Genius Archer’s Streaming - Chapter 70

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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 1 Episode 70
25. A Dream That Should Have Remained a Dream (2)
“Right now, Almond! He’s managed to endure for a full 15 minutes, breaking through the top 1.2% record!!!”
-15 minutes is top 1.2%? lol
-Seriously lol
-Wow man lol
-What the hell is Jeon-ja-pa even doing lol
-I think the gap between 1st and 2nd place is like 7 minutes lol
-Bro I’m dying!
Huyeon Yu’s voice rang out brilliantly, and the chat surged relentlessly.
There were so many messages that it made my eyes dizzy.
[Current Viewers: 67,000]
It was thanks to this staggering number of spectators.
Whoooosh!!!
Crash!
And even more weapons came rushing toward Almond.
Beyond simple axes, swords, and spears, there were chainsaws that looked like they’d tear you apart just by touching them, iron maces swung at bizarre angles, and more….
Increasingly unpredictable things came flying.
Especially the chainsaw—even after it crashed into the ground, it continued convulsing and gouging at various spots, and Almond nearly fell victim to it at first.
‘They really made everything.’
But there was no rule saying he had to die. Even that had subtle foreshadowing.
The moment the chainsaw touched the ground, the floor didn’t collapse.
Almond, who sensed something suspicious there, was able to escape.
“Now that 10 minutes have passed, we’re moving on to Phase 3!”
Gulp.
At those words, even Almond couldn’t help but feel some tension.
The first pattern to appear is always the most difficult.
‘What could it be.’
Phase 1 had weapons flying at him, and Phase 2 had the floor collapsing.
And these two combined.
Phase 3 would probably start alone as well, but soon all elements would merge together.
‘I need to understand it properly while it appears alone.’
When it appeared alone was the chance to conserve strength. I had to memorize as much as possible in my mind at that moment and conserve energy.
[Phase 3]
Ding.
Letters appeared in the empty air.
‘What!?’
In that instant, a chill ran down my spine.
This was a warning sign. Convinced, Almond rolled his body without even looking back.
Crackle crackle crackle!!!
Lightning struck down.
The ground where Almond stood charred black.
-Insane lol
-Dodge lightning?!
-No way, how the f*** did he dodge that?
-How’d he do that
-Seriously how did he dodge the first strike lol
-Is he a regressor? lol
The viewers couldn’t comprehend how he’d dodged the lightning. They hadn’t felt the static electricity themselves.
“There’s static electricity coming. The tiles vibrate too.”
-???? Still reading chat lol
-Wow lol
-A true streamer! Almond!
-lol chills
Screeeech──
Then, a strange metallic grinding sound echoed out.
A weapon’s coming, I thought, and spun around, but there was nothing anywhere.
‘Below!’
Whoosh!
Almond barely lifted his feet off the tiles.
Beneath him, a vicious spike shot upward.
-Damn lol
-Oh there really is a warning sign
-I heard some kind of sound.
“Yes. Like… this!”
Clang!
Even as I spoke, I bounced up again, dodging the surging spike.
“It gives you a heads up. It’s not as difficult as it looks. Feels a bit like Fantasia’s marketing tactics, honestly.”
-Out of nowhere?
-Suddenly taking shots at Fantasia lol
-lol
-lol
-This is crazy
-You’re the first bastard to read chat while saying “survive” and actually pull it off, you absolute legend lol
Perhaps annoyed by Almond’s composure, the system decided to escalate.
As the Phase 3 preview ended, a tremendous roar erupted.
BOOOOOM!
Loud enough to tear eardrums.
-Kyaa! Now that’s a proper warning sign!
-What? You can predict it? How about this?!
-Lmao
-They’re coming at him like a swarm
That thunderous roar was no bluff.
Countless weapons were unleashed toward Almond.
Zing! Clang!
Moreover, traps erupted simultaneously across the tile floor.
Spikes shot up, lightning struck down—and that was just the beginning.
