Genius Archer’s Streaming - Chapter 680
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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 150
50. Treacherous Mountain Valley (3)
[Archer Training Grounds]
Building an Archer Training Grounds allows soldiers to convert their class to Archer.
Constructing such a building at this timing meant Archers would appear in the second age.
Clang…!
Sure enough, the blacksmith began producing crossbows as well.
[Crossbow]
[Production in Progress – 1%]
“Well. Once it reaches this point, there’s no backing out—we’re going with crossbows for now….”
“Can you calculate the damage?”
“It takes two headshots with a crossbow to bring them down. The problem is headshots. In other words, the Vikings only need to shield their heads with their shields, right?”
[Crossbow – Production Complete]
The first crossbow had been produced.
“Alright. Almond. Just as we predicted! Is Almond receiving the first crossbow?!”
Boom──!
[Viking – Age 2]
Meanwhile, the Vikings had advanced to Age 2.
* * *
The Vikings’ second age.
‘Faster than expected.’
Cookie’s hands trembled slightly.
No matter what, he couldn’t help but feel tense.
Because Joseon had been formulating a victory plan in a completely different manner than what they’d shown so far.
‘I need to invest properly here.’
The goal was to produce troops until roughly twenty units appeared.
This meant the time to advance to Age 3 would inevitably be delayed considerably.
The workers would need to earn resources equivalent to what it took to produce twenty crossbows.
‘This is the most critical moment.’
Cookie knew this.
This choice right now would be the most crucial factor in the strategy he’d prepared.
And perhaps those watching would be bewildered.
To devise a strategy of fighting from Age 2 against Vikings on a map where they had map selection rights—it was nothing short of madness.
It was insane.
‘The opponent is probably thinking the same thing.’
The Vikings wouldn’t even expect to fight from Age 2 on a map like this.
They were probably comfortably gathering food and spreading their forces as widely as possible to maximize their gains.
Even doing so, they believed Joseon’s Age 2 forces posed no threat to them.
‘Under normal circumstances, that would be true.’
Determination settled into Cookie’s eyes.
Twenty crossbowmen had assembled.
A leader was appointed among them.
[Almond]
Almond had become the leader of this unit.
This didn’t necessarily mean they expected him to command with exceptional leadership.
However, it clearly symbolized the role this unit was meant to play this time.
[Offense]
They began moving toward the area where beasts roamed most frequently.
‘If this goes as we practiced….’
* * *
Piiing!
Cookie’s command came down.
I gripped the crossbow in my hand tightly.
‘This is how we practiced it.’
Engaging in combat at the 2 o’clock position was already a planned strategy.
Not just me, but every soldier here knew this timing.
Joseon had been able to practice on this map after selecting it in advance.
Tack.
Pangeo tapped my shoulder from behind and spoke.
“Leader. Don’t worry. We all practiced to death for this.”
Ratte and Danggeun interjected as if exasperated.
“Mister. How about you stop your legs from trembling and just focus.”
“If you just do well… you were the worst during practice.”
Their words weren’t mere jokes.
“….”
Pangeo was actually trembling.
He was a veteran among veterans, yet here he was, visibly nervous.
It was probably because he’d performed the worst during practice.
Pangeo was the oldest player among them.
Adapting to this new style of combat took longer for him than the younger players, inevitably.
‘It can’t be helped. Everything is different.’
I didn’t find this strange.
Everything was different from how Joseon had fought until now.
It wasn’t a surprise attack exploiting an opening, nor a strategy with a twist.
I had to overcome this through a direct breakthrough using techniques forged through simple repetition and practice.
In short, we were matching combat strength head-on against the Vikings.
“Huff. Huff.”
“Don’t breathe so loudly. You’re distracting us.”
“Ha, sir…”
Everyone except me was still unable to shake off their anxiety completely.
Perhaps this was why I had been appointed as leader instead of Pangeo.
Steady breathing, heart rate unchanged from normal, no trembling in my hands or feet.
I was embodying the maximum composure achievable in the current situation.
Was it because I myself was the master of the technique about to be demonstrated?
Or was it because I already possessed a level of mental fortitude different from the others?
Regardless, I was perfectly controlling my turbulent nervous system.
“Let’s go.”
