Genius Archer’s Streaming - Chapter 105

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Genius Archer’s Streaming Season 1 Episode 105
37. Balloon Gum (1)
“You’re not a pro gamer—you’re a streamer. We need to clarify this distinction first.”
This was the first thing Juhyeok brought up in the meeting.
And for good reason—it was the most common dilemma that skilled streamers faced.
They existed in some boundary between pro gamers and streamers, generating revenue from that liminal space.
Even if I pursued the path of a skilled player, communication with viewers remained crucial, and honestly, it was almost the main content itself. Viewers might feel they were watching to see my skill, but according to Juhyeok’s analysis, that wasn’t the case.
The real reason they watched streams was because they liked the streamer. In other words, it was about appeal.
Gaming skill merely lowered the barrier to entry for that appeal. Ultimately, streaming was a profession where you competed through charm.
So skilled streamers couldn’t simply rest on their gaming abilities—they had to pay attention to viewer engagement, entertainment value, and other elements of appeal.
Draw them in with skill, keep them with charm.
“So after reaching a certain achievement, it’s important to shift focus from chasing achievements to prioritizing viewer engagement. Timing game changes appropriately is important too.”
According to Juhyeok’s analysis, the most stable income came from being a “general game streamer.”
Like Balloon Gum and Dotorimuk, they rotated through various games and played them as if simply enjoying themselves.
I accepted this and understood it well enough.
I was born a competitive sportsman who loved competition, but streaming had become something even more precious in my life. After reaching Diamond, I’d been following his advice and playing casually.
‘…What?’
But something felt off about my rank while I was playing casually.
Somehow I’d reached the promotion match from Diamond Tier 5 to Diamond Tier 4.
‘I might actually reach Master?’
It seemed like I could potentially make it to Master.
But recalling my conversation with Juhyeok, that wouldn’t be the right choice.
“I’ll end the stream here. Thanks for watching!”
Fortunately, it was time to end the broadcast anyway, and I finished without playing the promotion match.
-Wait, what? Not going Master!?
-Go Master!
Oh no ㅠㅠ
I’m crying so hard.
Dad ㅠㅠ
-Almond not going Master!? Almond not going Master!? Almond not going Master!? Almond not going Master!?
Ping.
[Stream has ended.]
After confirming the familiar message, I climbed out of the capsule.
Hisssss──
The lid opened, and as always, I was drenched in sweat.
“You were fine during the promotion match, and now it starts again.”
Juhyeok, who’d been watching, made a comment.
“Ah… it’s back to normal.”
I nodded at the state of my own body.
During the promotion match, some mysterious power had been surging through me, but now I felt like a limp piece of seaweed.
“Anyway, how are you still coming in first place even when you’re just playing for fun?”
Juhyeok laughed heartily.
“That’s what’s strange.”
“Huh?”
Juhyeok was startled when Almond, whom he’d expected to answer arrogantly with “because I’m a genius,” suddenly spoke seriously about something being odd.
“What do you mean it’s strange?”
“Why does the game feel easier?”
“Easier…?”
From his expression, he wasn’t being arrogant—he genuinely seemed bewildered that the game had become easier.
“Yeah. Something… the individual players’ mechanics are definitely higher. But somehow the game itself feels smoother.”
“Hmm…”
Juhyeok pondered for a moment, then went to sit in front of the computer.
He searched the community using keywords like Almond and sniper.
‘Nothing.’
Even with eyes wide open, there wasn’t a single post recruiting for a sniper squad.
Why was that?
For one, since Almond had already broken Jeon-ja-pa’s record, the toxic fans of Jeon-ja-pa had no reason to target him anymore…
‘It’s because of MMR.’
Almond’s current MMR rating was simply too high.
He was getting matched with Masters, and most Masters were either named streamers or professional gamers. Or they were trainees preparing to go pro.
They wouldn’t dare target him recklessly. If it became an issue, it would ruin their futures.
As the queue climbed higher, the games had become “clean.”
From Almond’s perspective, having always faced countless snipers, this actually made the game feel much smoother.
“Hey. I think it’s because there are no snipers.”
Juhyeok explained the situation to Almond.
“Wow… is that really making this much of a difference?”
Heh heh. Almond laughed in disbelief.
So all this time, he’d essentially been playing with several sandbags strapped to him?
“Anyway, I’m going to shower.”
Almond peeled off his sweat-soaked shirt clinging to his body and headed toward the bathroom.
While he was at it, Juhyeok checked the community for more reactions.

