Gold Rush

An area full of rocky mountains.

This was the place where our operation would begin.

I climbed onto a high rocky mountain, crossed my arms, and watched the distant road.

Siberick and Hwarang approached me.

Siberick would often follow Hwarang around, throwing out silly questions.

“Hey, what’s your favorite booze?”

Just like that.

Hwarang would stiffen his expression at such questions and turn his head. It was an expression of his unwillingness to answer, but Siberick actually liked Hwarang’s arrogant attitude even more.

He was truly an incomprehensible old man.

“Hmm…”

Siberick, with his arms crossed like me, stared at the distant place.

He asked me and Hwarang a question as if it were his last.

Actually, it sounded more like a casual soliloquy than a question.

“Now, there’s really no turning back. Is that still okay?”

It was a remark that might have something to do with his past.

But I don’t care. My only interest was money.

I am a heartless plunderer. A fearsome bandit king with eyes gleaming only for gold.

“I won’t go back.”

“Hmm.”

The moment Siberick nodded at my words, a blurry message appeared before my eyes.

[From this moment on, the use of messages is prohibited with all users except for party members.]

[All NPCs in the Ruthless Wilderness area are hostile and wary of you.]

[Damage taken from ranged attacks is increased by 100%.]

[You will not be able to use major facilities in the city.]

[Resurrection through skills is impossible upon death, and natural resurrection will move you to prison instead of the respawn location.]

[Maintaining the plunderer state for a long time will result in permanent favorability loss with NPCs.]

I nodded, confirming the numerous penalty notifications that appeared before my eyes.

I had already confirmed this through the content guide.

In fact, there were many other penalties for plunderers, but those were options that were added when the plundering was successful.

So, for now, I’ll just focus on plundering gold.

“I like that spirit.”

Siberick said that and slid down the rocky mountain. His leather boots slid a long way, kicking up a terrible cloud of dust.

The target slowly began to appear beyond the hazy dust.

A long line of carriages, and numerous NPCs running around it as if to escort it.

I frowned at the sight. The number of escort troops was excessively large.

It seemed that the users who discovered the gold had once again used a huge amount of money to hire NPCs.

In fact, that was the normal method. Being plundered meant losing all the investment and time.

Of course, there was an insurance system in place to prepare for plunderer attacks, but it only returned a certain portion of the investment.

It was time to move.

I jumped off the large rocky mountain as Siberick had done.

Hwarang’s gaze lingered behind me.

In this operation, Hwarang will play the role of a sniper, pouring bullets on those who enter under the rocky mountain.

Me, Iyap, and Snow Mage had to run out and lure the wagon train that was in the middle of the gold rush.

“Come out!”

I jumped from the middle of the rocky mountain and summoned a large magic circle.

The guy that appeared was a pony with a burning mane.

“Hieeeeng!”

The moment I got on the pony, Siberick was already running.

The speed of the horse he was riding was very fast. As I clicked my tongue at the sight of him running faster than the highest-grade horse, Iyap and Snow Mage approached me.

“Bandit King-nim!”

Snow Mage was holding a red mask in her hand.

“This is…?”

“Shouldn’t we hide our identity?”

She’s right. I nodded and received the red mask.

The exchange of masks was smooth even on a running horse.

I put the mask under my eyes and tie it behind my head.

No one will ever recognize my face with this.

“Ihihi-“

Once I decided to do something evil, even my laughter came out evilly.

It was something I started to pay off Helena’s debt, but now I have to fully enjoy this moment.

Forget about the pressure of debt repayment for a while and become a complete bandit king.

“Hiryaat!”

Siberick, who had made a big turn and reached the side of the transport wagon, took out his revolver and started shooting.

Tang-! Taang-! Tang-!

The bullets fired from his widely swung arm and its fingertips drew a strange trajectory and pierced the heads of the NPCs hired as escorts.

The bullets curved. It was a skill that ordinary archers, like Hwarang, didn’t have.

“It’s an attack!”

“It’s a plunderer!”

Fortunately, the target of this plunder was users of the Human race camp.

People from guilds of considerable size glared at me with greatly angered eyes.

What are you going to do by glaring like that? Is there anything you can do now?

I took out my sword with a smug expression.

Seureureung-

The swordsmanship I take on the running pony is natural. It was thanks to the combat experience I had accumulated while riding Wolf Growl and Windwalker Ppiyaki for a long time.

“Go!”

“Hieeeeng!”

The little horse, Pony, faithfully followed my orders.

It shook its head and charged as if trying to relieve the sorrow of not being able to appear, and it looked like watching a buffalo charge.

“It’s the Milk Cow Demon King!”

“Cow Demon King!”

“You, you cowardly devil bastard!”

How, how do these guys recognize me?

I glanced at Snow Mage with a greatly embarrassed expression.

