Genius Archer’s Streaming - Chapter 32

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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 32
12. Choice (2)
“Come in for now.”
Grandmother and Sanghyeon’s House was just under thirty pyeong in size.
So it was quite spacious for living alone. Juhyeok’s arrival posed no problems whatsoever.
There was no need to relocate the Capsule, and the damp, heavy atmosphere that had settled over the place actually brightened considerably.
Juhyeok was particularly excited.
“Hey. Should we order chicken tonight?”
Juhyeok seemed to find the act of leaving home itself entertaining. It was his first time living apart from his parents since his study abroad days, so it made sense.
Moreover, living with a friend was entirely new to him.
Shamefully, at over thirty years old, he was thrilled like a student on a school trip.
“Let’s grab some beer too.”
“…”
Sanghyeon couldn’t deny that he felt quite pleased about Juhyeok moving in.
Living alone is fun at first, but later it becomes quite lonely. Having a colleague around would certainly ease the solitude.
Still, Sanghyeon couldn’t just let it slide.
“Why won’t you tell me why you moved out in the first place?”
He’d said it was fine to live together, but he needed to know what this guy was actually thinking.
It wasn’t a big deal to be over thirty and living separately from his parents, but he still wanted to know the reason.
“Sigh… I’ll tell you the details later over drinks.”
“I don’t drink if I have a broadcast the next day.”
“Really? Then we’ll drink the night before my day off. Anyway, what about the game?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re at a crossroads between Emilia and Rosenitta.”
“Hmm…”
Sanghyeon hadn’t really thought about it either.
“Does it really matter which one I choose? Hmm.”
He checked the Community reaction on a whim. Searching under the name Almond, an enormous flood of posts poured out.
[Nut Shack, are you even human?]
[By my standards, Almond is a villain…]
[Ha, right. It cuts off there]
[If you cut it off there and then betray Emilia, I’m coming with a spear]
.
.
.
The post titles alone were quite fierce.
Pfft.
But Sanghyeon simply laughed it off. His mental fortitude wasn’t fragile enough to be shaken by criticism that was practically a joke.
“The reaction is pretty heated.”
“I’ve been thinking about something for the next game.”
“Huh? The next game?”
Juhyeok suddenly shifted the topic.
“Yeah. Look here.”
He connected his laptop to a hologram projector and displayed several data screens.
“Oh….”
It was equipment used these days instead of massive monitors. It was certainly more convenient to view multiple pieces of information at once, and more intuitive.
As Juhyeok swirled his finger across the touchpad, the holograms spun in a blur, displaying several documents simultaneously.
They were about Sanghyeon’s broadcast viewer demographics and characteristics.
The organization format was the same as what Asung Corporation used, so it was easy for Sanghyeon to understand.
“Hmm… So?”
“The conclusion is this.”
Ding.
All the cluttered windows vanished, and a single screen floated before us.
[Battle Rage]
A teaser video for the game was playing on that screen.
A survival-format game with 100 participants.
Just hearing about it made my chest swell with excitement.
“Looks decent? Should I try it out in the capsule first?”
Sanghyeon casually suggested playing it in the capsule, but Juhyeok stopped him.
“No way!”
“…?”
Sanghyeon turned back with an expression that said, ‘Really?’
“Don’t you get what your viewers want?”
“Playing games well, obviously.”
“Not just playing well. A genius, I’m telling you, a genius!”
“…What’s the difference between that and playing well?”
Juhyeok pushed his frameless glasses up with an exasperated expression.
“Just playing well can improve with practice. But the geniuses we know? They’re naturally talented from the start.”
“Hey, I do practice though? My archery skills came from─”
“No! At least for that game, you need to look like you’re playing it for the first time. But you can’t act and you can’t lie, so just actually play it for the first time.”
“???”
Sanghyeon’s expression became dumbfounded.
‘Kingdom Age is one thing….’
Kingdom Age is a packaged game. It’s natural to play it for the first time.
But Battle Rage is completely different. It’s an online PVP game.
A game where people clash against each other and test their skills, but the problem is that it’s been out for almost two years now.
So-called veterans have emerged, the skill gap among players has become enormous, and the barrier to entry for beginners is high.
Asking someone to pick up such a game for the first time and play it well is too much to ask.
The other people playing that game aren’t beginners, and they put in their own effort, so would Sanghyeon, who knows nothing about it, play better than them on his first try?
That was what Sanghyeon thought, but naturally, from a third party’s perspective, it was different.
“You set new records in Kingdom Age on your first try, didn’t you? Why do you think you can’t do the same with Battle Rage?”
“…Yeah. But I only know how to shoot arrows, and that’s a gun-shooting game, isn’t it? Fundamentally.”
Sanghyeon nodded.
Battle Rage was a gun-shooting game.
It remained uncertain what advantage someone who only knew how to shoot arrows could possibly have.
“No, look at this.”
Juhyeok pulled up several analysis videos.
They showed Sanghyeon riding a horse and shooting enemies as he galloped.
“Does this look like it has anything to do with archery? Well, maybe a little. But if you gave this to your archery friends, could they do it?”
“….”
The words ‘Of course they could’ nearly slipped out, but upon reflection, Sanghyeon didn’t think so either.
Archery was an extremely static sport.
Nobody typically assumed that archery athletes would be good at soccer either.
The gameplay in the video was no different. It didn’t seem related to archery at all.
“Well… I’ve been running a simulation training program, and this seems to be the result of that.”
“A simulation training program?”
This was the first time Juhyeok had heard of such a thing.
“It’s pre-installed. They said it optimizes well, so I run it regularly.”
Sanghyeon explained that he cleared the simulation once daily on the highest difficulty.
Juhyeok searched for the name of the program Sanghyeon mentioned.
“Uh… What’s your total score?”
The program awarded a total score upon completion of the simulation training.
“Around 12,000 points?”
“Insane.”
A low hum sounded.
New data appeared on the holographic screen.
“That program isn’t exactly professional-grade, but… you’re ranked first in it?”
“What?”
Sanghyeon leaned in closer to examine the data, his expression one of disbelief.
Looking closer wouldn’t change the hologram’s pixels. The data remained the same.
At the very top was my body authentication serial code, identical to the one listed.
‘I’m… first place?’
Kingdom Age had no ranking system. There was no way to establish a standard for what constituted good gameplay.
Even though I’d set new records, the truth was I hadn’t really felt it.
From my perspective, it had always been that way from the start, so breaking records didn’t feel particularly impressive.
But having the word “first place” attached so concretely felt entirely different.
“Ugh….”
I hesitated, stepped back, and remained silent for a moment.
“So I was right, wasn’t I?”
“What?”
“You have a natural talent for this field regardless of archery! You can just watch a guide video for Battle Rage and start right away. Absolutely….”
Juhyeok rambled on excitedly, pleased that his opinion had proven correct.
But as always, Sanghyeon’s ears weren’t really registering what Juhyeok was saying.
‘First place….’
The emotion of achieving first place was stirring his heart far more deeply than he’d expected.

