Chapter 42 of Season 1 of The Genius Archer's Streaming

15. Alone in First Place (4)

Almond checks the minimap.

The area marked with a blue circle is where it will be safe to go next.

"Bad luck."

The Blue Zone never came to Almond's advantage. From the start of the game to the end, Almond had to keep moving to avoid the Blue Zone.

Almond lamented, but to the viewers, it was an entertaining situation.

- Bad luck lol

- Almond: Bad luck. Viewers: Good luck.

- Haha, that's some bad luck, Almond.

- ???: You're so good, you need bad luck.

Even though the Blue Zone kept moving to distant places, which could be frustrating, many viewers found it amusing.

Almond had to keep moving, which allowed them to see his impressive action plays.

Moreover, those who had bet on the first-place prize money desperately wished for his bad luck.

- Please... O God of the Blue Zone...

- Jesus, Buddha, Allah! Protect my 50,000 won!

- Sniper, please take out Almond's head.

They were even openly praying for Almond to die.

'Ah, right. The sniper...'

There is a sniper among the enemies.

It's definitely a concern.

Even to Almond, who doesn't know the game well, the sniper's presence is threatening.

It would be better if the Blue Zone shrank, but for now, the allowed area is quite wide.

The sniper could probably kill him from a place he can't see.

'Are they on the same team?'

If the remaining three are all on the same squad, honestly, Almond doesn't stand a chance.

What if the other two charge while the sniper covers them?

But that's exactly what happened.

"Hey, there's one left."

"Two of us will go out first and scout, and I'll cover you!"

The enemies' voices, speaking loudly as they approached.

"Huh..."

From their conversation, it was clear that the three were on the same team.

Out of the remaining four, three were on one team, and Almond had to fight alone.

- Haha, it's over.

- Wow, God

- 3 vs 1?

- 3 vs 1 with only 4 left? This is really a nightmare.

- Hell, hahaha.

Hell.

There seemed to be no better way to describe Almond's current situation.

'Bad luck.'

The phrase "bad luck" was actually not entirely accurate.

It's not unusual for a squad of three to survive at this stage.

Rather, it's unusual for Almond to have survived alone.

If he wants to blame his bad luck, he should blame the fact that the game started with squad matching.

Thump? Thump?

The sound of the enemies approaching can be heard.

With only a few places left to search, they will soon figure out where Almond is.

Thump──

The enemies, who had been steadily approaching, suddenly stopped.

"Up to here."

One of them said firmly and stopped moving.

"The Blue Zone is on our side. We have to pass this spot anyway."

"Right. Once you come out, we'll just shoot you."

His bad luck was compounded.

The Blue Zone was going to close in on Almond, and the enemies knew how to use it to their advantage.

Rumble──

The sound of the Blue Zone moving can be heard.

Almond's heart raced along with it.

'First place is right in front of me...'

With this move, he would either become first place or end up in fourth place.

The outcome will be decided.

'First solo squad win'

Will it end with this title?

'Not bad for the first game.'

There's a world of difference.

Whether he becomes a superstar or just a good player is usually decided at such a critical moment.

Whether he can perform in such a life-or-death situation.

Crunch.

Sanghyun gritted his teeth.

The gambler's spirit within him began to burn fiercely.

'I'm going to take first place with the bow.'

He glanced at the mission reward hanging beside him and steeled his resolve. His mindset was completely different from when he shot arrows in Kingdom.

This is a competition.

He has to prove himself to others.

His archery skills.

'First, the guys in front.'

The two people waiting for Almond to be chased by the Blue Zone.

He needs to take them out first.

Fortunately, they haven't seen Almond's position yet.

'They're complacent. I'll be chased by the Blue Zone, and they're three.'

With the Blue Zone at his back and three enemies in front, it's not strange for them to be complacent.

In other words, their complacency is Almond's only chance.

Swallow.

He quietly took a painkiller from his belt and consumed it.

"Is he not here? The Blue Zone is almost here."

"There's nowhere else. Let's wait and see."

As they said, the Blue Zone is very close. The hair on the back of his neck was already standing up due to the Blue Zone's influence.

Still, Almond didn't move.

Crackle──

His health started to decrease rapidly.

Thanks to the painkiller, he felt almost no pain, and his health decreased less.

'Just a little more.'

Almond gritted his teeth and decided to hold on a bit longer.

"What... Did we miss him on the way?"

"No way."

He didn't plan to hold on for long.

Just long enough to make the enemies wonder.

"Damn. He must be behind."

At the moment they turned their attention to the back.

"Behind? No way──"

──Whizz!

An arrow pierced the back of the neck of the one who turned around.

Thud!

The sharp arrowhead protruded from the front of his throat.

