Chapter 24
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Transport Caravan Ambush Incident (1)
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The moment Jinwoo unfolded the shabby parchment.
A familiar yet emotionless blue glow suddenly flickered in the corner of his vision.
[Emergency Defense Quest: Blackwater Bloodbath Completed!]
[Final Grade: S (Perfect Victory)]
[Special Reward: Trade Federation Grade 1 Directive]
[Main Quest: Arsenal in the Shadows Activated]
The system window's contents deviated not one inch from his expectations.
Jinwoo closed the window with the indifference of someone checking a bill he fully expected to pay.
'Finally, the next quest has opened.'
This scrap of paper in his hand was the price for all that slaughter.
A quest reward was just another quest.
Deep down, Jinwoo was growing weary of it.
'Tch, what the hell am I even doing...'
In the end, this piece of paper was nothing more than a ticket to the next stage.
As Jinwoo lost himself in such thoughts, someone approached.
"Hey! You alright?"
The old sheriff pushed through the crowd and rushed over.
His face was smeared with blood and dust, but his eyes shone with gratitude and awe.
The sheriff reached for Jinwoo's shoulder but instinctively pulled back, chilled by the cold aura emanating from him.
"Hm?"
"You... you saved us all! How can we ever repay this kindness...!"
Jinwoo turned his head.
Behind him, the battle had barely ended, yet a festive mood was already in the air.
"We won! We beat those bastards!"
The villagers cried out, embracing each other tightly.
The square burned hot with the thrill of victory and relief at having survived.
But Jinwoo was a perfect island, detached from all that fervor.
His mind was already tangled in calculations for the next move.
Combining the directive's contents with his knowledge painted a clear picture.
'While the Blackwater raid unfolds, the secret transport unit carries the prototype arcane rifle along the designated route. Mission complete, report to Point A for new rifles.'
It was just as he'd anticipated.
Ignoring their cheers at his back, Jinwoo silently walked toward Falcon.
There was no time to hesitate.
No leisure to savor the win.
"Wait, hey! Leaving already?"
The sheriff urgently blocked his path.
"At least stay the night! Let the villagers raise a glass to you! You're our hero!"
"Hero."
The word stirred no emotion in Jinwoo.
The reason was simple.
Providence Games' half-assed game settings applied even inside the world.
'Liquor here's always lukewarm, and the food's tasteless.'
And the women? Laughable modeling.
Yet they poured effort into bugs of all things. Bizarre.
This infamous reputation carried over even into this game world made real, where Jinwoo had fallen.
So there was no getting excited about it.
But he couldn't exactly explain that to the people of this world.
Instead, Jinwoo held up the directive right in front of the sheriff's eyes.
A rough map of the region was sketched on the parchment.
"I've got another job to do. You folks contact nearby villages, stock up on more weapons, figure out how to protect that gold mine."
"Where are you headed?"
"Withered Serpent Canyon."
The sheriff met Jinwoo's gaze and fell silent for a moment.
Those eyes were far from the comrade's who'd fought alongside them moments ago.
The eyes of a ruthless predator already seeking its next hunt now that one was done.
A sudden thought flashed through the old sheriff's mind.
'I see! This Eastern gunslinger... he's got some grand scheme in motion!'
The gunslinger before him might be an extraordinary figure plotting a massive stand against that monstrous Trade Federation.
Suddenly, the village's victory made perfect sense.
'Right, no one can block the path of the righteous!'
With trembling fingers, the sheriff pointed to a spot on the map.
"...Half a day's ride east, and you'll hit Withered Serpent Canyon."
"Good. Then fill this waterskin. I'm heading out in an hour."
"Yes sir!"
An hour later, Jinwoo rode off into the wasteland with the supplies the village had packed, never looking back.
"Let's go, Falcon!"
"Kieeeek!"
The cheers of victory and grateful farewells rapidly faded behind him.
"Hero! Thank you!"
Only the harsh wind and the pounding hooves of Falcon charging toward the next target filled the air around him.
Tatadak!
A half-day gallop.
A distance that would have left a horse foaming and collapsed—Falcon charged on without tiring.
Finally, far off, the silhouette of a massive rock canyon came into view, its jagged form biting into the horizon like fangs.
