Before the players entered, only Chi-Seung and Sa-Rang were in the command room.
“He's been released.”
Chi-Seung came to Sa-Rang and informed her about Cosmic.
“Oh, really? They could have held him longer.”
Sa-Rang seemed slightly disappointed that he had been released, but soon shifted her focus back to the game.
“By the way, you mentioned earlier that the think tank had a strategy?”
Despite saying earlier that she couldn't play in the next game, she was now fully immersed in the feedback.
‘Something has changed.’
Chi-Seung thought that the note Cosmic had sent indeed had an effect. He didn't risk being mistaken for a terrorist for nothing.
‘What kind of relationship do they have?’
It wasn't easy for someone’s attitude to change drastically just because of a single note unless they had some kind of important relationship.
“We have a stamina issue. We need to change our command style.”
“Change the command style?”
Sa-Rang felt physically exhausted as a commander due to her meticulous orders. She didn’t just command battles. She directed every fight, which quickly wore her out.
This was like soccer players known for their flashy dribbling, who dribbled less over the years and got frequently injured. They quickly lost their physical ability. Such a style could only be maintained when one was young and energetic.
Sa-Rang was far from that now. She was confined to a wheelchair and hadn't participated in tournaments for years. Her condition as a player was at its worst. Clinging to her old style was like a soccer player insisting on flashy dribbling without properly warming up.
It was only a matter of time before she got injured and dropped out of the game. By the second game on the ocean map, her dribbling ability had already been pushed to its limit.
“Our players actually have good judgment on the ground, especially Carrot among the first string players. Vice commander Coffee, Pang, and also Malatang all have good judgment as first string players. Let’s leave it to them and focus more on what only the commander can do.”
Saying it was easy, but switching to a pass oriented game was not easy for a player who always dribbled their way through and took shots. Countless plans would tangle up in her head.
However, Sa-Rang couldn’t deny that the think tank’s conclusion was accurate. This was the only way to win the fifth game. She had to give up total tactical control and simply suggest strategies while focusing entirely on production and formation battles.
“But... will it work if we change so suddenly?”
However, she couldn't accept it easily. Only one match remained. Changing styles now would cause confusion.
Chi-Seung, as if he had anticipated this response, showed her something.
“Take a look at this.”
“... The Persian match?”
The video showed the first match that Sa-Rang participated in against Persia.
“Do you remember this?”
When she first gave orders, the execution was delayed due to the soldiers’ hesitation or timing issues.
“And then the next game.”
From this point on, the commander's order style changed. However, more than that, the soldiers’ attitudes also changed.
“And the Japan match.”
In the first game against Japan, they had already trained together for a week with Sa-Rang as the commander. The soldiers were now fully in sync with the commander’s orders.
Sa-Rang watched their movements closely. She could feel it. They truly trusted and relied on her. She also recalled that things hadn’t been just a week ago.
“I think it’s a matter of the heart. Whether you trust them or not.”
Time didn’t matter. That was Chi-Seung’s opinion.
“The soldiers trust the commander. Now it’s the commander’s turn to trust the soldiers.”
It would only be possible if they trusted each other.
Sa-Rang swallowed hard. Trusting and delegating to the soldiers...
She had once been unable to trust even the teammates next to her.
‘Can I really do it without giving orders?’
After some time, the commentators took their seats again.
The caster cleared his throat and waited for the cue. The broadcast screen lit up and the chat window appeared. A signal came from the director in the front.
“Now! The time has come,” the caster began with a solemn tone.
“That’s right. Both teams have nowhere to retreat!” OrangeKing also shouted with a serious expression.
“Oh, today is really intense. What do you think, OrangeKing?”
“Yes, it’s very intense. In the beginning, Joseon led strongly. However, they seemed a bit tired in the third and fourth games. Don’t you think? It seems the downside of a team that relies heavily on just their first string is starting to show.”
“I see. On the other hand, Japan’s solid team structure seems to be showing its advantages?”
