Genius Archer’s Streaming - Chapter 651

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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 121
41. After the Advance (4)
After Joseon’s qualification for the main tournament was confirmed.
News of the main tournament qualification was covered by quite a few media outlets.
Even media that typically didn’t cover esports well were deliberately publishing articles about it.
No matter how unpopular the game, no matter that esports was a derivative of traditional sports, it had become a weight class that could no longer be ignored.
The viewership for the Fake National Team and Civil Empire’s international tournament continued to grow.
The Rild Cup’s highest domestic viewership count was approximately 1.7 million, but now the international tournament’s peak had exceeded 400,000.
The Rild Cup was undeniably the most popular esports tournament, and various media outlets competed to cover it as a sport.
Civil Empire had already caught up to about a quarter of that.
This was quite….
“Encouraging, really.”
Juhyeok spoke decisively.
“We haven’t even reached the finals yet. We’ve just qualified for the main tournament, right? And it’s the 32-team main bracket. There are many matches ahead. What happens if we just make it to the quarterfinals?”
Juhyeok was emphasizing how many times the international tournament would be held.
He seemed to be arguing for its commercial value.
“Besides, you shouldn’t just watch the international tournament. You need to watch the Fake National Team too.”
He even brought up the Fake National Team.
Why?
“What? Will you put ads in the Fake National Team too then?”
Because the person he was speaking to was an advertiser.
“No… that would need to be handled separately.”
Juhyeok waved his hand dismissively.
‘Trying to get something for nothing.’
Even an advertiser needs to hear the truth.
The advertiser responded with clear displeasure.
“Then why mention the Fake National Team at all?”
“Ah… it’s just about the momentum, you know? The momentum. You can see the ripple effect, right?”
“Good grief….”
Two people exhaled sighs and crossed their arms.
They were employees of the company that had made the sponsorship proposal—the advertisers.
They weren’t here to put ads on Almond or the Fake National Team.
“We want to embroider our logo on the international tournament team’s uniforms!”
They wanted to sponsor the international tournament team.
Just as professional soccer teams emblazoned large sponsor logos across their chests, they wanted to do the same for the international tournament.
This was the problem.
This was why the conversation kept going in circles.
The woman sitting next to Juhyeok explained again.
“Well… that’s impossible to implement in the international tournament. Since it’s a game related to nations and civilizations, the game company absolutely won’t allow it.”
She was an employee from Civil M Korea. She introduced herself as ‘Elisia.’ That’s what she was called at the company.
The sponsors approached Elisia with a request.
“So… couldn’t we get permission somehow? Or at least for our domestic broadcast, we could apply the CG that way!”
“Excuse me? W-what… then the tail would wag the dog. Is adding CG even easy!?”
Elisia recoils at the mention of CG and refuses.
It’s not technically impossible, but her point is absolutely valid.
It’s economically impossible.
Eventually, the conversation circles back.
“No… so…!”
“That… it’s not possible…”
“Sigh…”
Juhyeok quietly interjects.
“Just a moment.”
Juhyeok gives a subtle signal to Elisia from the Civil M Korea side.
“Could we have a quick word between ourselves? I think we need to reach an agreement first.”
The sponsors pause to consider, then nod.
“Yes, of course. We’ll go have a cigarette.”
With that, there’s a brief recess.
Juhyeok pulls Elisia aside to a corner of the office and asks.
“Really, there’s no way? Couldn’t this be solved by raising the unit price?”
“Excuse me? No way. Setting aside the money issue, just imagine a national representative running around with Honda or Toyota plastered on their chest.”
“But this is a domestic company… and we’re a fake national team…”
“No, that’s exactly why it won’t work. Even if it’s not a foreign company. The sponsor logo obscures the civilizational character. How ridiculous would that look? That’s why Civil M would never allow it either, and no other team does it, right?”
“Ugh…”
Juhyeok’s expression shows clear disappointment.
If they could put it on the chest, they could demand an incredibly high price.
Representing a nation came with these inconveniences.
“I understand. But if we say we can’t do the chest placement, they might not sponsor us at all.”
