-1707- [ Devil of Run-and-Gun ]

The discussions around abruptly quieted.

One by one, the players in GGO all turned their attention to Rozen, their eyes filled with pure hostility.

Even Yamikaze, standing right in front of Rozen, now looked at him with an assessing and wary gaze. His attitude had completely shifted compared to earlier.

In just his first day in GGO, within five minutes of logging into the game, Rozen found himself surrounded by a large number of GGO players, all of whom directed their hostility at him.

Under the weight of this hostility, any ordinary person would have been scared out of their wits.

After all, due to GGO's stylistic tendencies, the avatars in the game leaned toward rugged, rough, and fierce appearances, making almost every player look intimidating.

On top of this, they all carried cold, deadly firearms, and with such a group encircling one person, the oppressive atmosphere would be enough to terrify anyone.

Even Kirito or Asuna, if faced with such overwhelming hostility, might have started sweating and stiffened with anxiety.

However, Rozen remained calm from start to finish, merely gazing at Yamikaze in front of him with a smile as gentle as a spring breeze.

Yet, due to his overly androgynous appearance, Rozen's smile had a somewhat cold and sharp quality to it.

This only made Yamikaze unable to remain composed.

"So, it's true. Just as the internet rumors suggested, you've transferred to GGO, haven't you?"

Yamikaze broke the silence.

"But it seems like you all aren't exactly giving me a warm welcome."

Rozen shrugged his shoulders and responded casually.

It was obvious that the players in GGO, including Yamikaze, had gathered in such numbers specifically because of Rozen.

Upon seeing the online announcements that Rozen was preparing to move to GGO, the local players couldn't sit still. They swarmed here en masse to see if he would truly show up.

Now they had their confirmation.

In such a case, it was only natural for hostility to follow.

As mentioned earlier, Rozen's arrival wasn't seen as a positive development for the players of GGO.

The appearance of a powerful rival wasn't a welcome event for professional players whose main goal was to make money.

Moreover, the general player base in GGO already harbored little goodwill toward top-tier professional players. Ordinary players had to pay subscription fees to play, while professionals could earn money from the same game by taking funds indirectly from the game operators—essentially, the operators were using the regular players' money to support these elite players. This dynamic made GGO's professionals more prone to envy and resentment compared to their counterparts in other games.

Thus, Rozen's presence naturally stirred up trouble rather than being met with kindness.

Amid the surrounding players, mocking voices emerged.

"Being the king of close-combat games doesn't mean you can come to a gun-battle game and act cool. Do you think GGO is like ALO, where you can just swing a sword and become a top player?"

"This place is nothing like the games you've played before!"

"So what if you're an SAO survivor?"

"I bet you don't even know how to hold a gun or reload ammo."

"Need us to give you a lesson?"

"Haha!"

The crowd erupted in taunts.

To this…

"Sure," Rozen replied briskly. His eyes scanned the crowd as his smile deepened, and he spoke.

"How about we step out of the safe zone right now, and I'll gladly accept your guidance on how to fight?"

At these words, the laughter abruptly stopped, silenced as if cut off mid-breath.

This reaction was only natural.

"All talk, but it seems like there aren't many here brave enough to step outside the safe zone and face someone head-on."

Rozen's casual comment made the players feel a stinging heat in their cheeks.

But wasn't it the truth?

GGO lacked a formal dueling system, only offering mechanisms to encourage player-versus-player combat (PVP).

Unlike other games, GGO was a gun-fighting game. Battles weren't about clashing swords at close range but involved shooting each other with firearms from significant distances while seeking cover and constantly changing positions. Such combat required a vast area, making it impossible to duel within crowded zones full of NPCs and players.

Therefore, duels could only be conducted in designated arenas or outside the safe zones. In the latter case, any character death resulted in random equipment drops.

This penalty was not something GGO players could easily accept.

In GGO, neither NPCs nor player-run workshops could manufacture high-tier weapons due to game mechanics. Only low-power firearms were available for sale in town. Mid-tier or higher weapons could only be obtained by venturing into dangerous ruins, finding treasure chests, or defeating powerful boss monsters. Such weapons were rare and extremely valuable.

Losing rare equipment due to death would be heart-wrenching.

Given GGO's real-money trading system, the rarer an item, the more significant its worth. Losing such an item was akin to losing a substantial amount of real-world money, while obtaining one could bring a player endless joy. This was exactly why Yui described the game as highly materialistic.

Hence, although the game encouraged PVP, most players dreaded the idea of losing their hard-earned gear, making them extra cautious about preserving their HP and avoiding unnecessary deaths.

As a result, no one readily accepted Rozen's challenge to fight him outside the safe zone.

Unless, of course, someone was absolutely confident in their abilities.

"In that case, allow me to accept your challenge," Yamikaze finally spoke up.

"You?"

Rozen's eyes scrutinized him.

Meanwhile, the surrounding players erupted in cheers and whistles as if their morale had been restored.

"Yamikaze is stepping up?"

"Awesome!"

"With him, there's no way we'll lose!"

The crowd cheered enthusiastically.

After all, someone standing before Rozen like this could only be an extraordinary figure.

"You might not know much about me, so let me reintroduce myself."

Yamikaze lowered his gaze to Rozen, curling his lips into a smirk as he spoke.

"I'm Yamikaze, a super-AGI-enhanced player. People call me the 'Devil of Run-and-Gun.'"

"In the last BoB tournament, I lost to the champion and placed second, earning the runner-up title."

"Please allow me to show you what I'm capable of."