Chapter 12
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: In Search of the Alpha Pellicon (1)
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Three days had passed since escaping Trinity Port.
Jinwoo reined in his horse for a moment and glanced back.
Beyond the endless wasteland.
Peaceful now, but who knew when the Trade Federation's pursuit squad might kick up a dust cloud and appear.
'Already stirring up trouble like this... there's gotta be a bounty on my head by now.'
The Trade Federation were the true rulers of Eldorado.
They owned countless ranches breeding the finest steeds, and every one of their pursuit riders was an elite.
That wasn't all—they leveraged vast wealth and technology to operate magic trains and steamships.
'Even airships.'
The final boss he'd have to face down the line rode an ancient Atlas civilization aerial battleship, no less.
To deal with enemies like that ahead, one horse wouldn't cut it.
Especially not this plain nag he'd swiped from a bandit den.
'I need faster legs.'
He pulled up the map in his mind.
A few more days south would bring the vast Ascania Plains.
There lived Eldorado's unique native breed—tough creatures brimming with vitality.
Pellicons, they were called.
Wild birds three times faster than any horse, with stamina like forged steel.
'Bigger than an ostrich and twice as strong. Temper even worse.'
He gripped the reins again.
"Prrrff!"
"Tired already? Told you horses suck."
As the horse snorted in protest, Jinwoo scanned his surroundings.
He needed a spot for one last resupply before the plains.
A speck like a grain of sand caught his eye on the horizon.
Rocky Creek. A tiny oasis village for wasteland travelers.
*
Rocky Creek belonged to the dust winds.
The ramshackle settlement of a few wooden shacks felt like the edge of the world, deathly quiet.
Jinwoo dismounted and headed for the lone tavern that reeked of life.
As he pushed open the door, the owner—wiping a glass amid a handful of drunks—turned his way.
"Welcome."
"One round."
Jinwoo leaned on the bar and murmured after stepping through the creaky door.
The ruddy-faced owner greeted him warmly and slid over a mug brimming with foam.
Jinwoo drained it in one go, quenching his burning thirst.
"Lukewarm. Got anything colder?"
"Beer's beer everywhere. What, you think a freezer's gonna show up in this backwater?"
Jinwoo fumed inwardly.
'Goddamn Providence Soft.'
They'd gone overboard with the realism here.
Eldorado Continent actually had refrigerators.
Artifacts based on Atlas civilization magic relics.
But they were pricey, only found in big-city taverns.
'Makes sense... even the elves all look the same.'
Jinwoo suddenly missed the real world.
Cola with ice cubes floating in it!
One more reason he had to clear this and get back.
A brief moment of relaxation amid his griping.
That was when it happened.
Bang!
The tavern door flew open with a crash.
A dozen rough-looking men stormed in, trailing dust devils.
Whirlwind emblems adorned their chests.
The Dust Devil gang—outlaws who ruled these parts.
"Hey, barkeep! Rent's late this month!"
The apparent leader bellowed, and the patrons scrambled to the corners in terror.
The owner went pale and crawled under the counter.
Jinwoo alone sat stock-still, new mug in hand.
"Ruining the damn taste..."
The leader's glare snapped to him at the snide remark.
"Hey, you pencil-pusher. Empty your pockets and beat it—we'll let you keep breathing."
Jinwoo slowly raised his head.
Annoyance and irritation burned in his eyes.
He tossed back the last of his beer and slammed the empty mug down with a clunk.
"Noisy."
He stood, tossing two gold coins onto the bar.
"Barkeep, that's for the drinks. Put the trash cleanup on my tab."
"What'd you say?"
The Dust Devil leader couldn't believe his ears.
This dust-caked kid had just called him and his crew trash.
His face flushed beet red with fury.
"You cocky little shit...! Boys! Put holes in his limbs!"
At the leader's order, the dozen outlaws in the tavern grinned and drew their revolvers in unison.
Terrified screams from the patrons.
Dozens of barrels trained on Jinwoo.
He didn't budge.
Instead, he simply licked the last drop from his mug.
"Too damn noisy."
The instant the empty mug hit the bar with a thud, Jinwoo's eyes glowed red.
Before anyone could even register the motion, it was over.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
No gunshots. Just a flurry of blue flashes slicing the air.
The targets: every enemy surrounding Jinwoo. They crumpled without a single cry.
"Wha...!"
Jinwoo's hand never stopped.
In that split second, the silver pistol in his grip danced like a living thing.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
With every blue flash, outlaws dropped one after another.
