Martial Wild West

A gentle hum filled the first floor of the two-story, square-shaped inn, as various patrons enjoyed their evening. Some dined, others drank, and a few occupied themselves with a board game in the corner. A plump middle-aged man, who appeared to be the innkeeper, bustled about, delivering bowls of noodles, bottles of alcohol, and assorted side dishes.

At that moment, a man wearing a traditional Korean hat entered, pushing open the door.

He was a newcomer. Those enjoying their noodles and drinks glanced at him. The sword he carried suggested he was a martial artist, but in the new continent, many claimed that title simply by wielding a sword, making it nothing out of the ordinary.

The man, aware of the attention, paused. The innkeeper approached, wiping his hands on the towel draped around his waist.

“Ah, a wanderin’ soul. Howdy there, stranger.”

With a slight push of a finger, the man lifted his hat and looked at the innkeeper. Meeting the man’s gaze under the hat, the innkeeper continued.

“Y’all lookin’ for a place to rest yer boots?”

“And some grub?”

The innkeeper nodded.

“That’ll be ten shiny coins.”

Silently, the man produced ten coins from his pocket and handed them over. The innkeeper took the payment and headed for the kitchen, saying,

“Go on, find yerself a spot to sit. I’ll rustle up a bowl o’ noodles fer ya right quick.”

The man made his way to a corner table, removed the sword from his waist, propped it upright next to the table, and took off his hat.

Seeing he posed no threat, the inn’s atmosphere returned to its previous liveliness.

The man, Jang Geon by name, settled comfortably into his seat, hands resting on the table, and surveyed the room’s occupants.

Most in the inn and dining area were villagers or farmers from nearby. A handful had swords or knives at their tables, but they were few and far between. Martial artists often bragged about their prowess in the cities and towns along the western coast, but this place was more remote. Here, farmers outnumbered swordsmen.

Thus, even the few swordsmen present appeared to be no more than wanderers who carried blades for self-defense.

There were many guests, but it appeared that the owner alone managed everything. No servers, often seen in other inns, were present, nor were there any signs of the owner’s spouse or children. Given the situation, Jang Geon assumed it might take a while for his bowl of noodles to be prepared.

“Dagnabbit! You varmint! Yer cheatin’ ways ain’t foolin’ me none!”

“Whut? Cheatin’? I weren’t even ponderin’ ’bout my crooked ol’ finger! What’s got yer dander up?”

Suddenly, the voices of the men engrossed in the board game in the corner of the inn grew louder. One man stood up and accused the man seated with his back to Jang Geon of cheating. The two men rose and began to argue, threatening each other’s lives.

The inn’s patrons seemed accustomed to such scenes, as they merely shook their heads or chuckled while sipping their drinks. Even the innkeeper, upon hearing the commotion, merely peeked his head out of the kitchen, laughed, and retreated. No one appeared tense or worried, indicating that the argument would likely end with just verbal insults.

However, Jang Geon kept his eyes on the two men, or more specifically, on the man whose back faced him from the moment he raised his voice.

“Darn it all! So, you’re tellin’ me you won every dang game today, and I ain’t had no luck?”

“Well, I dunno, could it be on account of that finger o’ yours? The rest o’ the folks won their fair share, didn’t they?”

“You low-down snake!”

Unable to contain his anger, the man accusing the other of cheating shoved him with both hands. The other man, who had been laughing, stumbled back a few steps and snarled.

“What’s eatin’ ya? Ya really wanna go down this road?”

“Yeah, you no-good varmint! Jus’ ’cause I been puttin’ up with it, did ya reckon I was a complete dunce?”

Eventually, the two men grabbed each other by the collar and shook one another, hurling unintelligible curses. It was then that Jang Geon, who had been observing the scuffle, finally managed to see the face of the man who had previously only shown his back.

A faint smile crossed his lips.

“So he’s here.”

Jang Geon murmured quietly, observing the quarreling men for a moment before approaching them. As he drew near, the men continued to hurl insults at one another. The onlookers merely chuckled, not intending to intervene.

“Howdy.”

Hearing Jang Geon’s voice, the two men who were causing a commotion turned their heads. The man who had accused the other of cheating appeared puzzled, while the other’s face turned ghostly white.

“…What?”

Jang Geon shook his head at the question from the accuser.

“Not you.”

The pale-faced man anxiously darted his eyes back and forth, then nervously spoke.

“…Brother Jang?”

“Yup, been a couple o’ moons since I seen ya last. How’s life been treatin’ ya?”

The man released his grip on the other’s collar and stepped back. His confused opponent let go of the man’s clothes as well.

“I’ve been… fair to middlin’. How ’bout you, Brother Jang?”

Jang Geon shook his head with a smile.

“I ain’t been farin’ too good. How come all them folks in yer gang seem to be ridin’ high?”

“…Did ya track down the others too?”

“Yup, yer the final hombre.”

The man retreated another step.

“Well, I done told ’em not to do it. Right? How we s’posed to rob a martial artist brandishin’ swords? We’d surely end up skewered if caught.”

“But y’all went ahead anyhow.”

At Jang Geon’s words, the man stared blankly for a moment and then burst into laughter, attempting to flee. Simultaneously, he felt a menacing hand grab the back of his head, slamming it onto the table strewn with gambling chips.

“Ugh!”

His forehead collided with the table, causing the chips and coins to scatter. Everyone nearby was taken aback and backed away. The man, his face pressed against the table, flailed his limbs in an attempt to escape Jang Geon’s grasp, but the hand on his head remained firm.

