Chapter 69 of The Genius Archer's Streaming Season 1

25. A Dream Only (1)

Bang!

A massive axe slashed down with a ferocious force.

The floor cracked.

It was the floor where Almond's avatar had been standing.

"Whoa..."

Almond had already slipped to the side. Despite the sudden ambush, he looked calm.

"Turning on the lights right away is a bit much, isn't it?"

He muttered, as if it was a habit from his streaming.

Whoosh!

As if to shatter that calm, a giant spear flew again.

"Ugh!"

Swish.

Almond dodged by throwing his body to the side.

Bang!

The spear only split the floor.

But it didn't end there.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Swords flew from all directions simultaneously.

"..."

Almond hesitated for a moment.

'There is a blind spot. A blind spot.'

Even when they fly simultaneously, there is a blind spot.

It was always like that in the video where Electromagnetic Wave played. There's always a way.

Just like in any game.

'There.'

Crack—

Sanghyun, having found the blind spot, leaped. He rolled like a slide.

Clang!

Three swords collided in the air where he had been, sparking.

He had dodged.

A cackling laugh erupted from above.

A voice that echoed loudly.

It was Yuhyeon, who had grown so large that she could now overlook the dome stadium.

- Wow hahaha

- Yuhyeon, you're despicable!!

- Without any warning, just suddenly?

- Indeed, this is 'Survive'!

- So big and beautiful...!

- Hahaha, wow hahaha

- So funny hahaha

- Really big hahaha

- Show us the Electromagnetic Wave record!

- !Electromagnetic Wave record

Bang!

The giant Yuhyeon held up a massive sign.

It was a time of 30 minutes.

- Crazy, even when I watch it again, he's a monster

- To dodge things flying for 30 minutes?

- Wow

- Haha

Yuhyeon, with a sly smile, continued to provoke Almond, while weapons kept flying at him.

Almond moved his body lightly again.

Bang! Bang!

All the weapons failed to even graze Almond, only breaking the floor.

71% of the players had been eliminated at this point.

Almond was bewildered.

'Because of this...?'

It was hard to imagine that anyone could be eliminated by this.

Compared to what he had seen in the video, this was nothing.

Sure enough.

It seemed a new phase was about to begin.

- Amazing

- Hahaha

- Just a taste

- Wow

- Poor Almond ㅠㅠㅠ

- Poo ㅠㅠ

- ???: Sister!! I'm really dying!!!

* * *

After Yuhyeon's loud voice echoed.

Rumble!!!

The floor where Almond stood began to shake slowly.

A few square tiles that had been broken by the weapons sank into the floor.

At a glance, the empty space where the tiles had disappeared was a dark abyss. It was clear that entering it would mean certain death.

- Wow, the floor is collapsing?!

- Wow

- Almond, don't die ㅠㅠㅠ

- Wow, it's intense

- It's different from when Electromagnetic Wave played.

This was a method not seen in Electromagnetic Wave's video.

If the same method was used, the test subjects might memorize it, so they added some variations.

- How do you dodge that suddenly?

- Damn, the floor is just collapsing?

- Is there a pattern?

- Wow

The tiles seemed to disappear suddenly.

However, there was definitely a hint.

'There are warning signs.'

First, the tiles that had been damaged by the weapons disappeared.

Second, they vibrated slightly before disappearing.

Like the vibration in a console game that warns of danger.

With Yuhyeon's cheerful voice, the tiles began to collapse en masse.

Rumble...

'Here it comes!'

Almond dodged by feeling the vibrations in advance.

Boom! Boom!

The tiles fell with a loud noise, but Almond's spot remained intact.

- Wow, did he memorize it?

- How does he do that?

- He couldn't have memorized it, it wasn't in Electromagnetic Wave's video ㅋㅋㅋ

Because he always chose the safe spots, some even suggested he had memorized it. Yuhyeon quickly addressed this.

"It's definitely not memorized! There was no prior guidance for today's test! Still, it's really impressive! Almond! You're dodging everything! It's like a Hollywood movie, running on a collapsing bridge!!!"

- The metaphor is crazy hahaha

- Haha

- Really hahaha

- The protagonist never dies, you know!

Yuhyeon's metaphor, though exaggerated, was accurate.

Rumble...

Almond, amidst the waves of collapsing tiles, dodged like a ghost, always landing on safe tiles.

His face showed no signs of tension.

- Almond seems a bit bored?

Indeed.

His expression was closer to boredom.

Even as the floor crumbled before his eyes.

- Wow, he's so calm

- If it were me, I'd be screaming

After about 5 minutes.

'The pattern has changed.'

Now, tiles other than those destroyed by weapons also began to collapse.

Rumble!

It was impossible to predict which tiles would collapse. He could only feel the vibrations and move.

Almond's movements slowed slightly.

Another 3 minutes passed.

It was around this time.

Whoosh!!!

A familiar whistling sound, and a giant axe flew.

Avoiding the vibrating tile, it aimed precisely at Almond, who was moving to the next spot.

'The weapons are combining with the collapsing tiles.'

Almond quickly ducked, dodging the axe.

Crash!

