Season 3: Chapter 335. The Last of the Last (1)

"GG~!"

"Ahhh! Unfortunately, Team CK has lost...!"

"Right? Player JeonJaPa gave it his all and even fought valiantly in front of the shrine to the very end! But you just can’t win when all five rush in at once!"

"Yeah. With that, the current rankings are..."

Thud.

Back in the waiting room, Sa-Rang slumped over and buried her head into the desk.

‘... It’s no use.’

The team went into a slump after bursting onto the scene and claiming three consecutive championships like a comet. Some had transferred to wealthier teams while flaunting their championship history. Others stayed, but no longer seemed to have a reason to try. That kind of mindset inevitably translated to their gameplay. They had already achieved so much. It might’ve been fine for them, but not for her.

"..."

Choi Sa-Rang was still lying face down, staring blankly at the wood grains of the desk.

She gritted her teeth as she heard her teammates entering the room.

‘Useless bastards.’

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

The past of when she carried these people to victory suddenly felt like something to regret. What even was that last match? She was the only one who had done anything!

"Alright, alright~ Let’s get up and do some feedback. A loss is a loss, but we need to know why we lost."

Clap, clap.

The coach came in and clapped to get their attention, but—

"Does anyone here not know why we lost?"

Slide.

Sa-Rang stood up and grabbed her bag.

"S-Sung-Hyun...? I know it’s tough, but the patch just dropped, right? Once we start syncing up again..."

"Sync?"

She glanced at the others and sneered.

"Four people who don’t even want to win, and we’re supposed to sync? Even if we multiply our skills together, we wouldn’t produce any results."

"!"

Everyone froze.

Only the ADC, Cosmic, spoke up, "If even one person is zero, of course the product will be zero! Duh, idiot."

"...?"

Their eyes dangerously locked at each other.

"Zero? You’re wrong. You’re not zero. You’re negative."

"Ha, really? All four of us are negative, huh? Then why isn’t the total positive? Don’t tell me you’re a negative, too?"

The coach rushed in, flustered.

"Haha... guys? It’s just a metaphor, right? We’re not literally multiplying. Come on, calm down..."

It was useless.

"Your mouth sure moves fine. Too bad you didn’t move during the team fight. What were you doing?"

"You should’ve gone in first and set something up! Isn’t that what mids are supposed to do!?"

"I was stronger than you. What, should I tank for you now?"

"So you want the ADC to tank?!"

"Then try getting stronger than me. Do more damage. Oh right, ha. You never even tried, did you?"

"What...!?"

The argument escalated. Even the manager walked into the room flustered.

"Hey, Choi Sung-Hyun! What the hell are you doing!? Everyone outside can hear you swearing!"

Sa-Rang had already passed him and slammed the door behind her.

SLAM!

***

BOOM!

A giant mace crushed a helmet. A heavy iron shield followed, pushing forward. The Joseon soldiers collapsed helplessly and the front line retreated further.

"We’re—we’re getting pushed back too far!"

"Dammit!"

"Just buy time! Do something. They’ve got to be doing something out there!"

They weren’t thinking about victory anymore. Just buying time had become the goal for Joseon’s frontline. Paradoxically, an army that only wanted to stall couldn’t stand against Rome’s elite.

KA-BOOM!

"Ack!"

A Joseon swordsman in the first row collapsed.

Thunk.

A massive Roman shield took his place. Like solving a simple puzzle, Rome’s advance was precise and methodical.

"W-What do we even... how...?"

The enemy had no openings. They were firm with an almost noble-like coordination.

“Gulp.”

Moggie, a member of Malatang’s sword unit, swallowed hard.

‘Think of the previous matches...’

He tried to focus by recalling their past victories.

‘How did we win before...?’

However, he couldn’t remember. It felt like they had been crushed under this army since the day they were born.

"Aaaaagh!"

"T-The palace is right behind us! We have to hold!"

The more they clung to hope, the faster they fell.

Thud!

A spear pierced through the second row and a mace crushed the first. The Roman shields pushed further forward.

