Because of the off-road three-wheeled motorcycle driven by Rozen, relocating became a simple task.
Rozen first placed Shinon on the back seat and then sped away on the off-road motorcycle, directly leaving the abandoned city.
After everything that had happened in the abandoned city, it was certain that nearby players had noticed the commotion and were likely gathering there.
Since that was the case, Rozen simply took Shinon and left, letting the players who gathered there fight among themselves. There was no need to stay and ambush them or continue targeting those players.
"Rather, it wouldn't be easy for the other contestants to move freely in the abandoned city now, would it?"
After all, Rozen had already planted plenty of mines throughout the urban area of the abandoned city.
As a parting gift, those players gathering there would surely have a memorable experience.
With such thoughts, Rozen carried Shinon southward along a large river extending from the forest, leaving the abandoned city and entering the plains.
On the way, the detector reacted once, allowing Rozen to check the current locations of the players.
Upon checking, as expected, many players were heading toward the abandoned city, with some already engaged in fierce battles within.
During this time, two or three players seemed to have been eliminated, and players in other areas were also converging and preparing to fight.
The competition appeared to have entered its climax, with many players actively moving and fighting intensely.
In particular, the player suspected to be Death Gun, a shotgun user named Pale Rider, was currently chasing another player.
Of course, there were also players like Rozen and Shinon who chose to relocate to avoid detection. Some even noticed Rozen and Shinon together, mistakenly thinking they were fighting each other and thus unable to check their detectors. These players tried to approach stealthily, hoping to reap the rewards, but they couldn't match the speed of the off-road motorcycle and eventually gave up.
By the time the detector lost its signal again and the map was deactivated, fewer than half of the players remained in the game.
"Soon, the competition should enter its final stage."
With that thought, Rozen put away the detector and carried Shinon to a riverside area.
The surrounding environment was vast yet covered with forest, providing concealment. As long as they didn't make a fire or create too much noise, they were unlikely to draw attention.
However, there were downsides too. With so many hiding spots around, any players discovering Rozen and Shinon could silently prepare for a sniper attack, leaving them no chance to fight back.
But with Rozen's Mind's Eye, such a threat was not a concern.
Thus, Rozen stopped here, helped Shinon off the vehicle, and let her rest against a nearby tree.
During the entire process, Shinon remained silent, not saying a single word.
She didn't even mention their status as opponents in the competition or that, since they had encountered each other on the battlefield, they needed to determine a winner—or that Rozen should eliminate her outright.
After learning the truth about Death Gun from Rozen, Shinon no longer cared about the competition.
Rozen, likewise, didn't say much about it. After settling Shinon down, he looked at her and sighed.
"This should count as doing everything I can, right?" Rozen said. "Don't worry, I'll wait until the neurotoxin's effects wear off before taking action."
"...Aren't you going to make a move now?" Shinon was silent for a moment before asking.
Rozen immediately frowned.
"I won't repeat myself."
With those words, Rozen sat down opposite Shinon, opened his main menu, and began checking his remaining supplies.
The RT-20, which Rozen had stored in his inventory, was destroyed in the explosion and was now completely unusable.
That weapon, which had astonished many players, only saw action once in the BoB tournament before being retired.
As such, the high-explosive and armor-piercing rounds Rozen had prepared for the RT-20 were now practically useless. Moving forward, if he wanted to engage in sniping, he would have to rely on his rifle.
Fortunately, Rozen still had the PZ, a high-power revolver, along with a top-tier combat knife. These were more than sufficient.
In the worst-case scenario, Rozen also had grenades at his disposal and was skilled in techniques like Military Combat Techniques, ensuring he wouldn't lose combat capability.
At the very least…
"Dealing with a mere remnant of Laughing Coffin should be more than enough."
Rozen calmly assessed without emotion.
Unaware of all this, Shinon watched Rozen with a complex expression.
Then…
"How…"
Shinon, as if unable to suppress her emotions, finally opened her mouth and asked.
"How can I become as strong as you?"
Her question caused Rozen's hands, which were checking his inventory, to freeze.
Rozen raised his head and looked at Shinon.
He had thought Shinon would ask about Death Gun or confirm the truth about him.
However, she unexpectedly ignored the matter entirely, instead asking a question like this.
But to Shinon, this question must have been incredibly important.
Otherwise, her eyes wouldn't have shown such endless yearning, like a drowning person grasping at a lifeline.
"Please tell me," Shinon pleaded. "How can I become as strong as you?"
This was Shinon's only wish.
The fear, despair, and crisis brought by Death Gun had finally touched Shinon's core.
She wanted to become stronger, as strong as Rozen, so she would no longer have to fear such terror, despair, and crises.
This was undoubtedly the result of past traumas. It was also because of her own powerlessness during the recent events, where she had to be saved and could only escape her third death thanks to Rozen.
In other words, Shinon could no longer tolerate being as weak as she had been in the past or during the recent ordeal.
That was the part of herself she hated the most.
Yet Shinon didn't realize she was now even weaker than she had been before.
Recalling Rozen's strength demonstrated thus far, Shinon's heart was in turmoil.
"I must gain strength like yours."
Shinon leaned forward, staring intently at Rozen.
"So, tell me, how can I become as strong as you?"
Her voice trembled with both pain and desperation, as if on the verge of breaking into tears.
Rozen met her gaze and looked into her eyes.
Then, he fell silent.