It was a well-known fact that the Joseon civilization was weak. However, war was not always fought with brute force. Joseon was a civilization renowned for being strategically cunning. Instead of using force against force, Joseon required strategies that targeted the enemy's weaknesses.

Cookie often used to say to the soldiers, "Joseon can indeed be a formidable civilization if we properly utilize its unorthodox strategies."

If their strategies succeeded, Joseon could easily outmaneuver any civilization.

This naturally led to a question. Why had the national team consistently failed to advance past the preliminaries? The answer was simple. Their strategies did not work in actual combat.

"I always wondered why our strategies don’t work. They don't fail that much in practice. Why do they fail when it comes to real battles..."

Deeply troubled by this, Cookie eventually reached a rather extreme conclusion this year.

"The moment a strategy is exposed in practice, it ceases to be unorthodox."

He decided to make the unorthodox tactics of Joseon more of a surprise.

"This year, I will absolutely forbid the use of unorthodox strategies in both private and public scrims."

He made a bombshell declaration that they couldn’t turn back from.

"... Will, will this really work?" Chi-Seung asked anxiously.

Wasn’t hiding strategies a good thing? However, it was also tantamount to saying they wouldn't practice the strategies either.

Using unorthodox strategies without any real practice was a difficult task. To Chi-Seung, it sounded almost like deciding to solve a math exam using only mental math.

Nevertheless, Cookie did not relent.

"It's a necessary decision. There's no other way unless we go to such extremes."

Cookie acknowledged the inefficiency himself. However, he had to accept that if they didn’t do this, Korea wouldn't have a chance to compete in the main rounds.

"We don't have the luxury to practice and give hints to our enemies. We're just not that skilled. We only get one chance."

This brutally honest statement reflected the current situation of Joseon and the Korean national competition team.

"We only get one chance."

This remark became deeply ingrained in Chi-Seung and the other think tank members. The insight, as shown in the match against France, resulted in a victory.

***

Korea won their first match. This shocking news spread like wildfire across the Embul community.

[This is crazy!! Korea won for real???]

[Lolololol]

[Is this the same Korea that was trashed like a dog by France the year before last!?]

[Literally dying from laughter~~!]

[Oh my god, I'm actually crying tears]

Every metric like the number of posts, page views, and concurrent users all peaked.

[Wow, the lag is crazy]

[Lol, is this buffering for real?]

The platform, normally unaccustomed to handling such traffic, even saw delays in uploading posts. People didn't care and kept flooding in to express their emotions.

[Oh my god, everyone did so well today!!]

[Not a single mistake, for real]

— For real...

— Did they practice a lot? They were perfectly in sync

— I almost cried when Pang and Almond attacked the defense tower together

└ For real lol

└ Pang deserves enlightenment too after...

— Almond was really in form

└ 2222

└ 333333

└ He played out of his mind

└ Really, not just nuts for no reason, insane

└ Lololol

└ He's surpassed the Goat...

As expected, posts filled with emotional outpourings praised everyone's performance.

[Is Civil Empire Cookie beyond that now?]

[That would be… New Jeans - Cookie.

Is Civil Empire Cookie the first result when you search cookie now?

Huh?]

Users even discussed whether Cookie's fame had now surpassed a famous K-pop idol group.

— Lolololol

— Yeah~ Not really~

— Maybe if they make it to the finals lol

— How come they can't even beat a song from 10 years ago…

└ That's because it's a failed game...

— If they win, it might be possible overseas

— Ah lol, can't beat progressive taxes lol

— Go beat Tough Cookie

└ That's too harsh lol

Of course, surpassing a famous idol group with just one preliminary win was impossible. Today, at least, the Embul users allowed themselves to dream big and celebrate the valuable victory against the French.

Various exciting posts continued to appear.

[Scrim total defeat?]

[The cheetah was laughing.]

Now, even if Korea started slow, a meme suggested they could easily catch up to everyone with ease.

— Cheetah:???

— Lolololololol

— Korea is laughing, lolololololol

└ Enjoy it~

The original poster wasn't really serious. It was a joke.

— Lolol, so funny

— Since when did Korea become a cheetah?

— They’ve been laughing for six years~

— Brother, this guy is laughing?

└ Lmao lololololol

└ Oops...lololol

└ This is hilarious lololololol

└ Let it be~ Maybe he became the youngest son of a chaebol in his dreams~

└ For real

└ Boring

└ Oh my, my stomach hurts from laughing~~

└ You guys…

Above all, Embul being so active contributed to the already festive mood. Everyone’s interests would transform into tangible results.

[Upvote if you're going to the next match to support them]

[Let's go, Red Devils~]

More people declared that they would go to support the next match.

— Upvoting like crazy

— I really want to go

— Do they sell cheering merch in This World?

— Other countries have some really innovative cheering items

— Spain... is it possible?

└ What's not possible

└ Harder matchup than against the French, they're an all-pro team

While everyone enjoyed the victory’s afterglow, other posts flooded in.

[Breaking: Almond selected as MVP]

[Almond unanimous MVP]

Almond had been selected as the MVP and an interview would soon be held.

[Almond really doing an interview? Lol]

[Can't miss the interview~~~]

[If he does an interview, won't our country be sanctioned?]

[Almond’s interview will be crazy lol]

***

After various highlights of the match, the judges finally selected the MVP.

[MVP: Almond]

"Indeed, player Almond is the MVP!"

