Genius Archer’s Streaming - Chapter 881

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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 4 Episode 12
4. Epilogue (3)
I first learned of my illness about three years ago.
“It’s early-stage pancreatic cancer. It has progressed somewhat, but… it’s a cancer that’s difficult to detect early.”
During a routine checkup I’d taken without much thought, I received news that struck like a thunderbolt from a clear sky.
‘Pancreatic cancer?’
At first, I didn’t even know what that was.
I’d never experienced any significant symptoms, and I assumed it was like thyroid cancer—something that could be quickly cured with surgery.
“How would the surgery work? I have an important match coming up—”
I asked the doctor urgently, but the words caught in my throat the very next moment.
“…The survival rate for pancreatic cancer is less than 10%.”
“I’m sorry?”
“I have a duty to inform you. If I don’t explain it this way, patients have difficulty understanding their situation.”
The doctor added hopeful remarks as well, but for me, that single statistic—a 10% survival rate—was already a death sentence.
“However, survival rates have been rising significantly these days. We’ve also been detecting pancreatic cancer, which is called the silent killer, earlier than before…”
I couldn’t hear the rest of what was said.
I went back several times, and only after telling my girlfriend and going together to hear the explanation again did I truly understand.
It wasn’t until the third visit that I finally spoke.
“What I hear is this: chemotherapy is essentially… dying in a different way.”
“That… that’s not…”
The doctor couldn’t answer easily.
My words weren’t wrong.
She couldn’t unconditionally recommend treatment.
Chemotherapy is a great battle.
Either the cancer dies or I do. A war with only these two possible outcomes.
Until one of these conclusions is reached, the patient must spend their remaining life in a hospital bed.
Everything must be wagered.
All to achieve that infinitesimally small chance of survival.
It was then that I made my decision.
“I don’t think that will work. There’s somewhere else I want to stake my life on.”
I chose to live the process, not the outcome.

* * *
Hee-cheol’s story was discussed endlessly throughout the community.
The viewership for the final episode of the Fake National Team had been extraordinarily high, after all.
What’s up with the fake national team’s final episode ㄷㄷ
[Cookie really risked his life playing that game]
[Cookie, a genius from his very first appearance. jpg]
[The way he completely rebuilt Joseon from scratch by cutting the build since last year was absolutely insane]
[The great legacy Cookie left behind ㅠㅠ]
Some people even dug up his past videos.
It was a video where his senior mentioned Cookie, and this post climbed to the top of the community’s trending topics.
1st place) A commander who first made it to the main tournament in the past said “Cookies will save this game” ㄷㄷㄷ
lol
-Holy ground for real
-Wow…
-They say everyone had huge expectations when he first appeared
“By that logic, ‘Kimchi Warrior will save Joseon’ lol”
lol the vibe is kinda lol
hahahahaha
└You gotta pick a good username
-Back then he really came out as an Assistant Commander and was flying around
Beyond that, mentions of Cookie and the Fake National Team continued endlessly, even being featured on the 9 o’clock news.
“It’s been quite the hot topic lately. E-sports international competition. In the game Civil Empire, the leader of a team that achieved miraculous results. The story of player Cookie, Guk Hee-cheol, has been revealed….”
Given the situation, it was only natural that people would develop such curiosity.
[Is there really no possibility of Cookie recovering?]
“He speaks as if there’s no hope… but if it had been detected early, wouldn’t there have been some way? ㅠㅠㅠ”
[Since we don’t know Cookie’s exact condition, I’m not sure]
Even young fans posted questions like this on the portal site’s knowledge forum.
[Help me Knowledge Man! The pro gamer mister I like got pancreatic cancer. Is there no way to cure it?]
[What disease did the National Team’s Cookie get? Can’t it be cured?]
[Help me Knowledge Man! Is pancreatic cancer an incurable disease? I’m betting 100 points]
Generally, doctors active in such places provided answers.
Their responses were as follows.
==== ====
Hello. Knowledge Man ‘Divine’ tier.
I’m surgeon Chulkgyo-hyeong.
If detected early and treatment is pursued, complete recovery is not entirely impossible.
However, it is the cancer with the lowest survival rate among all cancers, and it also has the highest rate of patients refusing treatment.
Chemotherapy is a battle with oneself, and it will be more painful than any other ordeal.
Additionally, pancreatic cancer often has long periods where it doesn’t significantly interfere with daily activities, so patients typically choose to spend their remaining time enjoying life.
The unfortunate part is that many make this choice without knowing that modern medicine has increased survival rates.
No matter how much the doctor explains, the fear of chemotherapy’s suffering and the slow wait for death makes people unable to trust the doctor’s words.
Of course, the doctors can’t recommend it decisively either. After all, for complete recovery, they still….

