After the game started, Almond and all the players appeared on the field. Two hundred individuals filled the deep mountain valley.

Then—

“Waaaaaaah!!!”

A tremendous cheer covered the stage. The virtual world reflected the seated audience in the main stadium, creating virtual spectator stands. Above that, spectators from

This World

could also be seen

.

The audience size had more than doubled compared to the qualifiers.

“... Wow, this feels so different.”

“Whoa...”

The players looked around the spectator stands while adapting to the changed environment.

‘The audience is one thing.’

For Almond, something else concerned him more than the audience. It was the different capsule.

‘This capsule feels a bit off.’

It wasn't a capsule that matched his body, but a shared capsule used by all players. He couldn't shake off the feeling of wearing uncomfortable clothes.

‘It’s different from the test.’

He had felt this discomfort during the testing, but that was nothing compared to the real thing. In the actual match, the discomfort felt much more pronounced.

However, he couldn’t do anything about it. Everyone played in the same environment and the one who adapted first would win.

Almond had no choice but to adapt. He resolved himself.

‘Today, I have an important role.’

As always, he played an important role in today’s strategy.

***

Meanwhile, somewhere in the stands supporting Korea…

“Wow. There are so many people!”

The Balloon Stars members were completely decked out in Almond hats, Almond cheering balloons, and Almond vests.

— Embarrassing wherever they go...

— What is that fashion?? LOL

— Miho is just an almond herself LOL

Viewers could watch their cheering stream through Miho’s handheld camera. Most would watch the game broadcast on the screen and listen to the cheering stream like a radio. ŕάɴȏ𝐁ËṨ

“Wow. When did Almond make all this stuff? He must be making good money. All the sizes are sold out.”

Bubblegum kept tugging down his vest that kept riding up.

— Maybe there was never a size for him?

— His belly is bigger than his height LOL

— Miracle proportions LOL

— Iron Ball is on fire;

Almond’s merchandise certainly sold well whether or not they carried Bubblegum’s size. Just looking around, anyone could see many fans with Almond goods. Especially the Almond hats, which looked somewhat like rugby balls and stood out even from a distance.

Many Almonds bobbed up and down in the stands.

“Of course, almost thirty percent of the national team cheering squad are probably Almond fans,” Miho said proudly.

“Why are you proud of that?”

“Ah, well... because he’s part of our team? We’re together.”

Miho straightened her pink hair and put on her Almond hat properly so that it would be visible from afar.

Thwack!

At that moment, Bubblegum’s back bent forward sharply.

“Ow!?”

“Oops! Bro! Be mindful!”

StrawberryShooter smacked his back.

“Ouch, ouch... Hey! This isn’t

This World!”

“Oh, right. Sorry, bro.”

— Crazy LOL

— What? LOL

— What is this? LOL

— LOL

— He thought it was

This World

LOL

— So funny LOL

Bubblegum wanted to say something, but his body became paralyzed by primal fear and his mouth wouldn’t move.

“Here we go~ Oh? Bro, why are you lying on the floor?”

Takoyaki appeared with Almond popcorn.

“Ah, just stretching for a bit. Stretching.

Hahaha. Hahaha...

”

“Here you go. Miho, here’s yours~ Strawberry, you’re not eating, right?”

“Yeah. Men only eat protein.”

— ?

— ??

— Make up your mind

— LOL

Bubblegum had a lot to say, but simply stuffed his mouth with Almond popcorn.

“Hmm? This is good.”

He thought almond popcorn sounded like a strange combination, but it tasted like a sweet coating with almond powder. The texture felt nice and it was sweet and savory with nothing lacking.

“

Hahaha.

It’s delicious, everyone. Sweet and tasty.”

— What? It looks good

— Almond sells popcorn now? LOL

— High-quality merchandise

— Like Almond pretzels?

“Ho? Almond. This guy knows what he’s doing.”

“Wow. It’s good.”

Crunch, crunch.

Miho and Takoyaki happily munched on the popcorn.

Meanwhile, the game officially began. All the spectators looked down at the field with anticipation. No one knew how the holograms would be displayed.

“Oh...?!”

As various lights intertwined, the terrain of the stadium began to change. It looked as if the ground was really shifting.

“Wow...!”

[Rugged Mountain Gorge]

The map’s name flashed for a moment and disappeared.

“Hey, isn’t it too small to see properly?”

Four hundred players could be seen moving all at once. Their tiny figures ran along the mountain ridges. Naturally, they looked too small to be distinguished individually.

At that moment—

“Oh?”

Swoosh.

The observer zoomed in and the same magnification appeared on the broadcast screen. It felt as if the entire stadium had become a giant broadcast screen.

However, the broadcast view appeared in 3D on the field as if it actually existed.

— Wow

— This is Civil Empire?

