At that moment, all the sounds faded away from Shinon.
Shinon felt as though the entire world had vanished, leaving only herself. She stared fixedly at the object in front of her, her pupils trembling violently.
In front of Shinon, inside the box, lay a gun.
Of course, it wasn't a real gun—it was just a model.
But this model gun caused Shinon's entire body to lose its warmth.
The gun was all too familiar to Shinon.
It had an overall length of 1380mm, a barrel length of 700mm, a weight of 13.8kg, used 50-caliber 12.7mm bullets, and boasted an effective range of over 2000 meters—a devastating anti-material sniper rifle.
It was none other than Shinon's favorite sniper rifle—PGM Ultima Ratio Hecate II.
Normally, being able to see her beloved weapon from the game in the real world should have been a cause for joy.
However, Shinon only felt her body grow colder and weaker. Her balance faltered, the colors of the world faded away, and as her heartbeat quickened, a ringing sound began to dominate her hearing.
Faintly, Shinon seemed to smell the rusty scent of steel, the acrid stench of gunpowder, and an overwhelming metallic tang of blood.
Then, a face appeared before her—hollowed eyes, a bloody hole in the middle of its forehead, and crimson blood endlessly gushing forth, painting the face red.
That face still wore a ghastly grin, staring sinisterly at Shinon, who was now trembling in a daze.
Shinon would never forget that face.
It was the face of the robber she had once killed on the spot.
"Ah…"
Shinon couldn't suppress the anguish in her voice.
If she could, she would have turned and run away immediately.
But her strength had already left her, making it impossible to stand. She couldn't even look away from the model gun before her. Her heart pounded faster, her body grew colder, and her vision darkened until she was on the brink of losing consciousness.
Just as Shinon was about to scream and collapse…
"Don't panic. Calm yourself."
As if a mysterious force had descended, a calm and unfathomably powerful voice resounded in Shinon's mind.
"—!"
Shinon's breath caught, and her vision cleared as if under some inexplicable control.
When her vision returned, Shinon saw Rozen sitting in front of her, gazing at her intently.
His eyes glimmered with an indescribable light.
"Pick up the gun."
Rozen fixed his gaze on Shinon and uttered these words.
(No!)
Shinon wanted to scream this aloud.
However, her body didn't obey her. Slowly, she extended her hand and picked up the model gun in front of her.
The cold, heavy sensation transmitted from her palm to her shoulder, then spread throughout her body, causing her stomach to churn violently as nausea overwhelmed her.
If not for the inexplicable clarity of her mind, Shinon was certain she would have fainted and ended up in the hospital.
But today, Shinon was destined to be reborn.
These symptoms would trouble her for the last time.
"Listen to me."
Rozen's voice rang out as he spoke to Shinon.
"If you can handle guns in a game without triggering your PTSD, that means a part of your heart has always been resisting your past trauma."
"Sure, the sensory reproduction in games isn't completely identical to reality, but the difference is minuscule. It's not enough to invalidate the connection."
"You can wield powerful firearms freely in the game, transforming into a cold and unerring sniper. That alone proves you possess a truly strong side within yourself."
"Some people act differently in real life compared to games, but that's merely the influence of the environment. It doesn't mean their personalities are completely distinct. In different environments, everyone shows different facets of themselves."
"No matter the setting—real life or a game—you're still you. You aren't two separate people. The one thing players bring into a virtual world is their soul."
As he spoke, Rozen stretched out his hand, palm open, placing it in front of Shinon, his hand covering her field of vision.
"Now, I'll draw out the strength within you, bring you back to your true self, and help you completely overcome this pointless weakness."
With those words, Rozen's voice seemed to echo from a distant, ethereal place, flowing into Shinon's ears.
"———————"
Like a dreamlike chant, an ancient and profound mantra began to resonate.
At this moment, Rozen was reciting the Purification Mantra of Puan, also known as the Mantra of Serenity.
The Mantra of Serenity—a rare mantra created not from ancient scriptures but by the monk Puan—was imbued with profound thought, free from pretense or artifice. It was capable of calming the mind, banishing evil, and affecting the spirit and soul.
The essence of the mantra was self-cultivation. Even ordinary people could elevate their mental state and reach a higher spiritual level through daily recitation over time.
Rozen had calculated that if someone recited the mantra a thousand times daily for thirty years, they would naturally attain the Mind's Eye—a state comparable to that of high monks and sages.
Now, Rozen was using a jujutsu-enhanced chanting method to purify and elevate Shinon's inner self.
Had the Shinkawa brothers been present to hear this mantra, it might have instantly resolved their mental disturbances and restored their psyche to normalcy.
As for Shinon, as the mantra echoed in her ears, her panic and terror gradually dissipated.
Unknowingly, she found herself immersed in a serene, unseen mental ocean, feeling an unprecedented tranquility.
When Shinon came to her senses, she had no idea how much time had passed, and Rozen had disappeared.
"I…"
Shinon blinked in shock, utterly stunned.
She realized she was holding the Hecate model gun, yet there wasn't a trace of her psychological trauma.
At that moment, Shinon truly awakened. The psychological disorder that had plagued her seemed as if it had never existed, vanishing without a trace.
"Rozen!"
Shinon leaped to her feet, looking around with excitement for Rozen's figure.
But he was long gone. Only a sticky note remained on the table, its words catching Shinon's eye.
"The model gun is yours. May you live a life free of illness and remain strong."
Reading the note, Shinon hugged the model gun tightly and fell silent for a long time.