The tile behind him fell into the abyss with a loud noise.

'Tiles hit by weapons now disappear immediately.'

Almond quickly processed the new rule.

'Dodge the weapons, dodge the vibrating tiles, and dodge the tiles hit by weapons.'

He firmly memorized the three elements he needed to avoid.

Dodging the terrifying projectiles and collapsing tiles, he also grasped the pattern.

In real life, this would have been impossible in a short moment.

But in full-dive virtual reality, it was possible.

Now, 10 minutes had passed.

'This is ridiculously long.'

He had only reached one-third of the way.

The 30-minute record set by Electromagnetic Wave was still far away.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the engineer's room where Almond's test was being conducted.

"Sir... Engineer? Is this value normal?"

One of the assistants asked the head engineer.

'Survive'! The test wasn't just about surviving time.

It also measured the performance during that time to gauge his potential and abilities in full-dive games.

To measure the commonly known virtual reality skill value, VNS.

But it was becoming a bit problematic.

One of the graphs was about to go off the chart.

The head engineer, asked, tilted his head.

"Well... It's quite high. But there's no machine malfunction."

The concentration graph was almost at the edge of the screen. The engineer stroked his chin.

'If this value is high, all other values will be high on average.'

Full-dive is a world moved solely by the mind. High concentration means high mental physicality.

This implies that most skills and abilities in that world would be high.

Of course, concentration isn't everything, and there are many other subtle factors.

'If this continues, the VNS will be over 250.'

He imagined the expected number.

It's impossible.

Such a value has never been seen. Except for one person.

'At the same level as Electromagnetic Wave?'

Electromagnetic Wave, a top-tier virtual reality gamer recognized both domestically and internationally.

A dominant presence.

His values were like this.

The assistant asked again.

"Can this value... be that high?"

"Hmm... Not impossible. Electromagnetic Wave was like that."

"Oh... I see."

"It didn't exist then. It's natural to be unaware. And it's such an exceptional value... we don't even teach it."

The engineer leaned in close to the game screen.

"But... to see such a value again. It's surprising."

On the screen, Almond was struggling between the flying weapons and collapsing tiles.

He was dodging well, without a single mistake.

Dodging isn't unusual.

Even without being at Electromagnetic Wave's level, pro gamers generally survive this part well.

But something was different.

There was a bit more ease.

Even dodging the same projectiles, he looked much smoother.

'Interesting.'

The engineer was intrigued.

How did he achieve such smooth movements?

Without much movement, it seemed like he knew everything that was coming.

No one had ever dodged like this.

Except for Electromagnetic Wave.

Even visually, it reminded him of Electromagnetic Wave.

'Maybe a true successor has appeared?'

Since there was Electromagnetic Wave, it's not strange for another genius to appear.

But being good at this doesn't make someone a genius. Just like a high IQ doesn't make someone a great person.

"But isn't this person 29 years old?"

29 years old.

Now 30.

How could a 30-year-old man show such a high concentration value?

Electromagnetic Wave was 23 when tested. He was already a pro gamer and in his prime.

But a complete beginner in the capsule showing such values?

It's impossible.

What kind of person could do this?

"Correct. 30. Is this possible?"

"Well. It's happening right in front of us."

Though reluctant, he couldn't deny what was happening. That's not what an engineer does.

A phenomenon is a phenomenon. It must be included in the statistics.

Then, a reason must be found.

The reason or cause for this.

That was his job.

The engineer fell into deep thought.

A moment later.

"Image training."

He muttered, as if something had come to mind.

"Pardon?"

"It's possible if he did consistent image training."

The assistant's face showed confusion.

Image training? It's a well-known fact that it helps in full-dive.

But...

"Come on... that's a bit..."

Image training doesn't have a decisive impact.

If it did, all pro gamers would do it.

"Listen to the whole story. 10 years."

"10 years?!"

"Yes. To achieve such reaction speed in full-dive, it takes about 10 years. Just a rough calculation."

"10 years?!"

"Yep. Without missing a single day. At a fixed time, every day, the same routine. To the point where it appears in dreams. Then, theoretically, it's possible. To achieve such a concentration value."

Of course, the engineer knew this was impossible.

10 years is longer than the time full-dive has existed.

Full-dive was commercialized and widely spread 8 years ago.

How could someone start image training 2 years before that?

Even if it were possible.

Why?

He was a corporate employee. For what purpose did he do image training for 10 years?

It must have been very specific and intense.

High-intensity image training for 10 years?

It's impossible for a normal human. In some sense, it's not even within the normal range.

It's almost a mental illness.

If he were to do image training, he would usually just move his body.

'Why?'

But why did this Almond do it?

To be good at virtual reality games?

If so, why only image training without actual practice?

"Come on. Who would do that! Maybe he's just a genius with a different brain structure from birth?"

"Hmm... It's possible. But..."

"But?"

"Such a conclusion is a bit boring. Just saying he's like that from the beginning. That his brain is just like that. It's not a mathematical conclusion."

"Ah, yes."

Meanwhile.

"Oh... 15 minutes have passed."

The halfway point of Electromagnetic Wave's record had been broken.

And Almond still looked calm.