GoTWiC [RED MINE] "Needle"

A new day has arrived, Thursday, that special day when the Red Mine opens. The air was thick with anticipation because this time, the reward was a special melee weapon, Arya’s "Needle."

Even though I’m not primarily an infantry player, I really needed that loot to upgrade the weapon to 4 stars and secure those crucial 5k extra units for my army size.

Given the new update, I expected the strongest players to be fighting tooth and nail inside, but when I checked the current standings, I saw that Latrasil was holding a solid first place with over a 6h lead.

I felt a bit disappointed; it felt like I was late to my own battle. Still, I didn't lose hope. I was aiming for second place, which would give me enough fragments, but in the back of my mind, I still wished for first, the one that would give me the full weapon right away and save me from any more waiting.

The opponents weren't too powerful at first.

I easily defended from weaker players, feeling safe behind my walls. I was slowly climbing the ladder toward second place when my old friend Makazinjo messaged me, asking if he could jump in.

"I just got here. Let me stay for at least 2 hours and then I'll give it to you," I replied, balancing loyalty to a friend with my own ambition. He agreed to look for another mine, but the peace didn't last long.

An hour later, I got a reality check. I was kicked out by Vanette, a very strong infantry player.

"Oh no. I knew I wouldn't be lucky enough to get through this without facing tough opponents," I thought, as my adrenaline spiked. I decided to take a risk and hit back, to my surprise, I beat him easily because he entered with very few troops.

Even with all his strength, he was probably afraid that someone even more powerful might show up and wipe out his army.

After that, Makazinjo reached out again, followed by an acquaintance, Aventio. Even though I was in a tough spot, I let them stay for a while. Every minute I gave them felt like I was gambling with my own rank. Time passed, and I finally took the mine back. "I lost over two and a half hours, but what can you do." As I got closer to the 6h mark, I actually started to believe that I could overtake Latrasil.

That’s when the real trouble started. The attacks became more frequent, and they were all from infantry, my direct counter.

My heart was racing as I frantically healed my troops and set up my defense, waiting for the next hit. Two massive attacks came in from a very strong infantry player using Vorian. I was scared, knowing that on paper, the odds were against me. However, when the dust settled, I was still holding the mine. I couldn’t believe my eyes, I checked the reports in detail, looking for a mistake, but the win was real. I managed to beat a more powerful opponent even though he countered me. That moment of triumph gave me the strength to keep going.

The gap between me and Latrasil closed to just one hour. I started feeling spiteful; he took advantage of the quiet period during the update, while I fought for my spot with blood and merits. I felt like I deserved that first place more than anyone. Then, with only a few minutes left until I hit the top spot, another heavy infantry attack hit me. "Unbelievable, can't they just wait one more hour for me to get a lead before attacking?" I thought to myself. However, I managed to win again and stay in the mine.

Even though it didn't seem possible, I actually took first place. It was incredibly tough, but I made it. But then, reality hit me hard in the form of Vanette . He kicked me out again, reminding me that in this game, there’s always a bigger fish.

That’s when I noticed something fishy, Latrasil was back inside. "Looks like they're playing together, like a well-coordinated team," I realized bitterly. I got my spearmen ready and attacked, knowing that Vanette would hit me the moment my bubble dropped. It was a total war of attrition.

"Uhh, this is going to be rough. Playing against the two of them with only a 14min difference..." It was an exhausting wait. Time stood still, and I was watching every move in the mine like a predator waiting for its prey, my eyes glued to the screen. Every time they swapped places, I attacked. I wanted to let them know I wasn't going down without a fight, that I was right there, watching.

They weren't naive either; they wouldn't swap immediately, sometimes letting ten minutes pass, but the second they switched, I hit Latrasil, but Vanette waited.

However, in all that chaos and exhaustion, I made one huge mistake. I attacked with too many troops, leaving myself wide open.

Vanette took advantage of it and dealt me some painful losses. Looking at those reports, I felt the anger fade away, replaced by cold logic. First place just wasn't worth that much mental stress and the loss of important soldiers.

I decided to step back, but with my head held high. Still, there were 4 hours left until the reset, and waiting that whole time was tough. But an hour before the reset, I saw that Vanette was still in the mine and the gap between him and Latrasil was only about 20 minutes. I tried one last sneak attack, it actually took three tries because I was in the wrong gear for the first two, hoping they had gone to sleep, but Vanette was still on guard.

That was the final straw for me; I backed off for good.

In the end, second place isn't that bad. I got 5 weapon chests, which gave me 55 fragments. Even though I haven't reached the 4-star goal yet, every scar from this fight brought me a step closer. My main goal from the start was to get second place, so I’m not leaving disappointed. Instead, I feel happy and encouraged because I managed to beat some very strong infantry players in all those fights. I might have lost this duel against two players, but I stuck to my original plan. Next time, maybe I’ll have someone to watch my back while my spearmen hold the mine.