Chapter 56 of Season 1 of The Genius Archer's Streaming

Episode 20: Bombshell Statement (1)

Park Sung-tae stroked his impressive beard and tilted his head.

He has been a balloon gum manager for five years.

Faced with a situation that had rarely occurred in all this time, it was understandable that he was a bit flustered.

‘Usually, just meeting someone once doesn’t cause an issue...’

Park Sung-tae, despite being in his fifth year, manages a streamer with over ten years of experience.

This streamer, Balloon Gum, has never taken a break from streaming except for scheduled holidays over the past ten years.

Once he sits down, he plays games for nearly eight hours straight. Naturally, he frequently encounters other streamers.

It’s so frequent that it’s hard to keep track. So, meeting someone once or twice shouldn’t be an issue.

‘But why this person...’

But why does just one encounter with this person, Almond, cause such a stir?

Is there some special reason?

“Uncertainty is part of the charm of this job.”

Park Sung-tae started searching for information about Almond on the community forums.

He quickly obtained the basic profile.

‘In his 30s... good-looking, skilled, and...’

Huh?

Below the impressive specs, there was one item that raised a question mark.

‘He’s only been playing virtual reality games for... three weeks now?’

And he’s only on his second match of Battle Royale.

‘Wait. Didn’t this guy deflect a bullet with an arrow?’

Park Sung-tae replayed the controversial video where Balloon Gum and Almond met.

Fortunately, a new video had just been uploaded to AllTube.

It was a well-edited video.

“Great editing.”

The video looked much cooler thanks to the editing, but it was still based on real events.

Clang.

Arrows and bullets colliding in mid-air. What Park Sung-tae saw was indeed correct.

Hitting a bullet with an arrow.

It was an incredible feat of skill and nerve.

Who could make such a play when they’re about to win?

The comments were mostly in agreement.

-???

-What just happened?

-Is that even possible?

-This is fake. Seriously, is this real? 😂

-But it’s Balloon Gum, so it can’t be fake, right?

-Does Balloon Gum fake things?

-Gum doesn’t do that... he just can’t.

-Not fake!? Then it’s CG. This is an edited video.

-Yeah, right. 😂

-Three times in a row? That’s ridiculous. I wouldn’t believe it even in a movie.

Everyone suspected it was a setup or CG.

‘No way.’

Park Sung-tae slowly shook his head.

It’s not like that at all.

Firstly, with Balloon Gum as the opponent, there’s no way it’s a setup. If anyone suspected that, they’d be underestimating a streamer who has never caused any issues in ten years.

Is it CG? No, it’s not.

There’s no reason for the editor to create such a play using CG.

If it were fake, it would be exposed quickly on the Trivi platform. That would be a one-way ticket to hell.

It’s not a setup, and it’s not CG.

Yet, it’s still hard to believe.

‘He’s... on his second match?’

The fact that Almond is only on his second match of Battle Royale is what makes it unbelievable.

“Wow...”

Park Sung-tae whistled.

He wanted to deny it. Comparing it to the skills of the streamer he manages, it was mind-boggling.

This gap between people born in the same world.

The heavens are truly indifferent.

“This is something special.”

Tap. Tap.

Park Sung-tae tapped his head with a shiny, high-end fountain pen, a habit he has when he’s thinking.

‘An idea for content is forming.’

He didn’t want to miss this opportunity. The justification was also good.

The format of the broadcast was already forming in his mind.

‘Who is this “archer”?’ would be a natural starting point.

But it felt a bit lacking, even though it was natural.

He wanted to know more.

It felt a bit flat.

“Lacks the kick.”

The feeling wasn’t quite right.

Park Sung-tae started stroking his well-maintained beard as if tearing it out.

“Ah...!”

A moment later, he seemed to have an idea and started writing quickly in his notebook.

* * *

[Oh, Balloon Gum is hilarious 😂😂😂]

[His face when all three shots were deflected 😂😂😂]

[Balloon Gum is always funny, even when he’s just standing there 😂😂😂]

[Balloon Gum’s sniping.gif]

[The talent gap between Balloon Gum and Almond is heartbreaking...]

