The sun is setting.
As night falls, travelers passing through the West must make a choice.
Whether to stop their journey and spend the night in a nearby town or…
Whooosh.
To venture through the dark wilderness, filled with outlaws and wild animals.
Squelch, squelch.
On a snowy day like today, there was practically only one choice.
Pike, a traveler passing through the West, followed the map on horseback, searching for a town to stay in tonight.
“There should be a sign around here… Oh, there it is.”
Fortunately, Pike found the town sign just before it got completely dark.
[Justice Town]
A sturdy signpost, standing strong despite the harsh snowstorm, greeted him.
Justice Town, Utah.
Located on the route through the West, this town was a backwater just six months ago but was now rapidly developing.
Rumor had it that six months ago, an influx of capital had boosted the town’s growth.
Thanks to that, Justice Town had become a major stop for most travelers.
Pike, who had planned to stay in Justice Town tonight, followed the sign and entered the town before it got completely dark.
‘…Wow.’
Justice Town, seen up close, was indeed a large-scale town.
Of course, just because the town was big didn’t mean outsiders were treated any better…
Jake, paying close attention, searched 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.]
The Deaf Man’s Tavern happened to be a place where he could get both food and lodging.
The building looked newly constructed, shiny and safe…
Without hesitation, Pike tied his horse outside and walked in.
“Wahahaha!”
The Deaf Man’s Tavern didn’t seem much different from any other tavern.
“Drink! Drink!”
“Let’s drink ourselves to death tonight!!”
Drunkards, their faces red, chugging alcohol without a care for tomorrow.
And then…
“Haha, full house!”
“What the hell! Stop messing around! How does this even make sense? Losing 13 times in a row?!”
“That’s just skill, hehe.”
“…I lost $150 today. If this is a joke, you’ll have as many bullets in you as the money I lost.”
“…I wasn’t cheating. Seriously.”
Gamblers playing a tense card game.
Pike quietly passed by the noisy crowd and walked up to the bar.
“Welcome!”
The tavern owner, a middle-aged man with rotten teeth, greeted him with a grin.
“I’m Bob, the owner of the Deaf Man’s Tavern. First time in Justice Town? Don’t recognize your face.”
“Ah, yes, it’s my first time.”
“Came in to escape the snowstorm tonight, huh! So, what can I get you? Oh, and speak up. My hearing’s not great.”
So that’s why it’s called the Deaf Man’s Tavern…
Pike nodded and spoke loudly.
“I need a warm meal, horse feed, and a place to sleep tonight!”
“Got it. I’ll have it ready in no time.”
Owner Bob went into the kitchen to prepare the food, giving Pike a final welcome.
“Welcome to Justice Town. This place has more outlaws than any other town, but it’s also safer than any other town. And since ‘he’ is here tonight, you’ll sleep safely.”
“…Huh?”
Pike couldn’t understand Bob’s last words.
A town full of outlaws, but safe…?
And who’s ‘he’?
It’s not like there’s a guard dog or something…
As Pike looked around, wondering if there was a dog in the tavern…
BANG!
“……”
“……”
A loud stomping sound, enough to silence the noisy tavern…
Thud, thud.
Four strangers walked into the tavern.
Their dirty appearance, likely unwashed for weeks, and their rough, aggressive demeanor made the tavern guests wary.
Pike was no exception.
And then…
‘That’s…!’
Pike quickly noticed a clue that told him who they were.
‘The tattoo on their wrists…! That’s the mark of the Re Axio Gang!’
Why was the Re Axio Gang, based in Texas, here…?
Pike could recognize the tattoo because he was also from Texas.
They weren’t on any wanted posters, but that tattoo was as good as a guarantee they were outlaws.
If he could take them down and bring them to the security forces, he could easily get $150 per head.
‘What should I do…’
A surprise attack might work, but there were too many of them.
As Pike pondered, touching the revolver in his pocket…
“Welcome.”
Bob, who had been preparing Pike’s food, came out of the kitchen and greeted the Re Axio gang members.
Though he didn’t recognize their gang mark, Bob’s face stiffened, sensing something was off.
“…Food? Or drinks?”
“Both. Hot food and cold drinks.”
