Genius Archer’s Streaming - Chapter 287
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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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Genius Archer’s Streaming Season 2 Episode 7
3. Zombie School (1)
There was a reasonably sound rationale behind it.
‘Since it’s an advertisement from the Kingdom production company, I should pick a related game if possible.’
In truth, if it were any other streamer, such a choice wouldn’t be particularly noteworthy.
The issue was that Kingdom Age held a special significance within Almond’s streaming room.
-Wow, King Taesik really made a comeback!
-lol this is insane
-no way
-Kingdom Birds all ascending to heaven lololol
Rosita noona ㅠㅠ I’m finally coming!
Kingdom was Almond’s first game and the foundation of his fanbase. It was also the game where he wielded the greatest influence.
He’d even temporarily boosted the game’s sales figures.
Thus, Kingdom and Almond shared considerable history. Regrettably, it was the game he’d played for the shortest duration.
Because of this, many people were ecstatic about Kingdom’s comeback. They had always been waiting for it.
For the King of Kingdom Age to return.
-The King’s Return (for real)
-Ugh… Almond, after you played, the proportion of bow users increased like crazy lololol
The proud Kingdom’s bow ㅠㅠ Has it come back?!
-Why are we like this?! K-Kingchiman…! If not like this! Almond! He doesn’t even care about Kingdom!
-Kingdom Birds assemble!
There existed a group called the Kingdom Birds.
They squawked about Kingdom Age like parrots. Though their numbers were few, their firepower was considerable.
Since Kingdom was quite the niche game…
Of course, not everyone desired Kingdom Age. In fact, the absolute majority of the general audience didn’t want Kingdom Age.
-The Kingdom Birds are causing chaos lololol
Just flirt with Reina or something ㅠㅠ
-Aren’t you doing Reel anymore?
The game that made Almond truly famous wasn’t Kingdom—it was Reel.
Because of this, most people wanted Reel over Kingdom. Or they preferred he play a new game instead.
From the start, Kingdom was an unpopular game.
Yet looking at the chat, it overflowed with Kingdom Birds. As if it were a massively popular game.
The reason was ‘concept Kingdom Birds.’
-Nowadays there are a lot of concept people.
-Phone Kingdom Birds lololol
-You can tell they’re new viewers but they’re shouting Kingdom lololol
-They’re just following the trend
-Jam’s followers came in droves
This was a curious phenomenon from my perspective.
‘They’re asking me to play Kingdom even though they’ve never seen it or played it themselves.’
People who had never played Kingdom and hadn’t even watched Almond’s broadcast were shouting “Kingdom!” regardless.
Juhyeok had interpreted this as people wanting to feel a sense of kinship with Almond’s broadcasting culture.
Of course, all that “Kingdom Effect” became meaningless when what Almond was about to play was an entirely different game.
[Zombie School]
-???What kind of game is this?
-Why not Kingdom!? Why not Kingdom!? Why not Kingdom!? Why not Kingdom!?
-Wasn’t this a Kingdom ad??
“Nuts shake… They fooled us again ㅠㅠㅠ”
-Is this a test play?? Right??
Ignoring the chat messages that sounded almost desperate, Almond greeted his audience with the loading screen of the new game as his backdrop.
“Tcha!”
-Aha!
-Ahahaha!
Hello ㅎ
Greetings flooded in from the chat.
“Sorry for the delay. I just downloaded it and booted it up.”
-What kind of game is this?
-Is this an ad?
-Why is this ‘that game’ nut guy
-Is the title clickbait??
Chat messages questioning him appeared immediately, but Almond had no hesitation.
At least in his mind, he was confident!
“No, it’s not clickbait.”
Then what is it? lol
Lol, that’s so annoying, what a shameless face ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Nah lol you gotta tell me the reason lol
-Not clickbait. Fat guy.
“This is an ad from the Kingdom Age developer.”
-Whoa
-No way
-For real??
-Wow
-A new game???
Wow, it’s actually real ㅋㅋㅋ
Everyone was shocked to hear it was an ad from the Kingdom developer. It made sense—getting ads directly from overseas developers was quite difficult.
Moreover, it was immediately clear that this hadn’t come through Punk.
-It’s not on Punk?
-What is this, a beta test?
-Where is it
There were always some viewers who would buy a game the moment a streamer played it, wanting to experience it themselves.
But I couldn’t find the game.
“It’s not Punk, but… well… ahem.”
Almond, Punk’s partner streamer, seemed reluctant to say it was exclusive to Highgames, so he just dodged the question.
Is this exclusive to Hi-Games? lol that’s ridiculous
I’m dying laughing ㅋㅋㅋ
This guy is seriously crazy lol
-???: Buy it on Highgames!
