What runs in the blood of man?
Fear? Courage? Love? Or Hate?
The boy pulled the locking bolt forward to open the revolving chamber and ensured every nook and cranny was cleaned and polished.
The chamber was empty and mildly oiled. Satisfied, the boy put the massive gun aside and began inspecting the ammunition.
"There's no turning back. Are you sure you want to go?"
"Ask yourself that question."
What does it mean to live as a human being?
To survive in this cruel and unjust world?
"For me, there's no other path left anyway." The girl said as she slid her giant tachi into the sheath on her back. The sword was longer than she was tall, which seemed out of place at first.
The boy assembled the pieces that were missing from the giant gun. The combined length of the rifle and the bayonet was even longer than the length of the tachi.
They walked outside and were greeted by foot-thick snow across the campgrounds. They waded through it effortlessly.
"They said that with great power comes responsibility, but it really just a cycle of escalation in the end." She sighed. "Especially in this god-forsaken world."
"...Can you stop being edgy for a second, please?" The boy scoffed. "If we die, we die. If we win, then it's a party."
"Party?"
"A banquet worthy of kings with our friends." The boy smirked. "Imagine all the meat we can get!"
As the two waddled into the increasingly taller snow on the ground as they headed for the camp gate. The emptiness of the camp gave an eerie cold feeling. Yet the boy and girl began to heat up as their heart became erratic.
"Chaser!" The boy called.
A metallic screech echoed within the area, followed by an explosive wind blast that blew a thin layer of snow away from the two. Gray steel dragon landed with an audible thud, roughly three times as long as the boy was tall.
A guttural scratching prowl followed as the boy rubbed its snout like a domesticated pet lizard. The contrast was incredibly jarring, to say the least.
"I need to borrow your strength." The boy said with a sad face. "If I die, run."
The dragon shuddered and crouched down, allowing the boy to climb on its back.
The girl grimaced a bit before looking around.
"Are you here, Kirin?"
Literally, meters away from her, a single bolt of lightning strikes. She closed her eyes but didn't flinch.
Where the thunderstruck stood a horse-like creature with silvery white mane and covered in pale blue scales. Its crystal blue horn glows subtly, contrasting the fierce electricity surrounding it.
"We're going to fight that ape." She said. "Either you leave and fight alone after we die, or we fight it together and seize the chance to win. Your choice."
Like it was teleporting, the unicorn-like entity stood beside her. In reality, the creature was using both lightning tricks and speed.
"...And they said gods cannot be reasoned." She cringed.
"I mean, most gods are out of reach, to begin with." The boy shrugged. "Most gods also not a prey species of rabid monkeys."
The girl climbed on Kirin's back and unsheathed her giant katana. Likewise, the boy unslung his rifle again, revealing how it was at least two and a half meters long before accounting for the sword-sized bayonet attached underneath the barrel.
A monstrous howl broke then brief silence as an ape-like figure smashed through the trees within the area. Its head was crowned with a pair of horns, resembling a buffalo. However, its face was unmistakably a primate's, even with its abnormally overgrown tusks.
It gazed upon the white unicorn with one emotion: hunger.
It screamed before it charged forth.
For any experienced hunters or knowledgeable experts, this would be an unfavorable match... in favor of the grotesque horned primate.
Yet, the boy, the girl, and their mounts charged forward in response, willing to fight it head-on.
Because they have things to protect and things to achieve. It is better to die in battle than to be murdered.
What it means to be a hunter.
What it means to be a human being.
It's to survive, adapt, and thrive in nature.
Monster Hunter - Rise of the Dragoon
Original works by CAPCOM
By ZeroXSEED
Chapter 1 - (Not) the Fantasy Isekai we wanted
March 28, 2022. Fuji Safari Park, Japan.
It was in the middle of relatively uneventful spring vacation in Japan, and the country only recently started reopening in full. Even the schools hadn't started to open in full swing.
Yet, some students had graduated.
Among those who graduated without attending much class physically, these people were called the Pandemic generation. Four sat awkwardly in a Suzuki Jimny 2020 heading for the Safari entrance.
"I'm glad you two can go." The driver said. "I know people love the zoo, but I don't expect so few people interested in actual safari."
"You assumed people go to the zoo for the animals." The girl in the passenger seat scoffed. "They're just in for the romantic atmosphere."
"I've heard a bit different." The other girl sitting shotgun laughed. "The girls absolutely love the animals, and the girls are too afraid of going to the safari."
