As expected, the community talked about Almond after the first game.
[Top Rookie to Watch]
[Almond’s match today was truly legendary]
[Almond is like a tiger with wings]
In this first game, Cookie perfectly set the stage for Almond and Almond exceeded expectations. It showed that one could carry the team even in a large-scale game like
Civil Empire
Almond fans couldn’t help but be thrilled.
[If Almond was born in Mongolia, everyone in the world would have black hair.]
[If Almond was in Ancient China, the Qing dynasty would have bowed their heads.]
[Jumong was actually a descendant of Almond.]
[Cambridge University, “Almond’s arrows can turn back time.”]
These phrases quickly spawned and took over the community.
Discussion about Almond completely took over
Kingdom
’s community, KAF. The community was not very big to begin with, so the enthusiasm of Almond's fans overwhelmed the existing users.
[Einstein: If there’s an exception to the theory of relativity, it’s Almond’s arrows.]
[Dumbledore: If Voldemort feared one thing, it was Almond’s arrows.]
[Harry Potter: Wingardium Almondiosa!]
Moreover, most of them were already fans who supported Almond.
— LOL this fanboying is insane
— So this is Nutpunk...
— LOL
— There are so many crazy people LOL
— Is AI writing these posts??
— Finally, Nuttilians are coming out
However, users who visited the community without knowing anything couldn’t understand the situation.
— What the hell is this?
— Those Grasshoppers invaded again LOL
— Stop with the fanboying already
They also made a few comments, but—
[Today's Match Highlight.gif]
Everyone understood after watching this post at the top of the issue board.
— Is this why you’re spamming and fanboying? I can’t believe it. “In the beginning, there was Almond.”
└ LOL
└ Gradation praise
└ LOL
└ ... Oh?
— Whoa, what is that? That’s crazy
— How can you do that in a national competition?
— The most shocking thing is that such a talent almost stayed in Kingdom
└ LOL
└ That would have been a national loss LOL
└ He never almost stayed, why are you making stuff up? LOL
└└ 2222 He left without looking back LOL
The enthusiasm for Almond wasn't just growing online. How would the fans who watched the match in person feel?
No one expected the Vikings to be taken down in such a manner. In fact, anyone who knew a bit about the game didn't expect Joseon to win against the Vikings at all.
However, they did and Almond was at the center of it.
The audience's expectations for this second game had now reached its peak.
“Almond! Almond! Almond!”
“Waaah!”
Many more people chanted Almond's name in the Korean audience section where the Balloon Stars members sat.
“Mom, buy me that hat! Please!?”
The children pointed at Miho, begging for Almond hats.
“Oh, miss. Where do they sell those?”
The parents, exhausted from the nagging, approached to ask.
“Oh, they sell them at the stadium entrance! I’ll take you there!”
People who left the stadium with Miho returned with Almond popcorn, Almond hats, or Almond clapping balloons.
“Miho, the game is starting. Sit down, sit down!”
“Why do you have to go with them too? Such selflessness.”
Hehe.
It’s good if they sell.”
Miho adjusted her Almond hat and sat back in the audience.
“Huh? Why is half of it black? Is it a bug?” Miho asked as she saw most of the stadium hologram turning dark.
“No. The observer switched to Joseon's perspective. I think this means—” Tako tried to explain, but his voice was drowned out.
“Waaah!”
Cheers erupted because Joseon’s soldiers began to gather in droves. Above all, Almond was waiting under the defense tower being built.
“Almond! Almond! Almond!”
“Almond!”
Cheers echoed, filled with the expectation that he would do something amazing again.
The Vikings had gathered to protect the hunting outpost.
[Defense Tower - 15%]
They slowly retreated as the Joseon defense tower rose.
“Oh! The Vikings are retreating as soon as Cookie started building the defense tower!”
“Aren't they going to interfere with the tower construction!?”
“No matter how strong the Vikings are, look at the number of Joseon soldiers gathered there! It’s hard to rush in!”
Even the Vikings found it hard to rush in under such circumstances with one hundred Joseon soldiers swarming and the defense tower rising rapidly.
“Moreover, Joseon soldiers can also help build. A lot of them can be mobilized for construction without the loss of workers! That’s why it’s going up so fast!”
“But what if the Vikings gather a hundred soldiers too?”
The Vikings were still the Vikings. Could a single defense tower hold them off if all their troops gathered in the first era? Probably not. Of course, they couldn’t possibly gather a hundred soldiers here now because of various reasons.
“Although we didn’t see it, the Vikings must have invested a lot of people in hunting. The hunting outposts are so advanced and require a lot of hunting to ensure efficiency!”
Many Viking soldiers had been invested into hunting because they needed much more food than other civilizations. This was most likely the case given that they built so many hunting outposts. Many more Vikings had to hunt to meet the demands, which made suddenly gathering a hundred soldiers impossible.
“Ah, as I speak, the defense tower is complete!”
Thud.
The completed defense tower stood tall.
“Indeed! Almond and Pang are climbing up!”
The audience erupted in cheers as Almond and Pang climbed the ladder.
“Wow. The excitement from Almond’s appearance alone is incredible! Probably because the first game was so impressive!”
“Exactly! Anyone who watched that game couldn’t help but become a fan! He’s got the looks and skills!”
The Joseon soldiers took out their torches.
“Now, they’re up and ready to provide cover fire! The Joseon soldiers are charging forward with torches to destroy the hunting outpost!”
