Genius Archer’s Streaming - Chapter 286

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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 2 Episode 6
2. The Essence (3)
Department Manager Jang’s expression turned puzzled.
“What? That’s not Kingdom Age.”
What Almond was playing was an entirely different game.

* * *
After the Nant match ended.
Juhyeok and Sanghyeon faced their greatest dilemma.
‘What game should we play next?’
This question—’What game should we play next?’—which seemed remarkably carefree on the surface, was ironically a critical matter that would determine their entire future.
Juhyeok pondered.
‘Reel was so popular that I’d love to keep playing it, but….’
If he continued with Reel, his popularity would keep climbing in the short term, but he’d never establish himself as a versatile game streamer.
Without becoming a versatile game streamer, his position would be vulnerable to the rise and fall of individual games.
No matter how well Reel performs now, there’s no telling what will happen later. Think back ten years. Who could have predicted a game like this would exist?
‘Even if I play Reel, I need to try different modes.’
Reel had several modes.
The ones primarily used, even hosting tournaments, were ‘Escort Mode’ and ‘Survival Mode.’
Since Survival Mode wasn’t much different from Battle Large, if he were to play one, it would probably be ‘Escort Mode.’
‘Still, I can’t jump straight into it.’
He’d definitely play Escort Mode eventually, but not right now.
His image would solidify as a Reel streamer.
Before that, he needed one light, refreshing game to cleanse the palette, and then it would be good to do an online game like Battle Large afterward.
‘For now, my list is….’
The list Juhyeok had compiled looked like this:
[Joseon Assassin]
[Run Guys]
[Mana Sword Online]
Joseon Assassin was a story-driven game, and Run Guys was casual.
Mana Sword Online was an RPG.
Excluding Joseon Assassin at the top, the rest were genres he’d never attempted.
‘The first game can’t have too much volume. But Run Guys is too casual, and RPGs… considering pay-to-win mechanics and forced socializing, the losses might outweigh the gains. Plus, there’s no room for Almond to shine….’
Juhyeok’s mind flooded with reasons why each wouldn’t work.
“Ugh. This is complicated.”
He ruffled his hair and decided to take a mental break.
[Inbox]
He went to check his received emails.
And there he searched for ‘advertisements.’
Filtering out spam from the search results….
[“Hello, Almond. We are COZ, a clothing brand…”]
[“Hello. We are Rage Tech, a gaming gear startup. We wanted to introduce Almond to our company’s products…”]
.
.
.
Countless advertising proposal emails accumulated over a week were laid bare.
After scrolling down once.
“Haah~”
I leaned back against the chair, exhaling a sigh as if I’d just taken a drag from a cigarette.
“This is living.”
“What are you doing?”
Sanghyeon, who had been searching for information on his phone from behind, asked in disbelief.
“Ahem. What game should I play?”
Juhyeok tapped the keyboard again as if nothing had happened.
Tap-tap-tap-tap.
Meaningless consonants and vowels were entered into the search bar.
“What are you doing…”
Sanghyeon asked again, genuinely confused.
“No, when did you come back here. Seriously.”
“I wanted to show you this.”
On the phone screen Sanghyeon held out was the search trend ranking for Javer.
15th) Almond
Despite only having done a live broadcast, Almond had climbed to around 15th place among men and women in their twenties.
“Wow. That’s impressive. Yeah.”
Juhyeok applauded his achievement and tried to look away, but…
‘Huh?’
I thought I’d just seen something strange.
‘Wait…’
11th) Kingdom Age
Kingdom was in the search terms.
“…Did a drama called Kingdom Age get released by any chance?”
Juhyeok clicked on the search term with a joking tone.
[“Almond, who became a hot topic on Evening Wide’s live broadcast—what was his first game?”]
[“Kingdom Age, which Almond played and has a solid fanatic following. Recommended for adventurers who want to experience true medieval times”]
[“From an archer to Kingdom Age—Almond’s rise”]
It was being searched because it was Almond’s first game.
‘No. This can’t be. That’s still a live broadcast…’
I still found it hard to accept.
For it to rank this high simply because it was Almond’s first game, Almond would have to be incredibly famous in the first place.
Almond wasn’t at that level.
Then a certain phrase caught my eye.
[Punk Year-End Mega Sale Up to 100% Off!]
It was an event Punk was running for the year-end. Someone seeing a game sale for the first time might wonder what kind of sale offers 100% off, but games that have reached the end of their lifespan are often sold this way before the next series launches.
