Chapter 1 - Gunshots Echo Through Our Town Every Night

The sun hung over the horizon.

As night fell, travelers passing through the West must make a choice.

Whether to stop their journey and spend the night in a nearby town or...

Whoosh—

…to traverse that lawless wilderness full of outlaws and wild animals through the darkness.

"...Damn it."

Jake chose the former.

He was in a hurry, but... it was far too dangerous to travel through this dark night.

"Is there a town nearby...? Oh."

Just then, a town sign caught his eye.

[Justice Town]

"What a striking name..."

Though the sign was old and not very trustworthy, Jake had no other options, so he turned his horse towards Justice Town.

And soon after, the town came into view.

...Oh.

Contrary to expectations, Justice Town was quite a large settlement.

Of course, just because a town was big didn't mean hostility towards outsiders decreased...

Jake remained cautious as he looked for a place to spend the night and get a meal.

And then...

[Deaf Man's Bar]

He stopped in front of a bar with an odd name.

A bar, huh…?

[Lodging and meals available.]

The Deaf Man's Bar happened to be a place where he could get both food and lodging.

So Jake tied up his horse outside and entered without hesitation.

"Wahahahaha—!!"

"Chug! Chug!"

Though shabby, the Deaf Man's Bar wasn't much different from other bars.

"Zzz... hmngh..."

A drunkard sprawled out sleeping on a table, having long since passed out.

"Ah, shit! Why did an 8 come out here!"

Gamblers enjoyed a card game in the corner.

"...”

There was even a mysterious fellow exuding a chilly atmosphere while smoking a cigarette.

And all of them...

Creeak—

"..."

"..."

"..."

As soon as Jake, the new customer, entered, they all fell silent as if on cue and gave him wary looks.

This level of wariness towards outsiders was familiar in the West.

Jake shrugged his shoulders at them once and made his way to the bar.

"Welcome!"

A middle-aged man who appeared to be the bar owner greeted him, showing off his rotten teeth.

"First time in Justice Town, right? Heheh, don't mind the people's reactions too much. It's because outsiders cause a lot of trouble in this town."

"Ah..."

"You don't look like the troublemaking type though. So, what'll it be? Oh, and speak up when you answer. My hearing isn't so good."

So that's why it's called the Deaf Man's Bar...

Jake nodded and spoke in a loud voice, "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 bar owner pointed at the rifle slung over Jake's shoulder.

"We usually don't allow weapons in our bar. Leave your rifle in the corner over there."

"..."

"I'll bring out the food soon. My wife makes excellent bean dishes. You'll probably like it, heheh."

Watching the owner head to the kitchen, Jake removed his rifle and placed it in the corner.

As Jake did this...

"..."

The other patrons watched him closely.

The customers stared at Jake so intently it felt like surveillance.

Just as Jake was thinking this level of wariness towards outsiders seemed excessive, that was when it happened.

Hmm...?

Jake recognized the faces of the men smoking and watching him, and he flinched.

The Marcos brothers!

They were famous Mexican outlaws.

It was surprising to find these notorious wanted criminals, known for robbing and murdering wealthy travelers heading west, in a small town bar like this!

The reason Jake recognized their faces immediately was because he was a former bounty hunter.

As far as he knew, the bounty on each of the Marcos brothers was around several hundred dollars.

Though he hadn't come to Justice Town to hunt bounties, now that he saw their faces, Jake couldn't help but consider it.

Moreover, the Marcos brothers, famous for their gunslinging skills, were unarmed and defenseless.

The same was true for Jake, but... he actually had a pistol hidden inside his coat.

"Brother, stop smoking and have a drink."

"...Alright."

It seemed the Marcos brothers weren't being particularly wary of him either...

This was an opportunity no bounty hunter could pass up.

"Wahahahaha—!"

"Let's drink ourselves to death tonight!"

"Why did a 6 come out here again! You bastard, you cheating, ain’t ya!"

As the outsider Jake remained quiet, the bar grew noisy again.

3, 2...

Jake, who had been waiting for people's guard to drop, started counting down in his mind...

...1.

Swish.

As soon as he finished counting, he pulled out the pistol from his coat.

And as he turned to aim at the Marcos brothers, what he faced was...

"Ah, I knew it. You son of a bitch."

