Genius Archer’s Streaming - Chapter 249

—————
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 249
88. The Blink Blade (1)
Click.
After hanging up the phone, Sarang handed her mobile to the Department Manager.
“It doesn’t seem like I said anything particularly revealing to the Manager.”
“That’s fortunate. But what will you do about this fellow?”
The Department Manager displayed an Ollytube channel called ‘Time Trouble’ on the screen and asked.
“I gave special warnings last time too. Now he’s poking around this industry again. I’d recommend handling it.”
Previously, Time Trouble had cautiously begun investigating Jeon-ja-pa.
However, he discovered nothing and instead exposed only his own personal information to them.
“Handling it….”
Sarang rested her chin on her hand and pondered.
She knew this Ollytube streamer’s identity. If she simply revealed it, he would destroy himself without her needing to get her hands dirty.
There were certainly people who would pursue him with lawsuits and, in extreme cases, even his life.
However, Sarang shook her head after deliberating.
“First, he probably didn’t realize this is an industry I’m involved in. Second, if I handle him, someone else will just pop up. Then it’s all costs from investigating their identity. Better to train the devil you know.”
“Training…I understand.”
The Department Manager’s eyes took on a peculiar gleam, as if he already had some training methods in mind.
Then his expression softened again.
“Still, fortunately this time he uploaded the video without conducting any special investigation. We’ve received confirmation that medical records have never been accessed.”
“He must have been in a hurry. Today’s the finals, after all. And compared to the other videos he’s currently covering, this issue is relatively minor…so he probably made the video lightly, just testing the waters.”
And if the response had been good, he would have started follow-up investigations and created additional videos. In that case, there was a risk that my medical records would be exposed.
Fortunately, that didn’t happen.
“Time’s slipping away.”
It’s time to enter the Capsule now. The Doctor is fidgeting while keeping the adjacent seat reserved. I should hurry.
Sarang pressed the electric button on her wheelchair.
Just then, the Department Manager examined the phone Sarang had given him and tilted his head in confusion.
“But Lady, when you were speaking with the Manager…did the voice modulation apply properly?”
Her hand froze on the wheelchair button.
“Oh….”
“?”
“Ah, yes. Of course.”
The Department Manager narrowed his eyes. He was certain she had forgotten…
“Anyway, I’m going.”
Sarang hurried away into the Capsule.
It wasn’t simply because the situation was embarrassing.
‘I picked the Blink Blade.’
Today’s match was interesting enough by her standards that she wanted to watch it properly from the beginning.

* * *
While I was facing off against Danmuji.
Almond thrust his sword forward.
Whoosh!
“What!? A fight breaking out before the Minions even arrive!? Almond is charging in!”
The Minions still hadn’t appeared.
It was just a battle between Almond and Danmuji.
“Is he fired up!? Could this turn into a level 1 fight!?”
“They say Blink Blade gets strong at level 6, but! Level 1 fights are just as fierce as Wind Blade! The Blade Force hits are absolutely devastating!”
Most people say Blink Blade is weak before level 6, but to be precise, level 1 fights are strong, while levels 2-5 are weak.
However, since level 1 fights are almost never considered in practice, people simply say “Blink Blade gets strong from level 6” for convenience.
Such minor details might be tedious to remember one by one.
But Almond understands the importance of this detail.
If I gain the advantage here, I can comfortably level up Blink Blade until level 6.
[Blink]
Flash!
My form shimmered and appeared in mid-air with the Blink.
“He’s floating in the air and blinking!? This is going to be really hard to hit!?”
Contrary to King Gul’s worries, I smoothly caught the sword that had been thrown into the air and was able to swing it with rotational force intact.
Whoooosh!
A smooth sword arc honed through dozens and hundreds of practice swings.
Above it, blue flames ignite.
Crackle!
[Blade Force]
[Passive. When suddenly approaching an opponent and delivering the first strike, the ‘Blade Force’ effect is applied. Blade Force deals massive damage proportional to the opponent’s lost health. Cooldown: 5 seconds.]
Blade Force—the Blink Blade’s passive that activates when suddenly approaching an opponent from a distance.
“Blade Force activated!”
The Blade Force surges toward Danmuji with a vicious sound.
Crimson flames crackled and a thunderous boom echoed out.
Crash!!!
“Ah, it’s—it’s blocked!”