"Sounds logical to me." The other boy in the passenger seat said as he was recording from behind the closed window. "Close encounter isn't for everyone."
"You like it, Izuru?" The driver asked.
"I mean, it is fascinating," Izuru said in response as he put his camera down. "I'm not an outdoor person, but it's not every day you can go on to safari trip and get close with these beasts."
Izuru began recording again as some of the bears started approaching. "...I think you want to start going because they're a little too close, Mahiro."
"Yep. Don't want to scratch my car." Mahiro cringed as he throttled the car gently and left the curious bears alone. "Lol."
"...Crap, I forgot they're brown bears and not black bears!" The girl in the front seat shouted. "I feel so dumb."
"It is dumb, Karin." The girl in the back told her. "But good for you to realize it at least."
In Japan, there are two native species of bears, the small black bears inhabiting the northern Honshu mainland and the big brown bear on Hokkaido island.
The Asian black bears are small and skittish about humans, easily scared and hurt even when angry. Brown bears have been known to massacre entire human encampments.
The brown bears in this safari park were transported all the way here to Shizuoka. The four friends have a blast throughout the whole trip, either way.
Otomo Mahiro, the driver, was glad he could at least convince two people to join the safari and camping trip. Since their next destination was the campground.
His girlfriend, Wakaba Karin, sat beside him. As she opened the window, her golden sidebangs and ponytail fluttered like ribbons, which he thought was an even prettier sight than the woods around Fuji mountain.
Karin was tall for a young Japanese woman, at least 180 cm the last time she got measured, and most likely grown slightly since then.
It had been quite a source of worry to her because she was towering over Mahiro, despite himself being taller than the average Japanese man.
But he knows he felt like this purely on euphoria. Because they were going to different colleges and there was a sense of longing in him that wanted this moment to last forever.
In the backseats are their close friend, Sawanuma Reika and Uzuki Izuru. Those two are not the friendliest, but they're not bad people. In fact, they were the most unproblematic students ever in their high school days, which is how both of them earned scholarships for their college education, despite studying in a vocational school.
"Careful!" Karin warned. "Why are there mists in broad daylight like this?"
"This mist is damn heavy!" Izuru remarked in disbelief. "The temperature shouldn't be this cold for mists to show up."
"I'll slow down and put on the hazard lights. We need to find a place to stop." Mahiro grimaced.
"...Shit."
"What is it, Izuru?" Karin asked.
"The internet is toast. What of GPS?" Izuru asked.
"Disabled," Mahiro responded. "That shouldn't be possible."
"Phone is out, the internet is out, and GPS is out. We're in Shizuoka! This shouldn't be possible unless there's a mass blackout."
Blinding light and deafening thunder startled the people inside the car. But Mahiro remained in control and braked hard, relying on the ABS to avoid lockup.
The car shuddered hard as if hitting rocks and bumps, which shouldn't be possible unless they were swerving hard to the side.
...
"What the hell?" Reika muttered as she opened the window. "Did we swerve out of the road?"
"No." Mahiro took a deep breath. "There were barriers to our side. The car would be crushed from the impact."
"Right. The windows didn't break either." Karin nodded. "Should we check outside?"
"I'm still worried. I'll come through the passenger door." Mahiro grimaced. "Sorry, Karin."
"Let's check outside together." Karin nodded.
"The mist subsided a bit."
The four late teenagers looked around as the mist got increasingly thinner and thinner. And then they noticed they were no longer in the middle of an asphalt road. In fact, it was barely a road.
It was a patch of cleaned foliage in the middle of thick woods. Not quite an off-road trail, but also not a great road overall.
"Is this a forest road?"
"Seems like a minor one." Mahiro shook his head. "And my parents took me to a lot of these. This kind of trail isn't usually close to major roads."
Mahiro kneeled down and touched the soil.
"The density is strange," Mahiro said. "This is a road that's regularly used. But the texture is weird."
The four looked behind and noticed the slightly burnt trail behind the car. And it led to a single torched spot.
"...What the hell?"
There wasn't just a single spot, actually. There were a few of them. And some tire track was deep enough for someone to put their foot in.
"This is a sizable vehicle track," Izuru said. "Around 8-ton GWT, I guess?"
"What's that in human language?" Karin blinked.
"It's a middleweight truck or a fully loaded minibus," Reika told her. "We're talking like 29 passengers minibus here."
"Ah!" Karin clapped in understanding. "I can imagine now."