“That’s right. There seems to be a reason why they always perform well in this game. On the other hand, our Joseon! Frankly, it’s tough. We all know they’re not a professional team, right?”
“Yes! That’s correct! Most of them have jobs! Didn’t we all watch the Fake National Team series? These people have to go to work next week!”
— It’s amazing they got this far
“Yes. Joseon is the only amateur team to make it to the main tournament.”
“And now, the players are entering!”
Both teams entered for the final game.
It was so loud that the commentators had to turn off their microphones.
“Ugh, ahhh!?” OrangeKing screamed unconsciously.
“The noise, it’s just too, too loud! Can you hear us!?”
— Both sides are desperate
— Each side thinks, "If we lose, we die" LOL
The relatively quiet Korean side erupted in a roar as if making up for lost time. Japan's side, not to be outdone, also roared with energy. Soon, both sides chanted their slogans.
The commentators’ voices were momentarily lost in the broadcast.
They could only open their mouths silently as their voices couldn’t get picked up.
— Whoa, the atmosphere is amazing!
— I want to be there too
— 2-2 is really exciting LOL
— Today’s winner will sleep well tonight
Sa-Rang flinched at the cheers. She had heard many cheers before but never anything as grand as today.
She looked at the audience with wide eyes.
It was packed with no empty seats. Despite the long match, no one had left and they continued to cheer. New and even more impressive cheering items kept appearing. She noticed several fascinating ones.
She tried to find Woo-Joo among the Korean audience, but realized it was impossible to spot one person in such a large venue.
Her wheelchair moved toward the capsule again. As the capsule drew closer, she recalled the discussions from the earlier meeting.
“Let’s conserve energy by delegating all tactical decisions to the players.”
“But we don’t have time. They need to be briefed beforehand.”
“I’ll go in and convey the message.”
“If we explain that we’re reverting to Cookie’s style, they’ll understand quickly.”
All tactical details would be left to the players' judgments on the ground. As the commander, she would focus only on the larger strategic picture.
‘Can I do it?’ she asked herself.
Could she truly trust the soldiers completely? And would she be able to fully accept the outcome? She had never been that kind of person in the past.
She entered the capsule. As the capsule closed, the thunderous cheers outside became muffled.
Sa-Rang took out the note she had kept.
Han Woo-Joo, a player who grew up dreaming of becoming a pro while watching JeonJaPa, eventually joined her team and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with her. However, he frequently voiced his opinions against her unilateral decisions, leading to constant conflict.
Looking back, Sa-Rang realized she had made many mistakes but never apologized. Instead, she abruptly announced her retirement.
Afterward, Woo-Joo moved to the U.S. and continued his pro career without contacting his former teammates. Numerous articles and gossip surfaced about the conflict between them.
Although many of these rumors were false, Woo-Joo let them be as did JeonJaPa. Since she was more popular, harsher opinions were directed at Woo-Joo. However, she did nothing to stop them, which deepened the emotional rift. Some rumors even stated that Woo-Joo would never set foot in Korea again.
Yet here he was suddenly in this stadium. Was it just to deliver this note? Sa-Rang didn't know. She simply stared at the note until the signal to connect came. Eventually, it grew too dark to see the words clearly.
She put the note back into her inner pocket at the signal.
With a warping effect, the scenery changed completely.
“I won’t die. Just like you said.”
She decided to trust her team because they trusted her first.
After all the players appeared on the field, the stadium’s augmented reality rendered the map.
“Now, the match has begun! Joseon and Japan! Japan and Joseon! The final game! Oh... looking at the map being rendered, is it a mountain map? The elevation is quite significant!”
“Oh, if that’s the case, it’s quite advantageous for Joseon... but!?” OrangeKing paused.
What seemed like mountains were islands. The rest was all sea.
Following the second game, another ocean map had appeared.
— The finale is insane LOL
Large and small islands connected here and there with deep and rugged waters in between.
This was another sea map in Civil Empire.
Choi Sa-Rang was a seasoned commander, but she couldn’t hide her expression at this moment.
The rolling sea greatly wavered in her eyes.