“Danmuji! Were you just pretending to be careless!?”
The surprise attack was blocked.
Danmuji, who had been staring blankly at the distant mountain just moments ago, was now smiling with the gleam of victory in his eyes.
“Ah! Danmuji knew! The surprise attack is blocked so cleanly! It’s over!”
“Wait, is it really over!?”
“The reason Blink Blade is stronger than Wind Blade at level 1 is because of Blade Force! And if Blade Force gets blocked, that’s it! To activate it again, I’d have to get far away from the opponent and then engage again, but that’s impossible in the current situation! Would Danmuji just sit back and watch!?”
I can’t use Blade Force anymore. I’ve already used Blink too.
Now it’s Danmuji’s turn to attack.
Swish!
A blade woven from wind sliced through the air.
──Whoooosh!
The strike landed on my upper body.
Crimson blood scattered.
[Reckless Warrior]
[Health 92%]
I acknowledged it.
‘Fast.’
The speed of the blade thrust was certainly impressive, and the sword trajectory was precise. Even compared to other Challengers, this was swordwork several times smoother than Mosol’s.
Because of that, what should have been a gap for only one attack now allowed two consecutive strikes to land.
Whoosh!
‘It’s coming again.’
The sword trajectory was distinctly different from before.
This was due to the wind blade’s passive.
[The Wind Always Beside Me]
[Passive. Each time the wind blade strikes an enemy, it absorbs more wind, increasing attack power and blade length. Maximum 10 stacks. Lasts 5 seconds per stack.]
The reach extending in one-on-one close combat was lethal for the opponent.
Moreover, since the wind blade was made of wind itself, it was barely visible.
I had to evade by estimating only the wind’s silhouette.
Relying on instinct felt more effective.
‘About now.’
Breath.
I arched my back with all my strength.
A fierce gust of wind swept across my chest.
“You dodged that!?”
“Oh. So if we take one hit and call it even, we can just run away again, right?”
“Let’s call it a draw! Cast it!?”
It was a dangerous attack, but I evaded it.
Now I could escape. My opponent had created distance while attacking.
But my eyes were fixed on the blink cooldown indicator blinking in one corner of my vision.
‘2 seconds.’
I was going to try once more.
The kill opportunity I had spotted was only beginning now.
「Master-level combat is both physical and always a game of calculation.」
I recalled Taco’s words to me.
「Like playing chess, you land successive ‘checks’ to induce your opponent’s movements.」
Right. The first attack was merely a ‘check’.
My foot stepped forward.
「And at the end, you drive them into ‘checkmate’.」
Tap!
Kicking off the ground, the new form scatters.
‘If my calculations are correct, I need three checks total….’
The commentators questioned as they watched Almond charge forward, throwing away his chance to escape.
“Almond! Aren’t you running!?”
“Without sword strength, a full-frontal assault is difficult!”
“What are you thinking!?”
As if in response, Almond’s speed-infused thrust attack pierces forward.
Danmuji deflects it lightly.
Clang!
“The thrust is blocked!”
“Reaction speed! Incredible!”
Almond paid no mind, spinning in the direction of the deflection and driving his foot forward instead of his blade.
He was closing the distance.
If the distance closed, the long sword that had been an advantage would become a cumbersome hindrance instead.
But Danmuji would not allow that so easily. He retreated backward while raising his blade to strike upward.
Almond twisted his waist urgently to block.
Clang!
Again, repeating.
Clang-clang-clang!
Blade met blade.
Thrusting strikes and parrying strikes.
The battle between one who penetrates and one who sweeps away.
Clang!
Clang!
Almond circled this way and that, driving his feet forward, while Danmuji adjusted his stance and retreated backward in response.
Their movements were so fluid you could believe they were dancing together.
-This is insane
-Incredible
-Is this really a level 1 fight!?
-What the hell, so fast
-Crazy
Clang! Clang! Clang-clang-clang!
The two blades bounced back and forth like a ping-pong rally.
But every rally ends. The victor was Almond.
His short blade finally found an opening.
Whoosh!
The blade rushes toward Danmuji’s throat with a sinister sound.
‘This is the second check.’
This time, there is no angle to deflect with the blade. The short blade and Danmuji’s throat are simply too close.
The distance between them was less than a hand’s breadth.
“Danmuji! He twisted his neck at the last moment and dodged!”
Whoosh!
