Genius Archer’s Streaming - Chapter 620

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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 90
31. The Fake National Team (3)
“Alright. We have twenty minutes before we start filming.”
“Got it~”
Before the broadcast went live.
The commentators folded up the notes they’d been reading and made small talk to ease the tension.
“How have you been, hyung?”
“Yeah. Good. You doing well?”
During broadcasts they used formal speech with each other, but since Kim Sang-hun was significantly older, they kept things casual in private.
“I’ve been well too. By the way, did you see that thing today?”
“That thing…?”
“The Fake National Team.”
The Fake National Team?
Caster Kim Sang-hun tilted his head in confusion.
What in the world was that?
“What is that?”
“Well, this got uploaded to Almond’s channel. I thought it’d be good to mention it during the tournament, hyung.”
Kim Sang-hun silently peered at the phone screen King Gul held out.
“Oh… isn’t this like that thing they do in the Ril Champs?”
“Exactly. Looks like the national team is doing this too. Since it’s the first broadcast, there’s nothing too grand about it. But it was really fun.”
Kim Sang-hun nodded and spoke.
“Yeah. Send me the link.”
“Sure thing.”
The remaining time was just barely enough to watch the Fake National Team video.
As Kim Sang-hun started watching, tears began streaming down his face, which he wiped away.
“Ah, geez….”
“Hyung, are you crying?”
“Damn it! Who’s crying!”
Kim Sang-hun, who’d been in the esports industry for a long time, probably had many memories coming back to him.
“Hah… it reminds me of when we first launched the league back then.”
Unable to watch anymore, he put the phone down after about ten minutes.
King Gul found it amusing that Kim Sang-hun had gotten sentimental, grinning as he asked.
“Right? I’m telling you, this is kind of touching. Maybe we relate to it especially.”
King Gul probably felt something welling up inside when he first watched the video too.
“Everyone really struggled back then. But everyone’s settled in now.”
Kim Sang-hun nodded in agreement.
“This will do well too. In my opinion. The view count trajectory right now is insane.”
“Exactly. The momentum right now is absolutely crazy. But… how many views does it have?”
“It’s only been half a day since it was uploaded. Already over a million.”
“What!?”
A million views in just five or six hours.
King Gul, despite it not even being his own channel, got so excited that he bounced in his seat for a moment.
“Wait, this is actually working!?”
“It seems like even so-called muggles who don’t know much about games are all pouring in. Because Civil Empire is hard to play but easy to watch. It’s just people swinging spears and swords at each other.”
Civil Empire became popular because it’s easy to watch?
King Gul tilted his head in confusion.
“But that’s the thing. Civil Empire was always an easy-to-watch game from the start. So why hasn’t it been popular until now…?”
“No, an easy-to-watch game means it had potential. The reason the potential exploded is different. You don’t know that?”
Though he had a familiar image to the public, Sang-hun was actually a historical figure who’d been there since the dawn of esports.
Among commentators and broadcast teams, he was like a towering senior.
Because he was one of the people who created this market.
That’s why Sang-hun knew the reason almost precisely.
“What, what is it? The reason it wasn’t popular before. The reason it’s popular now.”
Why Civil Empire was only now receiving so much attention from the masses.
“I’ve told you before. People don’t want to watch games. Only a tiny minority actually knows how to watch games properly.”
“That’s…right?”
That was true. That’s why commentary and analysis desks were necessary.
Even with Ril Champs, how many viewers actually understand the game flow properly?
It wouldn’t even be 5% of the total.
Then why do they watch? Games they don’t even understand properly?
“They want heroes.”
“!”
Heroes.
In other words, they watch games to see the players.
Then what makes players into heroes?
“That’s why I always say it. We have to explain games, sure. But we need to create narrative. The grand~ epic narratives that heroes need.”
It’s narrative.
The stories they possess.
“What kind of story needs to exist?”
“Yes. And you see─”
So the reason Civil Empire could rise now is like this.
A fortunate opportunity that came alongside Ril’s decline.
Content that highlighted players called the “fake national team.”
And most crucially….
“The reason Civil Empire can write its epic now? It’s because there was someone who already had a story the public knew.”
“Ah!”
One “real national team” member in this.
No, one person who had longed to be the real national team.
Someone who came right up to that point.
