Genius Archer’s Streaming - Chapter 378

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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 98
34. My Profession (4)
What kind of ten years would I live?
‘Right now….’
Even Sanghyeon, who was usually decisive, found himself unable to choose in this moment.
My gaze turned toward Kim Chi Warrior and her teammates sitting before me.
‘The fact that they came at this hour. It means they’re in a hurry, just as they said.’
They were in a desperate situation too.
That’s why they waited outside in the cold until this hour. They weren’t cunning people, but I could tell well enough how sincere they were about this game.
For their sake, it would be better to decide quickly.
However….
“…Please give me just one day.”
I ultimately postponed my decision.
It was only natural.
“Understood.”
Kim Chi Warrior nodded and stood up from her seat.
“You must be tired. Please go inside and rest. Thank you for taking the time. And, one day is a bit short, so we’ll wait for two days instead.”
She appealed to their desperation once more before withdrawing.

* * *
On the way out of the café.
Though he had spoken quite cleanly and left earlier.
“Haaah.”
The moment he parted ways with Almond, he let out a sigh.
“What’s wrong?”
Mool Mandu beside him tilted his head in confusion.
“Did you see his eyes? I don’t think he’s going to do it.”
“…Come on. How would you know that?”
“Think about it. Logically. From his perspective, his arm health is on the line. What does some damned Civil Empire national tournament even mean to him?”
“What are you saying!? How important is an international tournament!”
When Mool Mandu shouted this with an innocent face, Kim Chi Warrior shook her head and stopped talking.
Gob Spear, standing beside her, chimed in.
“Anyway. We agreed to wait two days. Tsk. Let’s just wait and see.

* * *
That night, I arrived home.
“What exactly did they say to you?”
Juhyeok was waiting while watching TV.
“They said the international competition is tough, so I should think it over carefully. I can’t drop out midway.”
“…What? That’s all?”
Juhyeok seemed puzzled, as if he hadn’t expected it to be just that.
“Are you still going to do it?”
Juhyeok asked with a slightly worried expression.
In truth, his inner thoughts wanted to tell me not to bother with it.
But Sang-hyun Yu was the type who might stubbornly do the opposite if pushed too hard, so he had to be careful.
Either way, he had to let me make the decision myself.
“…I said I’d give an answer in a day. Or rather, two days.”
Juhyeok felt somewhat relieved.
He’d been given two whole days to convince me.
“I’m going to shower first.”
“Yeah. Okay.”

* * *
Whoooosh.
Lost in thought under the stream of hot water, I found myself contemplating.
‘…I’ve gotten quite soft.’
I gazed down at my body indifferently. It was certainly different from when I trained intensively back then. Even though I’d kept up with steady jogging all this time, that was only cardio.
It had been quite a while since I’d done any weight training to build muscle.
My muscles had almost completely faded, leaving only traces and marks behind.
‘Just like back in those days.’
Squeak.
After finishing my shower, I turned off the water.
‘I should conserve the hot water.’
Since the house was so old, if I used up all the preheated water, it could cause problems for Juhyeok’s shower.
But when I came out of the bathroom, Juhyeok had already gone to bed.
‘This guy. Doesn’t look like he even showered.’
I recalled Juhyeok’s disheveled hair. After roughly drying off with a towel, I sat down at the computer where Juhyeok usually sat these days.
And as if possessed, I played a certain file.
[Wooooow!!]
[Another hit! The, the lens shatters!! Right now, youngest ever, youngest ever….]
A file I’d watched countless times.
By now I’d memorized which audience members moved where at which minute mark.
And the final part was from the interview of seventeen-year-old Sang-hyun Yu at the time.
[I’m going to win the Olympics.]
Ping.
The video had ended.
Reflected in the black screen, Sanghyeon from ten years in the future stared blankly into the void.
‘….’
In that dark world, he and Sanghyeon locked eyes for a long moment.
Both of them spoke simultaneously.
“I still don’t know. Let’s just get some sleep.”