This was Withered Serpent Canyon.
Jinwoo's next hunting ground.
'Gotta rest up and wait.'
Reaching the canyon entrance, Jinwoo slowed Falcon.
He didn't foolishly charge straight in.
"Up."
At his curt command, Falcon kicked off the ground with its massive foreclaws and leaped.
Falcon scaled the near-vertical cliff face along the canyon side.
Kwajik!
Its claws gouged the rock face, scattering debris, while small wings steadied its balance.
A few leaps, and it surged to the canyon rim in an instant.
'Perfect.'
The canyon sprawled below like an ideal ambush stage, laid out at a glance from the top.
A narrow, twisting single path.
Surrounded on all sides by rocks and cliffs perfect for cover.
The kind of spot you imagined for Hu Lao Pass or Fan Su Valley in Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Jinwoo dismounted and climbed the highest boulder to survey below.
The terrain knowledge etched in his mind overlaid the real landscape without a single discrepancy.
He traced the transport route in the air with a finger, double-checking.
Then confirmed the choke points where he'd cut off the Trade Federation unit's breathing room, one by one.
'200 meters from the entrance... past that corner, line of sight's completely blocked. Primary ambush spot.'
'100 meters after. Narrowest bottleneck. Perfect for concentrating main firepower.'
'That nook on the left cliff. Hit from there, and their formation shatters.'
Jinwoo devised a flawless staging plan for exploiting the terrain.
'Like with the last Trade Federation support unit. Never know what variables might pop up. Gotta plan thoroughly.'
Wind direction. Shadow positions at sunset.
Even spots where wagon wheels might snag on rocks.
For two straight days, Jinwoo chewed on village rations while scouting the surroundings.
Torturous boredom!
But there were gains.
'Definitely got the lay of the land.'
Analysis complete.
Time to set traps.
Jinwoo rose from the boulder.
"Falcon! Down we go!"
"Kiek!"
He rode Falcon back down the cliff and headed for his marked spots.
First target: the cliff midway up where the corner fully blocked the view for the transport unit.
Using Falcon's leaping power, he reached mid-cliff in one go and expertly bundled dynamite deep in a rock crevice.
He chose thin fuses nearly indistinguishable from the rock color and trailed them long down to the underbrush below.
Second and third spots, same drill.
At the narrowest bottleneck, he set two bundles in sequence for maximum blast.
'Worst case, they'll retreat. Then...'
On the opposite retreat path under a rock pile—where enemies might flee—he laid a merciless trap.
Every move had to be maximally efficient.
No wasted steps, no unnecessary second-guessing—Jinwoo racked his brain to control and calculate every variable of the ambush.
"Sigh. In the game, I'd just hit E..."
Having to do it all by hand himself, Jinwoo clicked his tongue.
With all preparations done, Jinwoo headed to the final spot.
The highest overlook point, where the entire canyon lay visible at a glance—perfect sniper perch.
He settled behind a concealing boulder, spread a poncho for shade.
Next task: one thing.
A long, long wait.
'When I get back to reality, first thing—chug all the cola I want.'
Falcon crouched motionless beside him, sharing its master's silence.
Time flowed.
Scorching sun baked the rocks; wind through the canyon carried dust.
In the hush where all the world's sounds seemed to still, Jinwoo alternated sleep and vigilance, eyes on the far canyon mouth.
After endless boredom, something snagged in Hawk Eye's scope.
"Hm?"
How much time had passed?
At the edge of his sight, where horizon met wasteland, something began to shimmer.
Faint at first, like a mirage, it gradually took shape over time.
A massive dust cloud.
And dozens of black specks kicking it up.
"Finally."
An armed wagon train, ringed tightly by mounted escorts without a gap.
The wagons' covers were sealed tight, but Jinwoo knew what lay hidden inside.
Time to plunder the Trade Federation's shiny new toys.
Of course, his Infinite Ammo Pistol outclassed them all.
But Jinwoo had plans.
'Useless to me, but for folks scraping by with single-shot rifles or rusty shotguns? Game-changer.'
Jinwoo grinned cruelly.
"I'll enjoy the delivery."