Thud!

The enemy’s march continued, each footstep landing in eerie unison.

‘Dammit. Are they even humans?’

The Romans didn’t feel like individual players, but a giant, living creature. Together, they felt like a monster clad in an iron exoskeleton. The monster advanced while ejecting jagged spikes through the cracks in its armor. Dead tissue was cast aside, and new flesh regenerated instantly. It was an undying monster.

"Huff... huff..."

The shouting died down. Human emotion spread easily, and so did helplessness. Joseon’s frontline had become a single trembling herbivore.

‘When is Malatang... coming?’

Moggie couldn’t bring himself to charge either. He could only wait for his leader to return, but no reinforcements came. Joseon seemed to be gathering for a final stand somewhere far behind.

‘This front is already finished. Just retreat, fast...!’

The soldiers standing there already felt dead inside. No one truly believed they could win. And humans... had a way of making their thoughts real. It was a kind of miracle or curse.

Despair turned into reality. That reality caused more despair, which accelerated the defeat. Experienced players knew this well. If they didn’t turn the tide right now, the game would be over in an instant. Was that even possible?

***

"I... I don’t know what to do, Sung-Hyun?"

It was the small, round, and warm support player known as Marshmallow. He had followed Sung-Hyun out and offered her a can of coffee.

"I get it. Not everyone wants to win as badly as you. I know how that feels."

"... So what if you get it?"

‘Supports are tools anyway.’

Sa-Rang turned her head elsewhere, but still took the coffee.

Click.

She popped the tab and chugged it. Marshmallow quietly sat beside her.

"But not everyone can be as good as you, Sung-Hyun. The best players... always understand that."

"... Who asked anyone to be like me? I’m not asking for that. They just don’t even try to win anymore."

"Haha... yeah. I know. But... hmm..." he paused for a second and said, "Do you know what’s the defining trait of living things?"

What was he talking about now? Marshmallow was always into weird stuff, but this timing was ridiculous. Sa-Rang just let it go in through one ear and lit a cigarette.

"It’s called synchronization."

"?"

Synchronization? That caught her off guard. She turned toward him with the cigarette in her mouth.

Marshmallow’s eyes gleamed with fascination and he began explaining, "Fireflies light up almost perfectly in sync when it gets dark. Grasshoppers are usually calm, but if just a few go wild, the rest get infected. And then the entire land is scorched."

Was that really a thing? She wasn’t sure.

"Humans are the same."

Marshmallow could’ve just made it up to smooth things over. He was that kind of guy.

"People, without realizing it, sync their steps with those around them. The movement happens so simultaneously that even solid bridges can start to shake. It’s true. There’s a theory about it in bridge engineering."

Flick.

Sa-Rang lit her cigarette and stared up at the sky. She could already guess where this was going.

"So, Sung-Hyun, I get it. I know you’re the most important asset. Still, if you take the lead, if you shoulder the greatest risks, the others will change too. They’ll become like you."

"And here I thought you were saying something profound.

Hooo.

"

The cigarette smoke scattered into the air.

"I already know."

She already knew that the brilliant one had to bear the greatest burden, but would that really change her teammates?

"Even if they don’t seem like it, they’re all watching you. If you change, they’ll all change too. That’s just what living things do.

Hehe

," Marshmallow chuckled as he finished his thought.

Whether his words were right or not, no one would ever know because she could no longer continue gaming after that match. Not long afterward, she abruptly announced her retirement.

***

At the rear of the royal court, the last cavalry unit had lined up. At their head stood the commander.

“Haaa...”

she took a deep breath and quietly looked over the faces of her cavalry.

Everyone looked stunned. They had never expected her to show up in person. After all, there was no upside to having the commander on the front lines in this game.

The commander benefited from all unit types and faction bonuses, which made her powerful in combat, but the risk was catastrophic. The game would end immediately if she died. And yet, she stood at the front.

No, perhaps she stood there because of that. Maybe that was why no one dared to object. They simply looked at her. She, too, looked back at them.