* * *
[Is it true that Almond just casually enjoyed the game and broke through Diamond tier 5 just like that?]
[Wow lol He actually seems to be playing even better in the Diamond-Master queue?]
[The snipers have dropped off so much now lol Guess they can’t snipe anymore]
[Almond without snipers… This guy is strong.]
Most of the comments were saying that Almond’s casual gameplay was stronger than expected.
Some people had already noticed it was because of the absence of snipers.
‘The firepower isn’t as strong as I thought.’
However, compared to the promotion matches, there weren’t that many mentions of Almond.
Other streamers were dominating the trending posts.
1st) Miho’s photoshoot dropped OMG
A post featuring stills from a photoshoot that streamer Miho had done was in first place.
2nd) Today’s Balloon Gum lololol Dead
3rd) Balloon Gum’s Drive from Hell lol
.
.
.
7th) Balloon Gum’s 5-streak Fail Compilation lol
Posts about Balloon Gum occupied quite a few spots on the rankings. It seemed like the news that he had returned to Battle Rage was generating a lot of buzz.
After all, with an average of 50,000 live viewers, he’s a massive corporation with serious firepower.
However, there was exactly one trending post about Almond.
10th) In my opinion, this bastard is the only final weapon that could take down Almond
It was a post with this kind of title.
I expected it would just be some screenshot from Jeon-ja-pa’s glory days.
==== ====
But it was Balloon Gum, Almond’s duo partner!
Tomorrow!
Almond VS Balloon Gum!
Broadcasting Genius VS Gaming Genius!
A generational collaboration!
Coming! Soon!
==== ====
Along with this post came a photo of Balloon Gum holding a toy gun and aiming it.
It was a completely non-threatening photo.
‘A person holding a gun and aiming it, yet it looks this funny.’
Juhyeok couldn’t help but marvel anew at Balloon Gum’s ‘talent.’
It was truly a different caliber of talent from Almond’s.
-lololololololol
-Ah if it’s Balloon Gum’s duo then it’s actually possible
-lololol Why is everything VS lol
It’s so funny that we’re on the same team as Bubble Gum but we’re in a competitive matchup lol
-Wait, you tricked me! That was an advertisement!?
-Wow, Almond absolutely demolished Diamond rank today while streaming casually. The guy’s insane.
That’s hilarious lol, it’s surprising next to Diamond promotion matches
Rather, it was Play and Diamond Q that were hell because of the snipers ㅠㅠ
└Once Master queue opened up, he really showed his true skill.
Click.
Juhyeok turned off the screen right there.
‘Large corporations really are large corporations.’
The moment Balloon Gum restarted Battle Rage, community opinion shifted entirely in their favor.
Especially once the major content of breaking Jeon-ja-pa’s record ended, that shift became even steeper.
After all, Almond’s stream barely exceeded ten thousand viewers during special content events, hardly comparable to Balloon Gum’s average of fifty thousand.
If I hadn’t prepared a collaboration stream with Balloon Gum this time, I would’ve been buried by the major corporations’ issues immediately.
‘I barely made it.’
It wasn’t exactly a survival game, but this was truly a moment where the phrase “barely made it” came naturally.
I knew the industry became fiercer the higher you climbed, but I didn’t expect it to be this intense.
Juhyeok was realizing it.
Bera 31’s interest in Almond was dropping ever so slightly.
At least it wasn’t rising anymore.
Watching the same thing repeatedly dulls the initial freshness. It wasn’t anything serious.
That’s true for any celebrity. Even politicians lose their appeal after repeated exposure, and decline inevitably follows their peak.
The real skill lies in maintaining that position or creating another change to rise once more.
This was where the true competition of ability began.
‘Is now the right time….’
Click.
Juhyeok clicked on a certain file with his mouse.
It was a list organizing which game to play next.
Alongside it were analysis materials breaking down the main viewer demographics, scale, gender, and preferred time slots.
Sanghyeon had selected exactly three games from that list.
“Hmm.”
Looking at those three games, Juhyeok pondered for a moment.
‘Is there a way to transition into this naturally.’

* * *
I had entered the Capsule thirty minutes before the scheduled time.
“Sigh.”
Even so, meeting Balloon Gum seemed to make me nervous.
In truth, it wasn’t a real meeting at all.
I would be meeting her in the virtual space called ‘This World’.
‘Balloon Gum, huh.’
What made my hands tremble, perhaps, was that I genuinely adored this streamer named Balloon Gum.
Her existence had truly been a source of comfort to me.
[Connecting to This World.]
[All avatars in This World are fundamentally rendered as physical forms based on your body code.]
[If you refuse this, please disconnect beforehand.]
The warning—or rather, not quite a warning—from This World appeared before me.
I naturally pressed ‘Yes’.
Whoosh—
In an instant, the scenery around me transformed, and my body was pulled into somewhere else.
[Please select your clothing.]
My avatar, identical to my real appearance, stood in an awkward pose wearing only underwear.
I instinctively reached for something like office casual wear, then realized we had gathered to play a game and switched to different clothes instead.
I could see numerous cash items sponsored by luxury brands, but naturally, I had no intention of spending real money.
[Gaming Hoodie]
[Natural Jeans]
I dressed in a hoodie that looked exactly like something a game character would wear and a pair of plain blue jeans.
[Connecting to This World Channel.]
Whoooosh…!
The surroundings brightened once more, and countless stars appeared in my vision.
My body floated gently as if drifting through space.
I could swim near the stars.
‘Wow…’
But looking closer, they weren’t stars at all.
There were people inside them. People gathered together, chattering away. In some places, houses were built like villages. I could see people in a restaurant in one such village, sharing stories while eating warm-looking stew.
Moving to another star revealed a different landscape. I even spotted a city reminiscent of cyberpunk aesthetics.
‘Where should I go?’
Most channels were locked. I could only see a small portion of the villages and cities, but outsiders couldn’t enter them.
Swimming among countless stars and even more people, I felt a strange emptiness.
Among all these places, there was nowhere for me to go.
The feeling was strangely familiar.
Ding.
[Balloon Gum: Oh, you’re here early! Hello!]
Then Balloon Gum reached out to me through a This World message.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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