Ok Soo-Han, also known as Popcorn, was the best top laner in

LIL

history. He spent his glory days alongside JeonJaPa, the best mid-laner and player in

LIL

history.

He thought to himself,

'Without JeonJaPa, my wealth would be a tenth of what it is now.'

In short, he considered JeonJaPa a benefactor who increased his wealth tenfold. It wasn’t common to have such a benefactor unless one was a snot-nosed kid with only 5,000 won to their name.

Therefore, he felt that he had to repay this favor no matter what. More importantly… JeonJaPa was also his best friend.

'Even though he’s a she now.'

Even though her gender had changed in the middle of it all.

'Or should I say she was always a she?'

From Popcorn's perspective, his friend’s gender had changed. However, she had merely hidden her true gender.

Soo-Han sometimes thought,

'She could have become Batman instead. If it were me, I would have.'

She could have shot a dark hero film with the money, technology, and effort she put into hiding her gender. It suited her shadowy demeanor.

'No, it's a good thing she didn’t become the Joker.'

Soo-Han smirked and chuckled as he exhaled a thin stream of smoke. Considering her twisted moral compass, it was a relief that she didn’t turn into a villain.

“Phew,”

he exhaled again and recalled a recent event when Sa-Rang invited him to watch a Civil Empire match.

“You... you’re not watching this just for fun, are you?”

He saw his old friend reviving an old habit. She took notes without a single reaction throughout the match.

Sa-Rang hesitated to answer, but eventually nodded. There was no point in hiding it from Soo-Han.

“Yes.”

“Then? You’re really going to do this?”

“I’m already doing it.”

“What do you mean?”

“When we went to G-Star, I talked with Cookie.”

“…?”

Back then, Soo-Han had pushed Sa-Rang to participate in as many game tournaments as she could to regain her enthusiasm.

“If we advance to the main tournament, I’ll be registered on the roster. They can modify the roster after the qualifiers, but only for substitutes.”

“Why did you accept that? You’ve always rejected offers before! Why...?”

Soo-Han laughed at himself as he watched the clear blue sky after the smoke dissipated.

'She wouldn’t tell me even if I asked.'

His gaze turned to his old colleague, silently smoking a thick cigar.

'Still as unpredictable as ever.'

Her hands were still trembling.

Thump.

Unable to watch any longer, Soo-Han lightly tapped her hand.

"Hey. It's just a test. Don’t be scared."

"That’s what he said."

"?"

"You asked why I accepted it back then."

"… Oh, right."

Sa-Rang cut off the end of her cigar and continued, "He said it was for the next generation."

What did that mean? Soo-Han waited for her to continue.

"He didn’t recruit me to win. It’s for the people left behind when he can’t play anymore."

"…!"

Soo-Han stared at her in a daze. Why she accepted the offer was clear now.

Their LIL team nearly disbanded after JeonJaPa retired. The so-called world’s strongest team continued to lose in vain, eventually falling apart after Jeon Ja-Pa left. ꞦаŊ𝐎฿Ěȿ

'Did she hold on to that all this time?'

It seemed she still regretted that. She believed that she had abandoned the team, which was true in a way.

'This is...'

Soo-Han felt a sudden wave of emotion. To think she viewed them like that.

He muttered as if confessing a sin, "Actually, that’s something we should be ashamed of. It’s not your fault."

He didn’t want her to feel unnecessary guilt.

"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"

"You’re thinking the team fell apart just because you left. Isn’t that why you agreed with Cookie? How is that your fault? It's our lack of skill. Does it make sense for the so-called strongest team to fall apart because one person left? It’s our fault."

"No, it’s my fault."

"No, it's our fault—"

"I left knowing your skills."

"…"

Soo-Han regretted trying to comfort her.

"Hey... if you ever recover, come to mid lane immediately. Let’s 1v1."

"Immediately after I recover? That’s cheating."

"Yeah, come right away. Even one practice game makes the challenge void."

***

Sa-Rang greeted the think tank team and tested the capsule. It sounded grand, but it was nothing special.

She couldn’t use her dedicated capsule in the finals, so she wanted to test an identical setup at Hui-Chul’s house to see how it affected her.

"Hmm. The think rate is excellent. Very stable."

Hui-Chul’s partner, who had some expertise in this area, also checked it.

Even those in the think tank team who knew a bit about capsules joined in.

"Yeah, how is it this stable? No wonder she’s good."

Usually, when entering a capsule, one’s physiological responses changed. Being in a confined space and experiencing a bizarre world caused the body to react oddly.

However, experienced users controlled these reactions. They had never seen someone so stable.

"This is almost a professional level."

"She said she did it as a hobby..."

"Uh... not to be rude, but does her leg condition have anything to do with this?"

Everyone turned to the person who suggested it. It was Water Dumpling.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Think about it... Almond’s data is phenomenal. He said his arm was injured."

"Hey, just because someone’s injured doesn’t mean they’re like Almond."

"Oh... right."

