Chapter 95 of "The Genius Archer's Streaming Season 1"

33. Two Rabbits (2)

"Wow, farming the hospital isn't bad at all."

After farming the entire third floor, Almond's bag was stuffed with painkillers, bandages, and other supplies. He even managed to get two first aid kits. With this, he could recover to 100% HP even if he was down to 1%.

Perhaps the ease with which he could farm like this was all thanks to the snipers.

"This is all thanks to the snipers. Thank you."

He grinned.

The viewers watching the stream burst into laughter.

- Haha, what a jerk.

- I have to watch this again.

- Jia God will edit it anyway. Haha.

- Seriously, don't you know it'll already be all over the community as a clip? Oh, are you on Internet OneDay?

- Haha.

Almond could easily imagine the faces of the malicious snipers, who were now seething with rage.

Almond smiled, satisfied with the reaction.

This round feels really good.

"Most importantly..."

He pulled out a large bow from behind his back.

[Recurve Bow]

"Finding a bow is great."

While bows are quite common weapons, it was hard to find one in a hospital, which is mainly stocked with medical supplies. He was lucky.

* * *

At first, people were skeptical.

Almond, playing strategically? The guy who had always charged straight ahead?

Almond, playing strategically?

It seemed impossible.

After all, all the skills Almond had shown so far were physical.

- He'll probably lose his patience and charge.

- Really, can Almond hold back?

- No way, he always charged headfirst. Haha.

Strategy and physical prowess are very different talents.

To play strategically, one needs a lot of patience.

But Almond's playstyle had always been the opposite. He would kill everything he saw, which is why the viewers loved him.

His personality was not one to hold back.

So when Almond said he would fortify the rooftop, most people thought he would shoot everyone who passed by.

Thud. Thud.

The first victim appeared. A player was just walking by from a distance.

He had no intention of coming to the hospital and was just looking for a place to hide in preparation for the next blue zone.

Thud. Thud.

He kept walking and eventually disappeared from view.

- No way, he really didn't shoot!

- Haha.

- Has he grown? Almond!

- No way.

For about a minute, Almond didn't move at all as the player wandered in and out of his field of vision.

He stood still like a statue, bowstring drawn, ready to shoot if the player came closer.

The player didn't come to the hospital, so Almond didn't shoot.

Avoiding unnecessary fights is the basic principle of survival.

Almond, perhaps a bit late, was now adhering to this principle.

'Sigh.'

Almond felt relieved.

He found it hard to suppress the urge to shoot and increase his kill count.

If he had shot, he could have killed the player. With a bow, the player would have died silently.

But if there were other players around, they would have immediately known someone was at the hospital.

It was exposing himself to unnecessary danger.

Moreover, Almond had already secured plenty of medical supplies.

Medical supplies are advantageous in the late game. With a lot of medical supplies, one should play for the future.

So there was no reason to kill, and he didn't.

Almond was now playing based on strategy.

He had moved from a reckless beginner who relied solely on physical prowess to a seasoned veteran.

After that, a few more players passed by, and Almond didn't shoot.

Even without shooting, the number of players kept decreasing.

[66/100]

Already 34 players had died.

Among them, Almond had killed 0.

[30 seconds later, the blue zone will shrink!]

He checked his next move calmly.

The blue circle that would shrink still included the hospital, but it was at the edge.

While it was possible to stay at the hospital, Almond knew he needed to move.

Most high-ranking players wouldn't choose to stay at the edge.

"This time, I need to move."

He now considered not just the current blue zone but the next and the one after that.

* * *

At that moment.

The snipers who had been eliminated in the armory chaos returned to the community and started ranting.

[Damn cowardly nutcase. Too scared to come to the armory!?]

[Oh! Suddenly changing tactics? What a lunatic.]

[Playing the game so poorly.]

Juhyeok, scrolling through the posts, smiled in satisfaction.

He then commented on each whining post.

- Extreme praise.

Being called a coward and playing poorly are all extreme praise to gamers.

No gamer would feel bad about hearing such things from an enemy.

They know it, but in their anger, they can't help but parrot the praise like parrots.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Juhyeok clapped happily.

"You're doing well, Almond. Just like we practiced."

He flipped to the next page of his notebook, which was filled with notes.

The next page was also densely packed with notes, surprisingly not a budget but all about battle royale farming strategies.

'This game is harder than I thought.'

Juhyeok, who had initially underestimated the game's strategy, only gained respect for gamers after experiencing the headache of planning.

It felt easy to consider just one player's route, but this game involves 100 players, all of whom are skilled.

Considering all that, the complexity of the strategy skyrockets.

It wasn't something that could be figured out in one go with an average mind.

Juhyeok and Sanghyun had to brainstorm and think hard every day to come up with a strategic play route that could be used just once or twice.

It was impossible to do it multiple times, and there was no need. They just needed to get to Diamond.

And now it was working.

"The next move after the hospital is..."

Juhyeok checked his notebook.

He looked at the routes that branched out from the hospital based on the blue zone's position.

Considering the current blue zone's location, there was only one place Almond needed to go.

