Genius Archer’s Streaming - Chapter 695

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

The Genius Archer’s Streaming Season 3 Episode 165
55. Four-Era Battle (1)
Cookie pondered the situation.
For Joseon, who had spent considerable resources in the first era, to defeat Viking now—how could they manage it?
‘We needed to leverage something we built in the first era.’
They had to recoup their first-era investment as a tangible advantage.
What they’d invested in during the first era was defensive towers.
The moment he saw that, a brilliant insight flashed through Cookie’s mind.
‘Synergy when melee soldiers and ranged soldiers fight together.’
The way melee soldiers protected ranged soldiers while fighting.
This was a combat method that boasted its own unique tradition across all game genres.
In RPGs, roles divide into tanks, bruisers, dealers, and healers—with healers and ranged damage dealers receiving top priority protection.
Only when they could unleash maximum damage and healing without interference could tanks and other melee players achieve their peak efficiency.
AOS games fight the same way.
In AOS, team fights always prioritize protecting the ranged dealer.
Especially as the game progresses, whether the ranged dealer survives becomes the deciding factor in victory or defeat.
Then what about RTS?
What about Civil M?
‘It’s the same principle.’
In RTS too, it was advantageous to distinguish between those who take hits and those who deal them.
That ultimately meant protecting the ranged dealer—and it was why Viking had suffered such a crushing defeat in this battle.
[Waaahhh! Joseon! They won! They pulled off this battle!]
[I can’t believe it!]
The troop numbers were similar, and Viking’s stats were actually higher.
Yet they were utterly routed.
‘The efficiency was different.’
The efficiency was different.
The efficiency between a battle with clear positioning and one without it.
In the end, Viking’s corpses piled up like mountains, and they couldn’t hold the outpost.
Cookie exhaled with relief.
‘It went better than expected.’
Joseon had won the most crucial battle of this game.
They’d won far more decisively than anticipated.
There was an element Cookie hadn’t predicted.
‘Did they prioritize eliminating the axe wielders first?’
Almond and Danggeun had immediately begun sniping those carrying axes from the start.
This wasn’t Cookie’s order—it was a judgment call made in the field.
‘And then the melee soldiers seized them.’
The melee soldiers, reading their judgment, snatched up the fallen axes the moment they dropped and wielded them themselves.
‘This is….’
The synergy between meticulous field judgment and the Commander’s sudden strategic shift.
Cookie felt a thrill every time moments like this unfolded.
This was the essence of Civil M.
Literally, a chaotic battlefield that mirrored real field combat.
No one could predict what variables would erupt. The excellent weapon I wielded could just as easily become poison in this wilderness.
A war where blood and flesh were truly at stake.
“Waaaaaaaaaa…!”
Cheers erupted from the Korean cheering section. They were venting like a pressure cooker releasing pent-up steam.
They were releasing all the tension they’d been holding back.
Given how dire Joseon’s situation had been moments ago, how could they not have held their breath?
How anxious must they have been?
Now they were casting it all aside and crying out again with their voices.
“Great Korea!”
In time with the drum beat, Cookie’s hands moved again.
Winning this battle didn’t immediately mean winning the game.
‘I’ve only bought time.’
I merely extended a game the Viking had already secured.
[Move]
[Destroy]
He issued a series of simple commands and now focused on the production phase.
The battle was won, and for a while, Joseon’s forces could continue attacking the outposts.
Nearly half of the enemy’s outposts would be destroyed.
While they recover, Joseon catches up in technological advancement.

* * *
Whoosh.
Fire erupted at the next hunting outpost, and the audience roared with approval.
The commentators were equally excited.
“Joseon! Joseooooon! They’ve won this battle! In this impossible situation! They’ve found a way through after all!?”
“That’s right! Joseon was trapped in the 2nd Age and couldn’t do anything—I thought they were just giving up this match! But it’s not over! I thought they were just clinging on by their fingernails!? But then!”
“But then what!?”
“It didn’t end there! They grabbed those fingernails and slammed them into the ground! Ground them into the asphalt!”
-What even lolololol
-This isn’t a gangster movie lololol
-Welcome to the new world, Viking
-lololololololol
-Lololol
-Basically saying they’re in a good position
King Gul recognized that Joseon hadn’t merely bought time—they’d actually created the momentum to turn the situation in their favor.
Whoooosh!
Several more hunting outposts began to burn.
“This gives Joseon the ability to push all the way to the 3rd Age!”
Boom.
Before the commentator could finish speaking, Joseon entered the 2nd Age.
[Joseon – 2nd Age]
“Exactly! Cookie! Not letting the battle distract them! Moving into the 2nd Age!”
