Chapter 49 of "The Genius Archer's Streaming Season 1"

17. Escape from Hako (2)

Almond, having swiftly dispatched one enemy, set out to farm. His steps were light. Everyone had already felt it, but he himself could now sense it too. "It's definitely different." He had become someone entirely different from the Almond who played the first round. It felt like learning to ride a two-wheeled bicycle. On the first day, you struggle to keep your balance, but by the next day, you ride with surprising ease. That's exactly how he felt now. The sense of having adapted completely.

However, Almond's skill level was already quite high from the start, so his performance after adapting was not just at the level of riding a two-wheeled bicycle. If compared to a vehicle, it was more like becoming an F1 racer. Almond could now navigate sharp turns without any hesitation, handling the steering wheel with ease.

Indeed, the arrow pierced the forehead of another enemy who tried to enter Almond's space, just like the first one. This shot, too, was fired without any hesitation or doubt, flowing like water.

Thud.

The enemy fell, not even knowing who had shot him. Almond confirmed the enemy's fall and quietly lowered his bow. His movements were those of a veteran, not a beginner, as if he had drawn the bowstring thousands or even tens of thousands of times.

- Is this your second round? You look like a seasoned pro.

- Wow, indeed, early-game Jue Fei with a compound bow...

- Seriously, when you can't use a helmet, headshots give a great feeling.

- Already a second headshot?

- What?!

- Seriously, this isn't edited, right?

- He barely aims and shoots. It's not fake, is it?

New viewers were amazed by Almond's two consecutive headshots with the compound bow. It was understandable, given that the compound bow is designed to make hitting a target not easy, as it is made to be exactly like the real thing.

In other words, people who are used to shooting guns can never handle it properly. Conversely, Almond could handle it with ease.

A viewer who had watched Almond from the beginning chided the new influx of viewers:

- Haha.

- Ah, try to understand the newbies. They all get surprised when they see it for the first time.

- If you don't know, just type "haha" and be done with it, you guys.

The regular viewers, feeling elated, started teasing the newbies. The newbies might feel a bit annoyed, but what could they do? They really didn't know much about Almond, so they had to keep quiet.

"RubySword. Thank you for your support. Ah, viewers, please don't fight with the newbies. I'll check where the Blue Zone is going first. It will arrive in 30 seconds."

Almond's improvement wasn't just in his game skills; he also knew how to manage the stream. While reading the support messages, he gauged the chat window's atmosphere and delivered appropriate comments.

- Haha.

- Don't bully the newbies, Almond. You need to rise.

- More newbies are better, right? Haha.

By preemptively addressing potential conflicts, most viewers would agree. If the conflict escalates and then you try to calm it down, it won't be easy to accept, as emotions would already be heightened. This was a skill he had learned from always watching balloon gum streams.

"The Blue Zone's position, as always, is not very favorable. I'll have to run about 4 kilometers."

- Wow, Blue Zone position. Haha.

- Legendary bad luck. Haha.

- This is also a skill.

Although this was only his second round, Almond had never had good luck. From the solo squad incident to the Blue Zone's position, it was always at the far end.

"Ah, Jajibokum. Thank you for your support. That's right. From the last round, I realized that medical supplies are important in the later stages."

Almond nodded, accepting the feedback. He still had a lot to improve in terms of game management, so he tried to be as receptive as possible.

Almond entered the now empty house and started opening drawers. He obtained painkillers and an energy drink.

"Oh."

In the process, he found a useful item for the later stages. It was a medical supply that could restore about 30% of his health. Next to it was a double-barreled shotgun with a sleek barrel.

- But, really, you don't use guns?

- Are you really not picking up guns?

- The double-barreled shotgun is really good.

Almond read the chat and looked at the double-barreled shotgun. After a long moment, he shook his head.

- Is it lagging?

- Hey? Knock, knock!

- Why did he suddenly faint? Haha.

"Hmm. What should I do?"

Another choice to be made. But this time, it was a different kind of challenge. Almond now wanted to use the bow exclusively. He had gained confidence from the first round, and using a gun now would only make him perform worse. The problem was how to convince the viewers.

If he insisted on using the bow despite having a better gun, some would surely feel frustrated.

So, Almond scratched his head and finally spoke.

"Ah... guns? I don't see them."

- Haha.

- Haha, so that's why you were looking at it for so long. Haha.

- Oh, right. Almond can't see anything.

- Almond is a kid. He can't see anything.

- Are you really going to pass this up?

- Streaming genius... wow.

Smirk.

Almond smiled at the viewers' reactions and headed to the next farming spot.

- Wow, really amazing.

- Almond! Are you relying on your face?

- Laugh... laugh endlessly...

