Chapter 40 of The Genius Archer's Streaming Season 1

15. Standing Alone at the Top (2)

The four-person squad 'Monday is Good' was a clan that had recently welcomed back some long-absent members.

In particular, 'KkanpungSquid,' who handled sniping, was a formidable player who had once reached Diamond rank.

However, after taking a break of about a year due to real-life pressures, he had returned with his rank reset.

Fortunately, the game hadn't changed much. A few new items had been added, and a couple of new maps had been introduced.

If he chose the classic map he used to play, his old skills would surely come back.

'This rating should be a piece of cake. Whatever.'

But that was a mistake.

Two of his teammates, who were advancing, fell almost simultaneously.

They had been hit by something that came from the sky.

Meanwhile, the enemy hadn't even shown their face from the rooftop.

'What the hell is that? What did they get hit by?'

KkanpungSquid should have realized then that this game might no longer be the one he remembered.

* * *

"Huh. Did it hit?"

Almond was still leaning against the rooftop wall.

He couldn't even confirm if his arrow had hit the target.

After all, he had shot it backward.

He knew one person had died from the kill log.

[Almond → CrabBoss]

[Eliminated!]

[47/100]

- Wow, man.

- This is insane. It's beyond human.

- Is this a joke?

- Wow... ddd

- Big bro, you're amazing ㅠㅠㅠ

A smile formed at the corner of Almond's mouth due to the chat window.

Their excessive praise was amusing.

'This one is a bit special, though.'

Indeed, it would look different from the archery he usually showed. He had hit the target without even looking, shooting backward.

But to Almond, it was just an advanced version of the fancy tricks he used to do.

'Glad I tried all those weird things when I was young.'

During his archery athlete days, he and his teammates would perform all sorts of circus-like stunts.

Like shooting arrows into the sky and making them land in a specific direction, or shooting an arrow into the sky and hitting it again...

It was almost like a circus.

Back then, the coach would always scold them for breaking the bows.

But now, he was glad he had done those things. Who knew they would come in handy here?

While lost in these memories—

—Bang.

The sound of a door opening was heard.

One of the assault team members had only been injured and managed to enter the house.

'They'll come through the rooftop door.'

The enemy had only one entrance to this rooftop.

He just needed to watch that spot.

Fortunately, it was visible from where Almond was positioned. Here, he could guard the door without being targeted.

However—

'They have guns.'

Almond had a bow.

In a one-on-one confrontation, the difference in projectile speed was incomparable.

Even with a powerful compound bow, it was no match for a gun.

Tap, tap...

The sound of someone climbing up to the rooftop could be heard.

Almond drew an arrow, ready to face the enemy.

There was no other way. Moving from this spot would immediately make him a sniper's target.

Dodging bullets by jumping was theoretically impossible. He could only hope the enemy missed.

Almond didn't like relying on others' abilities for his fate.

'I'll overcome it.'

He would break through with his own skills. After all, he trusted his archery skills the most in the world.

'Here they come.'

Thud...

The sound of the last step being stepped on and the rooftop door handle being grabbed echoed.

Click.

'I need to focus.'

Almond's concentration was at an unprecedented level.

It felt like he had cut himself off from the world and his own consciousness.

To the point where his breathing was loud.

To the point where his heartbeat was annoying.

He entered his own world.

And he drew the bowstring.

Squeak—

"!"

He released the string.

—Bang!

-???

-?

-It didn't open...

The door hadn't opened yet, but he had already released the string.

Creak...

The door started to open.

Through the small gap, a gust of wind passed.

Thud.

"Ugh...!"

Creak...

The door opened.

Not by hand, but by the body of the fallen enemy.

[Almond → SpongeBob]

[Knocked out.]

The arrow Almond had just shot was embedded in the enemy's abdomen.

-Did he time it with the door opening!?

-That's insane...

-Almond, is he a god?

-He's a legend if he hides his name?

-He even shot low in case the enemy crouched. That's amazing.

-This is something only true pros can do...

-Wow... Is this his first time playing today?

Timing the shot with the door opening and firing through the gap.

It was a highly skilled play that only seasoned veterans could pull off.

"It was just good timing."

Almond calmly answered while taking a painkiller.

But it wasn't that easy. It required incredible senses and concentration.

-Abi—lity

-We lose money in the stock market because we can't time it like that!

-LOL ㅠㅠ Why are my eyes watering...

-Oh, it's just about timing!

The viewers thought his response was mocking or deceiving them.

The play was that precise.

The enemy, SpongeBob, probably never expected such a play.

So SpongeBob felt wronged.

[SpongeBob: Hey, that guy is crazy. This doesn't feel like the right rank.]

[KkanpungSquid: What? Why did you get hit? Wasn't it just one person?]

[SpongeBob: It was one person... I died as soon as the door opened.]

[KkanpungSquid: Ah, f*ck]

[SpongeBob: No, he timed the shot with the door opening. How could I dodge that, f*ck lol]

[KkanpungSquid: ?? There's no one like that at this rank. Stop joking. You probably just didn't open the door carefully.]

[SpongeBob: Ah, just come and save me.]

[KkanpungSquid: How can I save you? He'll shoot you dead.]

[SpongeBob: He didn't shoot me dead. I'm crawling to the first floor.]