"...!"

The sight of the Marcos brothers also drawing pistols from their clothes and aiming at Jake.

Bang—!! Bang!!!

Bang!!

The Marcos brothers pulled their triggers before Jake.

The one fortunate thing was that Jake, with his quick reflexes, managed to hide behind the bar before getting hit by the bullets.

Bang!! Bang bang!!

As the Marcos brothers fired following Jake's movement... a gunfight erupted in the Deaf Man's Bar with a thunderous roar.

"Aaaagh—!! You crazy outsider bastards!"

"Sheriff! Call the sheriff!!"

"Forget the sheriff, wake up that 'Kid' bastard first!!"

"Shit!! My bar!!"

Though startled by the sudden gunfight, the bar patrons quickly hid in safe positions.

Only the Deaf Man's Bar owner, who had just come out of the kitchen, stared blankly at his crumbling establishment with a dumbfounded expression.

Bang! Bang!

"M-Marcos brothers! If you stop now, I'll pretend I didn't see anything and let it go!"

From the moment his ambush failed, Jake had no chance of winning.

So Jake tried to negotiate with the Marcos brothers while pretending to be tough, but...

"Shuddap, you idiot."

"Come out already. After we shoot him, we should get out of this town."

"Brothers, wait a moment. I'll go get the rifle."

The Marcos brothers just snorted, as if Jake's words weren't even worth considering.

If they get the rifle, I'm really done for...!

He was outmatched in both weapons... and numbers.

Damn it... I should've just ignored them and eaten my meal.

Just as Jake was regretting his choice born from greed, that was when it happened.

Bang.

"...?"

Suddenly, a single gunshot rang out.

"...What's going on?"

"What's this all of a sudden...?"

Jake naturally thought the Marcos brothers had fired, but from their reactions, it seemed that wasn't the case.

And that gunshot...

Bang.

Rang out once more, filling the Deaf Man's Bar with darkness.

Rather than targeting the Marcos brothers or Jake, it had shot out the lamps that were brightly illuminating the Deaf Man's Bar.

What in the...!

It was truly unbelievable marksmanship.

Startled, Jake briefly peeked out from behind the bar to see where the gunshots were coming from.

And just before the last light went out, what he saw was...

Bang.

...the sight of a patron he had thought was just a drunkard, still slumped over the table, precisely shooting out only the lamps in the Deaf Man's Bar.

Swish.

"The hell!"

"Turn on the lights, quick!"

As the Deaf Man's Bar was plunged into complete darkness... the sounds of the Marcos brothers shouting in panic could be heard.

And amidst that...

"...220 dollars."

The hoarse voice of a certain drunkard was heard.

"...250 dollars, 315 dollars."

"..."

Jake could immediately guess what those numbers meant.

They were... the bounties on the heads of the Marcos brothers.

"Yawn... some mighty fine prey wandered in while I was sleepin’."

"What crazy bastard would dare...!"

The Marcos brothers seemed to realize this too, as angry voices were immediately heard, but...

Bang.

"Guhk—!!"

Thud.

They were silenced by a single gunshot.

"B-brother...! Where are you!? Are you oka—"

Bang.

Thud.

"W-what's going on...! Brothers, stop joking arou—"

Bang.

Thud.

With each gunshot that rang out, the sound of something falling to the floor could be heard, and...

"..."

Eventually, all that remained in the darkness was a suffocating silence.

Shit... what the hell is happening right now…?

Jake could only cover his mouth and hold his breath in the pitch-black darkness where he couldn't see an inch in front of him.

The voices of the Marcos brothers were no longer heard.

Did that drunkard really kill them...?

To have killed the Marcos brothers with just three shots in this darkness where nothing could be seen...?

It was hard to believe.

But the very person who had accomplished this unbelievable feat called out casually from the darkness, as if it were nothing.

"Barkeep."

"..."

When no answer came, he called out again, sounding annoyed.

"Hey! Bob! Deaf man!"

"Huh? Oh, I'm here."

"It's all over! Turn on the lights now!"

"Alright!"

Only after hearing those words did Bob, the Deaf Man's Bar owner, feel safe enough to start turning on the lights.

Soon the Deaf Man's Bar was bright with light, and what Jake saw as soon as the surroundings became visible was....

Gasp.

