Genius Archer’s Streaming - Chapter 562

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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 3 Episode 32
12. Sniper (Physical) (3)
Succeed on the first try?
“If it’s just a recommendation… then I don’t have to, right?”
I found it hard to believe I could pull off this shot in one attempt.
But Hanna shook her head and spoke once more.
“Our company is ‘strongly’ recommending this. Your safety is our company’s asset.”
“….”
-But when your company’s Agent A died, you just casually handed me over to Almond??
-Is that really the company’s recommendation, Hanna?
-Sounds more like a personal recommendation lolol
“Please confirm. I need your acknowledgment.”
It seemed like the game would only proceed if I just said I understood.
“Got it.”
Hanna’s lips seemed to curve up ever so slightly.
“Operator 03. Sidekick Hanna. Agent Almond. Commencing operation. The plan is to snipe from Point 8 to the target location, and if the first shot fails, we retreat and aim for survival.”
As the Operator was saying something or other, Hanna listened for a moment.
“Yes. Survival.”
Crackle crackle.
Then a voice came through my earpiece immediately.
[This is Operator 03. Agent Almond. Eliminate the target….]
“From this moment on, I’m cutting off earpiece communications to maintain focus.”
She suddenly severed the connection.
-??
-What?
-lolololol as expected
-Hanna wants to keep him alive
-Damn
-You fantasy lovers need to chill~

* * *
True ultra-long-range sniping demanded far more than simply being skilled with a rifle.
Controlling one’s breathing and pulling the trigger with a perfect cheek weld were naturally essential prerequisites.
It required the patience to wait for hours on end, and the willpower to remain absolutely motionless even as insects crawled across one’s body for extended periods.
Was that all?
Simply finding the right shooting position was grueling work.
Though bullets appeared to travel in straight lines, they actually traced subtle parabolic arcs.
At close range, this made little difference.
One could simply adjust the rifle’s sights and fire, treating the trajectory as essentially straight.
But what about firing from a distance exceeding one kilometer?
One had to think of it not as firing a bullet, but as launching a small projectile.
The sniper either calculated this angle themselves, or required a dedicated soldier positioned nearby to perform the calculations.
And here arose another problem.
This calculation involved far too many variables.
Elevation and distance were obvious, but wind speed and direction, the resulting bullet velocity, even the Earth’s rotation and subtle variations in temperature and humidity all factored in.
While these elements meant little in short-range shooting, they became enormous variables in sniping.
The greater the distance the bullet had to travel, the more exponentially these factors amplified their effects.
Of course, the game didn’t demand that players account for all of this.
Otherwise, truly no one would ever succeed.
“I’ll handle the basic calculations for you.”
First, Hanna established the fundamental firing solution.
This meant the player had far fewer variables to consider.
“However, the wind changes in real time, so you’ll need to adjust for it directly. If the enemy’s position shifts, you’ll need to adjust for that as well.”
The sniper’s variables were limited to wind and enemy movement.
Since enemies had virtually no chance of moving here, wind was essentially the only variable.
Compared to actual sniping, which required only aiming ability on top of everything else, this was remarkably simplified.
‘Even so, it’s still difficult.’
The only difference was the absence of what players called ‘bullshit’ variables.
This was a mission that demanded the abilities of a top-tier FPS player to succeed.
That was what a 3.5-kilometer shot entailed.
“Target. Seated in the conference room.”
Hanna spoke, peering through her binoculars.
“Begin your aim now.”
I peer back through the scope.
Through the gaps in the sparsely drawn blinds, I can make out a long table.
Several human silhouettes sit around it.
‘I can’t tell which is which.’
The lens distortion was too severe for clear distinction.
Among the blur, I barely make out a single red dot.
‘…Is that it?’
Information pinpointed by satellite and transmitted for the shot.
Hanna’s suggested firing point appeared on the display.
It was green.
Almond swallowed hard.
Gulp.
The slightest movement of my Adam’s apple and the subtle facial muscles that followed caused the crosshair to drift considerably before returning to center.
‘Breathing.’
I controlled my breath according to the breathing technique I’d learned from archery.
Inhale and exhale.
The crosshair’s movement in response.
I identified this pattern.
No human exists without the slightest movement.
There’s always motion.
The trick was to pattern this movement and fire at the moment when the crosshair came closest to the target within that pattern.
I’m so nervous ㄷㄷ
-Wow…
-Can he do it?
At the moment when even the chat began to thin out.
Breath.
I held my breath.
And without a moment’s hesitation, my index finger pulled the trigger.
Click.

