Chapter 1774: -1755- Little gift for me?
Abandoned City, Periphery
This was the furthest point from the city center, near the southern edge. Beyond this lay forests and mountainous terrain. As such, the area contained nothing but a street lined with warehouses—no other buildings were present.
Of course, given its abandoned status, whether it could still be called a "warehouse district" no longer mattered; there was no trace of human life here.
Yet, this status quo was now disrupted.
At some point, an old off-road tricycle motorcycle had appeared, driving in from the city center.
The person sitting in the driver's seat was none other than Rozen.
"So, this thing can actually be driven."
Rozen, speeding along on the off-road motorcycle, couldn't help but remark wryly.
In GGO, there were indeed certain fixed locations where transportation tools were made available for player use.
Since GGO, much like ALfheim Online (ALO), lacked any kind of teleportation mechanic, apart from death-based respawning and specific event-related map transfers, players generally had to traverse long distances on their own.
For this reason, vehicles were accessible in the city of Glocken for a fee, ranging from simple and user-friendly to complex and challenging to operate. This added an interesting dimension to GGO's mechanics.
As a result, activities like racing had even been hosted within GGO, and players frequently used these vehicles, whether traveling to distant hunting grounds or opting for helicopters and off-road vehicles alike.
Naturally, while vehicles like cars were manageable, helicopters couldn't be directly piloted by players. Instead, NPCs provided shuttle services.
However, Rozen never expected such transportation to be available in this abandoned city.
It seemed likely that the developers had intentionally included this feature to enhance the entertainment and viewer appeal of competitions.
With this understanding, Rozen didn't hesitate to make use of it. After paying the fee, he took off on the off-road motorcycle and made his way to this area.
The motorcycle's engine roared loudly.
Its wheels screeched as they tore through the cracked asphalt of the road.
Bumping along the way, Rozen finally arrived at his destination, a warehouse, and stopped in front of its door.
"This should be the place."
Dismounting from the motorcycle, Rozen took a moment to inspect the warehouse in front of him.
The decrepit warehouse, much like the other buildings in the abandoned city, had become part of the decaying ruins due to years of neglect.
With his heavy sniper rifle slung over his back, Rozen observed the warehouse, deep in thought.
"No signs of a sniper."
Before coming here, Rozen had mentally prepared himself for the possibility of being sniped by Shinon at any moment.
However, there had been no such attempts—no sniping, no sounds, not even the faintest movements.
"Could she have already left?"
This wasn't an unreasonable assumption.
During the time when the tracking device was active, every player's location was exposed.
Given this fact, the immediate course of action for most players would be to relocate as soon as their position was revealed. Otherwise, they might find themselves targeted by an unseen enemy and eliminated in the blink of an eye.
After all, this was a gun-based game. Unlike melee-focused games, where combatants needed to confront each other face-to-face to engage in battle, here, a sniper could easily end a match from a great distance.
This was the same logic that allowed a player like Sterben to remain unseen during the preliminary rounds, defeating opponents without revealing his identity.
Similarly, for a sniper like Shinon, once her position was exposed, the logical choice would be to either continue sniping from her current position, trying to eliminate her opponent as they approached, or retreat after firing a single untraceable shot that failed to connect. Either course of action would align with a sniper's typical strategy.
Yet Rozen had encountered no sniping attempts and had reached this location without obstruction, making it reasonable to conclude that the enemy had already retreated.
However…
"If only things were that simple."
Rozen muttered to himself before stepping forward decisively.
"Bang!"
With a resounding impact, the warehouse door was forcibly kicked open by Rozen.
Although the door was made of solid metal, it posed no obstacle to someone with Rozen's superhuman STR (Strength).
Once inside, Rozen's gaze immediately sharpened.
The sight before him was nothing like he had imagined.
"Mm…! Mmm…!"
A muffled sound of protest drew Rozen's attention to the warehouse's depths.
There, bound tightly to a pillar with thick chains, was a girl struggling desperately. Her mouth was gagged, leaving her unable to produce more than faint, stifled cries. Her eyes, wide with emotion, conveyed humiliation and rage.
The girl was Shinon.
What's more, an ominous device was strapped to her body, counting down with a ticking timer.
Upon seeing this, Rozen instantly grasped the situation.
Shinon had been captured.
Worse still, a timed bomb had been placed on her.
This absurdly clichéd plotline, more commonly found in action films, was now playing out in GGO.
Through the live broadcast of the event, viewers were collectively stunned by this scene.
"This can't be real…"
"What's even happening here?"
"Are tactics like this even allowed in the BoB tournament?"
Even GGO veterans were dumbfounded.
Never before had anyone witnessed such a scenario in the Bullet of Bullets (BoB) tournament—a player capturing their opponent, tying them up, and planting a bomb set to detonate after a countdown.
What possible advantage could there be in such a strategy?
Spectators exchanged bewildered glances, unable to process the situation.
Only Rozen seemed unfazed, understanding precisely what was going on.
"So, this is your little gift for me?"
Rozen's eyes flickered as he muttered, stepping forward toward Shinon.
"—!"
With a swift motion, Rozen tore off the gag covering Shinon's mouth.
"You… What are you doing here!?" Shinon's voice, barely containing her fury, rang out.
"Don't tell me you came to save me?"
Her tone was laced with humiliation.
This reaction was understandable.
Shinon, who had entered BoB intending to hunt down every participant as prey, had already deviated from her usual cautious approach, resulting in her easy exposure, being sniped down, and captured instead of killed outright.
She had been tied up, strapped with a bomb, and left to watch helplessly as the timer ticked down—only for Rozen to show up and witness her in this utterly defeated state. To make matters worse, he didn't seem intent on finishing her off as an opponent.
Such humiliation was unbearable for Shinon.
Had she simply been shot dead, she might have felt regret but not shame.
After all, it would have been her own failure and no one else's fault.
But to be reduced to this… Shinon felt that she might as well quit GGO altogether.
Thus…
"Stop joking around!" Shinon glared at Rozen, her voice raised. "Just kill me already!"
This was her only request.
However, Rozen ignored her entirely, silently drawing his knife.
"Clang!"
A sharp sound rang out as Rozen's swiftly swung knife was deflected by the chains binding Shinon.
Frowning, Rozen studied the restraints.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone