Genius Archer’s Streaming - Chapter 770
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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 240
79. Not Much Time Left (2)
[Victory]
The moment I saw those two words, I felt relief wash over me.
‘It’s done.’
Fortunately, Japan had made their decision quickly.
As the game progressed, Joseon was destined to win anyway, so it was the natural choice—though not one every commander would make.
There were commanders with the temperament to never surrender, no matter what.
Had this been one of those cases, my stamina would have depleted far more severely.
I would have won the first two matches regardless, but the probability of losing the third match would have skyrocketed exponentially.
Hisssss.
The capsule opened, and the roar of the audience became crystal clear.
“Waaaaahhhhh…!”
Each member of the crowd came into sharp focus in my vision.
People with mouths wide open, arms raised high, faces flushed with intensity.
Though they resembled the features of angry people at first glance, anyone could plainly see the truth.
Their faces were smiling more brightly than ever before.
They all became one voice, crying out together.
“Choi Sun-sin! Choi Sun-sin! Choi Sun-sin!”
My name.
Thump—
My slowing heart began to beat again.
Though I thought I lacked the strength to even lift my upper body, I rose lightly.
With Chiseung’s support, I sat in the wheelchair and waved my hand.
“Waaaaahhhhhhh!”
Colorful paper confetti fell from above.
Countless Geobukseon flags glowed with red light.
A thought crossed my mind.
Would I ever feel this way again after this tournament?
In the past, it happened often.
But in the future…
‘There won’t be.’
Even if a theory emerged that my legs could heal, I had no idea how many years it would take.
Could I even make a comeback by then?
Jeon-ja-pa.
Could I ever use that name again? Probably not.
Jeon-ja-pa is human too.
As age increases, the probability of being unable to perform at my previous level was high.
‘Then…’
I realized this tournament might be the second chance that came to me—and perhaps my last.
* * *
The moment I stepped into the waiting room, Chiseung asked me a question.
“How’s your stamina and condition? You doing alright?”
It was his usual question.
Since he’d been the one managing Cookie, he always made a point of checking these things.
Sarang simply nodded with a lukewarm expression.
This immediately led to his feedback.
“Actually, toward the end there, I felt your command losing some momentum.”
Near the finish, I’d noticed a significant gap in Sarang’s commanding presence.
Of course, it hadn’t affected the game outcome. Japan had surrendered before it could matter.
But the next match would be different.
“In the next match, Ringo won’t surrender.”
Japan’s style was unmistakable.
Extreme pragmatism.
To account for any unforeseen circumstances, they never dragged out matches unnecessarily—the moment victory seemed assured with no variables remaining, they’d end it.
That’s how they managed their stamina.
However, there was one critical moment where they’d push through to the bitter end.
“Looking at all the matches Ringo has won in international competitions so far….”
Specifically, the final match.
“The rate of reverse sweeps exceeds 70%.”
Japan unleashed the power they’d been conserving starting from what could be the final match.
Without retreating an inch, they poured out all the stamina they’d been rationing.
Their opponents, thinking they’d nearly won, developed tunnel vision and rushed forward without considering stamina management.
That’s when Japan unleashed everything and pulled off the reversal.
Then, riding that momentum, Japan would rack up consecutive wins—two in a row, three in a row—completing the reverse sweep.
Meanwhile, their opponents, panicked and confused at nearly losing what they’d almost won, would collapse in the matches that followed.
“What’s even more terrifying is that Japan’s second and third-string players are almost on par with their first-string players.”
In other words, their player depth was exceptional.
Joseon, which relied primarily on first-string players, would grow increasingly fatigued as matches dragged on.
This was an insurmountable gap by nature. All of Joseon’s players were amateurs, and the second and third-string players spent far more time on their day jobs than on match training.
“The third match won’t be as easy as the second. Our first-string is starting to wear down, and their relatively fresh second-string will come out swinging first.”
And they wouldn’t surrender easily either. If they did, it would be over.
Sarang countered this assessment.
