‘Appearance’—what a truly cruel word it is.
Everyone has likely experienced the impulse to buy a seemingly useless item displayed in a store, simply because it satisfied their aesthetic sensibilities.
Even if such a purchase proves inconvenient for its essential purpose due to an inefficient design, the buyer often substitutes practicality with the sheer satisfaction of visual pleasure.
Yet, this satisfaction rarely lasts more than a few months.
As time passes and the object ceases to stir one’s emotions, people invariably return to choosing items that, while perhaps plain and unrefined, remain true to their core purpose.
Thus, ‘appearance’ ultimately provides only short-term positive effects.
****
The same held true for Kang Nari.
Blessed with striking looks, she had harbored aspirations of entering the entertainment industry since childhood.
Playing instruments. Singing. Dancing. Acting.
Countless hours and significant sums of money were poured into honing the talents that might lead her to this dream.
Yet, every one of those endeavors ultimately fell short of even average skill.
Thus, Kang Nari was merely a product with a pleasing exterior but insufficient substance.
But was that truly the end of it?
As if to prove she wasn’t alone in her beauty, Kang Nari’s perceived extraordinariness became mere ordinariness among her rivals.
Her looks were high-tier but far from overwhelming.
Her artistic talents, despite twice the effort of others, still lagged behind.
On that day, Kang Nari etched the wound of her lack of talent into her heart and humbly relinquished her dreams.
Therefore, her story became nothing more than one of the many commonplace tales of failure in the world.
Having gained the ability to objectively assess herself based on past experiences, Kang Nari made a choice.
She concluded that with her current physical talents, she could never succeed in the streaming industry by merely following the trend of popular games.
To jump into a market saturated with countless top-tier female streamers?
As someone constantly struggling in the lower tiers, she knew she could never compete.
Hence, Triakia.
This deeply entrenched, ‘dead’ game, regardless of a player’s skill level, could attract numerous viewers simply by playing as a ‘newbie’.
This strategy, indeed, struck gold, proving to be a pivotal turning point in her life.
However, this choice carried another, deeper implication.
That with her own limited talents, she could never surpass an average skill level in any game…
She had accepted this truth deep within her heart.
Therefore, Yoo Seo-ha’s proposition delivered a profound shock.
It suggested that even with her seemingly cursed hands, her abysmal reaction time, and her poor multitasking abilities, she could still aspire to reach the peak.
Simply by cultivating an eye for reading the flow of the game.
“……I’ll begin.”
[Yes. I’m watching.]
Her opponent was a Human player.
Judging by their average win rate, they were likely a typical private room player.
This meant their opponent’s score was approximately in the 2,000s.
Filled with tension, she distributed her Skeleton Workers to the mines.
The Undead’s main structure was the Mortuary.
Uniquely, this race did not employ the common method of producing units directly from buildings, unlike others.
Instead, corpses were generated from the Mortuary at regular intervals, and Undead units were then summoned by applying dark magic to these corpses.
“What’s the early build order?”
[Let’s play it safe. Get a Ghost Ship first, then build an Underground Tomb.]
“A Ghost Tomb (TL Note: A strategic build order in the game involving Ghost Ships and Underground Tombs)? Isn’t that usually ineffective against Human players?”
[My thinking is that if we can drag the game into the late stages, we won’t lose. You know this build, right?]
“Yes, I’ve practiced it extensively.”
Once nine Skeleton Workers had gathered, she transformed a single corpse into a Ghost Ship.
As soon as she amassed 200 gold, she promptly sacrificed a Skeleton Worker to construct an Underground Tomb.
This particular build offered a stable balance of offense and defense, capable of fending off early rushes and sustaining through the late game.
[Keep using corpses without interruption.]
“So, I should produce workers?”
[Yes, that’s right. Produce up to three.]
“What’s the next step?”
[Expand one to the natural expansion, send one to scout, and have one mine at the main base. Oh! And scout diagonally.]
Up to this point, it was the standard Ghost Tomb build that Kang Nari was already familiar with.
Nine Skeleton Workers were assigned, perfectly matching the nine mining nodes in the main base.
This allowed for the efficient extraction of Aether (TL Note: A primary resource in the game) without any idle mines.
Kang Nari’s starting position was at the 7 o’clock mark on the map.
The 11 o’clock direction, where her first Ghost Ship had ventured, revealed no enemy presence.
Consequently, she dispatched a worker toward the 5 o’clock position.
“How many Ghouls should I produce?”
[Since there’s been no scout yet, it’s unlikely they’re going for an 8-unit rush. Let’s just make two.]
Given that two Ghouls could be produced from a single corpse, only one was expended.
Just as the Ghouls were being spawned, the worker she had sent diagonally discovered the enemy.
