Season 3: Chapter 326. Next (3)

Rome’s think tank meeting room was filled with confusion after learning about the change in commanders.

"Switching commanders at this time!?"

"

Sigh.

What is even happening?"

At that moment, the leader Toby spoke up, "Anto didn’t anticipate this at all."

Anto had completely excluded the possibility of Best Yi Sun-Shin stepping in. It was a total miscalculation.

"Yeah, he was wrong. It happens, doesn’t it?" one of the members questioned Toby, seemingly annoyed by his demoralizing comment.

Toby shook his head.

"No."

"No?"

"Anto’s logic wasn’t wrong."

"What?"

But it was wrong, wasn’t it?

"Think about why Anto ruled out Best Yi Sun-Shin. Why did they swap out Cookie in the first place?"

"Well... because we found out Cookie was sick, right?"

"Exactly. But how did we figure that out?"

"Huh?"

"Because Best Yi Sun-Shin was considered weaker. It was unusual that they switched to her, so we investigated and found the reason."

"!"

Indeed, Anto had initially assumed there was no valid reason for Cookie to swap out for Best Yi Sun-Shin. Focusing on external factors, he eventually discovered Cookie’s health issues.

"So... is Cookie still unwell?"

"Possibly. Either way, there’s no need to worry."

The members turned their attention back to the broadcast screen at Toby’s words. On the screen, Joseon’s archers continued advancing while Rome retreated. Joseon’s forces were relentless and determined to eliminate even just one more enemy.

"But we’re losing..."

Joseon clearly had the upper hand. Their second era advancement was just too fast.

"Huh?"

Then, it became clear. The path the Joseon archers were taking led to an ambush.

"It’s a trap."

Roman soldiers were positioned on the hills, ready to throw their spears.

Toby smirked as he said, "Anto never loses to this type of commander."

Thud!

Pierre, at the forefront, hurled a spear that skewered one of the Joseon archers.

"That’s why Anto didn’t account for her."

Anto’s counterattack had begun.

***

"Whoa! They’re still advancing? But this area has so many hills! If the legions throw spears from there, it’ll hurt!"

As if on cue, Anto had already positioned his legions on the hills. There weren’t many of them, but they had a clear sight advantage. They could see the archers below from their elevated positions, but the reverse wasn’t true.

Trees and the elevation difference completely obscured the archers' view. Pierre’s first spear easily pierced Latte.

"Ah! Poor Latte!"

— Latte dies first again, lol.

— Always leading the charge to death...

— ??? Back in my day~ ugh!

"This is classic Anto counterplay, isn’t it?"

Just as it seemed like Joseon seized the momentum, the match suddenly flipped. This often occurred in battles against Rome.

"Exactly. Lure them into thinking they’re winning, then trap them in the perfect spot! Anto is a master at this!"

Anto was a commander who fully understood the gap between the first-person view of soldiers and the third-person view of a commander. He exploited the blind spots and communication gaps that arose from this difference.

"Since the soldiers are always in first-person, they instinctively chase without thinking much when they see a retreating enemy. This narrows their vision and limits their ability to consider other factors! And—"

Thud!

Another spear struck another archer. The flow had rapidly shifted back in Rome’s favor. On the broadcast screen, Anto’s expression remained unchanged.

‘He knows.’

It was as if he could predict precisely where the enemy wanted to go. Despite having fewer legions, they seemed much larger in presence. It was a complete reversal with the hills creating blind spots, barbarian soldiers attacking from a distance, and limited aerial visibility due to the forest.

Joseon’s forces were being funneled into a kill zone. Numbers were meaningless against an opponent who anticipated every move.

‘He’s seen this style of play many times before.’

Anto had extensively studied Best Yi Sun-Shin’s gameplay. His conclusion? She wasn’t someone he needed to worry about. And now, that conclusion seemed to be playing out in reality.

"Wow, the accuracy! They’re all headshots, right?"

Expensive archers, far more valuable than barbarian soldiers, were being decimated in seconds by the ambush.

"But the archers still aren’t retreating! Why not?"

The archers kept pushing forward.

"Are they looking for the legions? If they lose a few more members, the barbarians will surround them and that’ll be it!"

If too many Joseon archers died, the Roman barbarians would swarm and massacre them. Rome would essentially get to kill Joseon’s units for free.

"To avoid that, Joseon should’ve brought barbarian soldiers too! But doing so would have reduced their advantage! They would have typically retreated already, but they’re still pushing further here! Joseon!?"

The situation grew increasingly dangerous, yet Joseon’s archers maintained an aggressive stance and continued encroaching deeper into Rome’s territory.

"Wait, Joseon? Were they just aiming to clear out scouts? It doesn’t look like it anymore!"

OrangeKing looked visibly flustered. At first, he thought Best Yi Sun-Shin had toned down her usual aggression. Clearly, that wasn’t the case.

"More? Even further?"

"We’re going all in! Keep going forward!"

Whizz! Whizz!

Roman spears flew through the air. The archers pushed forward relentlessly with Almond leading the charge as he drew his bow.

Twang!

The Roman legions possessed unnervingly precise accuracy with their spear-throwing.

Thud!

Two long spears pierced Carrot’s torso, sending her crashing to the ground.

"It was supposed to be one, but... two...?"

Even so, the archers didn’t stop running.