- Even though your eyesight is bad, you're handsome, so I'll let it slide, bro (jokingly)

Almond's face-based judgment was forgiven. The effect was tremendous!

* * *

After farming, he obtained a small amount of bandages and an energy drink. As expected, there were no bulletproof vests or helmets.

"Is there any method to find items?"

- Haha.

- No, there isn't. You just don't have good luck.

- Haha, so funny.

- Really, you can be suspicious like that. Haha.

Almond had genuinely asked out of curiosity, but the responses were only laughter and ridicule.

'Damn...'

In the end, he had to admit that he didn't have good farming luck.

"It's fine. Having a bow is enough."

Almond consoled himself. As expected, a teasing support message came in, read in a typical otaku voice.

In this chapter~ with a bow~ I can go anywhere...

"Thank you, Fireman. It doesn't really matter where I go."

- Haha.

- Oh, you haven't seen "Flower Boys"?

- Even if you haven't seen it, you know the joke.

- Haha, crazy username.

- Jiho senior!

- With a white cloth and the wind, I can go anywhere (sarcasm)

Almond actually knew the meme, but now wasn't the time to react to such things.

Rumble?

The Blue Zone started shrinking without much harvest.

'I shouldn't farm next time.'

Through this experience, Almond grew even more. Farming while hiding and waiting for enemies to die didn't suit him. He preferred to move first, take the high ground, and eliminate enemies.

- Run! Run!

- Let's go for a marathon!

- Haha, at least we got one first aid kit, so it's good.

Thud, thud, thud.

Almond ran with all his might. The Blue Zone was rapidly closing in.

"Huff. Huff."

Crackle...

Almond's hair stood up due to the Blue Zone. It was already very close and had passed him, causing his health to start decreasing. The initial Blue Zone wasn't very strong, reducing health by 1% every 5 seconds, giving him plenty of time.

Swallow.

Almond even took a painkiller.

'This will help me last a bit longer.'

Thanks to this, his health was more robust. He started running again, feeling reassured.

'Going in late might be safer.'

Entering after the Blue Zone could be safer because the area outside the Blue Zone is obscured by a fog.

However, this was a rather complacent thought.

Almond was still a beginner, and the people he was matched with were either newbies or very bad at the game. In other words, few people moved on their own to avoid the Blue Zone.

'What...?'

Almond, who had previously fought elite squads like "MondayJoah," saw players who seemed to be playing like "trolls."

"Ugh, ugh!"

One player, unable to take a painkiller, screamed while running. Another was far behind Almond, and one fell off a motorcycle after hitting a rock.

Boom?

The explosion of the motorcycle seemed to signal the start of the players turning on each other.

'Are they crazy...?'

Even Almond, a beginner, knew that fighting each other was not beneficial.

"Shit, don't come!"

The leading player suddenly turned and aimed a pistol backward.

"Hey! What are we going to do if we fight here!?"

"Shut up!"

Bang! Bang!

Thud.

The opponent also pulled out a rifle and rolled while firing.

Rattle!

At the same time, gunfire erupted from the side, and bullets rained down.

Ding!

"..."

Almond had to stop and dodge the bullets flying past him.

'Are they really going to do this?'

He gritted his teeth and drew his bow.

The viewers cheered.

- Crazy, a big party. Haha.

- Wow, this is "Stones"...

- Haha.

- Completely crazy.

- This is battle royale. Haha.

- This is the flavor. Haha.

In battle royale, there's almost no gunfire in the early stages of high-level players' games. Everyone is aware of the risks and plays conservatively to score points.

But this was different.

This was a mud pit.

This was a cesspool.

Squeak—

Almond, drawing the bowstring taut, muttered.

"In a cesspool, you follow the cesspool's rules."

Bang!

The compound bow's pulley spun at high speed, and the arrow flew toward the leading pistol-wielding player.

"Wha, arrow..."

—Thud!

The player who was about to ask, "Are you using a bow?" received an arrow between the eyes and fell.

"!"

Only then did the other players notice Almond. With only a compound bow, he wasn't initially a threat.

'What?'

'How did he hit that arrow?'

'While running at top speed?'

'Fucking scary.'

'Let's start with him...'

Now, everyone was communicating with eye signals.

'He must be eliminated!'

Click—

Four gun barrels were aimed at Almond.

Despite the dangerous situation,

"This setup feels familiar."

Smirk.

Almond only sneered.

- Another solo squad.

- Countless friend requests...

- Another 4 vs 1? Haha.

- This is a solo match, right?

- Haha, crazy trolls.

A smile still on his face, Almond nocked an arrow. His movements were mechanical, faster than the others' reloading.

Bang!

The sound of the enemy's gunfire and the arrow piercing the air rang out simultaneously.