Iron cage traps that imprisoned players, fire traps that erupted from both sides to incinerate countless tiles, jump traps that launched testers skyward the moment they stepped on them, and more….
An endless variety of traps materialized.
Especially the jump tiles—they gave no warning whatsoever.
Boom!
“Wha—?”
The instant I stepped on a particular tile, it activated immediately.
My vision plummeted downward.
My body suddenly soared—
Into the air.
-Lmao this is hilarious
-Haha no way
-He got launched
-Do we have to dodge in midair???
-This is impossible for real
-Bro you’re at 18 minutes now!!! Just 13 more minutes and you’re first place!!
-This is so fun lmaooo
-Oh this is peak gaming
Peak fun. Peak gaming.
From a spectator’s perspective, absolutely.
Actually, Almond probably felt the same way.
The jump tiles themselves delivered a genuinely exhilarating sensation.
‘If only those incoming weapons didn’t exist, that would be true.’
But the harsh reality was that I now had to dodge those weapons in midair somehow. That despair obliterated all the fun.
[You’ve been launched into the air! What do we do now!? Your body can’t move freely anymore!]
I widened my eyes.
I didn’t come here for entertainment.
I came to prove something.
That I’m someone worthy of Platinum!
-Seriously how is anyone supposed to do this lmao
-That’s why no one’s ever cleared it in under 15 minutes.
-Here it comes!
The first thing to come flying was a battle axe spinning with a vicious whine.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
First, it wasn’t an angle I couldn’t avoid. The attacks were coming at quite generous intervals.
“Hah!”
Even in mid-air, it seemed I had enough room to dodge.
I twisted my body as much as possible.
‘Huh?’
Was it really impossible to maneuver in the air?
My body simply wouldn’t respond to my commands. I’d never experienced this level of inconvenience in the full-dive world before.
Still, I crouched down with all my strength and twisted my body desperately. I had no idea what I needed to do to move left or right.
If I could just shift from my current position, I could avoid it.
Crack!
Just as expected. The axe blade grazed past my hair by mere millimeters.
-Wooooow!
-Whoa!
-He dodged it!
-Insane!
It was too early to celebrate.
There was another one coming.
-Wait, what do I do about this!?
-Damn, no mercy
-Ugh
-Go easy on him, Fantasia!
-Oh man…
Between the chat messages, two massive blades became visible.
A long spear and a sword.
They flew toward Almond at a vicious speed, each from a different direction.
Judging by how high the jump had been set, there was no sign of me coming back down before I had to dodge these.
-Dodging both seems impossible though?
-Isn’t this just checkmate?
-Lol impossible
-Wait, does he not die from one hit? What’s he supposed to do?
Whoooosh!!
In that instant, the greatsword was already flying toward Almond’s chin.
Almond desperately twisted his body into a limbo position.
Hiss…
The tip of my nose scraped slightly. Rendered droplets of blood scattered beneath my eyes.
The greatsword had been evaded.
-Ooooooh!
-Wow!
-He dodged that!?
-But what about the other one?
But then—
A spear came thrusting in from the side without warning.
One angle might be easy to dodge, but what about a spear that pierces precisely through that exact spot, as if anticipating I would evade in that direction?
Even Almond couldn’t see an escape route.
But I could see another angle.
My arm extended long, reaching toward the hilt of the greatsword still passing by.
Clang──
-!?!?
-Whoa
-Huh?
[Whoa whoa whoa! A-Almond just grabbed the greatsword hilt──]
Huyeon Yu didn’t even have time to finish her sentence.
In a literal instant.
In that fleeting moment, my arm holding the sword traced a violent, clean arc.
KAAAAAAAANG!!!
A deafening roar erupts, and brilliant sparks scatter.
The massive spear grinds against the massive sword, igniting flames.
-???
-!!
-What
-Huh…!?
I snatched the sword from the air and deflected the next incoming spear.
Adaptation. I’ve gone beyond simply evading—now I’m using the objects here to block attacks.
Tap.
