“That’s why I can’t stand sharp kids like you.”
I wished I had been wrong.
I hoped it was just my misunderstanding, that Joe wasn’t actually Zodiac.
But as usual, my ominous premonitions never fail.
**BOOM!**
The acrid smell of gunpowder had been vibrating since earlier, so I was ready to dodge. As soon as the loud noise hit, I twisted my body into a roll.
**Thud.**
The moment I hit the ground, I immediately turned forward and headed toward the wreckage of the carriage.
If I kept hiding behind No Name, he’d get shot instead of me.
**Click.**
But Zodiac—no, Joe—had no intention of letting me take cover.
**Bang!**
Joe, who had escaped the carriage faster than me, drew his gun with a quick draw and fired at me.
**Whoosh.**
His speed felt pretty impressive.
To me, the [Fastest Gunslinger in the West], a regular gunslinger’s bullets feel like dodgeballs, but…
Joe’s were somewhere between a baseball and a softball.
Maybe a bit behind Django, whom I met in San Francisco.
The reason Joe, who lived an ordinary life as a coachman in Justice Town, suddenly became such an incredible gunslinger was simple.
Because Joe had become Zodiac.
NPCs chosen as Zodiac suddenly gain improved shooting skills, with the backstory that they were actually exceptional gunslingers hiding their abilities.
“Amigo, because of you, I can’t kill Miss Emma. You keep protecting her.”
On top of that, Zodiac is also given the backstory of being of Mexican descent.
Joe was originally of Mexican-Hispanic descent, so I never suspected him of being Zodiac.
And most importantly…
The second victim of Zodiac was Joe’s younger sister, so I never doubted him.
Wait…?
Actually, I had the naive thought that Zodiac wouldn’t be someone I knew.
**Click.**
I pulled out my pistol from the holster and hid behind the carriage as planned.
But just because I successfully took cover didn’t mean I had secured victory in this duel.
The wilderness around Justice Town was full of rocks bigger than a person, and Joe was already hiding behind one.
‘Which rock is he behind?’
Earlier, I couldn’t see where Joe hid due to the explosion’s aftermath.
To confirm his location and play some mind games, I called out to him.
“Of course, you also think Emma is the prettiest girl in town, right?!”
“Yes, that’s right! Honestly, Miss Emma is beautiful!”
“You’ve always said Emma was pretty. Do you like her? But what can you do? Emma likes me.”
“Who Miss Emma likes doesn’t matter to me! What I’m curious about is what expression she’ll make when she dies.”
Joe’s words flew through the cold night air, chillingly sharp.
“So I’m going to kill her! But thanks to you, Noah, I can’t find the chance to kill Miss Emma! So I’ll kill you first, then kill Miss Emma!”
“……”
Joe’s tone sounded dead serious.
No, it *was* serious.
His voice was the same as the usually bright Joe’s, but the content was unmistakably that of a deranged killer.
The dissonance made me feel uneasy.
But this would all be over soon.
I had roughly pinpointed his location from his voice earlier.
‘Two candidates left. Joe’s behind one of those two rocks.’
I kept an eye on the rocks and shouted again to confirm his location.
“Joe, how about we talk about your younger sister Laura this time?”
“……”
Laura.
Joe’s younger sister.
The second victim of the Zodiac murders in Justice Town.
Bringing up Laura didn’t have any deep meaning.
I just needed to hear Joe’s voice one last time to confirm his location.
But…
“…Let’s not talk about Laura.”
As soon as Laura was mentioned, Joe’s tone grew heavy.
Feeling something was off, I kept pushing.
“Why? You killed Laura too. Don’t tell me you’re feeling guilty now?”
“……”
“You’re curious about what expression Emma will make when she dies? What expression did your sister Laura make?”
And then…
“Don’t talk about Laura, you son of a b****!!”
The effect was even more explosive than I expected.
This was the first time I’d heard Joe swear like that.
The unfamiliarity made me let out a bitter laugh as I got up.
**Click.**
I had perfectly pinpointed which rock Joe was hiding behind.
Judging by his voice, he was filled with excitement…
I planned to shoot him dead the moment he stood up to fire at me.
But…
**Whoosh.**
Contrary to my expectation that an excited Joe would stand up to shoot…
“…Damn it.”