As Sang-hyun scrolled through the community reactions, he smiled.

‘The reactions are really coming in.’

Not only on Balloon Gum’s fan page, but also on other communities, the mentions were starting to trickle in.

‘I’m being mentioned alongside Balloon Gum.’

Balloon Gum, a streamer with ten years of experience.

Currently, the top streamer on Trivi and one of the highest-paid in the country.

He wasn’t always successful. Like everyone else.

No, he was even less successful than most.

He wasn’t good at anything.

He wasn’t good at any games, despite playing many.

All he had was a bit of humor and a friendly image, which anyone could have.

Even that wasn’t unique.

If he had one unique trait, it was his perseverance.

Lacking both skill and other outstanding talents, the reason he survived in this market was solely due to his perseverance, diligence, and responsibility.

A neighborhood big brother who never disappoints.

Even if he seems silly most of the time, he’s the kind of person who would rush to your aid if you were in trouble.

That’s who Balloon Gum truly is.

So what if he’s not good at games?

After school, he’s always there at the playground, a friendly neighborhood big brother.

He brings back the nostalgic feeling of a happy childhood with grandma.

That’s the kind of big brother he is.

If such a big brother is there to cheer you on when you’re struggling and laugh with you when you’re happy, that’s enough to make you happy.

No, maybe that’s the true joy of life.

Sang-hyun respected Balloon Gum for that. (Of course, not for his skills.) And he enjoyed his broadcasts.

Being mentioned alongside him was significant to Sang-hyun.

“Wow, that’s amazing. You really like this celebrity.”

Joo-hyuk, who was eating next to him, casually commented.

“Celebrity... no, honestly.”

“He’s a celebrity. Real-time 50,000 viewers, you know. Wow, how much does he make?”

“He’s surprisingly frugal. He has two kids, and he invests a lot in them.”

“...”

Joo-hyuk was momentarily taken aback by the information.

“Anyway, the video is really well-made. That’s why it’s becoming an issue again.”

It seems he also liked the AllTube video made by Seo Ji-a. He was repeatedly watching a scene.

The scene where Balloon Gum and Almond meet.

“Ji-a is the best, no doubt about it.”

Joo-hyuk nodded strongly.

He immediately started talking about the views, thinking this was the right time.

“The views have already surpassed 80,000. It’s only been about 5 hours, so it might break the record.”

“What record?”

“The record is 200,000 views in 24 hours. For our channel, it will likely reach 300,000.”

“Really?”

Sang-hyun gave a casual response and continued reading the community reactions. But as he read, his face gradually hardened.

His initially cheerful smile slowly faded.

Of course, not all community posts are positive.

[Balloon Gum thinks he’s talented just because he’s good at one thing? 😂😂😂 40 million citizens are all talented!]

[Almond, what? 😂 Talented? 😂 He’s only played two matches.]

[The day has come when people praise Stones. Damn.]

[These guys are creating a religion, which is disgusting.]

[Almond 😂 Competing with Electromagnetic? 😂]

[Stop it, you guys. Almond is just Stones.]

[Electromagnetic reached Diamond in a month. Almond can’t do it.]

...

Swish.

Joo-hyuk’s hand appeared on the screen.

“Hey, why are you reading all this? They’re just trying to bring you down.”

Joo-hyuk had already seen all the reactions related to Almond. He knew what kind of posts were up.

“I know.”

“Then why are you reading them?”

“This is all part of my battle strength.”

“...?”

“I don’t have a family, so even if they insult my family, it’s just whatever.”

Joo-hyuk finally realized the mental strength of a former professional archer.

Honestly, it was a bit scary.

It made sense why Manager Park disliked Yoo Sang-hyun so much.

Simple criticism and hostility had no effect on him.

Maybe Manager Park was actually afraid of Yoo Sang-hyun!

“Anyway, the problem is that I don’t have a rank yet.”

“Of course not. You’ve only played two matches.”

