The sun is setting.
As the sun sets, travelers passing through the West must make a choice.
Whether to stop their journey and spend the night in a nearby village or…
Whooosh.
…to venture through the dark wilderness filled with outlaws and wild animals.
“…Damn it.”
Jake chose the former.
It was true that he was in a hurry, but… traveling through this dark night was far too dangerous.
“Is there a village nearby…? Oh.”
At that moment, a village sign caught his eye.
[Justice Town]
“What a name… impressive.”
Though the sign was old and not very trustworthy, Jake had no other options, so he turned his horse toward Justice Town.
Not long after, the village came into view.
‘…Oh.’
To his surprise, Justice Town was quite a large village.
Of course, the size of the village didn’t mean they were any less wary of outsiders…
Jake cautiously looked for a place to stay for the night.
And then…
[Deaf Man’s Tavern]
He stopped in front of a tavern with a peculiar name.
‘A tavern, huh…’
[Lodging and meals provided.]
Deaf Man’s Tavern happened to offer both lodging and meals.
Without hesitation, Jake tied his horse outside and walked in.
“Wahahaha!!”
“Drink! Drink!”
Though it was a shabby tavern, Deaf Man’s Tavern wasn’t much different from any other.
“Snore… hmm…”
A drunkard already passed out on a table, sprawled out.
“Ah, damn it! Why is there an 8 here?!”
In the corner, gamblers were enjoying a card game.
“……”
And in the smoky atmosphere, some mysterious guy was puffing on a cigarette.
And all of them…
Squeak.
“……”
“……”
“……”
As soon as Jake, the new guest, walked in, they fell silent as if on cue, eyeing him with suspicion.
This level of wariness toward outsiders was common in the West.
Jake shrugged at them and walked over to the bar.
“Welcome!”
The tavern owner, a middle-aged man with rotten teeth, greeted him with a grin.
“First time in Justice Town, eh? Hehe, don’t mind the folks’ reactions. Outsiders tend to cause a lot of trouble around here.”
“Ah…”
“You don’t look like the troublemaking type. So, what can I get ya? Oh, and speak up, will ya? My hearing ain’t so good.”
So that’s why it’s called Deaf Man’s Tavern…
Jake nodded and spoke loudly.
“I need a warm meal, feed for my horse, and a place to sleep tonight!”
“Got it. Oh, and…”
Before heading to the kitchen to prepare the food, the tavern owner pointed at the rifle slung over Jake’s shoulder.
“Normally, we don’t allow weapons in here. Leave your rifle over in the corner.”
“……”
“I’ll bring your food right away. My wife makes a mean bean dish. You’ll love it, hehe.”
As the owner disappeared into the kitchen, Jake reluctantly set his rifle down in the corner.
The other patrons…
“……”
…were watching him closely.
Their stares were so intense, it felt like surveillance.
Even for a town wary of outsiders, this seemed excessive.
‘Hmm…?’
Jake, puffing on a cigarette, suddenly recognized the faces of the men staring at him and froze.
‘The Marcos Brothers!’
They were infamous Mexican outlaws.
Known for targeting wealthy travelers in the West, robbing and killing them. What were they doing in a small-town tavern like this?!
The reason Jake recognized them instantly was because he was a former bounty hunter.
From what he knew, the bounty on each of the Marcos Brothers was several hundred dollars.
He hadn’t come to Justice Town for bounty hunting, but seeing their faces now, Jake couldn’t help but consider it.
What’s more, the Marcos Brothers, known for their sharpshooting skills, were unarmed and defenseless.
Well, so was Jake… except he had a pistol hidden inside his coat.
“Bro, stop smoking and have a drink.”
“…Alright.”
The Marcos Brothers didn’t seem to be paying much attention to him…
This was an opportunity no bounty hunter could pass up.
“Wahahaha!”
“Let’s drink till we drop!”
“Why the hell is there a 6 here?! You cheating bastard!”
As Jake, the outsider, stayed quiet, the tavern grew noisy again.
