A single match in the game Triachia sees players engaging in dozens of rock-paper-scissors exchanges.
There is never one definitive correct answer; in fact, depending on a player’s individual prowess, it is not uncommon for scissors to even triumph over rock.
It is a duel strictly between two, allowing no room for outside intervention.
Players must gain the upper hand in the back-and-forth psychological warfare, and movements executed in mere seconds relentlessly test an individual’s capabilities.
With no variables beyond ‘me’ and ‘you,’ Triachia starkly delineates the realms of novices, intermediates, and masters.
It is a game where no excuses can be made.
A cruel game, indeed, where professional gamers routinely achieve win rates exceeding ninety percent against amateurs.
Consequently, the exhilaration derived from victory in Triachia is unparalleled by any other game.
For a victory in a multi-game series serves as the ultimate proof of one’s superiority over an opponent.
Currently, the situation is decidedly in my favor.
Having successfully pulled off a ‘naked double’ (TL Note: A strategy in real-time strategy games where a player builds a second base very early, often before significant military production, to gain an economic advantage, but at the risk of being vulnerable to early attacks) without incurring any damage, cementing this advantage should be manageable even for an intermediate player.
Should I, then, underestimate my opponent?
[ ^______^ – [Korea] Custom Game — Wins 16, Losses 0, Disconnects 0 ]
No.
To harbor such a thought, even after witnessing their impressive record of fifteen consecutive victories—discounting the initial loss I dealt them—would disqualify me from ever calling myself a master.
Thus, I would never allow myself to lower my guard.
Given that I had only recently activated resource acquisition at my expansion, my immediate military presence was exceedingly sparse.
Consequently, I constructed a trench and secretly dispatched a single worker beyond my base.
“Kyaaaak!!”
No sooner had I garrisoned an Elf Archer within the newly constructed trench than the enemy’s Drake descended upon us.
The range of both the Drake and the Elf Archer was identical.
While a Drake, based purely on unit statistics, could effortlessly overpower an Elf Archer,
the Elf, well-protected within the trench, remained inaccessible.
This, however, effectively meant I was confined to my main base.
For the instant I ventured beyond the trench’s perimeter, the opponent’s Drake would surely decimate my vulnerable Elf.
‘I pulled out a worker for this very purpose.’
I directed the Dwarf worker, previously snuck out to the periphery, to circle around and advance towards the opponent’s main base.
The objective of this scouting mission was singular.
It was to determine whether my opponent was securing their expansion and planning for a late-game strategy, or if they were constructing additional unit production buildings and preparing an all-in rush.
One by one, Drakes began to accumulate just beyond the trench’s effective range.
My opponent was, with absolute certainty, in the process of upgrading their Drakes’ attack range.
Judging by the elapsed time… it would likely be completed within approximately ten seconds.
Boom! Bang!
Yet, no sooner had this thought crossed my mind than the Drakes began spitting fireballs.
The upgraded Drakes were now attacking from beyond the Elves’ range.
But so soon?
“Leave it to me!”
The moment I registered the incoming attack, I immediately instructed the Dwarf worker to attach themselves to the trench and begin repairs.
This was due to the Dwarves’ inherent racial trait: a fundamental ability to repair buildings and mechanical units.
Naturally, this action consumed resources, precluding any indiscriminate overuse.
Until the ‘Battle Mage’ could emerge from the advanced unit training facility, which was still under construction, I had no recourse but to endure these one-sided blows.
This was a fundamental strategy: to bait me into expending resources on repairs, thereby narrowing the resource gap between us, even if only slightly.
While an ordinary opponent might have been content with this…
“Kereuk!!”
“Tsk.”
My opponent, however, adopted a far more aggressive posture.
They even moved their Drakes within the trench’s range, attempting to eliminate my worker who was diligently repairing.
I hastily pulled back one Dwarf worker who was being focused-fired, drawing them further inside the trench.
Although the Drake tenaciously pursued the Dwarf, whose health had been severely depleted, my timely reaction fortunately allowed the worker to evade capture.
As a result, I suffered no unit losses, instead gaining the advantage of embedding arrows into the Drakes’ bodies.
[ ^______^ : You reacted to that? ]
It had, undeniably, been a perilous situation.
After all, I was simultaneously producing Battle Mages in my main base, expanding my infrastructure, and micro-managing a worker on a scouting mission.
Had I overlooked the opponent’s subtle movement on the minimap, I would almost certainly have lost one or two workers.
[ 딸피 판독기 : If your health is whittled down that much, can you really stop my timing push? ]
[ ^______^ : Yes. ]
I already knew this opponent possessed an extraordinary level of skill.