"We couldn't trace our way back to the asphalt, though," Izuru muttered gravely. "It's not like Mahiro failed his braking."
"Yes, the ABS kicked in. But I was so slow, it couldn't be more than 15... maybe 20 meters." Mahiro nodded. "But the dirt road behind us is longer than that..."
"Let's just retrace our way behind." Karin pumped her fist enthusiastically. "We'll find our way eventually, but let's mark this place with a spray. That rock there looks good."
"Good idea."
They found a head-sized rock on the roadside and sprayed it with glow-in-the-dark paint, which ideally should last four to eight hours.
"We'll also need bear spray," Karin said.
"Why the heck we'd need bear spray? This is Shizuoka!" Reika balked.
Karin pointed at the gashes in one of the trees. No matter how one looks at it, it looks like claw marks.
"There's a lot of weird footprints as well," Izuru noted. "They got obscured by the tire tracks."
Mahiro looked around and furrowed his eyebrows. These footprints don't resemble any animal that could be found in Japan. In particular, they reminded him of...
"Dinosaurs?" Karin guessed weirdly.
"Something like Utahraptor, but not as heavy." Izuru nodded. "These couldn't come from Japanese birds."
"Let's save the stupidity, please. Dinosaur? Really?" Reika frowned. "You guys are panicking for nothing."
Karin and Izuru showed one large footprint, more distinct than the others.
"With a footprint like this, the animal should weigh hundreds of kilograms," Izuru said. "Unless this is an elaborate prank, there's no other explanation."
Mahiro decided to cool down the tension. "Either way, we might be in danger from animal attacks. So let's just get what we could to protect ourselves."
"I don't have a bear spray, but we have molester defense tools," Karin said. "It's better than nothing, right?"
"There's no better defense than running, anyway." Reika sighed. "Give me one."
After making sure they got everything from the waterproof bags on top of the car, they sat in the car quietly as Mahiro turned the car and went in the opposite direction.
"No GPS, no phone signal," Izuru shouted. "What the fuck is this place?"
The longer they ride, the more uneasy they feel, and the more fear sinks into their mind. Forget Shizuoka. I this even Japan? Is this even earth?
Mahiro was especially tense. He's more knowledgeable than the other three about forestry, and the plants were unfamiliar to him. He was too afraid to say it because someone might just snap.
Looking at the trip meter, Mahiro realized they traveled one kilometer away... and the road got progressively more difficult.
"We're screwed. Let's just go back to where we're from." Mahiro said. "I wish we have a satellite phone or a radio."
"I'm shocked. This car honestly feels perfect for camping and survival, otherwise." Izuru quipped.
"Well, it isn't. And you know how strict radio ownership in Japan is."
The group retraced their route back to the painted stone and were thankful they didn't get lost on their way there. Karin happily drew a crude paper map to ensure they didn't take a wrong turn. In addition, Izuru did record their journey as well.
"Should we continue on this road?"
"Honestly? Seemed like a much better idea. Because the road might get better this way."
At this point, the four high school graduates tried their best to cope. They just wanted to find somewhere safe.
"Wait! Wait!"
They found a truck that crashed by the roadside. Half of it literally squeezed into the dense wood.
"Let's get out!"
The four came out of the car, wearing their camping jacket and taking whatever defensive tool they had alongside them. Even sporting equipment and such.
"Reika... did you actually..." Mahiro squirmed.
Reika was carrying a long box tied with cloth behind her. Foreigners might be wondering what it is, but most Japanese would have a vague idea of what it was.
The box would have freaked police in the cities. And this made Reika quite possibly the deadliest member of the four.
"You know that I'm supposed to depart right after we camp. It was already deregistered." Reika nodded. "Don't worry. I wouldn't use it unless we're actually in danger."
"I think I'd be more concerned what kind of danger requires that." Mahiro led them toward the truck and immediately checked the driver's compartment.
"Careful and don't touch anything," Izuru warned.
"I know." Mahiro wore a pair of gloves and began looking inside the open door. "The crumpling wasn't that bad. The glass shattered on impact. No blood and the airbag inflated, most likely no fatal injury. But where's the driver?"
Common sense dictates that unless your vehicle is on fire, you should stay just outside the crash site. So bystanders could help you, and emergency responders could spot you quickly.
In the worst-case scenario where you suffer broken bones from hitting the airbag or general whiplash, running around is even worse.