* * *
Sanghyeon decided to start his broadcast a bit earlier today. He wanted to test which time slot brought in the best viewership.
“I’m going in.”
“Got it.”
Having someone to exchange greetings with before entering the Capsule felt surprisingly nice.
The fact that it wasn’t a pretty girlfriend but rather Juhyeok Kim, who spoke like a calculator, was considerably irritating, but still, it was something.
Whirrrrr─
With the sound of the lid closing, darkness enveloped everything, and a new world opened before me.
[Daily Training Protocol Initiated]
The simulation I’d set up automatically began the moment I entered.
I cleared the full course lightly, as if jogging.
[13,112]
A score exceeding thirteen thousand points appeared.
‘…Is this a new record then?’
Since this training protocol wasn’t competitive, the system didn’t display a score chart.
But now I knew.
That my previous record of twelve thousand points had been the top score.
And I’d just broken it today.
Very easily.
In the moment I stood dazed with bewilderment.
[Juhyeok : Watch the Battle Rage guide video before turning on the broadcast.]
Ding.
Juhyeok sent a video link.
I moved my hand and clicked on the video.
Whoooooosh─
One hundred players descending with a fierce wind sound.
They deployed their parachutes and immediately began running around in all directions.
After picking up weapons, they shot whenever they encountered an opponent. Or sometimes, if someone passed by at a distance, there was an unspoken agreement not to attack.
‘This looks fun….’
Thump─
My heart began to race.
It was a completely different emotion from when I watched Kingdom. A survival competition game with a hundred people.
Just hearing about it piqued my interest, but seeing it actually made me desperately want to play.
‘Not today though.’
I decided to hold back for now.
As Juhyeok said, if I knew too much going in, the viewers’ enjoyment would be cut in half.
It was better to stop at just knowing the rules.
‘If I’m going with the genius concept anyway, I should play it that way.’
Beyond that, I wanted to test something.
Just how far did my talent truly extend.
[Got it. Starting the broadcast now.]
I sent the message to Juhyeok and began streaming.

* * *
As the broadcast started, Almond found myself standing in that vast grassland where the battlefield had unfolded.
This was indeed the immersion that virtual reality games offered.
I couldn’t believe that just moments ago, I’d been imagining playing Battle Rage.
Now I was Almond, a mercenary caught in the war between Zannerett and Tallorant in the Kingdom Age world.
“How much longer are you going to make me wait?”
Rosenitta asked with a hint of irritation in her voice.
She was pressing for an answer to the question she’d posed.
[1. I’m honored that you recognize my worth.]
[2. Though I’m merely a mercenary, I’ve already sworn my loyalty.]
If I were truly in this situation, I would have needed at least a week to deliberate over this choice.
But that wasn’t the case with Rosenitta.
“Answer quickly. Are you planning to stay here all day?”
Her urging seemed rather presumptuous.
Yet even so, the viewers cheered, finding her charming.
-Girl crush vibes
-Girl giant energy
-Please punish that arrogant nut for us, ma’am!
-Love you, sis!
Emilia was popular, and Rosenitta was popular too.
‘I’ll save Rosenitta for next time….’
If I went with Rosenitta, the game would stretch out much longer.
It was time to shift the game soon.
So I wanted to end this run with Emilia’s route. That was also the right thing to do.
Almond opened my mouth.
“Though I’m merely a mercenary, I’ve already sworn my loyalty.”
Rosenitta’s expression fell with disappointment, then she laughed instead.
“What can I do? I want you even more now. You’re better than most knights.”
With the decision made, the soldiers dragged Rosenitta away.
Even as she was taken captive, those deep sea-like eyes continued to gaze at Almond.
Goodbye, Rosita! (with tears)
-Damn it…
-Almond, you clueless fool…
I’m crying (or expressing sadness/frustration)
Rosenitta’s fans seemed disappointed. Fortunately, none of them were so caught up in the moment as to actually condemn Almond’s choice.
“…Ah, Almond.”
A trembling voice reached me from behind.
A delicate, familiar voice.
‘Emilia?’
Emilia had appeared in the middle of the battlefield.
Naturally, the Knights were startled.
They all cried out that she needed to be sent elsewhere immediately. This place could still be dangerous, after all. But Emilia paid them no mind and rushed straight toward me.
She ran to me and pulled me into an embrace.
With as much strength as her delicate arms would allow, she held me close.

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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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