Chapter 68

### Chapter 68 of "The Genius Archer's Streaming Season 1"

#### Chapter 24: Disassembly Analyzer (3)

"Ah, no... that's..."

Director Oh was so impressed that he clapped his hands.

"What is it? Wow..."

It was clearly archery, something often seen during the Olympic season, a familiar scene for Koreans.

Thud!

But when each arrow hit the bullseye as if it belonged there, it felt different.

'This is a genius...'

He had heard from Kim Joo-hyuk before that Yoo Sang-hyun was a genius in archery. He didn't doubt it. Winning the youngest championship in the national tournament certainly made him a genius.

Winning the youngest championship in the Math Olympiad also made one a genius.

But did ordinary people attach much significance to it?

Was it widely publicized in the news?

Most of the time, it was just a brief mention, and they were seen as just smart kids whose brains developed quickly.

Many of them even became less intelligent as adults.

The same went for sports geniuses.

At some point, their talent would fade, and they would become ordinary athletes.

Unconsciously, Director Oh had placed Sang-hyun in the same category.

It wasn't that Director Oh was pessimistic. Anyone with some life experience would think the same way, based on the data they had.

But Sang-hyun was an exception to that data.

An outlier.

An irregular.

A being that transcended the realm of ordinary thinking.

"That's a real genius."

He is a real genius.

The director's voice, filled with admiration, could be heard.

"Ah... no, this isn't right? It should be too realistic, and the game player should be struggling to adapt... That's the kind of scene we need. Oh..."

"Was that the advertising strategy?"

"Yes. The system is much more realistic than other game environments! To emphasize that, the player who is good at the game should be bad at it!"

"Ah. What can we do? It's a failure."

When Director Oh jokingly teased him, he shook his head.

"Damn. What is this..."

But Director Oh, who knew the director's personality well, could see that he was impressed.

'The director seems to like it.'

The director was also captivated by the streamer, Almond.

His eyes, which should have been scanning the entire broadcast screen, were now fixed on Almond.

He seemed genuinely interested.

"But strangely, the broadcast is doing well. Huh..."

Despite ruining the plot he had prepared, the strange presence that made the broadcast successful.

The director, running his fingers through his graying hair, muttered to himself.

"After this, maybe we should consider other broadcasts..."

To which Director Oh replied with a bright smile.

"Who would do it?"

* * *

While everyone was fixated on Almond, marveling at his performance, Joo-hyuk wasn't watching him.

He had immediately confirmed it when he saw the first arrow.

'Of course, it will be a perfect 10.'

As a manager, he thought it would be better to read the community reactions.

"Let's see..."

With a murmur like an old man, he scrolled through the comments.

[Real-time: Almond is possessed by a real archer lol]

[No, even if you're good at shooting arrows in a game, real archery is a different story, right? It's a pro's game.]

[Exactly lol]

At this point, the comments were like this.

[Why bring someone good at the game to shoot real arrows?]

Joo-hyuk agreed.

He hadn't been informed about this surprise test. The phrase "those broadcasting guys..." wasn't just a saying. It was a reminder of their unpredictable nature.

But he was lucky.

'Actually, this is right up my alley.'

The surprise test they had prepared was essentially a surprise birthday party for Almond.

It was like setting up a feast with seven or nine courses, ready to serve him.

When the archery set appeared, Joo-hyuk had to work hard to keep his mouth from dropping open in amazement.

Thud!

One by one, Almond's arrows hit the bullseye.

'Of course. Here it comes.'

The community would start reacting soon.

[What is this???]

[Man, it's exactly like real life, isn't it?]

[Fantasya's marketing is a complete failure! lol]

[Why is someone good at shooting arrows in the game also good at shooting arrows in real life?]

[We want to say, "Our virtual reality is different!" but Almond's skills are the same lol]

[Wow... but it's so realistic that it's being discussed in the National Assembly. Is he really that good at archery?]

[Fantasya's claims are all lies lol]

Some saw it as a marketing failure, while others believed Almond's archery skills were truly exceptional.

Regardless, the comment generation speed skyrocketed, and it drew a lot of attention.

[Current viewers: 52,000]

A large number of viewers gathered, not tarnishing Fantasya's channel reputation.

Thud!

When the last arrow hit the bullseye, the set collapsed.

[Fantasya is so predictable lol]

[No, what? Is this it?]

[Wow, Almond is on another level lol]

[How many times will Fantasya get owned by Almond?]

[From what I see, Almond must have shorted Fantasya's stock]

Yoo Hae-yeon quickly tried to cover up.

"Everyone, the test we just did was just for fun, right?"

She wanted to move on to the next test quickly.

Unlike the flustered staff, Joo-hyuk's lips curled into a smile.

'Good job, Almond.'

Now, if he just does well in the next test, it will be perfect.

The next test isn't related to archery. It's a test where Almond doesn't have an obvious advantage.

But Joo-hyuk knew.

'He'll do well.'