Kang Nari felt a flicker of surprise.
It was Yoo Seo-ha, after all, who had instructed her to send the worker diagonally, rather than to the habitual 5 o’clock position.
“How did you know they were diagonally across?”
[It’s a matter of probability. Most players scout clockwise, so if we haven’t been scouted yet, the chances of them being at 5 o’clock are low.]
“Ah, I see. If the opponent had been at 5 o’clock, their initial scout would have found me much earlier.”
[Exactly.]
The opponent’s natural expansion was completely empty.
This implied they weren’t going for a fast double expansion, meaning her build wasn’t perfectly countered.
However, the Ghost Tomb build prioritized stability over early economic prosperity.
If the opponent wasn’t employing an early-game power build, then it was equally disadvantageous for them.
[It’s almost time for the opponent to send their scout, so position those two Ghouls you just produced at the entrance to block them.]
“What about my scouting worker? I’ve seen enough; should I try to save it and pull it back?”
[No. Just let it get hit by the Elf Archers and push it deeper into their base.]
Following the instruction, she sent the Skeleton Worker deep into the opponent’s main base.
Though it endured several arrows from the Elf Archers, it successfully gathered all the crucial information.
[…The opponent is using a rather outdated build.]
“Oh? What makes you say that?”
[Look. They’re constructing two basic unit barracks, aren’t they? And continuously producing Elf Archers.]
“You’re right. They’re not even building an Illusium Extractor (TL Note: A structure for gathering Illusium, a resource in the game). What kind of build is this?”
[It’s a Two-Barracks Council Hall build (TL Note: A strategy involving two unit-producing buildings, focusing on early aggression). It’s designed to exert pressure early on.]
“Is this a build that’s not commonly used anymore?”
[It’s still viable, but there are many more optimal builds available now.]
“Ah, I see.”
[You see? Players around 2,000 points typically lack flexibility, sticking to just one or two builds they’re familiar with. If we can just weather their initial attack, they’ll likely crumble on their own in the late game.]
Just then, the opponent’s Dwarf Worker was spotted loitering around Kang Nari’s natural expansion.
She immediately moved to engage it with her Ghouls, but—
[Keep the Ghouls blocking the entrance. The worker will eventually try to push in and die on its own.]
“Oh…? Alright.”
Just as Yoo Seo-ha had predicted, the opponent briefly surveyed the natural expansion where the Mortuary stood, then began moving toward the main base.
Naturally, the Ghouls immediately swarmed the Dwarf, attacking it.
“It’s true… They actually came in?”
[Since you’ve caught the scout, send the Ghouls toward the opponent’s natural expansion. We need to observe their advance timing.]
“I-I’ve sent them.”
[Send the newly produced Ghost Ship to the terrain above your natural expansion. From now on, use all corpses to produce only workers. Also, build an Illusium Extractor.]
None of the demands were particularly challenging.
Kang Nari systematically began to execute each command she received.
Typically, Liches (TL Note: Powerful Undead spellcasters) were frequently employed against Human opponents.
The strength of Human forces grew exponentially as they clustered together.
Liches served to disrupt the opponent’s infantry formations, breaking them into smaller, isolated groups before they could consolidate their strength.
However, the critical issue was this:
Utilizing Liches effectively demanded a foundational level of micro-management.
“Are we going to use Liches?”
[No. We’ll be focusing on Ghouls and Necromancers (TL Note: Undead spellcasters capable of raising skeletons).]
“Oh, um, their synergy with Human infantry isn’t particularly good. Is that really alright?”
[It’s fine.]
Yoo Seo-ha seemed to have a distinct plan in mind.
Thus, she constructed a Dark Magic Archive (TL Note: A building required to train Necromancers) to produce Necromancers.
[The opponent is moving out. Pull back your Ghouls.]
“Ah!”
[It’s alright. They didn’t die.]
A contingent of Elf Archers and Priests suddenly emerged from the opponent’s main base.
Distracted, Kang Nari had missed their movement, but Yoo Seo-ha’s urgent words allowed her to hastily recall her Ghouls.
Her slightly delayed reaction meant they took a few arrow hits.
[Now, construct four Corpse Spurt Turrets (TL Note: Undead defensive towers that attack ground units) at the natural expansion. Since they’re coming from the diagonal, it’s not too late to build them now.]
“Oh, alright.”
[Build them in a straight line, not zigzag, so all four can attack simultaneously. And use all available corpses to produce Ghouls.]
Four Skeleton Workers hurriedly emerged at the natural expansion, dismantling their own forms to construct the buildings.
The Undead possessed two types of defensive towers, each capable of attacking only either ground or air units.
And the Corpse Spurt Turret, as expected, was the defensive tower capable of engaging ground targets.
