Genius Archer’s Streaming - Chapter 203
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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 203
69. Eve of the Storm (1)
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap!
Hearing the terrifying footsteps approaching from behind, goosebumps erupted across Hong-cha’s arms.
“What the—! Why is he so fast!?”
-LMAO look at the stacks
-Chakra 4 stacks LMAO
-Ask Chocosong
Every time I killed Chocosong, the Ninja’s Instinct was triggered.
Thanks to that, Almond is now roughly 40% faster than a regular ninja.
A ninja who was already fast became 40% faster still.
No matter how skilled you are, suddenly adapting to that speed is impossible.
Shing.
As the blade was drawn, light flashed brilliantly.
Slash!
Lemon fell backward.
Crimson blood gushed forth, obscuring her vision in a haze.
‘Is she dead?’
[An ally has fallen!]
The system announcement rang out as if answering Hong-cha’s question.
‘This is insane. Crazy. He’s controlling that speed with such precision?’
The speed and accuracy were absurd.
Grit.
Even as frustration escaped her, Hong-cha drew her bowstring.
Her eyes tracked Almond’s movements with predatory sharpness.
Her gaze was wide open, refusing to miss even a single motion.
Whoosh.
In that instant, everything flowed in slow motion.
Twang…!
The bowstring released, and the arrow flew toward Almond’s predicted path.
‘Got it.’
Against an assassin avatar moving that fast, a Frost Archer is poison.
Freeze the lower body and they can do nothing.
The arrow flew exactly toward Almond’s legs as she intended.
And the next arrow too.
Twang!
Fired precisely along the next trajectory.
Hit by two consecutive arrows, Almond’s legs would freeze solid, causing him to stumble over his own feet.
Crash!
“?”
Yet the reality unfolding before my eyes was entirely different from what I’d anticipated.
Clang clang clang!
‘He parried that?!’
Almond deflected my arrow with his blade. There had to be limits to what a sword could intercept.
His reflexes were beyond belief.
He hadn’t been this sharp just moments ago.
‘He switched hands.’
The sword he’d been holding in his left hand was now in his right.
Could that really be the reason…?
Then.
Almond stomped the ground with tremendous force.
Boom!
The floor cracked beneath him.
His body rocketed toward me like a projectile.
Whoooosh!
‘Far too fast.’
His speed far exceeded my calculations.
With his chakra reserves increased by fifty percent, the ninja’s velocity had accelerated proportionally—roughly fifty percent faster.
I quickly drew my bowstring again.
Boom!
[Chakra Release Mode]
This time, Almond flicked the arrow away with an open palm.
A technique channeling chakra itself.
His chakra output was matching the arrow’s velocity.
Which meant the Almond hurtling toward me was equally fast.
My hair whipped violently in the gale.
──Slash!
Before I knew it, his blade had carved through my vital point.
My body staggered backward.
I was bewildered.
‘What…?’
It wasn’t just his speed.
‘I tried to evade.’
I’d attempted to slip through the gaps in his attack. But it didn’t work.
No—more precisely, he’d anticipated where I would move and struck that exact spot.
‘I was read.’
Actually, I’d been read for quite some time now.
In the first match, Almond landed three hits on me.
‘It wasn’t coincidence.’
I’d thought it was chance.
Predictive shots are something anyone can do.
But looking at it now, that’s not the case.
That slash attack just now had only one opening, unlike archery.
He twisted left without a moment’s hesitation and struck.
You can’t do something like that without absolute certainty.
‘What is this? Have you been studying me?’
Chills ran down my spine.
I felt completely exposed.
Meanwhile, Almond felt a sense of accomplishment.
‘I’m being useful.’
My careful analysis had paid off.
With that thought, I planted my feet firmly to slash once more.
Hong-cha also kicked off the ground, desperately trying to evade my charge, but—
“Again…!?”
I’d read her again. Habits are terrifying.
A gleaming silver blade passed beneath her chin.
The crimson silhouette glinted and reflected.
Slash!
[Health 5%]
Her health was nearly depleted.
‘Damn it!’
The blade came down to strike her once more.
If this hit, it would be over.
Whoosh!
Hong-cha gritted her teeth.
She had to overcome her habit and use a different pattern.
Swoosh…!
Her waist bent taut as the blade’s strike grazed past. She barely dodged it.
‘I dodged this one!’
Gasp!
Breathing heavily, Hong-cha repositioned herself and sprinted frantically.
[Are you insane?! When are you coming?!]
[Almost there! Just a moment…!]