The fallen Marcos brothers.

And above them, a man casually drinking whiskey straight from the bottle.

Gulp, gulp.

He looked to have just passed his early twenties.

His body was lithe like a jaguar, and his face was quite handsome.

However...

His eyes look incredibly dirty...

The man's eyes were so fierce and filthy that they made one forget all his other attractive features.

The dark circles under his eyes also made him look even more haggard.

Jake stared blankly at the man for a while before asking the owner who had come out to clean up, "B-barkeep, who is that person? Is he perhaps the sheriff...?"

"Ah, he's not the sheriff. He's a bounty hunter, but he's quite famous in our town. His shooting skills are extremely good, you see."

"I see..."

Certainly... the way he had just taken down the Marcos brothers in the darkness was almost like magic.

First shooting out the lamps precisely with three shots, then hitting the Marcos brothers between the eyes with the next three...

He's an incredible gunslinger...

He looked young too... it seemed certain that the man would become the best gunslinger in the West someday.

Thinking it would be good to learn his name here, Jake asked the owner again, "Barkeep, I think I heard people calling him 'Kid' earlier. Is that the bounty hunter's name?"

"It's not his real name, but... he acts so much like a mischievous brat that we call him Kid as a nickname."

My goodness... to be nicknamed Kid, he must really act childish...

His dirty eyes certainly didn't make him look like he had a good personality.

I'd better not talk to him unnecessarily in case he picks a fight...

In the West, a small misunderstanding could immediately lead to a gunfight.

Moreover, Jake was an outsider, so he turned away, trying not to catch Kid's attention.

Suddenly.

"Hmm...?"

The man who had been drinking whiskey straight from the bottle suddenly seemed to notice something and turned his head, staring intently at Jake with a puzzled look.

Yikes... is he wary because I'm an outsider?

As their eyes met, Jake took off his hat and expressed his gratitude to ease the man's wariness, but...

"Ah, I haven't thanked the benefactor who saved my life. Thank you. I'm new to this place today—"

"...The fuck are you?"

"’Scuse me?"

The man suddenly cursed and let out a mocking laugh, then...

Clack—

Tap.

Click.

"410 dollars."

"Wait—"

Bang.

He loaded his gun and immediately shot a bullet right between Jake's eyes.

***

"Aaaagh—! Kid!! You crazy bastard! Why did you shoot this guy!? This guy was..."

"This bastard's an outlaw."

"Huh? Really?"

"Unlucky bastard. I just got his wanted poster today, and he gets caught by me right away."

I showed Bob, the Deaf Man's Bar owner who was making a fuss, the crumpled wanted poster I had kept in my back pocket.

[Jake McGuffin]

[Age: 31]

[Bounty: $410 dead or alive]

[Crimes: Massacre of an entire family and rape of 3 women]

"...This guy looked so innocent, but he was completely evil. What's with this damn town, getting outlaws every other day?"

"Well, this is a respawn point for outlaws."

"Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?"

"Never mind. It's not something an NPC needs to know."

I waved off Bob's question and, giving in to my drunkenness, laid down on the bar floor.

"Bob—! I'm gonna hit the hay. Be sure to clean up the bodies and pile them up! I'll cash in the bounties tomorrow."

"Hey, you little brat! What do you mean you’re gonna hit the hay in a bar that's open for business!? And I'm not your servant, why should I clean up after..."

"In exchange, you can keep whatever you find in their pockets."

"Haha, I'll clean up everything nice and tidy, so sleep comfortably. Should I bring you a blanket?"

...That selectively deaf bastard.

I clearly spoke quietly, but he heard perfectly as soon as money was mentioned.

"These damn NPCs... so greedy..."

I fell asleep on the bar floor like a vagrant, muttering curses.

The name’s “Noah”. I’m a bounty hunter in Justice Town, but the NPCs in this town call me by the nickname “Kid”.

But they're all wrong.

"I'm neither Noah nor Kid..."

I wasn't originally from here, to begin with.

This wasn't the real world, but... a world inside a game.

"What a fucking dogshit world."

My name is Dokgo Young.

A normal Korean soldier nearing the end of his service who transmigrated into a Western game in the military internet cafe the day before being discharged...

"I want to go home, damn it..."

I was just an ordinary sergeant from South Korea.