Shuku straightens almost immediately, curiosity pushing him forward. His anxiety keeps his shoulders tight as he listens carefully to what John is about to reveal.
The men, the myths, the legends of the top three in the manhunter rankings.
"Number three," John says, tilting his head slightly as he begins. "Nobody."
Shuku nods, signaling for him to continue.
"That guy is a mass murdering maniac," John says coldly. "Within two weeks, he massacres nearly half of the knights, guardians, and believers of the Central Church in the North Apomis Kingdom."
He pauses, letting the weight of it sink in.
"And he murders the North Apomis King's only son. The prince."
The words land hard, leaving Shuku frozen and speechless for a long moment. He cannot process what he just heard. He cannot even grasp how something so impossible and horrifying could happen.
His skin tingles. Goosebumps spread across his arms. His eyes widen, and his heart starts to race as images begin to form in his mind.
"Half of the Central Church… the King's only son, the prince," he murmurs. "All in two weeks."
He repeats it quietly, trying to understand the sheer madness of it, something he cannot imagine himself achieving, not now or even far in the future as he continues learning about this world.
But before thinking any further, he knows he has to hear the whole story. When John sees Shuku return his gaze without a word, he continues.
"Nobody, that guy, he was a slave before he became a servant of the Ferno House. They bought him, or maybe they found him, I don't know. What I do know is that he lost his slave collar while serving them," John says.
"And after some conflict with his masters in the Ferno House, he seems to run away and becomes a manhunter to make a living. That's all I know about his past. But what's special about him is his capabilities."
Shuku leans forward, nodding with growing curiosity as the story continues.
"I refused to believe something like that even exists," John says. "But when I came across him, it didn't just shock me, it left me with irreparable damage after I fought him. He has some kind of immortal ability that lets him heal his wounds and regrow his limbs almost as soon as he gets injured."
Shuku stays silent, letting John continue as he absorbs the new, bizarre information that leaves him uneasy.
"After fighting him once, I understand this," John says. "Killing him by force is almost impossible. No matter how many times I slice off his arms, his legs, hell, even his organs, he somehow stays alive and recovers like nothing ever happened."
He pauses, his tone steady but heavy.
"And not only that, his combat skills are extraordinary. His martial arts and techniques are like those of an experienced veteran, despite how young he looks. Like I said, all of that is what allowed him to kill the most protected person in the kingdom, the prince of Apomis. And he is also the one who blinded me."
John raises a finger and points at his eyes as proof, making the story hit even harder. Shuku struggles to breathe, swallowing his anxiety. John lowers his hand back to the table and continues.
"That guy did all of this, the massacre, the murders that made him the most dangerous and most wanted man in the kingdom, for revenge," John says.
Shuku listens, his expression shifting.
"Personal revenge, I think. Maybe more than that. I don't know what kind of hatred or what they did to him to drive someone that far. And I don't know what kind of power lets him wipe out that many people from the Central Church and hunt so many royal knights alone."
John exhales.
"But you know what the craziest part is?"
Shuku shakes his head.
"The craziest part is that they didn't kill him. No." John leans closer to Shuku, lowering his voice to build tension. "They recruited him."
"What?" Shuku's eyes widen in shock. The man who killed the King's son, who massacred an entire force of elite knights and church protectors for personal reasons, just walks away like that. He cannot believe it, but he keeps listening.
"The Pope of the Central Church of North Apomis stepped in," John continues. "He somehow stopped him before he went after the rest of the royal family and the king himself. I don't know what kind of tricks, negotiations, or propaganda he used, but instead of killing that monster, he recruited him into their army."
John leans back slightly.
"I think they realized they couldn't kill him. If the kingdom's best warriors couldn't stop him, then the only option was to contain him and use him. Whether it was their decision or his choice, the result is the same. Nobody is now the strongest knight of the Central Church and part of the royal guard. With him on their side, no one can stand against them."
He pauses for a moment.