‘3, 2…’
Jake waited for the patrons to let their guard down, counting down in his head…
‘…1.’
Snap.
As soon as he finished counting, he drew his pistol from his coat.
But as he turned to aim at the Marcos Brothers, what he faced was…
“Knew it, you bastard.”
“…!”
The Marcos Brothers, who had also drawn their pistols and were now aiming at him.
Bang-!! Bang!!!
Bang!!
The Marcos Brothers pulled the trigger first.
The only saving grace was Jake’s quick reflexes, allowing him to duck behind the bar before the bullets hit.
Bang!! Bang bang!!
The Marcos Brothers followed up with a barrage of shots, and soon, a gunfight erupted in Deaf Man’s Tavern.
“Ahhh!! You crazy outsiders!”
“Sheriff! Call the sheriff!!”
“Don’t call the sheriff, wake up that ‘Kid’ first!!”
“Damn it!! My tavern!!”
Despite the chaos, the tavern patrons quickly found safe spots to hide.
Only the tavern owner, who had just come out of the kitchen, looked on in despair as his establishment was being destroyed.
Bang! Bang!
“M-Marcos Brothers! If you stop now, I’ll pretend this never happened!”
From the moment his ambush failed, Jake had no chance of winning.
He tried to bluff his way out, offering a truce to the Marcos Brothers…
“Quit your nonsense, you idiot.”
“Come out. Let’s finish this and get outta this town.”
“Brothers, wait a sec. I’ll go get the rifle.”
The Marcos Brothers just snorted, unimpressed.
‘If they get the rifle, I’m done for…!’
Outgunned and outnumbered, Jake was at a severe disadvantage.
‘Damn it… I should’ve just eaten and left.’
Just as Jake was regretting his greedy decision…
Bang.
“…Huh?”
Suddenly, a gunshot rang out.
“…What the?”
“What’s going on…?”
Jake assumed it was the Marcos Brothers, but their reactions suggested otherwise.
And then the gunshot…
Bang.
…rang out again, plunging Deaf Man’s Tavern into darkness.
The shots weren’t aimed at Jake or the Marcos Brothers… but at the lanterns lighting up the tavern, extinguishing them.
‘What the…?!’
It was an unbelievable display of marksmanship.
Jake, startled, lifted his head in the bar and tried to locate the source of the gunshot.
And the last thing he saw before the lights went out was…
Bang.
…a drunk patron, who he thought was just another barfly, lying face down on the table, shooting out the lanterns of the Deaf Man’s Tavern one by one.
Fwoosh.
“What the hell!”
“Turn the lights on!”
As the Deaf Man’s Tavern plunged into complete darkness, the panicked shouts of the Marcos Brothers could be heard.
And amidst the chaos…
“…$220.”
A hoarse voice of a drunkard echoed.
“…$250, $315.”
“……”
Jake quickly realized what it was.
It was… the bounty on the heads of the Marcos Brothers.
“Ha… looks like some fresh meat wandered in while I was napping.”
“Who the hell dares…!”
The Marcos Brothers seemed to have noticed too, as angry voices erupted, but…
Bang.
“Gah-!!”
Thud.
…it was silenced by a single gunshot.
“B-brother…! Where are you? Are you okay…!”
Bang.
Thud.
“W-what the…! Stop messing around, brothers…!”
Bang.
Thud.
With each gunshot, something fell to the ground…
“……”
And soon, only suffocating silence remained in the darkness.
‘What the hell… what’s happening…’
Jake, in the pitch-black darkness, could only cover his mouth and hold his breath.
The voices of the Marcos Brothers were no longer heard.
‘Did that drunkard really kill them…?’
In this complete darkness, did he just take out the Marcos Brothers with three shots…?
It was hard to believe.
But the man who pulled off this unbelievable feat casually shouted into the darkness.
“Owner.”
“……”
Getting no response, he called out again, annoyed.
“Hey! Bob! Deaf man!”
“Huh? Oh, I’m here.”
“It’s done! Turn on the lights!”
“Got it!”
Bob, the deaf owner of the tavern, finally started lighting up the place after hearing that.