“That’s… true. But what can we do? They’re asking for something impossible.”
Elisia was clearly disappointed, but she didn’t show it.
If it came to this, it was better to have nothing! That’s how firmly she decided to proceed.
“…Sigh.”
Juhyeok rubs his forehead.
He didn’t want to let this slip away.
‘If this sponsor comes on board, it would really be a huge help.’
Currently, there’s virtually no benefit from participating in the tournament itself, but with this sponsor, everything changes.
Players could receive prize money simply by participating in matches.
Of course, with so many players to divide it among, each share wouldn’t be much…
But still, generating any income is something, right?
‘The beginning is what matters. Once one sponsor attaches, others will come running.’
Once this gets started, more sponsors will follow, then more, then more…
If I expand it like this, I might actually reach a level where professional play becomes possible.
Even if this time is difficult, at least the national teams of the next generation or the one after that should be able to.
‘Why am I even worrying about this…’
I still don’t understand why I’m looking out for the next generation.
In any case, as the current generation, I can’t just coolly tell this sponsor “Well, if it doesn’t work out, you can leave.” Even if I act strong in front of them.
“Well… then.”
After much deliberation, Juhyeok decided to change his strategy.
“Let’s try it this way.”
Elisia tilted her head after hearing Juhyeok’s explanation.
As if wondering whether something like that could really work.
Juhyeok shrugged.
“If it works, great. If not, he’s leaving anyway.”
That’s what Juhyeok said to make Elisia feel at ease.
‘He’s not leaving.’
Juhyeok was determined to hold onto him no matter what.
「Please handle this, Manager.」
It was a task that Hee-cheol had trusted and entrusted to him.
「I’ve never taken on an advertisement like that before.」
Hee-cheol was someone who had done business before, so there was no way he couldn’t do it here.
Yet he had passed this task to Juhyeok.
「I understand. I know that people come in because of Almond. I’m always grateful for that. So it’s only right that you go handle this, Manager.」
He didn’t show it on the surface, but he believed that the current situation had come about thanks to Almond.
Especially these matters that happened outside of the game.
Like how domestic Civil M streaming had gained popularity, or how the hidden think tank team was receiving great attention as a fake national team.
It seemed he believed it was all thanks to Almond’s involvement.
That wasn’t all.
‘It’s a task he gave me.’
Above all, he truly trusted Juhyeok.
「I’ve heard a lot. That you handle this work exceptionally well, Manager. I’m simply placing the most skilled person in the right position. Don’t burden yourself with this.」
It was the first time since leaving the company.
Someone other than Sanghyeon had trusted him and entrusted their work to him.
‘But I can’t just let him go.’
With that resolve, Juhyeok returned to the conference room.

* * *
A moment later.
Two employees from the opposing side and two from ours.
The four of us gathered in the conference room once more.
“After discussing it briefly just now, we can make a request to the chest mark.”
“…Is that so?”
The sponsor’s employees’ expressions brightened.
“However. Are you certain that’s the right approach?”
“Pardon? What do you mean….”
Tap.
Juhyeok pointed to the blank number field on the presented contract and spoke.
“You must have already decided how much to write in here. But from what I gathered earlier, you’re falling significantly short. Since we’re creating something completely unprecedented, naturally the costs will be higher.”
“….”
The two employees exchanged glances for a moment.
True, all the other teams don’t have logos, but this one would.
How noticeable would that be? The advertising costs inevitably had to be set higher.
On top of that, they’d have to persuade the game company too….
“Tell us a realistic budget.”
“Ah… one….”
Snap.
They subtly raised a finger.
Juhyeok’s eyebrows twitched.
“No. Then there’s no point in making the request in the first place. Minimum….”
Snap.
Juhyeok demanded exactly three times that amount.
Elisia, standing beside him, had to tense her facial muscles to maintain a composed expression.
“What!? That’s difficult.”
“Then you’d be better off going with a banner instead.”
“…A banner?”
“Yes. That gets constant exposure and might actually be better.”
“Ah. Do you mean the banners in the stands at soccer stadiums?”
