Chapter 57 of Season 1 of The Genius Archer's Streaming

20. Bombshell Statement (2)

Diamond Rank.

It was the rank given to the top 0.5% of players in Battle Royale.

In essence, it was the highest rank for amateurs.

Above that were Master and Grandmaster, but those were realms that could only be reached by dedicating one's life to Battle Royale.

In other words, Diamond Rank was the highest rank that amateurs with talent could realistically achieve.

So, it wasn't that strange for Sanghyun to challenge the Diamond Rank.

However.

"I'm thinking about two weeks."

This statement was the problem.

-????

-What?!

-What are you saying, lol

-Whoa……

-Can you really do it, bro?!

-I can't believe it……

-What, did you have a drink at noon, bro?!

Among the gamers of this era, the strongest player, known as 'Electromagnetic Wave,' took a month to reach the Diamond Rank in Battle Royale.

Of course, it wasn't his main game, and he didn't invest all his streaming time into it.

He achieved it as naturally as breathing. That was surprisingly a new record in the industry.

It was like Usain Bolt setting a world record while casually looking back at his competitors.

That's how overwhelming Electromagnetic Wave's gaming ability was.

"Yes, I'll try to do it within two weeks. I calculated, and it seems possible."

Half the time it took Electromagnetic Wave, two weeks.

He was saying he would challenge the current record within two weeks.

A new streaming rookie, Almond, who had only played Battle Royale a couple of times.

'I know.'

Almond wasn't stupid; he knew how absurd this sounded.

He was well aware of his own skills.

'In the training tutorial... my record was ahead of Electromagnetic Wave. I don't know how seriously he took it, though.'

Sanghyun always trusted his own skills. The data supported him as well.

World record?

Since high school, Yoo Sanghyun had been competing against world records.

Breaking them was a given for him, even a natural thing.

In simple terms, he wasn't intimidated by the weight of records.

If he calculated and thought it was possible, then it was possible.

That was Sanghyun's philosophy.

-It took Electromagnetic Wave a month...

-It's theoretically possible, lol

-If you're always in the top ten, it might be possible, but you'd have to play 7-8 hours a day?

-Why are you taking this seriously, lol Just watch

-He's just saying it for fun, everyone's taking it too seriously.

Many people took Sanghyun's statement as a joke. It was understandable.

If an unknown player said he would break Michael Jordan's record, everyone would laugh.

It was a natural reaction.

Sanghyun had anticipated this. He wasn't hurt by it.

'Just saying I'll try.'

He was grateful for the opportunity to challenge it. He couldn't even challenge archery.

Crunch.

His jaw tightened involuntarily. His right hand felt numb.

Was this anger?

No.

Thump.

It was excitement. The thrill of a new challenge.

The exhilarating tension that came with it.

"Shall we start the first match then?"

Always what Sanghyun wanted.

* * *

"You're crazy... this guy..."

Juhyeok frowned deeply at Sanghyun's bombshell statement. He wiped the sweat from his forehead.

I'm breaking out in a cold sweat. This guy is definitely not normal...

"Theory is one thing, but not dying in a single match is not just theory!"

Even if he shouted, Sanghyun inside the capsule wouldn't hear him.

Juhyeok shouted to comfort himself.

He had to consider the manager's position, dealing with the swearing viewers.

Meanwhile, Almond in the screen completed a perfect landing.

The journey to Diamond, the first match, had begun.

Juhyeok glanced at the community reactions. Almond's posts were now consistently appearing on streaming-related communities.

Sigh.

A sigh of exasperation escaped him. Juhyeok wiped his forehead. But only for a moment.

"Alright, let's go."

Since he had already dropped the bombshell,

He had to use it for marketing.

High risk, high return.

Juhyeok didn't like this strategy. He remembered Sanghyun felt the same.

Yoo Sanghyun had always aimed for a quiet, unassuming life, neither excelling nor failing.

But...

'This is his true self.'

Almond's eyes in the game were more alive than ever. They weren't the eyes he showed at the company. They weren't the eyes of someone who felt like they could die tomorrow or didn't care.

The intensity was so strong that it reignited the extinguished wick in Juhyeok's heart.

Hadn't the wick already caught fire once?

When he saw Sanghyun crying in the capsule room.

That feeling was coming back.

'Yeah, you can do it.'

Juhyeok nodded.

Tap tap tap.

Juhyeok started spreading Almond's bombshell himself.

To increase the return, he had to increase the risk.

If it were a company, he would have called it crazy, but this wasn't a company, and Juhyeok had faith.

That Almond could do it.

With those eyes, Yoo Sanghyun would definitely do it.

'And I...'

He clenched his teeth, looking at the missed calls on his phone.

"I can do it too."

* * *

Thud.

Almond landed in the 'Armory,' the most intense battle zone.

-Why the Armory? You're only using a bow anyway

-It's the Armory, lol

-Bro, you know you can't just die in a single match, right??

-Oh, nice!

-Missed landing?

The Armory was a perfect starting point for dropping out of the top 90.

There were many high-tier weapons in the central room of the Armory's basement, but the competition was fierce.

High risk, high return.

But for Almond, it was high risk, low return. Since he was only using a bow, the other weapons were meaningless.

