Chapter 70

**Chapter 70 of "The Genius Archer's Streaming Season 1"**

**25. A Dream That Could Only Be Dreamed (2)**

"Almond! After enduring for a whopping 15 minutes, we've finally broken into the top 1.2%!!!"

- 15 minutes to be in the top 1.2%? Hahaha

- Wow, hahaha

- Amazing, hahaha

- What the heck is Electromagnetic doing? Hahaha

- I think the gap between first and second place is almost 7 minutes, hahaha

- Bro, I'm dying, hahaha!

Yuhyeon's voice rang out clearly, and the chat messages flooded in. There were so many that it made his eyes spin. Thanks to the enormous number of viewers.

Whoosh!!!

Swoosh!

Then, even more weapons started to fly at Almond. Not just axes, swords, and spears, but also chainsaws that could tear anything apart just by touching them, and truncheons swinging at odd angles...

More and more unpredictable things started to fly at him. Especially the chainsaws, which, after hitting the ground, continued to convulse and tear up the area. Almond almost got hit by one at first.

'What a variety of things they've made.'

However, there was no rule that he had to die. There was a subtle hint. When the chainsaw hit the ground, the floor didn't collapse.

Noticing the suspicious signs, Almond managed to escape and survive.

"Now that 10 minutes have passed, we're moving on to Phase 3!"

Gulp.

Almond couldn't help but feel a bit tense. The first pattern is always the hardest.

'What could it be?'

Phase 1 involved weapons flying, and Phase 2 involved the floor collapsing. These two elements would likely combine in Phase 3.

'I need to understand it when it appears alone.'

When it appears alone, it's a chance to build up strength. He needed to memorize it and conserve energy.

Ding.

Words appeared in the air.

'What!?'

At that moment, a chill ran down his spine. This was a premonition. Almond, who was sure of it, didn't even need to look back and rolled away.

Crack!

Lightning struck.

The floor where Almond had been standing turned black and charred.

- Crazy, hahaha

- Avoid lightning?!

- No, how did he avoid it?

- How did he do it, you bastard?

- Seriously, how did he avoid the first strike? Hahaha

- Is he a time traveler? Hahaha

People couldn't understand how to avoid lightning. They couldn't sense the static electricity.

"Static electricity is coming. The tiles are also vibrating."

- ??? Still reading the chat, hahaha

- Wow, hahaha

- True streamer! Almond!

- Hahaha, goosebumps

Squeak—

Then, a strange sound of metal scraping was heard. Almond quickly looked around, but there was nothing.

'It's below!'

Whoosh!

Almond barely lifted his foot from the tile. Below it, a vicious spike shot up.

- Wow, hahaha

- Really, there's a premonition

- I heard a sound

"Y-Yes... like this!"

Clang!

While speaking, Almond jumped again to avoid the rising spike.

"I'll give you a heads-up. It's not as hard as it looks. It feels a bit like a trick from Fantasia."

- Suddenly?

- Suddenly targeting Fantasia, hahaha

- Hahaha

- Hahaha

- It's working, really

- While telling us to survive, he's reading the chat, hahaha

Perhaps Almond's ease annoyed someone. As the preview of Phase 3 ended, a tremendous roar approached.

Boom!

It was ear-splitting.

- Yea! This is what a premonition should be!

- What? You can predict it? How about this!

- Hahaha

- They're coming in waves

The loud noise wasn't just for show. Numerous weapons were launched at Almond.

Squeak! Clang!

Moreover, various traps shot up from the tile floor simultaneously. Spikes, lightning, and more.

Traps that enclosed the player in iron bars, traps that shot flames from both sides to burn multiple tiles, and traps that made the tester jump high when stepped on...

Countless types of traps appeared.

Especially the jump tiles had no premonition.

Boom!

"Uh...?"

The moment he stepped on a specific tile, it immediately activated.

His vision plunged downward.

His body was suddenly floating.

- Wow, so fun, hahaha

- Wow, hahaha

- He flew up

- Should he avoid it in the air??

- No way, really

- Bro, it's been 18 minutes!!! Just 13 more minutes and he'll be first place!!

- Wow, so fun, hahaha

- Oh, god game

So fun. God game.

From the viewers' perspective, it was indeed so.

Almond probably felt the same way. The jump tiles themselves provided a really fun sensation.

'If only those flying weapons weren't there, it would have been fun.'

However, the fact that he now had to avoid those weapons in the air made the situation utterly hopeless, erasing all the fun.

Almond's eyes widened.

He didn't come here for fun.

He came to prove himself.

To prove that he deserved the Platinum rank!

- Seriously, how is he supposed to do this, hahaha

- That's why no one lasts more than 15 minutes.

- They're coming!

The first to fly at him were battle axes, whirling with a menacing sound.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

It wasn't impossible to avoid them. They were flying in at a fairly comfortable distance.

"Whoa!"

Even in the air, it seemed possible to avoid them.

He twisted his body as much as he could.

'Huh?'

Was it too difficult in the air?

His body didn't move as he intended. This was the first time he felt so inconvenient in the full-dive world.

