Chapter 2: The First Shot

The sun had barely risen. Morning dew glistened on the grass, and birds chirped lazily from distant trees. Meisatsu Kanezuka wiped sweat from his brow and stepped back to admire his handiwork.

Before him stood ten makeshift bullseye targets — circles drawn in natural dye on rough wooden boards he’d salvaged from scraps. Each target was spaced carefully side-by-side, a full 50 strides from where he stood. No meter sticks here; this was old-school measuring.

“Alright... let’s see what this new skill can do.”

Since the day before, Meisatsu had felt different. His knowledge of guns — which had already been above average — had skyrocketed. He knew things he couldn’t explain: the exact weight of the recoil spring in a Glock 17 Gen 5 (7.71 kilograms, to be precise), detailed firing mechanics, minute adjustments that would improve accuracy.

It all started at the temple...

The priest’s voice cracked the silence.

“G-Gun Hero…!”

Meisatsu felt something stir inside him. A grin spread across his face — half joy, half disbelief.

Suddenly, in a burst of comic flair, he spun on one heel —

FWOOOOOSH!

— arms flung wide as if announcing himself to the world.

He stretched out his right hand, closed his eyes, and focused.

In an instant, his mind was pulled into a strange space — an endless void of black stretching in all directions. Before him floated a single scroll, golden and radiant, its light so blinding it forced him to shield his eyes.

When the light faded, one line of text glowed on its surface:

CURRENT WEAPON: Glock 17 Gen 5

Meisatsu stared at it, and for a fleeting second, his heart ached — memories flashing of the day he died at the hands of that same weapon.

“Guess we meet again, huh?”

Then, as if blinking, he was back in the temple. Time hadn’t moved at all. But something was different.

A deep crimson aura pulsed around him, crackling faintly like embers in the wind.

“This energy... it’s like... I’m turning Super Sai—”
“—I mean, what is this?!”

POP!

A Glock materialized in his right hand, as natural as breathing.

The townsfolk and priest stared wide-eyed — and then, in perfect comedic timing,

THUD!

They all toppled over like dominoes, eyes swirling in shock.

Back to the Present

Now, in the quiet of the field, Meisatsu exhaled slowly. He raised the gun, hands steady.

BANG!
BANG!
BANG!

Ten targets fell one after another. He dropped the magazine, swapped it, fired again.

When he stopped the timer on his internal count, he blinked.

“Twenty-five seconds…? Even a professional back home would take thirty, maybe forty.”

His grin grew wider.

“This… this is insane.”

But before he could savor the moment, a faint rustle came from the nearby bushes. His eyes snapped toward the sound.

Something — was watching him.