Season 5: Chapter 166. Platform War (2)

About seven days before the Platform War, a message arrived for Sang-Hyeon.

[Choi Sa-Rang: Can we talk separately for a moment?]

It was a personal message.

'What's this...?'

Sang-Hyeon checked the time.

'It’s five in the morning...'

It was very early. Did that person not sleep? Thinking it was urgent, Sang-Hyeon got up and replied.

[Yu Sang-Hyeon: What's up?]

[Choi Sa-Rang: It's about the dispatch strategy. I think I need to talk to you about it.]

Sang-Hyeon couldn't quite tell if this was a dream or not.

'Five in the morning because of the dispatch strategy?'

Even actual corporate dispatch meetings wouldn't be like this.

[Choi Sa-Rang: I developed your initial idea a bit further.]

These words got Sang-Hyeon moving.

'JeonJaPa developed my theory further?'

His thumbs moved busily.

[Yu Sang-Hyeon: Where do I go?]

Sang-Hyeon sent a flood of the running office worker emoji he'd used back in his Ah-Sung days.

[Choi Sa-Rang: No need to come in person lol. Online works.]

[Yu Sang-Hyeon: Oh... This World?]

[Choi Sa-Rang: No. I can't use the capsule for long. It’s the same for both of us, right?]

[Yu Sang-Hyeon: Yeah.]

[Choi Sa-Rang: There should be a video call feature. In the PC version of This World.]

Early dawn with the sun just rising, a woman with a slightly awkward expression floated on Sang-Hyeon's monitor.

The woman inside the monitor unnecessarily fixed her bangs once. "Hmm. Is this kind of thing a bit outdated these days?"

"No. For us, this works."

Behind her, the light of dawn was shining in.

"Is something strange?" Not sure why she thought that, she tilted her head.

"No. Why... oh." Sang-Hyeon realized he hadn't turned on his microphone.

Ding.

"Oh, I had my mic off. Nothing's strange."

"I see, but why are you frowning?"

"The... screen is a bit bright."

Sa-Rang checked her appearance again. The camera was gradually washing out as it was exposed to sunlight.

"Looks like I'm about to ascend to heaven. Let me close the curtain for a moment."

She pressed a remote, and the curtains moved on their own to block the light.

"Look here."

Sa-Rang shared an illustration.She pulled up a program that let them both draw on the same canvas live while discussing.

"The dispatch system you mentioned. Something kept nagging at me, so I researched it. It has tremendous advantages."

Sang-Hyeon's expression openly brightened up.

"Don't be too pleased. I found it."

"Oh, yes."

Did that matter? In front of the viewers, it would end up looking like Almond had found it anyway!

"Focus."

"Oh, yes."

From early morning all the way to noon, they continued discussing this strategy. The dispatch strategy was refined closer and closer to perfection.

***

The day of the Platform War arrived. Meanwhile, in the players' waiting channel, the Knight Order listened carefully to Sa-Rang's explanation.

[Knight Order]

"Now let's go over the Group A Round 1 composition and strategy."

She explained the group composition.

"Please turn off your mics and screens for a moment."

Everyone turned off their microphone channels and screens. The content to be announced was that important.

— Oh

— Save me

— Nooo

— Let us see too!!

— Ah...

— Can't be helped...

"Yes."

All the streamers turned off their mics and screens. With that, Sa-Rang brought up the materials.

Ding.

Group A's team composition appeared.

"First, Group A is entirely composed of commoners ranked five through nine."

This was fairly important, but the Knight Order already knew all of this. Everyone just nodded.

"That side will handle itself. They have nothing to do with the dispatch strategy. Group B is what matters for us since we're in it."

The Knight Order was in Group B. The team composition for Group B appeared with familiar names.

"Ranks one through four, plus the tenth place team, that's what we put together."

==== ====

Knight Order

Magical Girls

Nonghyup & Partners

Hambugeez

Can't Can't Can't

==== ====

One slave team would sustain several others.

"The dispatch strategy will only be used in Group B. I got confirmation from the slave team again... Just a moment..."

Sa-Rang briefly turned her eyes to another screen.

"Right now, checking how Paprika composed Group A is the priority."

She wanted to see what Paprika's Group A looked like. This was the reason for placing the aces in Group B. Since Group A games started first, they could know in advance who was in each group.

"Paprika might think the same. In that case, we'll face an ace matchup in Group B."

If the opponent thought the same way, Group B would effectively become the main round.

Sweet Radish raised a hand. "Which do you think is better?"

Their side had no way to know what Paprika would choose, so the Knight Order hadn't discussed this either.

Sa-Rang subtly glanced toward Almond.

Almond nodded. "The ace matchup is better."

"What?"

"Group B needs to effectively become the main round."

Everyone in the Knight Order gulped. No matter what, clashing this intensely from the early qualifying rounds was nerve-wracking.

"This strategy is most powerful the first time you encounter it. We have to take everyone out here and be the ones advancing."

After experiencing this once, they'd come to the main round with countermeasures prepared. That would be a waste of the strategy. Meeting the ace teams early and knocking them all out was the better option, but the other streamers didn't think that way.

