Chapter 76 of Genius Archer's Streaming Season 1

27. Toward the Diamond (2)

To reach the Flare 2 promotion match, he had to win about 12 rounds in total.

Winning here means placing in the top 10. If calculated as first place, winning 4 rounds would be enough.

It was unrealistic to complete 12 rounds in one day, but 4 rounds were possible.

‘I’ll sail smoothly until the promotion match.’

Almond was confident.

Just as he had done until now, he would not miss a single first place and continue with a four-match winning streak.

[RubySword has sponsored 10,000 won!]

[Mission: Reach the Flare 2 promotion match today without any issues for 100,000 won]

Thanks to the sponsorship from the long-time viewer RubySword, today’s goal became even clearer.

“Thank you, RubySword. 100,000 won.”

- Haha, 100,000 won already

- It’s only 10,000 won, though?

- Haha

- Almond, back in the day, 100,000 won would have made you stick an arrow in your head and commit suicide...

“Starting with a rich sponsorship and mission. Thank you. Let’s go──”

The Battle Royale was about to start, and he was ready to give it a shot.

Dun dun dun!

With the sound effect of a 100,000 won sponsorship, another sponsorship came in.

[OnionJuice has sponsored 100,000 won!]

[Bro, spill some tea! Yoo Hyeon is pretty in real life?!]

‘Hmm?’

He had never received a sponsorship like this before.

It was the first time someone asked him to share some gossip.

Until now, Almond had been a streamer who focused solely on games.

“Pretty? Extremely.”

- Bro, more tea, please! Haha

- Almond: 100,000 won! I can feel the sincerity!

- Spill some tea today!

- Tell us about the medical check-up with Yoo Hyeon too! Haha

“I saw her in person and then watched her on screen later. She looks a bit prettier in real life, but the difference is minimal. It’s hard to comment on the doctor since they’re a regular person...”

Most of his viewers came to watch the games.

But the atmosphere was strange today.

Was it because of the big event that just happened, or had the viewer base changed...?

They seemed to want him to talk more about what happened yesterday.

[OhSoi has sponsored 10,000 won!]

[How did you feel when the electromagnetic wave record tied?]

[Fourman has sponsored 1,000 won.]

[Why were you carried away at the end? What did the doctor say?!]

These sponsorships suddenly flooded in.

‘Well, it was a pretty big deal, so it’s strange to just let it pass, right?’

He had tied the electromagnetic wave record. This was a significant event in the industry.

The Flare placement could be dismissed as the electromagnetic wave not performing at its best, but the Survive Test was a different story.

- What? What does it mean to tie with the electromagnetic wave?

- What happened...

- I’m the only one who doesn’t know. Am I the only one who’s out of the loop?!

Viewers who only watched Almond’s streams were unaware of the issue and couldn’t follow along.

‘I guess it’s a good time to share some stories.’

BalloonGum’s streams always started with a ‘Just Chatting’ session.

A time to chat casually with viewers about recent events and catch up.

With 8,000 viewers, Almond might need such a session too.

“Um... Thank you, OhSoi. When the tie happened, I thought it was rigged and grabbed my manager by the collar.”

- Haha, that’s hilarious

- Crazy

- Ah, TMI, haha

- So honest, haha

- Yeah, it did feel like a rig.

- Collar, haha, crazy

- Hello, I’m Manager Kim Joo-hyuk. He really did grab me by the collar.

“Ah. Joo-hyuk. Ban Joo-hyuk.”

- Joo-hyuk banned Joo-hyuk, haha

- Crazy, haha

- Really, it seems.

- Real appearance.

Bang!

Then the capsule shook.

“Oh... Joo-hyuk actually lives with me. He just hit the capsule.”

- Haha, I can’t believe it

- Was he really the manager? And he really hit the capsule?

- Really grabbed by the collar, haha

- Ridiculous

- Would you rig it out of fear!? That’s too much, Mr. Almond!!

“But it wasn’t rigged. The engineer explained that while it was strange, the result was not due to any interference.”

- Oh, I see.

- Well, Fantasia isn’t some hole-in-the-wall shop, haha

- In this era, what rigging? Not like the old three major broadcasters, haha

- Yeah, haha

“That’s right. Fantasia wouldn’t advertise their own product by rigging it. And if they were going to rig it, they would have made me survive 0.00001 seconds longer than the electromagnetic wave.”

- Yeah, haha

- Agreed

- Haha, that’s true

- Almond’s inner thoughts: Rig it

Various reactions from the viewers popped up in real-time.

“I’ve never asked for a rig. What are you talking about?”

- Haha

- Haha

- Haha

- Sorry... haha

They say that when celebrities first become famous, they enjoy reading comments about themselves.

Streamers experience this in real-time.

Especially with 8,000 viewers, the number of comments is enormous.

‘It’s kind of fun.’

One of the fun things that comes with having more viewers.

Of course, there are downsides, but the benefits are also immense.

- Sir, medical check-up! Tell us!

- Answer the other sponsorships too, haha

- ??? : Ah, 1,000 won isn’t sincere, right? Haha

- 1,000 won? Haha!

Almond remembered there were other sponsorships.

“Ah. Thank you, Fourman. I saw it too late. I was carried away at the end because I have a weak constitution for the capsule.”

- Is there such a constitution?

- Solar type, lesser yin type, something like that?

- Really? Haha

- Wow ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

- I’m worried, bro.

