Genius Archer’s Streaming - Chapter 655

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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 125
42. The Moment of Victory (3)
The video ended abruptly.
-…
-What the
-What was that…
-No wonder he kept staring at Cookie
I’m crying / Wah wah wah
-Sigh…
I’m crying / Sob sob sob
The viewers, somewhat shocked by Almond’s final scene, continued chatting even though the video had already ended.
Juhyeok felt the same way.
He didn’t type in the chat, but like Sanghyeon in the video, he rewound that moment.
‘…He was missing them?’
A side of him I hadn’t noticed even standing right beside him.
If this hadn’t been an observational documentary like this, it would have been difficult to know even if we were together every day.
What Sanghyeon was doing when I wasn’t around—there’s no way to know, no matter how close we are.
I had no idea he missed them this much.
‘We could meet if he wanted to.’
Once Sanghyeon started streaming, he reconnected with his old colleagues.
In the cases of Dongsu and Hyeonju, we’ve even met in person a few times.
If he wanted to meet again, he could.
‘Maybe it’s those times he’s missing.’
Perhaps Sanghyeon was longing for that era itself.
Or rather, someone who could only be seen in that era.
‘That person.’
A face that even Juhyeok was seeing for the first time appears.
Even in this poor video quality, there’s one face shining brightly.
A girl brimming with the sparkling things that only girlhood could possess.
Juhyeok’s gaze was stolen for a moment by that girl, now unseen in this world, before turning to another member.
‘Come to think of it, didn’t the Coach say he met her after that?’
Not the cheering squad, but a middle-aged man with a strong impression quietly watching over him from behind.
Juhyeok remembered hearing that the Coach had set up a route toward Sanghyeon after rehabilitation, so he remembered it.
If he cared that much, he must have been quite a benefactor. But I’d never heard that they met afterward.
“Hmm….”
Today’s fake national team broadcast was titled “The Moment of Victory.”
Almond’s appearance today certainly captured a moment of victory.
Even the video he played at the end wasn’t it capturing a moment of victory?
Strange.
Clearly sweet, but with a bitter aftertaste.
“Well, setting that aside… is the advertisement doing well?”
Juhyeok removed his glasses for a moment to wipe his eyes, then decided to get back to business.
Now it was time to check whether the Monster brand’s advertisement—which had just started sponsoring the fake national team—was performing well.
To verify if an advertisement was successful on internet broadcasts, checking community reactions was the most reliable method.
He first logged into M-bul, the Civil M community.
Fortunately, it wasn’t down today.
Lately, there had been constant announcements about server expansions.
Had they actually expanded it?
Juhyeok entered the M-bul issue board without much thought.
‘Huh?’
He tilted his head, sensing something had changed.
A moment later—
“What is this?”
Pfft!
Juhyeok burst out laughing.
So that’s what felt unfamiliar from the start.
It was the background of the M-bul website.
The entire background was plastered with the Monster logo.
He simply hadn’t noticed immediately because they’d set the transparency quite high to avoid being obtrusive.
And next to the large site name “M-bul,” it read:
[M-bul and all its members support 211 Monsters]
211 people.
That number included the think tank team, substitute players, and all related personnel.
Only a community like M-bul—with high interest and knowledge about international competitions—could come up with such a specific number. That’s why it felt sincere.
“To this extent…”
Juhyeok, who had laughed at first, now felt something hot catch in his throat.
Of course, the M-bul operators hadn’t received a single won from Monster.
Yet because they were the first brand to sponsor the international competition, they showed this kind of respect.
The server crashed constantly from the sheer traffic, so if they took on proper advertisements, they could earn quite a bit. They probably hadn’t made much running it so far.
Their first large-scale advertisement was a free promotion and support for the national team.
With the site plastered in Monster branding like this, posts naturally had to mention it.
[Kwaaaaaa. Monster appears!]
[The background is legendary lol lol lol lol]
[Kwaaaaaa. M-bul. I praise you.]