Only after entering the sale did Juhyeok finally understand.
“Ah…!”
Kingdom Age, one of the most prominent examples of a game past its prime, was prominently displayed on the main screen.
And there was a video of Almond playing the game.
Since Almond was a partner streamer for Punk, they could freely use his videos.
‘So that’s why Almond appeared in the search trends?’
With the ripple effect from Evening Wide combined with Punk’s free distribution, Almond had garnered attention.
In other words, it was Kingdom Age that had pushed Almond into the search trends.
‘Right, that makes sense. The Evening Wide live stream didn’t get much attention… it needs the edited version to really take off.’
Now everything made sense to Juhyeok.
“Man, we got lucky.”
“Right? Department Manager Oh must have put us in there.”
Sanghyeon chuckled and picked up his phone again.
Juhyeok stopped him as he turned toward the couch.
“Wait. But if they’re doing a free distribution… does that mean a new series is coming out?”
“?”
Sanghyeon hadn’t considered that far, tilting his head in confusion.
“Let me look it up. Hold on… huh?!”
Juhyeok was startled after spotting something on an unexpected screen.
None other than his own mailbox open on another monitor.
[Hello. This is ‘Redhat,’ the developer of Kingdom Age…]
“This can’t be.”
The game developer had contacted him directly about advertising.
And it was a foreign developer at that.
‘Why didn’t it come through Punk?’
Normally, these game companies submit advertising requests to Punk, and Punk distributes them to partner streamers. That’s why you become a partner streamer in the first place.
So why did they contact me directly?
Reading through the email content made the situation clear.
They weren’t trying to advertise Kingdom Age—they wanted to promote a new game their company had created, and it wasn’t being distributed through Punk.
[Our new title ‘Zombie School’ was developed with the full involvement of WiPlug’s entire team, and we created it with the Korean market as our top priority. However, due to distribution margins, we’ve decided to go with exclusive distribution on a platform called ‘Highgames’….]
This was problematic.
They weren’t just avoiding distribution through Punk—they were planning to distribute the game exclusively on their competing platform.
[Although we’re well aware that you’re a partner streamer for Punk, if Almond, who has greatly contributed to the sales changes of Kingdom Age, would play our new title, it would be a tremendous honor….]
After scrolling through the entire email, Juhyeok let out a sigh.
“Man. Really… why not just go through Punk? How much more money are they trying to make….”
Even if Redhat, the developer of Kingdom Age, was a small company, WiPlug, which had participated in the collaboration, was anything but.
It was practically the only domestic game company in Korea that had even been listed on the American stock exchange.
“What’s wrong?”
When Sanghyeon asked, Juhyeok explained the situation.
“Ah….”
Sanghyeon nodded in agreement.
He seemed troubled by it too.
“What’s the problem with that?”
“…?”
But Juhyeok’s prediction was completely off the mark. Sanghyeon didn’t understand the problem at all.
“What do you mean, what’s the problem… Well….”
Juhyeok recalled Department Manager Oh’s kind face for a moment. Didn’t it feel like he was betraying him?
“There was nothing saying we can’t play games on other platforms. We didn’t reject all the ads Punk gives us either. And the Reckless Warrior is putting in a ton of effort.”
“…That’s true.”
Juhyeok had nothing to say.
‘What is this guy. Why does he know all the terms? Is he really obsessed with money?’
They joked about calling him a money-crazy bird, but Sanghyeon actually wasn’t the type to care much about money. Especially compared to someone like Juhyeok.
He just seemed really eager to advertise this game.
“Let’s just do it. This game feels good somehow.”
“Hmm….”
Juhyeok thought for a moment, then made this suggestion.
“Why not play Kingdom Age one more time instead?”
“….”
Sanghyeon showed no change in expression, as if asking what Juhyeok had just said.
“If you play Kingdom Age, this developer wins, and Punk wins too… Hey. Can’t you hear me?”
“Hmm… This looks fun.”
Sanghyeon suddenly treated Juhyeok like a ghost and scrolled the mouse back and forth.
[Zombie School]
The new game had apparently caught his interest quite a bit.
‘It’s definitely fresh.’
Zombie School was about a zombie outbreak happening at a school. It was essentially a school survival game.
It was already a worn-out theme in subculture, but it was the first time this genre was being attempted as a virtual reality game.
Moreover, according to the developer’s claims, it was an open world. It was bound to be appealing.