The red torches lit up in a line as the soldiers rushed to the hunting outpost.
The Vikings completely retreated with no intention of fighting.
“Look. The Vikings have retreated! They completely abandoned it!”
“Ah, did they give up!? Cookie seems to have made the best decision!”
“Indeed! I mentioned earlier that the Vikings’ movement seemed like a defense tower rush! That’s exactly what Joseon is doing now! It’s a very good decision!”
Having watched the entire situation from above, the commentator accurately predicted Cookie’s decision. This was a very good sign.
“Using a defense tower rush here isn’t an easy decision! Cookie is incredible!”
“Yes! And from Joseon’s perspective, they still have one match to spare! This makes such a decision easier! The situation is aligning perfectly...”
Phew.
Climbing a first era defense tower is really tough,” Pang grumbled as he hoisted his leg onto the defense tower's platform.
“Hup!”
Using both hands and even one foot, he barely managed to heave himself onto the defense tower, almost stuffing himself into it.
He straightened his back and looked around like a climber surveying the landscape. Being on top of the defense tower improved visibility and he could see the surroundings clearly.
'Hmm?'
As he looked around, something felt off and he tilted his head.
‘What is this?’
Regardless, the soldiers below cheered as they set the Viking outpost on fire.
“Waaah!”
“It’s burning~!”
The highly functional hunting outposts were very weak buildings.
Fwoosh!
As soon as they threw the torches, smoke started billowing from the roof.
“Raid the inside too!”
Usually, food could be found inside the hunting outposts. The soldiers went inside to search around.
“Oh...? There’s nothing. It must have been built recently.”
“Well, it is at the forefront.”
“But why aren’t they coming to defend? They were swarming around earlier.”
“Did they just take the food and run?”
“Oh! So the group earlier took the food and left?”
“Yeah. Who would want to fight near a defense tower?”
Fighting near a defense tower in the first era was not advantageous even for the Viking brutes.
“And Almond is in the tower~”
“The opponent is him~.”
Haha.
True.”
Once the defense tower had been built, it was typical to just back off.
Joseon started building another tower to burn the next outpost.
Thud.
[Defense Tower - 1%]
Carrot and Spam were sent to the newly built tower.
Thud.
[Defense Tower - 1%]
Another tower was also being built simultaneously in another direction. Almond and Pang climbed down from the first tower and ran there.
Joseon was now continuously building defense towers forward and executing a literal defense tower rush.
As additional towers appeared, the Vikings didn’t dare to approach.
Almond and Pang climbed another tower and the area around them revealed itself.
'Oh...?'
Pang’s eyes widened. At this moment, the observer also turned off its visibility restriction.
— Wow
— What is this?
— Crazy
— Oh
“Oh...
ugh?!”
OrangeKing gasped with his voice caught. He swallowed and managed to speak, “What is this! Why, why aren’t there any!?”
“The, the hunting outposts! They’re gone!?”
“There were only these few hunting outposts!?”
Out of the quickly constructed six outposts earlier, one at the front had already been destroyed.
This was all the Vikings had. The assumption that they were expanding hunting outposts to the max to blow up their resources was completely wrong.
“Normally, you’d expect at least twenty outposts or more for such a strategy!”
The Vikings had purposely spaced out the outposts to trick Joseon.
“This, this means Joseon built all those defense towers...”
The enemy intended to waste Joseon’s resources by making them construct unnecessary towers.
— This is bad
— What does this mean? TLDR, please
— Those crazy guys
— So they weren't planning a 2nd era rush but a standard game. Joseon just delayed their era upgrade
— Sigh
OrangeKing finally recalled.
“Joseon has one match to spare! This makes such decisions easier! The situation aligned perfectly...”
The enemy’s bold decision appeared to be an unexpected boon for Joseon.
‘That couldn’t be.’
Such overly convenient coincidences couldn’t just be coincidences. The signs had been there.
“The Vikings are charging! This is a bluff!”
“They’re overdoing it to act normal!?”
The overly exaggerated bluff now made sense.
‘It was meant to be noticed.’
They had to exaggerate the bluff to get caught.
“Now, this must be a bit shocking for Joseon. They might be delayed in advancing era against the Vikings...”
The caster's voice trembled.
The Vikings were nearing the second era and Joseon still had a long way to go.
It wasn't just that they could get delayed. They were already delayed.
OrangeKing shouted urgently, “This is tough! We got tricked! Exmaster’s strategy is as terrifying as his name!”
— LOL
— Sigh
— The Vikings use their brains too
— They sharpened their axes well
— Joseon wasted so much money, what now
“Still! Joseon must find a way to overcome this! Even if they lose, they can’t collapse just because of this one strategy! It’ll affect the next game!”
OrangeKing was already considering how this could impact the next game without realizing it. If Joseon won this match, there would be no next game.
“Right! They need to hold on and make it difficult!”
“There is still hope! They can win!”
Only one person could create such hope.
The broadcast screen naturally zoomed in on Cookie’s face. He sat with his eyes closed, lost in thought.
— Oh no
— Mental breakdown?
— What is Cookie doing?
— Meditating??
— We’re doomed
The viewers, commentators, and audience all felt anxious. The commander sitting quietly with his eyes closed at such a moment drove them crazy.
However, Cookie was merely gathering his thoughts with his eyes closed. Panicking or regretting wouldn’t solve anything. That wouldn't improve the situation. Improving the situation depended only on his current decisions.
Cookie’s eyes snapped open after he made up his mind.

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