Chapter Seven: The Invitation

Of course, even the worst of them were still made using magic, so they weren't completely ineffective. After pouring a bottle of potion down Matt's throat, his breathing began to steady in no time. The ghastly wounds on his body, though not healed instantly, gradually stopped bleeding and were clearly beginning to improve.

Seeing this, Sean Gu let out a slight sigh of relief. Thankfully, the potion worked. Otherwise, if he had rushed ahead of Claire to save Matt only for the potion to fail and Matt to die, he would never forgive himself.

A while later, whether it was the effect of the potion, Matt’s own remarkable constitution, or both, Matt suddenly convulsed and, as if by reflex, shot upright. But his body was too weak, and his movement too abrupt. He managed to rise to a forty-five-degree angle before collapsing back down.

His wounds, which had only just stopped bleeding, tore open again, and blood soaked through his black knit shirt as if from an endless well.

Sean Gu quickly took out another potion, feeling a pang of regret as he poured it down Matt’s throat.

“Mr. Murdock, if I were you, I wouldn’t move right now. If your wounds open up again, I don’t have enough potions left for you.”

At these words, Matt’s body went rigid, his breath pausing for a moment. Feeling the tension in his muscles, Sean Gu knew just how shocked Matt was.

For someone living under a hidden identity as a superhero, exposure was a serious problem.

Patting Matt on the shoulder, Sean said, “Relax, I mean you no harm. You should be able to tell that from my heartbeat.”

At this, Matt’s breathing quickened again.

Daredevil, Matt, possessed extraordinary hearing—he could listen to conversations blocks away and judge a person's condition, even whether they were lying, by their heartbeat.

This was his greatest secret, one that, apart from Stick, no one else had ever known. Now, not only had his true identity been unmasked by Sean Gu in a single sentence, but even his most guarded ability had been revealed. How could Matt not be shocked?

Listening to the youthfully rapid heartbeat beside him, Matt could tell his rescuer was just a teenager, and indeed bore him no ill will.

Yet the sheer incongruity of it all made Matt question his own hearing.

It was a long moment before, in a hoarse voice, he asked, “Who are you really? What do you want?”

Sean Gu smiled. “Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Sean Gu. I’m a wizard, and my purpose is to ally with you against our common enemy.”

Matt frowned, growing even more wary. The steady heartbeat proved the boy wasn’t lying, but the absurdity of his words only made Matt more suspicious. Was Sean Gu saying what he thought he wanted to hear, having trained himself to deceive Matt’s abilities?

“I don’t understand,” Matt said, shaking his head.

“Mr. Murdock, you’ve been fighting the Russian mob lately, haven’t you?” Sean countered.

“So you’re one of them?” Matt asked.

“Of course not,” Sean rolled his eyes. “I told you, we share a common enemy. How could I possibly be with the Russian mob?”

“I just want you to know, the Russians you’re fighting are minor players. There’s someone behind them, someone who is the true cause of Hell’s Kitchen’s chaos.”

“Who?” Matt pressed.

“Wilson Fisk,” Sean replied.

Matt shook his head. “I’ve never heard of him.”

“Of course you haven’t,” Sean said. “Fisk is the kingpin who rules from the shadows. He doesn’t want his name in the public eye. Anyone who dares speak it risks his retaliation.”

“The Russian mob is just one of his pawns. Beyond his criminal power, the police and the media are all in his pocket. He is the true master of Hell’s Kitchen.”

“So, you’re going after Fisk?” Matt asked.

“No, no, my target isn’t Fisk,” Sean shook his head. “My real target is what’s behind Fisk.”

“What’s behind Fisk? Didn’t you just say he’s the kingpin of Hell’s Kitchen? Are you saying he’s just a puppet?” Matt was puzzled.

“No, Fisk really is king of the underworld here. But to truly powerful beings, he’s just a minor figure.”

Sean shook his head, growing serious. “I said I’m a wizard, and that isn’t some adolescent fantasy—it’s the truth. You should be able to tell I’m not lying.”

“Wizards are real, magic is real. If that’s true, then tell me: aren’t the legendary creatures of darkness, like demons, also real?”

Matt scoffed. “So you’re saying there’s a demon behind Fisk?”

“Something like that,” Sean nodded. “But more precisely, there’s a demon behind the organization behind Fisk.”

“I know it sounds complicated, even unbelievable, but that’s the truth.”

“Behind Fisk is a vast underground organization called the Hand. The Hand worships a demon known as the Beast. To use the Beast’s power, they need a specific ritual at a specific location.”

“That location is Hell’s Kitchen. That’s why the Hand chose Fisk as their collaborator—they’re trying to seize Hell’s Kitchen and, through mass slaughter, release the Beast’s power.”

“My goal is to destroy the Beast and dismantle the Hand. But I can’t do it alone. I need your help.”

Upon hearing this, Matt laughed and shook his head. “Kid, I don’t know where you heard these stories, or why you’re so wrapped up in this fantasy, but I really don’t have time to play at fighting demons and saving the world.”

“Fighting crime isn’t a game. Thank you for saving me today, but in the future, don’t do it again—it’s too dangerous.”

Clearly, Matt took Sean for nothing more than a youth lost in adolescent fantasy, and didn’t take his words seriously.

“You don’t believe me?” Sean raised an eyebrow.

“That’s right. If you really are a wizard, why not show me some magic? Ah, I forgot—I’m blind, I can’t see your magic,” Matt quipped, obviously dismissing Sean’s claims.

But Sean’s next words made Matt’s expression change for the third time that night.