"And the reason he's not ranked top two or top one is simple. He hates the rich, especially people like the royal family he wants revenge on, more than he hates criminals. And lucky for me, and for you, he's no longer in this kingdom or working as a manhunter. Because if he were, there would be no chance of beating him."
John lets the words settle.
"And that's number three in the manhunter rankings."
Shuku says nothing. Shock and awe spread across his face as he listens to John's story. He leans forward, resting his elbow on the table, his gaze still fixed on him as his thoughts sink deeper and deeper.
All this time, he thought the knights and the monsters from the dungeons and arena were the most terrifying and powerful things out there.
Only now does the truth hit him.
He was wrong.
Completely wrong.
He had been struggling just to survive day by day as a slave, while someone else had already broken free on his own and carved a path of revenge against those who put him there.
But beneath the shock and the goosebumps on his skin, something else begins to stir inside him.
Something stronger.
It is not fear. Not disgust. Not anger.
It is admiration. Fascination. Even satisfaction.
The fact that one man could kill the king's son, his enemy, someone far beyond his reach, and shake an entire kingdom out of pure hatred and revenge, all by himself, and still no one could stop or kill him, that thought grips Shuku deeply.
Because what that man did is exactly what Shuku has wanted ever since he walked out of that dungeon.
To destroy his enemies with his own hands.
He finds himself wishing he could achieve even a fraction of that power. One day, he wants to stand at that level. If that man were still a manhunter, Shuku would have searched for him, asked for advice, even a signature.
To him, that man is now an idol.
But right now, he is only number ten. The weakest among the strong.
Still, there is room to grow.
"So that's number three," John says. "Do you have goosebumps yet?"
Shuku slowly rubs his arm.
"Yep."
"Yeah, that's normal," John replies calmly. "Shall we continue to the next one?"
"Yeah."
"Good. Then number two. The Greyhound."
"Uh-huh…" Shuku nods, signaling him to continue.
He has heard the name before. Everyone has. But he never knew who the man really was or why he was so feared. He only knew the ranking.
Now that John is about to explain it, Shuku leans in slightly and listens carefully.
"Do not go near him," John says flatly. "Do not approach him. Do not stare at him. Do not touch him. Do not make him angry unless you want to die within five seconds."
Shuku's expression stiffens.
"That guy," John continues, "just like his name, is a beast."
He folds his arms.
"No one knows where he came from. No one knows his real age. All we know is what he told his subordinates. He said he was an orphan left to die in the woods, abandoned by his parents, and that he was adopted and raised by a family of wolves or hounds that, instead of eating him, took him in as one of their cubs."
"Raised by wolves… hounds?" Shuku mutters.
"Yeah," John says. "Maybe that's why his name is Greyhound, like the wolves that raised him. And like a wolf needs a pack, he built one of his own."
Shuku stays silent.
"He built his own pack, a group of some of the strongest and most formidable manhunters in the entire kingdom," John continues, then pauses. "They call themselves the Fang Gang."
Shuku's eyes narrow slightly.
"That includes number nine and number eight," John says. "Kunaive and Bell. Both of them are members of the Fang Gang."
"So they work under him?"
"No. They hunt together. They move like a pack, and while Kunaive might be stronger in a straight fight…"
He tilts his head slightly.
"The one you need to stay away from is Bell."
"Why?"
"Because Bell is Greyhound's fiancée."
"Oh."
The realization clicks immediately.
"So that's why," Shuku says. "He'd get jealous if someone touches his girl."
"Yeah. Exactly. That's why I told you not to approach her. Not even an inch. If he thinks you're trying to flirt with her or seduce her…" he swiftly moves his hand across his neck, a clear gesture of death, "your top half and bottom half will be separated before you even know it. Understood?"
"Yeah," Shuku nods. "If that's all, then I guess he's just possessive. I thought he was some kind of brainless, emotionless monster."
John's lips curve faintly.
"Oh, he is."
"...?"
"He is a monster. Just not the same type as number three."
Shuku listens closely.
"Unlike Nobody, Greyhound has no immortality. No strange, overwhelming magic. Nothing flashy. All he has is his senses."
