“Whee-ha!!”
“Ahahahaha!! Run, kids!!”
The Jackson Train Robbers were a notorious outlaw gang that had made a name for themselves along the California-Nevada border a few years back.
But their fame got too big, and soon Pinkertons, Sheriffs, and Bounty Hunters were hot on their tails, eyes blazing with determination to catch them…
So, they had to lay low for a while, hiding and holding their breath.
‘But that humiliation ends now.’
Jackson, the leader of the train robbers, ran excitedly toward the train whose end was barely visible in the distance.
According to his underling who had infiltrated earlier, there were some ridiculously wealthy people on that train.
On top of that, the tickets were so expensive that even the regular passengers were mostly rich folks.
Jackson planned to rob that train and turn his life around in a big way.
“Kids!! Run faster!! There’s gold and treasure over there!!”
“Yeah!! Hahaha!!”
Just as he and his gang were charging toward the train with excitement…
Thud!
Bang!
“…Huh?”
One of Jackson’s underlings fell off his horse at the same time a gunshot rang out.
Jackson, confused by the situation, only snapped back to reality after another underling fell.
Thud! Bang!
“Argh!!”
“…!”
This time, too, the underling fell before the faint sound of the gunshot reached them.
Could it be…?
‘Did they snipe us from that barely visible train in the distance?’
Jackson shook his head at the thought.
That was impossible.
By his estimate, the distance between them and the train was about 2000 yards.
Even a Sharps rifle, known for its long range and accuracy, couldn’t hit a target at that distance.
But…
Thud! Bang!
“Ugh!!”
Thud! Bang!
“Ahhh!!”
Then how do you explain the underlings falling one by one?
They weren’t shooting from thin air!
Thud! Bang!
“Guh!!”
As another underling fell, Jackson, now acknowledging the opponent’s skill, gestured wildly and shouted at his men.
“E-everyone, scatter!! If you don’t wanna die, spread out!!”
“Yes, sir!!”
“Let’s meet alive on that train, you bastards!!”
At Jackson’s command, the underlings scattered left and right to avoid getting shot.
Thud! Bang!
“Gah!!”
Of course, that didn’t mean they were completely safe.
“Dammit!!”
Losing more underlings than expected before even reaching the train, Jackson gritted his teeth.
And he vowed.
‘Whoever you are, I’ll tear you to shreds.’
No matter how skilled a sniper is, numbers always win.
Originally, the Jackson Train Robbers had 24 members.
Now, 6 had been shot and fallen.
That left 18, which was more than enough to take over the train…
Thud! Bang!
“Ahhh!!”
…17 would still be enough…
Thud! Bang!
“Ugh!!”
…16 could still get close enough…
Thud! Bang!
“Guh!!”
…15, dammit!
“Gaaaaah!! I’ll kill you!! No, I’ll make you beg for death!!!”
With a roar of fury, Jackson charged toward the train with his dying underlings.
**
The effective range of a Sharps rifle is 1000 yards.
Converting 1000 yards to meters… ah, screw it.
Why use meters when you can just stick to feet, yards, and miles?
After 17 years of being corrupted by yards, I was more familiar with yards than meters.
At this rate, I might even start ranting about feet, yards, and miles when I go back to Korea.
…Anyway, the effective range of a Sharps rifle is 1000 yards.
But the distance between me and the train robbers was clearly over 2000 yards.
To overcome this, a little modification was needed.
Though calling it a “modification” feels a bit embarrassing.
Pfft.
First, I put a small amount of gunpowder in the chamber, then loaded a paper cartridge soaked in gunpowder.
Next, I attached a percussion cap and fired…
Boom!
The bullet flew toward the target at high speed, accompanied by a cannon-like sound.
This method increased the range of the Sharps rifle while allowing the bullet to travel at high speed.
Of course, there were downsides.
Pfft.
First, since the firepower was forcibly increased, the rifle would break down quickly.
…But hey, it’s not my rifle, so who cares?
Second, the increased firepower also meant severe recoil, which drastically reduced accuracy.
But that wasn’t a problem for me.
In this game world, I was…
Bang!
…the best Gunslinger in the West.
Bang! Thud!
Ping!
With every shot, an outlaw fell from his horse.
Seeing another successful snipe, I handed the used rifle to Emma.
“Emma, next.”
“Yes.”
One of the downsides of the Sharps rifle was its slow reload speed.
So, I brought two Sharps rifles from the train’s armory and had Emma reload them for me.
Emma would modify and reload the rifles perfectly as I instructed, then hand them back to me for sniping.
