The Galaxy Craft Tournament is heating up in the arena.
In the waiting room behind the scenes, the two friends meet after a long time.
“It’s been a while.”
“Yeah, is this the first time since the Dune Tournament?”
With his glasses on, Bean spoke to Johan, whom he hadn’t seen in ages. Johan smiled back as if he was greeting an old friend.
“Aren’t you going to say you’re going to win this time?”
“Well, I won last time, so it’s a shame it’s not an official match.”
They had faced each other many times in what could be labeled unofficial tournaments. Especially during the last Dune Tournament, Bean had overwhelmingly defeated Johan, making a minor stir.
Is that why? There was a relaxed expression on Bean’s face.
“Once I’ve won, isn’t it easier to win again?”
“Is it really that easy?”
However, in official matches, meaning those fought in the Coliseum, Bean had never defeated Johan even once.
Without saying it, Bean exuded an aura that screamed he was determined to win, and Johan, as usual, grinned with amusement.
“Well then, this time…”
“Yeah, let’s both give it our all.”
Having fought countless matches, they established an unspoken rule. No matter what happened, they would give their all against each other.
For a true warrior in pursuit of honor, sympathy was a wound greater than death. Knowing this, they always gave their best to one another, making their matches legendary.
With that promise, they headed toward the arena, hoping this match would be legendary and not fall behind their previous battles.
At that moment, Yuren, watching the game and gathering preliminary information, was taken aback.
“Huh? What’s going on here?”
“Yuren, what’s going on now?”
“Oh, I just checked the map for Johan and Bean’s match… you all should take a look.”
“?”
Yuren showed Julia the map for their match, and Jiren chimed in to look at the list.
“Er… what’s this map list?”
“Wow… this is going to be hell for Bean.”
Maps in Galaxy Craft significantly impact the game. To ensure a fair battle, maps are supposed to grant additional points and decisions, but it seemed the Commander’s Department had randomly selected the maps like a bracket.
The list of maps where Bean and Johan were going to battle was as follows:
1. Blade: A map that encourages fighting using shuriken (Terran favored)
2. Anotherway: A 3-player map (Terran favored)
3. Reinan Memory: A map based on the protagonist Reinan’s hometown (Terran favored)
4. Alpoint: A map with many hills (Terran favored)
5. Grandia
All the way from 1 to 4, every map favored the Terran race. Even the third-round map, Reinan Memory, was modeled after the hometown of the Terran protagonist character, Reinan.
“Can we really just sit here and watch? A major disaster might occur…”
“Well…”
If I could, I’d want to rush there and demand they change the maps. But we weren’t the ones running this tournament; it was held by the Commander’s Department. Such meddling could lead to friction.
“For now, let’s just be spectators today. I’m sure Bean will overcome it.”
Although maps influence the game, they don’t dictate the outcome. I hoped and prayed that Bean would overcome this unfavorable situation and put on a fantastic show.
*
The Galaxy Craft matches swiftly progressed to the quarterfinals. With the challengers gathered, every match was phenomenal, showcasing various strategies researched on Battle.net.
From the matches just in the round of 16, strategies like the Protoss’s “Cannon Rush,” the Zergs’ “6 Drone Rush,” and the “Terran Vulture Raid” made the spectacle delightful.
However, issues also arose. Some maps with balance problems were randomly selected without removing them, leading to situations where one side dominated. In a recent match between the Protoss player Kim-Se (Dweef) and Hans from the Kingdom of Ra (Zergs), the Protoss was stuck facing the overwhelmingly strong map “Unity,” leading to Hans being mercilessly trounced.
Despite that, many eye-catching matches unfolded. Finally, it was time for their match.
“What match were you most looking forward to, Noirin?”
“Of course this match. I believe everyone here was looking forward to it.”
With JYJ’s words, the two players stepped into the arena. Cheers erupted for the two competitors.
[Johan!!! Johan!!! Johan!!!!!]
[Bean!!!! Bean!!! Bean!!!!!]
Usually, the atmosphere would call for an interview, but due to the lengthy gameplay of Galaxy Craft, they decided to skip interviews for matches before the semifinals and dive straight into the action.
Both players entered their respective rooms to get ready for the game.
And then…
“Now, we will begin the 8th round match between Bean and Johan!!!!!!!”
With JYJ’s shout, the first match commenced. The map was revealed, and both players raced to gather mana stones.
Bean (Zergs) started at the 11 o’clock position, while Johan (Terran) began at the 1 o’clock side.
“Both players are already famous as neck-and-neck contenders on Battle.net. Who do you think will win, Noirin?”
“It’s really hard to predict. Johan’s Marine control is known for breaking the balance, but Bean’s Mutalisk ambush is no joke either. This match might take a long time to resolve.”
As the MCs, who had seen every match of both players on Battle.net, were making predictions, movement occurred in Johan’s base.
“Oh no!!? What’s happening here?!”
“Two Marines and five SCVs have set off towards Bean’s base. Is this a bunker rush?”
The bunker rush—building a bunker at the opponent’s front to pressure them, blocking their multi-base, and hampering their resource gain—was a hot strategy in Battle.net.
The greatest advantage of this tactic is that for Terran, it’s nearly risk-free. If the bunker builds successfully, it’s a huge success; if not, killing off drones and disrupting resource gathering is still beneficial.
Not using it would thus be odd from Johan’s perspective.
“Johan, such a precise timing!”