“Well, it’ll eventually come to Punk too. This is just advance advertising for when it does.”
Once the exclusivity period ended, it would come to Punk anyway, so it wasn’t technically a lie.
-Flawless logic;
-Wait, is this the excuse-making skill of someone from Asung’s support department?!
Haha, it takes less than a second to make up an excuse.
-Truly impressive, I’m genuinely in awe.
Almond glanced at the chat for a moment, then nodded.
The viewers seemed somewhat convinced.
Now I could start the game.
‘This should be fun.’
Thump. Thump.
A new game to play after so long.
Everything about the game’s concept and the direction of fun it pursued was designed to stimulate Almond’s curiosity.
“Let me turn donations back on. I turned them off for a moment because the Kingdom Birds might think Kingdom is the platform and get upset.”
Collection time lol
-You knew they’d get upset!
You knew what you were doing, huh ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Damage calculation complete
The moment I lifted the donation limit, donations poured in.
From 100,000 won to even big spenders sending 1 million won as a comeback celebration.
It took nearly 30 minutes just to send thank you messages to everyone.
After that came mostly question time.
There were many questions about my appearance on Evening Wide, but mostly…
Aren’t you doing Reels anymore?? ㅠㅠ
[Did you really abandon Reina!?]
[If you steal Reina’s lips and abandon Reel, Dehaep won’t just sit idle.]
There were many questions about whether I was dropping Reel.
“Ah. The Reel Siege… I’ve done it enough that I don’t think I can continue it as long as last time. I’m thinking of doing the Escort Quest later instead.”
I hadn’t actually discussed it with Juhyeok, but we were thinking the same thing.
-Reina: Phew…
“They’re doing an escort mission, wow”
-Oh! That’ll be good too, probably even better at that
Escort matches are mostly just physical battles, so the balance is really gonna be broken lol
I’m so glad that’s what you want to do ㅠㅠ Thank goodness ㅠㅠ
Now there’ll be a Reel Muse following Kingdom Muse lol
Use it as a reaction game like Bae-ra. Bae-ra’s noobs got wiped out lol
“Well then…”
Almond pressed the button that had been floating in midair all this time.
“I’ll start with this game.”
[Zombie School]
[Single Mode]
Darkness engulfed everything from all sides, and even sound vanished without a trace.
-Thump thump thump
-Let’s goooo
-Mom! I don’t wanna go to school! Give me Reina!
* * *
‘What’s this? Why isn’t it starting?’
The loading was taking longer than expected.
Floating in this dark space without any sensation for so long wasn’t a pleasant feeling at all.
‘Maybe it’s because it’s a new release.’
Almond waved his hands around just in case.
“…Hmmm.”
Huh?
A strange sound echoed.
It sounded like the noise someone sleeping would make.
“Hey! Number 12!”
Smack.
Along with this gruff voice, white light suddenly flooded in from all directions.
My eyes had opened.
“Sleeping again? You’re just openly sleeping?”
Standing before me was a teacher with a menacing expression.
That’s right. True to its name, Zombie School’s setting was a school.
“Get up from your seat. Number 12.”
A teacher with a menacing expression speaking in a Gyeongsang dialect. Getting into trouble with the teacher right from the start was similar to Ran’s story mode in some ways…
But it was actually completely different.
‘What is this place?’
Looking around, I was startled.
An environment far too familiar.
Presence.
‘It’s a school?’
It’s a school.
Yes, of course it’s a school. That’s obvious.
‘A completely authentic Korean school.’
Almond had recreated the Korean schools from his own school days exactly as they were.
Since he’d never played or even heard of a game like this before, it felt like he’d been ambushed without any warning.
Gulp.
Almond swallowed hard.
The situation felt far too real, and suddenly he found himself tense.
This was rare for him.
‘They’ve recreated a Korean school down to every detail.’
Dark green chalkboard, prison-like windows cut above the children’s eye level, walls with rough paint that had been slapped on carelessly, a creaky wooden floor that sent dust flying.
And in the center of the classroom hung the Taegeuk flag with a school motto beneath it.
[The closer your rank gets to Diamond, the closer your life gets to Bronze.]
-The historical accuracy is insane
I got hit lolololol
Yeah, that’s definitely a Korean school lol
“Right… Diamond won’t cut it. I need to reach Challenger….”
Almond muttered without thinking, then flinched.
He felt a sharp, murderous aura.
“Number 12.”
A Math Teacher with a fierce Gyeongsang accent growled as he approached.
“Yes!”
Almond answered reflexively, just like he would have in his school days.
Hahaha what the heck, Amondsen?
Haha, I’m scared of Teacher Almond.
