Boooooooo.
The Korando Sports crosses the desolate American West.
Today, I took over the wheel myself in place of the exhausted Lee Yong-su.
“… How long has it been since this happened?”
It’s been years since I’ve held a handle.
Although the absence of Yong-su Lee was significant, fortunately for a licensed driver like me, the roads of the United States were healing in themselves.
An empty road, as if it were rented out.
Even though I had been running for more than 30 minutes, I hadn’t encountered a single car.
At this point, the car wheels placed shamelessly on the center line felt very proud.
By the way…
“… Is this correct?”
Because of the thugs chasing after me, I didn’t have time to properly look at my destination.
Luckily, I found a road, so I just stepped on the accelerator and headed towards Arizona, where consolidation was in progress, while carefully studying the road signs.
Let alone knowing where to go in that vast state of Arizona.
“… Let’s just run. Either way, we’re going to Arizona.”
Yong-su Lee was in need of a few hours of rest.
Since the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s troops were also scattered all over the place, there was no one left to immediately drive helicopters or other means of transportation.
Just crossing the western United States alone.
“… If you keep going, something will come out.”
Even though it is the West, there is no way all the land would be empty.
The plan was to somehow find a place where people were gathered and try to get information.
An unidentified mountain range in Arizona.
About Lysion, where the craftsman dwarf lives.
As expected, it wasn’t long before traces of people were discovered.
“Oh!”
It wasn’t a city.
A tiny village thrown into the middle of a magnificent landscape.
Cars parked everywhere gave off a strong scent of human traces.
“Well then, what kind of world is this these days?”
No matter how much destruction there is, people live on.
The only difference is the method or scale.
I happily turned the steering wheel and approached the village.
Of course…
I didn’t know it at the time.
Who knew this small town would take me back in time to an old time machine?
[Forty Nine Village] That was the name of the town.
Wheeeeee…
A wind sweeping through the desolate sand and dust.
And…
Thud-thud.
As I watched the tumbleweeds of the wilderness rolling around, I was overcome by a vague sense of foreboding.
“…This is the West?”
A landscape that fits exactly the image that comes to mind when you think of the West.
But I never would have imagined that the scenery you would only see in old westerns could exist in modern America.
Wheeee…
A cactus the size of a person that has grown beautifully.
A rusted Harley Davidson lies lying next to a town sign.
And the old wooden houses that stretch out on both sides, forming a long corridor.
Although there were some buildings that appeared to have been built relatively recently, it was clearly a very old rural village.
And the most surprising thing was…
‘…Is it okay to just come in like this?’
As I entered the village, I was not subject to any interference.
As if to prove this, there were quite a few people roaming around the town.
There were people of all races, including black, white, Hispanic, and Asians like me, and there were also people in everyday clothes, from people in jeans and straw hats like typical country farmers, walking the streets.
‘It’s a bit gruesome, though.’
Of course, the traces of destruction were evident.
As expected from America, a country of guns, everyone was carrying a gun.
They each carried a large shotgun and were glancing at each other with a kind of tense look in their eyes.
What that means is…
‘… This is not a unified force.’
This place where everyone is an outsider.
Forty Nine Village was a place that functioned as a transportation route for people.
‘How can a place like this exist?’
Americans seemed completely attuned to destruction itself.
There is no hope for salvation from the government, as if all of this were a burden placed on each of their own backs.
For now, I decided to stay true to my purpose.
The Lycian Mountains, where there are dwarves.
And I had to find my way there.
‘… It’s a bit awkward to ask them.’
There were a lot of people, but they all had murderous eyes.
People all armed with guns.
It wasn’t funny, considering my power was 7th rank, but I needed to find someone I could have a conversation with.
“It’s a little better there.”
A relatively recently built building located in the center of town.
It seemed like a place run like a store, with people sitting in groups of three or four at tables on the terrace.
A look that seemed much more relaxed.
Since he was a good conversation partner, I decided to go into the store and find out more information about Lysian.
Thud-thud.
I crossed that parched village road.
Kkieeeeeeee…
I opened the glass door in the center of the building.
The door slammed unusually loudly, indicating that the hinges were not properly engaged.
Like that…
…?”
Rattling.
I realized something was wrong.
Unlike the neat exterior, the interior of the building was completely different.
The floor and ceiling were made of old, rough wood.
A dark room and dusty beams of light streaming through yellowed windows.
And the bar-shaped ordering counter visible at the front.
Crucially…
‘… Oh, please.’
Dozens of people sitting at tables scattered around the place began to look at me.
The languid expression I had seen from outside had disappeared without a trace.
They all had the same sullen, leopard-like gaze.
It was a trap in itself.
To make visitors into the stars of a Western movie.
I was caught in that trap and had no choice but to walk towards the bartender in front of me.
Squeak.
Squeak.
The floor was really rotten.
Because of the strong presence I felt with every step I took, several of the poker players threw down their cards and started watching me.