“That’s the power Almond, as a streamer, has in this market.”
Though he now bore the title of “fake,” he stood before the audience once more, the Taegeuk mark draped across his shoulders.
“People aren’t enthusiastic because Almond is simply skilled. It’s the path he’s walked that stirs their hearts.”
That was true.
People wanted Almond to succeed; they didn’t love him because he was good.
“So even if he loses, people will still applaud him. They witnessed his journey, laughed together, cried together. They’ve already received a gift.”
In that moment, King Gul’s eyes wavered.
That piercing sensation he’d felt during his professional days.
He quickly turned his head away, feigning indifference.
“You crying?”
“No, no! I’ve never cried since birth. Except when Jeon-ja-pa beat me like a dog.”
“Isn’t that usually what happens at birth?”
“I was reborn then, hyung.”
At King Gul’s earnest retort, Sang-hun burst into laughter.
“Alright. We’re going in! Five, four….”
Soon after, the broadcast began.
“Hello! Wandering mercenaries who love the Civil Empire! I’m Kim Sang-hun, your commentator.”
“And I’m King Gul, your analyst.”
“Pleased to have you!”
-hehe
-woooow
-siii~
-keu
-look at the viewer count lol
-kyaa
“Wow. First of all. It seems like a lot of people have come to watch today.”
The caster opened by mentioning the game’s surging popularity.
“Ah. Yes indeed. In fact, even though it’s just the preliminaries, Disworld tickets have sold out completely, I hear?”
King Gul nodded along while reviewing the data.
“Sold out?! So the stands are completely full?”
“Yes. And I’m curious to see how many Korean supporters have come as well?”
“Ah~ Indeed!”
-sold out lol
-wow
-already?
-and it’s just the preliminaries lol
The commentators added a prepared brief explanation about today’s civilizations.
“By the way, King Gul. Today is Rome versus Joseon, isn’t it?”
“That’s correct.”
“But there’s something else that confuses me. This civilization called Rome—there’s actually a massive time gap between it and Joseon, right? Even counting both Eastern and Western Rome. How is this handled in the game?”
“Right. It’s a civilization that existed from nearly the BC era, with almost a 1500-year difference… Actually, there are many civilizations with mismatched timelines besides Rome.”
“Ah. Yes, that’s right.”
“The game company explains it this way. There were civilizations that disappeared before the 3rd and 4th eras could even be applied. Those civilizations were created with factions imagined from the future, you see. Civilizations like the Aztecs and Maya disappeared far too quickly, didn’t they?”
“Oh, so it’s a civilization created with the thought of ‘what if Rome had existed until the era of muskets and rifles?’ It’s a kind of adjustment, isn’t it?”
“Exactly. And Rome is actually a powerful civilization even without such adjustments! As a joke, some people even say that if Joseon and Rome had clashed, Rome would have won!”
“What! Rome is a civilization from 1500 years ago, and you’re saying Joseon lost!?”
“Yes. In reality, it would have been difficult for that to happen, but it just shows how powerful Rome was.”
-Roooome~
-It’s an old history nerd meme lol
-If we’re being serious, Joseon obviously wins…lol
-The fact that they’re even being compared is already a Rome win
King Gul laughs it off with a chuckle.
This time, he explained not the actual Rome, but the Rome team in the national team tournament.
“And! The Rome team in this national tournament is actually maintaining quite an impressive form. They’re probably the toughest opponent in this group stage!”
“Ah… yes. The players here are good, but the commander is also quite famous?”
“That’s right. Anto is the person currently ranked 1st in commander evaluations.”
-Wow
-1st place??
-Seriously?
-No way
“Because of that, quite a few people are mentioning Rome as a championship contender.”
“Yes. Rome is ranked third after Mongolia and China.”
Rome was one of the three powerhouse nations in this power ranking.
As they were discussing this, the game preparations were completed.
“Ah. The game preparations are now finished!”
The Caster adjusted the earpiece and cleared his throat.
“Now, the players will be entering shortly.”
[Current Viewers: 224,000]
The expressions of both commentators were filled with tension as they checked the viewer count.

* * *
“Brother… How many supporters do you think will show up this time?”
Ratte asked Almond in a trembling voice.
“Who knows. Probably a lot.”
“B-but how many exactly! At first there were just a few scattered here and there. Last time, almost a quarter of the audience was ours! This time, what about!? Could it be half?”
