Chapter 72 of Season 1 of The Genius Archer's Streaming

26. Record (1)

"There's nothing wrong."

It was only after an hour-long examination that these words could be heard. Sanghyun finally got up.

Having been tied up like a prisoner all this time, every part of his body was numb.

"Fortunately."

Phew.

Joo-hyuk let out a sigh of relief from beside him.

The head of the department and the director were the same. They seemed to have had a big argument just a moment ago, but now they appeared to have reconciled.

"Why are you all gathered like this? Actually, there wasn't much wrong."

Joo-hyuk immediately reprimanded Sanghyun, who was trying to act tough.

"Don't say ridiculous things."

"…Anyway, there's nothing wrong, right?"

Just as Sanghyun was about to leave the room and take off his gown.

"Hey…! Sir, patient?"

The doctor grabbed his shoulder.

"?"

"I want to have a private talk with you."

It's not uncommon for a doctor to want to speak to a patient privately.

Everyone thought it was nothing to be surprised about, just relieved that nothing had gone wrong.

Only Kim Joo-hyuk and the head of the department had their expressions stiffen. They had a certain premonition.

"Alright."

Sanghyun quickly left with the doctor.

* * *

In the private consultation room, only the doctor and Sanghyun were present.

"Please sit down."

They sat facing each other.

Silence ensued for a moment.

The doctor, tying up her disheveled hair, broke the silence.

"I think you already have an idea of what I'm going to say."

"Yes."

Sanghyun nodded.

After so many tests, modern medical technology would surely have found out.

"Your right hand is inconvenient, isn't it?"

"Yes."

As expected, it was a problem with his right hand.

"Do you know that the problem isn't actually with your hand?"

"Yes."

Sanghyun answered simply.

The doctor's expression was filled with regret.

She seemed to be struggling to convey the difficult words, speaking slowly.

"Mr. Sanghyun, the problem with your right hand is actually in your brain. And the capsule is a device that interferes with brain waves. In simple terms, this is why you feel exhausted after a full-dive play."

"…So that's it."

After playing the game, sweating profusely, feeling fatigued, and having a short playtime… Sanghyun had somewhat expected that these issues were due to his disability.

He had just been avoiding the fact. He didn't want to admit it.

I just wanted to think that only my right hand was injured.

"The symptoms you are experiencing now are a type of neurological disorder, similar to cerebral palsy."

"I know."

"It's a huge stroke of luck that it only affected your right hand. Many people end up with hemiplegia."

"…Yes."

The doctor had mentioned it was a stroke of luck back then.

'A stroke of luck…'

To Sanghyun, it didn't sound like luck at all.

Even if one of his eyes had been lost, or both ears cut off, or even his nose, his right hand had to be fine.

The part of his body that held and shot the bow had to be fine.

But it was damaged.

Permanently.

There was no way this could be called a stroke of luck.

Moreover, it seemed that this disability was now blocking his path.

What's the problem? Why did the doctor call him?

"What's the problem?"

The doctor shook her head.

"There isn't one yet. Or rather, I don't know. But there is a risk that problems could arise."

"How much?"

"In the virtual world, your right hand moves well, right?"

"Yes."

"Have you ever thought about why? If it's a brain issue, it shouldn't move there either."

"…Isn't it because it's a physical damage issue, not a brain signal issue? In the virtual world, there's no damage…"

"No. If there's damage to the brain, there will be issues with the signals too. The capsule can create a hand, but it can't replace the brain."

"…"

He had no words.

Sanghyun had been puzzled by this too.

He knew his brain was damaged, yet his right hand moved well in the virtual world.

Since it moved well, he didn't have any doubts.

The most important thing was that he could shoot the bow.

"Why is that?"

"Other areas of the brain are moving your right hand."

"…?"

"Think of it like this: in a company, if an employee is on sick leave, other employees from unrelated departments are working overtime."

"Oh…"

"It's possible in the virtual world, which is driven entirely by the mind, but not in the real world due to physical nerve system issues."

It made sense.

The area of the brain that controls the right hand was damaged, but in the virtual world, other areas could compensate.

"Working overtime for a colleague must be tiring. It causes an overload. That's why you sweat a lot and feel more fatigued than other gamers."

"I see."

"There haven't been any major issues so far. However, if it continues for a long time or if the game time increases, we don't know what might happen."

Sanghyun swallowed hard.

'I decided to aim for the Diamond Rank.'

He was just about to increase his game play time.

"Then what should I do? I want to increase my playtime."

"Consistent exercise and a healthy diet are essential, and regular check-ups to monitor the data are necessary."

Does that mean he has to keep going to the hospital?

"I understand."

He was worried about the medical expenses, but he had to find out. With that in mind, he answered and was about to leave.

Click.

The doctor handed him something.

A business card.

'Song Hana.'

A slightly casual name for someone with her level of expertise.

"You should see me. This isn't boasting, but there are very few people in the country who can handle this."

Joo-hyuk had mentioned this before.

There were only a few medical professionals in the country who could handle both brain wave tests and capsule play.

