Chapter 34: What Just Happened?

“Well, if you think about it, aren’t we all kinda nuts in our own unique ways?”

—Meisatsu Kanezuka

It was dark—completely dark, save for the only source of light, Scroll.

Meisatsu did not say a word. He simply gawked at the glowing text etched on Scroll’s surface—

GUN HERO: Level 5

CURRENT WEAPON: GLOCK17 Gen 5

UNLOCKED: GUN FRENZY

UNLOCKED: HIGHER CALIBER

UNLOCKED: DUAL WIELDING

“Guess I levelled up, huh?”

“……”

“Say something already!!!”

“……”

For the past couple of minutes, Scroll had been completely silent. Not a single word, insult or snicker.

“Did I do something wrong? I’m sorry if I did. Just say something! Anything!!!”

“Congrats on you victory…” Scroll finally answered, somberly. “Good thing you’re still alive…”

“Don’t tell me you actually…wanted me dead?!!” Meisatsu’s hand darted to his chest, then he shielded himself with his cape.

“O-of course not!!!”

Meisatsu smiled, dropping his guard. “Really? That’s great!”

“I just couldn’t imagine what would've happened if you had lost yourself completely…”

“Uhh… I don’t follow…”

Scroll sighed, regaining his usual tone. “I’ll start from the beginning. You’ve levelled up, and unlocked two new abilities.”

“Right…?”

“HIGHER CALIBER. This currently enables you bolster your overall capabilities. Currently, you can only go up a level. And DUAL WIELDING—you're as good with your left hand as you're with right.”

“Got it!”

“Next is… GUN FRENZY…”

“Is it bad…?” Meisatsu tried to remember what had happened during the fight, But his memory was still hazy in places.

“Not exactly… You see, it works by carrying your love for firearms, and amplifying it to inhuman levels, thereby opening up your growth at an unfathomable rate. To keep it simple—it drives you nuts!”

“Hmm… I see.” Meisatsu nodded, unaware of his own behavior during his fight. “Well, if you think about it, aren’t we all kinda nuts in our own unique ways?”

“…..”

“I uhh… Oh, yeah! I remember hearing these weird voices screaming something in my head. After that, it gets fuzzy…”

“That was your obsession taking form—or something close. I tried to warn you but you couldn’t hear me… You just kept going about how you’d sh—!”

“How I’d what?”

“…Show the world that you’re the Gun Hero…?”

Meisatsu blinked, reflecting on it. “Sure, I definitely will!”

Scroll let out a low sigh. He couldn’t tell him the truth. How he looked, the things he said… It was best to not let him fear that part of himself…

“Anyway, I’ve got some questions!”

“Go for it!”

“When I fought the Fake Hero…I noticed his weapon could take other forms.”

“Oh, you did? I-interesting…”

“Now, I LOVE Glocks—really, but I’m the Gun Hero, not the Glock Hero. Will I get other guns?!”

“Hate to break it to you, but only time will tell.” Scroll whistled a tune, trying to avert his…eyes?

“So, it’s a waiting game, eh?” Meisatsu shrugged, then perked up with another question. “What’s my Glock made of exactly?”

“It’s comprised entirely of magic that replicates the innate structure of a gun on a physical, and metaphysical level!”

“Okay…? Meisatsu blinked, confused.

“Have you ever seen casings from your any of your rounds before?”

“Now that you mention it…”

“They simply disintegrate, turning to residual magic power drifting in the atmosphere!”

“I don’t think I can process all this right now…”

“Hey don’t you think you should wake up already? You were asleep for a while before you dropped in here.”

“Dang, you’re right… Everyone’s probably worried sick…” He stared up into the endless darkness above him. “Later, Scroll…”

His eyes quivered, then slowly opened. A blurry face loomed over him.

Meisatsu sat up gradually on the bed—

“Satsu!!!” Ayame shouted, hugging him faster than he could react. “I was so scared!!!”

“Don’t be… Look, I’m fine” He tried to pry her off. Unsuccessful. She clutched harder, sniffling against his shoulder.

With Ayame still on him, he glanced to his side. Relieved smiles all around.

“Lysa’s been tending to your arm since yesterday,” Akane said, patting the teary eyed girl on the head. “She would’ve stayed by you all day if she could…”

My arm?! He quickly shot a glance at his right arm, flexing it. “Thanks a lot, Lysa!”

A part of him was glad that BULLETPROOF did not have some draw back like rejecting external magic or something of that sort. My arm’s good as new!

Lysa's face began to redden underneath her hood.

“I wanted to do that, too!” Ayame called out, still sobbing on his shoulder. “But Mom and Dad wouldn’t let me…”

“Glad you’re okay, I guess,” Gō chipped in from the back. He tried to hide it, but his voice carried genuine relief.

Meisatsu smirked at him and finally withdrew The Dark Night. He’d been wearing it for quite some time.

“The others are waiting in the hall,” Akane added, gesturing toward the infirmary door.

✦✦✦

The very moment he walked into the corridor, into the Guild Hall, all the excitement died down.

Scrutinizing eyes fixed on him—

“YEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!”

The entire Explorers Guild erupted with renewed vigor, singing praises of encouragement and admiration.

“It was stupid to even doubt him… Just looking at him would tell you that he’s the real deal!”

“Hey, Hero?! Good to know you showed ‘em whose boss! Umare said you were incredible!!!”

“Do you think he has a girlfriend?"

Ayame growled, disappearing into the crowd in search of the girl who’d made the last comment.

“Why look everyone! It’s the Gun Hero himself!!!” Umare chuckled, strolling up to Meisatsu, throwing an arm around his shoulders.

Akito scurried over, bombarding him with piles of questions and demanding for details on the fight. Kiku and Kurito paused their bickering to congratulate him on his victory.