"There is a radio, but I don't want to touch it," Mahiro said. "Should we continue or try to find the driver to ask for permission?"
The other three seemed torn. The radio represents the last hope to connect to civilization again. However, they don't want to deal with the repercussion of tampering with a crash site. And finding the driver in the middle of an unfamiliar forest like this is suicide.
"Honestly, I'm more worried about that." Reika pointed at the side of the truck box. It caved in and tore in the center as if something hard and sharp smashed it. "I don't think even a charging elephant can do that."
"Let's look around some more." Karin proposed. "But don't go in the woods."
"Hey," Izuru called. "Look what I found."
The party looked closer to the front of the truck and saw what Izuru meant. There were a few corpses of giant bugs. They look halfway between a giant mosquito and some kind of wasp.
What makes them look terrifying is how their body is about the size of a small cat or a poodle.
"What the hell are they?!" Reika pulled a wooden sword from her backpack and poked one of the corpses. "Ew."
"Real bugs, not some props, but how..." Izuru expressed his disbelief as he focused his camera sight and took pictures. "This shouldn't be physically possible."
"Why is that?" Karin asked. "Because of the size?"
"Giant bugs like this couldn't survive modern earth because of the lower oxygen concentration. Not when they're supposed to fly." Izuru nodded. "For example, a dragonfly this size is around in the prehistoric era. However, flying bugs of this size aren't possible without developing highly efficient lungs today. And we couldn't be sure about it without dissection..."
Izuru wasn't knowledgeable enough to cite the specifics. But people who loved paleontology would know the dragonfly in question was the Permian era Meganeura, with a wingspan up to 72 cm (2'4") and weighs around 450g (1 lb).
"...Should we take one?" Karin rolled her eyes, somewhat afraid but also curious. "We still have an icebox. Besides, we should wait just in case the driver return."
"Good idea, be careful about possible toxins, though." Mahiro agreed. "We don't know if their fluid is poisonous."
"I don't know about their fluid, but most likely, they're venomous." Izuru winced as he used a pair of sticks as a clamp. "They have stingers."
These stingers were almost the size of a human pinky. Even without venom, a sting from this insect would cause serious injuries. Looking at them, Karin suddenly felt ill and threw up.
"Are you okay?" Mahiro asked in concern as he held his girlfriend.
"I'm okay, I'm okay. I'm just a bit stressed now."
No one said it aloud, but they were unnaturally calm at the moment. Sure, part of it was knowledge and mental preparation for surviving the wilderness. But still, it was incredible how none of them were breaking until now.
That said, they're all on edge. The moment the group found these giant bugs, the moment they realized their situation was beyond fucked.
"...You think we're still in Japan?" Reika suddenly asked.
"I'm not so sure anymore, to be honest." Mahiro shook his head in resignation. "We could only be sure once the sky turns dark and we could see the starry sky."
"We have a star map?"
"At least for all of Japan in March."
Then it's up to star charting to decide their fate. If the map is all wrong, then they're absolutely beyond saving.
"Should we try and lit a smoke signal?" Reika proposed.
Literally, not a single opposition as the four of them scrambled to get some firewoods. They dug a small pit and surrounded it with small stones. A short burn and extinguishing later, they got a source of the smoke.
"There's a lot of big fronds here." Karin waved a coupe that she found. "Use it as a signal?"
"Let's do it."
And so, the group made a coordinated effort to make smoke signals by trapping the smoke using tree fronds. They made sure to keep repeating the same S-O-S message.
Fifteen minutes later...
"Hey, a car!" Karin pointed happily.
"What the-"
The car in question was an ordinary Kei car you can find anywhere, nowhere optimized for the dirt as the Jimny. Perhaps coupled with an unskilled driver and 100% road tires, the unfamiliar terrain made it swerve left and right.
It was a miracle that it didn't topple on the first bump.
The car braked to a screech, and the driver opened the battered window. "You all should leave! A swarm of giant wasps chased everything within kilometers of this area! I saw them preying on a van just now!"
The four young adults widened their eyes in response. Did she mean the same as the corpses around the truck?
"Something like these?" Izuru pointed to his phone.
"Yes! Exactly!" The woman screamed. "Please, believe me!"
The four had no reason to contest the idea because the situation was so messed up. Giant wasp attacks seemed reasonable in comparison.
Especially since the Kei car seemed to suffer damage and dings from sharp objects.
Unfortunately, their attempt to escape was in vain, as some trees blocked the road. Those trees weren't here less than an hour ago.