— Wow

— It’s worth going in person

— Oh shit

Every time the observer switched perspectives, the hologram lights moved diligently and recreated the new terrain in 3D.

The audience could watch the game as if they were inside it.

“Wow, it looks so clear.”

“They must’ve started scouting already?”

“Does anyone know what’s going on?”

“Let’s listen to the commentary. Commentary.”

They each plugged one ear into the broadcast commentary and started cheering.

***

The Joseon soldiers could move much faster than the Vikings in the Rugged Mountain Gorge.

“It looks like the Joseon soldiers are making sure not to get close in the first era.”

Even without axes, the Vikings boasted formidable combat power in the first era. They had high health by default, so the Vikings would survive against enemies if they traded blows.

Fighting the Vikings in the first era had no benefits. The Joseon soldiers used the mountainous terrain to run away whenever they encountered Vikings.

“Hey, OrangeKing! Wouldn’t it be great if they can hold out until the second era?”

“Yes, I think that’ll happen given this map’s characteristics.”

They didn’t know how this map would affect the outcome later, but one thing was certain. Joseon had completely stopped the Viking's early era tactics.

“The mountainous terrain has narrow entrances and most resources are protected by town halls. The Vikings can’t do much damage even if they come during the first era.”

“Oh, this must be frustrating for the Vikings who are strong in the early game!”

The Vikings relied on early gains to sustain themselves later. If they wasted their first era, their chances of winning would diminish. Instead of recklessly attacking, they looked at the long game.

“But the Vikings still have the initiative in the first era, right?”

“Yes. Joseon has to run away whenever they encounter each other!”

The Vikings could explore any territory they wanted in the first era.

“The Vikings will likely sweep up a lot of prey using their map control, especially since this Danish Viking team is very experienced with this strategy.”

“Oh... controlling the food supply?”

In

Civil Empire

, map control could lead to monopolizing food resources. Food was a key resource for recruiting and maintaining workers and soldiers, especially for the Vikings who relied heavily on their soldiers’ combat power.

“Yes. Control the food! For the Vikings, a civilization where people are assets, food is critical. They’ll gather as much as they can.”

As OrangeKing said, the first era Vikings spread out to hunt wild animals.

Joseon, despite moving faster, was weaker when it came to hunting. They had to focus more on avoiding any encounters.

“Joseon is falling behind in securing food. Is this okay? It’s hard to farm in mountainous terrain.”

“They need to advance to the second era as quickly as possible. Oh... speaking of which!?”

Boom!

[Joseon has advanced to the second era.]

Joseon advanced to the second era at an astonishing speed.

“Wow, this is incredibly fast!”

“This is as fast as rushing to the second era with archers. Cookie must know this map well, right?”

Cookie was certain that the Vikings couldn’t do anything in the first era on this map. Without investing in defense, Joseon moved straight to the second era. They hadn’t wasted a single penny or second.

— So fast, really

— Wow

— The Vikings must be spooked LOL

“The map selection has its advantages! Joseon must have practiced optimally for this map!”

“Yes, Joseon chose this map and must have practiced the best strategy!”

OrangeKing had been skeptical about the map, but now seemed excited.

“What worries me is whether they’ll go straight to the third era or engage in food control! That’s the issue, right?”

“Yes. If they go straight to the third era and try to secure food then, it might be too late!”

Advancing to the second era was expected. From here, Joseon faced a crossroads to secure food by pushing the Vikings back with second era forces or to minimize food and forcefully advance to the third era.

“If they go straight to the third era, the lack of food makes the risk too high whenever they die!”

“Yes. So they need to go out in the second era... Here’s the map’s dilemma, right?”

“Oh, a dilemma?”

“Yes! If they produce short bowmen, there are too many trees here! Would their arrows even hit? The efficiency is too low!”

“Oh...!”

The dense woods significantly hindered archers.

“Engaging the Vikings in close combat with just second era weapons, even if it’s against first era Vikings, that’s a suicide mission. The Vikings will soon follow them to the second era!”

— True

— Not even close combat is possible despite the era difference?

— So what now?

— How do they do it?

Thud.

[Archer Training Camp]

Meanwhile, Joseon started building an Archer Training Camp.

“What...? Are they really pushing with archers!?”

“Joseon! They’re not directly proceeding to the third era. They’re stopping and going out to secure food now!”

Following that, Joseon also started producing bows.

“Short bows are being produced! They’re really going for it!”

Soldiers began moving to the base to receive their short bows one by one.

“This is... they’re trying to fight the Vikings in the woods!? They selected the map for this?!”

Almond led the front.

“Huh? Almond received a short bow first. Is he the leader? I heard rumors from the scrims, but it’s the first time in an actual match!”

Joseon had never moved like this before.

— True

— What’s this strategy??

— Just "Let Almond do it" strategy LOL

— What if Almond goes out?