On the broadcast screen map, Rome was marked red and Joseon blue. No matter how complex and horrific the war became, it looked like an unusual game of Go from this distance. So how was the game of red and blue stones going?

First of all, the blue side had not moved much from its initial position since the start of the game as if an invisible barrier gathered them in one spot. This was advantageous for a defensive strategy, but they would eventually collapse from within if they couldn’t advance.

In contrast, the red side occupied various parts of the map and moved broadly. They surrounded and pressured the blue side with conviction.

Although the red side had fewer soldiers per area than the densely packed blue side, it wasn’t a problem for them just as a sheepdog didn’t need more heads than the sheep to herd them.

***

Cookie’s eyes darted around as he looked down at the battlefield from above. Apart from where his allies had gathered, everything else was shrouded in darkness. Even when he used a hawk occasionally, its limits were clear.

The walls surrounding Joseon’s base, meant to protect them, had now become a prison.

'They led us to this.'

Cookie knew that Anto had intended this all along. As the battle continued, the disadvantaged Joseon had no choice but to use the walls to fight. Anto knew this and had been attacking relentlessly.

Cookie didn’t know to what extent Anto could torment the Joseon soldiers inside the walls.

He knew Rome was good, but never expected this level of play.

'It’s like there are two hundred enemies on every side.'

Anto was known as the Vision Wizard among commanders. Cookie had never fully experienced Anto’s abilities until now.

'It’s so different from analyzing other teams’ games.'

Analyzing why someone else's house burned down and handling their own house when it was on fire was completely different.

Those watching the broadcast would not notice the detailed tricks related to seeing the battlefield better.

From Cookie's perspective, it seemed like a thousand Roman soldiers had attacked them. These Roman soldiers pressed them at every entrance. It was impossible to tell where the main force lay. Even the soldiers’ faces kept changing.

It was all intentional.

'It’s like developing claustrophobia.'

Cookie bitterly smiled. Honestly, he couldn’t think of a way to break through immediately. Even if they broke through, it would be by pure luck like rolling a die and hoping for a six to survive.

'... But I have to roll it.'

Sometimes, a commander had to roll the die even if they could lose. Mathematically, the probability didn’t change before or after rolling the die. In reality, the probability changed after rolling the die.

[Assemble]

Ting!

He began gathering players at the supply point in the base.

'Let's break through.'

He didn’t know where the real enemy was, but they couldn’t stay defensive. He would create one chance for them to attack and roll the die once. If the die showed a six, he would get another chance.

***

"Ah, Rome!? They’re completely on the offense. Joseon can’t handle it!"

"It’s Anto’s operational ability! Above all, it’s the depth of their player pool! That’s Rome’s greatest strength!"

The commentators couldn’t help but mention the player pool.

"The Roman soldiers are spreading out and surrounding the Joseon forces! This can only be explained as a skill difference!"

— Noooo

— True

— How can Korea win while selling Malatang…

— If Chi-Seung cuts down one job, they’d win

— Joseon can’t handle a full-scale war because of the player pool

In small battles between aces, even weak teams could compete with strong teams. What if the battle was prolonged?

"The longer the battle, the higher the involvement of the mid-tier players! As OrangeKing said, it becomes a fight between those with average combat power!" ȓ𝐀ΝÔ฿Ɛ𝙎

Instead of a few ace units handling key missions, the overall average combat power of the entire army became the determining factor.

"Exactly! Considering the average survival time of soldiers in

Civil Empire

, it’s hard for even the best to survive more than ten minutes into the battle."

No matter how skilled, no one could stand out on a battlefield with hundreds of experts. Everyone eventually faced death and waited to be recruited again.

"With battles everywhere, even the recruitment speed slows down! It’s resource intensive!?"

"Indeed. They are recruited in the order that they died! If the same soldier is recruited repeatedly... "

Commanders couldn’t selectively recruit soldiers. The process happened in the order that the soldiers died, so they couldn’t just recruit anyone as soon as possible. That would cause resource issues.

"The cost of recruitment increases slightly."

"Yes!"

— If you keep spamming recruitment, you’ll lose money

— Beginners make this mistake

— This is why the player pool is important;;

— They made it so you have to use a variety of soldiers

Repeated recruitment had additional costs. For instance, recruiting Pang five times was more expensive than recruiting six different soldiers once. It was hard to keep reviving a skilled soldier immediately after they died.

The costs increased in the later stages, forcing the commander to be careful about recruitment. Usually, they waited until there were enough dead soldiers before recruiting.

"Anto doesn’t have this issue, right!?"

"Yes! It’s not because of resource differences! Roman soldiers perform similarly no matter the rotation!"

The solution to this problem was to improve the average operational ability of the two hundred soldiers. That was easier said than done and actually the hardest task.

Teams that achieved this were usually championship contenders.

— Overwhelming

— This is a championship contender

— Spain was nothing

— Just lose and move on to the finals~

— Was Rome this strong?

"Rome continues the war of attrition with their overwhelming player pool!"

"Joseon can’t help but be pushed back!"