I took the lead and signaled with a gesture toward the back.
Twenty squad members began moving in unison following their leader.
* * *
“They’re moving!?”
“The Vikings didn’t see this coming at all. That’s good news, right?”
“Ah… yes? Actually, it would be strange to predict this!?”
Hahaha, for real
-Who would predict a suicide mission
-Is this right? I still don’t get it
-What are they trying to do??
As the controversy over this strategy intensified in the chat, the commentators’ voices grew more heated.
Whether this led to victory or defeat, Joseon’s first main battle was about to unfold.
This meant a major turning point in the match would soon emerge.
“Ah… I’m getting so nervous! King Gul! If Joseon wins this battle, what’s the advantage!?”
As the distance between soldiers from both sides grew closer, the commentators’ voices began to tremble.
“If, if they win! Of course, it’s an enormous advantage! The Vikings need to monopolize food by leveraging their early strength! If that gets blocked even once, it’s a problem! Food monopoly is the Vikings’ most orthodox victory plan! Just preventing this has significant meaning!”
-Real talk, winning means a lot
-Vikings get seriously screwed if hunting is blocked. Agriculture efficiency is trash tier
I’m about to lose my breath ㅋㅋㅋ
If we win this, we gotta give a shoutout to Cooberji right away lol
The Vikings are a civilization that doesn’t require tremendous resources to achieve victory, but they are uniquely constrained when it comes to food.
This is because they are a civilization that competes through human resources and are not an agricultural civilization, making stable food acquisition difficult in the late game.
“Ah. So winning means preventing them from eating that food!?”
What Joseon had to do against the Vikings was simple.
It wasn’t about shooting them dead or anything like that—just making food acquisition difficult would suffice.
King Gul was saying that alone would be advantageous for Joseon.
“Exactly. Joseon just needs to obstruct food supply without suffering casualties!”
“Then hit and run? Would that work!?”
Hit and run.
The Caster’s thinking was, in a sense, natural.
The Joseon faction has faster movement speed in mountainous terrain.
No matter how much faster melee soldiers are than ranged units, it’s different in mountains.
Joseon Archers are faster than the enemy’s melee soldiers.
However, King Gul shakes his head.
“It won’t be easy. Because of the faction ability Vikings learn in Era 2, once they catch up, they catch up.”
“Ah, what ability is that?”
“Battle Frenzy.”
-Battle Frenzy is seriously broken
-Yeah, that’s right
-Without it Vikings would be trash lol
The game company’s description of Battle Frenzy was as follows.
[Battle Frenzy]
[When charging toward an enemy, you gain an extremely fast burst of speed for a moment.]
As long as Vikings spot an enemy, they can always catch up.
“Ahhh! Battle Frenzy! Is that faster than the mountain people!?”
“Yes. If they were both melee soldiers it would be different… but this is melee versus ranged, isn’t it?”
“Ah… so hit-and-run won’t work either? How do we interfere!?”
“Who knows!”
-Confidently clueless lol
-How would they know lol
-Only Cookie knows
-Lmao
“Now. The moment I’m speaking, the Vikings are spread out widely across the map, right? If done well, we might be able to kill them one by one?”
The Viking soldiers were paired in groups of 2-3 and spread across the entire map.
They hunted beasts with plenty of leisure.
“Even if we kill one or two, we can’t deal major damage—that’s how their formation is set up. The fact that Joseon recruited 20 Archers! You’ll realize right away!?”
“Ahhhhh!”
While hunting efficiently, they were also performing the role of scouts.
“Right now! Just before they meet!!”
“The Joseon’s destination right now is the hunting grounds near that valley! That’s a prime location!? They need to go there. But before that, they’ll be spotted?”
“Just before meeting the Vikings wandering around! No! They’ve met them!!!”
Three Viking soldiers encountered the Joseon Archers.
-They’re spotted
-Oh
-Kill them quick!!
-Can we even kill them if we hide???
At that moment, Almond started running forward.
Rather, closing the distance to the Vikings.
“Look! Almond! Running!? Forward instead!? No!? Why so fast!? Is there a skill coefficient on movement speed!”
-For real lol
-What?
-Placebo effect lol
“Ah! He’s closing in so fast! He won’t give me a chance to take cover!?”