He knew Almond's training tutorial scores and had analyzed his Mad Movie multiple times. He knew Almond's skills better than anyone.

In reality, Yoo Sang-hyun's talent was clearly in archery.

But in the game, Almond was more than just that.

He had something extra.

"The next test is 'Survive!'"

- Wow!

- lol

- Oh, this again? lol It's so much fun

- Oh, this for Almond?

- Isn't this the one that Electromagnetic Wave did a long time ago?

- Wow lol, he's really a game master!

* * *

The test called 'Survive!'

Sang-hyun had been informed about this test beforehand.

'Is this the one that Electromagnetic Wave set a record in?'

Sang-hyun looked around the suddenly changed virtual space.

An empty training area, surrounded by various weapons.

'I wish I could shoot more. It's a bit disappointing.'

He was a bit sad that the archery set had disappeared.

But the test was more important, so Sang-hyun checked his surroundings carefully.

He saw strange cannon-like objects in the distance, both on the ground and in the air.

They would likely shoot knives or axes.

There were many other traps waiting. However, all the traps and attacks had some warning signs.

Sounds of firing, color changes, and so on.

The types would vary, but there would be some kind of prelude.

He had to avoid all of these and survive as long as possible.

"Mr. Almond! How do you feel? Can you sense that the hyper-realistic virtual space mode has ended?"

Yoo Hae-yeon asked.

It seemed like a question for the advertisement, but it wasn't meaningless.

Sang-hyun looked at his right hand and thought.

'Sure, it feels more like a game now.'

The complete realism from before was gone. It was now the quality of the capsule game he was familiar with.

After experiencing something much better, it felt very different.

In a less pleasant way.

"Yes. It feels more like a game now. Compared to before."

"Right? When you watch CG movies from when you were young as an adult, they can be embarrassingly bad. The gap between Fantasya's hyper-realistic virtual space and this is like that!"

The viewers reacted to the overly promotional comment.

- What? You're lying! This is just an ad!

- lol, it's so awkward...

- lol, ad out!

- Just show the ad during the ad break, Fantasya!

- But looking at Almond's face, it does seem different lol

- Even the roughly implemented graphics are a different class.

"Alright, the gap is the gap! Anyway, now we're starting the infamous test, 'Survive!' Are you ready?"

Holding the microphone, Almond thought for a moment.

He wasn't sure if he should be honest.

"Should I say it as it is?"

"Of course!"

"It should be easy."

"!?"

Yoo Hae-yeon's surprised expression and the viewers' amused comments appeared.

- lol

- As expected, Almond

- Wow, he's a provocateur lol

- Confidence is his one tool lol

- This is Almond!

Usually, someone would say, "I'll do my best!"

Especially considering Electromagnetic Wave's record, the standard response would be, "I'm not as good as Electromagnetic Wave, but I'll do my best!"

But to hear such a response...

The viewers' interest was palpable.

Yoo Hae-yeon, licking her dry lips, asked another question.

"Do you know about the 'Survive!' test?"

"Yes, of course... You told me to watch it."

- Yoo Hae-yeon: No, what if I said that!

- lol

- Broadcast destroyer lol

- Ouch lol

- Are you deceiving the viewers, Fantasya!?

- Almond is intentionally messing with Hae-yeon lol

Yoo Hae-yeon looked flustered.

"Ahahaha!"

She used her characteristic exaggerated laugh to defuse the situation.

"Mr. Almond, have you seen Electromagnetic Wave's video?"

"Yes."

"Seeing that, you thought it would be easy. Is that what you mean?"

- Pushing it lol

- Yoo Hae-yeon is baiting him.

- Fishing lol

- Yoo Hae-yeon, the fishing king

- Yoo Hae-yeon's desired answer: Electromagnetic Wave is trash

- lol, broadcast genius

- Honestly, their banter is more entertaining than the test

- Broadcast genius vs archery genius

Yoo Hae-yeon swallowed hard.

Challenging Electromagnetic Wave's record was a nerve-wracking task.

Surely he wouldn't say that?

Yoo Hae-yeon expected Sang-hyun to back down.

But?

"Yes. I think I'll score higher than that."

Dun dun!

It felt like a dramatic sound effect had just played.

- Wow lol

- Trash talk master

- !! Did he really say it?

- Wow lol

- ???: I win the gold for being the trash

- Haha lol

- Yoo Hae-yeon is flustered

- Saying the obvious answer made the questioner flustered lol

- The fish bit the bait and the line broke!

- The fish is confident!

"Wow... that's a lot of confidence. Let's start then! 'Survive!' Test! On!!!"

Whoosh.

All the lights went out.

Yoo Hae-yeon's avatar flew up into the sky.

Almond's avatar was the only one left.

In the pitch-black darkness, the only thing visible to him was this text.

[The test will start in 5 seconds.]

[5]

[4]

.

.

.

[1]

Flash!

The bright lights came back on.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, fierce axes started flying from a distance.