At that moment, Shinon's mind held only one thought.
"So strong…"
Watching Rozen move unerringly through the passage below, evading every incoming bullet with precision despite the lack of cover, Shinon felt her blood boil. Even the first sniper shot from ambushers—who hadn't been able to react quicker than her—was easily dodged without any bullet prediction lines. It was as if Rozen could see the trajectory of every bullet, all while calmly reaping the lives of players with his rifle.
Without a doubt, this was the most absurd and unbelievable battle Shinon had ever witnessed.
In GGO, avoiding bullets was not unheard of, thanks to the bullet prediction lines. But dodging such an intense hail of bullets, avoiding being hit by any of the countless bullets from concentrated fire, and even dodging the first sniper shots from concealed enemies—this was something Shinon had never imagined.
She could confirm that this man, slaughtering indiscriminately in this death trap of a canyon, was the strongest player she had encountered in GGO.
He moved as if the unfavorable terrain and the concept of death meant nothing, all while dodging the rain of bullets with incredible skill and taking down players with chilling precision.
It was terrifying.
Some players had already been scared out of their wits, scrambling to hide among rocks and cliffs or fleeing in panic.
This included the snipers lying in wait, as well as the members of the same squad who had come with Shinon.
"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit!"
Dyne, who had initially charged forward with boldness, now cried as he fled, utterly losing his composure.
"How is this possible…!?"
"What kind of monster is that!?"
"He dodged every single bullet from such concentrated fire…"
"And he's sniping us back!"
"This isn't possible, this isn't possible!"
"Quit screaming! Just run if you want to live!"
"Ahhhhh…!"
The other players, as if faced with a demon, fled miserably.
Among them were also the four members of Shinon's squad.
At that moment, the four squad members huddled behind a rock, yelling at Dyne in frustration.
"This is all your fault, Captain!"
"Didn't you say this was foolproof!?"
"Foolproof my ass!"
"You've completely screwed us over!"
The four members, panicked and terrified, shouted at Dyne without holding back.
"How was I supposed to know that monster would be this terrifying!?" Dyne, clutching his prized rifle—considered a major threat by Shinon—cowered nearby and shouted back.
"Just think of a way to escape, dammit!"
Indeed, that was the thought on many minds now.
Having witnessed the carnage, the players had entirely lost the will to fight Rozen. While a few continued to shoot and confront him, many others opted to flee.
But Rozen showed no mercy to the fleeing players.
Some were shot in the back of the head the moment they turned to run or during their escape, collapsing instantly.
This left Dyne and the others in utter disarray, their panic and fear evident.
Especially Dyne, who was utterly cowardly and selfish. His face twisted in terror as though he truly feared dying there—not just losing his character in the game.
Dyne even began shouting instructions.
"Listen up! If you want to live, don't just run blindly! That monster will definitely snipe you if you do! If you turn your back, you won't even see the bullet prediction lines! If you're going to run, use cover or other players as shields! Blend into the crowd! Whatever you do, don't fall behind!"
Dyne's utterly spineless speech was met with frantic nods from his four teammates.
It was clear that their fear had completely overwhelmed them.
Shinon, however, felt it was time to part ways with them.
Quickly standing, she slung her Hecate over her back and prepared to rush out.
"You… what are you doing, Shinon!?"
Seeing this, Dyne's eyes widened.
"I'm going to keep fighting."
Without turning back, Shinon gave this simple reply.
At that moment, her spirit was at an all-time high, surging with exhilaration.
(If I can defeat him…!)
If she could defeat him, she would undoubtedly become the strongest in GGO—and even in the real world.
By doing so, she could surely overcome that weakness.
That detestable, hateful, and pathetic weakness.
"You're insane…!"
Unaware of Shinon's thoughts, Dyne shouted.
"You still want to fight that kind of monster? Are you out of your mind?"
Though it was just a game, no one wanted to throw their life away in a hopeless battle.
"If your Hecate gets looted, you're done for!"
Dyne, showing a rare moment of concern, tried to dissuade her.
"I just saw it—the 13th-ranked player from the last BoB tournament has already fled. Your rank is even lower than mine, and your first sniper shot already failed. Even if you switch positions, the odds of successfully sniping him are slim. That monster dodged not only your first shot but also the first shots from every other sniper in this area. You have no chance! Come with us and escape!"
Dyne's words were echoed by the other teammates.
"We've already lost! There's no way to take him down!"
"Didn't you see how many people he killed?"
"He's the man who survived that death game, became its strongest player, and cleared it. We can't compete with him!"
"If you go, you're just throwing your life away! Escape with us!"
The group's frantic cries continued.
But Shinon never looked back.
Because…
"You said it yourself. He's the man who fought through that death game, claimed the title of strongest, and even cleared the game."
Shinon spoke coldly.
"If that's the case, then if I'm too afraid of dying in a game where death isn't real, what right do I have to pull the trigger against him?"
Thus, Shinon refused to run.
Whether for her goal or to honor the incredible strength of her opponent, Shinon couldn't turn away.
"I will defeat him!"
Shinon's determination was unwavering.
"His strength will be crushed by me and my Hecate!"
With that, Shinon said no more. Slinging her Hecate over her shoulder, she charged out.
"Wai—!"
Dyne tried to stop her but failed, watching helplessly as Shinon dashed forward.
"What an idiot!"
Dyne cursed under his breath.
"What… what do we do now?"
"Do we keep running?"
The remaining teammates were equally lost.
Seeing this, Dyne recalled Shinon's earlier words, his expression shifting between frustration and determination.
Finally, Dyne gritted his teeth and shouted.
"To hell with it!" Dyne roared. "Just like Shinon said—he's the man who dared to fight in a game where real death was at stake. What are we afraid of in a game where death isn't real?"
With that, Dyne stood up.
"We fight together!"
Dyne had resolved himself.
Seeing this, the other teammates exchanged glances before steeling their nerves.
""We'll fight!""
Their war cries echoed in the canyon.
Thus, Dyne's group charged forward as well.
For the chance to battle the strongest enemy, they risked everything and advanced, no longer running away.