I had initially estimated the Drake range upgrade would conclude in ten seconds,
yet, owing to my opponent’s exceptional build optimization, they completed the upgrade ahead of schedule.
The tension mounted, as if I were engaged in a high-stakes ranked match.
Just then, the worker I had sent on a wide detour, circling towards the opponent’s main base, finally reached their expansion.
The paramount objective was to confirm whether the opponent had constructed the Dragonkin’s primary structure, the Cathedral, at their expansion.
A secondary goal was to penetrate their main base and ascertain their complete build order.
Achieving the latter would completely eliminate all variables, ensuring my victory.
[ ^______^ : Cut! ]
However, it seemed my opponent had anticipated the worker’s arrival, as they intercepted it with two Drakes they had pre-positioned.
The silver lining, perhaps, was that I had indeed confirmed a Cathedral was actively under construction at their expansion.
[ 딸피 판독기 : How did you know? ]
[ ^______^ : No Knights emerged. ]
[ ^______^ : Typically, one would send out a scouting Knight much earlier. ]
[ ^______^ : It simply wouldn’t make sense otherwise, unless you had pulled a worker out in advance. ]
[ 딸피 판독기 : Oh. ]
Interesting.
Could it be that in the past, due to a ‘finger issue’ (TL Note: A common euphemism in Korean gaming for poor control or dexterity), their control skills were lacking, and they could only improve their score through meticulous foresight and strategic macro-management?
It had been a considerable time since I’d encountered a player whose mind worked with such strategic depth.
On the contrary, it was precisely for this reason that I felt an exceptional thrill when playing against an opponent capable of such an intricate war of wits.
In any case, having confirmed that my opponent had also, albeit belatedly, secured their expansion, an all-in rush could now be eliminated as a possibility.
That left only one path ahead.
It was slowly approaching the time for offense and defense to switch roles.
“Do you need my help?”
For at last, after a period of anticipation, a Battle Mage had emerged.
The Battle Mage stands as the foremost offensive unit among the Human forces.
Even considering only its production prerequisites, it demands an advanced unit training facility, the declaration of [Policy Declaration – Magic Specialization], and an exceptionally lengthy production time, yet…
it boasts an overwhelming performance that more than justifies such demands.
Firstly, its range.
This formidable unit’s base attack range utterly eclipses that of a Drake.
Even against a Drake that has undergone a range upgrade, the difference remains remarkably significant.
“Fireball!”
Boom!
The Drake, which had been relentlessly pounding my trench, was struck by a fireball and recoiled in startled retreat.
The attack, imbued with potent damage, visibly depleted the Drake’s health.
Furthermore, uncharacteristically for a human unit, it possessed a mana shield, granting it a comparatively high base health,
and boasted myriad other advantages too numerous to list—this was the true flower of humanity: the Battle Mage.
And when three or more of these units began to accumulate, their destructive power became utterly maximized.
That precise moment marked the shifting of offense to defense.
Now, the moment had arrived for me to launch a decisive, one-sided assault on my opponent.
“Kiiieek!!”
The problem, however, was that my opponent was well aware that an accumulation of Battle Mages would inevitably lead to their defeat.
From my opponent’s perspective, what would be the conventional, orthodox choice?
Firstly, they would recall their Drakes, then attempt to overcome the disadvantageous engagement by leveraging terrain advantages and superior control to extract the best possible outcome.
That was the standard, textbook counter to my impending timing push.
My opponent, however, opted for an unorthodox maneuver.
The Drakes, which had appeared to be retreating to the rear, were suddenly thrust forward, aiming directly for my Battle Mage.
Their objective was to isolate and eliminate the lone Battle Mage, thereby delaying my inevitable advance.
Four Drakes simultaneously unleashed a volley of fireballs upon the Battle Mage.
‘I knew they’d make a move eventually.’
Almost concurrent with that aggressive movement, the Battle Mage deftly retreated to the rear, executing a perfect hit-and-run.
Concurrently, the Dwarf workers who had been repairing the trench systematically clustered around the Battle Mage, beginning to transfer their mined resources.
As a result, the mana shield, which had been steadily depleted by the fireballs, instantly regenerated.
[ ^______^ : Ah. ]
Two Drakes, struck by a barrage of arrows from the trench and fireballs, collapsed one after another.
This was a triumph achieved by prioritizing attacks on the Drakes whose health had already been diminished.
My opponent, conversely, had narrowly failed to breach my Battle Mage’s mana shield.
Ultimately, only two of the four Drakes remained, staggering as they fled the battlefield.