[Keep Moving Forward]

The command hadn’t been canceled yet. The route remained intact as more spears rained down from above.

"Are they heading for that large boulder behind there? To take cover!?"

"They don’t know where the legions are! That’s why they can’t shoot back yet!"

Tiiiing!

[Danger]

[Danger]

[Danger]

Pings indicating danger lit up above the incoming spears. Best Yi Sun-Shin had identified the direction from which the spears were coming.

"!"

The archers couldn’t all see the incoming spears, but the pings were unmistakably visible to everyone. Because of that—

"This time!?"

Thud thud thud!

The spears all missed their targets.

"Whaaat!? All three missed!"

"They’re still advancing! Now they’re moving toward the back of the hill where the legions are positioned!? Are they really going to climb up!?"

The legions held the high ground, giving their spears a range advantage far beyond the short bows of the archers below. The archers only had two choices: retreat to create some distance or charge uphill.

"But wasn’t this supposed to just be a jab? This doesn’t feel like a jab anymore, does it!?"

— True...

— Unless they hit three consecutive shots, this is a gamble.

Indeed, this was no longer a simple jab. Without the precision of a jab, the counter strike would land much harder. And Anto had already landed a counter once. Half the archers had fallen from ten to five.

"If this continues, the Roman barbarian soldiers could return and wipe out the archers completely!"

"Exactly!?"

"To avoid that, Joseon’s own barbarian soldiers need to support them! But they’re all busy hunting! Meanwhile, the Roman soldiers are retreating to their own hunting grounds, so they’re not under the same pressure! This area is Roman territory to begin with!"

Despite everything, the archers continued forward.

"But they’re pushing even deeper!"

This reckless advance felt like someone staggering forward after taking a devastating uppercut. One more hit could cause a knockout, but they kept moving. They sought the moment when their opponent, sensing an opportunity to finish the fight, would get desperate and leave a gap.

OrangeKing’s eyes widened in shock.

‘This is...’

Only a handful of players in the world could execute such a move. This had an absurdly low probability but guaranteed success if the opportunity was found.

‘It’s an innate quality.’

The mark of a born champion, someone truly chosen by fate. The current commander of Joseon was one of those people.

[Release Falcon]

Screeeeeech!

The falcon soared into the sky, instantly revealing the high ground on the hill.

Twang!

Almond drew his bow, ready and waiting.

[Fire]

Fwooosh...!

The path for the arrow appeared, marking a blind spot Almond couldn’t even see. Regardless, Almond exhaled deeply and released the arrow.

The flaming arrow shot forward.

Boooom!

"Whaaat!? Did he just!?"

OrangeKing’s eyes trembled as he witnessed the scene. It felt like watching a boxer who, despite taking a blow, landed a perfectly calculated strike to his opponent’s weak point.

‘Unbelievable.’

Even after taking a counter, Joseon had pushed forward to deliver one decisive punch. The strike hit its mark.

Bang!

The enemy’s center was destabilized.

"...!"

The broadcast zoomed in, revealing the name of the fallen soldier.

[Pierre]

For Rome, it was an utterly meaningless death. For Joseon, it was the dawn of a counterattack.

"Waaaahhhhhhh!"

A deafening cheer erupted from Joseon’s side. On the broadcast screen, Best Yi Sun-Shin faintly smiled.

‘You weren’t the only one watching us.’

Joseon had delivered a perfect counter to Anto’s counterattack.

‘I’ve been observing you too.’

The archers had advanced this far to create that one opportunity. They had sacrificed themselves to open the path. And now, routes through the sky became visible.

[Fire]

[Fire]

[Fire]

Arrows rained down on the other legions.

Boooom!

"Pierre! Pierre is down! And now—!"

"Aaaaahhh!"

— Lol!

— Lmao! What a scream!

— Did a Roman soldier sneak into the commentators’ booth?

— Wipe them all out!

Thud thud thud!

The legions hurriedly raised their shields to block the incoming arrows, but it was too late. Most of them already died, overwhelmed by the relentless assault. With only a small number of them in the first place, the legions were effectively annihilated.

It finally became clear to OrangeKing.

‘They had to take those hits to kill their target.’

Without enduring some damage, it would have been impossible to break through.

"Anto has been completely outplayed! He must have been aiming to reduce the archers even further. Perhaps to wipe them out entirely. And it was absolutely possible!"

"Right! I said this was dangerous for Joseon!"

"But that opening Rome found only left Pierre overextended on the front line!"

"Exactly! They fell right for it! Taking the counter was actually part of Joseon’s plan! Does this even make sense!?"

The baited trap had been a trap itself. Joseon fully understood Anto’s psychology and turned it against him.

"Honestly, Rome barely made any mistakes. No, they made none at all! Joseon just forced their way into that opening with sheer brilliance! This is madness!!"

OrangeKing shouted in excitement, "And this!? Doesn’t this feel exactly like Anto’s style? Pulling the enemy in and striking back with a perfect counter!"

"Yes, exactly!"

"Which is why this is even crazier! The opponent’s mentality is completely shattered! When Anto tried to predict the next move, Best Yi Sun-Shin swept it aside and said—"

"Said what!?"

"Next!!"

— Lololol!

— Next!!

— Counter to the counter, wow!

— Next! Lol!

"Oh! But Anto doesn’t have a next! This is the finals!"

— Hahaha!

— Anto has no next... lol.

— RIP Anto.