Shun stopped and turned around to face the man.
Up close, the guy seemed to be in his thirties. His face was rugged, his features sharp and rough around the edges. He looked intimidating, but strangely, there wasn't any malice radiating from him.
"Yes?" Shun asked politely, wondering why a stranger would stop him right in the middle of a railroad crossing.
Did I drop something? That thought flashed through his mind. It shouldn't take long. The train's coming soon anyway.
But almost immediately—
A weight crushed him.
An invisible force slammed onto Shun's body. It wasn't just heavy—it was suffocating, like someone had strapped thousands of kilos onto his back all at once.
His legs trembled as he tried to resist, feet digging against the ground. But whatever was pressing on him was stronger. It won.
His hands hit the ground. His forehead smashed into the concrete with a dull thud. Blood trickled down his face. His knees bore the rest of his weight, making him look like he was kneeling.
What the hell is this power…?! Shun's eyes widened. He gritted his teeth and forced his gaze upward to see the man.
But before he could make sense of anything—
The railroad gate started closing. The warning bell wailed, echoing sharply in the air.
The lights began to flicker in their steady rhythm.
In the distance, the snake of iron appeared. Its headlight pierced through the darkness, cold and merciless. The tracks rumbled as the train approached, faster and faster, its screeching wheels singing the promise of impact.
You've gotta be kidding me! Shun's heart tightened painfully. It pounded faster, louder.
He struggled, pushing against the unseen weight. It didn't budge.
Shun wouldn't die from this, he could feel that much. But he would be broken. Agonizingly.
"Let me go, dammit!" he snarled through clenched teeth, rage creeping into his tone.
The man simply tucked his hands into his pockets. "Forcing someone against their will isn't really my style, you see."
"Huh? What the hell are you talking about?" Shun stopped his struggle for a split second, trying to decipher the man's words.
"But…" The man smiled faintly, almost resigned. "A favor is still a favor."
This guy's insane, Shun thought, ignoring him entirely and focusing on escape.
"Come with me," the man said.
"What?"
"Just answer. Yes or no."
The train was closer now. The ground vibrated. The siren's wail was relentless, like the trumpet of death itself.
Shun fought harder, desperately, but nothing changed. Maybe he was too caught up in his own panic to notice how much time had passed, because when he snapped back to reality, the train was already less than three kilometers away.
His brain kicked into overdrive.
He couldn't brute force his way out. None of his usual tricks worked. Should I accept his offer?
No. He didn't know where it would lead. It might be even worse than this.
As he hesitated, something in Shun clicked.
This man wasn't just stopping him. He was toying with him.
That pissed him off.
His expression shifted instantly.
Shun lifted his head, meeting the man's eyes directly. He smiled. It was calm, sharp. Even his eyes smiled.
"Go to hell."
The man froze. He hadn't expected that. Not that.
Then—
Shun's vision went blank.
He braced for pain, for impact, for the crushing force of a train. But it never came.
When he opened his eyes again, the same man was standing before him, unscathed.
He patted Shun's shoulder, smiling widely. "Aren't you interesting, brat?"
His grip was like steel—too strong to be human.
"Man, I didn't see that coming! You're more than I thought." The man's tone carried a strange, almost creepy excitement.
Then he sighed. "It's a shame I couldn't get her favor. But well, I can always try again next time."
Shun stayed silent, still trying to process whatever the hell just happened.
"Brat," the man said again, grinning ear to ear. "You're interesting!"
Then, with zero hesitation, he asked: "Do you want to be my disciple?"
"…What?"
"So? What do you say?"
"Wait. Hold on." Shun blinked repeatedly, trying to catch up. "You pinned me to the ground in front of a speeding train, tried to gouge a yes out of me, and now—now you suddenly want me to be your disciple?!"
The more Shun recounted it, the more his irritation bubbled over.
"Yeah, I know, it's crazy. I didn't expect it either!" The man chuckled. "But you surprised me with your boldness, little dude. Courage, intelligence, strength—they're all nice. But guts?" He tilted his head. "Not everyone's got that."
Shun's anger simmered down a notch. He studied the man carefully. "…There's something seriously wrong with your head."
"Thank you."
"That's not a compliment."
The man extended his hand. "I didn't introduce myself, huh? I'm Harza. Your new master."
Shun instinctively accepted the handshake. "I never said I'd—wait." His eyes widened. "Harza? You're Harza?"
"Not sure if there's another Harza out there, but yeah. I'm that Harza."
Shun froze.
The first human to solo-clear a Tower. The one who reached the maximum level. The man said to have ended the apocalypse.
The strongest hunter in the world.
He's… that Harza?
And he wants me to be his disciple?
---
"Unquestionably," Harza said with a faint smile.
Shun stared blankly, his brain lagging, trapped somewhere between disbelief and shock.
How could he not be? The man before him was the star, the role model every hunter admired. A legend.
And he—Shun—was just a nobody. His Heart was a common rarity. His background? Completely average. A background character in someone else's story.
Yet this same man had climbed to the very top of the world.
Shun wanted to fanboy—he really did. But the same guy also nearly turned him into a pancake.
Annoyance flared.
"What's your real purpose?" Shun crossed his arms. "Why do you want me to come with you?"
Harza thought for a moment before answering. "…Sooner or later, you'll know. A higher-up from a certain faction wants to meet you."
"They want to see me? Why?"
"You've made contact with an Outer God. They're curious."
"Curious? And how the hell did they even know?"
"They see and hear what normal hunters like us can't."
"So they're just… curious about me?"
"Who knows. But you'd better be careful. You're a hot potato for a lot of factions."
I'm being targeted? Shun frowned. Well, at least I'm famous now.
He paused, pinching his chin. "Mr. Harza, can you bring me to the person who wants to meet me?"
They might know a way to cure the curse…
"Oh? What's with the change of heart? Weren't you ready to get flattened by a train just to avoid it?"
It's your fault, Mr. Harza… If only you'd asked nicely instead of making me kneel.
But of course, Shun didn't say that out loud. He cleared his throat.
"Since they sent someone as esteemed as you to deliver the invitation, it'd be rude to refuse."
"Well, I guess that's true. Alright."
A slip of paper materialized in Harza's hand. He scribbled something on it and handed it over.
"Come to this address."
Shun took it. "…You're not coming?"
"I have other matters to deal with." Harza waved casually, smiling—and vanished.
Shun glanced down at the address.
---
"It should be around here…" he muttered, glancing back and forth between the paper and his surroundings.
…Hm?
He stopped.
Someone familiar.
What is she doing here? he wondered.