Genius Archer’s Streaming - Chapter 676

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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 146
49. Authentic (1)
The Joseon team was selected as Best Dressed.
-Stunning
-Wow
-Beautiful
-Ahhhhh
-Incredible
-Really???
At that moment, everyone at the Joseon team’s table stood up and cheered.
“Yesssssss!”
“We did it!”
Map selection.
For a team like Joseon that pursued tactics of striking where least expected, there was no better advantage than this.
If they picked the map in advance, of course the enemy team would also know about it.
But there would definitely be maps that suited Joseon’s strategy, and based on that map, they could prepare far more thoroughly.
“That’s truly beautiful! Is that a hanbok?”
The host approached Sarang and handed her the microphone.
She nodded and confirmed that it was.
“It looks a bit different from the hanboks I usually see. Would it be alright to ask how you prepared it?”
After that, conversation about the outfit continued bit by bit.
As a result, the camera naturally lingered on her for a long time, and some viewers couldn’t help but become curious about her.
-But who is that person??
I can’t believe we had someone like that on the team.
-The hanbok is amazing
-That must have cost a lot wow
Because she gave off an unusual atmosphere, she already had a memorable style that was hard to forget once seen, and now dressed in such an elaborate hanbok, she had become completely etched into people’s minds.
‘Is this okay?’
Since Sanghyeon was almost certain she was Sarang, he worried about how being exposed on broadcast like this would affect her.
-Was she one of the members
There are so many lol I had no idea there was talent like that ㅠㅠㅠ
Why don’t I appear in the fake national team? ㅠ
People had no doubt that she was one of the existing Civil M members.
Civil M had so many players, and in the case of Think Tank, there were members who didn’t appear on broadcast.
Looking at her face here, if someone thought she resembled Jeon-ja-pa and deduced Jeon-ja-pa from it, there would be no one besides acquaintances.
‘Her usual appearance is quite different too….’
Moreover, her appearance today was completely different from her usual styling, to the point where even acquaintances wouldn’t recognize her through the camera.
Still, Sanghyeon called over the cameraman and asked him to turn the camera toward himself, and wrapped up the broadcast.
“Well. The dinner party ends here. See you next time.”
ㅠㅠ (crying face/tears)
-Ugh
-Show us all your award acceptance remarks!
Why are you crying?
-Avatar
-Bye bye
In any case, thanks to Choi Sa-rang, Joseon secured the map selection advantage.
Now we could face Viking under considerably favorable conditions.
Up until the quarterfinals, the Round of 32 and Round of 16 follow a best-of-three format.
In other words, winning just one match could apply tremendous pressure on the opponent.
So the significance of having map selection is enormous.
“Hmm. Just this alone makes bringing her as a substitute worthwhile.”
That’s why Cookie was smiling with satisfaction as well.
There had been quite a bit of talk when he brought Daisunsin Choi, but with just this victory, she had already proven her worth beyond that of an ordinary commander.
He must be feeling proud.