“From what I know, doesn’t Almond shoot well even from cover!?”
As the distance widens, shooting becomes difficult in the forest, so this judgment makes sense.
In reality, Almond’s curve shots are famous for their high accuracy, so the commentators didn’t anticipate this movement.
「It’s better not to show it」
This is because of a strategy discussed beforehand.
To avoid the enemy considering curve shots as much as possible.
「Until the right moment comes」
The right time and place.
If those conditions are met, that’s when I should reveal it.
So Almond was charging forward to secure a straight-line shot.
“B-but can this work!? If a ranged soldier gets close! What good is it!? He’ll get a lesson from the axe!?”
“Ah, no! This seems like he’s saying ‘come attack me’!?”
Once Almond secured the straight-line distance, he raised his bow that had been drawn taut.
The arrowhead was aimed precisely at the enemy’s head.
[Focus]
Uuuung…!
White light blazing at the arrow’s tip.
“Ahhh! Focus!? What is Focus!? A headshot with Focus means!”
A full-charge Focus headshot would be a one-hit kill even against a Viking.
The problem is the distance.
“But before that, the Viking!?”
The Viking soldier kicks off the ground and charges forward.
Crash──!
[Battle Fanatic]
He closed the distance in an instant and immediately swung his axe.
──Whoosh!
A diagonal downward strike with no angle to dodge.
But then─
“No!?”
“S-Spam! From the side!”
──Clang!
An arrow from another direction strikes the wrist guard, sending sparks flying.
The path of the axe swing changes completely. A total miss.
Whoosh.
The axe only cuts through empty air.
-Whoa
-Wow
-He’s insane.
-He was aiming for this.
-It was bait.
The Viking’s eyes widen in shock.
Reflected in his constricted pupils was─
“──Full Charge, Release!!”
An arrowhead blazing with white light.
I release the tension in my right hand with the same expressionless face as before.
The arrow pierces through his head in an instant.
Boom!
Crimson blood splatters as he collapses backward without ceremony.
The first death to occur in this game.
At that moment, the fall seemed to take several minutes for all the players watching.
Thud…!
The moment the Viking’s corpse touches the ground.
“One shot! Yeeeeeeees!”
King Gul springs to his feet and throws an uppercut into the air.
“First kill of the main tournament! Almond! As expected! As expected! A direct hit to the brow!”
“Spam buys time with an uncharged arrow! And Almond! Sends him flying with a Full Charge release!”
-Wow
-Insane
-Amazing
-Incredible
-Aamond’s using all the concentration he couldn’t use at school~
-His style is absolutely insane~
-What? A Full Charge headshot is a one-shot kill??
“That was pure instinctive play! A true display of technical skill!”
“Exactly! If he hadn’t achieved Full Charge! It wouldn’t have been a one-shot, right!? If he’d fired even 0.1 seconds earlier! Almond would be dead! Then it would just be Pat and Matt’s combo!? But! Spam and Almond! They pulled through! They did it! That’s what makes this incredible!”
-Pat and Matt lol
-lmao
-The risk is enormous
-That’s mortgage-level risk
-This is happening from the start
“As I’m speaking! The Viking side has completely caught on!!”
Beep! Beep!
[Counterattack]
The scattered red dots on the map begin converging toward that location.
The Viking commander has witnessed the battle.
“The, the Viking forces are responding!”
“What about the other two!?”
The two Vikings who had encountered the Joseon Archers immediately turned and fled.
The Joseon Archers made no effort to pursue them.
“Ah. We’re just letting them go?”
[Move]
An order came down to advance toward the objective once more.
“Huh!? W-we’re going deeper in from here!?”
King Gul was bewildered.
With the Vikings likely to converge on this location, the rational choice was to fall back temporarily.
Yet here was the decision to plunge directly into the Viking ranks.
“No! Just call all the Vikings here! We only need to create chaos!? Why go deeper!?”
“Did he smear honey in that valley or something!?”
-What is this even??
-Is it just bait?
-What’s going on
Cookie had been trying all along to send the Archers to that specific location.
It was true that there were many beasts to hunt in that valley… but beasts existed in other places too.
Why there?
I couldn’t tell.
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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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