Chin!
Chin!
The sound of glasses being put down could be heard everywhere.
In the middle of the ‘salon’ filled with cold silence, I could only then hear the bartender’s greeting.
“… Welcome.”
The owner of the salon, with his bushy beard and gaunt face, welcomed me.
I asked in a bewildered voice.
“Are you going to sell alcohol?”
“… Yes? Yes, yes…”
The owner kindly explained to me, who had a hard time adjusting.
“The price is paid in magic stones. It is prepaid.”
“Just the simplest one…”
“There are two magic stones.”
I immediately shipped two magic stones from my bosom and paid for them, and the owner handed me a large glass of whiskey the size of a booger.
I carelessly put the glass aside and asked him directly.
“Is there a mountain range called Lycion nearby?”
Lycian.
As soon as he heard that, the shop owner’s face hardened coldly.
Then, so that others could hear, he whispered to me in a low voice.
“It looks like you’re from out of town… I’m sorry, but I can’t just tell you.”
“Then the magic stone?”
“Information is received in kind. For example… this kind of thing.”
Spot.
Since it was a destroyed world, I thought they would ask for things like water, food, or even oil and ammunition.
But what the owner took out from under his apron was…
‘..You have this?’
It was definitely a strengthening stone.
Although it was occasionally discovered while defeating monsters, this reinforcing stone was something that was hard to find in Korea.
It’s surprising that such an item came out of the bar owner’s apron.
Of course, for me it was a mountain of stuff.
So much so that you wouldn’t even notice if a few disappeared.
Chin.
I placed a reinforcing stone on the table.
The owner looked quite surprised, as if he had never thought that I would actually have a strengthening stone.
“That… is what you wanted to ask?”
A much more polite attitude.
When I asked him again, he started telling me the information I wanted.
“It’s the Grand Canyon. The Goblin Mountains have merged into the terrain there. If you go northeast from here… If you can get me a map, I can show you a more precise location. And don’t think it’s expensive. This is valuable information to the people of Arizona.”
Just as the existence of Elvenheim was spread to Korea and Japan, the news of the consolidation of Lysium also seemed to have been given only to the people of Arizona.
But it was difficult to understand that the information was worth a thousand dollars.
Announcement that hostile forces have appeared in the surrounding area.
What else can you find, other than the Chamber of Commerce’s push to get involved?
To my question, which was added as if it was a puzzlement.
“Why is that information so valuable?”
The owner answered, lowering his voice even further.
“Are you asking because you don’t know? There’s a mine in Lysium. It produces reinforcement stones…”
“Ah…”
That’s why.
The reason the owner of the salon had a strengthening stone.
According to him, the original owners of the Lycian were greedy mining goblins.
Just as the Earth was a place that was desirable to goblins, the mines of Lysium were also a place that fueled the greed of Earthlings.
In result…
“Recently, subjugation and mining have been continuously taking place. As you may already know, thanks to this, you can even catch 8th-tier monsters…”
Lysian and Arizona were literally waging a war of aggression against each other.
Exactly as the Chamber of Commerce intended.
I pushed the reinforcement stone I had promised him and asked him one last time.
“Have you ever heard that there are dwarves there?”
“Dwarves? There are only dirty, greedy goblins lying around. What are dwarves…”
It seems like he doesn’t know anything more than that.
“Okay then.”
Knock-knock.
I got up from my seat and immediately left the ‘salon.’
The destination is Lycian, where the Grand Canyon is located.
But, when I reached the alley leading to the exit to go back to the car.
I came face to face with a group of muscular men blocking my way.
“What?”
They were all wearing brown leather jackets, jeans, and not-so-funny cowboy hats.
Therefore…
That was their true identity. A bunch of scoundrels.
“Seeing you burn the reinforcing stone with just a few words… I want to have a conversation too.”
Crunch.
A shotgun held heavily.
It seemed like it was their own conversational grammar for sharing stories.
“Hey, take it out quickly.”
I was worried.
Should I kill these guys or just ignore them and move on?
Just by pointing guns at the town, it was clear that it was a lawless area, but there was also the risk of getting caught up in unnecessary trouble over the pretext of killing someone.
Since Arizona was the party at war with Lysian, the cooperation of their leadership may have been needed in the process of finding the dwarves.
But unlike me, who was cautious, I had little patience with the outlaws.
“Look at this kid, he’s moving so slowly. This isn’t going to work.”
Crunch!
One of them pulled the trigger on me without warning.
And…
…?”
It was at the same time.
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Someone came rushing at me.
Bang!
A heavy feeling of weight pressing down on the whole body.
Someone was protecting me from the flying bullets.
And…
‘…What is this old man?’
What I saw before my eyes was a middle-aged Asian man sweating profusely.
Taang!
Taang!
A few more gunshots followed.
“Hey, shit! What the hell is this kid doing!”
The thugs threw down their shotguns in frustration.