‘There’s a sense of horror too, so the immersion will definitely be good. And….’
Like most zombie-related content, the initial immersion was practically guaranteed.
‘He wants to play it.’
Most importantly, Sanghyeon seemed to want to try this game.
‘If I think about interests, Kingdom is the right choice… but.’
Juhyeok watched Sanghyeon reading the game intro with a bright expression and thought.
‘I still haven’t shaken off my old habits.’
The behavioral principles from his days working at Asung.
What would superiors think, how would clients view it, how would colleagues see me….
I was merely a piece on a chessboard moved by those above me.
Constrained by others’ interests, my range of action had grown narrower and narrower.
When I came to my senses, I realized I was a ‘Pawn’—one that could only shuffle forward a single square at a time out of caution.
‘But that’s different now.’
Now I am no longer a pawn.
I can move two squares, three squares, beyond the single step. I can move diagonally too. That doesn’t make me a Queen either. I was never on that chessboard to begin with.
I had become the one playing chess.
This time, I chose to ‘advance.’
I don’t know how many squares this will be, but it’s a move forward nonetheless.
“Alright. Let’s just do it.”
Whatever consequences follow, I’ll bear the responsibility myself. That was both the fate and the thrill of one who had stepped off the chessboard.
Taking responsibility for myself means I can stand alone, wholly as myself.
“Really?”
“Yeah. Really. It looks fun, doesn’t it? You picked Kingdom in the first place anyway. That turned out to be a massive hit.”
Juhyeok decided to focus on what mattered.
My relationship with my partner?
That all hinges on whether I enjoy the game as a streamer and whether the viewers like it.
If I can’t play a game that looks fun because of my partner, I’ve got things backwards.
“The best thing a streamer can do is just play what’s fun.”
A streamer has to enjoy the game.
This is an absolute fundamental principle, whether it’s a skill broadcast or a comedy broadcast.
“That’s right.”
*Grin.*
Sanghyeon breaks into a bright smile, clearly agreeing with Juhyeok’s words.
“Let’s send a reply to that.”

* * *
Whether it was because they were a foreign production company, or perhaps they simply viewed Sanghyeon favorably.
The contract signing and transaction happened in an instant.
Half of the promised amount arrived as an advance payment. It was a whopping 2 million won.
‘…This much?’
Juhyeok was in a position where he should ask for more money, but being human, the words wouldn’t come out of his mouth.
Two million upfront, then another two million later—a total of 4 million won just to play the game once as an advertising fee.
He was far too sensible a person to ask for more.
Sanghyeon’s eyes went wide when he saw the amount.
“They, they sent 2 million right away?”
“Yeah. Once I sent my signature online, it went through immediately. The world’s really scary these days.”
“Wow.”
Either way, it was a good outcome.
He quickly entered the Capsule.
[‘That Game’ Gave Me an Advertisement]
Juhyeok had created this title, and now all he needed to do was download the game and turn on the broadcast. With a Capsule of that performance level, the download would be instantaneous, so the broadcast should go live any moment now.
But then Sanghyeon received a strange message.
[Hey. Zombie School isn’t on the list yet.]
It wasn’t on the list.
When broadcasting on Tribee, you normally had to select which game you were playing.
But that list hadn’t been created yet. Since it was a brand new game.
[Ah. I’ll just use this instead.]
Huh?
Sanghyeon seemed to have found a solution on his own before Juhyeok could even say anything….
Juhyeok, staring at the Tribee screen, was startled.
[Playing Kingdom Age]
This… feels like Kingchiman’s going to come flooding in.
Ding.
[Almond’s broadcast has just started!]
Either way, the broadcast had started. The notification was sent.
-hey hey
-wow hey
-wow finally back?
It’s been days since I watched the -ran story mode, and this is what I get ㅠㅠ
-bro i came from evening wide and you’re so handsome!
-lol no way
-what’s ‘that game’
The viewers didn’t notice at first.
But it was only a matter of time.
Noticing that Kingdom Age was on the list of games being played.
-What? Kingdom Age?
-For real?
-This is insane.
-Kingdom gave him an ad deal????
Finally, the crazy king chi has achieved enlightenment ㅠㅠㅠ
Nooooo hyung, thank you so much ㅠㅠㅠ I finally got Kingdom ㅠㅠㅠ
-Rosenitta ahhhhhhhhh
-Dumping Reina?! Dumping Reina?!

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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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