Chapter 65 of Season 1 of "The Genius Archer's Streaming"

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For a while, the hot topic that heated up the Bera 31 community.

How did Almond achieve Platinum 3 tier with just a placement test?

This topic went beyond just the streamer Almond, reigniting almost all debates related to placement tests.

The debate was divided into two camps: those who believed it was possible and those who didn't.

The argument was intense, with no clear winner.

However, an event occurred that completely tipped the balance.

Almond was invited to the Battle Royale developer, Fantasia.

The original article included the following content:

It wasn't just an invitation; the game company itself offered to explain Almond's rating.

This essentially meant that the game company had already certified Almond's Platinum rank.

It was almost like an official endorsement.

Being invited by Fantasia was already a significant achievement.

And for them to personally address Almond's grievances was a special treatment.

Sure enough, those who envied Almond started to nitpick again.

Rumors and false information spread without discrimination.

"Damn. Shit. I'll sue these bastards."

Manager Oh shouted as he read the community reactions.

Almond was currently preparing for the shoot, receiving makeup for the first time in his life.

Juhyeok was handling the conversation with Manager Oh.

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

He skillfully fueled Manager Oh's anger.

"Shanghyun's mental state is important. He seems to struggle when he sees this kind of thing."

It was a lie.

Seeing such things actually boosted Almond's fighting spirit; he had never been troubled by it.

However, Manager Oh's eyes widened with anger, unaware of the truth.

"Really? These bastards. Juhyeok, gather all this and send it to me. Our legal team isn't just for show."

"Sure! I understand!"

Juhyeok's response was enthusiastic.

Manager Oh continued to grumble, still angry about the rumors circulating in the community.

"Are these people crazy? How dare they target a Punk Partner streamer. What's wrong with this line of thinking? They need to be sued to maintain order."

"Right, right. I think we should also post an announcement while we sue to maintain order."

"That's a good idea. We did something similar with Balloon Gum, and it worked well."

Juhyeok nodded in agreement, subtly fueling Manager Oh's anger.

'You bastards, get ready to be sued.'

* * *

Unaware of Juhyeok's machinations, the game-related community was still buzzing about Almond.

The news article was followed by an announcement on Fantasia's official SNS account about a broadcast with Almond.

Now, it was undeniable fact that Almond had been invited to Fantasia.

- Wow lol

- Oh, Almond!

- Wow, Almond's making it big at Fantasia.

- Who's Almond?

- Oh wow.

- It's been a while since we had some good fun.

- Will Almond stream on his channel too?

- Wow, what good taste. Impressive.

The image showed only Almond's silhouette, but everyone seemed to know who it was.

On mainstream social media and AllTube, there was no hostility towards Almond.

Instead, he was receiving a lot of attention for being the first in the country to achieve Platinum in a placement test.

- Wow, placement Platinum? What a talent.

- Is that even possible?

- Amazing.

- The game company inviting him makes sense lol.

- Placement Platinum, amazing lol.

- Is it higher than Electromagnetic? Wow!

To them, whether someone achieved Platinum or Diamond in a placement test was just a curious event, not something to be jealous of.

'This is the normal reaction.'

Juhyeok, seeing the positive response from the mainstream scene, realized the toxicity of the game community.

While some of them could be very loyal fans, others could be persistent and vicious, like a virus.

It was a double-edged sword.

'This is why Dotorimuk wanted Shanghyun to go mainstream.'

Dotorimuk had said Shanghyun's style would work in the mainstream.

He believed, "If you can make it in the mainstream, there's no need to stick to the niche market."

In other words, if possible, the mainstream was better.

Seeing this, it was clear why.

'Today, we'll find out.'

Juhyeok thought, looking at Shanghyun, who was receiving makeup.

Today, they would get a taste of the mainstream scene.

This game company's channel was the closest to the mainstream among the media Shanghyun had appeared on.

They would find out if Almond could make it in the mainstream or not.

* * *

"Wow... you really don't need any makeup at all."

The woman applying an unknown powder to Shanghyun's cheeks marveled.

She had her hair tied up like a dancer, with a round, cute face and a slightly childish, affectionate tone.

It was entertaining to listen to her.

"Why bother with makeup? Just start the shoot."

She had been repeating similar comments for a while.