— Almond

— Nickname: Laughter Bell lol

— Ah... lol

"Ah! Now Almond's replay is coming up!"

"Really, there's no big difference from the game highlights, right!?"

— Really lol

— Game highlight = Almond

— It was just a small highlight

On the scoreboard, the scene displayed Almond shooting the soldier on top of the defense tower in the head.

"Wow...! It looks even cooler watching it over and over again!?"

— The angle of the parabola is crazy

— "To beat Almond, you'll need two heads."

— His accuracy is insane

The next scene showed him rapidly sweeping up workers.

— The plague itself

— Almond's pest control form is crazy!

— The Reaper's Other Half

— The Pest Archer Rush of the Middle Ages lol

The third scene drew the most attention when Almond shot the royal knight in the eye.

— Whoa...

— Wow...

— Wow lol

— Wow lol

"Wow! That’s art! Capturing the land of art, France, with art!"

The caster couldn't help but admire the scene.

"Ah. Seeing this in slow motion makes it even more amazing. Almond didn’t just shoot a straight shot, right?"

"Oh!? That's right!? It was slightly diagonal!"

From Almond's perspective, the knight's eyes looked about twenty-five degrees to the side. They did not face each other directly. Shooting in a straight line would have likely hit the helmet.

— ??

— NG

— Wow

— Really?

However, Almond's arrow didn’t hit the helmet. It wasn't due to luck.

"By putting a very slight curve on it, he landed the arrow in one try. Look!"

Almond had added a slight curve, adjusting the arrow's angle just enough to make it pierce the eye.

"Ah, ah, ah...! To shoot a curve shot so effortlessly...!"

"Usually, such tricky skills are hard to perform when it matters, right? But Almond does it successfully!"

— For real

— He always pulls it off!

— This nut pulls it off!

— It's like scoring a winning goal with a trick dribble

"Yes! If you compare it to soccer, it's like scoring a comeback goal with a bicycle kick! Isn't it something like that!?"

"That's right!"

The caster spoke while receiving information through his in-ear monitor, "Ah. The interview with player Almond is being prepared. It seems we just need to wait a bit."

— Trembling

— Something big is coming...

To fill the brief gap, the caster resumed speaking. Just then, an amusing scene appeared.

"Look, right now our Taegukgi is being hoisted at France’s town hall!"

OrangeKing suddenly stood up and saluted the national flag.

— Really lol

— Are you a robot? Lol

— What reaction speed lol

— Wow, Taegukgi

— Fwoosh!

— Nationalism robot lol

In national competitions, the victor could hoist their national flag above the opponent's town hall to enhance the spirit of competition between countries.

"Wow! Seeing it like this feels great! Yes!"

The caster watched the fluttering Taegukgi and felt elated. He was unmistakably a Korean uncle.

"Yes! Ancestors! Look! Even if we've lost every cultural asset in reality, the Taegukgi still flutters here!"

— LOL lol lol lol

— The nation of 0s and 1s!!

— The cyber world is our land!

— Cyber pirates lol

"Ah. While the thrill of victory hasn't faded yet, I would like to reiterate today that Korea has beaten France. We'll face them once more, right?"

"Yes, each civilization plays two matches in the group stage. When we meet France next time, the same strategy won’t work. I'm looking forward to it."

The rule before the round of sixteen in the league was to play two games per group, so each country played a total of six games.

"Ah, and while I'm still speaking! The MVP interview is ready. It’s player Almond, right? Let's watch."

***

A reporter approached and handed over a microphone. The microphone wasn't necessary in this virtual world, but it was just a formal gesture.

"Mr. Almond! Congratulations on being the MVP!"

Almond's face filled the broadcast screen.

Immediately, the chat went wild.

— Did he win MVP with his face?

— Look at his face, this guy (for real)

— Wow

— So handsome, damn it...

— Honey! Become Almond! Honey! Become Almond!

Since player faces were rarely shown in

Civil Empire

, everyone felt pleased to see Almond's face.

Most likely due to professional reasons, the reporter also stared intently at his face and asked, "Today! You overwhelmingly defeated France, who was considered Korea's most formidable opponent! Could you share your thoughts on the win?"

As Almond pondered his thoughts on the victory, the chat exploded again.

— Something big is coming

— I'm getting ready to die laughing

— What's he gonna say now? lol

— Almond's real talent = interviews

— Let's go to hell~!

Almond was known for his bizarre remarks during interviews, so everyone eagerly anticipated what he would say. Indeed, his next statement met these expectations.

"For Korea, France was like Spain's Invincible Armada."

— ??

— NG

— A totally unexpected and weird statement

— What is he talking about? lol

— LOL

"Uh... Can, can you elaborate on that a bit more!?"

— Reporter who just became a fan now unfollowing lol

— Breaking: Urgently seeking new candidate after Almond's interview

— So he's saying they'll also beat Spain?

However, contrary to the viewers' expectations, Almond actually made a very pointed remark.

"It just has the word invincible in it, nothing more."

— ?!

— Lolololololol

— NG

— LOL lol lol lol

— Lolololol

— Invincible (not) Armada lol

— "Devil of interviews" has arrived

— Fyi: Spain's Invincible Armada was famous just for its name

— Is this an insult to France or Spain? I really don't know lol

— This guy, this guy, this guy...

— Lolololol

— Just how many people did he kill just now?

That day, the Embul community eventually crashed due to an explosion of heavy traffic.