“It’s not like a virus spreading—they’re not going to double in numbers….”
“Then how many!?”
Ratte asked again as if the question was a matter of life and death.
“Why does that even matter? They’re here to cheer for you anyway.”
Danggeun delivered a sharp jab with a scoff.
“…Ugh! Facts are violence too!”
Ratte twisted his body dramatically to express his pain.
It wasn’t really that the facts hurt—he probably just wanted to ease his tension.
“Tsk. Are you still that nervous? Huh?”
Pangeo came over and flicked Ratte’s head cleanly.
Ting.
By the rotation radius of his head, it looked like it should hurt quite a bit, but since this was a virtual world, Danggeun’s words from earlier probably stung more.
“Sigh… Brother Almond. You’re really the only one who understands me.”
Ratte clung to Almond, but
Almond wasn’t actually understanding him—he simply wasn’t listening to him at all.
-Ratte lol shut your mouth
-I was getting nervous because of him but now I can’t lol
-This guy should’ve joined the military band instead of the archers…
-There’s something moving about Ratte’s mouth…
Please pay a little attention to the latte, haha.
Still, since Ratte was the one continuously talking to Almond, there were quite a few viewers who liked him.
“Alright. We’re entering soon.”
At Cookie’s shout, a blue text flashed and appeared.
[Entry]
Whoosh…!
The field of vision blazed a vivid blue.
“Let’s goooooo!!”
“Heyyyy!!”
The players each let out a shout to shake off their tension.
Soon they all stood upon a vast meadow.
[Today, Joseon versus Rome! Rome versus Joseon! A battle to see who takes the first step toward 1st place in the group!]
With the commentators’ cry, the spectator stands began appearing one by one along the meadow’s horizon.
Boom! Boom! Booom!
[Here are the proud players of Joseon! Of the Republic of Korea!]
Before long, the entire horizon of the field was filled with spectator stands.
The stands were packed without a single empty seat.
And on one side of the arena.
A crimson tide covered that entire section.
“!”
The players’ eyes widened in shock.
“Insane….”
“Wow.”
It wasn’t just one side.
One more.
Out of the four sides of the arena, two of them were a crimson wave.
Nearly the same scale as Rome’s cheering section.
“WAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”
A roar erupted that had never been heard before in international competitions. A cheer supporting only the Korean team.
[An absolutely massive cheering section! Italy must have quite a bit of Civil Empire popularity too!]
The commentators shouted in surprise.
[That’s right! Few people know this, but Italy is an RTS powerhouse!? In fact, they’re even stronger than Korea now! So there’s a lot of interest! Many supporters came to cheer! The fact that it’s Joseon versus Rome carries significant meaning!]
[But how did everyone manage to get tickets despite the competition!? It wouldn’t be strange if Italy had taken up the entire section!]
[Well, we’re the nation of opening day rushes, aren’t we!? The Italians must have let their guard down! It’s Joseon, after all! What could we do, right!? How many supporters would actually show up!? And now half the cheering section is gone!]
[Ah!]
[They’re gaining an advantage right from the start!]
-Wow, this is seriously insane
-The Spain match was seriously impressive lolololol
-Gaining advantage lol
-Crazy logic lololol
-Wow, I’m jealous
[Now! Joseon versus Rome! Korea versus Italy! The match! Will begin shortly. We’re in a brief waiting period right now.]
Before the match begins.
Players are given approximately 30 seconds of waiting time.
They need to observe the selected map and get a sense of how to proceed.
[Right now Rome is at 11 o’clock. Joseon is at 5 o’clock. They’re positioned diagonally opposite each other]
[Ah, and… the map is quite impressive!?]
The commentators mention the map.
There’s something special about it that wasn’t seen before.
[It has its own fortress walls and cliffs! The entrances are extremely narrow!]
[It’s called the Ancient Fortress Walls map! Ancient ruins block passage as the concept!]
It’s a location with significant terrain restrictions.
The main base isn’t positioned in wide-open plains, but rather in a strategic stronghold protected by fortress walls and cliffs.
[In a place like this, if you’re determined, you can block the entrance right away and prepare for early rushes!]
In other words, the early-game strategy that Joseon had been using all this time would likely be ineffective in this environment.

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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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