Seizing the opportunity, Lee Shin moved like a raging storm.

Watching the game through Shin Ji-ho’s personal screen, Manager Bang Jin-ho felt a shiver run down his spine.

"Again!"

"He did it again!"

Once more, he broke through the frontline using mines fortified with Defensive Shields and advanced.

Shin Ji-ho had to retreat his broken frontline and rebuild it to block Lee Shin’s advancing forces.

However, Shin Ji-ho still held control of the center. As long as he dominated the center, most of the map remained under his control.

With his defenses securely in place, Shin Ji-ho used his radar to scan the 6 o’clock region.

Lee Shin was spotted constructing an expansion base there.

If that expansion was allowed to stand, Shin Ji-ho’s strategy of isolating him and draining his resources would be rendered useless.

Determined, Shin Ji-ho dispatched a separate force to bypass Lee Shin’s defenses and march towards the 6 o’clock region.

But just then—

- You are under attack.

- You are under attack.

Repeated alerts rang out.

Shin Ji-ho’s 3 o’clock expansion base and his natural expansion at 1 o’clock were being attacked simultaneously.

Enemy troops had been dropped in both locations using air transports for a surprise assault.

Shin Ji-ho was forced to pull back his advancing forces to defend the two areas.

- You are under attack.

- You are under attack.

More alerts blared in rapid succession.

"What the hell, shit."

Shin Ji-ho muttered a curse under his breath as he scrambled to defend.

His opponent continued to harass him with small guerrilla forces.

With relentless harassment play, Lee Shin kept delaying Shin Ji-ho’s ability to launch a large-scale attack.

In the end, Lee Shin successfully activated his 6 o’clock expansion base, securing the resources he desperately needed.

'That speed!'

An ultra-fast offensive tempo that kept his opponent on the back foot.

Even while executing these rapid attacks, he was expanding his bases and producing units with flawless multitasking.

The scent of prime Lee Shin was unmistakable.

It became a chaotic brawl.

Shin Ji-ho installed anti-air turrets across all his bases to prevent enemy air transports from infiltrating again.

After securing his defenses, he moved his main army toward Lee Shin’s lifeline—the 6 o’clock expansion base.

Lee Shin planted numerous mines to hinder the advance.

Using radar, Shin Ji-ho carefully detected and cleared the mines as he pushed forward.

The 6 o’clock expansion base was heavily fortified. By now, Lee Shin had recovered enough forces to hold his ground.

But Shin Ji-ho was relentless. Even if it meant suffering heavy losses, he committed to the attack.

Although their unit counts were nearly equal, Shin Ji-ho still had an overwhelming resource advantage.

Even if he lost troops, he could simply replace them—so he opted for a battle of attrition.

BOOM! BOOM!

A hail of fire erupted from both sides as their mobile turrets switched to bombardment mode.

The 6 o’clock expansion base teetered on the brink of collapse. However, with reinforcements trickling in, Lee Shin barely managed to hold the line.

Meanwhile, some of his rapid tanks slipped around the flank and planted mines behind Shin Ji-ho’s forces.

As a result, Shin Ji-ho’s reinforcements were repeatedly delayed, unable to merge with his main army due to the minefields.

At the same time—

- You are under attack.

Having completed their mine-laying mission, Lee Shin’s rapid tanks launched a surprise attack on Shin Ji-ho’s expansion bases.

They struck the moment Shin Ji-ho had committed his forces to the 6 o’clock assault, exploiting the loosened front lines.

Sweat dripped from Shin Ji-ho’s forehead and neck.

In the end, he was forced to call off his attack and retreat beyond the range of Lee Shin’s mobile turrets.

His attempt to destroy the 6 o’clock expansion base had failed.

After pulling back to regroup, Shin Ji-ho eliminated the small guerrilla forces harassing his bases and restored his defensive lines.

As he continued scanning the battlefield with his radar, something caught his eye—

At 7 o’clock, Lee Shin had already completed another expansion base.

"Whoa!"

"When did he build that?"

"He must have done it in the middle of that brutal fight."

"His multitasking is insane. Why did he even retire?"

The players clicked their tongues in disbelief.

'I will never lose, you bastard!'

Shin Ji-ho clenched his teeth.

He was an active top-class professional gamer. At least among human race players, there was no one better than him in Korea.

Among active players, that is.

Shin Ji-ho made his decision—stealth fighters.

He began constructing numerous air stations and started mass-producing stealth fighters.

With the battle focused on ground warfare, he intended to seize control of the skies.

The stealth fighters launched an all-out assault on the enemy’s base.

Whirrr—

The stealth mode activated, rendering the fighters invisible. An unseen fleet began bombing the enemy’s ground forces.

But at that very moment—

Whirrr—

The sound of stealth mode activating echoed once more.

'What?!'

Shin Ji-ho was stunned.

His opponent had made the same decision and had prepared stealth fighters as well!

The aerial battle began!

Both sides, invisible in stealth mode, engaged in a tense dogfight.

They scattered radar signals to reveal enemy fighters, then launched missiles in unison to take them down.

It was a battle demanding lightning-fast reflexes and precise control.

And then—

BOOM! BOOM! BANG!

One by one, Shin Ji-ho’s stealth fighters were shot down.

'No way!'

Sweat dripped as he desperately focused on his controls.

But his opponent’s fleet was too agile.

They would swoop in, fire missiles, then swiftly retreat—a series of flawless maneuvers. The tide of the aerial battle was turning against Shin Ji-ho.

With air superiority secured, the enemy began moving their ground forces.

Advancing under air support!

They broke through Shin Ji-ho’s defensive line and struck two of his expansion bases simultaneously.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

'This can’t be happening!'

Shin Ji-ho fought desperately, but once the tide turned, there was no stopping it.

His expansion bases were being destroyed.

His opponent’s expansion continued to grow…

In the end—

- GOD_JiHo: GG

"J-Ji-ho lost…"

"Ji-ho hyung… Who the hell is his opponent?"

"Focusing on air battles was a mistake. His opponent outmaneuvered him with pure control."

"Unbelievable…"

The players murmured in hushed voices.

Shin Ji-ho yanked his earphones off, fuming, and slammed his keyboard in frustration.

- GOD_JiHo: Let’s go again right now.

Shin Ji-ho was fiercely competitive. He couldn’t just accept defeat against some unknown player.

Especially not when he had the game won, only to be overturned!

- Player_SIN: No, I’m tired.

- GOD_JiHo: Then let’s play after a short break? ^^

Boiling with anger, Shin Ji-ho barely held himself back from cursing. But his opponent was firm.

- Player_SIN: My arm is numb. Next time.

The opponent logged off.

"Aaargh! Fuck—!!"

Shin Ji-ho slammed his fist on the keyboard and roared in frustration.

"Hey, calm down!"

"Ji-ho hyung!"

The players rushed to restrain the furious Shin Ji-ho.

In the end, following Manager Bang Jin-ho’s orders, he left the practice room to cool off.

Manager Bang Jin-ho sat at Shin Ji-ho’s PC, saving the replay of the match.

His hands trembled with excitement as he gripped the mouse.

'Lee Shin, you bastard!'

Shin Ji-ho had lost.

And not just lost—a disadvantaged game with a poor build had been completely overturned.

If an audience had seen this, the crowd would have gone wild!

'He could definitely make a comeback as a pro!'

At this level, he could jump straight into the first-team roster!

'No time to waste!'

Manager Bang Jin-ho hurriedly sprinted toward Director Park Sang-hyuk’s office.