“I really told ’em not to do it! And Brother Jang, you’s the one who stuck ’round the table and lost all the dough! We didn’t plan to stop ya even if you got up! Honest! Please, let it go!”

Ignoring his pleas, Jang Geon seized the man’s left hand, placed it on the table, and retrieved hidden gambling chips from his sleeve. He shoved the chips into the man’s face and whispered.

“Does that excuse yer cheatin’? Quit yer yappin’, Yang Gyeong, where’s my money?”

Yang Gyeong glanced at Jang Geon’s furious eyes and swallowed nervously.

“…I, I used it for the bounty from the martial arts alliance.”

“What? You done used it for the bounty?”

Yang Gyeong trembled at Jang Geon’s livid expression.

“I mean, there’s a martial arts alliance branch ’round these parts too, so what can I do? I gotta eat and keep breathin’, right?”

Jang Geon lifted Yang Gyeong’s head from the table and clutched his collar.

“So you ain’t got a single penny?”

“Well, not exactly, I got some money from here… with that, maybe…”

Yang Gyeong motioned with his eyes toward the coins on the table. Jang Geon noticed, pushed Yang Gyeong aside, and walked to the spot where he had been sitting. He then began to collect the coins on the table.

The man who had been cursing Yang Gyeong as a swindler, the people who were gambling with him, and all the guests in the inn stared at them with wide eyes. It appeared that Yang Gyeong had previously been caught after cheating and fleeing a gambling den. Despite such circumstances, Jang Geon’s actions were quite merciless.

“Hey, hold yer horses. Stop right there!”

At that moment, the man who had been cursing Yang Gyeong snapped back to reality and yelled at Jang Geon.

“Stop! That money was all won by cheatin’! That’s my cash!”

Jang Geon glanced at the man who was shouting and continued to collect the coins, replying.

“That ain’t my problem. You can git it from this fella later.”

“What, what in tarnation?”

The man, after hearing Jang Geon’s response, reached out with both hands, his face red with anger. He seemed to be planning to push Jang Geon away, just as he had pushed Yang Gyeong.

However, just as the man tried to push Jang Geon, Jang Geon grabbed the man’s hand, pulled him forward, and stepped aside.

“Ouch!”

The man was yanked and fell forward, rolling on the ground. It seemed he hadn’t learned any martial arts, as his face hit the floor. Jang Geon approached the table again and collected Yang Gyeong’s coins.

Having quickly scooped up all the coins on the table, Jang Geon pocketed them and turned back to grab Yang Gyeong’s collar, who was still sitting there hesitantly.

“Ah, why, why’re you doin’ this, Brother Jang?”

“‘Cause this here ain’t good enough, kid.”

“But, but… I ain’t got nothin’ left now…”

Yang Gyeong showed his empty hands to Jang Geon, laughing bitterly as if it were true. It was as if he had nothing left, and if Jang Geon didn’t believe him, he could search his entire body.

Jang Geon contemplated whether he should strip this guy’s clothes as he saw the scene.

“You, you low-down snake!”

The man who had fallen to the floor got up, holding his nose, and glared at Jang Geon. Blood streamed between his fingers as he clutched his nose.

“You good-for-nothin’! You done this to my nose? You’ll pay dearly for this!”

Jang Geon awkwardly grinned as he looked at the man’s disheveled state.

“I apologize for hurtin’ ya. But, I also lost a heap o’ money to this fella…”

Jang Geon’s words trailed off as the man, who seemed ready to charge at any moment, suddenly ran out of the inn. Jang Geon, staring blankly at the man’s retreating figure, chuckled in disbelief and turned his attention back to Yang Gyeong.

“What’s the matter with that fool?”

“Um… his name is Jin Yang Seok…”

Jang Geon interrupted Yang Gyeong and shook his head.

“Forget it. What ’bout you?”

“Yes, yes? What d’ya mean?”

Jang Geon’s hand tightened around Yang Gyeong’s collar.

“Ya plannin’ to give me my money back somehow, or would ya rather take a whoopin’?”

Hearing those words, Yang Gyeong trembled, his left eye and both hands shaking.

“Well, with my meager skills, how could I be of any use to ya, Brother Jang?”

Unmoved by Yang Gyeong’s pitifully trembling voice, Jang Geon shoved his clenched left fist in Yang Gyeong’s face.

Switching his anxious gaze between the fist and Jang Geon’s eyes, Yang Gyeong finally sighed deeply, slumped down, and lowered his gaze.

“…First, kindly let go. I got somethin’ in my pocket.”

As Jang Geon released his grip, Yang Gyeong loosened his collar slightly, tore a corner of his shirt, and took out a small cloth bundle hidden inside. With slow hand movements, he unwrapped the cloth to reveal a small jade ring.

Sighing again as he looked at the jade ring, Yang Gyeong offered it to Jang Geon.

“…Well, um, I picked this up at Shin Sa Chun a while back. It’s the real deal, genuine jade, so if ya find the right buyer, it oughta fetch a pretty penny.”

Jang Geon accepted the ring, examined it from different angles, and put it in his pocket. Yang Gyeong glanced at Jang Geon and inquired.

“So, is that enough?”

“Yes. That should do the trick.”

Jang Geon replied with a chuckle. Watching Yang Gyeong awkwardly mimic his laughter, Jang Geon turned to look at the innkeeper outside the kitchen. Unfazed by the astonished stares from the inn’s patrons, he calmly questioned the bewildered innkeeper.

“When’s my noodle soup gonna be ready?”