-He’s just really immersed~~
“What did you just say, Number 12?”
Thud.
The teacher approached with an intensity that could kill a man, staring down at him as he asked.
-Why did this guy become a teacher instead of a boxer
This physical education teacher is crazy lol it’s hell lol
-What the hell lol, a punk who looks like a gang boss is a teacher lol
Even Almond could tell this teacher was no ordinary human.
“I… I didn’t say anything.”
“….”
The teacher simply stared at Almond intently without speaking.
Then he suddenly asked this.
“Why don’t you have a name tag? What’s your name?”
It seemed like he had to give his name here.
“…Almond.”
“What?”
hahaha the expression hahaha
-It doesn’t seem to be working?
-What kind of name is that? That look says it all lol
-Damn, that’s messed up
-???: What? Almond? Are you messing with me?
‘What’s going on?’
I thought he was just asking for my name.
In normal gameplay, you naturally get a nickname this way. But the reaction is strange.
“Almond?”
The Teacher’s face contorts like a furnace lid shoved into a blast furnace.
“So your last name is Kim and your first name is Mond, is that it?”
Pfahahaha.
The children next to me start laughing.
“Yes…that’s correct.”
Almond looks around bewildered, not understanding what’s so funny. All the children mock him as if to say that makes no sense.
“Why is he like that.”
“No idea. Hehe.”
“Here we go again.”
The Teacher scans the surroundings sharply, signaling everyone to be quiet. The room falls silent as a grave.
That charismatic gaze, which had swept a full 360-degree radius, turns back to Almond.
“Hey. Number 12.”
“…?”
“Are you messing with me?”
“No, no sir.”
“What’s your name. I’m asking one more time. Tell me properly.”
What is this.
I don’t get to choose my own name?
Almond racked his brain hard, trying to understand the situation.
‘Excessively realistic setting… incredible attention to detail… a game that prioritizes immersion.’
The defining feature of this game is immersion.
In a game like that, a Korean having the name Almond would make no sense.
‘Then….’
After thinking, he calls out a name.
“K, Juhyeok Kim!”
When you think Korean, you think Kim.
The Teacher tilts his head.
He glances at the attendance sheet. If I get it wrong this time too, that sheet will instantly become a weapon.
“Wear your name tag properly. Understood?”
“Yes!”
Phew.
Thank goodness. It seems I’ve been accepted.
Only then did the Math Teacher return to his desk.
-Juhyeok Kim??
-What’s that all of a sudden lol
-Isn’t that Hodu’s name? That manager
-Why the manager’s name lol
-This is killing me lol
Even Almond didn’t know why. He simply didn’t want to use his own name.
Ding! Ding!
Juhyeok seemed to be sending message after message, but Almond decided to just watch the class instead.
“Where were we… Ah, so cosine squared…”
Tap. Tap-tap-tap…
The leisurely, deep voice layered with the crisp, rhythmic sound of chalk against the board.
‘Ah…’
Damn it. It’s a trial from the start.
I’m getting sleepy again.
* * *
“Ah, hot. Damn…”
Department Manager Jang frowned as the cigarette flame reached the tips of his fingers.
He lit it and threw away the cigarette after barely taking a few drags.
The cigarette wasn’t what mattered right now.
“What is this… this is seriously no joke.”
Truth be told, he had little interest in games as a medium. Back in the day, he’d set up a VR game system at home when they first came out, and when full-dive games emerged, he’d tried them a few times out of curiosity, but lost interest within days.
‘The quality definitely wasn’t this good back then.’
Given his inherent lack of interest in games, his interest might have simply faded quickly.
But the full-dive games back then were far too crude.
Yet this ‘Zombie School’ game that just came out.
No particular story had even progressed yet.
‘I can barely tell the difference? No, I can’t tell the difference at all.’
It’s completely indistinguishable from reality.
Most games ‘deliberately’ show their graphics. To avoid the uncanny valley effect.
Even so, there’s no problem enjoying full-dive games.
But Zombie School didn’t do that. It went straight through.
[Ding~dong~dang~dong~]
As the school bell rang, even Department Manager Jang watching flinched.
It was so identical to that old school bell.
Overwhelming nostalgia, longing, the excitement of those days, the college entrance exam stress that made you want to vomit, the study room that sometimes felt like a prison…
The scent of old desks and the boisterous laughter of children.
Even through this small screen, it comes through like this. How immersed would those actually playing it become?
Moreover, school life that fits perfectly with Korean sensibilities…
“This… this works. This actually works.”
Department Manager Jang’s mind flooded with fresh ideas, bursting forth like a spring.
I can see it.
An entertainment format that never existed before.
A new market.
No, a new beginning…!
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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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