* * *
The next day.
Breakfast time.
The morning after drinking, Juhyeok always made soft tofu stew for me.
Sometimes he’d even add dried pollack to it. Surprisingly, it paired well.
A day just like today.
“Wow.”
Staring at the stew with white steam rising from it, I swallowed hard.
No matter how much I adored Almond, I couldn’t resist the steaming broth when nursing even a slight hangover.
After alternating between spoonfuls of pristine white rice and the soft tofu stew glistening with crimson oil, I suddenly noticed something odd.
‘Why isn’t he saying anything?’
Juhyeok, who normally spoke about anything and everything, remained silent.
Like a machine that only made stew, he simply brought out the bowls and ate.
‘What should I say to keep that guy from being stubborn?’
In truth, Juhyeok was watching my reaction carefully.
‘…If I tell him not to, he’ll definitely do it. But if I tell him to, it’ll be obvious.’
He was struggling with how to convince me to give up the national tournament, so he couldn’t bring himself to speak.
Then our eyes met.
“Listen──”
“Come to think of it, yesterday──”
We both started speaking at once.
“…?”
“?”
After a brief pause, I spoke first again.
“Come to think of it, you met the Asung people yesterday, right?”
I had actually wanted to talk to Juhyeok separately yesterday, but Kim Chi Warrior’s arrival had prevented it. Now I was trying to bring up that conversation.
“Ah….”
Juhyeok was momentarily flustered by the unexpected topic, but he nodded.
“Yeah. I met them.”
I paused, unsure what to say, then simply kept it brief.
“It must have been a while?”
A tentative way to broach the subject.
“Yeah. That’s right. Especially my old teammates. Probably…”
“Probably?”
“Yeah. I don’t remember well. I just remember this Manager.”
“Ah, if it’s this Manager, then it’s definitely your old team. Are the members still the same?”
“Yeah. Now that I think about it, they are? Stubborn bunch.”
While we were reminiscing about those days, Sanghyeon suddenly asked, tossing the question out casually.
“But… you said you hadn’t mentioned it all this time. So why did you specifically say Manager that day?”
This was what he had really wanted to ask.
“Ah. Well. When I thought about it.”
Perhaps because some wall had already crumbled from our earlier casual conversation, Juhyeok didn’t seem particularly surprised. He simply answered plainly.
“It’s my current profession.”
Juhyeok didn’t add anything more after that.
“…That’s it?”
“Yeah. That’s all. When I looked back on it, I realized I was working incredibly hard at this as a profession. Once I understood that, all desire to hide it disappeared.”
“I see.”
Sanghyeon nodded.
He too seemed to have realized something.
‘I think I understand now.’
Juhyeok believed that a profession wasn’t simply a means to earn money, but was also connected to one’s identity. So hiding it would be self-distortion. Sanghyeon empathized with this.
When he was an archer, when he was an employee of Asung.
In a way, weren’t the turning points of his life divided by what work he was doing?
‘And now…’
Sanghyeon finally remembered.
His profession. His current identity.
He was no longer an archery prospect, nor was he Asung’s troublesome parachute hire.
He was a streamer.
“Wow. I’ve decided.”
At my sudden declaration, Juhyeok was taken aback.
“What? Decided what? Don’t tell me…”
“Finish eating. I need to check something.”
Ignoring Juhyeok’s words, I cleared the empty bowl and headed toward the computer.
‘There’s something I want to see one more time.’
Click.
I played a video.
It wasn’t the championship tournament victory video.
[Nant Finals) Reina Hard Carry!]
The Nant tournament match I played with Balloon Gum, Taco, and others. Among them, it was the decisive final match that secured the championship.
In that match, Almond showed a legendary performance as Reina.
Right at the start of the game, he gets a double kill on the enemy mid Danmuji and supporter Daechou.
The viewers in the chat and comments erupt in cheers.
-Blind pick flavor is insane
-Almond! Take responsibility for Reina! Almond! Take responsibility for Reina!
-They say Reina’s sacrifice of her lips to Almond was worth it…
-What the heck is 1:33?
The cheers weren’t coming from the viewers alone.
The excited voices of the analysts were captured in this footage as well.
[This! This is proof that Almond’s VNS stats aren’t exaggerated! Level 1 is where true physical skill determines victory!]
[What good is a well-laid plan!? Who could have predicted a play at this level!?]
I felt the thrill of that moment all over again.
Another superb play followed.
[Wow! Dive kill! The game is completely broken!?]
[Danmuji! His spirit is shattered!]
The roar of the crowd.
Waaaaaah…!
The energy was so overwhelming, the heat felt tangible in my hands.
My heart raced along with it.
I watched another video as if entranced.
[Nant Finals) Flash Sword Finally Appears!]
Unlike now, the video’s title was quite normal, but the gameplay within it was anything but.
[No, level 1 solo kill! This is a major incident!?]
[Almond is shouting!? Just bring jjajangmyeon! Danmuji is already sliced up!!]
Like the video above, Danmuji’s solo kill that exploded from level 1.
And the level 6 roam that grabbed the losing team by the scruff and lifted them back up.
[An incredible spinning combo followed by that psychological warfare!!! So much happened in an instant!]
[W-what!? What’s happening right now!? Flash flash whoooosh! And then! Jecheon is dead!?]
[It’s truly non-stop damage!? After engaging, sword strike! Spinning strike! Spinning strike! Spinning strike! Flash! And then with sword technique, all clones burst and flash again! Sword strike! Completely no room to breathe…]
The analysts, casters, and fans screaming at the top of their lungs…
Reliving those emotions once more, I thought to myself.
‘This is my profession.’
Being a streamer was this kind of profession.
Making viewers happy, making them cheer, sometimes making them cry.
A profession that meets their expectations.
Through this, gifting them a pleasant escape from reality, even if just for a moment, and in return, receiving their love.
-Wow Almond’s national team match is so hyped
Please go to nationals and make a legendary performance for us ㅠㅠ
-National pride is so sweet these days lol
-Our youth shooting arrows at the barbarians~~ Looking forward to it~~
-Joomu! They say the tavern will be packed at year-end!? Almond’s going to nationals!?
Without a word, I naturally picked up my phone.
[Kim Chi Warrior]
“Ah. Yes. This is Almond.”
Sanghyeon had made his decision completely firm.
Concerns about his arm’s lifespan being shortened, about gaining nothing—he cast all such worries far away.
Humans are dying slowly anyway. If one fears having their lifespan cut short, how could they live in the first place? Life is perhaps not about how to survive, but about choosing how to die.
And Sanghyeon had chosen to die this way.
“I think it will work. I’ll give it my all. To the very end.”
Cheers erupted from the National Team on the other end of the phone.
And in the video he was watching as well.
[Woooow!]
[Blink strike! Blink strike! Double kill! Triple kill! Quadra kill!]
Thump.
His heart pounded with such exhilaration, but only for a moment.
“?”
Zzzzzing.
An incoming call crossed through on Sanghyeon’s phone.
“Ah. Just a moment.”
Upon checking the caller, Sanghyeon’s expression became as if he’d seen a ghost.
[Doctor Hana Song]

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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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