Chapter 1
“It’s been a while. There was a strange guy outside.”
<Elens>, the only restaurant and bar in Turtle Rock. Men with long rifles slung at their sides gathered in small groups and took seats. At their greeting, the owner merely shrugged his shoulders and flicked away cigarette ash.
“He suddenly showed up this morning and has been spouting nonsense. Something about the Republic of Korea and games. I can’t understand a word he’s saying.”
“Did he show up alone? All the way here?”
The man drank down the warm liquor that had been heated by the stove. The surroundings of Turtle Rock were entirely snow-covered mountains. Although the temperature had warmed with the arrival of spring, it was a place an unaccompanied child could never cross in light clothing. As they placed their rifles beside the entrance, they made a guess.
“Looks like the rest of his group died.”
“The only survivor being one crazy kid! That’s quite lucky, innkeeper. Judging by his clothes, they looked expensive—what about the carriage?”
The owner waved his hand, telling them not to even mention it.
“I couldn’t even find wheel tracks. He clearly appeared just this morning.”
“No way.”
“Does it sound like a lie? Why would I lie to you?”
As the snow melted, the ground had turned muddy. Even the footprints of wild dogs hardened in place—if a carriage had passed through, it would have certainly left traces. The more they heard, the more bizarre it sounded, and the men’s voices dropped low.
“Leave him alone?”
“He’s been wandering around busy on his own. He’ll freeze to death eventually.”
“Instead, hand him over to a slave trader. He looks decent enough—he’d fetch a good price anywhere.”
“Forget it. Trying to earn a bit of pocket change will just bring trouble.”
A single faded yet high-quality coat weighed on his mind. If the child happened to be connected to officials or great landowners, ruining one’s life over a small sum wasn’t worth it. That was why the men only joked while probing the owner—they had no intention of taking the child themselves. After all, once they reached Mollibay, slave traders would be everywhere.
“Food?”
“Of course. I haven’t had warm food for days.”
“I was busy searching for a carriage this morning, so I’m not fully prepared yet. Wait a bit. By the way, we’ve been getting more customers lately. There was also a group heading to Mollibay yesterday.”
“Yeah. I heard bank robbers have been running rampant lately.”
Through the back window, a laborer could be seen pulling a carriage. Three corpses piled in the cargo hold. Meat with bounties on them. Of course, safely delivering them to Mollibay was the real challenge. With the weather warming, they could arrive in three days. Already acting as if they had the bounty in hand, they repeatedly ordered drinks and food.
Creak.
At that moment, the tavern door opened cautiously. Brown hair, gray eyes. It was the same crazy kid they had seen outside earlier. The men began chatting with interest.
“Oh ho, innkeeper. Since when did you start allowing crazy folks in here? You’ve gotten soft. You weren’t like this before.”
“Hey, idiot. If you don’t want to get beaten, don’t even think about begging—get lost. You’re ruining the taste of my drink.”
The owner stopped wiping a glass and looked at the child. Even upon a second look, the clothes were high-quality—but it was certain he didn’t have a single coin. Damn beggar brat. Tch.
“Got business?”
‘Because of him, I’ve been scrambling through the mountains since morning. If he asks for food, I’ll knock him out in one hit.’
The men sensed a good show coming and turned their chairs toward him.
“By any chance—”
Despite his youthful appearance, his voice was quite low. How old was he? The more they dealt with him, the harder it was to tell.
“Do you have any work?”
“What?”
“Work. Like a job or a mission.”
The owner, who had been about to grab him by the collar, paused. When the other side showed no reaction, the child let out a small sigh as if frustrated. Then he lightly tugged at his coat and made a proposal.
“Or I’d like to buy food with this.”
“You think that suits me? Not only are you crazy, your eyes are gone too.”
“I saw earlier—it looked like you have a daughter around my age.”
At that answer, the owner fell silent again. Muttering nonsense as he wandered around—yet it seemed he had been observing his surroundings. The wife, who had been heating a pot, cleared her throat and nudged her husband’s side.
“Elen’s birthday is coming up.”
“…That’s true.”
“At that quality, even if we sell it cheap at the market, we could buy her new boots. I’ll serve some dry bread and minced meat.”
As the couple looked down at the child together, the child took off his coat and placed it on the table. He had paid. The men tilted their chairs and tapped on his table.
“Name? Where are you from?”
The child looked them up and down cautiously.
“Kim Jaei. Republic of Korea.”
“There it is. The nonsense the innkeeper mentioned.”
“Kim… Jaei? That’s a strange name. From the north?”
“I just said Republic of Korea.”
“Ahh, right. That’s the setting you’re going with.”
“Age?”
“Thirty-five.”
“You seem to like jokes more than you look. I’m nineteen, you know? Don’t act younger than me.”
Jaei tried to say something but closed his mouth. Of course they wouldn’t believe him. He himself couldn’t believe this reality either. The owner took the coat and then served warm liquor.
“How did you end up here? You’re alone, right?”
“…I don’t know.”
He truly didn’t know. Jaei sipped the warm liquor and frowned. Was the problem that he had realized something was wrong with his life? A life where studying and civil service exams were everything. After passing, he worked day and night. No alcohol, no cigarettes, no friends or lover.
‘Assistant Manager Kim, isn’t your life too dull?’
‘Seriously. Is life even fun if you live like that? I heard you only go between home and work. You know what’s crazy? He’s never even watched YouTube.’
‘Really? That bad?’
‘I’m not even mocking him—I genuinely wonder why he lives like that.’
‘He seems like someone born just to work.’
‘Not a person, a machine. And stiff as hell, too.’
Overhearing that gossip by chance had been the trigger. For the first time, Jaei tried various activities to change his lifestyle, but none of them suited him. The last thing he tried was a game. It was popular, so he bought it without much thought…
‘It was fun. It was just too hard, so I quit quickly.’
