The Genius Archer's Streaming Season 1 Episode 5
2. Let's Play the Game (2)
Viewers mocking him as he chose the bow.
-1st run bow challenge ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-This is why newbies are fun
-Hahh... I can smell the capsaicin from here.
Rather than feeling bad, he was satisfied.
'I have to use the bow anyway, and the reaction is good too.'
Sanghyeon was going to use only the bow even if he died, so with this kind of reaction, there was even less reason not to use it.
[You have selected the bow.]
A message floated up, and the game resumed.
'But the bow is hanging over there, so what do I do?'
The problem was the bow's location. He was told to grab the one strapped to a veteran mercenary's back, but wasn't that someone else's property?
Sanghyeon's question was quickly resolved.
"...ick it up!"
The moment the veteran mercenary, who had stopped in the game's progression, shouted!
Puh-ung!
The veteran mercenary's head was pierced by a spear.
"Ugh...!"
Pushut!
Crimson blood sprayed directly, dyeing Sanghyeon's vision pink.
'Whoa....'
Sanghyeon was so stunned he couldn't move for a moment.
-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ The newbie is cute.
-Guess he didn't expect a sudden death.
-You killed him, you did!
-This is what happens when you pick the bow.
The viewers teased him relentlessly seeing that sight. Though only five in number, their chat firepower was at the level of 50 people.
'So this is how the story progresses when you pick the bow.'
While Sanghyeon was grasping the situation, the bandit who killed the veteran fell.
Chwaak!
"Rookie! Snap out of it!"
[Mercenary Company Captain Roman]
He was the captain of this mercenary company called Roman.
His voice was sharply edged, and his eyes were like those of a wolf.
-Roman...
-Ah, my PTSD is acting up.
-That trash-talking bastard... ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Don't mess with the newbie!
Judging from the chat reactions, Roman didn't seem to be a very good superior.
'Anyway, I need to survive first.'
Sanghyeon quickly took the bow from the dead veteran mercenary's back.
Chak.
[Bow Acquired]
Roman glanced back at him briefly.
"A bow? Not very reliable... but at least hit your marks."
Spitting that out casually, Roman advanced forward with his sword drawn.
The bandits spotted Sanghyeon and Roman.
"What? There's one more?"
In the meantime, Sanghyeon had already finished nocking an arrow.
Pi-yung!
The arrow flew without even a moment of hesitation, embedding itself in the bandit's torso.
Chwaak!
After that, Roman finished him off with a slash of his sword.
-Oh. He hit it ㅋㅋㅋ
-Beginner's luck.
People rated him quite highly just for hitting the arrow.
Meanwhile, Sanghyeon was roughly getting a feel for the bow by comparing its sensation to games he'd played before and archery.
'The feel is similar to the Olympics. Quite different from regular archery.'
It was only a single shot, but that was enough for him. He roughly figured out that this bow was somewhere between modern archery and traditional Korean archery.
What was most fortunate was that shooting the bow was much easier than in Olympic games.
"I'm getting the hang of it."
Sanghyeon muttered that and then surveyed his surroundings.
'How many are there?'
There was a bandit right in front, but Sanghyeon checked his surroundings first.
About twenty bandits. About three on the mercenary side.
'3 versus 20?'
There weren't many allies left. It seemed like a progression where the protagonist had to shine.
'And the arrows...'
Sanghyeon checked the arrow count as well.
Only 20 arrows.
'Only one chance?'
Unless he obtained additional arrows elsewhere, it was a situation where he had to kill one enemy per arrow.
"I need to kill one per arrow."
Pi-yung!
The arrow was fired as he spoke those words. He shot it almost without looking, as naturally as if he had fired it by accident.
Nevertheless, the result was a hit.
"Kek!"
Puk!
The arrow lodged in the exact center of the forehead, and the bandit fell.
After that, there was no movement. He was dead.
-Oh. Headshot!
-What was that just now? Did you just shoot without looking? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Luck-based trash game. Kingdom Age.
The viewers didn't think for a second that he had aimed and shot. They were simply amazed and entertained by the unexpected headshot.
"Are arrows always a one-hit kill?"
Of course that couldn't be true. Sanghyeon knew that too.
-This game is somewhat realistic, so anyone dies in one hit if you hit a vital spot.
-Actual organ positions are all implemented too.
-There is a headshot mechanic, so if you hit the head, it's an instant kill.
He had asked that question simply to obtain the information he wanted.
Whether there was a headshot mechanic, or if there were other vital spots implemented.
"Ah. Thank you for the explanation, Rubysword-nim. So there's a headshot mechanic. And other vital spots are implemented too."
At the same time, he naturally communicated with the viewers. He had pretty good broadcasting skills.
"Then I'll shoot again. One per arrow."
He calmly delivered his line, then drew the bowstring again.
-Excuse me?!
-Newbie confidence... I told you it's cute!
-Dun dun...
Mocking comments went up, but he didn't pay them any mind.
He'd show them with results. That's the spirit of a sportsman.
Pi-yung!
The shooting resumed.
Puh-ung!
One bandit's head became a skewer.
-Whoa?!
-Headshot!? Again?
-??
It was a much more powerful and perfect shot than before.
Now that he'd grasped the feel of this game, his confidence had grown.
'They said this game was difficult, but maybe it's because it's the early part—it's even easier than I thought.'
At first, he was worried.
The target in archery is stationary, but here they were running around wildly.
However, his worries proved pointless, as Sanghyeon instinctively figured out how to shoot moving targets in an instant.
"Two more coming up."
Pi-yung! Pi-yung!
After that, he fired additional arrows without hesitation.
