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!"

— For real

— I got chills

— Ever since then, a few guys in solo rank civilization games started using Joseon with spears LOL

— The turnaround was epic

The caster glanced at the chat and mentioned it, "Ah. According to the live chat, spears have been appearing even in solo rank civilization games since then." The intrigued caster asked OrangeKing, "Do you think spears will be used more often now?"

"Ah… well, it's hard to say. Right now, Cookie is just on another level, you know? One might focus on the spears… but the real key is the production that allows those spears to come out at that timing."

— Likely not gonna be used much LOL

— If you try to copy them, you’ll really fail

— If you can do it like Cookie, you’re good

— It’s just entertainment for ordinary people

— I tried it and lost every game…

"Right? Some viewers in the chat are saying they all lost trying to copy the strategy."

"Ah... it's not easy, is it?"

"Yes. There's a difference in commanders and players are different too. If it hadn't been Almond who infiltrated to kill the workers in the last game, the defense towers wouldn’t have been neutralized. Other players might have been unable to do anything."

"That's right. That’s why he received the MVP."

"Yes, the player is very important."

"But there's a lot of talk about this. It seems to be a question from people who are new to

Civil Empire

."

"What is it?"

Many had asked questions, but the most frequent inquiry was about the balance of civilization factions.

"Why is Joseon so weak!? Eh? How can you play the game like this?"

— You should complain to our ancestors…

— Compared to history, isn’t the game version actually strong? LOL

— Really, patch it~~

— LOL true, Joseon is weak

— But isn't this just our point of view?

"There's a lot of talk like England has shields in the first era and longbowmen by the second era! Eh? And we have spears?!"

— Damn, that's true LOL

— Longbow vs spear LOL really

— LOL

"Ah."

OrangeKing nodded, acknowledging that such questions were to be expected.

"Everyone agrees that Joseon is a civilization that needs a buff, but you shouldn't get too fixated on that. It's a game, so the balance can't be perfect."

— Really

— Looks like the over-investors are back LOL

— In some communities, there are historical buffs sticking to this and arguing about the actual Joseon and such LOL

— Agree

— Obviously, because it's based on history, many people are annoyed LOL LOL

OrangeKing provided an example to those who had been thinking too negatively about the Joseon civilization.

"We also have a focus trait for all archers, which doesn't cost a penny and comes automatically equipped. The trait itself is pretty good. Plus, when fully charged, its range is comparable to that of a longbow. And it’s much cheaper to produce."

— Really

— That’s good

— You can't compare it to England, they lose power going into the third era

— If you show Joseon's third era once, everyone will like it LOL

"Ah. Thank you for the explanation, OrangeKing. Even if there are some balance issues, we have to find a way to survive. We can't keep asking the game company to patch this and that. Showing good results with what we have is the attitude of a pro."

"Yes! If the game becomes popular in our country, they’ll take care of it! Now! Our players are entering!"

"Yes~! Here are our proud national competition players! Everyone, please welcome them with applause!!!"

— Clap clap clap

— Wow~~

— Clap clap clap

— LOL LOL LOL

— Go go go!

The players from both sides began to appear on the field.

[ALL DIVE SYSTEM INITIATED]

At this moment, the view outside the field also appeared. Spain was a wave of gold and Korea was a wave of red.

[Current Viewers: 137,000]

By then, the viewers had surpassed 137,000.

***

Before the start of the game, Korea continued practicing and syncing up until the last moment.

"Ta!"

"Ta!"

They were even echoing each other, seemingly trying to perfectly align their coordination.

"Down!"

"Down!"

"

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!?"

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

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.