Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Do What You Have to Do First
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Do what you have to do first.
Triachia is a game where each match unfolds like dozens of rounds of rock-paper-scissors between opponents.
There is no absolute, ironclad answer, and even individual skill can sometimes make scissors beat rock.
A pure duel between two players, with no room for outside interference.
Outsmarting each other in psychological warfare, with split-second movements constantly testing personal prowess.
In Triachia, where no variables exist beyond you and me, the realms of novice, intermediate, and master are starkly divided.
A game with no excuses.
A brutal game where pros hold over 90% win rates against amateurs.
That's why the thrill of victory surpasses any other game.
A win in a best-of series is the greatest proof of your superiority over the opponent.
The current situation is heavily in my favor.
I've safely secured my double expansion without losses, so solidifying the advantage from here is something even an intermediate player could manage.
Should I underestimate my opponent, then?
No.
Anyone who still feels that way after seeing that record—15 straight wins after the first loss I handed them—doesn't deserve to call themselves a master.
That's why I won't let my guard down for a second.
It's only been a short while since I activated resource gathering in my natural expansion, so my current forces are very thin.
So I built a trench and pulled one worker outside.
- Kyaaak!!
No sooner had I placed the elf archer in the completed trench than the enemy's drake arrived.
Drake and elf archer have the same range.
Purely comparing unit stats, the drake overwhelmingly crushes the elf archer, but...
With the elf firmly entrenched inside the trench, the drake couldn't get close.
However, this also meant I was trapped in my main base.
The moment the elf stepped outside the trench, the drake would shred the soft elf to pieces.
'This is why I pulled the worker out.'
I looped the diverted dwarf worker around toward the enemy's main base.
The scout's purpose was singular.
To gauge whether the opponent was taking their natural for a late-game strategy or expanding barracks production for an all-in rush.
Drakes began gathering one by one just outside the trench's range.
The opponent was almost certainly upgrading drake range right now.
Judging by the timing... probably finishing in about 10 seconds.
Puuung! Bang!
But no sooner had the thought crossed my mind than the drakes started spewing fireballs.
The upgraded ones were attacking from beyond the elves' range.
Already?
- Leave it to me!
The instant I spotted the attack, I ordered the dwarf worker to attach to the trench and repair it.
Dwarves, true to their racial trait, have a basic ability to repair buildings and mechanical units.
Of course, it consumes resources, so it can't be overused.
Until the battle mage pops out from the advanced barracks that's ramping up, I have no choice but to take the hits like this.
A basic strategy to force me to spend resources on repairs and narrow the resource gap even a little.
A normal opponent would be satisfied with this, but...
- Kerruk!!
"Tch."
The opponent pushed even more aggressively.
The drake moved inside the trench's range to try to snipe my repairing worker.
I urgently pulled the dwarf worker taking focused fire back inside.
The drake tenaciously targeted the low-health dwarf, but my reaction was quick enough to save it.
In the end, none of my units died, and I got the benefit of landing arrows on the drake's body.
It was definitely a dangerous situation.
I was producing battle mages in my main, expanding infrastructure, and controlling the scouting worker all at once.
If I'd missed that subtle movement on the minimap, I'd have surely lost one or two workers.
I already knew the opponent had exceptional skill.
I'd estimated the drake range upgrade would finish in 10 seconds, but their build optimization was top-notch, completing it ahead of schedule.
The tension built like in a ranked match.
Right on cue, the worker looping around the edge reached the opponent's natural.
Primary goal: confirm if the opponent had built the Dragonkin main building, the cathedral, in their natural.
Secondary goal: slip into the main to check their full build.
Achieving the latter would eliminate all variables and secure victory.
But the opponent anticipated my worker and sniped it with two pre-positioned drakes.
The silver lining: I confirmed the cathedral under construction in their natural.
Fun.
Did my past finger issues limit my control, forcing me to climb ranks purely on reads and macro?