"Senses?"
"Superhuman senses and strength," John says. "Hearing, smell, instinct, tracking. He can track someone across cities, across forests, across mountains, even if he has only met them once."
He leans back.
"And his hunting skill is beyond incredible. The strength and agility of an apex predator, with the searching ability of a master detective."
Shuku's heartbeat slows slightly as he processes it.
"And with just that," John continues, his tone lowering, "he has hunted nearly a hundred targets, almost all by himself, with no magical powers."
"And no serious injuries?"
"Little to none," John replies.
"But you said earlier that he hunts with his pack. Could it be that he has help?"
"No."
"...?"
"It's true that he hunts with his pack, but only for missions with multiple targets. If there is only one target, he does it alone."
Shuku stays silent, absorbing everything, starting to understand the weight of it, the power and presence of the man he might face one day.
"No magic ability. No immortality. Just skill, instinct, and intelligence… yet he still climbs to number two in the rankings."
Gulp.
He swallows.
"All from zero. From being a nobody. I don't think I could have done the same without my Blood Blade…"
"Feel terrified now, huh?" John asks, noticing Shuku drifting into his thoughts.
Shuku shrugs and nods at the same time, half admitting it while trying to hide his embarrassment.
"Good," John says. "That's number two for you. Once again, do not approach him. Stay away at all costs."
He pauses.
"Now drink some water, then we'll continue."
Shuku nods, picks up his cup, and takes a big gulp.
"Pfft— Beer?!"
He spits it out in shock as the bitter, bubbling taste hits his tongue.
"What's the problem?" John asks, confused.
"You got me a beer?" Shuku yells.
"Yeah. So what's the problem?"
"I can't drink beer."
"Can't?" John tilts his head. "What do you mean can't?"
"I don't know," Shuku says. "It just tastes weird. Bitter. Uncomfortable. I don't like it."
"Really?" John mutters. "Damn. I thought people your age liked this kind of stuff. Usually they drink because of peer pressure or to look cool. Guess you're not that type."
John stands up.
"Here. Let me get you something else."
"No," Shuku stops him quickly. "Don't worry about it. I don't need to drink. Just tell me about number one."
"Well," John says, sitting back down, "alright."
He places his elbows on the table and leans forward. His face moves closer to Shuku's, and the casual tone disappears. His expression tightens, more serious than before.
"Number one," John says.
"Hellfire."
"Yeah."
Shuku feels a faint anxiety crawl up his spine. He braces himself, ready to hear about the man said to be stronger than the two monsters he just learned about, the one crowned as the strongest manhunter of them all.
"Hellfire. His full name is Felix Ferno, the eldest son of the Ferno House, the second richest noble clan in this kingdom, if you've ever heard of them."
He continues, while Shuku remains puzzled about the clan.
"He is currently the strongest manhunter in the entire kingdom. Maybe even the entire continent. And unlike most people his age, young, rich, powerful, he doesn't stay home enjoying luxury."
John's voice lowers.
"He runs away from his house and becomes a rogue manhunter. He fights alone, no group, no faction, no gang, not even a single partner. And all those hundreds of kills he claims, he does them by himself, alone, with little to no help. Do you know how he does it?"
Shuku shakes his head, listening closely.
"He is different from both Greyhound and Nobody. One has overwhelming magic but not much skill or intelligence. The other has incredible skill but no magic. Hellfire has both."
Shuku nods in understanding.
"He has the hunting instinct of a beast and the tracking ability of a detective. I know I'm repeating myself, but you get the idea. His skills can rival Greyhound, and his combat ability can even challenge Nobody in both close and long range fights."
John exhales slightly.
"The reason I know this is from rumors, reports, and my own comparisons between them. That's the conclusion I reached. However…"
He leans back slightly, his tone growing heavier as Shuku listens with full focus.
"His magic ability is the real reason he is number one. It's why no one has beaten him in the last three years or taken his place as the strongest manhunter in the entire kingdom."