The show of force looked intimidating, but Frank was confident and not flustered at all.
"Come on, stop holding back, musketeers, advance!"
He selected the musketeer crouching in Washington and ordered him to attack the heavy cavalry surrounding him.
But the content displayed in the preview interface left him dumbfounded.
The heavy knight, who should have only had a combat power of 48, now possessed a combat power of 54, almost on par with himself, a high-end "musketeer".
This made Frank's heart jump into his throat instantly.
Oh no!
Although the city serves as a defense, our side still has two advantages in terms of combat strength.
But there are too many people on the other side!
Two heavy knights are flanking him, and there are two catapults on the road behind. They're going to take him down right away!
"This is bad, why does it feel like we might not be able to win?"
Frank unconsciously tightened his grip on the handle slightly.
First, one thing is certain: although the advantage is not obvious on our side, the generational gap still exists.
The only problem is the lack of quantity.
The number of units was far lower than that of the Aztec.
This leaves us with only Boston, the most productive city in the world.
Can----
Frank watched as another Aztec army approached from a different direction and fell silent.
[Next round]
Bang!"
[Reserve Area - Has Been Looted]
[Academy - Has Been Looted]
[Business Center - Looted]
[The catapult launched an attack on Washington, dealing 26 damage.]
[The catapult launched an attack on Washington, dealing 32 damage.]
The Knights launched an attack on Washington.
Washington, D. C., the original capital of the United States, has been occupied.
An eerie silence fell over the dormitory.
The three of them stared silently at their various attributes, which had plummeted after Washington was occupied, and remained speechless for a moment.
Boston, on which high hopes were placed, was being rapidly approached by a few medieval cavalrymen who had just finished the Battle of Washington.
Clearly, there's no point in waiting for the musketeer production run, which isn't even halfway through.
Even if they could manage to create it, they still wouldn't be able to compete with so many units.
This truly proves the old saying true.
My neighbor hoards grain, I hoard guns; my neighbor is my granary.
Frank's first game of Civilization ended in a crushing defeat.
"I can't accept this! Why are the Aztec so powerful? Why have the knights gained so much combat strength? They're almost as strong as my musketeers!"
Frank was incredibly indignant. How could he get so badly defeated despite having a technological advantage? This game design was just too unfair!
The more he thought about it, the angrier and more indignant he became. He simply pressed the new game button, scrolled through the list of Civilization, and searched for that familiar figure.
Montezuma I
[Unique Abilities]:
[ Gifts for the King ]
[summary]:
Luxury resources in the territory provide 1 point of livability to two additional cities.
[Each improved luxury resource within the territory will grant military units +1 combat strength]
The case is solved.
The case was solved in no time.
Can every luxury item make all military units stronger?
Isn't this a snowball effect perpetual motion machine?
By continuously expanding, one can make their combat power stronger and stronger.
So, when you first encountered him, he didn't immediately announce a surprise attack, and you actually have to thank him?
In an instant, Frank's feeling of being in complete control vanished.
They call this "operation"? What kind of operation is this? People from two different eras can easily crush them.
"Alright, alright, that's enough for today. I still have my final exams tomorrow, so I need to study hard today."
Frank turned to look out the window; the morning sky was always so fresh.
"Indeed, but I'm so sleepy, I'll take a nap first and then study again this afternoon."
Mike yawned; the three of them hadn't slept all night in their quest to snag a first-release item.
At this point, they were already at their breaking point.
"Agree."
The three of them went straight back to their bunks and lay down to sleep.
12 noon.
A rapid knocking sounded from outside the dormitory, startling the three people who were still half asleep.
"Hey! Why didn't you three come to the exam?!"
Ta-da!
In an instant, the three of them felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave, their entire bodies frozen from the soles of their feet to their heads, utterly chilled.
"An exam?! Isn't the final exam tomorrow? Which subject is this surprise test?"
The classmate who came to deliver the news looked at the three people whose eye boogers still clung to the corners of their eyes, and his cheeks twitched slightly.
"You three scatterbrained idiots—you've all got the date wrong, haven't you? The exam is today!"
"You got the date wrong? It's impossible for me to get it wrong. I made sure to keep track of it. The NoyaXeno was released right on Christmas Day, and the final exams were the day after the NX's launch."
"Yes—but today is already the 'second day' you mentioned."
The classmate stretched out his hand and made a quotation mark gesture.
Frank rubbed his swollen eyes, making sure the other person wasn't teasing him.
What does it mean that today is already tomorrow?
The three of them had just returned from securing the first-round advantage, and at most had played one game of " Civilization." Logically, it should have been noon when he went to sleep.
Frank looked out the window; the midday sun in California was incredibly bright.
This timing is wrong.
Did I time travel?
Wait a minute----
Frank swallowed hard, glancing at the brand-new NovaXeno on the table.
Montezuma's character portrait was still displayed on the television.
Could it be that...
"Uh... Mike, how long have we been playing?"
" Alan?"
The more you ask, the more silent they become.
Something's wrong, something's very wrong!
Frank clearly remembers that at the beginning of the game, the rounds went by very quickly.
There weren't even 100 rounds in the entire Industrial Age.
With such a short number of turns, you couldn't even cast a max-level Support in Fire Emblem.
"Ever since you three came back with NX's box yesterday morning, you haven't left your room. I thought you were all dead."
Frank stumbled backward a few steps and plopped down on the bed.
If this is true, how could I have played games all night without even realizing it?
They played from one morning until the next morning??
Frank had seen games that required a long time to play.
Games like Pokémon and Story of Seasons require patience and can be played slowly for ten days to two weeks.
It's quite normal to spend a whole week trying to catch a rare Pokémon.
But this is the first time I've played continuously for such a long time without anyone noticing.
If he hadn't been brutally defeated by Montezuma, he probably would have kept playing.
It was as if the "next round" button possessed some strange magic, constantly tempting him to continue, and continue some more.
So—we'll have to retake our exams next semester—
The three exchanged a glance, accepting this sad reality.
"Since that's the case—"
Mike licked his lips, glancing at the empty seat in front of the television.
But someone was faster than him; Alan transformed into a blur, grabbed the controller, and sat down.