It's been ages since I faced a user whose brain turns this fast.
That's exactly why matches like this, turning into pure mind games, get my blood pumping.
Anyway, I've confirmed they've taken their natural late, so all-in rush is off the table.
That leaves one path ahead.
It was about time for offense and defense to switch.
- Do you need my help?
The battle mage finally emerged after the wait.
The battle mage is Humanity's core attack unit.
Even production requirements are steep: needs advanced barracks and the [Policy Declaration - Magic Specialization] decree, plus a long build time, but...
It boasts overwhelming performance.
First off, range.
This monster's base range far surpasses drakes—even upgraded ones—by a huge margin.
- Fire Ball!
Puuung!
The drake pounding my trench took a fireball hit and startled back in retreat.
The heavy-damage attack visibly chunked the drake's health.
Beyond that, it has a mana shield uncharacteristic of Humanity for solid base HP, and countless other advantages.
This is Humanity's flower: the battle mage.
And once you stack three or more, their power maximizes.
That's the timing when offense flips to defense.
Now I could unilaterally assault the opponent.
- Kieek!!
The problem? The opponent knows stacking battle mages means doom for them.
From their perspective, what's the textbook play?
Pull back drakes, then overcome the unfavorable engagement with terrain advantages and control for the best outcome.
That's the standard way to block my timing rush.
But the opponent went unorthodox.
They suddenly advanced the drakes that seemed to be retreating, targeting the lone battle mage.
Aim: pick off the single battle mage to delay my push.
Four drakes fired fireballs at the battle mage in unison.
'Knew you'd come eventually.'
In sync with their move, the battle mage fell back, hit-and-running.
The dwarf workers repairing the trench also smoothly attached to the battle mage, transferring mined resources.
As a result, the mana shield chipped by fireballs recovered in seconds.
Two drakes, hit by arrows from the trench and fireballs, collapsed in succession.
A achievement from prioritizing the pre-damaged ones.
Meanwhile, the opponent barely failed to break my battle mage's mana shield.
In the end, the surviving two drakes staggered away.
An utterly one-sided gain.
Why don't others try sniping the battle mage in situations like that and stick to standard play?
The risk of failure is massive.
Just like now.
The game tilted 9:1 in my favor.
This gain wasn't pure reaction.
I'd already read their tendencies and prepared mentally.
Targeting workers over the trench?
Only aggressive players who love tricky, off-meta plays attempt that.
Having clocked their style earlier, it wasn't hard to anticipate a backstab attempt.
From there, the rest unfolded without twists.
Several knights, three battle mages, and the trench-bound elf archers—all marched out together.
Naturally, the opponent, down two drakes, had no power to stop them.
A handful of dragonkin warriors and drakes fought valiantly, but the engagement ended in my one-sided massacre.
Unable to withstand arrows, javelins, and fireballs, the enemy natural's cathedral crumbled—GG.
I snapped their 16-win streak.
Honestly, pre-body-swap me wouldn't have thought I'd win this easily; they were that skilled.
I'd have lost workers to control slips, maybe even the battle mage, and a blocked delayed push could have flipped the favorable position.
Ahh...
Thank you, five fingers.
Your grace is as vast as the sea...
Please let me overcome the chopstick wall soon.
Not my honest opinion.
On the contrary, I was thinking, 'Dragonkin isn't even your main?'
Bluff?
Too earnest in the follow-up chat for that.
I pondered.
I knew leaving now would piss them off effectively, but...
Greed started bubbling up personally.
Opponents this tasty for mind games are rare.
Plus, the previous two games ended too quickly.
My strength shines in late-game macro, but they ended before my honed specialty could shine.
Would my macro work on someone this skilled?
How far could they counter in a macro fight?
Excitement swelled.
Silence fell again.
I kept moving my army as if the surrender timer for total building destruction was about to hit, smashing their main base.
Just as the last enemy building came under fire.
A single chat line appeared.
I nodded in satisfaction.