“…Got it.”
“All four of us are staying here tonight. Prepare the best rooms for us.”
“Will do.”
The gang members’ demands were quite rude, but Bob handled them as smoothly as possible.
But then…
“And we can’t stand noise. So, everyone in the tavern needs to leave.”
“…Are you kidding?”
“Do I look like I’m kidding?”
Swoosh.
The Re Axio gang members threateningly placed their Sharps rifles on the table and shouted at the tavern guests.
“Well, if you really want to stay, you can. But we hate noise, so if you can sit here without saying a word and just drink, feel free to stay.”
“Hehe.”
“……”
Swoosh.
It was impossible to sit in a tavern without saying a word and just drink quietly.
Under the gang members’ chilling threat, the guests began to leave one by one.
Pike, too, considered finding another tavern, but then…
“…Huh?”
Unlike the others who were quietly leaving, some guests remained seated, looking indifferent.
Their common trait was that they were cleaner than the other guests.
‘Are they locals?’
Usually, clean clothes meant they were townsfolk, not outsiders.
But why were these townsfolk so calm in the face of the gang members’ threats?
And then…
“…You guys might want to think twice about causing trouble.”
“What?”
Bob, the owner of the Deaf Man’s Tavern, was the same.
With a pitiful expression, Bob tried to dissuade the gang members.
“This guy’s crazy…”
One of the Re Axio gang members, furious, grabbed Bob by the collar.
“You bastard-! Where do you think you’re going-!!!”
“…!”
The Re Axio guys had clearly said they hated noise, but…
From the gamblers’ table, a man with dark circles and fierce eyes shouted in excitement.
“Damn it-! The game’s not over yet! Where do you think you’re going?!”
“H-hey… Those guys said they hate noise, right? Nice meeting you, and we’ll play again later…”
“If those idiots tell you to shut up, you shut up? I’ve got a good hand right now! Sit down while I’m being nice!”
“…!”
The word “idiots” immediately caught the Re Axio gang members’ attention.
“Hey! What did you just say?”
Click.
They aimed their rifles and revolvers at the man.
“You wanna be turned into Swiss cheese, huh?”
Their faces were filled with excitement.
It looked like a shootout was about to break out any second.
‘…Opportunity.’
Taking advantage of the moment, Pike gripped his revolver.
With the Re Axio gang members focused on the man, Pike saw his chance to shoot them from behind.
‘Let me count down in my head and then draw.’
Gulp.
3…, 2….
Just as Pike swallowed his saliva and blinked before drawing his gun…
1…!
Bang-!
“…!”
As soon as Pike drew his revolver, chaos erupted.
‘…Huh?’
Pike couldn’t fully comprehend the situation before him.
The Re Axio gang members had clearly been aiming at the man, but…
In the blink of an eye, the man had a gun in his hand, and the gang members were down.
…Pike hadn’t even seen the man draw his gun.
The tavern patrons, witnessing this unbelievable scene, all widened their eyes in shock.
Only the locals, seemingly accustomed to such things, continued drinking as if nothing had happened.
“…What the, what just happened?”
Hoover, the gambler who had been swindling the man’s money just moments ago, was even more stunned by the turn of events.
He thought the man was just a clueless fool who couldn’t even play cards properly, but this…?
“Sit down.”
“…Yes.”
“I’ve got a good hand this time. I’m going all in.”
“…Huh? No, my hand isn’t that good…”
Click.
“…I’ll bet everything.”
With a gun pointed at him, Hoover had no choice but to cough up all the money he’d won so far.
Pike, watching all this unfold, casually approached the tavern owner, Bob, and asked,
“…Owner. Is that guy the sheriff?”
“A punk like that? No way.”
Hearing that the man wasn’t the sheriff, Pike nodded as if he’d expected as much.
“Then he must be an outlaw…”
“No, not an outlaw. He’s a bounty hunter. They call him Kid. He’s got a nasty personality, but he’s practically the guardian of Justice Town.”
The guardian of Justice Town…
So, the reason Justice Town remained safe despite the outlaws was because of this bounty hunter.
Indeed, the gun skills he’d just displayed were almost supernatural.
At this, Pike…
Sneakily.