* * *
The city grew late into the night.
Men and women flushed with alcohol began filing out of the banquet hall one by one.
The dinner party had come to an end.
They exchanged farewells and boarded the buses that would transport the players.
“Ah. I need to use the restroom for a moment. Go ahead without me.”
“Huh…? Really? Didn’t you go earlier? I’ll go first then?”
Sanghyeon headed toward the restroom, but then stood by the door waiting for someone.
After numerous people passed by, a woman in a black, voluminous skirt finally emerged.
“Choi Sa-rang.”
Sanghyeon called out her name once more to confirm.
Sure enough, she turned around.
“Ah. Were you waiting for me?”
She smiled brightly, but Sanghyeon’s gaze remained fixed much lower.
Her legs.
“I almost didn’t recognize you.”
“It’s possible once a month.”
Since she clearly understood why Sanghyeon almost didn’t recognize her, she answered immediately.
“Once a month?”
“Yes. It’s an accelerant. I can receive an injection once a month. Then I can walk around normally for a while.”
Nerve accelerant. It was an injection that temporarily revived the nerves.
‘Wasn’t that why they retired from overusing it—due to side effects?’
The doctor hadn’t mentioned Jeon-ja-pa by name, but someone had used it too frequently and suffered side effects, after which it was banned.
“Is it okay to receive that injection? Wasn’t it… banned?”
“The original version is banned.”
“If it’s the original…”
“If the original is a virus, then what I just received is a vaccine. I’m getting it for rehabilitation purposes so my muscles don’t completely atrophy.”
“I see.”
“So I can’t walk much. Especially not in shoes like these…”
She revealed the heels hidden beneath her hanbok.
“Uncomfortable footwear.”
For someone who couldn’t normally walk, wearing such shoes must be quite inconvenient.
The moment I had that thought, her body swayed slightly.
“Oh—”
Sanghyeon caught her shoulder and steadied her.
—Thud.
“Thank you. Just for a moment…”
She leaned against me.
“Will this be alright?”
Perhaps because it was a weakened version of the neural accelerant, I could already feel myself unable to walk properly.
“Yes, of course.”
Sanghyeon took Sarang’s arm, and she leaned half her weight against me.
Her shoulder, fitting snugly in my grasp. Its weight was lighter than I expected.
Compared to the achievements she had accomplished.
“Sigh. I probably shouldn’t have worn heels.”
She murmured, seemingly embarrassed about leaning on me as we walked.
Outside, the weather was still cold.
White breath poured from our mouths.
“You didn’t need the heels to make that score difference.”
Sarang let out a soft laugh.
She seemed pleased by the compliment.
“But hey, aren’t you curious why I came here?”
Perhaps because of that, she spoke in a slightly lighter tone than usual.
“I already heard you came as a reserve player.”
“Ah. So that’s why you weren’t as surprised. What a shame. Who told you?”
Was she trying to surprise me by asking where Almond was? Sanghyeon wasn’t fooled, but somehow he felt like he was.
“As a reserve player, shouldn’t you ride the bus with us?”
Sanghyeon tried to lead her toward the bus, but she shook her head.
“I’m staying at a different hotel. The player hotel doesn’t have adequate disability facilities.”
Disability facilities?
In that moment, it hit me again.
Right. Tomorrow I’ll be back in a wheelchair. She probably wants to stay at a more comfortable hotel.
“Would it help if I called you a taxi?”
“Yes, thank you. I wanted to chat a bit on the way anyway.”
Sarang pointed at something with her finger.
It was a bench placed at a taxi stand.
The two of us sat side by side there.
With our hands buried in our coats due to the cold weather.
“Why don’t you come to the hospital?”
It seemed this was what she wanted to talk about.
It had been quite a while since I stopped going to the hospital directly.
The doctor had contacted me several times during that period, but I kept putting it off subtly.
‘What do I even say.’
This was the first time anyone had brought up this topic.
In fact, there was no one else but this woman who would bring it up.
I exhaled a white breath for a moment, then answered.
I decided to just speak honestly.
“It just… doesn’t seem like there’s much hope. It bothers me more when I keep thinking something might happen.”
“Ah….”
Sarang nodded as if she understood.
“Hope hurts you.”
I was surprised. It was an expression that seemed to read my heart exactly.
‘Hope hurts….’
Every time I encouraged myself saying I might get better, whipped myself into effort, the ending was always the same.
Someday I might be able to do archery again. Thoughts like that. It would have been better not to have them at all.
I’d rather accept that it’s impossible and focus completely on what I’m doing now.
My work as a streamer, my work as part of the national team, my work as someone’s friend….
The moment I think I might be able to do archery again, that my arm might heal, all of those things fall to the back.
Even Juhyeok and Jia, who are closest to me, would probably fall to the back.
That kind of life… is suffering.
“I was like that too.”
As if reading my thoughts, Sarang continued.
“Always hoping I could do it again someday… then despairing again. Then the next day I’d forget it all and hope again….”
Pfft.
Sarang let out a hollow laugh, remembering her past.
“Still, since that person has decent skills, it’s good to keep getting rehabilitation consistently. With the mindset of just not letting it get worse.”
Sarang wrapped up with clichéd words fit for a doctor, without going into the detailed circumstances.
I simply nodded. There wasn’t much to add.
After a moment of silence, I suddenly asked something I was curious about.
“Why did you decide to do it?”
“Do what?”
“Participate in this game. It must be dangerous.”
“Hmm.”
Sarang thought for a moment, then answered.
“Cookie said so. He asked me to make sure this team can keep going even after he’s gone.”
It was certainly harsh, but was that what moved Choi Sa-rang?
I couldn’t understand it.
Why? What did those words mean to her?
Sarang continued by answering that question herself.
“I retired suddenly, and our entire team disbanded. Not in a good way.”
Listening to what followed, I began to understand dimly.
The story of those who led the team.
“I don’t think I ever hoped the team could run without me. I never really thought about it that way… but…”
A sigh escaped her.
White breath dispersed as she glanced upward for a moment.
“How do I put it? Seeing it all crumble and fall apart so meaninglessly… I realized I’d made a huge mistake. That I hadn’t prepared for anything. That I wasn’t a leader. Those were the thoughts that came to me. People who believed in me and followed me. And I couldn’t do anything for them.”
Hearing those words, I recalled someone else’s words.
「Don’t you know there are kids who joined because of you!? Hyeonju!? Jonghyeon!?」
When I said I was quitting archery, she had mentioned the people who followed behind me.
‘They’re alike.’
I’d always thought they were similar.
With the makeup change, Sarang’s eyes now looked exactly like Soyeon’s had back then.
That alone was persuasive enough for me.
I nodded.
“I think I understand what you mean.”
In the meantime, a taxi arrived.
Sarang stood up and offered her thanks.
“Thank you for bringing me here. My legs have regained their strength, so I should be fine getting to the hotel.”
She got into the taxi and disappeared without a sound.
I still wasn’t used to it.
Choi Sa-rang standing up on her own, getting into a taxi, and disappearing like that.
But that must have been her original self.
The thought suddenly struck me, and something felt bittersweet.

* * *
After that day, I never encountered Sarang again.
All of us members, including myself, threw ourselves into practice with maximum intensity, and every schedule revolved entirely around the competition.
The dinner party was the last time we indulged in drinking and entertainment at night.
We abstained not only from alcohol but also from any heavy, difficult-to-digest foods that might compromise our condition, maintaining ourselves at peak performance.
The first match of the Round of 32.
This was a match where we had the map selection advantage.
If we won this match decisively, our momentum would be completely unstoppable.
Everyone burned with the determination to win, and it seemed the Vikings felt the same way—there had been no contact from Jesse since the dinner party.
And so the day of the match arrived.
[15:00][Joseon vs Viking]
The players came to the stadium early in the morning to begin acclimating to the environment.
King Gul, the caster and commentator, also visited the players to offer encouragement before heading to the broadcast booth.
As the match time drew near, support merchandise began lining the vendor stalls in front of the stadium.
Korean support items featuring red goblins and haetae on white backgrounds.
Viking support merchandise designed after twin axes.
Almond-shaped personal merchandise from Almond, and merchandise from several other famous players were also displayed.
Eager fans began trickling in one by one to browse the items.
And─
[Fake National Team ep.5 So Realistic]
[First release in 1 hour!]
The fifth episode of Fake National Team was uploaded to AllTube.

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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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