Genius Archer’s Streaming - Chapter 698

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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 168
56. You Go to Valhalla (1)
Central zone, before the battle begins.
I gazed at the large letters floating in the center of my vision.
[Infiltration]
I recalled my memories.
When I trained as a Chataemeen, only three others and I received instruction.
Cookie had gathered us and explained Chataemeen like this.
“Chataemeen isn’t actually a combat class. It’s a special unit that minimizes combat and executes orders to bring strategic victory in war. So the training method will be different from what you’ve done so far.”
I suspected Cookie’s pointed look at me when he said to minimize combat wasn’t coincidental.
My playstyle was somewhat too aggressive to be a proper Chataemeen.
Of course, I believed it wasn’t aggression but simply efficiency.
Still, I listened to Cookie’s words during training and internalized the special effects and skills that Chataemeen possessed.
Danggeun, Toma, and Hawk, who were selected alongside me, all successfully completed this training.
They were all talented individuals with excellent strategic minds, like Danggeun.
‘In the end, I was the one chosen.’
In actual combat, only I was ultimately selected.
[Gakgung Archer → Chataemeen]
As my class changed, my clothing turned pitch black.
A black straw hat was placed on my head, my upper garment was a short black robe, my lower garment was wide black pants. And as an outer coat, a black overcoat draped around me like an agent’s coat.
At my waist hung the throwing stars and quiver used by Chataemeen, and my Gakgung bow was slung across my back.
My shoes were simple in form, resembling rubber sandals, and made no sound when I walked.
This peculiar outfit was likely unique to me in all of Joseon. Because I was currently the only Chataemeen.
Chataemeen class conversion required substantial funds, so it was rare to recruit more than one.
That remained true now.
And I was the single one chosen.
I stared at the letters floating in the air again.
[Infiltration]
In other words, I was the only one who could complete this mission.
It was a responsibility I couldn’t pass to anyone else.
Still, there was someone to help me.
“We’re departing. Get on behind me.”
Coffee approached and gestured to the back of his horse.
“We’ll infiltrate the enemy lines, but some of the Vikings are probably returning to our main base too. That always happens when a major battle breaks out. There’s a chance we’ll encounter them.”
If we encountered Vikings while following the infiltration route, it would become very problematic, so an Assistant Commander was accompanying us.
An Assistant Commander at this time was an enormous asset in many ways.
The fact that we were willing to forgo this strength on the battlefield showed how heavy the mission I’d been given was.
“I’ll use Hawk Release to secure a safe path. I’ve stacked two charges of it.”
The Assistant Commander would go ahead and light the way, while I would infiltrate to the enemy lines following the safe route.
“Get as close to the enemy lines as possible and use your disguise. There’s a time limit, so I’ll show you the location at the edge of my vision.”
“Yes.”
Coffee heard Almond’s response and urged the horse forward.
“Hyah!”
The horse began galloping swiftly along the path at breakneck speed.
Clop, clop!
This route was one Cookie had drawn for me.
But I couldn’t rely on it absolutely. Cookie would be too preoccupied with preparing for the final battle to pay much attention to this path.
I had to take Cookie’s role upon myself.
Clop, clop!
I let the sound of the horse’s hooves flow past my ears as I thought.
‘He set things up this way, yet ultimately dragged us all the way to the fourth era because of this guy.’
I had a rough idea of why Joseon had been dragged to the fourth era.
Bread, who lacked intuition, probably couldn’t even imagine it, but I could predict it.
‘It’s because of this guy riding behind me.’
Cookie changed the entire era battle because of Almond alone.
This guy riding behind me is definitely a crack in our game. I acknowledged that readily enough.
Physical prowess and combat sense that made it hard to believe we were the same age.
I’d witnessed it clearly several times myself.
‘Cookie’s approach really is….’
I simply couldn’t understand his method. The way he maintained considerable distance out of consideration for team opinion.
That method of pursuing harmony sounded to me like he didn’t trust the members.
He just didn’t directly praise Almond highly, but his true intentions were already completely visible in tactics like these.
‘Why can’t he just say it.’
A familiar voice flowed through my mind.
「Why can’t you say it? It’s not that you lack confidence. You just don’t trust us in the end. That’s why you can’t say it. Stop whining about it, idiot.」
A voice that passed as swiftly and brightly as the scenery rushing by as the horse galloped, then vanished.
‘Well, I’m no different, I guess.’
I pondered it briefly, then cleanly swept it from my mind.
What mattered now wasn’t these distracting thoughts.
What mattered now was….
「If you’re so frustrated, then you win the championship next time.」
The team’s victory.
My eyes gleamed fiercely.
I put my fingers to my lips and whistled loudly.
Whiiiiiiiii──
[Hawk Release]
The field of vision brightens along with the whistle.
The area illuminated by Hawk Release is marked on my minimap separately, even without Cookie confirming it. I’m the Assistant Commander, after all.
And perhaps she’s also seeing this signal right now.
‘The battle should be starting about now.’
Boom-boom…!
The explosion of Shingi-jeon echoes from far away.
Fireworks are unfolding across the sky.
“Hiyah!”
Coffee spurred the horse forward once more, galloping ahead.