[I’m about to get caught…]
While calling for the Jungler, she continued firing arrows backward.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Despite shooting while running, the arrows flew in clean succession.
Four or five arrows cut through the air in rapid succession.
‘Don’t come closer!’
Even if I couldn’t block them all, I could at least slow my opponent down.
But my opponent was far too swift.
Whoooosh!
Almond’s figure cut across my path.
His face materialized inches from mine. Hong-cha’s complexion flushed crimson with shock.
Almond’s lips curled into a smirk.
“Caught you.”
Thunk!
A blade pierced through her heart.
[Death]
Thud.
Hong-cha’s vision plummeted downward as she collapsed.
Almond’s right arm, now frozen solid, loomed above her view.
Three or four arrows were embedded deep within it.
‘Ah…’
He had charged forward, sacrificing one arm as a shield.
‘He blocked everything with just one arm.’
Almond had never intended to survive anyway.
“Hong-cha!!”
The Jungler finally rushed in and struck Almond’s head with a vicious blow.
Crack!
Almond flew in the direction of the impact and crumpled to the ground.
Almond was dead as well.
Yet Hong-cha understood instinctively.
‘I should avoid the community for a while.’
This game was lost.
* * *
[Victory]
In the end, my opponent conceded after just twenty minutes into the game.
Today’s match between Red Carpets and Balloon Stars ended in a clean 2-0 sweep for Balloon Stars.
Though the result was a complete victory, Taco’s feedback session stretched on for quite some time.
After hearing all the feedback, I emerged from the capsule to find it was already 9 PM.
Hisssss──
“Phew.”
Almond appeared with the hydraulic hiss, drenched in sweat for the first time in a while.
“Good work out there.”
Juhyeok tossed me a white towel.
Thump.
I lightly dried my hair with the towel and wiped down the inside of the capsule.
The damp sensation clung to my skin.
‘Guess that’s what happens when I play with both hands constantly all day.’
Given who my opponent was, I’d had to channel every ounce of concentration I could muster.
I peeled off my damp white shirt, tossed it into the laundry basket, and asked Juhyeok.
“How’s the reaction been today?”
It was a practice match, but still—I’d beaten a Challenger. It would be a lie to say I wasn’t curious what people were saying about it.
Instead of answering, Juhyeok gave me a thumbs up first.
“Really good? You’re getting a ton of mentions.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. All that practice is paying off.”
I was intrigued enough to lean over and look at the monitor with him.
Juhyeok searched for keywords like ‘Almond’ to make it easier for me to see, then handed me the monitor.
“…Wow.”
My eyes widened at the sheer volume of mentions—far more than I’d expected.
“This is really RealPro?”
“Yeah.”
I asked again, hardly believing it.
I’d never received this level of attention on RealPro before.
“Look at this.”
Juhyeok pointed to the corner of the screen.
5th) Almond
It was RealPro’s search rankings.
Almond was in 5th place.
* * *
Balloon Stars and Red Carpets.
Comparing the two teams’ overall strength, it was honestly at a level where either side winning wouldn’t be particularly surprising.
Red Carpets had exceptionally high-tier Bottom laners, but the rest of their lanes were so pathetically weak it was almost tragic, while Balloon Stars was being evaluated as neither fish nor fowl after Almond, formerly Silver-ranked, pushed out Strawberry Shooter from the main ADC position.
It was evenly matched.
Because of this, the process of predicting which side would dominate on ‘RealPro’ became even more fierce.
[I think Balloon Stars will win]
[Anyone who actually knows the game supports Red Carpets]
[Fact) Only clueless newbies and Almond fanboys like them]
In the end, Balloon Stars emerged victorious.
What drew particular attention was Game 2 rather than Game 1.
Naturally, because it was the first time a substitute position was being used.
[Wait, are they actually putting Almond in Mid?]
“What is this? Is this real? Almond Mead shop pick? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ”
[Wow, this is gonna tilt the opponent for sure]
[And it’s Ninja!?]
Combined with the shop pick, they had completed an absolutely massive aggro play.
The fact that the pick in question was Storm Ninja was the perfect finishing touch.
Lol, Choco Songi is getting roasted ㅋㅋㅋ
-No way it’s that bad?
And this is hilarious lol
-Ninja’s Instinct! How much are they buffing it!?
-Wait Almond’s Ninja is actually insane???
And from the very start, he dominated his opponent.
Then he won the game.
-They won that!????
and got beaten by the store pick ninja lol
“Damn it, just quit it, Choco Songyi…”
The initial tone was criticizing the opposing team’s incompetence.
