Chapter 83
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The Imperial military department strategy officer exam.
It was conducted in a significantly different atmosphere compared to other “Galaxy Craft” competitions.
Previously, there were over 1,000 participants.
But this time, only 32 participants were selected based on previous competition results and ladder rankings.
Only one winner, determined through a tournament format, could secure a position as the Imperial Military Strategy Officer.
“Serra, show them your skills to the fullest!”
“Jorgo, you are the last hope of our family!”
“If you fail again this time, you’ll have to enroll in the academy!”
The enthusiastic cheering was reminiscent of an academy entrance exam.
As the competition began in earnest, all spectators had to leave the venue.
Families and acquaintances who accompanied the participants shouted their final encouragements before stepping out of the examination hall.
“Then, we shall begin the test.”
With the Knight Commander’s declaration, the atmosphere became heavy.
Unlike the cheers of typical gaming tournaments, the mood here was entirely different.
This was the Imperial Military.
A place to select a strategist who would support the Empire.
Naturally, the evaluation criteria had to differ as well.
“As you know, this is to select the new strategy officer for the Imperial military. The evaluation criteria do not solely focus on victory. It’s about assessing whether you can take responsibility for the Empire’s forces. We will judge the effectiveness of your strategies. Keep this in mind as you compete.”
Victory alone wasn’t the priority.
The competence shown, the understanding of strategies, and how applicable those strategies would be to the Imperial military.
Everything was comprehensively evaluated to select the final strategy officer.
‘But why would you decide that through a game, you crazy people?’
Looking at the Knight Commander, who was passionately delivering a speech while spitting slightly, Rai thought.
He let out a small laugh while glancing at the participants and knights who were listening with serious expressions.
‘Most of these people haven’t even graduated from a military academy. Is it really okay to decide this based on gaming skills?’
Rai had been invited to provide advice on the selection process for the military strategy officer.
Honestly, Rai found the idea of choosing a strategy officer through a game absurd.
However, observing the situation here, it seemed the Imperial officials genuinely believed it was effective.
For someone like Rai, who had only ever seen games as games, this was baffling.
And so, the strategy officer selection exam began.
“Ah! Johan is already—”
“……”
“Ahem. I apologize.”
Rai, seated at the evaluation table with the Knight Commander and the Minister of Military Affairs, was watching the matches.
He unconsciously slipped into his habit of commentating, raising his voice.
“Hmm, hmm. Johan has already won an international competition hosted by the Imperial family. His Terra gameplay is truly an art. Indeed, if he plans to build strategies for the Imperial forces, playing Terra seems appropriate.”
“Hmm… I see.”
However, this was a solemn strategy officer selection exam (conducted through games).
There was no need to commentate loudly like in a tournament.
Rai, regaining his composure, diligently analyzed the players’ gameplay and skill levels.
The exam progressed to the semifinals.
It was a match between Kong Jino and a Terra player.
“Ah…! That’s…!”
“What is this? Kong Jino isn’t producing drones.”
“It’s a 4-drone, 4-drone rush!”
“4-drone?”
‘I must win no matter what…!’
As soon as the match began.
With incredible speed, Kong Jino built a spawning pool and stopped producing worker drones.
Instead, he used all the gathered resources to produce six Zerglings, the basic units of the Zerg race, launching an immediate attack on the opponent’s base.
“This strategy exploits Terra’s early-game vulnerability… I mean, targets it directly. It’s a strategy that uses all the early-gathered minerals to produce Zerglings and attack!”
“Oh…! So, he exploited the opponent’s weakness.”
Rai was impressed.
Of course, the 4-drone rush was a valid early-game strategy even in his previous life.
But at this point, “Galaxy Craft” had only been recently introduced in this world.
Moreover, executing such a strategy for the first time in a high-pressure setting like this.
It wasn’t something just anyone could do without significant research and a strong mental resolve.
“Indeed, his boldness and skill are extraordinary. Even conceiving that strategy for the first time deserves high praise.”
In the future, countless players would imitate this opportunistic strategy.
But the genius who first discovered such a strategy was always special.
Understanding this, Rai held Kong Jino in even higher regard.
“That ended incredibly quickly.”
“The final match is between Johan and Kong Jino.”
“Indeed, the most outstanding players have advanced. Kong Jino is exceptional, but he’s always placed second in every match.”
The semifinal match with Kong Jino’s 4-drone rush ended swiftly.
Only the final match remained.
Kong Jino’s opponent in the finals was Johan, someone he had previously lost to.
“Riot, do you think Kong Jino’s skills are lacking?”
“Not at all. His skills are remarkable. However, the Zergling race and its peculiarities, along with the luck involved in finals, tend to work against him. Purely in terms of skill, he isn’t falling behind… but who knows.”
“Hmm…”
Before the final match, Kong Jino, tense, was pondering his next strategy.
‘Under normal circumstances, I should have used the 4-drone strategy in the finals. But my semifinal opponent was too strong, so I had to use it early.’
Kong Jino looked up at Johan.
Unlike the tense Kong Jino, Johan wore a relaxed expression.
It was partly because Johan had already defeated Kong Jino before.
‘Johan must have prepared a countermeasure for the 4-drone strategy after seeing the last match. Should I exploit that expectation and try a different strategy? If the 4-drone strategy fails, it’s practically a loss. It’s almost impossible to build up later. But I can’t beat Johan’s Terra with a conventional strategy…’
It was an intense dilemma.
What strategy should he use?
A standard strategy seemed unlikely to defeat Johan.