* * *
I took deep breaths while riding behind Coffee.
‘I might be able to fight one more time, perhaps.’
Having grown accustomed to the dedicated capsule, I’d forgotten this sensation.
My condition deteriorated noticeably with each repeated battle.
Memories of the Ril Nant match surfaced.
There was even a time when I’d demonstrated one-handed play back then.
It was possible because there existed avatars that didn’t require frequent use of the right hand.
Above all, the opponents I faced were all amateur level.
But this place was different.
‘Everyone here is serious.’
A game where everyone fights with fierce determination to win.
And now that we’re in the main tournament, most opponents are professionals.
That subtle pressure I felt only when facing pro Danmuji for the first time, and when facing Challenger Hong-cha, now permeates this place thickly and abundantly.
‘It’s fine.’
I told myself repeatedly.
‘I’m different from back then too.’
What changed wasn’t only the enemies’ skill.
I too am different from that time.
I can now fight both as an individual and as part of a team.
I now understood, to some degree, what it meant to fight as a team.
I had definitely grown compared to before.
“Damn….”
Then, Coffee curses from ahead.
I’d sent the hawk out once more. Did he discover something?
“We’re going to meet them. There’s no way to avoid it. These bastards seem to be conscious of Chataemeen.”
“…!?”
They’re prepared for Chataemeen?
I’d understood Chataemeen to be a rarely-used strategy.
“They’re actually preparing for this.”
“That’s what pro level is. Against Joseon, Chataemeen is the biggest variable among the four-era factors. So they prepare for it, even slightly. This kind of thought distribution happens as naturally as breathing.”
Even if rarely used, they’re always prepared.
Because it’s a real risk.
That’s the kind of person the enemy commander is.
“There are no mounted archers, and knowing they use crossbows, I figured they’d anticipate Chataemeen. So now we’re preparing countermeasures.”
“What kind?”
The best way to counter Chataemeen, who excels at disguise, escape, and infiltration, is to block them before they act.
“We’re trying to spot them early. At our chokepoints.”
The Vikings were occupying the passages and slowly advancing toward Joseon’s main camp.
While this was partly to check the Joseon workers, their formation and pace suggested they were searching for something.
That something was surely Chataemeen.
“There’s no choice. Besides, I can’t even release the hawk anymore….”
Coffee made his decision.
He slung the bow that had been hanging from the side of his horse and bid farewell to Almond.
“We’re almost there. From here, move through the forest as deep as you can. Northwest. I’ll draw their attention. Hurry!”
Drawing attention in this situation meant certain death.
An assistant commander who died was completely out of the game.
“What? You’re an assistant commander… wouldn’t it be better to fight together?”
“No. You can’t fight right now.”
Coffee snatched the straw hat Almond was wearing and shoved him away.
Thud!
“!?”
“From now on, I’m Chataemeen.”
With those words, Coffee pulled the hat down over his head, spurred his horse forward, and rapidly disappeared ahead.
In Almond’s vision, still one command remained displayed.
[Infiltration]
“….”
He quickly got back to his feet and looked toward the forest Coffee had indicated.
Shhhhhhh….
A blue path was being drawn.
Coffee was marking a route toward the forest for him.

