-1743- See? I was right

"Whoosh————!"

The howling wind roared, making Rozen feel as if he had been thrown into the eye of a storm, his body swaying unsteadily.

Rozen's vision blurred for a moment. After the unique dizziness from the transfer subsided, the scenery before him changed.

"Have I entered the battlefield?"

Rozen lifted his head, scanning his surroundings.

He found himself in the midst of a desert, enveloped by swirling sandstorms, the desolation unmistakable.

This gave Rozen a rough idea of where he currently was.

"The north, huh…"

Indeed.

At this moment, Rozen was located in the northern part of the map.

The stage for this BoB tournament was a perfectly circular island.

The island spanned a diameter of 10 kilometers, as previously mentioned.

The north consisted of a vast desert.

The south was dominated by forests and mountain ranges.

At the center of the island lay the ruins of an abandoned city.

Currently, Rozen was in the northern desert, amidst the sandstorm, with limited visibility.

However, such a handicap meant little to Rozen.

With the ability of Mind's Eye, Rozen could perceive even the minutiae in his surroundings—the number of grains of sand swirling in the storm, their precise locations, and the direction they would be carried by the wind.

"Too bad Mind's Eye can only perceive the micro-world."

If he could clearly observe the external world as well, Rozen could grasp the entire island's terrain and the positions of all the players in an instant.

However, if that were the case, then Heaven's Eye would lose its purpose.

As mentioned before, Mind's Eye functioned like a super microscope, while Heaven's Eye acted as an ultra-precise radar. Their applications were entirely distinct.

If Rozen had Heaven's Eye, he could instantly master the terrain of the entire island and locate all players.

"Unfortunately, in this virtual world, there's no magic. Apart from Mind's Eye, none of the other mysteries can be brought in."

Even so, Rozen didn't feel any regret.

After all, Mind's Eye alone was already overpowered. Adding more abilities would make the game unplayable for the other players.

Though truth be told, even with just Mind's Eye, other players had little chance of competing.

"Let's see if you all can give me some surprises."

With that, Rozen summoned the main menu and began materializing and equipping his weapons.

A rifle was slung over his shoulder.

A large revolver was holstered at his waist.

Several grenades hung from the opposite side of his waist, gently swaying with his movements.

Additionally, extra magazines were clipped to the back of his belt, completing his armament.

Finally, Rozen retrieved a palm-sized device resembling a radar.

"This must be the Satellite Scan Receiver, right?"

Examining the unfamiliar item in his hand, Rozen confirmed that it wasn't one of his own belongings but a system-distributed item. After the match began, the system automatically provided it to every player. The receiver could be used every 15 minutes to locate all players on the map.

For now, though, the receiver couldn't be activated. It would only work after 15 minutes, when the satellite passed over the island.

This meant that the first 15 minutes of the match were the safest.

However, wasting these 15 minutes would make it difficult to advance far in the competition.

During this time, players would take various actions based on their own strategies.

For instance, high-AGI (agility) players like Yamikaze would immediately seek cover and advantageous positions for ambushes or charge toward areas likely to host other players, aiming to eliminate someone before the 15-minute mark while remaining undetected.

As for Shinon, being a sniper, she had likely already started searching for a vantage point to lie in wait for her prey.

As for Rozen...

"There it is."

Rozen turned his gaze toward a distant direction.

There, amidst the swirling sandstorm, lay the faint outline of a ruined city, like a mirage.

"Getting transported near the abandoned city is a stroke of luck."

With that thought, Rozen began heading toward the abandoned city without hesitation.

---

The central ruins of the island

After roughly 10 minutes of travel, Rozen reached the area and entered the city.

The abandoned city lived up to its name, with dirty, dilapidated roads and crumbling buildings. Garbage littered the streets, and some vehicles were scattered about. Upon closer inspection, some of these vehicles still seemed operational, an odd detail.

Carrying his rifle, Rozen ventured into the city, his movements unrestrained.

"Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap…!"

His footsteps echoed clearly as he ran, reverberating through the surroundings.

Since Rozen was one of the tournament's favored players, many livestream cameras focused on him, broadcasting his actions to the audience.

This prompted reactions from numerous players watching the stream.

"This Magus is way too reckless!"

"He's not even trying to hide. Isn't he afraid of exposing his position?"

"If there are players nearby, he's practically inviting them to shoot at him."

Indeed, Rozen's unrestrained movements and loud footsteps made it easy for anyone nearby to locate him.

Such behavior seemed the epitome of recklessness.

Of course, Rozen understood this principle perfectly.

In fact, he was confident that players were lying in ambush.

"At a distance of one kilometer, some players must've been transported closer to this city than I was."

Those players would have likely rushed to the city immediately.

The reason was simple.

"This place is full of tall buildings, ample cover, and countless ambush points. Any player with a bit of strategy would head here."

However, that wasn't the key point.

The key point was...

"Some players also understand this and know that prey will come here."

What would they do then?

The answer was simple.

"They'd set up ambushes here to hunt down those who arrive."

As he spoke, Rozen suddenly turned a corner and dashed into a nook.

"Click!"

Somehow, a revolver had already appeared in his hand, aimed ahead.

"...!"

A player holding a machine gun, ready to spring an attack, froze in place.

The barrel of Rozen's revolver was pointed squarely at the player's forehead.

"See? I was right."

Rozen grinned.

"You…!"

The player's expression turned to one of sheer terror.

The next moment…

"Bang————!"

The deafening gunshot echoed through the air.

And thus, the tournament's first casualty was born.