* * *
“…A miracle will be necessary.”
Hee-cheol answered Sanghyeon’s question.
“The doctor said so. If I start treatment now, my survival rate is less than 5%.”
Silence settled over the rooftop as night descended.
Only the sounds of insects and the crackling of the bonfire echoed occasionally.
“…Wait, hold on.”
Chiseung interjected.
“Treatment? You’ve decided to get treatment?”
Hee-cheol nodded with a smile.
“Yeah.”
“!”
All the members looked shocked.
“It’s going to be another long battle.”
At those words, Baram hung her head and burst into tears.
“5%… that’s too much for you….”
Hee-cheol patted her shoulder for a moment, then continued.
“Baram, do you know what the probability was that we’d win the championship this year? According to experts and AI calculations.”
The probability of Joseon winning the championship in this national competition.
If we had predicted this before the preliminaries began, what would it have been?
Baram shook her head.
“0.2%.”
That was it.
Joseon was a team for which even making it to the main tournament would be a historic achievement.
Such a team climbed all the way through this grand tournament and achieved the championship.
“So 5% is nothing compared to that.”
“You said you’d enjoy the process….”
Sanghyeon countered.
I had heard what it meant to undergo chemotherapy.
It’s a process of abandoning everything for survival.
“Will you be okay?”
“I’ll be fine.”
Perhaps because I had already made up my mind?
Hee-cheol answered easily.
“When I thought about it carefully, I realized that even this bloody struggle—where Guk Hee-cheol wants to spend more time with the people around me—is something I like.”
At those words, Mool Mandu began to sob uncontrollably.
“What is this. The mood….”
Hee-cheol tosses another log into the campfire with a laugh.
“Besides, I’m not starting treatment until after we finish all the broadcast schedules with you guys anyway. Don’t worry about it. Just enjoy the meal today.”
“Right! You…”
Pangeo grumbles a bit more and picks up some meat.
“Let’s eat! Eat and… live!”
It seemed like it was originally supposed to be “eat and die.”
But he changed it to “live.”
Crunch, crunch.
He chews the meat and breaks into a smile.
“Wow. This is delicious. Huh? Korean beef really is different. Last time I bought Australian beef by mistake, and I had to throw away the entire braised ribs.”
“It’s better to avoid braised dishes with foreign beef.”
Ian-yong, who runs a restaurant business, picks up the conversation, and the topic shifts.
The other players start laughing and chattering again. Sanghyeon does the same.
This wasn’t strange at all.
‘This is how it’s always been…’
Death is always there, right beside us.
That’s why humans can eventually forget someone else’s death—or even their own.
And that’s how we’re able to keep living.
‘I should be able to do that too…’
Well, sometimes people just can’t manage it.