Soon, the Deaf Man’s Tavern was brightly lit, and as the surroundings became clear, Jake saw…
‘Gasp.’
The fallen Marcos Brothers.
And a man casually drinking whiskey straight from the bottle, standing over them.
Gulp, gulp.
He looked just past his early twenties.
His body was as sleek as a jaguar, and his face was quite handsome.
But…
‘His eyes are so fierce…’
His fierce, menacing eyes overshadowed his good looks.
The dark circles under his eyes made him look even more haggard.
Jake, staring at the man, asked the owner who came out to clean up.
“O-owner, who is that guy? Is he the sheriff…?”
“Oh, not the sheriff. He’s a bounty hunter, quite famous in our town. He’s an excellent shot.”
“Ah…”
Indeed… the way he took out the Marcos Brothers in the dark was almost miraculous.
First, three shots to take out the lanterns, then three more to hit the Marcos Brothers right between the eyes…
‘He’s an incredible gunslinger…’
He looked young too… it was clear he’d become the best gunslinger in the West someday.
Thinking it’d be good to remember his name, Jake asked the owner again.
“Owner, I heard people calling him ‘Kid.’ Is that the bounty hunter’s name?”
“Not his real name… but he acts like such a brat, so we call him Kid.”
Wow… how much of a brat do you have to be to get the nickname ‘Kid’…
His fierce eyes definitely didn’t make him look like a nice guy.
‘Better not provoke him…’
In the West, a small misunderstanding could lead to a gunfight.
Especially since Jake was an outsider, he turned away to avoid catching Kid’s attention.
But then.
“Hmm…?”
Kid, who had been drinking whiskey straight from the bottle, suddenly turned his head and stared intently at Jake.
‘Yikes… is he wary because I’m an outsider?’
Jake, making eye contact, took off his hat to show gratitude and ease the tension.
“Ah, I forgot to thank the man who saved my life. Thank you. I just arrived here today…”
“…What the hell is this guy?”
“Huh?”
The man suddenly cursed and let out a hollow laugh…
Click. Thud.
Clack.
“$410.”
“Wai…”
Bang.
He loaded his pistol and shot Jake right between the eyes.
**
“Ahhh-! Kid!! You crazy bastard! Why’d you shoot him! He was…!”
“This guy’s an outlaw.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Unlucky bastard, I just got his wanted poster today. How’d he end up in front of me?”
I showed Bob, the deaf tavern owner, the crumpled wanted poster I had in my back pocket.
[Jake McGuffin]
[Age: 31]
[Bounty: Dead or Alive, $410]
[Crimes: Massacre of a family, 3 counts of assault on women]
“…This guy looks so innocent but he’s a real monster. Damn, this town gets a new outlaw every other day.”
“Well, this is an outlaw respawn zone.”
“Huh? What’s that?”
“Never mind. NPCs don’t need to know.”
I waved Bob off and let the drunkenness take over, lying down on the tavern floor.
“Bob-! I’m gonna sleep, so clean up the bodies and stack ’em! I’ll cash in the bounty tomorrow.”
“Hey, you brat! You can’t sleep in the middle of the bar! And I’m not your servant, why should I clean up…!”
“You can keep whatever you find in their pockets.”
“Ha ha, I’ll clean up nice and tidy. Need a blanket?”
…That selectively deaf bastard.
I whispered, but as soon as money was mentioned, he heard it loud and clear.
“Damn NPCs… so greedy…”
I cursed as I fell asleep on the tavern floor like a vagrant.
My name is Noah, a bounty hunter in Justice Town, but the NPCs here call me ‘Kid.’
But they’re all wrong.
“I’m neither Noah nor Kid…”
I wasn’t even from here.
This isn’t the real world… it’s a game world.
“What a damn messed-up world.”
My name is Dokgo Young.
I was a regular Korean soldier about to be discharged, playing a Western game in the PC room when I got transported here…
“I wanna go home, damn it…”
I was just an ordinary Korean soldier nearing the end of my service.