“I need to increase my streaming hours. No matter how intriguing the concept is.”

“How many matches a day?”

Virtual reality games are incredibly draining, especially for Sang-hyun. Joo-hyuk had even looked into hospitals because of this issue.

He didn’t really want to suggest it.

“Isn’t that pushing it?”

“Pushing it is Stones’ genius concept that’s pushing it.”

“Hmm... I agree.”

Sang-hyun finished his kimchi stew, got up, and immediately sat at the computer to watch strategy videos.

“At least until I reach Diamond, I’ll increase the number of matches.”

Despite his calm appearance, Sang-hyun was burning inside.

Quietly burning.

All the insults and dismissals had ignited his competitive spirit.

And an event that poured fuel on the fire occurred.

“Hey? Hey, I got an email on my account!”

Joo-hyuk, who was checking his emails as usual, shouted.

“What email?”

“Balloon Gum’s manager.”

“!”

Thud.

Sang-hyun’s chair wobbled as he turned around sharply.

“What does it say?”

“It’s a content proposal.”

[Hello, I’m Park Sung-tae, the manager of streamer Balloon Gum.]

The email, which started with this title, contained the following content.

“Extreme talent showdown... Balloon Gum rescue project...”

The extreme difference in talent.

A comparison between a favored and a despised child of God.

A content where one side teaches and rescues the other.

In short, a ‘tutoring content.’

“Oh, so you’ll be teaching Balloon Gum?”

“Yeah?”

Sang-hyun’s face lit up.

But Joo-hyuk held up his palm, as if to say it was too early to get excited.

“Ah, but there’s a condition. They want to do it after you reach Diamond rank.”

“Diamond?”

Sang-hyun hesitated for a moment.

The Diamond rank is not easy.

“Of course, if you don’t want to...”

“No! I’ll do it.”

Sang-hyun quickly changed his mind.

Just because it’s not easy doesn’t mean he won’t do it.

Absolutely not.

He felt a burning passion he hadn’t felt in a long time.

“I’m going for Diamond anyway. What’s the point of waiting?”

* * *

3:00 PM.

Just as the video uploaded by Ji-a was breaking 130,000 views.

Suddenly, a Trivi live streaming notification rang out.

[Almond has started streaming!]

Ding.

An alert that any viewer who had set up notifications for Almond’s channel would receive.

-??

-3:00 PM?

-It’s been a while since he streamed at this time.

-What’s up?

Most viewers came in, puzzled.

The number of viewers was naturally less than 1,000.

Most of his audience were people with jobs or studies.

The only ones who could spare time at this awkward hour were the so-called ‘0-gun’ people.

[Current Viewers: 891]

Still, the fact that nearly 1,000 people gathered shows how solid Almond’s fan base is.

-Is this an accident?

-Yeah, Almond could do that.

-Please change the capsule, sir.

-Sponsor him.

While everyone was chatting, wondering if it was an accident,

Static.

The screen filled with noise, and the intro music started.

-Really?

-OMG

-Unexpected time! 😂

-Oh, sweet!

-This is why I didn’t get a job, lol.

Ping!

Almond’s face appeared in a corner of the screen, smiling.

“Hey there!”

As he greeted, the chat window flooded with messages.

-Hi!

-Hello!

-Hello!

-Bro, why are you here so early?

-Hi, I missed you 😭

-Wow, I skipped school to watch your stream, lol.

-What’s up? Hello!

-What a great deal.

-No loss in life.

-Forbes’ most valuable 3 PM.

-Why are you here so early? What’s up today? 😂

Amidst the greetings, there were questions about why he was streaming so early.

The answer came quickly, along with a bombshell statement.

“I’m going for Diamond today.”

-????

-What?

-LOL, bombshell!

-Unexpected goal!

-Is Almond going to die?

-Is this the end?!

“Not Almond, but Diamond rank. I’m aiming for it. It’ll take... about two weeks.”

Two weeks.

The record set by Electromagnetic, one of the best players, was one month.

Almond, a rookie who had only played two matches, was declaring he would break that record by a factor of two.