Chapter 42 of Season 1 of "The Genius Archer's Streaming"

15. Alone in First Place (4)

[The blue zone will shrink in 30 seconds.]

Almond checks the minimap.

The area circled in blue will be safe from now on.

"Bad luck."

The blue zone has never been in Almond's favor. From the start of the game to the end, Almond had to keep moving to avoid the blue zone.

Almond was lamenting, but the situation was entertaining for the viewers.

- Bad luck lol

- Almond: Bad luck. Viewers: Good luck.

- Haha, that's a good one, Almond.

- ???: With your skills, you don't need luck.

Even if the blue zone kept moving far away, it was annoying, but many viewers found it amusing.

Almond had to keep moving, which allowed them to see his impressive action play.

Moreover, those who had bet on the first-place prize money desperately wished for bad luck.

- Please... God of the Blue Zone...

- Jesus, Buddha, Allah! Protect my 50,000 won!

- Oh, sniper, please take out Almond's head.

Some were even openly praying for Almond to die.

'Ah, right. The sniper...'

There is a sniper among the enemies.

It's definitely a concern.

Even to Almond, who doesn't know the game well, the sniper's presence is threatening.

It would be better if the blue zone shrinks, but for now, the safe area is quite wide.

The sniper could probably kill him from a hidden spot.

'Are they on the same team?'

If the remaining three are all on the same squad, Almond's chances of winning seem slim.

What if the other two charge while the sniper covers them?

But that's exactly what happened.

"Hey, there's only one left."

"Let's scout first, and I'll cover you!"

The enemies' voices, speaking loudly as they approach.

"Huh..."

From their conversation, it's clear they are on the same team.

Out of the remaining four, three are on one team, and Almond is alone.

- Haha, it's over.

- Wow, God!

- 3 vs 1?

- 3 vs 1 with only four left? This is really a nightmare.

- Hell, hahaha.

Hell.

There seems to be no better way to describe Almond's current situation.

'Bad luck.'

The phrase "bad luck" is actually not accurate.

It's not unusual for a squad of three to survive at this stage.

Rather, it's unusual for Almond to survive alone.

If he wants to blame his bad luck, he should blame the squad matching at the start.

Thud? Thud?

The sound of the enemies approaching can be heard.

With only a few places left to search, they will soon figure out where Almond is.

Thud──

The enemies, who were steadily approaching, suddenly stop.

"Up to here."

One of them firmly states and stops moving.

"The blue zone is on our side. We have to pass this spot anyway."

"Right. Once you come out, we'll just shoot you."

Misfortune piled on top of misfortune.

The blue zone was set to shrink in a way that would be disadvantageous to Almond, and the enemies knew how to use it.

[The blue zone is shrinking.]

Rumble──

The sound of the blue zone moving can be heard.

Almond's heart beats intensely with it.

'First place is right in front of me...'

With this movement, he will either become first place or end up in fourth place.

The outcome will be decided.

'First solo squad win'

Will it end with this title?

'Not bad for the first game.'

There's a huge difference.

Whether he becomes a superstar or just a good player is often decided at such critical moments.

Whether he can perform in such a life-or-death situation.

Crunch.

Sanghyun gritted his teeth.

The gambler's spirit within him began to burn fiercely.

'I'm going to take first place with the bow.'

He glanced at the mission reward hanging beside him and steeled his resolve. His mindset was completely different from when he shot arrows in Kingdom.

This is a competition.

He has to prove himself to others.

His archery skills.

'First, the ones in front.'

The two people waiting for Almond to be chased by the blue zone.

He needs to take them out first.

Fortunately, they haven't seen Almond's position yet.

'They are complacent. I'll be chased by the blue zone, and they are three.'

With the blue zone behind him and three enemies in front, it's a situation where the enemies can be complacent.

In other words, their complacency is Almond's only chance.

Swallow.

He quietly took a painkiller from his belt and consumed it.

"Is he not here? The blue zone is almost here."

"There's nowhere else. Let's wait and see."

As they said, the blue zone is quite close. The hair on the back of his neck is starting to stand up due to the blue zone's effect.

Still, Almond doesn't move.

[You are taking damage from the blue zone. Move!]

Zzzz──

His health starts to decrease rapidly.

Thanks to the painkiller, he feels almost no pain, and his health decreases less.

'Just a little more.'

Almond clenches his teeth and decides to hold on a bit longer.

"What... Did he miss us on the way?"

"No way."

He doesn't plan to hold on for long.

Just long enough to make the enemies wonder.

"Damn. Maybe he's behind us."

At that moment, the two of them briefly pay attention to the back.

"Behind? No way──"

──Whoosh!

An arrow pierces the back of the neck of the one who turned around.

Thud!

The sharp arrow tip protrudes from the front of the throat.

"Gurgle!"

He spits out blood, unable to speak.

"Damn, where...?"

Meanwhile, another arrow flies and pierces his heart.