“Since the second match was a naval battle, the players should have managed their stamina well enough. There shouldn’t be any issues affecting the outcome of the third match.”
But Chiseung shook his head.
“Almond’s situation might be different.”
That was true.
Sarang knew it too.
If she had the same problem, then he certainly wasn’t in perfect condition right now either.
Moreover, in the second match, Almond’s activity level for a naval battle was far too high.
“Then what should I do?”
She questioned him back, sensing what Chiseung was about to say even as her intuition warned her.
“Please prioritize using the second-line players.”
“….”
“That obsession about having to win in the third match—I told you, right? That’s how Ringo operates. He uses that fixation as bait to devour his opponent.”
Chiseung’s proposal was to arm the second-line players first and have them take the field.
Sarang bit her lip.
It was essentially telling her to bank on the next match. This didn’t align with her approach.
Above all, it didn’t fit the current situation.
The players weren’t the problem.
“….”
Sarang silently gazes down at the floor for a moment.
She was thinking it would be better not to speak.
If the players found out, they would lose trust in her commands.
‘Sigh.’
After a brief moment of deliberation, she opens her mouth.
“I don’t think we can win after the third match.”
“Huh…?”
Chiseung, who had been preparing to rattle off data analysis, widens his eyes in surprise.
“That kind of thinking is the most dangerous when facing Japan….”
As Chiseung begins to counter, he senses something odd in the air.
Her tone was different from usual.
He recalls that she hadn’t answered the question he’d asked her earlier.
「Your stamina and condition—are you okay?」
‘Surely not.’
As always, the suspicion became reality.
“If I don’t use the first-line in the third match and use the second-line instead, the first-line’s condition will improve by the fourth match. But what about me?”
“….”
“Who replaces me? I’ll still be the same in the fourth match. Who commands in the fourth match?”
I see.
Chiseung had overlooked this problem.
This strategy to play it safe in the third match was for the players.
It was a strategy that didn’t account for the commander.
“Your stamina… becomes a problem even without naval battles?”
It was inevitable—he had thought her issue only mattered if it wasn’t a naval battle.
He had thought it was fine as long as there were no siege weapons.
Of course, Sarang had thought the same.
“It has more impact than I expected.”
She avoids his gaze and nods her head.
“Ringo is no pushover. Even setting aside my physical condition. The longer the match goes, the harder it becomes.”
This was perhaps purely a limitation of her abilities.
Her body and mind, having been away from professional patterns for so long, might not be capable of maintaining focus through three consecutive matches to completion.
“Then… ugh….”
Chiseung pressed his forehead with a heavy sigh.
‘What do we do about this?’
The strategy for three matches was to drain the enemy’s strength as much as possible and endure.
If we proceed like this, our Commander will burn out first instead.
But telling her to throw the matches doesn’t make sense either.
If she loses without draining their strength, the enemy’s momentum will become absurd, and her stamina will remain unchanged.
“We have to win all three matches.”
Sarang spoke with certainty.
“We have to give it everything… that’s what we need to do.”
“….”
Chiseung looked at her.
Her small hands on the wheelchair were clenched into fists, trembling slightly.
Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead.
Even though it was early spring with chilly weather.
‘There’s no other way.’
Chiseung could only nod in agreement.
Cookie was still hospitalized, and the doctor hadn’t given clearance yet.
Replacing the Commander with someone else here was unthinkable.
When she was first replaced, the team was in chaos.
If we change to someone else, everything will collapse.
“Then let’s adjust. We’ll use the first formation. End it in three matches.”
Chiseung revised the plan.
* * *
“Waaaaaaaaaah!”
The players returned to the arena.
A thunderous roar poured down upon them.
The red wave of support was fiercer than ever before.
As if urging them to drive in the final nail, the crowd was screaming with every ounce of their remaining strength.
“Ko──rea!”
The momentum was undeniably overwhelming.
Yet Japan’s supporters were not drowning in despair.
“Re! Verse!”
Boom! Boom-boom-boom!
“Re! Verse!”
