Chapter 97 of Season 1 of The Genius Archer

34. Close Combat (1)

Cliff Forest.

This place was chosen as the final stage for the promotion match.

If I can climb up the cliff, I will win this game.

However, paradoxically, the key to winning this map was to resist the urge to climb up the cliff.

Now that the Blue Zone has completely moved towards the cliff.

There are many who are waiting to prey on players trying to climb up the cliff.

'Just climb up.'

'Is there any more stupid climber?'

'Go ahead, then.'

Although they couldn't recognize each other,

The number of guns aimed at the cliff reached almost 25.

There are about 35 people left now.

If 25 guns are aimed at the cliff, it means the remaining 10 are trying to climb it.

These are the people who are in a situation where they can't be the first.

'No stamina, so I have to gamble on the cliff...'

'Farming status is bad, so I have to do this.'

'Anyway, it's impossible with this equipment.'

Whether they couldn't farm, suffered major injuries, or had poor weapon conditions,

They are betting on the cliff climb because they can't win normally.

There's even a legendary item box at the top of the cliff, so there's a chance for a comeback.

Nine players, betting their lives on this gamble, slowly began to climb the cliff.

The people at the bottom of the cliff were watching each other, hoping deep down that the others would fall.

But that was just a wish.

The cliff battle always starts by knocking down those who climb up.

Bang──

A gunshot served as the signal.

25 guns fired simultaneously.

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

"Ugh!"

The hand of the climber who was reaching for the next rock turned bright red and burst.

A bullet also hit his shoulder.

Shattered rocks from the missed shots rained down on his head.

"Uuuuuuuu!"

The player who was leading the climb finally fell.

As he fell, he grabbed the waist of the player climbing behind him.

"I won't die alone!"

"Hey! Hey, you crazy...!"

The player who suddenly found himself in a watery grave was taken aback.

In the meantime, a barrage of bullets turned his back into a honeycomb.

He, too, eventually fell as a corpse.

Thud!

A terrifying sound echoed as he hit the ground.

In the race to the cliff, two players were already out.

'Now is the time.'

At this moment, the leaves of a large tree, which seemed to be empty, trembled.

Rustle.

25 players aiming at the cliff, 9 climbing the cliff, and someone who didn't belong to either group.

He began to move.

Creak──

His weapon made no sound,

Whoosh!

The deaths were so fast that the victims didn't even know what hit them,

Thud!

And they were precise.

* * *

One player at the bottom of the cliff died.

Almond was satisfied.

He intervened at the right time.

'Good.'

If the climbers died too quickly, this plan would be meaningless.

If he started attacking when no one had died, he would draw attention to himself.

He intervened when two had died.

The result was good.

No one paid attention to Almond, and some might not even know he was there.

The sound of arrows was indistinguishable from the sound of the wind amidst the many gunshots.

Almond drew his bow again.

Whoosh──

Another arrow, making a snake-like sound, pierced the opponent's head.

Thud!

Out of 35, only 27 were left.

Four climbers had died, and now Almond had killed two more.

The other two seemed to have died fighting each other at the bottom of the cliff. It was a chaotic battle.

The unspoken truce among those shooting at the cliff was also breaking.

Almond had to act quickly.

He needed to reduce the number to almost half before the truce broke.

Almond loaded four arrows from his quiver.

He started rapid firing, aiming at different players.

Like a machine gun, the players fell one after another as he aimed.

All four arrows hit their targets.

One of them, thanks to a helmet, required two shots.

So it was a triple kill.

- Wow! Crazy!

- Kyah!

- Sooo cool!

- Amazing!

- Summer? I'm not afraid. I watch Almond's stream.

'Faster.'

Almond wasn't satisfied yet.

He needed to finish it off when he had the chance. Who knows when such an opportunity would come again.

The enemies still hadn't figured out his position or even his existence.

He glanced at the cliff.

'3...!'

Only three climbers were left alive.

If these three die, the battle at the bottom will become chaotic, and Almond won't be able to move freely.

Almond quickly took out four more arrows from his quiver.

Four arrows flew in succession.

This time, two died. Both had helmets, so it took two shots each.

Almond checked the cliff again.

One had fallen.

Two were left.

'2...'.

There were still 10 on the ground.

Including himself, there were 13 in total.

The Blue Zone was shrinking further. But he had no time to check the map. The final showdown would happen within this Blue Zone.

Almond loaded another arrow between his fingers and drew his bow.

A rapid four-shot followed.

Two more died.

One, barely surviving with a helmet, tried to run behind a tree but Almond's arrow, as if anticipating, curved to follow.

"Ugh!"

He died with a final scream.

Almond took out four more arrows.

This time, four died. All had helmets, but they were all destroyed. One by one, they fell.

Without hesitation, Almond took out the next four arrows.

Now, only one player was left on the cliff.

Bang──

With the final gunshot, the last one let go of the cliff. As always, no one managed to claim the cliff.

Almond quickly drew his bow.

His right hand held the string straight, without a single waver, as if it were the first arrow he was shooting today.

Whoosh──

Three were left at the bottom of the cliff.

Four arrows flew through the air in an instant, and two died.

Indeed.

Two out of the three died.

'Damn.'

One was left.

The one remaining had been hit in the head twice but was still fine.

He had seen this before.

'Legendary?'

A legendary helmet. He needed to aim for the body.

Almond's hand, reaching for his quiver, only stirred the air.

'None.'

No arrows.

The viewers, unaware, were excitedly chatting.

- Really? He found a spot and started dealing damage?

- What is this... d d d

- Human turret Almond.