* * *
“Huff… huff…”
I sprinted forward with my bow slung across my back.
‘I need to move faster.’
If our forces had noticed the absence of mounted archers, the battle had already begun in earnest.
Whether it was thanks to Coffee’s sacrifice or sheer luck, there were no signs of Vikings, and I could continue running along the path.
‘Is this the place?’
The path Coffee had drawn ended here.
And in the distance ahead, I could see the enemy’s fortress walls—their main base.
I alternated my gaze between the fortress and the broken path Coffee had sketched.
‘This is ambiguous.’
Coffee had said she would show me where I needed to use my disguise.
But was this broken point the location she meant?
Or had she simply stopped drawing?
‘It seems farther than I thought.’
The distance to the fortress was considerable.
The duration of my disguise was limited.
Unless I killed someone, the cooldown was quite long.
It was advantageous to approach as close as possible without being seen by the enemy before activating the disguise.
But I had no way of determining that exact point.
I would need either to observe from above and draw it precisely, or have someone like Pangeo—someone with an almost supernatural sense of distance—beside me.
I was conflicted.
‘Should I advance further before disguising myself?’
I made my decision quickly.
‘No. If I do that, it’s over.’
The risk of being discovered by the enemy while activating my disguise was something I couldn’t afford right now.
And Joseon was running out of time.
[Disguise]
Whoosh…
Right before the line Coffee had drawn, I began transforming into the form of a Viking warrior.

* * *
Chataemeen.
A master of riding any mount freely and skilled in handling ranged weapons.
Also wearing a wide-brimmed black horsehair hat.
This level of distinctive appearance was what the Vikings knew of Chataemeen.
Since they hadn’t practiced separately considering the journey to the fourth era, they hadn’t received exact details.
However, this much was more than enough.
That’s what they thought.
And sure enough, they caught sight of him.
A thug riding a horse, wearing a black horsehair hat.
A bow was also slung across his back.
“That’s him!”
One Viking shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Grab him!”
“That bastard is Chataemeen!”
The Vikings with fierce eyes blazing charged forward.
Beneath the black horsehair hat, a face smiled softly.
‘Good.’
Coffee changed the horse’s direction and spurred it forward fiercely.
He even drew his bow and shot backward.
Twang!
In a situation where the Mounted Archer faction clearly didn’t exist, only Chataemeen and the Assistant Commander could shoot a bow from horseback.
So they became certain.
“It’s definitely him!”
Whoosh!
The leader threw an axe and knocked the arrow down.
Coffee’s purpose was to have them chase him anyway, so whether the arrows hit or not didn’t matter much as he continued galloping.
Then─
‘Huh?’
Suddenly the Vikings stopped their pursuit.
‘…What?’
After a moment of silence, when he looked back, the Vikings were shouting something entirely different.
“That’s not Chataemeen! He’s infiltrated the main camp!”
“Then what about us?”
“We head straight for the Joseon main camp!”
Coffee’s eyes went wide.
‘I’ve been exposed?’
Something was going wrong.
He pondered for a moment.
‘From here….’
If I recklessly lured them here again, I could die.
If the Assistant Commander dies, it’s over.
Game over.
Coffee squeezed my eyes shut for a moment.
‘Can I… do this?’
Stop those Vikings alone.
Is it possible?
How long could I hold out?
‘If I, the Assistant Commander, die, will the game still be okay…?’
Could Almond pull it off?
Haven’t we already failed?
My head was spinning.
The Assistant Commander must be careful about when to die.
If dying could lead the game to victory, then dying would be good.
But Coffee believed such cases were rare.
Or even if they existed, he didn’t think he could judge them with certainty.
So for the Assistant Commander, living was always better. That was his philosophy. The role of Assistant Commander was far more important than one could imagine.
Yet, a single phrase echoed through my mind again.
“It’s not that you lack confidence. You just don’t trust us in the end.”
Was that it?
I muttered to myself and snapped my eyes open.
Then I pulled hard on the horse’s reins.
Neeeiiighhh!
The horse began galloping in the opposite direction.
Coffee shouted.
Toward the Vikings heading back to their main camp.
“Hey! Where are you going! Come with me!”
Shing!
I drew my sword.

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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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