“Yes! The timing and distance for this bunker rush are both perfect for Terran. Even if it fails, it’s not a losing strategy.”
“That’s right. If the Zerg’s drones are forced out to defend, they will incur tremendous mana loss. Johan starts off with a very aggressive strategy!!”
As they spoke, the Marines and SCVs arrived in front of Bean’s base, beginning construction on a bunker right next to the under-construction Hatchery.
“Oh! Johan is starting the bunker build!!!”
“Bean must hurry!!! He needs to rush out with Zerglings and drones to block this!!!”
As expected, Bean hurriedly sent out drones and Zerglings to intercept.
However, Bean made a critical mistake. He didn’t send out all his drones—only some were deployed.
“Oh no!!! Could it be!!!!”
“Is he not able to stop it!? Is he really unable to block this!?”
The drones and Zerglings fought bravely, but between the construction of the bunker, the repairing SCVs, and the Marines firing from the back, Bean ultimately decided he couldn’t defend and retreated, canceling the Hatchery.
“Oh no!!! The bunker has completed!!!”
“Bean lost the front base! Johan scores a major blow against Bean from the start!!!!”
Without the front base, Bean suffered significant resource losses. He needed to deal with Johan’s bunker to expand, but tackling a fully upgraded bunker required enough Zerglings and Hydralisks.
Even after he produced units to deal with the bunker, Johan’s tank army had already completed, meaning the game, in essence, was over.
“GG!!!!”
“Just 10 minutes into the game, Johan forces Bean to GG!!!”
Fans of Bean were unable to hide their disappointment at the sudden twist.
Yet soon, they steadied themselves. Everyone makes mistakes. Surely, Bean would gather himself and showcase a legendary performance in the next match.
“Round 2 begins!!!”
“Bean seemed a bit nervous in the last round. This time, I expect him to show his true skills.”
With Round 2 starting, the map changed, but once again, Marines and SCVs deployed towards Bean’s base at the same time.
“Oh no! Johan is going again!!!”
“Again with two Marines and five SCVs heading towards Bean’s base. Is this still a bunker rush?”
Despite how effective the bunker rush was, if the opponent prepared well and wiped out the SCVs, it could lead to a massive disadvantage.
But Johan pressed on.
Bean wasn’t foolish.
Seeing Johan’s bunker rush, he decided to deploy all his drones to thwart Johan’s bunkering this time.
Yet…
“Wait! He couldn’t even catch a single Marine!?”
“Johan’s Marines!!! Unbelievable!!!! They’re dodging all the drone attacks!!!?”
The issue was that Johan’s Marines were anything but ordinary.
Using the SCVs as shields, Johan’s Marines moved astutely, slaughtering Bean’s drones in the process.
Ultimately, with barely half of them remaining, the drones retreated without being able to deal with the Marines.
“This is bad!!!! Half the drones are dead!!!!“
“Bean is in serious trouble!!!!!!”
With almost all the drones obliterated, Johan smoothly built a bunker in Bean’s main base.
Meanwhile, a growing army of Marines surrounded Bean’s main base, and the massacre began.
“Oh no!!!! All of Bean’s drones have been wiped out.”
“How… how could this happen…”
In that horrifying situation, Noirin, JYJ, and the audience all went pale.
Bean didn’t even grasp the reality of his situation, failing to GG in forfeiture as his main Hatchery exploded in defeat.
It was a moment steeped in shock and terror, cloaking the tournament in dread.
Before that dread could dissipate, Round 3 began.
“Bean, it’s not too late.”
“Yes! If he wins from here, he can definitely catch up. Bean has the ability to do so.”
Round 3 began, and it was time for action.
In anxious anticipation, movement started again in Johan’s base.
“Oh boy, he’s going again. Johan really means business.”
“This time will be different. Bean can definitely stop this!!!”
Since the bunker rush had been proven not to be a losing tactic, Johan had no reason to avoid it.
Thus, the pivotal factor would be Bean’s response, and all spectators—even Johan’s fans—folded their hands in prayer for him to block this bunker rush.
“Bean has surrounded the drones, front, and back.”
“Exactly!!! That’s how you stop a bunkering!!!”
This time, Bean didn’t simply sit idle.
He surrounded the Marines with drones, aiming to crush them, showcasing the quintessential counter to a bunker rush.
Expecting a proper showdown this time, disaster struck again for Bean.
“Oh no!!!! The bunker is completed!!!”
“Did Bean fail to attack the bunker!?”
In focusing too much on unit elimination, Bean allowed the bunker to be built.
To make matters worse, a surviving Marine slipped into the bunker.
“Oh no!!!! A Marine has entered the bunker!!!!”
“Bean!!!!! This is it!!!!! He’s truly in trouble!!!!!”
A Marine inside the bunker was a completely different scenario from one outside.
Drones rushed in from every side, and newly spawned Zerglings dashed towards the enemy, yet Johan’s Marine reinforcements were also on their way to attack.
Less than five minutes into the game, the chat window lit up with the dreaded words.
“GG!!!!!!”
“Bean has GG’d!!!! Oh no!!!!”
JYJ and Noirin sighed, shaking their heads.
Some audience members cheered, while others were speechless, and while the sounds may have not traveled, the vibrations from Bean’s station communicated his fury to the onlookers.
The legendary tournament’s most infamous catastrophe, which would endure for decades, was the moment the “Three Bunker Attack” incident occurred.
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