Still, he did his best to crouch and twist. He didn't know how to move left or right, but from his current position, he could avoid it.

Swoosh!

As expected. The axe blade just grazed his hair.

- Wow!

- Wow!

- He avoided it!

- So cool!

It was too early to celebrate.

There was more to come.

- What are we supposed to do with this!?

- Seriously, no mercy

- Ugh

- Enough, Fantasia!

- Oh, man...

Two large blades, a long spear and a sword, were visible among the chat messages. They flew at Almond with deadly speed from different directions.

How high did they make him jump? He wouldn't hit the ground before avoiding these.

- Can he avoid both?

- Is it a checkmate?

- Is this a one-hit kill? What are we supposed to do?

Whoosh!!

Meanwhile, the great sword was already flying toward Almond's chin.

Almond used all his strength to twist his body into a limbo position.

Swoosh...

His nose was slightly grazed. A simulated drop of blood splattered below his eye.

The great sword was avoided.

- Oh!

- Wow!

- He avoided that!

- But what about the rest?

But the next one—

A spear immediately stabbed from a corner.

One angle might have been easy to avoid, but the spear, as if predicting his move, aimed precisely at that spot.

Almond saw no way to avoid it.

But he saw another angle.

Almond's arm stretched out, reaching for the handle of the great sword still flying past.

Thud—

- !?!?

- Whoa

- What?

Yuhyeon didn't have time to finish his sentence.

In that instant, Almond's arm, holding the sword, drew a clean arc.

Clang!!!

A loud noise and a dazzling spark.

The great sword sliced through the great spear, igniting a fire.

- ???

- !!

- Wow

- Wow...!?

He caught the sword in mid-air and deflected the incoming spear.

It was an application. Beyond just avoiding, he used the objects in the environment to block.

Thud.

After landing back on a complete tile, the cheers finally came.

Yuhyeon shouted loudly, his voice filled with excitement.

The chat messages flooded in like a storm.

- D-D-D-D-D-D-D

- Bro, this is scary!

- M-M-M-M-M-M-M

- Ho-o-o-o-lly! Mo-o-o-o-lly!

- Mom!! I want to be Almond when I grow up!!!! Mom!! I want to be Almond when I grow up!!!! Mom!! I want to be Almond when I grow up!!!!

- Look at me once! Almond! Look at me once! Almond! Look at me once! Almond! Look at me once! Almond!

- Hey, hey, are you crazy, Almond!

- Stop being so good! Almond! Stop being so good! Almond! Stop being so good! Almond! Stop being so good! Almond! Stop being so good! Almond!

...

...

* * *

"What do you mean by that?"

Juhyeok asked the engineer.

"I'm curious about how the image training was conducted. It seems like it would be helpful for statistical research..."

The engineer mentioned that Almond had done image training, but this was the first Juhyeok had heard of it.

"I don't do image training?"

"..."

"I don't do that. Didn't I say in the interview that I was a regular office worker?"

"..."

The engineer was at a loss for words.

'Is it really just the way his brain is wired?'

He reached a rather uninteresting conclusion by his standards.

Actually, this couldn't be called a conclusion. Would any scientist conclude with "God made it that way"?

In the meantime, Juhyeok, finding the engineer suspicious, asked again.

"Why are you asking about that?"

"According to my statistics and existing research, such numbers can't be achieved without a long period of image training. This isn't just a guess..."

From the conversation, it seemed that Sanghyun had a very high probability of having done image training for nearly 10 years.

Not just regular training, but high-intensity training that could be considered overloading.

He must have passionately repeated very specific and realistic image training.

"Usually, people don't go that far. They'd rather do physical training..."

As he listened, Juhyeok understood.

'Ah.'

Juhyeok finally understood what the image training was.

"Based on my guess, it seems like you did special training for virtual reality skills. So, I'm curious about what that special training method was..."

When Sanghyun first shot the bow in the capsule, why was he so natural? And why did he cry so bitterly?

He understood now.

And why he showed such extraordinary focus in the capsule...

The puzzle pieces finally fit together.

'He... dreamed.'

Sanghyun's image training was his dreams.

He always dreamed.

He dreamed so desperately.

For 10 years, he never once let go of archery, at least in his mind.

In the world of his mind, where his right arm was intact, he never once let go of the bow.

The 10 years of not being able to hold a bow, of only being able to dream... no, of only being able to dream, created the current Almond.

The Almond who shows unbelievable skills in the virtual reality world.

His skills weren't a gift of luck from the gods.

Surprisingly, they were a result of despair.

A single gem, forged from the deepest, darkest pit of despair, the place of nothing but darkness, is the current Almond.

"Are... are you okay?"

The engineer, flustered, asked.

Juhyeok, only then, wiped the tears from his eyes. His sleeve was damp.

"Ah... this... this..."

Just as Juhyeok was about to make an excuse, everyone's eyes returned to the broadcast screen.

Juhyeok's embarrassing tears were naturally overlooked.

'What is this, I'm not Sanghyun.'

Juhyeok frowned and shifted his gaze to the monitor.

"He doesn't do image training. He's just a genius."

"Ah... I see."