Viewers felt stunned. They knew that Rome was strong, but not this overwhelmingly. This was the perspective of casual viewers who only watched Joseon’s games.

"Actually, Rome has shown this level of pressure in many games against other teams."

"Exactly. Joseon did exceptionally well in the last game against Rome!"

— They fought well despite losing LOL

— No more praise for the current game, so they’re bringing up the past hahaha

— Fought well but lost lmao

The commentators had to bring up past games to speak positively about the situation because of the continuous siege from every direction, constant recruitment costs, and dwindling resources.

The game would likely end if the Roman siege vehicles from the third era appeared.

"Joseon needs to make a decision soon. OrangeKing! Can’t they break through at least one point!?"

Joseon had to break through the siege somehow. Only then could they secure a good view of the battlefield, gather resources, and strike the enemy's rear.

"Ah... If you’re looking from Cookie's perspective, it's hard to tell where the weak points are."

The problem was where to break through.

— Is it because of his vision?

— Really?

— That’s up to the commander’s skill, you know

— Is it that important…?

When vision tricks were involved like now, many situations could not be explained with just commentary.

The observer switched scenes.

"Ah! The scene just changed?"

"Ah...! So, this is how it feels!?"

— Dan

— Huh?

— Horror game

— Why did it change to the view of a defense game?

— Ah...

— Why does it look like the inside of Wall Maria?

It was clear when the broadcast switched to Cookie’s perspective. Joseon’s forces looked like chickens in a coop.

They had to find a way to break through by rolling the dice.

"At this moment! Joseon has gathered their cavalry!"

The cavalry being supplied in the center of Joseon’s base appeared. They all received large polearms, which were Cookie’s dice.

"Ah, heavy armor with polearms! These are cavalry shock troops! Essentially, Eastern knights?"

"Exactly! Although their defense is slightly lower than Western knights, they have great mobility! And their breakthrough power is exceptional!"

"They’re breaking through!"

The roughly thirty cavalry also included Almond.

— Almond!!

— Almond? Isn’t he an archer this time??

— Wow, Almond!?

— Wow

The commentators focused on Almond.

"Interestingly, Almond is included."

"Huh...?"

"Wouldn’t it be better for Almond to shoot from the wall? What’s the decision here, OrangeKing?"

"Due to the game’s mechanics, shooting from the wall makes headshots difficult. They included him in the shock unit instead."

"It’s tough to use mounted archers in this situation."

"Yes. It doesn’t fit the current strategy and it’s expensive!"

— True...

— It’s a high-tier unit LOL

— Right

"This is the first time in the national league, isn’t it? For him to play a unit unrelated to archery!"

"Indeed. Maybe Cookie is testing something new?"

OrangeKingl thought it wasn’t just about saving costs.

'Is he trying to increase the number of options?'

It seemed like Cookie wanted to show that Joseon could handle different styles.

"They’re charging! Ah, where will they go? Ideally, they should head south!"

"Indeed. But if they head north, it’s hell! Like the Korean peninsula!"

— LOL

— As expected, from another peninsula country

— Hell Joseon

— North of the Korean peninsula is hell

— Hahahaha

***

[Cavalry Shock Troops]

For Almond, this was a new unit type. A special unit that Joseon prided itself in and perhaps the best among Joseon’s melee units. This unit was efficient rather than being absolutely powerful.

Unlike mounted archers, the cavalry shock troops didn’t require upgrades and boasted great mobility for heavy cavalry. The polearms they used were also versatile enough for infantry.

"Departing soon. Check your positions and prepare!" Malatang shouted and took the lead.

Twenty-eight cavalry shock troops lined up after him. They all looked like unfamiliar faces to Almond.

[Breakthrough]

The commander’s order came.

"Hyah!"

Malatang took the lead and they charged forward one by one, forming a V shape.

Vroom...!

Each position lit up.

'There.'

Almond, low in rank among this unit, was on the far right wing.

"

Ha!

Let’s go! Follow!"

The second to last on the right wing started charging and Almond also spurred his horse.

Clop! Clop!

They headed north.

Clop!

The horse’s speed increased and the sound of hooves grew louder.

Clop! Clop!

Malatang shouted something at the front, but it was hard to hear.

"Our target... the enemy camp... behind the north gate... it is!"

Without Carrot or Pang beside him, Almond struggled to grasp the situation. Only Cookie's direct order to

[Breakthrough]

remained clear.

'Breaking through means...'

To Almond, breaking through meant charging at the enemy. That was the purpose of the cavalry shock troops.

"Hyah!"

"Ha!"

The surrounding cavalry increased their speed.

'The gate.'

The gate finally appeared.

[Movement Speed Boost]

The cavalry shock troops’ trait increased their speed.

[Slashing Power Enhanced]

Speed equated to combat power. It wasn’t just a metaphor.

Rumble!

The gate opened and Malatang raised his polearm high.

Thud!

"Break through!" the followers shouted, "Charge!"

With a war cry, the entire cavalry unit passed through and the gate closed behind them.

Thud!

"!"

The cavalry realized it the moment they left the gate. It sounded similar to their hearts dropping.

'This many?'

'Damn...'

Cookie’s die showed a one.