- Really crazy!?

- Wow! How many died in an instant!?

- This is what happens when you deal damage from a fixed spot!?

- Is this the first fixed spot damage since Kingdom Age? It's amazing.

- Wow s b kkkkk

- What did I just see?

- Is it already 1v1?!

The remaining one seemed to think Almond would naturally catch him.

'I didn't farm arrows much because I took the hospital route.'

He didn't get any kills and farmed stably at the hospital.

There were plenty of medicines but no weapons.

But now it was a 1v1 situation.

Click.

The opponent aimed a rifle, which seemed to be legendary, at him. He had roughly figured out Almond's position.

The Blue Zone started to shrink.

Crackle...

Static electricity crackled behind Almond.

* * *

The viewers also noticed the danger.

- Hey! Almond has no arrows!

- Damn!?

- Indeed.

- Ah, the hospital farming snowball d d

- Holy s b

- Crazy. This is the first time Almond ran out of arrows at this moment?

Even the Blue Zone was working in the enemy's favor.

The distance was a very small difference, but Almond had to move while the enemy could stay still. The difference was as extreme as ice and fire.

Almond made a decision.

He immediately dropped from the tree.

The enemy discovered Almond's position and fired.

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

Holes were drilled into the tree. The destructive power was amazing.

The tree Almond was on collapsed.

Thud!

The tree provided no cover. In fact, nothing in this jungle seemed capable of stopping that gun.

No cover. Then he needed to hide.

Almond ran.

Outside the Blue Zone.

The toxic gas made the vision blurry.

As the game progressed, the concentration increased, making the vision almost invisible and the damage more fatal.

It was the late game.

Click.

Almond immediately took all the painkillers in his mouth.

The tingling on his skin subsided.

A legendary rifle could kill with one shot. With a bulletproof vest, he might survive two shots.

The enemy's gunfire continued.

Fortunately, Almond wasn't visible, so the shots were off target.

Almond moved back a bit and used two more first aid kits.

His health increased to 94%.

But it dropped to 89% after 3 seconds.

'This won't last long.'

This was the damage he received after taking 8 painkillers.

The late-game toxic gas was lethal if inhaled.

Almond checked his inventory.

Smoke grenades, flares, grenades, and several bandages.

'Grenades.'

Yes, grenades.

This was the only offensive weapon he had.

He had learned a trick from Funsna about using grenades.

His health dropped again while he was checking his inventory.

Almond moved quickly.

'Can I do it?'

He wanted to ask himself.

But he decided to stop.

It was a meaningless question.

'Can I breathe?' No one asks that and then breathes.

'I have to do it.'

This was something he had to do.

If he didn't, he would die.

He took a deep breath and then,

Started running around the edge of the Blue Zone.

The enemy started shooting upon hearing the footsteps. Thanks to the toxic fog, the accuracy was low.

Almond threw all the smoke grenades and flares into the Blue Zone.

The loud light and sound, along with the thick smoke, covered the area.

The enemy's gunfire stopped.

Was he confused?

Almond took the opportunity to run.

Crackle.

He re-entered the Blue Zone.

With 46% health remaining.

* * *

Inside the Blue Zone, the smoke and flares created chaos.

The enemy couldn't be seen, and neither could Almond see anything.

He could barely see a few feet in front of him.

But that was enough.

Almond kept running around the edge, looking at the ground.

'I found it.'

He picked up the arrows he had shot earlier.

One wasn't enough, so he found more.

Whooooo...

As the smoke started to clear,

He managed to collect about five arrows from the ground.

'Where?'

The problem was that he didn't know the enemy's position.

Almond lay flat and pulled the pin on a grenade.

This would leave him with only one grenade.

But he had no choice.

If they discovered each other simultaneously, he would lose. It was better to make a decision.

Click.

He removed the safety pin and threw it immediately.

Boom!

A loud noise and vibration echoed.

A reaction came from the other side.

Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

The enemy wasn't aiming at Almond's position. It seemed he was shooting in the general direction of the sound.

But Almond saw the enemy's position clearly.

The red muzzle flash was visible through the smoky smoke.

'There he is.'

Almond hid behind a rock and fired the arrows.

He fired all five in one go.

The enemy also emptied a magazine. The enemy's bullets destroyed the rock and trees, and Almond's arrows, as if with a will of their own, curved and hit the enemy's body.

He aimed for the body because the legendary helmet was immune to headshots. All four arrows hit.

But the enemy didn't die. He moved to another cover with the arrows still in him.

- Damn, why isn't he dying ㅠㅠ

- Holy s b, is his vest good too?

- But doesn't he look like a taco? His avatar is exactly a taco.

- No, he doesn't? Taco Shack isn't streaming.

- Whether it's a vest or not, shooting arrows at the body is no deal...

- The headshot bonus is good, but the body shots on a vest are weak. Especially with a recurve bow...

- Taco is in closed training. It seems to fit.

- d d How does he win ㅠㅠ

- Hey, even if the last arrow hits, he can't win. 10 arrows are needed. That kid looks like a hero-grade vest ㅠㅠ

- How ㅠㅠ Almond, my hero ㅠㅠ

At that moment, Almond replied to the chat.

"I know. I'm short on arrows."

He was reading the chat even in this situation.

- ??

- Is he reading the chat?

- True streamer s b kkkkk

- No, focus!

- Holy s b kkk

He ignored it, took out bandages and a grenade, and said,

"Can't I calculate damage even though my main weapon is a bow?"

Then, holding the last remaining arrow, he said confidently,

"But I won this."