Danmuji lightly twisted his neck to evade.
Only a shallow graze appeared. His health remained unchanged.
Almond’s attack had missed.
Yet victory gleamed in Almond’s expression, where frustration should have flickered. His true objective was never to sever the neck.
From the start, the goal was to close the distance!
In the moment Danmuji hesitated while twisting his neck, Almond closed the gap completely.
Thud—
Their chests nearly touched.
Ultimately, the distance had become impossibly narrow.
“What!? Player Almond! He’s completely pressed against him!”
“But then neither of them can land a hit, right!?”
“Actually… no!?”
The long wind blade had no way to attack.
But the short sword form of the Blink Blade had a method.
Swish.
Almond’s hand, which protruded toward Danmuji’s back, reversed his grip on the blade.
He drove it straight into his opponent’s back with full force.
‘Third hit confirmed.’
Thunk!
The short sword dug deep.
This was more than enough to register damage.
“Since the Blink Blade is a short sword, he can reverse his grip and just stab!”
[Danmuji]
[Health 92%]
Danmuji’s health had decreased.
The attack had registered.
Meanwhile, Danmuji tried desperately to slash Almond with his wind blade, but it was closer to rubbing the blade against him. There was no way that would count as an attack.
“The distance is too close, so the blade’s length becomes a hindrance! He can’t thrust or slash!”
“Meanwhile, Player Almond keeps stabbing! He’s stabbing his back while holding him in an embrace!”
Thunk!
Once Almond began stabbing, his short sword didn’t stop.
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
Blood gushed from Danmuji’s back.
“Danmuji, you need to escape quickly! You must create distance!”
“But that won’t work as easily as you’d think! Danmuji has to walk backward to escape while Almond walks forward to pursue! There’s bound to be a speed difference!?”
Danmuji desperately backpedaled trying to create distance, but walking backward and running forward naturally had different speeds.
As Danmuji struggled painfully to widen the gap behind him, Almond effortlessly kept pace and drove his blade into his back again.
-This is insane lol
-LMAO, Checky meta
-Using the range advantage is insane. Is this really the first time pulling it out?
-The game sense is almost master-level
-Is a level 1 Flash Blade really that strong?
“Ah! Danmuji! His health is dropping fast!”
[Danmuji]
[Health 23%]
Finally, just as his health scraped the bottom, Danmuji found an opening.
It was the lower left.
He quickly kicked off in that direction and managed to escape.
“F-Finally getting away!? But his health dropped so much!”
“Still, it’s fortunate we blocked the Blade Force. If that had connected, he’d be dead!”
Danmuji completely broke free from Almond.
Sighs erupted simultaneously from the spectator stands and the broadcast booth.
-Damn
-Couldn’t finish him
-Still, this should give a big advantage in lane phase.
“Ah! Almond must be frustrated! He really could have ended it right there!”
“To trigger Blade Force again, he’d need to go far and come back. That’s difficult at level 1. Unfortunate. Still, from this advantageous position in lane… wait, what!?”
The moment King Gul saw something and slammed the table, jumping up.
[Flash]
Whoosh!
With a blinding flash of light, Almond’s figure appears right above Danmuji’s back.
-What!?
-When did he throw the blade?
-Flash without a sword?
He used Flash without any throwing motion.
And right behind Danmuji.
As everyone questioned this, King Gul shouted.
“No! There was a blade stuck in his back the whole time!”
-Wow, seriously
-Chills;
-Danmuji is done
That’s right. Almond had deliberately let Danmuji escape.
Why?
[Blade Force]
Whoosh!
Blue flames wrapping around the blade.
To trigger the passive effect of Blade Force.
“Th-Blade Force! It activated again! By creating distance and closing it back in!”
“T-This is dangerous! Checkmate deals damage proportional to lost health!? The lower your health, the more damage you take!?”
After pulling the short sword lodged in my back.
Whoosh──
My eyes blazed with brilliant blue light, stretching far to the left as my body spun violently through the air.
Power coursed through my thighs, waist, and shoulders.
Which immediately transferred to the blade.
‘Checkmate.’
I slashed through my opponent before me in one fluid motion.
──Shhhhwaaaack!
The moment the killing blow I’d envisioned came to completion.
[FIRST BLOOD!]
[Reckless Warrior → Danmuji]
It was the moment Almond killed Danmuji for the first time.

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