But the 4-drone strategy had already been revealed, so the opponent was likely prepared to some extent.
After much deliberation, Kong Jino made up his mind.
‘I’ll go with the 4-drone strategy.’
The 4-drone strategy was extremely difficult for the Terra race to counter early on.
Moreover, having seen it only once, Johan might not yet have the perfect countermeasure.
The answer was 4-drone.
Kong Jino chose to gamble boldly.
“Let us begin.”
And so, the final match began.
As soon as the game started, Kong Jino quickly moved his hands, constructing a spawning pool.
It was time to produce Zerglings and begin the rush.
“It’s the 4-Drone strategy again.”
“Do you think it will work, Riot-kyung?”
“I’m not sure. Since it’s been shown once already, it depends on how Johan responds.”
Six Zerglings raced across the map, quickly breaking through the fog of war.
Kong Jino continued producing Zerglings, his trembling hands working relentlessly.
And then, the Zerglings reached Johan’s base.
“It’s not ending quickly like the last match.”
“It seems Johan has come up with a countermeasure.”
Kong Jino kept sending Zerglings to destroy Johan’s workers.
However, Johan stood firm, building Barracks and Bunkers.
As time passed, Johan began to amass troops.
‘He figured out a way to counter the 4-Drone strategy in such a short time. Johan isn’t ordinary either.’
At this point, Rai already knew what would happen next.
If the 4-Drone rush failed and the game stretched into the mid-to-late game, Kong Jino would inevitably be at a disadvantage.
Johan quickly realized this and used Barracks and Bunkers to endure the initial rush.
“This could go either way now.”
‘No, this is disadvantageous for Kong Jino.’
After Johan weathered the early assault…
Even though the Knight Commander and the Military Minister remarked that it was hard to predict the outcome of such a long game…
In reality, Kong Jino was as good as defeated.
Rai silently observed the remainder of the game.
‘To think he’d block this… If this happens…’
Kong Jino was flustered after his initial rush was thwarted.
He hadn’t expected Johan to hold out so tenaciously.
Although he started building up belatedly, he was slower than Johan.
‘I still have to win…!’
Originally, this should have been a game where Kong Jino lost in the midgame after failing the 4-Drone strategy.
But Kong Jino’s determination wasn’t to be underestimated.
Somehow, he managed to hold on, dragging the game into the late late-game.
He was still at a disadvantage, and his defeat was almost certain.
Even so, Kong Jino didn’t give up.
‘I don’t want to come in second place again. Not this time…!’
He no longer wanted to face the scornful looks of his family, calling him a perpetual runner-up.
He wanted to prove that he excelled at something.
To show he wasn’t just a useless, gaming recluse, but someone capable of something valuable.
In truth, Kong Jino also wanted to show that he could do it.
That he was a person of worth.
“Well played. You did great, Kong Jino-nim.”
But reality didn’t change.
In the end, Kong Jino was defeated by Johan once again.
He was second place.
Kong Jino sat in his chair, staring blankly, unable to get up.
‘The 22nd time being runner-up…’
If he failed this time, he’d planned to quit and join the academy.
But now that it had happened, the pain was unbearable.
The fact that he’d never once been rewarded with a first-place finish despite all his efforts.
‘There’s no second place in war.’
That phrase came to his mind.
In war, only the last one standing is remembered.
No one remembers the second place.
It mirrored his situation.
“Thank you all for participating. You’re all remarkable strategists. And as announced earlier, we plan to recruit only one new strategist.”
After everything ended…
Kong Jino stood with a gloomy expression, while Johan beamed with excitement.
“Our new strategist will be…”
The Knight Commander opened his mouth for the final announcement.
The result was obvious.
“…Sir Kong of the Jino Marquisate.”
“…?!”
“Huh?”
Both of them were shocked.
The winner of the final match was clearly Johan.
It only made sense for him to be chosen.
“I told you, didn’t I? We’re looking at their qualities as strategists, not just the win-loss record.”
“But who remembers second place in war?! And Kong Jino is a Zerg player! As a Terran player, I’m the natural choice…”
The Knight Commander shook his head as Johan protested in frustration.
“We can’t evaluate solely based on race preferences. And the enemy we’ll face in war will also be humans. A strategist familiar with countering Terran strategies is more suitable.”
“That’s…”
“And to be honest, Johan, you were lucky with your matchups. On the other hand, Kong Jino defeated numerous strong opponents to reach the finals. And the strategies he displayed along the way were truly astonishing. What about yours in comparison?”
Johan was at a loss for words.
He had used textbook strategies, almost foolproof methods, to secure victory.
Of course, they required skill and ingenuity, but the same could be said for Kong Jino.
“And above all, what’s most important is leadership. In the final match, Sir Kong did not give up, even in a situation where defeat seemed inevitable. If the roles were reversed, Johan, could you have done the same? From what I’ve seen, if such a thing happened in real life, you’d likely send your subordinates ahead while you fled.”
“……”
Johan couldn’t say anything.
The difference in responsibility between him and Kong Jino was clear.
When it came to leading an army…
The unyielding and determined Kong Jino was more fitting.
“Come here, Sir Kong.”
Kong Jino, still in shock, walked up to the Knight Commander.
“There may be no second place in war, but second place is still something to be proud of.”
The second son of the Jino Marquisate, two years younger than his elder brother, 22 years old, and now a 22-time runner-up.
Later, he would remember this day and say:
“People say no one remembers second place, but when you come in second enough times, they do remember you.”
From that day forward, the Imperial military strategy improved significantly, thanks to Kong Jino’s contributions.
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