“No. That’s the level of advertising you’d need to discuss with Civil M headquarters. That won’t work. I’m talking about broadcast channel banners.”
“Hmm….”
They both shook their heads simultaneously.
“The feeling of being with the national team disappears too much. It just feels like a regular broadcast sponsor.”
Right.
I couldn’t help but agree with their point.
‘So that’s the feeling they’re after.’
Advertising naturally aims for a positive image of the company, after all.
They’d want it to feel like they’re sponsoring the players themselves, rather than just the broadcast.
Juhyeok paused for a moment, thinking.
Since he understood what they wanted, it seemed persuasion might be possible.
“Together… hmm.”
Juhyeok took a moment before speaking.
“So embedding it on the chest feels like ‘together’ to you?”
“Everyone does it that way, don’t they? Of course.”
“No. Here, it would actually feel more like an ‘invasion.'”
“What?!”
“Think about it. In a place with only Joseon military uniforms, the Taegeuk flag, and the military discipline of generals—suddenly a modern corporate logo appears? Would that look like ‘together’? Or would it look like capital infiltrating? Setting that aside, does it even look good? Does it fit?”
“Ah….”
“If a corporate logo is added to that already unattractive scene, does it help the image?”
“….”
The two fell silent for a moment.
Since it was called esports, they’d been thinking of it in terms of the professional sports leagues they knew.
But Civil Empire was quite different.
The national character was actually more pronounced than in modern sports’ actual national teams.
And if a corporate logo entered, it would become an image that damaged that character.
“It costs a lot of money, and it’s just advertising that damages the corporate image instead.”
“…sigh.”
They couldn’t quite say “you’re right,” but the two employees were already thinking they’d need to change the entire plan.
“If you really want it to look like you’re ‘together’ with a national team, I have a suggestion. Actually, there’s no other way besides this method.”
“…?”
At those words, the two employees—no, three of them—turned around simultaneously.
Even Elisia didn’t know what Juhyeok was about to say.
The strategy she’d heard was simply to argue that “embedding it on the chest costs an enormous amount” and present a banner as an alternative.
Everything after that was just what Juhyeok said on the spot.
In other words, he’d already strayed quite far from the original plan.
“You heard me mention the fake national team earlier, right?”

* * *
The next evening.
Almond brings up the topic during his broadcast.
“Everyone, I have an important announcement.”
-??
-What is it?
Major announcement ㄷㄷ
-You’re not enlisting, are you?
-Finally revealing you’re not human but a Nut Fan… you Nuttilian!
Why are you being so talkative today… Is this an ad or something? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
He manipulates his keyboard and brings something up on screen.
“Tada.”
What he displayed was a company logo.
[Wol Soo Hyang]
“Our team has acquired a sponsor!”
It was an ad after all lol so crazy lol
Oh, so so so so.
Sponsor is crazy
-Nice
-Where’s that from?
-Is that the national team???wow
That was right.
The sponsor that came to the national team this time.
He had decided to introduce it on Almond’s channel.
“I’m simply introducing them as a token of gratitude. Going forward, they’ll appear frequently in the fake national team videos.”
From then on, this brand would appear in the fake national team through indirect advertising.
lol
Ugh, I’m so tired of PPL (product placement)
The unemployed fleet is advertising… ㅠㅠ
-Wol Soo Hyang? Is that a liquor company?
Chi-seung, oh no! Shuva, oh no! You did it!
There could have been negative reactions to an advertisement.
‘This seems fine though?’
The chat was filled only with congratulatory comments.
At that moment, Almond felt it.
‘Perhaps….’
This was the beginning of some tremendous event that would occur in the future.
“Ah, and many of you don’t know this brand. But once you see this, you’ll understand.”
Whoosh.
Almond pulled something out onto his desk.
‘Monster’
It was a sports drink.
Pop!
Almond cracked open the can and took a refreshing swig.
And then, he delivered the promised action.
-????
-This is insane lol
-Lmaooo
-For real lol
-Is, is this the power of advertising??!
-Hahahaha
The chat exploded in an instant.

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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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