Chapter One: Graduation Day

Within the crowd of well-trained and unofficial hunters of all types, Samuel Calden was the only one without armor or a weapon. This crowd of people, at the age of eighteen, was ready for their graduation—to be an official Monster Hunter. Well, everyone except for Samuel.

Samuel, a seventeen-year-old boy, didn't want anything to do with hunting monsters. Before all this happened, which was four years ago, he was living a peaceful life without any problems occurring. During his peaceful thirteen years of living, Samuel lived in a small village with the name of Crona. The Crona Village was named this because of the bright and hot days that rise and the warm night that dusks. Many citizens of this village become hunters and retire from hunting to enjoy the scenic views of the sunset out on the horizon of the sea.

The Crona Village is not known for the serene view it has but for the legend they hold about the Great Four Hunters of Dawn. Three of the four hunters were not born in this village; however, they were raised in this same location. The only thing people know about them is that they requested a high-ranked guild quest to hunt the threatening monster of Crona, the Usolan, and never returned.

When Samuel was thirteen, he lived as an orphan who once lived with two different families. His biological family passed away because of a serious illness and the other family died during a hunting quest that was assigned to them. For thirteen years, he was happy and lively despite that he lived without a family caring about him. Now, at the age he's at now, Samuel is definitely miserable to become among the ranks of a Monster Hunter. Those four years of his life, he has been in such pain after training to be here today.

At the orphanage he lived in, the only friend and "brother" he has is Jake Ryder. He's the same age as Samuel, but he acted like an older brother when he's around him. Also, he's reason why the two of them are involved in this mess. Jake was fascinated in monsters beyond his wildest dreams. Before he ended up in the orphanage, his father was an average hunter who hunter average and large monster daily and come back home to tell his son the vast and dangerous quests he took and conquered.

The time when Jake's father died was when he was gathering eggs for an elder within the village and confronted the same monster that threatens everyone of Crona. That monster who killed his beloved father with one swipe of its tail is the Usolan itself.

The Usolan is twice the size of an average adult and lives on the wetlands of the Sunshine Plains. Its body is almost like a sea dragon, but it walks and swims with only on two legs. The scales of its body are hard and carry a mellow color on the back and head. The monster mostly lives on the wetlands of these plains because of the sun's rays that harden the scales. When it searches for food, it travels to an area close to the coastline of the Crona Village. It loves fishes to eat from the salty sea and toxic fruits from the plains that are used for medical reasons.

From the front, hunters would see a long, scaly and round stout that stretches to the height of a pre-born child. The monster's mouth is filled with one set of large teeth that can slide inside the mouth so that it can eat the toxic fruits without damaging them. Also, the color of the stout is mellow green and then goes down to a yellow glint where the eyes are at. The Usolan's eyes are yellow at first, but turn black when enraged. This monster doesn't have ears; however, it senses someone by sight and mostly from scent.

At a side viewpoint, the Usolan's scales on the upper layer are a hard golden shell that protects it from various attacks from above. The lower layer, it belly, has the most vulnerable space that any hunter would go for, which includes the tail as well. When the scales of this monster are removed, it will show a light blue and soft layer under them. From above, the Usolan is mostly protected with its scales that cover up its weak spot. Hunters must keep a safe distance from the Usolan's eggs or it will treat you like prey without second-thought.

As many trainee hunters wait for their names to be called by the village chief, Ambi, Samuel waits in the far back for his friend. Jake finally arrived, wearing armor that quickly shocked his friend with astonishment. He was wearing a dark green armor that almost looked like fish skin.

"Wow, my fishy friend, what are you wearing?" Samuel laughed and tried to hold it back so that no one will hear him.

"What are you laughing at? You look as if you're going to school again. Also, where's your weapon?" Jake replied.

At that moment, Samuel's laughter shifted into silence. Indeed, the boy wore only his newly found clothes from the orphanage and has no weapon with him.

"Oh, my weapon! I think I'd left it at the Home. Look, Jake, when the chief calls for me and I'm not back in time, just tell him that I needed to do something important, okay?"

Jake looked at his friend with a bewildered expression and acknowledged, "Okay, then, make sure you get back here in time. I really want to see you in your armor and with your weapon."

Without looking back to say anything else, Samuel threw up his hand with a thumbs up. This indicates their bond between them and signals the words, "It's a promise."

When Samuel arrived at their orphanage, the Home, it looked as though someone burned the place. Their home was in ruins. The walls were once clean and had the color of peach. Now, they look as if someone scratched the walls and shot at it constantly. The doors and windows were either hanging or broken into pieces. From the inside of the orphanage, many tables and chairs that used to carry food and the orphans were thrown around as if two horrible beasts fought each other. Most of the stair steps were torn and withered.

Samuel mouth dropped. The orphanage that he met his only friend and was adopted from his second family that is now deceased was gone. As quickly as possible, he rushed through every room so that he could find his weapon, for he had forgotten where his room was in this broken place. Then, he founded the room that held his stuff and Jake's as well.

For some reason, the door remains undamaged unlike the rooms around it. Samuel turned to one of the staircases and noticed that there were bodies lying around the building. His expression changed from curiosity to horror. Many of these bodies were from some of the orphans that lived here. Their lives were taken from them by an unknown force. In order to ignore the deaths of the children that stayed here, Samuel went inside his room.

Everything inside was in the same condition as the door was. The white walls were clean and wore many posters with silhouette figures of the Great Four Hunter of Dawn. The floor was clean as well. However, Samuel's weapon, which was placed on the dresser in their room, was on the floor next to the boy's bunk bed.

"Whatever happen here was awful. Anyway, I should get my equipment together. I need to change into my armor as well as having my weapon with me," Samuel reminded himself over the horrific sight he saw in his only home.

Samuel's weapon was the typical sword and shield. They both have the matching color of bright orange which is made from the branches of a common Fremore tree. This weapon is common for beginning hunters and was usually dull until Samuel can upgrade it or buy a new weapon. The shield has a circular formation which can protect him from both quick and heavy attacks. The unfamiliar thing about the sword and shield is that the wood is scratched as if someone else before him used this weapon.

He then found his armor. The armor was also made out of branches of a Fremore tree. He doesn't have a helmet or gloves for the matching set. The torso armor is thin compared to his body mass, and it took the color of dark orange. From his waist, it only has small cases to hold his items inside. Lastly, the leg armor had small knee guards that were light orange compared to the murky orange on the legs.

Samuel changed into his armor and noticed that the graduation ceremony was halfway completed. As fast as he can, he ran out of the room, and dashed to the site where he will meet Jake there.