Jaei never realized the reason it was difficult was because he had spent his starting funds on expensive clothes. The very thing now in the owner’s hands. As Jaei forced down the liquor, the men exchanged glances and whispered.
“Up close, he looks even prettier, doesn’t he?”
“And just crazy enough.”
They nodded and moved closer to Jaei.
“Hey. I don’t know your circumstances, but we’re heading to Mollibay at sunrise tomorrow. Want to come with us? It’s best to move while the weather’s mild. Turtle Rock is unpredictable. Oh, and my name’s Lux.”
Jaei, chewing on hard bread, turned to look at Lux. The offer sounded kind, but there was something indescribable in his eyes. From experience, people with those kinds of eyes always caused trouble.
“…What do you want?”
“You catch on quick. In return, you’ll give us compensation when we reach Mollibay. We can even help you contact your family.”
If he didn’t pay, they could just sell him to a slave trader. Even if his identity caused trouble later, it would give them justification. If he somehow paid, that was profit too. Either way, they had nothing to lose.
“I’ll eat first and think about it. I’m too hungry.”
“Take your time. We are too.”
The men returned to their seats, telling him to think it over, and lit their cigarettes. At that moment, movement was heard outside. The owner turned his head in confusion. There were too many visitors today.
Creak.
Five unfamiliar figures entered. In that short moment, perhaps the wind had changed sharply—the chill was biting. Lux and his group scanned the newcomers up and down with cigarettes in their mouths, and the strangers returned the gaze without avoiding it.
“Leave your guns over there.”
It was the owner who cut through the tension. They leaned their rifles under the window and took seats.
“Food?”
“Seems there’s no menu.”
“As you can see.”
“Then something warm.”
“Wait a bit. If you need heated liquor, take it from the stove.”
As the owner stepped outside to fetch ingredients, an eerie silence filled the room. They were openly sizing each other up. Lux spoke first.
“First time at Turtle Rock?”
“……”
“It’s just that I’ve never seen someone look for a menu here. We’re on our way to Mollibay—what about you?”
No answer. Jaei, focused on eating, sensed something off and turned his gaze. The strangers smirked faintly and sniffed.
“What’s it to you?”
“Oh? Why so prickly? Did your parents die crossing the mountain? Since we met like this, I thought we could at least exchange names.”
At Lux’s remark, the strangers rose as if ready to pounce. Meanwhile, Lux casually flicked his cigarette with his front teeth.
“Want me to guess your name? Max. Roldiori Max, right? Your wavy hair and hooked nose match the picture.”
Boom!
It happened in an instant. The table flipped, and they each reached inside their jackets. In the blink of an eye, pistols were drawn, aimed at each other’s heads.
“……”
What is going on? Jaei froze mid-bite. Then came the sound of a gun being cocked beside him. The owner, with a bundle of carrots tucked at his side, had drawn a shotgun.
Click.
“I told you to leave your guns outside.”
“Innkeeper. Do you know how much is on their heads?”
“Not my concern. If you don’t want your heads blown off, put your guns down and eat. I’m sick of my place getting wrecked by your fights.”
But it was a stalemate. The guns were too close to simply obey. Jaei quietly stood and backed away into the kitchen. The owner’s wife was crouched there, hiding.
“Last warning. If you don’t put them down by the count of three, I’ll give each of you a shot.”
“Hey, you can’t do this to us. If we collect their bounty, we’ll stop by next time and give you half.”
“One—”
“Haah, damn it.”
“Two—”
“Okay, okay. Got it.”
If they fell out with the only innkeeper in Turtle Rock, it would only hurt them. They would be passing through countless winters ahead. Lux raised one eyebrow at his opponent—a signal to ‘temporarily’ agree while here. As Lux’s gun lowered slightly, Max pulled the trigger without blinking.
Bang! Bang!
Boom! Bang!
Deafening explosions rang out, and the owner fired his shotgun relentlessly. Unfortunately, with only two shells, he soon ducked down without much effect.
“Honey!”
“Get over here!”
The owner pulled his wife close and reloaded the shotgun. The house was wooden. To minimize damage, they needed to deal with those bastards quickly.
Bang! Bang!
“You sons of bitches!”
“Gahk!”
Jaei’s hands trembled. This was real. Real guns, real killing. The once-faint sense of reality couldn’t become more vivid than this. Blood—no one knew whose—flowed along the grooves in the floor, and then an ownerless pistol rolled toward Jaei.
“Pick it up, you idiot!”
At the owner’s shout, Jaei grabbed the pistol. The wanted criminals would try to completely wipe this place out. Leaving no witnesses was the only way to evade sheriffs and pursuers.
“Get lost, you morons!”
The owner, having reloaded, sprang up and fired. Tables shattered, the ceiling collapsed, and carefully arranged liquor barrels burst. Jaei simply extended his hand and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The recoil was immense. Jaei squeezed his eyes shut and fired blindly. Hoping—praying—that this was all a dream.
Bang!
“…?”
Bang!
“…!”
Every time Jaei fired, the owner would aim—then stop. All three shots Jaei fired without aiming pierced the outlaws’ heads, killing them instantly. As the situation settled, the owner lowered his gun in disbelief.
“You—”
As silence fell, Jaei slowly peeked out. Nine bodies lay sprawled. The place was a mess of blood and alcohol.
“How did that happen?”
“I-I don’t know.”
Jaei accidentally fired one more shot. His bullet precisely struck the head of someone who still had a faint breath left. Startled, Jaei muttered.
“…Ah. Auto-aim correction.”
Once again, incomprehensible words from a madman. The owner frowned irritably but couldn’t lash out recklessly. Jaei was still holding a gun.