"Gurgle!"

He spewed blood and couldn't speak properly.

"Crazy, where...?"

Meanwhile, another arrow flew and pierced his heart.

"......Choke!"

Almond's judgment and decision-making were much faster and more accurate than theirs.

"Where are you!?"

Thud thud thud thud?

The confused teammate roughly found the direction the arrow came from and fired his gun.

Just to hit him by chance.

Unfortunately, that didn't happen. The direction he aimed at was already empty.

Thud!

The cost of hoping for a lucky shot was high.

An arrow pierced his head.

The bulletproof helmet, already damaged in the previous battle, offered no protection.

He fell helplessly.

Only then did Almond run out of the Blue Zone.

'Barely survived...!'

His health was down to about 10%.

He resisted the temptation to loot the bodies nearby and hid behind another cover.

'One is watching.'

There must be another one. Even as his two teammates were being attacked, he hadn't fired a shot. He's calm. Probably the sniper who often appears in the kill log.

'He must be in a position where he can't see me.'

There's no way he didn't shoot if he could see Almond.

The angle isn't right.

'I have a rough idea of where the blind spot is.'

Almond recalled the path he took and tried to figure out the sniper's blind spot.

If he stays within that area, he won't be shot.

Looking at the map, it was clear that Almond had to move. He was at the very edge of the Blue Zone.

He used the last of his medical supplies to fully restore his health and quietly moved forward.

'Where could he be...?'

Did the sniper move to a new position? Or is he still waiting?

He doesn't know.

There's no way to know where he is now.

"!"

Then, he realized something.

'Is he moving?'

The enemy who had been unconscious was crawling toward somewhere.

'Why? To get healed?'

The sniper can't move, so he's probably going to get healed himself.

If so, he will naturally reveal his teammate's position.

Almond also lowered his posture and crawled closer.

'Wait... '

A thought suddenly came to him.

'The sniper doesn't have time to heal him?'

In a 1-on-1 standoff, healing a teammate?

It takes a considerable amount of time to revive a teammate in Battle Royale.

That's suicide.

No matter how low the rating, they would know that.

'There's no reason to risk revealing his position to me.'

In a team match, it's enough for one teammate to win.

Even in a 1-on-1, the sniper still has the advantage due to the direction of the Blue Zone.

Why risk it?

The conclusion is one.

'Trick!'

If Almond falls for it and follows, everything will be easy.

He just needs to aim and shoot the slowly following Almond.

Now, Almond wanted to use this trick to his advantage.

'He must be hiding somewhere where the path is visible.'

He stopped following and started looking for points where he could aim at the crawling enemy.

The result became clear when the Blue Zone started to gently tickle his back.

"!"

The enemy was barely visible.

Between the tall grass, a bulletproof helmet faintly reflected the light.

'Does he not know?'

The enemy doesn't know. At least not yet.

He had to act quickly.

He needed to draw the bow while lying down.

'What to do?'

It was impossible. Human anatomy doesn't allow drawing a bow while lying down.

'There's no other way.'

He made a bold decision.

He decided to lie on his back.

- Huh? Why did he suddenly lie down on his back?

- It's like what cats do, you know.

- Almond is a baby... He needs his belly rubbed.

- What? Just giving up? Haha.

Naturally, the viewers didn't understand his action.

Until the next move.

Almond pushed the bow with his feet and started to draw the string with both hands.

Squeak──

The string was pulled much tighter than when he used his hands.

- Wow hahaha

- I've seen this in Chinese movies before hahaha

- No, is this a circus?

- ???: You can beat me even with your feet!

- Really, you can beat me even with your feet hahaha

While it might seem provocative, it was a very rational choice for Almond.

The only way to shoot without being seen by the enemy was this.

However...

'Will this... work?'

It's questionable whether it will hit.

But there was no time to think.

He only had one choice.

'Hit it.'

To hit and kill the enemy.

He tensed his abdominal muscles, held the tightly drawn string, and──

"Ah!"

──released it.

Bang!

The sound of the string being released echoed loudly.

"!"

The enemy noticed and quickly aimed his gun at Almond, but.

Thud!

The arrow was faster.

It pierced through his bulletproof vest and hit him.

"......Choke!"

The enemy, who hadn't figured out where the arrow came from, quickly hid behind cover.

But that was a mistake.

Whoosh??

While he was safely getting healed, another shot was fired.

The arrow, flying in a parabolic trajectory, easily cleared the cover and landed on his head again.

Thud!

"Choke!"

He thought he would survive as long as he didn't give a straight angle.

He forgot that the enemy was using a bow, not a gun.

Thump...

The enemy's body fell helplessly.

Boom...!

A loud drum sound echoed, and the long-awaited sentence appeared.