Clearly, the nickname, guild, and title were all hidden.

On top of that, I wore a red mask that covered my face and a cowboy hat that covered my horns.

It means it’s a perfect disguise.

“I’m not the Cow Demon King! I’m the Bandit King!”

“That crazy bitch is doing some weird concept again!”

There were a total of 10 users escorting the gold wagon.

Among them, an opponent using a sword like me rode a horse and ran towards me.

“Is this an application for a one-on-one duel? I’ll accept it. Be honored to die at the hands of me, the Bandit King.”

“Die!”

As hasty as his temper was, his sword also contained haste.

A sword is swung with the heart, and if that heart is shaken, the sword is bound to shake as well.

Chaeng!

The moment the swords collided, a powerful shockwave spread out.

I thought it would be light, but the power in the sword was considerable.

I raised my lips and rotated my sword.

Kaga-gang!

The dark black blade showed a strange movement and tapped the opponent’s sword as if gnawing at it.

The vibration transmitted to the hand must be considerable.

“Keueuk!”

The body of the opponent holding the sword recoiled greatly. I brightened my eyes and brought the horse closer.

It was at that moment. Beyond the opponent holding the sword, the movements of the remaining enemies were captured.

The hand movements to the waist were very fast.

Immediately after that – the sound of guns rang out in succession.

The moment the enemies’ shooting began, a white pain that consumed my head began.

The moment I entered a state of extreme concentration, my vision expanded widely.

The accelerated mind reads all the trajectories of the attacks coming quickly.

Chaeng! Chaejaeng! Pik- Pak-!

I desperately swung my sword to deflect the attacks and let some attacks flow.

But you can’t avoid everything.

“Keueuk…”

Numerous bullets flew away, leaving wounds on my body, such as my arms and legs.

Since there was a debuff that increased damage taken from ranged attacks by 100%, the wounds were fatal.

I grabbed my bleeding arm and stepped back.

“Haha! The Milk Boy is retreating!”

“Waaa! The Cow Demon King is running away!

It’s just a strategic retreat.

But the human race users began to provoke me as if they had won this battle.

It was humiliating. Jupiter, how does that sparrow endure these provocations every time?

He was truly a great person.

Tang-! Taang-!

Unlike me, who had taken a step back, Siberick was steadily reducing the number of enemies.

Each hook shot that came out every time his hand was swung reduced the number of enemies by two at once.

Dag-dak- Dag-dak- Dag-dak-

Tang-! Tadadang-! Tang-!

The plunderers skillfully drove the enemies’ positions.

Like a sheepdog herding sheep, they were pushing the gold wagon into the section with the rocky mountain.

The users who sensed something strange tried to change the direction of the wagon, but it was already too late. If they suddenly turned the direction of the wagon right now, the wagon would surely be shattered on the large rocky mountain.

The enemy’s wagon enters the rocky mountain. At that moment, Siberick looked up at the sky and whistled a long whistle.

Hwiiiiik-!

That was the signal. The remaining plunderers, who had been hiding in the high rocky mountains, revealed themselves and began to pour out bullets.

Of course, Hwarang was also included among them.

Tadadang! Tadadang!

“It’s an ambush!”

“Protect the horses!”

The movement of the wagon stopped. I was waiting for that moment.

“Let’s go!”

Using potions and bandages, I healed all my wounds and immediately began to rush towards the wagon.

My loyal subordinates, Snow Mage and Iyap, followed me.

“Bandit King-nim! Ruthlessly steal the enemies’ gold! Give the enemies a vicious smile and laugh at them!”

“Ihihi!”

“Ihihi!”

I jumped off the horse with Snow Mage, giving an evil laugh.

There were too many enemies, but I wasn’t worried. We had the sure-shot marksman Hwarang.

He will never let me die.

“Support me, Hwarang-isiyeo!”

It was the moment I was excited and ran out.

Something was suddenly fired from inside the enemies’ wagon.

Taang-!

Chaeng-!

I moved my sword in a desperate movement and barely deflected the attack.

But at that moment, Snow Mage, who was running with me next to me, collapsed to the ground.

“Heuek…”

“Snow…?”

There was a hole in Snow Mage’s head, and the color of her body was turning gray.

Gray was the color that signified death in Deron.

“B-Bandit King-nim… P-Plunder…”

Those were Snow Mage’s last words. She died.

I stared blankly at her corpse with trembling eyes.

At that moment, the tent inside the wagon was lifted and a man appeared.

[Coming Dawn]

[Victor]

Just like the plunderers have named NPCs, there were also named NPCs in the sheriff’s office to escort the gold rush.

Victor of the Coming Dawn was also such an NPC.

“Long time no see, Siberick.”

Victor shone the revolver in his hand and smiled brightly.