บท 1749: -1730- Breezing through
After that, time flowed in the underground hall under an oppressive and uncomfortable atmosphere.
The gathered players, influenced by the earlier tension, instinctively lowered their voices and actions. No one dared to speak freely; they only stole glances at Rozen and the remnant group, whispering among themselves. None of them even realized they were doing so.
Even Shinon and Spiegel were the same.
The difference was that Spiegel no longer cared about the situation and instead kept watching Shinon with a slightly worried expression.
Shinon, on the other hand, had been staring at Rozen since then, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
As for Rozen, he remained completely silent. Though he still appeared to be resting with his eyes closed, his entire being radiated an unapproachable aura, deterring anyone in the hall from daring to approach.
It was obvious that trying to talk to Rozen now would not end well.
Thus, the players could only converse in hushed tones, nervously letting time pass.
An hour and a half later, the hall's game background music ceased, replaced by the thunderous riffs of an electric guitar.
Then, a syrupy-sweet synthetic voice boomed above the crowd of hundreds.
"Thank you all for waiting."
"The preliminaries for the third The Bullet of Bullets tournament will now commence."
"All registered players will be automatically transported to the battlefield for the first round of preliminaries once the countdown ends. Good luck to everyone."
The system announcement marking the start of the tournament finally arrived, sweeping away the oppressive atmosphere in the hall. Players perked up, their spirits reignited, and the space buzzed with excitement.
Multicolored lights burst like fireworks across the hall, signaling the beginning of the event.
After the countdown ended, players were transported to system-generated individual battlefields, where they faced off in combat.
Rozen opened his eyes, summoned his main menu, equipped all his weapons, slinging a rifle over his shoulder, wielding the world's most powerful revolver, and carrying several grenades before being transported to the battlefield.
Group A consisted of 32 players. By the end of the first round, only 16 would remain. After the second round, only 8. The third round would narrow it down to 4, and after the fourth round, only 2 players would be left standing.
These two would automatically qualify for the main event held tomorrow night—a massive free-for-all. However, they would still need to compete in the fifth round, though the results of that match would not affect their qualification for the main event.
If Rozen wanted to enter the finals tomorrow, he needed to win four matches in total and participate in the fifth, which was essentially inconsequential.
Under such circumstances, Rozen made his way through the rounds effortlessly.
In the first round, Rozen faced an unremarkable player who seemed utterly terrified, immediately forfeiting the match. Rozen advanced without lifting a finger.
In the second round, his opponent was a seasoned professional player. At the start, the opponent frantically threw plasma grenades at Rozen, only to watch helplessly as Rozen shot them down mid-air with his revolver. He then ended the match with a single headshot from his rifle.
Rozen didn't even remember who his third-round opponent was. All he knew was that the player had bad luck. Upon being transported to the battlefield, the opponent found themselves on lower ground while Rozen was positioned above, giving him a clear view of his target. The opponent, unaware, wandered the battlefield in search of Rozen, only to be taken out with another single rifle shot.
The fourth round was even more straightforward. The battlefield was an open plain with minimal cover. Rozen didn't even bother using his gun. He dashed forward, evading a storm of assault rifle bullets, and finished his opponent with a throat slash from his dagger.
In all four battles, Rozen took less than five minutes to secure victory each time.
Had the battlegrounds not been so expansive—requiring time to locate enemies—Rozen wouldn't have needed even a single minute per match.
Even so, the players who witnessed Rozen's matches were utterly stunned.
"So strong…"
"This guy really is a monster, just like the rumors online…"
"What is a monster like him doing in GGO?"
"Can't you just play your ALO?"
"Seriously…"
The players lamented their misfortune at encountering Rozen in this year's BoB tournament.
"With someone like the Magus here, who knows if anyone in tomorrow's main event can match him?"
"Hopefully, someone can stop him and save GGO's reputation."
"Group A's finals are between him and that guy who placed 13th in last year's BoB, Big Wind, right?"
"I doubt he can put up much of a fight."
"Put up a fight? You probably don't know that during the battle in the canyon two days ago, Big Wind was the first to flee."
"Fighting him? I'd be happy if he doesn't embarrass himself."
"Exactly."
The players' remarks only deepened the sense of unease.
When Group A's final match began, the outcome was immediately decided.
Rozen forfeited.
"What? He forfeited?"
"He actually forfeited?"
"No way!"
The players were stunned.
But Rozen indeed forfeited.
"Since I've already secured a spot in the main event, this fifth-round match doesn't matter," Rozen thought, casually abandoning the match.
Big Wind was overjoyed.
Heaven had shown him mercy. In the canyon, Big Wind had been so terrified of Rozen's overwhelming power that he abandoned his prestigious 13th-place standing from the last BoB to flee in disgrace. Seeing Rozen in his group for this tournament had filled him with despair.
If possible, Big Wind would have done anything to avoid facing Rozen again. After witnessing Rozen's confrontation with the cloaked player, this desire had only grown stronger.
Unfortunately, both advanced through their matches, making their encounter inevitable in the finals. Big Wind was nearly in tears.
He had resigned himself to his fate, thinking, "The main event qualification is already secured. Dying in the match won't have any penalties. If I die, I die."
Yet Rozen forfeited, leaving him feeling as if he had narrowly escaped death.
And so, Group A's preliminaries came to an end.
Group A was also the first of 15 groups to conclude their matches.
Rozen put away his gear and left the underground hall, stepping through the main doors of the Presidential Mansion.
At that moment…
"Wait!"
A voice called out to Rozen from behind, stopping him.
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