But they would be expensive.

Couldn't he just go to a regular hospital for a general check-up?

"I'll do it for free."

"…What?"

He couldn't believe it.

How much does this doctor charge?

"It's also for research purposes."

Song Hana avoided his gaze, embarrassed that it seemed like she was soliciting for research.

"Research?"

"…Yes."

"What kind of research?"

"The phenomenon where other areas of the brain compensate. It's not a common occurrence. In fact, it's the first time I've seen it. It can't happen in the real world."

I see.

It was a rare occurrence. Sanghyun was unsure whether to be happy or not.

"Is it possible in the virtual world?"

"It's the first time I've seen it in the virtual world too. I've never witnessed it before."

"Are you going to research whether it's possible?"

"Yes. Don't worry about the research. You'll follow the same course. It will just naturally add to my research."

"I understand."

"Are you… agreeing to it?"

"I'll talk to my manager first. But I have one question."

Sanghyun recalled the phenomenon he experienced at the end of the game.

"Go ahead."

"I felt a tingling sensation in my right hand in the game, just like in the real world."

Song Hana's eyes widened.

"Really?"

"Why is that?"

"…Well, to put it simply, it's like the overtime workers got tired and quit…"

She scribbled something down and continued.

"It's not a one-dimensional issue. I'll consult with the engineers and get back to you later."

"I understand."

As Sanghyun was about to get up, he seemed to think of something.

"Oh. One more thing."

"?"

"Since no one has told me yet, did I break the electromagnetic record?"

"Ah… It's a tie."

Sanghyun's expression twisted upon hearing the doctor's answer.

* * *

As Song Hana and Sanghyun came out of the consultation room, Joo-hyuk jumped up.

He had been waiting.

Song Hana briefly greeted them and headed towards the engineer.

"Hey. What did she say?"

Joo-hyuk immediately grabbed Sanghyun and asked.

"…"

Sanghyun didn't answer.

"Hey. What's wrong? Is it serious?"

"Yeah."

"…Really!?"

"Damn…"

"?! "

Joo-hyuk was shocked by Sanghyun's use of profanity.

What did the doctor say to him!

"Hey, why are you like this!? Speak up!"

"I didn't break the record."

"…?"

"What's that look of not knowing anything? The doctor said it's a tie."

"…Is that why you're angry?"

"Does that make sense? A tie? To the second?"

"Ah, no, so you're angry because the record is a tie?"

"Are you not angry!?"

Bam.

Sanghyun raised his voice.

It was rare for him to get so agitated.

Did he really want to break this record that much?

"I would have won if I had just 0.000001 seconds more. How can it be a perfect tie? Is this rigged?!"

"Hey, you crazy bastard! Your life was on the line, and you're worried about a tie? Tell me what the doctor said!"

"Life on the line? Don't exaggerate! The record is much more important right now…"

Just as they were about to grab each other by the collar.

"Hey… Mr. Almond?!"

The youngest staff member, a junior writer, called out to Almond with a confused look.

"You need to go in now…"

"…What?"

Sanghyun doubted he had heard correctly.

Broadcast?

They were still doing it?

He looked at Joo-hyuk for confirmation.

"Is the broadcast not over yet?"

"Yeah, man."

They had spent about an hour and a half on the medical check-up, so he thought all the viewers would have left.

But it was still ongoing. Sanghyun asked the junior writer.

"Are there still viewers?"

"No, it's not just a few. Look."

The junior writer showed him his phone.

There were still 70,000 viewers waiting.

Sanghyun felt more strange than happy.

"Why… Why are they still here?"

It was a natural question. Why were so many people waiting for such a long time?

He didn't break the record and it was a tie.

By Sanghyun's standards, it was very puzzling.

"Why? They're waiting to see you. The first person to break the electromagnetic record."

Joo-hyuk, straightening his wrinkled shirt, said casually.

"…?"

Sanghyun's face contorted strangely.

What does that mean? Breaking the record?

"Even the seconds are a tie."

"Besides that."

Click.

Joo-hyuk pointed to the scoreboard on the set.

"…"

Sanghyun was silent for a moment.

Joo-hyuk chuckled. He must be surprised.

Who wouldn't be surprised to hear they hold a world record?

But Joo-hyuk's expression turned to the most bewildered one when he heard the response.

"…What's that?"

A moment of silence.

'Oh… right. He doesn't even know what it is.'

It's a concept most gamers know, but Almond isn't a gamer. At least, he wasn't three weeks ago.

Joo-hyuk realized again who he was dealing with.

But so what? This is Almond.

"Go sit in the seat next to you. When you get there, the pretty announcer will explain it to you."

"She looks younger than me."

"Hey, you…"

Avoiding Joo-hyuk's angry outburst, Sanghyun quickly ran to the set.

Everything was already prepared for Sanghyun's arrival, and the broadcast was ongoing.

Yu Hye-yeon, spotting Sanghyun, started to build up the tension with an excited voice.

"Everyone! Almond, Mr. Almond is coming in…"

As if a great person was arriving, like a champion at the final match.