Then Again, I'd Say I'm Better With a Spear
"Still, when it comes to spears, wouldn't you say I'm the better hand?"
"Now then, before we begin the team selection in earnest, let me walk you through today's schedule and format."
As caster Kim Yong-woo spoke, a row of floating windows unfurled before him. Each one displayed the day's proceedings, the rules, and the detailed profiles of the participating team members.
The moment he clicked the foremost window—Siege Format—the feed cut to the center of the plaza, where a cluster of miniature model castles stood.
"I imagine quite a few of you are wondering how exactly this Mock Siege Battle is going to play out."
"That's right. Unlike last year, this third Mock Siege Battle will be contested by three teams."
"Correct. Before we begin, let me show you a simple demonstration with these models so everyone can follow along."
At some point Fracion had left the commentary booth and was now standing before the models in the heart of the plaza. He raised his staff and cast a spell.
The gates of the model castle burst open and out marched ranks of tiny model soldiers—rows of common infantry in plain armor, followed by Generals whose polished plate mail looked distinctly more refined, and last of all a Grand General, helm the same color as his castle's banner.
At the Grand General's signal, the soldiers scattered to their assigned positions and took up the defense of the castle.
"Each team consists of one Grand General, three Generals, and your rows of common soldiers. But unlike last year, the key point this time is the General."
Fracion's staff flashed once, and the Generals' frames swelled larger, their strength visibly amplified. The gap widened to the point that even a full charge of common soldiers couldn't bring down a single General.
To demonstrate, Fracion moved one row of soldiers and a single General from their castles to the open field at the center. Ten soldiers swarmed the enemy General with a hodgepodge of weapons, but the lone General cut through them as if the whole thing were a farce.
The common soldiers were wiped out in less than a minute.
"Granted, since this is a demonstration with models, it won't be quite so one-sided in the real event—but soldiers alone won't be able to stop a General."
Another gesture, and the broken soldiers reassembled themselves and marched back to their castle.
"That said, that doesn't mean soldiers exist just to fall over and do nothing. Gathering resources and keeping the Generals' buffs supplied is critically important."
The soldiers moved. They crossed the river barring their castle and headed for the Forest that lay between the castles—the site of the Resource Tower. After standing at the tower for roughly ten seconds, a pale-blue ore was produced. The soldiers hauled the ore back at a leisurely shuffle, and the moment they arrived, a Ore +1 marker appeared above the castle.
"With this ore you can purchase team-wide buffs—attack, defense, swiftness, and so on. And of course! Since it applies to the whole team, the soldiers get stronger as well."
The feed shifted. While the soldiers mined resources, the Generals were hard at work hunting monsters.
"In the Mock Siege Battle, the level cap is 10, and you can level up by hunting monsters in the Forest or on the open field. Each level raises your stats—and your Core damage."
In other words, a simple game: grind those upgrades, then smash the enemy Core.
"And the heart of this Mock Siege Battle is precisely the fact that there are three teams."
On the open field, soldiers from each of the three teams crossed paths. They eyed one another warily for a moment before beginning to scuffle. Then, slyly, the purple soldiers and the blue soldiers stopped attacking each other and turned together on the red soldiers.
The red soldiers panicked. Within moments most of them lay dead, and the survivors fled into the Forest.
"In the Mock Siege Battle, teams are allowed to form alliances. However—if you find yourself under attack from two teams at once…"
When a lone red soldier scrambled back to his castle's General and breathlessly reported what had happened, the General flew into a rage and began growing stronger by the second. The vastly empowered General cut down two enemy Generals in the blink of an eye.
"That team's stats and levels all increase. This effect persists until their number of Generals equals the combined Generals of the other two teams."
"And now for the most important piece—the Grand General."
The Grand General, resplendent in his ornate helm, began to move. Far stronger even than the Generals, he surged forward and cut down a whole row of common soldiers in a single stroke, then cleaved through the General barring his path.
"The Grand General starts at level 3, with a cap of 13. On top of that, they begin the match with an extra +1 attack buff."
But with only a single life, one must choose the moment to commit with great care.
"Charge in recklessly and die early, and your team loses more than half its fighting strength on the spot."
Clap clap clap clap—!
"—Ah, well done, Fracion. That explanation was genuinely entertaining."
"Haha! It was nothing, really."
"—Say, one thing has me curious. Mind if I ask a question?"
"Ooh, I've got a question."
The room was empty—Leo, Chukachip, and Yena had all headed off one after another for their interviews. I sat alone, watching the broadcast, and turned to my viewers.
"If you break an alliance and fight your former partner, what happens to the buffs?"
Say Team A got stronger through an alliance with Teams B and C—and then B betrayed C and teamed up with A instead. What would happen to Team A's buff, then? Would both Team C and Team A grow stronger at the same time?
"—And what happens if an alliance falls apart? Say, for instance, one allied team ends up fighting one of the others."
"—If that happens, the previous buff disappears, and only the team newly branded the common enemy receives the buff."
"Ahh."
So that was how it worked. In that case, an alliance could actually be used strategically. Of course, fighting alone suited me better than allying with anyone—but frankly, it might be the better play to take the buff and fight.
"—Alright! We're now ready for the interviews with the players competing for the General positions! My my~ a few familiar faces here. First up, Vlack! Hello there~!"
"—Pleasure to be here. I'm Vlack."
Vlack rose from his seat and offered a warm greeting. He and the other team captains were seated some distance from the commentary booth, yet the conversation flowed as naturally as if they were right next to each other.
"—Vlack! You're joining us as a team captain this time. Give us your thoughts!"
"—Well, being both the host and a participant leaves me feeling a bit pleased, and a bit strange about it, all at once. That said, since I'm competing myself, I suspect my team will be the one taking the win."
"—Ah~ a true ranker! I love the confidence! Best of luck to you. And! As team captain, you'll be selecting your teammates, won't you?"
"—Correct."
"—So! Anyone you have your eye on?"
Vlack hummed, feigning deliberation, then glanced sidelong at the players seated nearby.
One was a master of double-hitting—the spear wielding ChotachokaChukachip, a member of one of the three great powers of the current pro scene. The other was Leo, the four-element spirit mage whom even the pros were rumored to dread.
Not a single one of them a person to take lightly.
"—Ah~ well, surely he'll pick someone skilled."
"—Someone skilled, you say?"
"—I imagine everyone else is thinking the same, but for my part, I rate the newcomer Lily very highly."
"—Lily! Ah, ever since I got the invitation myself, I've heard so much talk about her. This is getting exciting!"
"—Then let's save further words for the team selection, and our next guest is… ChotachokaChu… Chukachip!"
"—Hello there!! Hahat!"
Chukachip's golden eyes sparkled. Nothing like her demeanor back in the waiting room—out there she looked remarkably bright.
"—Ah, Chukachip! Welcome. Your name was long when I first saw it, and it's still long now! Any thought of changing your handle?"
"—It's my trademark, so I doubt it. Hee."
She smirked, equal parts sweet and insufferable. But even that expression came through the cameras looking positively lovely, drawing cheers from a great many viewers.
The caster chuckled and nodded.
"—From what I hear, plenty of people are looking forward to a showdown between you and Lily—two spear wielders. How do you feel about it, Chukachip?"
"—Hmm… she's certainly the super rookie of the moment, yes… but when it comes to the spear, wouldn't you say I'm the better hand?"
"—Oh! Then even if you got the chance to pick Lily for the showdown itself, you wouldn't choose her?"
"—It's all the same to me either way. But for Lily's sake, it'd probably be kinder of the other side to pick her…"
…That is, if they'd rather not be humiliated for nothing.