* * *
After eating continuously for three or four hours, all the lavish feast had disappeared.
Only bones remained, burning precariously over the flames.
Sanghyeon pats his full belly and leans back in his chair to rest.
“Phew.”
Whether from the alcohol rising to his head or the lingering winter chill still present in the early morning, Sanghyeon’s face is flushed.
The bright moonlight shines on his face as if to say, “Look here.”
Sanghyeon blankly counts the stars before suddenly checking the time.
‘The time…’
Oh no, the last bus is about to stop running.
Sanghyeon slowly gets up and starts tidying.
The others immediately stand and help clean up.
With so many people, everything is put away in no time.
Once everything is organized, Sanghyeon puts on his shoes at the entrance.
“Oh right, I forgot to give you this earlier.”
Tap.
He hands the rolling paper that Jia gave him to Chiseung, who came to see him off.
“It’s for Cookie. The Jang Production team members made it.”
“Oh… I’ll pass it along. But are you really leaving, hyung?”
“Yeah.”
“What if something goes wrong and I need to take a taxi? Just stay over at the hideout. Hyung.”
“A taxi? It’s fine. I haven’t ridden one in a while anyway.”
“But… still, just stay. It’s the last time.”
The last time.
Those words tugged at my heart.
I wasn’t particularly keen on taking taxis anyway, but the word “last” pierced through me like a thorn.
“…Is there space?”
“Of course! Hey everyone, Almond Hyung is staying over!!”
Chiseung announces it to everyone so I can’t back out now.
The people erupted in cheers.
“Yesss! Then let’s keep going!”
“None of us are going to the girls’ places!”
“That’s right!”
Hehehehe.
Cheerful laughter echoes across the rooftop.
“But I’m going to take a walk to clear my head a bit.”
“Ah… okay.”
I wandered the streets for a while.
‘The last time.’
Right, there had been too much happening to simply head home at the last train like this.
To end it like that felt wrong—we’d been through too much together.
I pulled out my phone.
[Sanghyeon: Hey, I’m not going home today. Staying here.]
[Juhyeok: Ooh, excited? Looks like the vibe is good?]
[Sanghyeon: Yeah, everyone’s having a blast]
After the conversation ended.
After we both decided to avoid any awkward moments.
I fidgeted with my phone for no reason.
‘Hmm. The last time, huh…’
Now that I thought about it as the last time, there was someone I should message.
But I couldn’t bring myself to send it.
I typed and deleted, typed and deleted. Still a difficult person to reach out to.
And then, what I finally wrote.
[Why didn’t you come today?]
Whoosh.
The message sent with a brief sound effect.
I quickly shoved my phone into my pocket, unable to even bear looking at it.
My colleagues on the rooftop called out to me.
“Whoa! Sanghyeon Hyung! Maratang Hyung brought Chinese liquor! This stuff is expensive!”
“They say he bought it by selling off a country!”
At the words of those welcoming Sanghyeon, he too let out an exclamation and rushed over.
“Wow!”

* * *
Sunlight pierces my eyes.
‘Hm? Morning…’
Sarang wakes from sleep and sits up with disheveled hair.
“Yawwwn.”
She stretches widely.
“You’re awake?”
The aunt working in the house must have sensed her movement, as she enters pulling a wheelchair.
Sarang searches for her phone placed at the head of the bed.
“It’s 8 in the morning, Lady.”
The aunt unplugs the phone from the charger and hands it to her.
She had noticed that Sarang was trying to check the time.
“Ah, um… yes.”
Sarang blinks her sleepy eyes and checks her phone.
“You’re going out today, aren’t you?”
“Ah, well…”
Strangely, Sarang can’t answer.
Since she usually speaks so crisply, the aunt tilts her head in confusion.
Her gaze was fixed on her phone.
She fidgeted with it for a while before muttering.
“How am I supposed to answer something in the middle of the night?”
“Pardon?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right. I do have plans to go out today.”
“Ah, yes, Lady. Come along. I’ll wash your hair for you.”
She slowly transfers herself to the wheelchair.
As the aunt pulls her toward the bathroom, she sends a message on her phone.
[Hana Song: Are you really going to try it early today?]
[Hana Song: It’s still in beta testing, so I’m not sure about it.]
Tap tap tap.
[Choi Sa-rang: We have to try it even if we don’t know.]
[Choi Sa-rang: This is the first time something saying “we don’t know” has come up.]
[Hana Song: Got it. I’ll be ready on time.]
Today, she plans to challenge the Ril RPG “Legend Tale,” which is still in closed beta testing.

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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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