"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang...!"
In the canyon, the endless sound of gunfire continued to echo, and the clinking of bullet casings hitting the ground was just as ceaseless.
Players who hadn't chosen to retreat were still roaring, desperately pulling the triggers of their guns, unleashing a torrential downpour of bullets down below. The scene was nothing short of spectacular.
However, compared to the performance taking place below, this spectacle paled in comparison.
Faced with the torrential downpour of bullets, Rozen remained calm and composed as he darted back and forth, dodging the relentless barrage. His movements were ghostly and ephemeral, almost as if he had no physical form. Within a few swift maneuvers, he evaded every single bullet, leaving his HP gauge untouched and fully intact, an extraordinary feat.
Meanwhile, Rozen continued firing and reloading his rifle, systematically landing headshots on players one by one, sending them back to the city of Glocken without a chance to retaliate.
Shinon watched this scene unfold while steadily running toward Rozen's position.
She knew one thing.
"Even if I tried sniping him now, I wouldn't be able to hit him."
Though she couldn't comprehend the exact techniques Rozen used to accomplish such miraculous feats, one thing was certain: he possessed some skill that allowed him to predict bullet trajectories without relying on the ballistic prediction lines, enabling him to dodge bullets with precision.
Otherwise, the snipers' first shots wouldn't have all missed, and the concentrated fire of so many players wouldn't have failed to land even a single hit on him.
From the current intensity of the barrage, it was likely that the ballistic prediction lines from all the players were enough to turn Rozen's entire field of vision red. If Rozen was relying solely on observing the prediction lines to dodge, it would be impossible for him to avoid every bullet.
Given this, the typical sniper tactic of relocating after the first shot was no longer applicable.
"Under normal circumstances, relocating would avoid exposing your position, reset the ballistic prediction lines, and set up a new 'first shot' scenario."
But since Rozen could predict bullet trajectories without relying on prediction lines, relocating and sniping again—even without generating a prediction line—would be futile.
In any case, trying to snipe him again would undoubtedly fail.
Therefore…
"I need to use a different approach."
What kind of approach?
Rozen had already demonstrated the answer perfectly to Shinon.
"His rifle's ballistic prediction line is always visible. Every player can see it and react to it, yet none of them can avoid his shots, falling prey to his perfect accuracy."
This was because Rozen not only had exceptional skills but also remarkable perception and intellect. He could easily read the movements of every player and assess the entire battlefield. After calculating and planning, he would shoot only when the enemy had no way to dodge.
For example, a player earlier hadn't noticed someone blocking their escape route behind them. When they saw the prediction line and tried to retreat, they found themselves cornered and could only begrudgingly get headshot by Rozen.
This gave Shinon significant insight.
"Even if someone can predict bullet trajectories, as long as you fire in a situation where the enemy absolutely cannot dodge, or create a scenario where they can't evade, you can still land a hit."
This was the lesson Shinon learned from Rozen.
Now, she planned to put it into practice.
"I'll make you taste an unavoidable shot!"
Declaring this, Shinon didn't pull the Hecate II off her back. Instead, she reached for a metallic sphere at her waist.
It was a plasma grenade.
As the name suggested, it was a grenade that would explode after a set timer, unleashing a powerful plasma blast.
GGO featured all kinds of grenades, from flashbangs and smoke grenades to various military-grade grenades and even bombs from science fiction. While not as prominent as guns, grenades were a staple in every player's arsenal for critical situations.
If not for the penalty of increased weight slowing down speed and agility, many players would likely carry a ton of grenades to simply bombard their enemies to death.
Unfortunately, due to weight limits, players could only carry a few grenades. After accounting for guns, equipment, ammunition, and other supplies, carrying three or four grenades was already impressive.
As a sniper, Shinon's anti-material rifle was already heavy, so grenades weren't typically an option for her. Luckily, her STR (Strength) stat was higher than her AGI (Agility), allowing her to carry more weight as it increased. Thus, Shinon managed to bring along a few grenades as emergency tools.
Now was the time to use them.
"Beep!"
Shinon pressed the activation button on the plasma grenade, causing its metallic surface to light up as she hurled it forward with all her might.
"Hm?"
Down below, Rozen, who was still weaving through the storm of bullets, seemed to notice what was happening. Without hesitation, he raised his rifle, took aim at the airborne grenade, and pulled the trigger.
"Bang!"
The rifle's bullet tore through the air, struck the falling plasma grenade, and caused it to explode mid-air.
"Boom—!"
A massive explosion erupted, lighting up the sky with dazzling plasma flashes so bright that many players stopped firing, shielding their eyes and shouting in surprise.
Rozen's vision was similarly affected, causing him to squint.
At that moment…
"…!"
The sound of a submachine gun firing filled the air.
It was Shinon, who had been running toward Rozen while all this unfolded.
She had pulled out an ultra-compact submachine gun, the rare and lightweight H&K MP7, and was firing it as she ran.
This was Shinon's secondary weapon, a backup for situations outside her typical sniping range.
Countless bullets sprayed through the air, piercing the glowing plasma haze and flying toward Rozen.
If Rozen relied solely on vision to predict bullet trajectories, he might have been affected by this visual interference.
Unfortunately for Shinon, even with his vision obstructed, Rozen's movements didn't falter. His figure flickered and leaped, evading every shot as he closed the distance.
"This isn't over yet!"
Shinon quickly pulled out another plasma grenade, activated it, and hurled it toward Rozen again.
This time, Rozen didn't shoot the grenade. Instead, he accelerated and leaped backward.
This was exactly as Shinon had anticipated.
"The reload speed of his rifle is slow. After just firing, there's no way he can immediately shoot again."
Shinon exploited the weakness of Rozen's weapon.
This created a scenario Shinon had foreseen.
She knew exactly where Rozen would retreat.
And so, her sniper rifle's scope had already been trained there.
"Click!"
Shinon had somehow managed to unstrap the Hecate II from her back and position it in front of her, aiming at the precise spot below.
Through the scope, Rozen's figure came into view.
"There's no way you'll dodge this!"
Shinon pulled the trigger.
"Bang!"
With a deafening roar, the anti-material sniper rifle's bullet tore through the air, hurtling toward Rozen.