"…Gasp!"

[Almond → lmfao07]

[Knocked out!]

Almond's judgment and decision-making were much faster and more accurate than theirs.

"Where are you!?"

Thud thud thud thud?

The confused teammate roughly searches for the direction the arrow came from and fires his gun.

Just to hit something by chance.

Unfortunately, that luck didn't happen. The direction he aimed at was already empty.

Thud!

The price of hoping for luck was high.

An arrow pierces his head.

The bulletproof helmet, already damaged in the previous battle, offers no protection.

[Almond → Duckhyun]

[Eliminated!]

[3/100]

He collapses in a disappointingly simple manner.

Only then does Almond escape the blue zone and run in.

'Barely survived...!'

His health is down to about 10%.

He resists the temptation to loot the bodies nearby and hides behind another cover.

'One is watching.'

There must be another one. Even as his two teammates are taken down, he hasn't fired a shot. He's calm. Probably the sniper who often appears in the kill log.

'He must be in a position where he can't see me.'

There's no way he didn't shoot if he could see Almond.

The angle isn't right.

'I have a rough idea of where the blind spot is.'

Almond recalls the path he took and tries to visualize the sniper's blind spot.

If he stays within that area, he won't be shot.

[The blue zone is shrinking.]

Looking at the map, it's clear that Almond needs to move. He's at the very edge of the blue zone.

He uses the last of his medical supplies to fully restore his health and stealthily moves forward.

'Where could he be...?'

Has the sniper moved to a new position? Or is he still waiting?

He doesn't know.

There's no way to know where he is now.

"!"

Then, he realizes something.

'Is he moving?'

The enemy who was knocked out is crawling somewhere.

'Why? To get healed?'

The sniper can't move, so he must be going to get healed.

If so, he will naturally reveal his teammate's position.

Almond also lowers his posture and crawls closer.

'Wait... '

A thought suddenly comes to mind.

'The sniper doesn't have time to heal him?'

In a 1-on-1 standoff, healing a teammate?

It takes a considerable amount of time to revive a teammate in Battle Royale.

That's suicide.

No matter how low the rating, they would know that.

'There's no reason to risk revealing his position to me.'

In a team match, as long as one teammate wins, it's enough.

Even in a 1-on-1, the sniper still has the advantage due to the direction of the blue zone.

Why risk it?

The conclusion is clear.

'Trick!'

If Almond falls for it and follows, everything becomes easier.

He just needs to aim and shoot the slowly following Almond.

Now, Almond plans to use this trick to his advantage.

'He must be hiding somewhere where the path is visible.'

He stops following and looks for points where he can aim at the crawling enemy's path.

The result becomes clear when the blue zone starts to irritate his back again.

"!"

The enemy is barely visible.

Between the tall grass, a bulletproof helmet slightly reflects the light.

'Does he not know?'

The enemy doesn't know. At least not yet.

He needs to act quickly.

He needs to draw the bow while lying down.

'What to do?'

It's impossible. The human arm structure doesn't allow drawing a bow while lying down.

'There's no other way.'

He makes a bold decision.

He decides to lie on his back.

- Huh? Why did he suddenly lie down on his back?

- It's like what cats do, you know.

- Almond is a baby... He needs his belly rubbed.

- What? Just giving up? Haha.

Naturally, the viewers don't understand his actions.

Until the next move.

Almond pushes the bow with his feet and starts to draw the string with both hands.

Squeak──

The string is pulled much tighter than when he draws it with his hands.

- Wow hahaha

- I've seen this in Chinese movies before hahaha

- No, is this a circus?

- ???: You can beat me even with your feet!

- Really, you can beat me even with your feet hahaha

While it might seem provocative, it's a very rational choice for Almond.

The only way to shoot without being seen by the enemy is this.

However...

'Will this... work?'

It's questionable whether it will hit accurately.

But there's no time to think.

He only has one option.

'I have to hit it.'

To hit and kill the enemy.

He tenses his abdominal muscles, holds the string tightly, and──

"Ah!"

──releases it.

Twang!

The sound of the string being released echoes loudly.

"!"

The enemy notices and quickly aims his gun at Almond, but.

Thud!

The arrow is faster.

It pierces through his bulletproof vest and hits him.

"…Gasp!"

The enemy, still unsure of where the arrow came from, quickly hides behind cover.

It was a mistake.

Whoosh??

While he was safely getting healed, another shot was fired.

The arrow, flying in a parabolic trajectory, easily clears the cover and lands on his head.

Thud!

"…Gasp!"

Thinking he would survive as long as he didn't present a straight angle, was a miscalculation.

He forgot that the enemy was using a bow, not a gun.

[Almond → Torindoru]

[Eliminated!]

[1/100]

Thud...

The enemy's body collapses pitifully.

Boom...!

A loud drumbeat sounds, and the long-awaited sentence appears.

[1st Place]