Genius Archer’s Streaming - Chapter 235

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

The Genius Archer’s Streaming Season 1 Episode 235
81. A Difficult Game (2)
All I heard from every direction were reports of defeats.
“Chiki-cha!”
“Chiki-cha~!”
“Chiki-chiki-cha~!”
The thug in front of me had been making that annoying sound since earlier, throwing every psychological tactic at me.
After enduring and evading all those physical and mental attacks.
‘Finally….’
Almond had finally reached level 4.
[Release Acceleration Upgrade]
[The farther the distance when you land a hit, the stronger the damage dealt. Maximum 250% enhancement.]
The Release Acceleration upgrade—what you might call Ran’s signature ability.
He didn’t hesitate and immediately began manifesting, and it took the form of a bow.
Grrrrk…
He drew back the bowstring made of mana.
Aiming and firing didn’t take long.
Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, the projectile was already flying.
──Splash!!!!
A water bomb struck cleanly across Mosol’s face.
‘Finally.’
Almond felt a sense of relief wash over him.
* * *
“Wow, the moment he hits level 4, Almond lands a direct hit! Incredible!”
“This is maximum range damage, right?”
There was a reason the commentators were making such a fuss over a single shot.
It was because of Ran’s maximum range damage.
[Mosol]
[Health 73%]
“Ah, player Mosol seems to have snapped back to reality after seeing his health drop. He has a dazed expression on his face.”
“Ah, I think the issue isn’t the health loss itself, but rather he’s wondering how he even got hit.”
The moment those words ended, Ran’s charge was complete.
Splash!
“He got hit again!?”
“This is really strange how he keeps landing these!”
Mosol took another shot in succession.
[Mosol]
[Health 50%]
After taking just two shots, Mosol’s health had dropped to 50%.
Fortunately, the second shot didn’t seem to land at maximum range, so the damage was less severe than the first.
But it was still tremendous damage.
“Mosol’s health is already down to half?!”
“This is the range-proportional damage that applies from level 4! The farther away it hits, the more it hurts!”
Just two shots and half my health was gone.
This is the power of level 4 Ran.
“But why isn’t player Almond taking minions? He’s just hitting Mosol twice in a row? Ran has a cooldown, so he’s missing a lot of minions like this!”
* * *
Just as the commentators said, Almond was ignoring the minions and only attacking Mosol.
Mosol was more flustered than anyone.
‘He’s only targeting me?’
But it was working well.
‘He’s hitting me at almost maximum range every time.’
It was already difficult just to land the shots, yet Almond was barely hitting me at maximum range.
Then, the sound of water echoes again.
Whoooosh!
Almond is aiming again, from a place so far away it’s hard to see.
Mosol gritted his teeth.
‘He’s ignoring the minions and planning to keep shooting at me.’
Here it comes again.
This time, Mosol completely hid his body behind the minions.
But…
BOOM!!
A staggering impact struck him.
“!?”
At first, I thought I’d taken splash damage, but I hadn’t.
[Health 23%]
Full damage had connected.
Ran’s attack had struck the slightly exposed heel.
‘…What?’
This isn’t going to work at this rate.
* * *
“Ahhh! It hit again!?”
“Almond’s Ran hits wherever there’s even a glimpse! Even against a Challenger mid laner, there are no exceptions!”
“Don’t let a hair show! Hide completely!”
-Who’s singing that song so loudly lolol
-Is he crazy lolol
-But why does it keep hitting lolol
-It hit again?
“But! Mosol! Moving forward?”
“As expected of a Challenger! I’m not scared just because my health is low!”
That’s the hallmark of skilled players.
They never hesitate or lose confidence in their plays just because their health is depleted.
“Wow~ It’s impressive that he’s pushing forward with that little health!”
“Even so, he’s a Challenger! Mosol is famous for his bold plays!”
“That’s right! We can’t just keep taking hits like this!”
Mosol threw out a basic bomb first.
Boom!
As expected, Almond maintained proper range, so the first bomb didn’t connect at all.
But Mosol had thrown something else in addition.
[Claymore]
A suspicious object fell.
Click!
The sound of something being installed.
“Huh? The bomb was a feint, and he installed a claymore instead?”
