章節 1781: -1761- You can't
Seeing Rozen fall into silence, Shinon couldn't help but grow more impulsive.
Normally, Shinon would never allow herself to show weakness in front of anyone, let alone a man she had only known for a few days in a game. While she might consider him a decent companion or even prey under different circumstances, exposing her vulnerability was unthinkable.
But today's events had shattered the tough shell Shinon had built around her heart, laying bare her true self.
The real Shinon wasn't strong, composed, or ruthless. Instead, she was a fragile girl, manipulated by her emotions and haunted by a dark and painful past.
It was precisely because she was weak that she sought strength.
It was precisely because she was fragile that she sought resilience.
The so-called sniper Shinon was nothing more than a mask for Asada Shino.
And now, that mask had been mercilessly stripped away, leaving Shinon completely exposed.
"Tell me... tell me...!"
Shinon couldn't hold back anymore. She forced herself upright, grabbing Rozen's collar with trembling hands, and shouted desperately.
"What do I have to do to become like you...!?"
At this point, Shinon was on the verge of breaking down.
The fear, the terror, and the resistance to her past had completely overwhelmed her, rendering her emotionally unstable.
Perhaps Shinon had realized her emotions were spiraling out of control, that the terror she had endured had reached its peak, and she could no longer bear it. That was why she clung so desperately to the idea of becoming strong.
For someone like Shinon, the power Rozen displayed was her lifeline—a ray of hope she had to seize. Otherwise, she would lose her ability to keep up the facade of strength and allow her weakness to consume her entirely.
The true strength that transcended the boundary between the virtual and real worlds was right in front of her.
And that was the goal Shinon sought.
She had ventured into this world to learn the sniper's calm, coldness, and ruthlessness—qualities she believed would help her shatter the weakness of Asada Shino in reality. That was the purpose of her relentless effort in this world.
But to Shinon, Rozen, who had killed before yet remained so composed and unshaken, represented the ultimate strength she yearned for.
To suppress her frailty and overcome her vulnerability, Shinon had reached the point where she was willing to do anything.
So...
"Tell me!"
Shinon bit her lip so hard that, had this been the real world, her lips would have undoubtedly been bleeding by now.
Rozen gazed at the desperate girl before him, sighing silently in his heart.
Why was this girl so fixated, so obsessive?
Rozen didn't know.
But one thing was certain: it wasn't without reason.
The girl in front of him probably carried a past so painful and heavy that it had driven her to this extreme obsession.
That much, Rozen could be sure of.
Because he had seen that same look in too many others.
And so...
"I don't know your story, but if you're looking for an answer, I can tell you one thing first."
Rozen met Shinon's gaze directly and spoke firmly.
"And that is—you can't become like me. Let go of that unrealistic idea."
With a single sentence, Rozen shattered Shinon's desperate resolve.
"I can't...?"
Shinon's voice was hoarse.
"That's right," Rozen replied without hesitation. "You're pursuing strength to overcome something. If that's the case, then you shouldn't aim to be like me. My strength is mine alone. No matter how much you chase it, it will never belong to you. You're seeking the wrong person."
"And you're going about it the wrong way." Rozen continued, his sharp eyes locking onto Shinon's. "Some things can't be overcome by sheer strength. If you think you can suppress them just by becoming stronger, you're only setting yourself up for a bigger backlash."
This was self-evident, wasn't it?
"Because that's just another form of running away."
Rozen's words turned cutting, devoid of mercy.
"You're saying I'm running away?" Shinon flared up in anger, raising her voice. "You don't know anything about me—!"
Before she could finish, Rozen interrupted her.
"You're right. I don't know what you've been through, your current situation, how much effort you've put in, or what you've sacrificed. But let me ask you: with all of that, have you achieved what you set out to overcome?"
Rozen's unrelenting gaze bore into Shinon as he posed his soul-piercing question.
"You've undoubtedly grown stronger in this world. But have you truly overcome what you wanted to?"
The question struck deep, causing Shinon's eyes to tremble violently.
Because it was true, wasn't it?
Since entering this game, Shinon had grown immensely stronger. Stronger than yesterday, stronger than when she first started. Yet, in the real world, had she overcome her past pain?
No.
Even now, Shinon couldn't touch a gun in reality. She couldn't even look at one. If someone formed their hand into the shape of a gun, she'd experience a mental breakdown—dizziness, nausea, agony, and even fainting. There had been no improvement at all.
This only proved one thing:
Shinon had been wrong.
Even though she could hold guns in this virtual world, fire bullets into enemies' heads with cold precision, and kill without hesitation, it was all because everything here was virtual and didn't trigger her inner trauma.
Yet the moment she encountered something real, her psychological wounds would still surface.
For example, during Rozen's confrontation with Death Gun, the atmosphere alone had nearly triggered Shinon's breakdown.
Or, in the warehouse, when faced with real death, Shinon had nearly lost control again.
All of this was proof.
"What do I do then... What do I do..."
Shinon's strength gave out, and she collapsed into Rozen's arms.
"If even this isn't enough... then what am I supposed to do..."
Shinon buried her face in Rozen's chest, tears finally streaming down her cheeks.
Rozen didn't interrupt her. He let out a soft sigh and let her cry.
A few seconds later, Shinon's sobs filled the riverbank, echoing across the quiet world.
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