---
Death Gun.
When this term reached Rozen's ears, he furrowed his brows.
"It seems you don't know," Kikuoka Seijirou remarked, as if sensing Rozen's thoughts. He immediately continued when Rozen fell silent.
"Do you know the game Gun Gale Online?"
This game was something Rozen had indeed heard of.
No, to be precise, anyone who played VR games or followed the VR gaming scene would have at least heard of this game.
The reason was simple.
"It's currently the most popular virtual reality game and the largest gunfight-based game."
Rozen recited the game's background.
Like many modern games, it was a virtual reality game created with The Seed, abbreviated as GGO.
Unlike mainstream fantasy settings, GGO's world was one of futuristic technology. The stage was set on a post-apocalyptic Earth ravaged by wars, where civilization had been destroyed. Humanity had left the planet for a time and returned centuries later. Players took on the role of these returning humans.
Scattered across the ruins of the once-great civilization, among various urban relics, were countless automated combat machines and genetically modified monsters.
Players ventured across this desolate land, seeking the treasures left behind by the remnants of past civilizations.
This was GGO's world setting.
In terms of lore, the game's premise was fairly conventional.
However, it truly lived up to its title as the most popular virtual reality game.
Why?
Because it was the only VRMMO that allowed in-game currency to be converted into real-world money.
Players in this game could exchange the money they earned in-game for electronic currency, which could then be used for real-world transactions.
With this feature, it naturally attracted numerous individuals eager to make money through the game, many of whom became deeply obsessed with it.
As a result, GGO became the only game to have professional players.
These players treated the game as their job, dedicating nearly all their time to it. They converted their earnings from GGO into real money, which they used to sustain their daily lives and even their households.
It was said that top-tier professional players in GGO could earn a stable monthly income of 200,000 to 300,000 yen. This was sufficient to live a modest life, and occasionally, rare items fetched tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of yen when auctioned in-game.
With such opportunities, countless players flocked to the game.
A game where one could play and earn money — it was the best of both worlds. This made GGO a bustling virtual world, teeming with activity.
Of course, the developers sought profit as well. Players had to pay a monthly subscription fee of 3,000 yen to play GGO, and it was challenging for average players to make substantial earnings.
If even the top professional players only earned 200,000 to 300,000 yen per month, then casual players earning 1,000 yen a month was already considered decent.
Despite this, the allure of striking it rich in the virtual world drew many hopefuls.
Thus, the time and passion players poured into GGO were unparalleled by those in other games. Its cutthroat atmosphere, encouraging PK (player-killing) more than even Alfheim Online, was particularly brutal.
Since Kikuoka Seijirou mentioned this game, the problem likely stemmed from it.
As expected...
"There is a high-ranking player in GGO who won the Bullet of Bullets — the strongest player elimination tournament held in October — and was invited by MMO Stream for an interview," Kikuoka explained.
MMO Stream referred to a web program accessible via television or the internet in the real world and also viewable within games. It was frequently broadcast in VRMMO-world hotels and inns, earning great acclaim from players.
One popular segment, This Week's Champion, invited high-ranking players from various games to appear on the show. Many players considered it an honor to be featured.
Rozen had also received multiple invitations in the past, but he turned them all down.
The player Kikuoka mentioned had appeared on this program.
"During the program, this individual unexpectedly disconnected and the broadcast was interrupted," Kikuoka continued, his tone becoming heavier.
"Later, in a certain apartment building in Nakano, Tokyo, the landlord discovered a man dead inside. He was wearing an AmuSphere, still connected to the game."
Hearing this, Rozen narrowed his eyes.
This wasn't entirely uncommon.
Over the past year, cases of players being found dead at home while connected to the game via AmuSphere had been reported.
Some died of sudden cardiac arrest after prolonged gaming sessions. Others succumbed to malnutrition, falsely satiated by consuming virtual food in the game while neglecting real-world meals.
Considering these, it didn't seem like anything particularly noteworthy.
However...
"The deceased was the player mentioned earlier," Kikuoka stated. "He experienced the incident during the program, then died in reality. A blog post by a player noted something unusual in GGO at the time."
What happened?
"In the GGO capital, SBC Glocken, a player at a hotel shouted at the program's screen, yelling, 'Accept your punishment!' and 'Die!', before shooting at the screen. Shortly after, the individual really died."
Kikuoka's calm recounting of this chilling story continued.
"Another similar case occurred ten days ago in Omiya, Saitama. A corpse was found in a two-story apartment, wearing an AmuSphere, also a top GGO player. Just before their death, they were giving a speech at a guild meeting in Glocken's central plaza. A player burst into the gathering, shot them, and they suddenly disconnected."
By this point, Rozen understood Kikuoka's intention.
"The person responsible for both attacks is the same, isn't it?"
Rozen declared.
"Correct," Kikuoka affirmed.
"And they announced their name or alias in both incidents."
The name or alias was...
"Death Gun — that's what they called themselves."