Bang! Thud!
Ping!
Using this method, we had already taken down about 12 outlaws.
Counting the remaining outlaws, there were roughly a little over 10 left.
Those slightly more than 10 outlaws had already reached close proximity to the train.
So, I put down the Sharps rifle I was shooting and…
“Let’s go down now, Emma.”
I pointed downward to Emma.
Seeing my gesture, Emma tilted her head in confusion.
“Boss… I mean, Sheriff. Wouldn’t it be better to finish them off from up here on the train rather than going down to fight?”
“I’d like to, but… my gun’s already busted. It might explode any second.”
Pfft.
The rifle barrels were so hot from the gunpowder heat that I couldn’t even hold them properly.
That alone seemed to convince Emma, but there was actually a bigger reason.
“And if we kill all those bastards here, how are we gonna make money?”
“…Money? What money?”
“Well, we gotta get paid for our work, right? We can’t just work for free.”
Truth is, we already got plenty of cash from those first-class rich folks…
But if there’s more to earn, I wasn’t about to stop.
So, with Emma still not fully understanding, we climbed down the ladder to the lower cabin.
Creak.
“Ahhh!!”
“Who are you?!”
As soon as Emma and I opened the door and stepped in, the already terrified passengers eyed us warily.
Some even pulled out guns and aimed at us.
‘Is this… the second-class cabin?’
Their clothes were quite neat and fancy.
I roughly gauged their wealth, then pulled out my sheriff’s badge from my belt to reassure them.
“It’s okay! I’m Sheriff Jet Gray. Please, lower your guns.”
“Sh-sheriff? Phew… we’re saved.”
“Sheriff! What’s going on? What’s with the gunshots… and why did the train stop…?”
The people who instantly believed I was the sheriff swarmed around me like a cloud, bombarding me with questions.
I mean, if the train suddenly stops and gunshots are heard with no explanation, anyone would be frustrated.
With a friendly face, I slowly explained the situation.
“…Right now, a mysterious gang of train robbers has attacked, and they’ve forced the train to stop.”
“…Good grief.”
“The staff trying to stop them are badly injured, and dozens of train robbers are heading this way.”
“……”
The more I explained, the more despair filled the passengers’ faces.
But in desperate times, heroes emerge.
Click.
I held up my sheriff’s badge high, letting it reflect the sunlight, and confidently shouted to the passengers.
“But don’t worry! I, Sheriff Jet Gray, will take responsibility and protect all of you!”
“Ooh!”
As I confidently pulled out my gun, the passengers looked at me with hopeful eyes for a moment.
And then, seizing the opportunity…
“…But these bullets I’m shooting cost money, you know.”
“…Huh?”
“I can’t just save you all at my own expense. Of course, I’ll save everyone, but those who pay a ‘little’ fee will be protected more securely!”
“…Huh?”
While everyone was stunned, I took off my hat and flipped it over onto Emma’s equally stunned hands.
“Just put $1 in my hat here! No matter your age or gender, just $1, and I’ll protect you no matter what!”
“……”
A sheriff openly asking for a fee.
Probably a first for everyone. It’s a first for me too.
Just as everyone was making dumbfounded faces…
Crash!!!
“Hand over all your money, you bastards!!!”
“Ahhh!!!”
Right on cue, the outlaws smashed through the cabin window and made their entrance.
Scruffy looks, menacing faces. And guns, of course.
Seeing the textbook train robbers, I smiled…
Bang! Bang!
“Ugh!”
“Ahh!”
I casually took out two of them.
“……”
“……”
The cabin fell silent as I swiftly dealt with the outlaws.
In that silence, I pointed to my empty hat and said.
“Just $1 can ensure your precious lives are protected.”
“I’ll pay!!!”
Immediately, the passengers rushed to inquire.
“$5!! I’ll pay for my whole family!!”
“Where do I put it?! $1? I’ll pay right now!”
Pile.
Before I knew it, my hat in Emma’s hands started filling up with cash…
“I-I’ll pay more! Please, just…!”
“Haha, you shouldn’t… but go ahead and put it in.”
Some even offered to pay more on their own.
I gave them a kind smile and whispered to Emma.
“Emma, let’s make a round through the train while taking care of these outlaws.”
“……”
Even at that moment, money kept piling up in the hat.
Guess you really gotta sweat to earn money.
Unlike when I earned money gambling earlier, seeing the money earned through hard work made me feel warm and at ease.
Feeling the sanctity of labor, I moved on to the next cabin.