Pretending nothing was wrong, he slowly backed toward the exit.
Creak.
Just as he was about to step out of the tavern…
“Hey.”
“…”
Kid, who had been casually playing cards without even looking at him, called Pike to a halt.
“You didn’t think you could just leave, did you?”
“…Huh? Do you know me?”
“I don’t know who you are, but I do know you’re worth 347 dollars.”
“…”
Kid continued playing cards, his gun resting on the table.
In contrast, Pike still had his revolver in hand.
There was no time to think.
Bang-!
Pike quickly raised his gun, trying to seize the last chance, but…
Bang-!
“Ahhh-!”
Kid was faster, picking up his gun and firing in an instant.
“Phew.”
Kid blew the smoke from the barrel and muttered to himself,
“…One bullet left. Should I use it on this scammer’s head?”
“Eek! I-I didn’t cheat! I didn’t even touch the cards! I swear…!”
“Then how do you explain me losing 150 dollars in 13 straight hands?”
“That’s just… because you’re terrible at cards…”
Click.
“Ahhh! No! I cheated! I admit it!”
“Thought so. You little scammer. All your money’s confiscated.”
In Justice Town, Noah’s win rate at card games was 100%.
Noah was the self-proclaimed card shark of Justice Town.
Today, after satisfyingly winning money and taking down outlaws, Noah stood up with a satisfied smile.
Bob, bringing him a drink, clicked his tongue.
“Tsk tsk, when are you going to stop scamming clueless outsiders?”
“What scam are you talking about?”
“By the way, was that innocent-looking guy an outlaw too? He seemed so honest and hardworking.”
“Oh, that guy?”
In response to Bob’s question, Noah pulled out the wanted poster he’d received from Jet earlier.
[Pike McGuffin]
[Age: 28]
[Bounty: Dead or Alive, $347]
[Details: Former member of the infamous Texas gang, the Broadman Gang]
[Crimes: Kidnapping, rape, extortion, and 6 counts of murder]
“…The Broadman Gang, huh? I’ve heard of them. Who would’ve thought such an innocent-looking guy was an outlaw and a gang member.”
“Can’t you tell he’s got the face of an outlaw?”
“Sigh… There’s just too many outlaws in this town lately.”
At Bob’s sigh, Noah nodded in agreement.
“Damn right. Why the hell are there so many outlaws in this godforsaken town?”
As the town developed, Justice Town, already a hotspot for outlaws, saw an insane influx of lawless men.
Because of this, Noah, who had been working his ass off for the past six months, complained, and Bob clicked his tongue.
“But haven’t you made a fortune thanks to all the outlaws?”
“Well… yeah, I guess.”
Noah secretly opened the logout screen.
[Logout Unavailable]
[Amount Remaining Until Logout: $949,653 / $1,000,000]
He had made quite a bit of money over the past six months.
If he converted the bodies of the outlaws in front of him into cash and added today’s winnings…
He’d finally surpass the dreaded $950,000 mark.
‘I’m almost there. Damn, I’m really almost there.’
Only $50,000 left.
Six months.
Give or take, in six to eight months, he could finally go home.
Of course… assuming nothing goes wrong.
‘From now on, I’ll be careful with every single step.’
Just like in the military, the final stretch is always the hardest, and accidents happen more often.
Noah vowed to be cautious with every move…
‘But what could possibly go wrong?’
He downed the drink Bob brought in one gulp.
**
The sunset… had already set.
“Ugh… it’s cold…”
A girl was making her way through the pitch-black darkness.
Traveling at night in the West was dangerous, but fortunately, a sign pointing to her destination was right ahead.
[JUSTICE TOWN]
To be precise, her final destination.
Starting her journey from San Francisco, following various clues, she had finally arrived at Justice Town.
‘Hmm… I’ve got a good feeling about this?’
With her exceptional intuition, the moment she saw the sign for Justice Town, she felt she could achieve what she wanted here.
“Spiegel. Let’s hurry before the night gets deeper.”
“Hehe.”
As she excitedly ran toward Justice Town, in her pocket was a badge and certificate proving she was a Pinkerton agent.
And…
A wanted poster for a faceless outlaw with a whopping $150,000 bounty.