[Now, pull one worker toward the 9 o’clock position.]
“Right. I should just hide it, shouldn’t I?”
[Yes. Have the Ghouls that survived earlier harass the opponent’s forces from behind. You don’t need to look at any other screens right now; just concentrate on that.]
“Understood. I’ll give it a try.”
[Given the timing, their range upgrade likely hasn’t completed yet, so it shouldn’t be too difficult. It’s probable that the upgrade will finish just as they arrive at our natural expansion.]
“Ah, so that’s their optimized timing?”
[Exactly.]
Two Ghouls circled around to the rear of the opponent’s advancing army.
From the opponent’s perspective, they couldn’t simply ignore them.
There would undoubtedly be reinforcements joining their main force, and those would surely be traversing the dark map alone.
Unclustered, Elf Archers were far from formidable.
Therefore, there was a risk that these reinforcements could be cut off by a mere two Ghouls.
[If you see follow-up Elves approaching, feign an attack, then immediately pull back.]
“Ah! Here they come!”
The Ghouls lunged toward the lone Elf Archer advancing toward Kang Nari’s natural expansion.
Yet, the Ghouls, which had bared their fangs as if to tear the Elf apart, suddenly turned and fled.
It was a sound decision.
For the opponent’s main force had momentarily halted its advance, turning back to eliminate the two Ghouls.
[Well done. This is how we gradually delay their advance.]
“Wow…”
[It’s not difficult, is it?]
“No. Not at all…”
This scenario repeated itself two more times.
Ultimately, the opponent was forced to disregard the Ghouls at their rear and push toward Kang Nari’s natural expansion.
Any further delay in their advance would mean a complete loss of their timing advantage.
However, the Corpse Spurt Turrets had long since been completed.
Moreover, over a dozen Ghouls, newly spawned, were snarling ferociously.
Witnessing this, the Elves hesitated, unable to approach.
The Ghouls at the rear had killed two Elf Archers who were walking to join the main force.
Although the Ghouls were also killed in the exchange, it was a significant resource advantage.
Two Elf Archers cost 100 gold, while two Ghouls cost only 50 gold.
[The opponent won’t be able to easily break through. From now on, every time one of their Priests joins the main force, build an additional Corpse Spurt Turret to match their numbers.]
“A Priest just arrived, so I’ll build another one.”
The Ghost Ship, positioned earlier above the natural expansion’s terrain, helped her meticulously track the opponent’s forces.
This, too, was thanks to Yoo Seo-ha’s prior instructions.
The opponent found themselves unable to easily commit to Kang Nari’s solidly established defenses.
No matter how strong Elves became when clustered, the sheer number of Corpse Spurt Turrets and Ghouls was overwhelming.
Furthermore, Elf Archers’ arrows dealt reduced damage against buildings, which would only add to their burden.
[The opponent is playing from their main base. We have an expansion, so even if we just maintain this standoff, we’ll have a resource advantage.]
“You’re right. I have money to spare.”
[First, upgrade your main Mortuary to a Medium Mausoleum (TL Note: An upgraded Mortuary, allowing for stronger unit production). Then, send the worker you pulled to 9 o’clock to establish an expansion at 11 o’clock.]
“If our forces head there now, won’t it be immediately destroyed?”
[It might be, but judging by the opponent’s skill level, they’ll never notice.]
“……”
A stealth expansion.
Among skilled players, who constantly check opponent resource counts, attempting this in the early game would be immediately noticed.
However, players of that caliber were rare, especially in private rooms.
If she established an expansion at 11 o’clock, not 9 or 6, the opponent’s chance of noticing would approach zero.
As if to confirm her words, the opponent merely continued to gather their forces at their natural expansion.
[They’re going to try to break through soon. Their forces indicate they’re determined to take your natural.]
“I’ll build more Corpse Spurt Turrets.”
[Build plenty, won’t you? After all, our expansion advantage is threefold. If we hold this, we’ll definitely win.]
Kang Nari’s natural expansion began to be plastered with defensive towers.
Upon seeing this sight, the opponent’s forces flinched.
If they waited for all the buildings to be completed, defeat was certain.
Though heavily disadvantaged, they had no choice but to attempt a breakthrough.
“They’re coming in!”
The Elf Archers awakened their bodies by drinking World Tree’s Dew (TL Note: An ability that increases attack and movement speed at the cost of health).
This technique, while reducing health slightly, increased attack and movement speed.
It was the most crucial upgrade for Human infantry forces.
Yoo Seo-ha calmly stated, observing the Elves:
[Just set your Ghouls to attack-move and watch. It’s a skirmish, after all.]
Would it truly unfold so easily?
Kang Nari watched the battle with a tense expression.
Soon after, Elves and Ghouls clashed.