Shanghyun barely managed to suppress a yawn.

"Ha, ha. Thank you."

With five years of experience in a conservative corporate environment and a background in sports, he found it easy to smile through such tedious conversations.

"I've done makeup for many celebrities. You, Almond, are almost perfect. You're so handsome."

"Really?"

"No, really. If you ever go on public TV, there will be chaos."

"That sounds like a distant future."

"From what I hear, your streams are doing well. Public TV isn't as good as personal streams these days. They just want to expand their reach. You'll probably get a call soon."

Nodding along with her chatter, he heard a knock.

Finally, the makeup was complete.

"Ta-da. How does it look?"

Shanghyun looked in the mirror and froze.

'Wow.'

Is this the power of makeup?

As she said, he looked like someone you'd see in the entertainment industry. Even his outfit today made him look more polished.

"You could go to an awards ceremony right now."

Indeed, he looked like he could attend an awards ceremony without any issues.

Despite her talkative nature, she seemed skilled.

"You did a great job."

"Oh, what did I do? You did all the work."

She pinched Shanghyun's cheek.

"If you liked my makeup..."

She slipped something into his jacket pocket with her other hand, a very skilled move despite her innocent appearance.

"It's my business card. I'm a freelancer."

She winked at him in the mirror and called out to the other staff.

"Almond's makeup is done! The actor is here! The actor!"

Clap. Clap.

While the staff made noise, Shanghyun took out the card.

It wasn't a business card.

It was a note with a phone number and name written in handwriting.

This is too forward, isn't it? Is it because she's young or something?

Shanghyun's expression didn't change. It wasn't surprising. He had seen this before.

Some women had done similar things in the past, but it never ended well.

Shanghyun recalled his past lessons.

"Almond, this way!"

"Sure, I'm coming."

The designer's business card was left on the chair where Shanghyun had been sitting.

* * *

Following the staff's guidance to the prepared space, the bright lights turned to Almond.

It was clearly on a different scale from his appearance on Dotorimuk's stream.

This was a moment to realize how big Fantasia's channel was.

The set looked like a professional public TV station.

"Hello, I'm announcer Yoo Hyeon."

A fresh scent of perfume filled the air.

Her wavy hair, casual dress that showed off her figure, high heels, and sharp, clean features made her look like a textbook announcer.

"Hello."

"Here's the outline for the interview."

"Ah..."

"Don't be too nervous. Our show is an internet stream, so we'll just go with the flow."

"Internet stream..."

Hearing this, Shanghyun's eyes involuntarily turned to the Jimmy Jib camera moving in the distance.

It was a high-end, mobile camera worth millions.

Yoo Hyeon laughed, reading his mind.

"Definitely a bit intimidating, right?"

"Yes, it would be a lie to say I'm not nervous."

"Still, you don't seem to get nervous easily. It's quite impressive."

Yoo Hyeon's large eyes examined Shanghyun. Unconsciously, he put his right hand deep into his pocket.

"I don't usually show it."

It was a lie.

He did show it when he was nervous.

He just had a high tolerance for it.

"Is that so? Well... since it's on the question list, I'll ask you later."

"Sure."

On the question list?

Shanghyun glanced at the card.

It read:

'Past history, age, height, relationship status...'

Typical attention-grabbing questions.

This is a show, after all. Shanghyun moved to the next card.

This would be the main content.

'The one I was told about yesterday.'

Shanghyun had been informed about the test and what to prepare.

He was looking forward to this part.

This was what Juhyeok wanted.

To check if there were any issues with his sync with the capsule.

Fantasia's team was said to be the best in this area.

"30 seconds!"

A staff member with sunglasses called out from a distance.

He seemed to be the director.

"Got it~"

The announcer, true to her profession, smoothed her hair and crossed her legs in the most flattering angle.

Shanghyun, not knowing what to do, just stared blankly at the camera.

"Wow, Almond's image is up!"

The director gave Shanghyun a thumbs up.

'What's this?'

Regardless, the broadcast started.

Clap.

The slate closed, and the announcer greeted with a bright smile.

"Hello, viewers! We're back with a special format! The Deconstruction Analysis series. Today, it's the 'Almond Deconstruction Analysis'!"

Almost 20,000 viewers flooded in as soon as it started.