“The Vikings must be panicking! They thought the game was over!!”
“The hunting outposts are falling like dominoes! Joseon advances to the 2nd Age! The Vikings must be in complete chaos!!”
“Ah! But still! Once those 2nd Age-equipped Viking warriors appear, Joseon can’t engage them. They won’t stand a chance! And we’re not even in arrow range anymore!?”
Burning half the outposts was a substantial gain.
[Retreat]
The order came down.
“Joseon. At the perfect moment! They’re retreating! Ahhh, this is excellent! If they carelessly ran into those 2nd Age Viking warriors and got wiped out, things would get weird again!? They’re not giving the berserker any openings!”
Joseon withdrew their forces at precisely the right moment, before the 2nd Age Viking warriors could arrive.
“Preserving troops—I love it!? The edge is sharp now! Cookie! Joseon needs to reach the 3rd Age as quickly as possible right now! If they waste troops here, their resource situation could get tangled up again!?”
-Wow
-Add Cookie to the list with Taejong, Sejong, Seongjong, and Sejo
-The judgment was perfect
Joseon had seized the advantage and continued making good decisions.
But things didn’t go exactly as planned.
“Wait. What is that?”
The 2nd Age-equipped Vikings suddenly launched an assault directly at Joseon’s main base.
“Wha—!?”
They’d been turning around for quite some time already, but this ambush had been so perfectly executed that even the commentators hadn’t noticed it.
“Wait, those Vikings armed in the second era! I was wondering where they went!! They’re already coming back this way!?”
“This is dangerous!”
Rather than suppressing Joseon’s outpost raids, they had crossed over to this side.
“As if they realized Joseon would eventually back off anyway! Heading straight for the enemy’s main base!?”
“Ah…! Brilliant strategy! From Joseon’s perspective, if this was going to happen, they should have plundered without withdrawing troops!!!”
Whoosh!
Several Vikings burst out from between the trees.
“The Vikings are entering unopposed!”
Suddenly appearing from the workers’ logging grounds, they began mercilessly cutting down the workers instead of trees.
Thwack!
Crack!
They swung and threw their axes, relentlessly catching the fleeing workers.
-Terrifying
-That’s scary as hell
-Is this Vikings!?
-“Northern barbarians”
“Ah. Plunder! Plunderrrr!!”
One of the Viking faction mechanics.
Plunder.
“The Vikings are saying it! Workers!? That’s money! When Vikings catch workers, they steal their resources!? It’s instant conversion!”
When Vikings destroy or kill the opponent’s production units, they gain gold.
-Viking-style conversion lmao
-The plundering people vs the delivery people
-Noxus-style conversion oof
-Their stamina and combat power are insane fr
-They’re breaking through this too
Ding!
An order comes down from Joseon’s side.
[Evacuate]
All workers evacuate, entering the town hall and defensive towers.
And every worker fires arrows.
As countless arrows are shot at the Vikings, they retreat.
They pushed them back, but the worker casualties were significant.
“Ah. Now Joseon and Vikings have exchanged blows. Joseon lost quite a few workers.”
“Yes. Fortunately, they didn’t touch the gold mine, which is directly linked to upgrades. The Vikings, having already depleted their food resources, didn’t want to lose their second-era warriors, so they withdrew quickly.”
“Yes. If they die, they drop all those weapons and armor! They can’t afford that!”
After that, the Vikings repaired their hunting outposts, and Joseon recruited new workers, and so on.
A period of mutual recovery followed.
“Ah. This match is flowing very entertainingly! Now we have no idea who will win!?”
“Yes! That’s right! Just when you think Vikings are winning, Joseon seems to be winning, and now we don’t know! They’re going back and forth very evenly!?”
The Caster poses a question.
“But honestly, if Joseon just gets past this early game, wouldn’t Joseon have the advantage!?”
-True
-The promised 3rd Age
-Isn’t that why they say it’s evenly matched when you factor that in?
-Here he comes
Joseon grows stronger from the 3rd Age onward, while Viking is the complete opposite.
The Caster is highlighting exactly that point.
As if on cue, a drum sound echoes ominously.
Boom.
[Viking – 3rd Age]
Viking advances to the 3rd Age.
“Ah! Viking enters the 3rd Age!”
-Viking goes first lol
-Can’t help it, the gap’s already widened quite a bit;
-But why is Viking advancing to 3rd Age so fast??
“Hmm? That’s quite an interesting decision? Viking. I thought they’d maximize their advantage in the 2nd Age and then follow along to the 3rd Age….”
