games.

"Stab him!" Latte shouted.

Carrot, Spam, and another archer thrust their green spears.

"Yikes!?"

Four bamboo spears filled the knight's dilated pupils.

Thrust!

The sharp bamboos deeply penetrated flesh.

"… Ugh!"

His health drastically reduced in an instant.

The knight staggered.

"I'll take at least one down with me!"

Even as he was dying, he swung his sword.

Slash!

A deep gash appeared on Latte's upper body.

"Damn it. Why did it have to be me!?"

However, Latte nonchalantly wiped off the blood and shouted, "Stab again! Stab!"

Thrust!

Poke!

The relentless joint attacks continued and the knight could no longer hold on. Alone, he stood no chance against as many as five spearmen.

Thump...!

He fell from his horse. Moments later, he saw four soldiers looking down at him.

"Heheh…"

the wounded Latte laughed like a madman.

Blood dripped from the green spear he raised.

"Nice color, huh? Huh? Merry Christmas!"

Thrust!

***

How long had OrangeKing held back for this moment?

"Stab them! Die, you bastards!!!" he screamed as loudly as he could with all his pent-up strength.

— Crazy

— Is he really using bamboo spears???

— For real, bamboo spears lol

— I'm craving bamboo spears (literally)

— This is why lol

— Did OrangeKing get stabbed by a bamboo spear? That was so loud just now

"What!? Ear torture!? A royal knight!? Let’s make things equal! It’s the Donghak Peasant Revolution!"

— Lol

— They’ve become equals...

— Donghak Peasant Revolution lol

— Lol for real, it’s a revolution

The caster chimed in, "Ah! That's so refreshing!"

OrangeKing declared vehemently, "Yes! It was worth the wait! Joseon’s secret weapon! Bamboo spears! They used them perfectly!"

"Is this the strategy you were about to mention earlier?"

"Exactly!"

"Please explain this strategy in detail!"

"So it’s about making the most out of the bamboo spear faction, which isn’t very cost-effective..." OrangeKing explained why the bamboo spear was a deadly counter against the enemy.

— Wow

— Was that it?

— :O

— And they thought this was worthless

— For real lol, newbies are cute

"Ah! While you were talking! There’s change happening across the entire frontline!"

"!"

The caster’s words surprised OrangeKing. He knew they planned to counter the knights with bamboo spears, but even he hadn't anticipated further effectiveness from the bamboo spears.

"Huh? Now that I think about it?"

Wasn’t there a frontline where barbarian soldiers wielding clubs were clashing? Looking at it now, this was a much bigger problem where many still wielded clubs due to a lack of resources for specialized units.

What if Joseon’s soldiers suddenly dropped their clubs and picked up bamboo spears? What would happen to the frontline then?

***

The two forces fiercely engaged in a standoff at the entrance with no room to maneuver.

"It's the bamboo spears!"

"Wow!"

The situation completely reversed with the upgrade to bamboo spears.

Swoosh!

All the Joseon soldiers were now armed with spears instead of clubs.

"Form a double stabbing line!"

At the deputy commander’s order, the Joseon soldiers arranged themselves in two rows, enabling both the front and rear spearmen to strike.

In contrast, the French soldiers wielded only clubs without shields in this bloody melee.

"Uh... what?"

"Are they crazy? Bamboo spears?"

"Why do they suddenly all have spears?"

The French soldiers looked utterly helpless. While they could hardly swing their clubs, bamboo spears continued thrusting in.

Thrust!

Poke!

"Argh!"

"Gurk!"

Even though the French infantry players were excellent, they couldn't win in a confrontation with clubs against spears.

"Push them!"

With a tremendous shout, all the Joseon soldiers pushed forward.

Thrust!

Poke!

As they thrust, the French soldiers fell one by one.

"Hyaah!"

The deputy commander, Bread, charged on horseback and delivered a decisive blow that completely tilted the battle.

Slash!

A spray of red blood followed her sword.

"!?"

"He's dead! The commander is dead!"

Everyone's eyes widened.

The blood on Bread’s sword belonged to the French deputy commander. In other words, she had slain the enemy commander.

The long-awaited fight between the deputy commanders was decided in an instant. This was the power of momentum.

It was similar to soccer, where a goal could suddenly lead to easier and more devastating goals. This was not a matter of physical ability, but of spirit and mind. Ultimately, team battles were always a mental fight.

Perhaps the enemy commander's spirit had broken before his neck.

Bread shouted as she lifted his head, "I've taken the commander's head!"

The Joseon army’s morale soared to the skies. Shouts from the cheer squad and soldiers overwhelmed the battlefield.

"Push them!"

"Let’s go for the chief commander's head now!"

The Joseon army surged as if their numbers had doubled.

They thrust with their spears.

Boom!

And charged through with their bodies. Unified, they broke through the frontline and continued pushing forward.

Eventually…

"Urgh!"

The last line of French barbarian soldiers fell, creating a gap.

"We've broken through! Their line has collapsed!"

"Charge!"

"The path to their base is open!"

All the Joseon soldiers rushed toward the base en masse, starkly contrasting to when Almond and Pang sneaked in alone.

"Kill them all!"

"Burn everything!"

At that moment, shouts from the Korean cheer squad covered the entire stadium.

"Wow!"

Boom boom boom!

The sound of drums thundered as their shouts reached a climax.

The commentators also raised their voices in excitement.

"We've broken through! They’ve really broken through!"

"The atmosphere here is incredible! Right now, Korea is showing a shocking game! They’re leading the game!"

"On the other hand, the French cheer squad looks completely devastated!?"

The French cheer squad grew visibly dismayed. Cheering was one thing, but their hopes had been dashed several times already. Even their royal knight had fallen.

Another royal knight emerged, but…

"Now, another royal knight has come out! However, he's wandering around and doesn’t know where to go! The knight is out, but he has to wait for the right moment!"

"If they want to change this flow, they need at least two knights! Charging in with just one would be suicide! Of course, he has to wait!"

The knight, unable to be deployed in any significant strategy, could only pace around their base.

"Joseon’s soldiers have started carrying torches! They’re really starting to set fire to the base buildings!"

"Burn it all down! Reverse sweep! Let’s go!"

"Yes! Burn the Louvre! Give us the Mona Lisa!"

— It’s almost like they’re reaching the high ground

— Even Mona Lisa lol

— Stop the persecution…!

— Eh lol

— Are they really winning!!!

The game heavily tilted in favor of Korea.