KkanpungSquid was baffled by SpongeBob's message.

"Not dead...? That guy, what kind of confidence does he have?"

Not killing SpongeBob meant he wanted them to come and save him.

He believed he could handle them even if they came, despite being two against one.

"Let's just not go. Let's leave SpongeBob. If he really timed the shot, he's a pro."

'Beolgatongi,' who was providing cover fire, spoke in a frightened voice.

"What?"

"Anyone can see it's a trap. Let's just leave SpongeBob."

"Hey, do you have no pride? Do you know what rank this is? We're in a rank where even newbies get eliminated, and you want to run?!"

'Why is this guy so serious?'

Beolgatongi couldn't understand KkanpungSquid's mood. It's just a game.

"He's openly provoking us."

"Exactly. That's why we should go."

"What are you talking about? We said we'd get back to Diamond rank when we returned!"

"Running won't lower our rank... but it will lower my pride."

KkanpungSquid started to disassemble his sniper rifle, preparing to move forward.

Click. Click.

"Wait, are you really going? I'll go. You cover me. You're the sniper."

"What if you get hit while healing?"

"Ah..."

That's why it's so troublesome.

When one person is injured, it's not just one person missing from the team; it's also the person who has to save them and protect the area.

"Fine. Let's go."

Beolgatongi and KkanpungSquid gave up their advantageous high ground and went to save SpongeBob.

On the way, they saw CrabBoss's body.

"Poor CrabBoss..."

"He's fine. It was his destiny from his username."

They walked down the hill toward their still-living teammate.

Thud. Thud.

"Shouldn't we run?"

"Shut up. I'm aiming. If I aim, he won't just jump out, right?"

"Ah..."

Beolgatongi followed KkanpungSquid, aiming at the building's third-floor rooftop while walking.

His aim was a bit shaky, but it seemed like a decent tactic.

"There. He's waiting by the first-floor door."

"Ugh... What a creep."

They talked without taking their eyes off the scope.

"We need to keep this up until the angle from the rooftop is gone."

"Okay."

When they got close to the building, the angle from the rooftop would be lost.

Thud. Thud.

They slowly closed the distance, and they were almost at the point where the rooftop couldn't shoot them.

At that moment, they were a bit relaxed.

A brief thought flashed through their minds.

Whoosh—

An arrow split the air and flew overhead.

'Ah, the top of the head!'

'The top of the head!'

Chills ran down their spines simultaneously.

They knew the arrow's parabolic trajectory would end at their heads.

They had seen how their two teammates were hit earlier.

They realized it too late.

They abandoned their aim and immediately jumped.

But they didn't jump forward.

That would be too predictable.

They had to choose left, right, or back. This would take them away from the path to save SpongeBob, but they had no choice.

If they got hit, their helmets would be dented, and their health would drop below half.

"Ugh!"

"Grk!"

They rolled in different directions.

Boom!

The arrow embedded itself in the sand.

They had dodged successfully.

"Dodged—"

They didn't know.

At the moment they truly relaxed.

That was actually the moment Almond had aimed for.

Thud!

"—Really?"

The arrow was embedded in Beolgatongi's eye.

[Almond → Beolgatongi]

[Eliminated!]

[28 / 100]

"Are you kidding?!"

KkanpungSquid was confused. What had just happened in that brief moment?

'There's no way an arrow could come from that angle?!'

The answer was given by the shadow that fell over them.

Almond's shadow.

KkanpungSquid looked up at the source of the shadow, and his eyes were wide with fear, like a horror movie poster.

'What a crazy guy.'

A curse slipped out of his open mouth.

Almond was falling from the sky with a bow.

Since the angle from the rooftop was lost when the enemy got too close, he had jumped to create the angle.

The previous arrow was just a decoy to prevent them from seeing him fall from the rooftop.

"Hurry—"

KkanpungSquid tried to raise his gun in shock, but he didn't have time to aim the heavy sniper rifle.

—Thud!

The arrow pierced his forehead precisely between the eyes. The helmet only covered up to his forehead, so the result was instant death.

[Almond → KkanpungSquid]

[Double Kill!]

[26 / 100]

—Boom.

As the enemy died, Almond's body hit the ground.

"Ugh!"

It was quite a height.

Almond felt a severe pain, almost like his head was spinning. He grabbed his head and said,

"Phew... I'm glad I took the painkiller."

Without the painkiller, he might have felt the pain of broken bones.

[The blue zone will shrink in 30 seconds.]

Now, only 26 out of 100 players remained.

Almond searched the enemy's items, used the medical supplies, and moved on.

- dddd

- That's insane.

- Is this even possible!?

- It's like an action movie...

- He thought about shooting while falling from the rooftop... ddd

- Amazing

The chat window was filled with praise, and the donation window with money.

[Law Firm Jienjang donated a whopping '100,000 won'!]

[I'll sue this guy. He made me unable to wear my panties.]

[Deulreong donated '5,000 won'.]

[I'm really impressed. I'll post a testimonial on the forum.]

[Amy Amy donated '10,000 won'.]

[A, Amy! You're here! I told you not to chase after that bad guy like a balloon!]

[JamMini donated '50,000 won'!]

[Mom! I don't think I can become Almond when I grow up!]