Boom! Boom-boom-boom!
They chanted for a reversal in rhythm with their cheers.
They had witnessed it before.
What the Japan team was capable of achieving.
“Ah. Japan too! Still not discouraged! They’re continuing their support! That’s right! This is what sports is all about!”
“Exactly. It’s not over until it’s over. The Korean players must remember that too!”
“One moment of carelessness and it can flip in an instant, right? I’ve heard Japan is particularly good at that. Isn’t that correct?”
“Yes, that’s right. Now seems like an appropriate time to mention this. Japan’s reverse sweep ratio is actually 70%!”
The commentators were also discussing the data showing that Japan was not a team that crumbled easily.
-Scary
-70%??
Aren’t those perverts doing that on purpose?ㅋㅋㅋ
-That’s King-level
-Reverse sweeps are seriously hard
-Insane
“Yes, well, people are saying they do it intentionally. We can’t know for sure, but one thing is certain.”
“Yes? What’s that one thing!”
“Japan is a team that comes alive from behind.”
“Ahhh! I agree! The data proves it!”
“Yes! Japan seemed to surrender fairly easily up until now! But from here on, they’ll choose seppuku over surrender!”
Hahahahaha
lol
-Info) There’s actually a seppuku faction
So is that day Chuseok then?
-“Jade Shattering” on
They wouldn’t actually commit seppuku, but it was clear Japan had nowhere left to retreat.
“You can’t afford to be careless against Japan with their backs against the wall! Plenty of teams have suffered that fate!”
“Yes! In Game 2, Ringo showed some lapses in concentration, but he could come alive starting from Game 3!”
“Yes. We must stay focused until the very end. Joseon!”
“Ah~! There’s one thing we simply cannot overlook! Joseon’s Daisunsin Choi! True to his nickname, he displayed absolutely masterful naval tactics, didn’t he? And on top of that, Almond’s performance was extraordinary! No wonder King Gul called him Oppenheimer!?”
“Exactly! Oppenheimer and Yi Sun-sin! Each one is absolutely devastating to Japan, aren’t they? In ace-versus-ace matchups, we’re holding our own!”
In ace-level confrontations, Joseon had earned consistently strong evaluations.
The same was true during the Viking match.
But there was one persistent criticism.
“However, Joseon’s players are human too, so they have stamina limitations! That’s the problem!”
“That’s right. In a best-of-five format, the first team might struggle to consistently take the lead!”
The chronic weakness of an unbalanced team composition skewed toward aces.
It was a stamina issue.
They could manage through the Round of 16, where three matches was the maximum.
But from the quarterfinals onward, this structure would prove difficult.
As the number of matches increased, player stamina became a critical problem.
At minimum, a hundred out of two hundred players needed to perform equally well to advance any further.
“Now then! Our proud! Players of South Korea! Entering through the capsules!”
* * *
Hisssssss—
The capsule hissed open, and Sarang stepped inside with assistance.
She turned her head briefly, glancing toward the capsule where Almond was entering.
He had been looking her way too, so their eyes met immediately.
They were probably thinking the same thing.
“….”
Neither said much.
They simply gave each other a slight nod.
“Thank you.”
Sarang offered a brief word of gratitude to Chiseung, then sealed the capsule lid.
Hisssssss!
[Loading…]
Moments later, all the players’ capsules closed.
Whoosh.
They materialized on the field.
“And there we have it! The players have entered! Joseon versus Japan! Japan versus Joseon! The highly anticipated third match! What could be the final match! Joseon leads two to zero! The third match begins now!”
The roar of the audience thundered through the arena.
-Let’s go!
-Giddy up!
-Crush them!!
-Almond, fighting!
-Since Little Boy came out earlier, let’s bring out Fat Man~
-Go for it~
The augmented reality of the field shimmered, materializing the stage for what might be the final match.
Swirling sand winds swept across dunes that rose in their wake, sparse wildlife scattered throughout, and a central lake formed along a modest stream.
[Crimson Sands Oasis]
This was the name of today’s arena.
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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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