The middle-aged man showed no signs of pain…
It was clear what it meant.
‘…Holder of the hierarchy?’
I don’t know why, but it seems he used his hierarchy to save me.
It was clear that he didn’t know that I was wielding the power of a 7th-tier force.
“The yellow ones are very paired…”
Meanwhile, the thugs who had thrown away their shotguns took out new weapons.
Crunch.
A silver-shining revolver.
Although it was a romantic weapon in that it symbolized the West, it was actually somewhat less majestic than a shotgun.
But my thoughts were rendered meaningless…
“Hee… Eek!”
The man who had been bravely protecting me raised both his hands in fear.
Then he started to persuade the gangsters.
“Are you serious…? You’re going to shoot that here?”
“Why? He probably has a few of these reinforcing stones. One isn’t that expensive as an investment, right?”
‘Ah…’
I could guess from their conversation.
The revolver I took out this time and the bullets inside it were each reinforced items.
Just like I reinforced the military’s service rifle.
‘That’s so American. Seeing how serious they are about guns.’
If so, then it was indeed a weapon incomparably stronger than a shotgun.
Enough to tear apart the strength of the old man who protected me.
Of course…
‘…That doesn’t apply to me, though.’
It was a 7th-tier repulsive force that couldn’t even produce a single scratch with +1 level of reinforcement.
Furthermore, it was highly unlikely that those who were sorry about the few reinforcement stones would have further enhanced bullets that were nothing more than consumables.
A situation where you can’t die at all even if you try to kill them.
After roughly organizing my thoughts, I pushed the incapacitated man aside.
…?”
The old man looked at me questioningly.
Meanwhile, I was holding a freshly shipped K2C1 rifle in my hand.
With nine reinforced bullets loaded.
But the scoundrels who saw my weapon immediately burst into laughter.
“Oh my! Are you mad?”
“It’s scary! It’s so cute and unmatched!”
Judging by the way they were laughing out loud, it seemed like all three of them had some sort of hierarchy.
These thugs opened their leather jackets and thrust their stomachs out, as if to say, “Let me shoot.” They provoked me to the fullest.
I just aimed at them absentmindedly.
“Hey, now is not the time! You don’t know anything…”
The old man tried to stop me, but I wasn’t the kind of person who had the patience to let those who shot me pass.
Doo doo doo doo doo!
The sound of gunshots ringing out loud, and with it…
“Ugh!”
“Uh…?”
Nine reinforced bullets consisting of shock, ignition, and freezing easily tore through their repulsive power.
The thugs twisted their arms excitedly, waved their fiery hands, and then quickly froze and stared at me with wide eyes.
“Ugh, ugh…”
They collapsed on the spot with a cold voice.
“I… I…”
The old man looked at me with wide eyes.
“Are those all reinforced bullets…?”
His mouth wouldn’t close.
A husky voice that was dignified yet attractive.
A cowboy hat tilted askew on his head and a brown jacket.
Blue jeans and leather boots, and finally…
From the thick, protruding lower abdomen to the slightly bald forehead.
That was the charming appearance of Dong-Kwan Park, a cowboy from LA’s Koreatown.
“I tried to help him because he seemed Asian. But I didn’t realize he was actually Korean…”
After sharing some brief personal details.
He arrived at Forty-Nine Village a few days ago and gave a brief explanation of what was happening in the West.
“People are flocking to this mine. Ever since it became known that you can break through the hierarchy with reinforcement bullets… reinforcement stones have become more expensive than magic stones. The people gathered here are probably Awakened people from other regions who have gathered here to make a killing.”
The West was devastated by destruction.
The newly appeared reinforced stone mine and the people who gathered to occupy it.
It was literally like a re-enactment of the gold rush.
Aside from that, I couldn’t help but ask one thing.
About the extravagant fighting style of Americans.
“…Using those expensive reinforcing stones in bullets?”
Bullets are nothing more than consumables.
I thought it would be impossible for anyone without copying abilities like mine, but the Americans were spending a lot of reinforcement stones to strengthen their bullets.
Park Dong-kwan answered my question.
“When Americans think of ‘weapons,’ they first think of guns. And they are also the weapons they trust the most. However, as you said, we have no choice but to use them sparingly. That’s why we use revolvers or sniper rifles when using enhanced bullets. People like you, who put those expensive enhanced bullets in their rifles and fire them in rapid succession, are weird…”
As expected from a foreign land, Americans were also dealing with destruction with their own strategies.
Little did I know that this strategy would overlap perfectly with my plans to find the Gangwha Stone Craftsman.
I asked Park Dong-kwan about the dwarves, but he just shook his head.
“Dwarves…? I’m not sure. I heard there are goblins swarming around, though…”
Still, he had one clue.
“But the sheriff here would know. He’s the one in charge of the war with Lysium and the mining of the reinforced stone here.”
And the ability to connect the dots.
“Want to meet up? I can at least introduce you to him.”
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