After landing back on solid ground, the cheers finally erupt.
[?? H-He deflected it!!!]
Huyeon Yu screamed with unbridled excitement, her voice ringing out.
[He caught the greatsword in mid-air and deflected the spear! Wow!! That’s incredible! I can’t believe my eyes even seeing it!]
The chat explodes in a flood of messages.
-Insane insane insane insane
-Brother, you’re terrifying now!
-Crazy crazy crazy crazy
-Hoooly! Mooly!
-Mom!! When I grow up I wanna be Almond!!!! Mom!! When I grow up I wanna be Almond!!!! Mom!! When I grow up I wanna be Almond!!!!
-Just look at me once! Almond! Just look at me once! Almond! Just look at me once! Almond! Just look at me once! Almond!
-Hey hey are you insane Almond!
-Stop being so good! Almond! Stop being so good! Almond! Stop being so good! Almond! Stop being so good! Almond! Stop being so good! Almond! Stop being so good! Almond!
.
.
.

* * *
“What do you mean by that?”
Juhyeok asked the Engineer in return.
“I’m curious about what method you used for image training. I thought it might help with statistical research….”
The Engineer said that Almond had done image training, but this was the first time Juhyeok had heard of it.
“I don’t do image training.”
“…What?”
“I don’t do that sort of thing. Didn’t I say in the interview earlier? I was just an ordinary office worker.”
“….”
The Engineer was at a loss for words.
‘So his brain was just naturally wired that way?’
He had arrived at a conclusion that was, by his standards, rather disappointing.
In fact, this couldn’t even be called a conclusion. What scientist would accept “God made it that way?” as a conclusion?
Meanwhile, Juhyeok regarded him with suspicion and pressed further.
“Why are you asking such a thing?”
“Based on my statistics and existing research, these kinds of results don’t emerge unless someone has been doing image training for quite an extended period. This isn’t mere speculation, but….”
After hearing the full explanation, it appeared that Sanghyeon had, with very high probability, engaged in image training for nearly ten years.
Not just ordinary training, but high-intensity training that could be described as overloading.
He must have passionately repeated very specific and realistic image training.
“Most people don’t go to that extent. If they did, they’d just do direct physical training instead….”
As I listened, it became clear.
‘Ah.’
Only then could Juhyeok understand what that image training truly was.
“…My hypothesis is that you underwent special intensive training for virtual reality proficiency. So I was wondering if you could share what that particular training method was….”
Why Sanghyeon had been so natural when he first shot his bow in the Capsule Room. And why he had wept so bitterly.
Now I understood.
And why he displayed such exceptional focus in the Capsule….
The puzzle pieces finally fit together.
‘He had… been dreaming.’
Sanghyeon’s image training was dreams.
He had always been dreaming.
He had dreamed with such desperate longing.
For ten years, he had never truly set down his bow.
At least not in his mind.
Not once in that mental world where his right arm remained intact.
Ten years of being unable to hold a bow, of dreaming… no, of having only dreams to sustain him through that desperate reality—this had created the Almond of today.
The Almond who displayed impossible skill in the virtual reality world.
That skill was not born from the fortunate gift of talent bestowed by God.
Remarkably, it was born from despair.
From the depths of that pitch-black abyss of despair, Almond was the sole jewel I had managed to forge from the darkness itself.
“A-are you… are you alright?”
The Engineer asked in confusion.
Juhyeok wiped his eyes. His sleeve had grown damp.
“Ah… this is…”
Just as Juhyeok was about to make an excuse.
[Now! We’ve broken through 30 minutes! Jeon-ja-pa’s record is within reach!! Will history truly be rewritten!?]
Everyone’s eyes turned back to the broadcast screen.
Juhyeok was able to move past the pathetic fact that he’d shed tears.
‘This isn’t even Sang-hyun Yu.’
Juhyeok frowned for no particular reason and shifted his gaze to the monitor.
“He doesn’t do mental training or anything like that. He’s just a genius.”
“Ah… I understand.”

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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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