One through the heart, one through the throat, one through the gun hand!
Jinwoo's shots held zero margin for error, zero hesitation.
It was a one-sided massacre.
"Gah! Run!"
In the end, only Jinwoo remained in the tavern—alongside the leader bleeding out on the floor.
And the villagers frozen in horror, barely breathing.
"M-monster..."
And one outlaw leader crawling toward the door, trailing blood.
"Tch, still alive? Red Eye's a bitch to control..."
Jinwoo clicked his tongue.
Stamina shortage had cut Red Eye's duration short.
So he'd just hammered the chest a bunch—and the guy tanked it.
A glint of iron plate peeked from under the clothes.
"Bulletproof vest, huh. Buys you a few extra seconds, that's all."
"Urgh!"
The boss summoned his last strength, yanked his waist revolver, and blindly pulled the trigger backward.
Bang!
Jinwoo casually ducked. The bullet whizzed past him and out the tavern window.
"Hiiing!"
Followed by a horse's ear-splitting neigh from outside.
Jinwoo's expression hardened for the first time.
He booted the boss's hand away and strode out the door.
"You son of a bitch."
His mount lay bleeding from the flank.
The leader's desperate shot had critically wounded the innocent horse.
Killing intent flashed in Jinwoo's eyes.
"You kidding me?"
He slowly approached the staggering leader's back as the man tried to flee.
"Now I gotta walk 'cause of you."
And fired once at the man's leg.
Whoosh!
"Argh!"
Grabbing the fallen leader by the hair, Jinwoo whispered icily into his ear.
"Your life pays for my horse."
Whoosh.
With the final flash, the commotion in Rocky Creek ended completely.
Jinwoo gazed down at the horse's corpse for a moment.
No sorrow.
He'd planned to ditch it anyway.
Just irritation at the snag in his plans.
'Damn. What a hassle.'
The remaining distance wasn't far, but walking would take time.
He'd have to cross this vast wasteland on foot.
"Hey, barkeep."
The tavern was mouse-quiet.
"Where's the owner?"
Moments later, the trembling owner emerged first.
He gawked back and forth between the corpse-strewn tavern and Jinwoo standing tall in the midst.
The outlaws who'd terrorized the whole village—wiped out in minutes by a single wandering gunslinger.
"Y-yes sir! You called?"
Jinwoo's gaze wasn't on the bodies.
He stared down at his cooling horse.
No grief for the steed's death.
Just annoyance at the unexpected wrinkle in his plans.
He muttered a low curse.
"What a hassle."
Jinwoo grumbled as he stripped the saddle and packs from the dead horse.
'Sigh... just deal. Miracle it lasted this far.'
The irritation vanished from his face.
Ruthless pragmatism took its place.
'No way this nag could've handled the Ascania wilds anyway. Planned to ditch it once I found a real Alpha Pellicon. No point getting attached to expendables.'
Jinwoo shook his head, sorting his emotions.
Tough trek to the plains on foot, but what choice?
'One step back for two forward.'
And approached the tavern owner staring blankly at him.
"Barkeep."
"Y-yes! Speak, hero!"
"Skip the hero crap. Time for my reward."
Jinwoo stepped back inside and took his old seat.
"Pack enough food and water for a few days. Heading to the plains—need plenty."
"A-Ascania Plains? That's dangerous..."
"Whatever. Hurry. Leaving now. Oh, and one more: shovel and rope. Sturdy ones."
"Shovel and rope? Ain't that risky?"
"None of your business."
At Jinwoo's firm tone, the owner stopped asking questions and fetched the supplies as ordered.
A heavy bundle thudded onto the table.
"Perfect."
Soon, Jinwoo shouldered a backpack stuffed with water and jerky and stepped out.
Villagers watched from afar with eyes mixed awe and fear.
They offered a new horse, but he shot it down flat.
'Gonna ditch it anyway—why bother?'
He had no use for an ordinary mount.
Hell, on second thought, better without one.
Horses were more skittish than they looked.
And on Eldorado Continent, nothing spooked them more than Pellicons.
Thanks to the smell and the attitude.
Imagining one bolting in panic at the sight made going on foot seem smarter.
In the end, Jinwoo trudged silently south.
Under the blood-red wasteland sunset, the gunslinger's black silhouette stretched long.
Making his way across the vast plain on foot, his back gradually shrank smaller.
No hesitation—forward, ever forward.
"Alright, now that it's come to this, in the Ascania Plains..."
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"I'll snag the fastest damn Pellicon in the world."