[Yesterday’s Almond kwaaa lol lol lol so funny lol lol]
[???: Kwaaaa… ahhh…]
[Praise Almond Monster]
There were quite a few posts about the “kwaaa” pose that Almond had shown during his brief advertisement.
1st Place) Yesterday’s Almond Monster transformation scene
The top issue post was Almond’s Monster product tasting scene.
This issue post could only have reached 1st place because of the management’s active support. They deliberately guided mentions of the Monster to appear frequently.
They made this decision without any personal gain, purely for the national team in the international competition.
And so Juhyeok came to a realization.
‘This isn’t just a game anymore. Perhaps it’s become a cultural phenomenon.’
It was different from before, when Trivia’s viewers simply enjoyed the Nant Tournament with streamers for fun.
Just because Civil M started as a game doesn’t mean it will end as one. It will surely become something far grander.
Just as all sports began as simple play, perhaps one day these teams won’t be called fake national representatives anymore.

* * *
Meanwhile, on the broadcast channel where the second match between Rome and Joseon was now beginning.
“Alright. Thank you for your patience! Today’s match. Joseon versus Rome. Rome versus Joseon. Who will advance as 1st place in Group E!”
Since the match was being held after both teams had already secured their main tournament spots, both the caster and commentators were in a noticeably lighter mood.
“Yes! If Rome wins, they’ll solidify 1st place and it ends right there. But if Joseon wins, they’ll have to play a tiebreaker and win once more, right?”
“Exactly! Since there’s a difference in win count, Joseon is starting in a slightly disadvantageous position to reach 1st place.”
-Rome is the best lol
-This is rough
-This is pretty tough
-We already made the main tournament anyway
In reality, for Joseon to beat Rome twice in a row and advance as group 1st place was an extremely difficult task.
Even if they did manage it, it would become uncertain whether that would actually benefit Joseon.
To beat Rome twice, they would definitely have to pull out some special cards.
So the commentators instead focused their discussion mainly on Joseon’s main tournament advancement.
“But we saw it in the fake national tournament, didn’t we? Our Joseon teams. They really blossomed after advancing to the main tournament!”
“Ah! Yes! That’s right! They even got sponsors! And their viewer counts increased significantly!”
“Right now, this might become a sport that captures the interest of the entire nation!”
After advancing to the main tournament, the Joseon team’s atmosphere had completely changed.
It felt like they were finally starting an upward trajectory after always hovering at the bottom of the graph.
-Finally some luck?
-Chiseung got thousands of viewers lol
-Brain-dead lol
-King Gul don’t say wishful things
-Did you abandon Ril? You Ril haters are too much lol
-Whole nation is a bit much lol
It was said jokingly now, but who knows.
If the results were good even in the main tournament, they might receive the love of far more people.
Or perhaps become something even greater than that.
“Ah. King Gul, we’ve decided to fly to Osaka now, haven’t we? You must be sad about leaving with your newborn baby, right!?”
The caster suddenly threw out a surprise question.
But King Gul’s expression didn’t change at all as he said this.
“Ah. Yeah, I’m sad. I am sad. I wish I’d gone to the opposite side of the Earth instead of Osaka.”
-??
-?
lol
-Oh…?
-Ma’am, I’m here!
“Ah. It seems being at home is inconvenient for you~”
“No! Since we’re going anyway! I want to go somewhere farther! Japan is honestly somewhere I can visit often, right?”
“Yes. I’m so grateful I get to go to nearby Japan. King Gul must be disappointed. Anyway, now that we’ve sorted this out, the players are all ready! Let’s take a look!”

* * *
“Hnngh…!”
Thump.
A young man lowers the wheelchair with practiced motions.
“Is this the place? Double-check before I send the taxi away.”
“Take your time. I’ll wait.”
The taxi driver who helped lower the wheelchair broke into a sweaty smile.
He’d already gone up and down three or four times, and his expression showed he’d already achieved enlightenment.
“Mm. That’s right.”
“No, don’t just eyeball it! Do it properly!”
“…Then give me the map.”
Sarang opened the map application and entered the address, then looked around before holding out her phone to Popcorn.
Popcorn took it.
“…Check it for me.”