It was a really puzzling choice.

-Is he not using a bow today?

-Oh, he said he's going for Diamond, so maybe he won't use a bow.

-Ohhh...

-I'm curious about Almond with a gun, lol

-No way, Almond isn't Almond without a bow!

Viewers even thought Almond might not choose a bow today. That would make sense.

But Almond had no intention of giving up the bow.

"I'll use the bow."

He answered briefly and quickly ran towards the Armory.

-???

-Really?

-Lol, but why the Armory?

-He hasn't played many matches, I guess.

-He's being cocky.

Thud.

Almond pushed open the Armory door with his shoulder.

Many players were running around inside.

They were all still weaponless.

Some were swinging knives. At least they had knives.

There were even fistfights in this early Armory.

"Ahahaha!"

"Get out of the way, you troll!"

A chaotic human mob.

The winner here would claim all the weapons in the basement.

The first floor only had low-tier weapons.

Tap tap tap.

Almond quickly grabbed any weapon.

"!"

But his hand overlapped with someone else's.

"Hey, get lost."

He glared fiercely at the other player.

But this was a battlefield.

Smack!

Almond's foot shot up and shattered the other player's jaw.

-Wow!

-Yeah!

-Lol, that's refreshing. This is Battle Royale.

"Krrggg..."

The other player couldn't speak properly, having bitten his tongue, and quickly threw a punch.

But the weapon they had tried to grab together was already in Almond's hand.

The other player was momentarily stunned.

Almond hesitated for a moment. It was his first time using the weapon.

'How do I throw it?'

He recalled his time in the athlete village.

He remembered the overbearing advice from a senior baseball player. Baseball was the scariest among the sports he was forced to play.

'This thing can kill you.'

The pitching form he showed was no exaggeration. The ball was thrown at a speed that could kill.

The satisfaction of the ball hitting the catcher's glove at 140 km/h...

Bang...

'I can use it like this.'

Thud!

When he came to his senses, the dagger he threw was firmly embedded in the other player's forehead.

-Wow!

-He's got it! How did he hit like that?!

-Now I get why he came to the Armory, lol

-What's his throwing form? Dang

-The speed is insane;;

-Is he a baseball player??

-Almond, the master of rare items, lol

-Oh, with this skill, he should shoot a gun, damn lol

Almond nodded at a viewer's comment.

"Yes, I won't use a gun anyway. I came here to kill as many as possible before I get a gun."

It was a truly unconventional strategy.

A strategy based on the assumption that he would definitely win the early chaos in the Armory.

-What, lol

-His thinking is different, lol

-A change in perspective;;

-He's gone crazy, lol

-LOL

-How does he think like that?

The early fights were mostly decided by luck.

Who got the pistol first, who found the shotgun first. Skill played a role less than 5% of the time.

But Almond believed in that 5%.

'When you think about it, it's simple.'

Since he wasn't using a gun, it was the right judgment to close the gap here.

Of course, executing it was another matter.

But for Almond, it wasn't difficult.

* * *

Thud!

Another dagger cleanly embedded in someone's forehead.

"Ahahaha!"

He had a shotgun, but the range was too short to do anything.

Thud!

The next victim died with a dagger in his heart.

There were no bulletproof vests or helmets in this Armory chaos.

A hit meant a critical injury or death.

As a result, the number of players killed by Almond's daggers increased.

Especially after Almond found a compound bow, a massacre ensued.

-Oh, nice, lol

-He found the compound bow quickly, lol

-Oh, I was already strong at this timing, damn.

-How many are left here, lol. I'll take them all, lol

-I never thought a compound bow would get me this excited

The slaughter began.

Many players now had guns, but their heads were unprotected.

They had no helmets.

This was the Armory.

"Krrggg..."

Unstoppable headshots.

"Ah!"

"Ah!"

They all fell with similar screams.

Most didn't even know what killed them. The bow was quiet.

Only one player was left in the Armory.

"Die, you bastard!"

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

The last enemy tried to resist with a barely found AK47, but the wild spray couldn't hit Almond.

He casually dodged behind a pillar, loaded an arrow, and fired.

Click.

With the sound of the arrow being loaded, he turned and shot. It was lightning fast.

Thud!

Accuracy was no exception.

Like all the other corpses, a spike pierced his head.

Thump.

The last enemy fell.

The Armory was now empty.

He moved to 'that room' in the basement.

* * *

Tap, tap.

Many high-tier weapons.

They were continuously piling up in the center of the basement.

Almond, after throwing the last weapon, took out oil and a Molotov cocktail.

"This oil is supposed to go in a car... but it'll work, right?"

The answer to his question was the fiercely burning flames.

Whoosh!!

-You're ruthless, Almond!

-You're insane, Almond! You're insane, Almond!

-Lol, what is this, lol

-??? : This match is a knife fight. But I have a bow.

-??? : No guns from now on!

-All eliminated in the Armory, lol

-Wow, lol

-If I can't use it, no one can!!

"I'll move to the next location."

Almond casually got on a motorcycle parked outside the Armory and started the engine.

Vroom.

As the wind rushed in,

Boom!

A massive explosion occurred behind the Armory.

After that, Almond easily won the game.

Achieving an impressive 50 kills.