"Um, bro? Forgive me for saying this, but that will kill the stream."

That was a half-joke, but the broadcast could genuinely get awkward. Sa-Rang aside, Almond was also a streamer.

"That's fair."

He had considered that, but these teammates didn't know what Sa-Rang and Almond did.

"It won't die. Paprika has a hidden team, right?"

Everyone had forgotten the existence of the hidden team. It had been mentioned once during the rules explanation, but hadn’t been discussed at all in the scrimmages or qualifying rounds. The hidden team would appear starting from the main round.

Even hearing this, the teammates felt puzzled.

"Are they that good?" Black Tea expressed doubt. "Nobody even knows who they are, so what's there to worry about? Does anyone have a guess?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Hmm, not really..."

"Acorn Jelly would know about this."

"Doesn't he just think he knows things?"

They didn’t notice that Sa-Rang and Almond were both looking elsewhere for no reason.

"Paprika Group A is up."

Fortunately, the topic changed to the reveal of Paprika’s Group A.

[Paprika Group A]

==== ====

1. Underwater

2. Team Rocket

7. Clown's Breath

9. Squareonade

10. Plugin

==== ====

The scrimmage evaluation rankings were included.

"Oh."

Sa-Rang bit her lip.

"Unfortunate."

Paprika had placed their aces in Group A.

"We should have taken them out."

***

"BEGINNNNNNNNN!!!"

Pop.

As the match started, Orange King was summoned back to the commentary desk. The caster had fired the opening shot, so Orange King quickly picked up with analysis.

"Yes. With this tremendous heat! The Platform War's first game has started! No, the players didn't even greet each other and just started! An opening this thrilling! It’s genuinely been a long time!"

Red Glasses nodded. "Yes. Money really does work. At the streamer competition, Tree..."

He was about to mention that Treevy had hosted the last tournament, but hesitated because this was Cheese and the opponent was Paprika. Nobody welcomed Treevy talk.

— Tree... lmaooo

— Treevy...

— That company that went under...

— Is it a place we can no longer speak of D:

Orange King cut in. "Burp! Sorry, just, just had to burp there!"

— ?

— ???

— lmaooooooooooo

— lmaooooo

— Who says Tree... p! lmaooo

— lmaooooo

— The weight of supporting a family

"Oh, yes. Right. Anyway, money really does work."

Red Glasses's words this time somewhat held a double-meaning.

— lmaooooooooo

— Money does work~

— lmaooooooooo

— Sharp

— Might cut someone;

"Ten teams have each landed well at their landing points now. And... you can see a distinctive flow, right?"

"Yes."

When Orange King gave the signal, Red Glasses adjusted his glasses. The analyst began reading.

"It looks like... five teams against five teams."

"Correct. Technically, all ten teams are enemies here, right? But in the Platform War! Within their respective interests! They're giving each other a kind of grace period!"

"Right. It's not a rule, but they have to move that way. It's essentially becoming a 25 vs 25 game."

Even Cheese's Group A, without a slave system was cooperating and not touching each other. It was the same for Paprika. They looked like a single organic living entity.

"Paprika's movement looks significantly better!?"

Pop.

The caster, who had become a giant, returned to the desk.

The analyst read off more information. "Correct, which makes sense. Paprika has somewhat higher-ranked scrimmage teams placed there. Cheese... constructed Group A entirely with lower mid-range teams. In this case, Cheese's goal in Group A will probably be to advance two teams."

"Right. Cheese completely played their low cards! And Paprika played fairly high cards! From Paprika's perspective, they absolutely want to advance all five here!"

The caster called out, "AHHH! Right now, at the center line, there’s a sudden collision! It’s early combat!"

Orange King grew excited. "A raw fight!? Wow, but Paprika! How are they doing this!? They're swarming!"

Numbers were critical at this point for raw combat without champions. In an instant, Paprika's numbers increased.

The analyst said with wonder, "Oh... this is remarkable? There's actually no device for communication between different teams. Officially, they're not the same team. Right now, a staff user is firing Fireball up..."

Paprika had a kind of signal flare system. The result came quickly.

[TunaSwordfish Double Kill!]

"Tuna Swordfish with a double kill! It’s Underwater! They’re charging through from the very beginning! And they're all swarming there!"

"OHHHHHH!? They’re not stopping there! Now that everyone's gathered, they’re going straight into Cheese's territory!"

Orange King's face turned red.

"Cheese!? Scatter! They need to scatter... AHHHHHH! IT’S A TOTAL COLLAPSE!"

[TunaSwordfish Triple Kill!]

[GeneralSeabream Double Kill!]

Five Cheese players had already died. One entire team was eliminated.

"INSANE! One Cheese team was eliminated in raw combat!!!"

"Who was it!?"

[NoSeNoSe Out!]

"Oh... NoSeNoSe! Out!"

— What

— Wow

— Insane

— Brutal

— This is insane

— Wow

— lmaooooo

— What

— So dirty lmaooo

— Wow

"YEAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

The stands turned Paprika red, and an enormous roar erupted.