“?”
“I’m asking you to check. Is this the right place?”
“What? Don’t you have eyes!? You read the minimap so clearly.”
Surprisingly incompetent with practical applications.
“Just check it for me!”
Sarang suddenly raised her voice.
“…O, okay.”
Popcorn scratched his head and checked the map.
It didn’t take long since I just had to tap my current location.
“Yeah, this is… Cookie’s house?”
“Yes.”
Sarang paid the taxi fare with an added tip and moved forward.
Whirrr.
From behind, the driver bowed at a 90-degree angle, sounding delighted.
She must have given quite a generous tip.
“But are you okay with this? The fact that you asked me for help means… your family doesn’t know, right?”
“Well… I know. Roughly.”
“You’re really trustworthy.”
Popcorn chuckled softly and followed behind her wheelchair.
On flat ground, there was no need to push her.
“Wow. But he lives in a nice place. Even on the outskirts of Seoul….”
Hee-cheol insisted on living in a house for health reasons.
It took some effort to find the place, but once we arrived, it felt absolutely wonderful.
“You could live somewhere like this too. If you gave up on Gangnam.”
Popcorn and the other members who had teamed up with Sarang were among the top 1% in wealth for their age group.
It was only natural—they were once at the peak of Ril Pro.
“Nah. I’m still full of energy. I need to live in a vibrant city!”
“You just want to meet women.”
“Isn’t that the same thing you just said?”
“Alright. Be quiet. I’m ringing the bell.”
Just as Sarang reached up to press the doorbell.
“Oh. You don’t need to ring it. I’m right here!”
Someone burst out from the garden.
It was Chiseung.
“Hello! Daisunsin Choi! I’m Chiseung Kim. I’m the leader of the Sink Tank team. We actually held a strategy meeting here together today.”
Sarang smiled like a different person entirely.
“Ah. Yes. I’ve seen you often in videos. I’m Choi Sa-rang.”
Chiseung’s face flushed as their eyes met.
“Sa… Sa-rang. That’s a… a beautiful name!”
What?
At his reaction, Popcorn let out a stifled laugh from behind, as if he still didn’t understand.
“Chiseung. Were you waiting for us? You didn’t have to. I have a friend helping me here.”
“Oh. No. I just came out for some fresh air and happened to….”
Popcorn from behind bowed politely.
“Yes. Hello. I’m Oksuha. I’m just unemployed. So I came to help my friend like a servant.”
His tone was somewhat robotic, though he tried to hide it.
Chiseung looked at them both with curiosity.
“Ah… Are you two perhaps….”
Suhan waved his hand dismissively.
“It’s not like that. I’m just being exploited because of an old debt. Unemployed people accumulate debts easily.”
“Ah… Haha! I see!”
Chiseung thought it was an odd combination and led the way.
“Come in first. The capsule you’ll be testing is ready. I’m not sure if it’ll fit, but… should I push you?”
“Ah… well….”
Swish.
Sarang held up her index and middle fingers.
“I’ll just smoke one and then we’ll go.”
I add, feeling nervous.
“Oh. Yes! Okay. Let’s go.”
Chiseung leads me to a side yard paved with stones, no grass in sight.
“You usually smoke here, I noticed.”
“Ah, yes. I’ll be right in. Go ahead first.”
“No. I should guide you. I’ll just step outside for some fresh air and come back. Take your time smoking here.”
As Chiseung disappears into the distance, Sarang pulls out a cigar.
“Hey. You still smoking that strong stuff? You’d be better off with cigarettes.”
“When I’m nervous, I can’t help it.”
Click.
After lighting it, I exhale smoke into the air.
“And it smells better than cigarettes anyway, right?”
“What are you talking about? Cigarettes smell great these days.”
Sigh.
Suhan exhales murky smoke into the clear sky, lost in thought.
“Man. This brings back memories. I used to smoke like crazy before matches.”
“….”
“You never talk before we start. I’m always the one rambling.”
“….”
“Yeah. Same now.”
“….”
Suhan stops talking.
He notices Sarang’s hands trembling slightly.

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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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