“That’s correct. It seems the claymore was the objective from the start.”
Claymores can be destroyed if you hit them the moment they’re being installed.
But Almond was too focused on dodging Mosol’s other bombs to notice.
As a result, things got complicated.
“Those of you who’ve served in the military will know this! Get close and thousands of blade-like shrapnel fly out, turning you into a beehive. It’s an anti-personnel mine!”
“When a mine like that is installed nearby, laning becomes really annoying!”
When the claymore detonates, thousands of sharp metal fragments fly out. If hit, movement speed is reduced and the damage is substantial.
“From Almond’s perspective, to the left—in other words, south—he can’t go there anymore.”
So he can’t easily move left.
Now Almond had to abandon the left side and move only through the center and right, shooting at his opponent.
“Both are poking champions. When movement is restricted, it becomes very difficult!”
Boom.
Sure enough, Almond couldn’t dodge Mosol’s next basic bomb.
And for good reason—there was barely anywhere to dodge to.
“Almond’s health is being chipped away!”
“And he’s hiding behind minions again!”
“That’s the advantage of the Explosionist, right? The Explosionist throws bombs upward from the start, so he can throw from behind minions, but Ran shoots in a straight line, so it’s hard to hit when behind minions!”
“Mosol also shows high game understanding!”
“Almond’s charge is full now! But he can’t seem to shoot!”
“Mosol says! This time you won’t even find a hair! Like Taco!”
That’s what you said, lol
-???: When did I?!
Nope lol
-You… aren’t you afraid of their curses?
King Gul’s expression showed just how completely Mosol had hidden his body behind the minions this time.
No, everyone simply thought the same thing.
‘Did he hide it…?’
In Almond’s eyes, there were a couple of angles that seemed hittable.
──Crash!
Another pure white crystal struck Mosol’s left elbow.
[Mosol]
[Health 3%]
Mosol’s health had bottomed out.
“No! Why did that hit!?”
“Ah! Thank goodness it wasn’t at maximum range!”
Mosol barely survived because it wasn’t at maximum range, so the distance-proportional damage was reduced.
But it wasn’t just one hit.
“However, Mosol did deal quite a bit of damage with the bomb!”
[Reckless Warrior]
[Health 37%]
Almond’s health had dropped considerably too.
When Almond shot, Mosol threw a bomb in return.
“That’s right. No matter how much you fly and crawl, you can’t dodge when attacking your opponent!”
“But Mosol, if you get even grazed now, you’re dead!”
Yet it all meant nothing.
The pressure from the remaining 3% health was the greatest.
“You’re at the point where even splash damage will kill you. Wouldn’t it be better to return to the sanctuary and restore your health!?”
Contrary to their suggestion, Mosol did not retreat.
“Mosol, you’re not going back!? You have something to rely on!?”
“Almond is naturally advancing to kill Mosol! This looks like a trap!?”
* * *
Almond’s eyes gleamed.
‘That’s it….’
Mosol landed skills better than expected. Had he become psychologically shaken?
His health was already at the bottom.
‘One more hit and it’s a kill.’
Almond walked forward, gathering his last mana to completely eliminate Mosol. There was no need to shoot from maximum range anymore.
But then, a fleeting thought.
‘But why did he set up the claymore on the left.’
The claymore was strange. More precisely, its usage.
The Explosive Expert’s claymore can be used as a trap, but it also detonates if you simply hit the target.
Yet Mosol deliberately set it up. And far to the left at that.
‘Is he trying to send me to the right?’
It seemed Mosol wanted to send Almond to the right—the north side of the map.
Why?
My head whipped around as I caught sight of the dense thicket to the north.
Whoosh!
The brush trembled.
“Graaaaaaah!”
A dark silhouette burst forth.
A Jungler.
* * *
“Gank incoming!”
“This is exactly what Mosol was waiting for!”
The Beast’s speed was devastating as it charged forward. I reacted as best I could and shifted my direction, but—
—Thud!
The Beast’s shoulder slammed into my wing joint.
My body tumbled helplessly across the ground.
“Watch out! There’s a Claymore in that direction!”
Ting…!
A chilling warning sound pierced the air.
Boom!
Black smoke erupted, and hundreds of blades propelled by explosive force shot outward.