* * *
The papers rustled softly.
I flipped through the documents and asked for clarification.
“So… this isn’t a gameplay advertisement, but essentially a game representative model advertisement?”
This was quite different from the type of advertisement I had anticipated.
“Yes, you could say that. However, the advertisement video itself will be gameplay footage. So we’re not renting out a filming studio to create some grand separate advertisement.”
It was a method commonly used these days in model-based advertisements.
A streamer naturally plays the game and introduces it in a video that runs as an advertisement.
It comes across as somewhat cheap, but it’s more effective than an awkwardly grandiose advertisement.
‘Either way, it’s still an advertisement model approach.’
No matter what, Almond’s face would be plastered across the advertisement videos they distribute.
When that happens, Almond’s image gets consumed alongside theirs.
‘This method does make more money though.’
The image gets consumed, but the payment is proportionally higher.
That’s why these proposals typically go to celebrities. Their image value is far greater.
It’s quite rare for streamers to receive offers like this.
Usually, streamers are asked to simply play games naturally for advertisements.
Intimacy is their strength, after all.
But they’re now proposing an advertisement model to Almond.
For me, it was an extraordinarily generous treatment that was difficult to understand.
‘Even after reviewing the contract, it checks out.’
I examined it for a long time wondering if I’d misunderstood something, but there really wasn’t anything odd about it.
“What about the payment…”
“Ah, it’s here.”
A slip of paper with a number written separately.
The figure was jotted down on a separate note.
“…Hmm.”
I tilted my head for a moment.
‘It’s a bit below industry standard.’
Considering the company’s size and Almond’s scale as a broadcaster, it was actually an appropriate amount.
As I said, this is what celebrities normally do.
‘Honestly, from our perspective, it’s an incredibly good deal…’
Industry standard or whatever—from our position, this was quite a decent proposal.
However—
“It’s well below industry standard.”
I set the contract down with a sharp tap.
I didn’t bother hiding my displeasure.
“Y… yes?”
Startled by my firm tone, they flinched, then quickly hardened their expressions as well.
“Ahem, well, Manager. We didn’t expect you to come at us like this… We tailored it to streamer conditions.”
He seemed a bit offended.
Was it an act? Or was it genuine?
Either way, it wasn’t particularly strange.
In fact, the conditions they presented were decent for a streamer.
But they acted as though they’d offered something unreasonable.
There was a reason I took this stance.
‘I think I can get more out of this.’
I’d caught the scent of something.
‘For some reason, they really want this contract.’
Isn’t it said that in a lovers’ quarrel, the one who loves more always gives in?
Contracts work the same way.
The one who wants it more ends up giving more.
So this deal was overwhelmingly favorable to me.
But… why?
My eyes scanned the surroundings.
‘Why. Why…’
If I could just figure out why these people wanted this so badly, I could push even harder.
‘Should I just ask?’
I could ask directly.
「Why are you proposing an advertising model to us? You don’t usually do this for streamers.」
Something like that.
How straightforward and convenient.
But the nuance was the problem.
‘It would sound like I’m asking why you’re treating us so well.’
The treatment is too generous. You can lower it.
…There was room for that interpretation.
‘So…’
If I changed my words slightly, I could find the answer I wanted without any of that nuance.
I decided to rephrase my approach.
“The Hitman Simulator… it seems like an inappropriate game to consume Almond’s image alongside. Did you factor that into the payment?”
Almond’s image didn’t match.
Therefore, the payment should be higher.
It sounded like I was making that argument.
But when they tried to answer, they’d have no choice but to speak.
“I, image?”
“Yes. Almond’s main thing is the ‘bow.’ But this is blatantly just shooting guns. And it’s not even a national intelligence agent or anything—it’s a hitman. Isn’t that contract killing?”
“….”
They had to explain why Almond was suited for this advertisement.
In doing so, they’d have no choice but to reveal why they’d chosen Almond as their model in the first place.

* * *
‘Sigh. Well…’
Manager Lee.
Truth be told, he had his own circumstances.
「Our company exists in this awkward middle ground, you see. We have decent scale, but our recognition is low. Investors get hesitant about that sort of thing.」
It was because of what the Hitman production company’s CEO had said.
「This is exactly when we need a celebrity endorsement model…」
Right, a celebrity endorsement model.
That’s what he wanted to do.
But the problem was, we needed a celebrity.
We had no money.
「What about this? At G-Star this time, let’s contract with one of those streamers who films the best content. Someone with decent recognition and solid skills.」
That was it.
The CEO had suggested contracting with one of the streamers who visited at G-Star.
‘Sigh. CEO. My options have disappeared.’
But now this guy Almond shows up and looks like he’s about to burn through all the challenge points.
If that happens, the streamers won’t come. Why would they come if there’s nothing to gain?
「We don’t have money, but we have brains, right? We squeeze out points in a slightly tempting way… generously…」
Difficulty levels and challenge points per kill. Make the maximum look incredibly high. But make it so it’s actually hard to achieve.
This was the CEO’s idea.
‘CEO, nice shot. Yes.’
That’s right.
The CEO really went all in and burned it.
Now, to follow through on what the CEO said, I had no choice but to contract with Almond.
The CEO had threatened me to bring in a decent advertising model using this G-Star as leverage.
‘What do you expect me to do?’
“Manager?”
When the manager didn’t answer for a while, Juhyeok asks once more.
“Ahem. Uh… well…”
The manager struggled with what to say.
“That…”
I couldn’t just tell him the truth.
‘This guy is no ordinary person.’
We’re in a corner, and the guy standing in front of me is too cunning to let that show.
Honestly, if this were any other streamer’s manager, they would have bowed and taken the deal.
But this guy, as if he sensed something, is trying to squeeze everything out.
Just like that guy playing the game right now!
‘The real problem is we can’t do anything even if we get completely squeezed dry.’
After collecting his thoughts for a moment, the manager decides to construct his response purely as a defense against Juhyeok’s attack.
“So we’re not asking you to act as a hitman. We’re also considering the image consumption issue, so we’re substituting it with gameplay footage instead…”
I thought I was explaining it rather well.
──Bang!
“!?”
At the gunshot that echoed from the screen, the Manager’s eyes went wide without thinking.
‘Did he succeed? Or did he fail?’
I had understood that a 3.5-kilometer shot was being attempted from the sounds continuing to come through the screen.
After a long pause, he was now attempting that shot.
If this failed, honestly, there might still be another chance.
There was even the possibility that another Streamer could come.
But what if he succeeded?
‘Then it’s over.’
He looked at the challenge points written on the employee’s pad.
Then it was right to just close up shop today.
All of this thinking happened in the briefest instant.
The time it took for Almond’s bullet to fly through the air.
That was all it took.
But then─
‘Oh no….’
Smirk.
The Manager was smiling.
‘He noticed…?’
The two places where I unconsciously directed my gaze at the gunshot.
The Manager hadn’t missed a single one of them.

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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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