Shing!

She unsheathed her sword, the commander's blade. It gleamed sharply under the light.

"Let’s go."

Swish...!

As she turned her horse, her long hair fluttered in the air. She didn't need many words to say she was putting everything into this final battle. Just by standing in front, everyone understood what this moment meant.

Thud!

When her horse’s hooves hit the ground, all the players felt it.

Thump, thud, thump, thud...!

Their hearts beat in rhythm with hers. Their pace quickened, and the scenery blurred. Through the rising dust, they saw it.

‘The enemy.’

The commander’s sword rose high.

Then, she screamed louder than anyone had ever heard her yell, "All troops!!"

Snap!

Her sword pointed directly at the massive Roman army, where they had to pierce through the vulnerable flank.

"CHARGEEEEEEEEEE!!"

A blazing red path stretched out before them. All their horses thundered into it.

BOOOOOM!

At that moment, they all felt it.

‘T-This is—’

It had spread.

FWOOSH!

The spark someone had lit caught them all. The cavalry now burned like a massive blaze with no logic or reason. A wildfire ignited in the heart of the battlefield. And it headed toward the Roman army.

RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE!

As the horses reached peak speed, the roar of voices exploded. No one led the cry.

They all shouted in unison, "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

At the very front, the commander gripped her sword tightly. The Roman soldiers all turned toward her. The commander in silk robes led the charge herself. How could their eyes not be drawn to her?

Snap.

All of them started turning her way. Everything in their surroundings now converged on her.

‘Almost...’

Sa-Rang’s eyes rapidly scanned around for the opening that would appear in that split second.

‘There.’

With the war wind at her back, she swung her sword.

SHHHING!

"!"

A Roman spear sailed past her as her sword struck an enemy soldier’s neck.

A massive cheer erupted and blanketed the battlefield, "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

Then—

BOOM!

The cavalry behind her smashed into the infantry ranks. In an instant, everything toppled. Time seemed to slow down.

"Huff... huff..."

Even her breathing stretched out in slow motion. She raised her sword again and swung.

Slash!

A jet of crimson burst forth. A head went flying and a spear came flying. She leaned left. The spear grazed her shoulder and missed. Her horse kept galloping and her blade kept slashing.

Slash!

Slash!

Blood sprayed from both sides. Her once-pristine silk was soaked in red.

THUD...

With a heavy crash, a Roman soldier toppled and fell. Weapons rained down again. Spears, crossbows, maces... everything came flying at her. However, Bread and Coffee also joined her side.

CLANG...!

KA-KANG!

They blocked the attacks for her. Thanks to them, Sa-Rang didn’t retreat. She kept going, and so did her blade.

Slash!

Like a beast, her sword drank blood again.

‘More...!’

Her dilated pupils reflected blood. The wave of enemies closing in came like a tide. It felt like a tide of blades aimed solely at her throat. She would be cut to ribbons if they reached her, yet she stepped barefoot onto the sand.

‘More, more!’

Splash!

Her horse trampled through a pool of blood and the tip of her sword flickered.

CLANG!

The surrounding enemy forces reeled back as she deflected their strikes.

Splash!

Her horse surged forward again.

“Haaaa...”

Her legs ached, but she couldn’t stop.

She suddenly recalled what Marshmallow said to her.

“Grasshoppers are usually calm, but if just a few go wild, the whole swarm catches fire and scorches the land.”

If she stopped now, it would all collapse. This momentum, this impact, this frenzy... Even one misstep would destroy everything.

"To the end..."

They would wipe out the enemies if they just kept it up to the end.

"Fight!"

Slash!

Her sword tore open a path. And then—

"!"

It was probably just a fleeting coincidence.

‘Marshmallow...’

At that moment, she swung her blade sideways and every Joseon soldier also slashed their weapon at the same time.

BOOOOM!

“Even a massive bridge can start to shake.”

The Roman shield wall trembled.

‘It was real.’

The fortress called Rome began to collapse.