'Cliff Forest...'

* * *

Thud.

As Almond's foot crossed a boundary, this text appeared in the air.

[Cliff Forest]

This text indicated that he was now in the Cliff Forest.

The Cliff Forest is, as the name suggests, a forest filled with sheer cliffs.

This area is quite large, and if the blue zone settles here, it's highly likely to be the final stage.

'Of course, the key will be to go up the cliff.'

Almond looked up at the cliff, which was dizzying just to look at.

The breathtaking scenery visible through the dense leaves of the forest.

The white rock was carved, forming a sharp, spiky landscape.

It looked like a strategic high ground. There was no room for anyone else to stand besides one person, and it offered a clear view of the forest below.

There couldn't be a more advantageous terrain.

Moreover, there was even a legendary box up there.

If he climbed up, he would almost certainly win.

The problem was that all 100 players knew this.

'If I climb up, I'll definitely be ambushed.'

While the high ground would make him the strongest, the climb would leave him vulnerable.

He would have to climb while exposing his back to all the enemies.

It was a crazy gamble.

An extreme gamble that sometimes pays off. Many players can't forget the thrill and try again.

These are called climbing players, and many other players hunt them.

Most of them hide in the dense foliage and aim their guns at the cliff. When someone naively tries to climb, they shoot.

Juhyeok and Almond had devised a tactic for the Cliff Forest map.

'Target the players who target the climbers.'

A step further, targeting the players who aim their guns at the cliff.

They had identified several optimal locations for this strategy.

There were quite large trees among the dense forest, like those in the Amazon.

Almond would climb these trees instead of the cliff.

It was much shorter and quicker to climb, and from the height, he could clearly see the players aiming at the cliff.

Meanwhile, they wouldn't see him, hidden by the leaves.

This was a strategy only Almond could use.

It couldn't be done with guns because the noise would give him away. Even if the leaves hid him, the sound would be enough for players at this rating to hit him.

The only drawback was that it was hard to target the climbing players, but other players would take care of them.

However,

Thud. Thud.

Someone was walking towards the tree Almond had marked.

"!"

Almond instantly flinched and hid.

'Can't avoid a fight now.'

No matter how strategic he wanted to play,

[51/100]

With half the players dead, this was likely the final stage to determine the winner.

Moreover, he couldn't give up the tree. If he did, his carefully prepared strategy would fail.

Squeak—

The bowstring was pulled taut.

Almond was ready to fire his first arrow of the day.

- Finally shooting, Almond!? Finally shooting, Almond!? Finally shooting, Almond!? Finally shooting, Almond!? Finally shooting, Almond!? Finally shooting, Almond!?

- First shot in the game. Haha.

- Wow, it's been so long. 50 players out and the first shot!

The viewers were eagerly anticipating.

This would be the first fight in the Diamond promotion match.

"!?"

But he had to release the bowstring again.

'Another one?'

It wasn't just one person approaching.

There were two, one on each side of the large tree.

The thick tree blocked their view of each other, but Almond was exposed to both of their lines of sight.

If he shot an arrow, even if he fired quickly, the other enemy would spot him and shoot while he was adjusting his aim.

Even if the bow was silent, he couldn't hide from their eyes.

Moreover, both had helmets. They wouldn't die in one shot. Almond had no helmet or armor. If both targeted him, it would be over.

The situation was very unfavorable.

It wasn't that Almond had made a mistake.

It was just bad luck. In a survival game with 100 players, sometimes you end up in a bad situation due to luck.

That's why winning is so hard.

- Time to make a choice!

- Two on each side. Not a perfect angle, but it's good to see them.

- Where to shoot first? Haha.

- Can't they just fight each other if I wait?

- They might come here. Need to shoot.

- If they both charge straight here, it's over.

At this moment, Almond made his decision.

He loaded two arrows on the bowstring.

He pulled the bowstring taut.

Squeak.

A moment of tension passed.

At an unusual shooting point, Almond's bow wavered slightly as he considered.

Bang!

The two arrows flew quickly.

Thud!

Thud!

Each arrow hit the heads of the two approaching players.

- ?????

- No way, damn it!?

- What just happened!?

- Double shot, damn it.

- Incredible skill...

"Ugh!"

"Huh?"

Both players' heads were jerked back simultaneously.

'That guy?!'

'There.'

Both spotted Almond and aimed their guns. They pulled the triggers.

Rat-tat-tat!

Blood splattered from Almond's body.

At the same time,

Whoosh—

Two more arrows were fired.

Thud!

Thud!

The two arrows hit the heads of the two players again.

[Almond → Frogman]

[Eliminated!]

[49/100]

[Almond → Ugaga]

[Double Kill!]

[48/100]

The two players' bodies crumpled to the ground.

It was the first successful double shot.

And it was the first arrow he had fired in the game.

The incredible play triggered a massive wave of donations.

[Sunna... donated a whopping '100,000 won'!]

[Bakana... I can't believe it.]

[Frogman... donated a whopping '100,000 won'!]

[Trailing... really.]

[Lie!... donated a whopping '500,000 won'!]

[Is this real?!]