Shwooooooooosh!!!
A dense barrage of projectiles blanketed my vision.
“The Claymore activates perfectly!”
“Getting hit by all that would hurt so much!”
There was no avoiding it—I had to take every fragment the Claymore spewed out.
Even as I tumbled through the air, I pushed my concentration to its absolute limit.
Whoooosh… whoooosh…
The world spun around me, but time flowed in slow motion.
Only my consciousness moved at normal speed.
Then I saw it.
The Claymore fragments blooming outward like petals in slow motion.
I strained to raise my arm toward them.
Frustratingly slow to the eye, yet I was actually moving at incredible speed.
Whoooosh…!
Mana gathered in my hand, and a pistol materialized.
To fire with one hand.
I didn’t even need to aim—I simply pulled the trigger.
[Release]
A pure white crystal shot forth, toward the blooming Claymore fragments.
Boom!!!
The explosive force and mana expansion collided.
These two forces clashed, birthing a violent gale.
Crash—boom—boom!!
A transparent shockwave ripples outward, scraping across the ground. Dust billows forth like fog.
Through it all, I can see.
My health bar—far more remaining than expected.
[Reckless Warrior]
[Health 29%]
“What!? He shot down the Claymore fragments!?”
“His reaction speed is insane!”
“There’s no way that reaction could happen without already thinking about the Claymore beforehand!”
Contrary to King Gul’s prediction, I hadn’t been thinking about the Claymore at all until I heard its warning sound. I’d anticipated a gank, but that was all.
‘Phew. I survived….’
Perhaps because of this, a rare glimmer of relief crossed my face. Even though I hadn’t completely escaped yet.
“Beast is pouncing!”
The Beast was right beside me, aiming for my throat, wasn’t it?
[Pounce]
Nogari cast the Beast’s ‘Pounce’ ability.
“Roooaaar!”
He roared and charged at me again.
The Beast’s muscular hand grabbed for my arm. Or rather, tried to grab it.
My arm slipped right through. As if it had simply passed through him.
‘What?’
To display such control while falling—Nogari found it absurd, but didn’t dwell on it much.
Though my arm escaped, the Beast’s body still succeeded in pouncing on me.
Thud—!
I lose my balance and fall.
—Thump.
My back slams into the ground, my sunglasses slipping from the impact.
Everything except my right arm was immobilized.
I was caught properly by ‘Pounce’.
[Suppressed!]
lol
-What’s this position?
-Mom, when I grow up I want to be Nogari!
-If Nogari were female, he’d be stunned seeing this blonde pretty boy Almond and just let him live lol
The viewers joked playfully, but….
“Player Almond! You’re about to die!?”
“If this happens, Balloon Stars loses! It’s really over!”
The situation was critical.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say the team’s victory depended on my survival.
If I just died here, the first set was a loss.
[Reckless Warrior]
[Health 18%]
Dangerously low health. A few more bites from the Beast while pinned down and I’d be finished.
“Ah! It’s starting to bite!”
“At this rate, all of Balloon Stars will die once each!”
The Beast’s gaping maw lunged at my throat, tearing away at my health bar.
Crunch crunch!
I was on the verge of death, yet my expression remained unshaken.
In fact, I looked satisfied.
I glanced toward Mosol and muttered to myself.
‘Just as expected.’
My analysis with Taco had been correct.
Mosol was too greedy and trusted his evasion abilities too much, so he lingered nearby determined to secure a kill no matter how low my health dropped.
Even now, wasn’t he hiding behind the nearest Minion, preparing to hurl a bomb at me?
He was desperate to get the kill, but ultimately it was a reckless move.
One of my hands remained free.
‘This is my chance.’
Pure white mana gathered at the muzzle of my materialized pistol.
Boom!
Mosol’s eyes widened in shock when he saw it.
‘What, what is this? I have him pinned down? How is he aiming?’
You couldn’t attack while pinned down. How was I managing to aim?
Mosol had no way of knowing.
In this brief moment, there was no way Nogari could report that one of my hands hadn’t been pinned down.
“Ah, damn—”
Mosol’s face twisted in despair.
When our eyes met, I grinned wickedly.
And I muttered as if seeking revenge.
“Checkmate.”

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