“It’s not that serious. I just don’t play games for too long.”

- Wow

- Reaction shots are essential.

- Isn’t it a poison to streamers?

“They say regular exercise will help.”

This was a lie.

The doctor never said it would improve. They just said that regular exercise and a good diet were the ‘best’ options.

‘It will get better.’

This was just Almond’s hope.

He liked this job. Communicating with people who liked him and enjoying archery in the game.

There was no better job for the current Yoo Sang-hyun.

He wanted to do it for a long time without any issues.

[Ohden has sponsored 2,000 won.]

[Honestly, I’m more talented than the electromagnetic wave. Yes or No]

“Um. Talent is a vague concept, so I’ll just say No. I think everything is about results.”

- Wow

- Modest!

- This is a trap card if you choose Yes. Haha

- Really, even if it’s Yes, how do you choose it? Haha

- It’s a trap question!

[PopPopPop has sponsored 2,000 won.]

[Honestly, I don’t know much about the electromagnetic wave!]

It was a direct question.

In fact, he didn’t know much about the electromagnetic wave.

He had only watched a few videos recently to prepare for the ‘Survive Test’.

He was indeed impressive.

“I’ve heard the name, but I haven’t been interested in virtual reality games for long, so I don’t know much. I’m trying to learn more recently. But he doesn’t talk much in his streams?”

- Yeah, the electromagnetic wave’s voice is a complex, they say.

- It’s part of his character, haha

- But he talks in interviews

- I like his voice

- Haha, not a voice women would like.

- He says it’s a complex, though.

I see. I didn’t know about that.

[ChillNorth has sponsored 1,000 won.]

[Honestly, I see the electromagnetic wave as a loser. Yes or No]

- Haha, that’s hilarious

- Haha

- Crazy

- So funny

- What a sudden change, haha

A sudden sponsorship. This kind of sponsorship was on the edge, but it was fun.

However, if left unchecked, it would definitely cause trouble in the future. Once a line is crossed, it keeps retreating.

Almond dealt with it without hesitation, as he had learned.

“Joo-hyuk. Ban this guy.”

- Crazy, paid ban

- Haha

- 2,000 won and banned

- No mercy!

In fact, Almond studied more about how to lead a stream by watching BalloonGum than about the game itself.

He knew the essence was the stream, not the game.

Most importantly, he was already good at the game.

[AwakeCitizen has sponsored 1,000 won.]

[Right-wing or left-wing]

“Ban this one too!”

* * *

A dark room.

A cold voice murmured.

“How long are you going to keep talking?”

It was a woman’s icy voice. Did she hear it?

[Now, let’s start the game.]

After a long chat, Almond finally started the game.

And he swept through to the Flare 2 promotion match.

He missed first place once, but that was due to bad luck and not finding any bows.

The rest of the rounds, he naturally took first place, successfully reaching the promotion match in one day.

[That’s it for today’s broadcast. I’ll continue the promotion match tomorrow.]

“...”

The woman turned off the TV without a word.

She wheeled out of the room.

The room was empty again until the next day at 3 PM.

The TV played Almond’s stream again.

[Today is the Flare 2 promotion match. First place means promotion, so I’ll try to go as fast as possible.]

Thump thump.

Someone was walking. An elderly man.

“Miss, are you watching again today?”

“...Yes.”

The answer from the wheelchair was simple.

Her gaze was fixed on the TV.

The elderly man’s gaze also turned to the screen.

[Thank you for the mission again, RubySword!]

It was a personal stream.

The elderly man seemed used to it and didn’t seem bothered.

“Is this person on your mind lately?”

“Yes.”

“I know who it is. Almond, right?”

Zing.

The woman’s eyes fiercely glared at the elderly man.

She seemed uncomfortable that the elderly man knew who it was.

The question that followed was sharp.

“Do you think what people say about him is true?”

“People? About catching up to the electromagnetic wave?”

Hehe.

The elderly man, called the butler, laughed.

“Such a level of fame isn’t easily caught up in a moment, Miss. Even if the record was reversed.”

“The record was actually reversed.”

The woman, still staring at the screen, spoke.

In the screen, Almond was starting the Battle Royale, saying he would continue his journey toward the Diamond.

“It’s just a tie, isn’t it?”

“It’s not a tie. The VNS score was defeated, and the Battle Royale placement was after the test. Two records were broken.”

“Didn’t you say it was a tie? The VNS score is meaningless as a consolation.”

The woman was silent.

She seemed calm, but the butler could sense something burning in her eyes.

“...Does that bother you more?”

“Yes.”

The woman nodded.

“He seems relaxed. He could break the ‘real record’ anytime.”

“There have always been many ambitious newcomers. Miss, do you remember any of their names now?”

“...”

The woman shook her head.

Yes. Not a single name came to mind.

Newcomers usually don’t last a year in this industry.

“I’m not worried.”

“Then that’s settled.”

Hehe.

The butler laughed and left to attend to his duties.

The room was left with only the woman and the man on the screen.

After a long chat, the man was now jumping into the survival island.

Whoosh──

His destination was the armory.

It was a strategy he had used from the test to before today’s promotion match. And it had always worked.

The strategy itself was simple, but it relied on Almond’s unique physical abilities.

If things went as planned, he would take first place again.

As he always did.

‘Will it work this time?’

But doubt crept into the woman’s eyes.

‘It’s different now.’

The promotion match was different from regular games.

Especially for a streamer.