Once again, Viking was the first to advance ages.
However—
Boom.
[Joseon – 3rd Age]
Joseon quickly catches up.
It was distinctly different from before.
“Ahhh! Joseon too! Joseon’s 3rd Age! This changes everything!? Joseon’s 3rd Age is the Miracle of the Han River, you see! The Lost 3rd Age and the Miracle of the Han River! The difference is stark!”
-The Miracle of the Han River King lol
-Saemaul Movement let’s go~!
-Kek
“Exactly. Now the Gakgung appears!?”
The Observer then alternates showing both sides’ situations.
After reaching the 3rd Age, you could infer what strategy each faction would employ by observing the buildings being constructed and the flow of workers.
“Didn’t I say something seemed off about Viking?”
“That’s right. While it’s understandable to advance to the 2nd Age first, there’s no reason to rush the 3rd Age!”
“Exactly. But….”
King Gul pauses, examining the Viking faction’s side before continuing.
“I have a feeling Viking might be preparing for the 4th Age?”
“What!?”
-OMG
-Valhalla!?
-Whoa
-Haha that’s some romantic gameplay
-Are you watching a 4th Era battle?
“As you know, the Vikings don’t have any decisive faction in the 3rd Era. The Axe Warrior faction is decent enough, but it’s not really suited for the 3rd Era.”
The Axe Warrior.
As health decreases, movement speed and attack power increase, and recovery from damage grows.
In other words, by continuously striking opponents with low health, I can rapidly recover my health.
“Ah, yes. By the 3rd Era, each civilization’s peak-performance weapons emerge, so… units often get knocked out in a single hit. Siege weapons are terrifying too.”
The Axe Warrior faction, which fights while enduring, has low utility.
“Exactly. It’s practically useless. It doesn’t match the 3rd Era combat dynamics.”
-That’s real
-It’s more useless than I thought
-Kind of romantic though lol
-Why Vikings suck in the 3rd Era
The 3rd Era was gradually becoming an era of technological competition.
Joseon brought forth the Gakgung, Espana fought with firearms, and nearly every civilization fielded cavalry.
Persia even went so far as to fight mounted on elephants at this time.
Against such overwhelming forces, the Vikings still had to fight bare-handed, making the Axe Warrior faction utterly powerless.
“The moment their health runs out, they’re practically at death’s door!? This faction doesn’t even activate for a few seconds before dying!”
“Exactly. But! When this Axe Warrior! meets the Valhalla faction! What happens?”
Valhalla.
The 4th Era faction called the Vikings’ last hope.
A faction that allows Viking warriors to revive once on the battlefield after death.
“Ah…!?”
Even if the Axe Warrior alone is a useless faction, together with Valhalla, that Axe Warrior gets another chance to activate.
Moreover, since the Berserker cooldown resets upon revival, they charge at enemies again in an instant and guarantee taking down at least one opponent.
-Scary
-That’s true
-So they’re really aiming for the 4th Era?
“Right now the Vikings are ignoring everything else and building the necessary structures for the 4th Era one by one! It contrasts with Joseon’s situation!?”
Joseon has halted civilization upgrades for now to prepare for proper 3rd Era combat.
They’re producing Gakgung and preparing Gakgung Archer training.
“So, the Gakgung appears, and since Vikings can’t ride horses… what about Mounted Archers?”
“Ah, that’s not a bad choice either, but….”
King Gul hesitated slightly in his response.
The idea that Vikings would be at a disadvantage without horses, so mounted archers would be advantageous, was too simplistic thinking.
“Mounted Archers are best used for harassing workers. But Vikings don’t care much about workers. They need to destroy hunting lodge buildings.”
“Ah…!”
Mounted Archers had no ability to destroy buildings.
It meant Mounted Archers had to be deployed purely in open field combat.
“When Vikings charge with their Berserker faction, the horses get knocked over, making this extremely awkward.”
Facing 3rd Era or higher warriors directly on the battlefield wasn’t easy.
“Ah. Since Vikings can’t ride horses, it seems they’ve prepared countermeasures for that instead?”
“Yes. So Mounted Archers aren’t as good as expected! But still! I thought it wouldn’t be bad to go with Mounted Archers… but!”
Joseon had prepared a new faction they hadn’t upgraded until now.
[Pyeonjeon – 1%]
“Ahhh! This is a faction choice that’s appearing for the first time in this tournament!?”
-Wow
-Insane
-They’ve lost it
-They’re really doing this??
-If they do this, they’re not using Mounted Archers
-Joseon Vulture retired, Joseon Ghost has entered
-Both sides are chasing their dreams lol

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————