A little further away, Shizuka’s normally neutral lips curved into a small grin as he gave Meisatsu a nod of approval.

“Almost forgot!” Umare bent down and whispered something to Meisatsu. “We’re just stepping out for a bit!”

They walked out of the Guild, heading a few paces down the road, until they arrived at a store with several stacked wine barrels. It was Master Toshiko’s store, where he sold spirits and other assorted beverages.

Master Toshiko and Saki were waiting outside.

It’s that gyaru knight from before. Meisatsu quickly took in her full figure, scanning her with impure eyes. She really is cute…

“In case ya didn’t know, this here's Saki. One of the only two Knights in all of Asturia.” Umare’s voice grew weary as he continued. “She’s also a former sparring partner of mine, and arguably the strongest person in the Kingdom…”

Oh, so it’s her I saw on the news…

“Hiya Hero!” Meisatsu didn’t even know when she had gotten behind him. She pulled out that rectangular device from her chest plate, raised it—a flash went off…

“Isn’t this pic cute? I’m totes uploading to GikGok!” Saki giggled, happily tapping away on the device.

Hold up! GikGok? Selfies?!

“I don’t usually…” Meisatsu trailed off, catching a glimpse of the image on the crystalline screen “…Look good?!”

He looked good!

“Lol! #NoMagi-Filter! #RealHero! #Besties!” Her thumbs moved so fast, they left afterimages.

Meisatsu couldn’t take it anymore, so he asked, “Umm, that thing you’re holding…?”

“My Magi-Cell? Pretty cute right?”

Ahh…

As she waved the device away from his face, he could finally see the design, confirming his suspicions.

On the glass-like screen, she scrolled through several pictures of him from his time at Bac.

Behind the Magi-Cell, two obsidian gems stacked one atop the other, with a clear one to the side. Meisatsu was sure…

Yup, a—magical?—smartphone in another world… Why don’t more people use it?

Master Toshiko coughed, cutting their idle talk short. “I think it’s about time ya told him who you are, and why he fought for his life, hmm?”

She fumbled with her Magi-Cell, almost dropping it, before she cleared her throat and began. “Right! So, I’m a Knight!”

She huffed, striking her chest plate with a fist. “I’m like...super strong!”

Shooting a look at Umare, Master Toshiko urged him to expand on what Saki meant by super strong.

Knights—one of the rarest and most powerful Roles a person could be born with. Being of the Royal Class, it’s no surprise that they’re strong. But some would argue that they are too strong.

Unlike other roles that express magic outwardly, Knights had a different method…

They channeled it through their bodies. 

They did not cast spells, or heal wounds like Mages or Priests. Rather, their monstrous amounts of magic power gets converted into raw unbridled power. This also granted them immunity to all magic-based attacks—without brute force, there simply was no stopping them…

Umare heaved a sigh after explaining. “Ya remember Mt. Diminuendo, right kid?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“Let’s just say, one stray sneeze, and Saki here could turn that—and the whole town—to dust…”

Meisatsu’s face went a ghostly pale as he turned to look at her. She had her fingers up in a victory symbol.

“I dunno…” She said, scratching her head. “The First… She’ll put up a fight for sure!”

Once again, Mater Toshiko cleared his throat—much louder this time, reminding them of the main issue at hand.

“Anyway,” Saki quickly continued, “I was like patrolling the castle this one time and ran into a demon! Can you believe that?!”

The other two didn’t say a word. To keep the conversation going, Meisatsu added, “No way!”

“Yes way!” She bubbled. “It looked exactly like that one you totes killed before! And I think it was using a High-Level spell called True Deception to like, trick everyone!”

“Did you know the other Hero was a fake too?!”

“Nah! Magic can’t hurt my body or whatever, but some spells—like illusions—might still work on me.” She pointed something out to Meisatsu on her Magi-Cell. “See this post? That’s the Anti-whatever people."

"Whaaaa...?!" 

The discovery that the group had a presence on a fully functional, social-media-esque platform was a complete surprise to Meisatsu.

"So, I decided to come see the Hero—and his 'Gun'—myself!" Saki added. "Then, by the time I got here, I heard that other guy saying he's the Hero. That's, like, a crime punishable by death for real."

Umare, worried that Saki would go off topic again, lectured, "Ya see, kid. There was a prophecy that turned into law in this nation. The Mage Hero once said that a False Hero would appear." 

Meisatsu watched the others nod along lightly to the explanation.

"When the time comes, you are to allow the two opposing Heroes battle to the death—no interference, or the world might be doomed."

When Umare had finished, Master Toshiko continued, "Do ya know what would've happened if ya died?"

"I would...die?" 

"That demon would, like, take your place as the new Hero. And there'd be, like, nothing we could do," Saki explained, answering Meisatsu's question. "True Deception is, like, unbreakable if it works. Lies totally turns the truth or something like that."

"Not everybody knows that last part, but they do know that if two Heroes ever showed up, then...that's bad," Umare disclosed.

Is that why they were took so many pictures...? Meisatsu realized some of the attention around him might have been the work of the Anti-Gun Front.

"Umm...what happened the followers of that Hermit guy?"

"Oh those guys?! Like half of them where totes demons. They're disguises wore off when you killed that False Hero demon... He was the source or something."

"And the other half...?" Meisatsu asked Saki. 

"They were like, regular people," she said, grabbing her Magi-Cell and tapping away. "The King is totes gonna love this pic!"

"Well, I always did think the Lady Knight of Fifty Wyverns was a total meathead..." Umare muttered to himself, drawing chuckles and laughs from Meisatsu and Master Toshiko, as well as incurring the wrath of Saki as well...