Water Dumpling’s theory started well, but was clumsy in the end. Being injured didn’t automatically cause this phenomenon.

They wouldn’t know.

Soo-Han thought while watching from the back,

'They don’t know how much she longed for it.'

They didn’t know how much she trained her mind and body against the unfairness that stole her childhood dream.

"Anyway, it’s really good."

Everyone in the think tank nodded.

Her stats were stable like a calm lake. She would be fine with the tournament capsule.

***

Hiss.

Sa-Rang emerged from the capsule.

"Grab her."

"Thank you."

Chi-Seung and Soo-Han lifted her to the wheelchair.

Then, they explained the results to her.

"That’s good."

Sa-Rang widened her eyes in surprise.

'It still works.'

She thought it would be difficult after using only her dedicated capsule for so long. Her body still performed the same.

Thump. Thump.

Her heart pounded. What was this feeling? Nervousness? Excitement?

She shook her head to dispel the feeling.

'Just command and conquer with the keyboard and mouse. That’s it.'

She didn’t want to expect any more.

"The game’s starting soon! Let’s go!"

The think tank team rushed to the sofa.

[Joseon vs. Rome]

[2nd Match]

She parked her wheelchair beside the sofa and held her phone to take notes.

Soo-Han whispered in her ear, "Hey. Come to top lane, not mid."

It was a joke after seeing her stable stats.

She chuckled, "Just pick a delivery menu."

"Oh! Right?"

Soo-Han opened the delivery app. He didn’t participate in the strategy meeting, so he decided to order food instead.

"I know a lot about food. You’re the commander after all. Always placing the right people in the right spots," he mumbled as if seeking validation.

Sa-Rang and the think tank team were already fully focused on the game.

***

Almond didn’t know much about strategy. However, he felt certain about this game.

'They’re going all out.'

Rome’s strategy today was a relentless assault. From the first era to the third, their forces kept attacking.

"Charge!"

Boom!

A heavy impact struck the gate again.

"Damn! Now it’s the south gate this time!"

"Run!"

The archers on the wall scrambled to shoot the enemies.

Twack! Twang!

Almond also drew his bow from the wall.

'Their shields and helmets make it disadvantageous to shoot from above...'

The Joseon archers couldn’t effectively attack the enemies. Their weapons hadn’t been upgraded to composite bows yet.

The enemies raised their shields, expecting the arrows. Their helmets also protected them from headshots.

Even Almond couldn’t make arrows rise from below.

Twang!

Thud...

He had to shoot the same target six or seven times to deplete their health.

"Damn! If their armored soldiers come out, we’re screwed!" Pang shouted and gritted his teeth.

"They’re only attacking... Why are we at a disadvantage?!"

Latte drew his bowstring in frustration.

"We lost the capture of the flag..." Carrot answered.

She hesitated to continue. Was she too busy shooting? Maybe, but it also felt demoralizing.

"We lost, and?"

"

Hah.

It’s just a difference in player pool."

"…"

Thud.

A moment of silence followed like after hearing a shocking confession. Only the sounds of dying enemies and twanging bowstrings filled the air.

"The biggest difference between strong and weak teams isn’t the front line."

In

Civil Empire

, the front line received weapons first and the back line received them later. Naturally, the front line had more skills.

"The biggest difference is in the back line. When soldiers die repeatedly, it’s not just about resource flow. Their back line is as skilled as our front line. They can maintain the same quality throughout the war."

"Oh... I see," Latte murmured sadly and then—

Thud!

A crossbow bolt struck him.

Half of the Joseon soldiers initially on the wall had already been replaced.

"This is a true

Civil Empire

war. A long siege," Carrot spoke loud enough for Almond to hear.

"In this battle, you won’t fight familiar faces."

The longer the battle, the more unpredictable it became. Without pre-planned strategies, such fighting relied purely on individual combat skills. The weaker team couldn’t overcome the stronger team with tactics alone.

'It often happened in scrims.'

Almond recalled their scrimmages.

In real battles, Cookie’s surprise tactics and strategies always led the battle. Even in losses, Cookie controlled the game. It wasn’t just about ball possession. However, they felt utterly helpless without him.

"Maybe Anto is showcasing their full player pool in this game."

If Carrot was right, Anto’s intention was clear. Now they knew the enemy they were up against.

"South gate!"

"No, west gate!"

"The enemy’s on the north wall!"

The enemies ravaged Joseon’s troops. They were everywhere. It felt like fighting a thousand enemies and not just two hundred. The difference in power was palpable as the enemies overwhelmed them.

'What the hell?'

It was strange.

Thump. Thump.

Almond’s heart pounded as hard as the enemy’s battering ram. Was it fear? No.

'I want to win.'

Almond’s competitive spirit burned even stronger. His heart wasn’t pounding to retreat from the enemy. It was urging him to advance and crush them.

Ping!

[Assemble]

A command came from Cookie. It was for a new weapon.

Almond quickly descended the wall and ran. He had never received such a mission before.