[Detailed Analysis of Almond’s Ninja Gameplay]
[Almond’s Ninja Dodging Between Frames]
[Almond with the Black Flame Dragon Sealed in His Right Hand]
But as one, then two analysis posts began appearing, public opinion shifted.
-Wow dodging all of Hong-cha’s ice arrows while cutting frames there is legendary
-The adhesion release conversion is also insanely fast
Once I started using my right hand, my shuriken accuracy went insane.
-The Black Flame Dragon awakens! The Black Flame Dragon awakens!
Of course, there were still quite a few comments refusing to acknowledge a Ninja played against a Silver opponent.
But the overall sentiment was better than before.
Moreover, Reina’s gameplay, separate from the Ninja pick, received completely favorable reactions.
[Almond’s Fundamental Reina Movement]
[Ran’s Attack Damage, Reina Dodging Knockback Selectively]
[Frame-Breaking Master Almond Reina]
Posts like these flooded in, followed by a cascade of comments.
And lol, you’re saying you avoid 400 damage and only avoid damage and freely choose what to dodge????
└How is that even possible???
There’s apparently about a 0.01 second gap between the knockback and the damage lol
0.01 seconds feels like an eternity lol, isn’t it 0.1 seconds?
-If she can move like that even as a beginner ninja, she’s already insanely good. I’m terrified to think what she’ll be like with practice! Almond!
-I’m fine with Reina marrying Almond! Almond! I’m fine with Reina marrying Almond! Almond! I’m fine with Reina marrying Almond! Almond!
Why do you get to decide that, damn it…ㅠㅠ
└Dehaep arrest
While the reaction to the ninja was about 6:4, with six out of ten users acknowledging the performance,
Reina’s reaction was overwhelmingly 9:1.
-Reina is basically Almond’s now, that’s just facts.
└She’s always been Almond’s since way back…
└He took her lips after all…
└Take responsibility for life!
-I thought she’d be rusty bringing her out after so long. But they’re just one body together
Reina and I are one body…creepy
lol that’s funny
Reina, I’ll admit it! Ninja, honestly I have no idea lol
-We’re living in the age of Almond right now! We’re living in the age of Almond right now!
Pfft.
After finishing his shower and lying in bed, Sanghyeon couldn’t help but burst into laughter as he scrolled through the community posts.
Once upon a time, about ten years ago.
There were people saying that the age of Sang-hyun Yu was coming.
A tiny league of their own.
It was said in the archery world, but regardless, those words were enough to stir young Sanghyeon’s heart.
“Now it’s the age of Almond….”
But now they say the age of Almond has arrived.
I regrettably missed the age of Sang-hyun Yu.
But I didn’t want to miss the age of Almond.
I wouldn’t let this opportunity slip away.
Even as his eyelids grew heavy, Sanghyeon made this resolve.
In his dreams that night, Soyeon held his hand and kept saying this.
「It’s okay.」
A smile slowly spread across sleeping Sanghyeon’s lips.
* * *
Time passed.
All the practice matches had concluded.
Now, just one day before the tournament began.
“So, the Nant League starts tomorrow, right?”
King Gul, dressed in formal attire.
And Red Glasses, the Analyst, as always wearing a composed expression, sat at the desk exchanging words with him.
“That’s correct. Before then, there are many things we need to address.”
“Yes. First, there have been quite significant shifts in the power rankings, haven’t there?”
As he spoke, King Gul pointed to a chart displayed in the corner of the screen.
“I’d like to introduce the team that experienced the most dramatic change first.”
A total of sixteen teams were listed across the chart. King Gul’s finger, sweeping down through them one by one, came to a stop in the middle.
[7th Place] [Balloon Stars]
They were ranked at an impressive 7th place.
They had started at 15th.
“It’s Balloon Stars!”
“Wow, how many positions did they climb?”
“Eight positions, right? That means they surpassed nearly half the teams.”
Their scrim record during the practice period: 13 wins, 5 losses.
It was an extraordinary result compared to the initial expectations placed on them.
“We should definitely examine the standout player on this team as well.”
“This player’s evaluation has changed considerably.”
“During the practice period, their solo rank skyrocketed to Diamond. The reassessment is well-deserved.”
“I agree. Shall we take a look?”
==== ====
[Standout Player]
Nickname: Almond (Reckless Warrior)
Rating: S
Tier: Silver (Currently Diamond)
==== ====
Almond was indeed the standout player for Balloon Stars.
Much had changed from when the practice matches first began.
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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
—————