What greeted me was a stick of dynamite about to explode.
‘There was still dynamite left?’
The cold weather had dulled my sense of smell.
I never dreamed Joe still had dynamite.
**Fizz.**
The [Fastest Gunslinger in the West] trait doesn’t apply to dynamite.
As soon as I saw the dynamite flying toward me, I threw myself to the side to dodge.
But…
**Fssss.**
Joe had anticipated even that and threw dynamite where I was diving.
‘Ah.’
I guess I underestimated Joe.
Thinking about it, he was the third person in this town, after Emma and Bob, who knew how skilled I was.
He… had even seen how I took down the Redbeard Gang.
He probably figured he couldn’t take me on with just a gun and prepared accordingly.
And that judgment was spot on.
Whether it was Zodiac’s influence or not, Joe’s dynamite-throwing skills were insane.
As I watched the dynamite flying toward me at breakneck speed, I felt death approaching.
But…
Whoosh.
Even in that situation, my hand was moving.
No matter how overpowered my traits were, I’d faced death countless times.
What saved me each time was the instinctive movement of a gunslinger…
Bang!
This time, it shone again.
Fwoosh!
The bullet, without even benefiting from the [Best Gunslinger in the West] trait, flew straight and cut the fuse of the nearly spent dynamite.
‘Damn, it actually worked.’
This was the first time I’d ever cut a dynamite fuse with a bullet.
It was a rare feat, something you’d hardly see anywhere, but there was no time to celebrate.
Fwoosh.
As soon as I blocked the dynamite, Joe came out from behind the rock, aiming his revolver to finish me off.
Swoosh.
I quickly turned and aimed my gun at Joe.
Two exceptional gunslingers.
I had five bullets left; Joe had probably reloaded, so six.
This situation felt familiar.
Bang bang bang bang bang!
Joe was already a pretty good shot.
But with Zodiac’s traits added, he was firing at a speed that could only be described as masterful—so fast an ordinary person wouldn’t even react.
I was lying down to avoid the dynamite, so there was no way to dodge.
Bang bang bang bang bang!
I fired back while prone, intercepting the bullets mid-air.
“……!”
No matter how tight the situation, Joe looked stunned—probably the first time he’d seen someone intercept bullets mid-air.
Fwoosh!
I didn’t miss the chance and immediately sprang up.
I had a single-action Army in my other holster, but no time to draw it.
The best move here was to close the distance and slash Joe’s throat with my knife.
But Joe still had one bullet left.
Joe’s current skill level felt slightly below Django’s, whom I’d met in San Francisco.
‘So, the chance I’d fail to dodge Joe’s bullet and die is about 20%.’
Death isn’t a new beginning.
Death is just the end of everything.
I’ve tried to convince myself that dying in this game would just wake me up in the real world, but…
Now I know.
Dying here means it’s all over.
And with a 20% chance of dying right now…
Throwing myself into danger was terrifying.
But there was no time to hesitate.
The more I hesitated, the more I’d lose even the slim chance I had.
Gunslingers in the West are always gamblers, betting their lives.
And I…
Was a genius gambler with a 100% win rate, undefeated in card games for the past six months.
“Hey, Joe—! Take a good look at my face right before I die—!”
I was laughing.
Laughing while relentlessly tracking where Joe’s gun was aiming.
My head? Chest? Or maybe he’d go for my legs.
Anywhere was fine.
Bring it on.
But…
‘……Huh?’
The bullet didn’t come at the timing I expected.
‘Is he delaying the trigger pull by half a beat to throw me off?’
But even after that, no bullet came.
I looked up…
“…….”
“…….”
Seeing Joe’s eyes, I knew something was wrong.
Click.
Instead of the knife I’d planned, I quickly drew my revolver and pulled the trigger.
Bang bang bang!
“…Ugh!”
Not a fatal shot, but… I hit Joe’s arms and legs to disable him and immediately pinned him down.
Joe didn’t shoot me at the last moment.
Why?
I knew the reason as soon as I saw Joe’s face now.
“Mr. Noah… please… kill me…”
“…….”
Joe’s brown eyes were filled with confusion.
Inside them, our kind neighbor Joe and the system-designated serial killer Zodiac were locked in a fierce battle.
“Please… just… hurry…”
This was definitely the Joe I knew.