-???
-Tch!
-Headshot again?
-What the hell.
-Is it a hack?
Thud.
The massive bandits fell one after another from a single small arrow shot by Sanghyeon.
"Damn it!"
"Keu-heok!"
"Ugh!"
The remaining comrades, filled with rage, searched for Sanghyeon.
But by the time their aggro was drawn, Sanghyeon had already hidden behind the wagon again and changed positions.
"W-where is he!"
"Damn it! Brother!"
"This can't be!"
The bandits panicked.
Since their allies fell in a single hit, it was hard even to find his position.
Pi-yung!
Whenever the sound of wind tearing rang out, one more person fell.
"Keu-heok!"
"Again...!?"
This was like watching a horror movie. From the bandits' perspective, they were suddenly being hunted. Even though originally they were the aggressors.
"Find him! He's on the right!"
Someone checked the direction the arrow came from and shouted. It was a bandit holding a shield.
'A shield... It'll probably block it.'
From Sanghyeon's perspective, that bandit was the most troublesome. He was covering his head quite effectively with the shield, making it hard to find an opening.
But at that moment, his mercenary comrades lent their strength.
"Huaaah!"
Kwang!
One mercenary who had been playing dead rose up and drove an axe into the bandit. The blow was blocked by the shield. But that was enough for Sanghyeon.
He even had the composure to deliver a line.
"The side is open."
Pi-yung!
The arrow that flew off pierced through the head as if it were a matter of course, demonstrating its power.
"Urk!"
Thud.
When the bandit who looked like the boss fell, the other bandits fell into panic.
"B-Boss!"
"This is bad!"
"Damn it!"
"Shit, where are you!"
But the ones who were flustered weren't just the bandits.
-No way, WTF?!
-What?
-He killed the boss???
-Huh?
Wait. Were you not supposed to kill the boss? Sanghyeon scratched his head in confusion.
"Are you not supposed to kill the boss?"
The talkative Rubysword answered his question.
-It's not that, it's just that normally you don't kill the boss, and definitely not that easily...
"You said headshots are always a one-hit kill."
-That's why people rarely land headshots!
"I landed one though."
-No... I mean normally you don't!
Sanghyeon couldn't understand. The only difference between the other bandits and the boss was the shield.
-That guy has a shield and his reaction speed is fast, so he dodges arrows unless it's at maximum output. That's why he's supposed to appear in the next story too.
-Crazy ㅋㅋㅋㅋ One cutscene goneㅋㅋㅋ What?
-Is it a bug for real
Other viewers chimed in as well.
"Maximum output? You mean a full draw... no, pulling it all the way back and shooting? That's not that difficult."
-Then it becomes really hard to aim the bow.
"...."
Sanghyeon's expression stiffened.
'Was that it?'
He had been shooting with a maximum draw—namely, a Full Draw—the entire time.
-Looking at your expression, you've been shooting at maximum output this whole time?
-Is that even possible? When they were all headshots.
Sanghyeon had more questions to ask, but he couldn't just ask questions and not progress the game. These people came to be entertained, not to teach him.
"Let me continue playing for now."
Sanghyeon resumed the game.
Giririk...
Pi-yung!
The merciless shooting began again.
Puk!
Just as he had declared, they were falling one per arrow.
'Is it a one-hit kill as long as I hit the head? Is it because it's the tutorial? It's too easy.'
Pi-yung! Pi-yung!
After that, he buried all five arrows dead center in their foreheads.
The final arrow pierced the head of a bandit who was in a bloody struggle with Roman.
Roman turned around with startled eyes.
"...Did you shoot that?"
The game moved on to the next cutscene.
* * *
"Huaaah! Die! You bandit bastards!"
Thanks to Sanghyeon's performance, the surviving mercenaries shouted war cries and swept through the bandits.
The mercenaries had better equipment and superior skills compared to the bandits.
"You bastards! Die!"
"Kraaah!"
Chwaak!
Sharp axes and long spears tore through the bandits, and it ended in the mercenary company's victory.
"Haa... Haa... Rookie."
Then one of the veteran mercenaries approached. It was Roman, covered in blood but with eyes still fiercely alive.
Captain Roman.
Originally, he was a character who crushed the hearts of many players.
At the same time, he served as a role that preemptively declared this game was absolutely not kind to gamers.
-Don't kill the rookie! It's been a while since we had a newbie!
-I wonder what Roman the bastard will say ㅋㅋㅋ
Tuk.
Roman placed a hand on Sanghyeon's shoulder and spoke.
"You... what are you. I've never seen anyone shoot a bow like you."
It was something Sanghyeon always heard during his archery days, so he didn't feel particularly moved.
Rather, the chat window showed excitement.
-???
-What's with that line?
-Wowㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-He told me it's hard to survive with that kind of skill. He said to tell him if I wanted to die here earlyㅋㅋㅋㅋ So he can kill me cleanly
-Roman-sama's praise SFB ㅋㅋㅋ Is it a bug?
-Roman you bastard... So he could talk like that?
Roman was originally an infamous trash-talker. But to Sanghyeon, Roman's eyes were as warm as a mentor from 10 years ago.
"What's your name. I must know. I'll report it to the captain."
Ding.
[Please enter your name.]
Sanghyeon hesitated. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't chosen a streamer name either.
'Hmm...'
Without much thought, he chose his favorite snack.
[Almond]
Roman called his name with an awkward expression.
"Oh. Almond. I'll remember it."
It wasn't just Roman who remembered the name Almond.
That evening, mentions of Almond began to appear on a community website.
[I saw a weird stream today. This person named Almond...]