An overwhelmingly one-sided advantage, indeed.
[ ^______^ : ;; ]
Why, in such a situation, do other players adhere to conventional strategies instead of attempting to eliminate the Battle Mage?
It is precisely because the risks associated with failure are immense.
Just as in this instance.
With this, the game had effectively swung to a 9:1 advantage.
[ 딸피 판독기 : Honestly, that was obvious. ]
The recent gain was not merely the result of quick reflexes.
Rather, I had already discerned my opponent’s tendencies, allowing me to prepare myself mentally in advance.
Attempting to target a worker instead of focusing on the trench?
Only players who relish unorthodox or overtly aggressive maneuvers would attempt such a play.
Having discerned my opponent’s playstyle from their earlier actions, it was not difficult to surmise that they might attempt to catch me off guard.
There were no further reversals in the ensuing situation.
I marched forth, leading several Knights, three Battle Mages, and even the Elf Archers who had been stationed within the trench.
Unsurprisingly, my opponent, having already lost two Drakes, possessed no means to impede this advance.
A small contingent of Dragon Whelps and Drakes struggled valiantly, yet the engagement culminated in nothing short of a one-sided slaughter at my hands.
[ ^______^ : gg… ]
Ultimately, unable to endure the relentless barrage of arrows, spears, and fireballs, the enemy’s expansion Cathedral crumbled, signaling their ‘Good Game’ (TL Note: A common term in gaming used to concede defeat).
I had successfully broken my opponent’s sixteen-game winning streak.
Frankly, this opponent possessed such a high level of skill that the ‘me’ from before my body swap would never have imagined winning so effortlessly.
Undeniably, I would have been out-micro’d, losing workers and even Battle Mages.
Had my delayed offensive ultimately been repelled, the advantageous situation could very well have been completely reversed.
Ahh…
Oh, the grace of five fingers.
It is boundless as the ocean itself…
Please, allow me to swiftly overcome the formidable barrier of using chopsticks.
[ ^______^ : Naked double is truly overpowered. ]
.
.
[ 딸피 판독기 : Nah, it was all psychological warfare. ]
.
.
[ 딸피 판독기 : I had you completely read throughout the entire game, haha. ]
[ ^______^ : Re? ]
[ ^______^ : Please give me one last match. ]
[ ^______^ : My true main race is Human. ]
.
.
[ 딸피 판독기 : You claimed to be proficient with all three races initially. ]
.
.
[ 딸피 판독기 : After seeing your Undead and Dragonkin, I don’t have much hope for your Human play either… ]
To be frank, their words lacked genuine sincerity.
On the contrary, I even found myself thinking, ‘Dragonkin wasn’t their main race?’
Was it merely a bluff?
Yet, the ensuing chat conveyed an undeniable sincerity.
[ ^______^ : Just give me one chance. ]
[ ^______^ : I will prove it. ]
I fell deep into contemplation.
While I knew that leaving the game at this juncture would be effective in provoking my opponent…
personally, a surge of ambition began to well up within me.
The reason was simple: it was rare to encounter such a ‘delicious’ (TL Note: A slang term implying an opponent who is challenging and enjoyable to play against, often because they engage in complex mind games) opponent, one capable of engaging in such an intricate psychological battle.
Furthermore, the fact that the preceding two matches had concluded too swiftly was another contributing factor.
My strengths truly manifested in late-game macro-management, yet my meticulously honed skills had repeatedly been cut short before they could truly shine.
Would my macro-game truly prove effective against an opponent of this caliber?
If I initiated a multi-tasking battle, how far could they truly push back?
A burgeoning sense of excitement swelled within me.
[ 딸피 판독기 : Okay. ]
[ 딸피 판독기 : Rematch, let’s go. ]
.
.
[ 딸피 판독기 : But before that, you should do what you have to. ]
[ ^______^ : ? ]
[ ^______^ : What do I have to do? ]
.
.
[ 딸피 판독기 : That thing we did before. ]
.
.
[ 딸피 판독기 : Why are you pretending not to know when you clearly do? ]
.
.
[ 딸피 판독기 : Should I just leave? ]
Silence once again settled between us.
As if the imposed time limit was moments before being ‘eliminated’ (TL Note: A gaming term for being forcibly defeated when all of one’s buildings are destroyed),
I diligently maneuvered my troops, commencing the destruction of my opponent’s main base.
Presently, just as my opponent’s final remaining structure came under attack,
a single line of chat appeared.
[ ^______^ : I beg you with folded hands… ]
[ ^______^ : A rematch, please… ]
[ 딸피 판독기 : Go go. ]
I nodded with a satisfied air.