"What the fuck?" Mahiro slammed the horn. "How does this happen?!"
"Something enormous destroyed the forest." Karin noticed. "So huge and powerful that it ripped the trees off the root. Even the road was partially destroyed."
"Can the Jimny get past it?"
"Maybe. Not that N-box, though."
The Honda N-box was too low to the ground, too heavy, and underpowered.
Reika sighed and stepped out of the car, which surprised her friends. She knocked on the N-box and shouted. "Get out and move to our car!"
The woman and a little girl hurriedly stepped out of their N-Box. "Isn't that car just for four people?"
"Shut up and stop complaining!" Reika barked. "Those who couldn't fight shouldn't get in the way!"
The woman grimaced but complied with Reika's orders and entered the Jimny. However, Mahiro had none of it and jumped out. "Are you stupid?! Stop being foolish!"
"Are you daft? Didn't you feel anything different at all since we came here?!" Reika told him. "Don't think. Feel it. Feel the energy flowing inside your body!"
In the end, Izuru and Karin also get out of the car. They went to the fallen trees and managed to individually drag them out, unassisted. Each of these trees should easily weigh hundreds of kilograms!
Mahiro finally understood.
They got stronger the moment they came to this place. Mahiro didn't notice it at first, but the first sign of it was the lack of fatigue he got when he dug the fire pit to make the smoke signal.
He was fit for a modern person, but not getting tired was strange.
"Forget the trees!" Mahiro shouted. "Just lift the car!"
As if something clicked in them, Izuru and Karin finally realized how inefficient their effort was.
The four of them surrounded the N-Box and gripped the chassis to ensure the car didn't get too damaged from the strain, and somehow, four 18-19 years managed to lift a 1000 kg car, albeit with almost all their strength.
"Come on, hei-hei-ho!" Karin cheered. "Let's go!"
The four carried the N-box over the scattered trees and damaged road and dropped it when they reached a slightly better patch of ground.
The woman and the little girl decided to come over, concerns and fear all over their face. "Are you alright?!"
"We'd manage somehow." Mahiro panted. However, he and Karin were lucky, whereas Izuru and Reika were complete toast and laid waste on the ground with their pukes.
The Jimny joined the N-box on their way. It was able to overcome the obstacles unassisted.
"I can't believe we just lifted an entire fucking car," Izuru said in disbelief. "Ugh."
"My neck." Reika whimpered. At 169cm tall, she's taller than the average Japanese woman. It still doesn't change the fact that she's physically the smallest and weakest of the group.
They stopped at an intersection before continuing.
"500 meters from here, there's a swamp. Jimny might be able to travel through it, but your car would have no chance." Mahiro said. "By the way, my name is Otomo Mahiro."
"My name is Asami Nino. I'm a Doctor." She offered her hand. "This is my daughter, Mana. She's eleven years old."
The four felt a little weird since they thought Nino was young, maybe not even thirty. So the fact that her little girl was eleven came as a surprise.
"We were having a vacation." Mana sobbed. "But suddenly, there's mists and lightning, and we were here."
"Looks like everyone is experiencing the same phenomenon," Izuru noted. "Unnaturally heavy mist and lightning on a broad daylight."
"That seemed the case." Nino shook her head. "Nothing about this makes sense."
"Regardless of that, we should try our best to survive." Karin encouraged them. "Maybe we can find a way home."
Karin looked around. "Ah crap, we're ambushed!"
"What?"
Reika spat and threw her weapon box aside while clipping the content on her belt. A katana, a wakizashi (short sword), and tanto (dagger).
Something jumped on her from the woods, but she pulled her katana out and gave a lightning-fast slice. A cat-sized hornet was cut right in the abdomen, leaving its upper body flying in confusion before falling down to its demise.
"Leave, now!"
Before Mahiro could say anything, Reika turned into a blur. She moved at an inhuman speed. World-class sprinters would look like they were jogging compared to her. And the way she swung her blade, she became a human blender.
"Mahiro!" Karin spun a tonfa to smack away another giant hornet.
"Goddamnit to hell!" Mahiro picked his bow and began aiming. "If you can't fight, leave!"
Mahiro felt like time slowed down, as these fast hornets looked like they were floating gently. Mahiro let go of an arrow that pierced the abdomen of one hornet.
It wasn't an instant kill because the yumi sporting bow was too weak. However, the length of the arrow was good enough to destabilize its flight path.
The mother and daughter were terrified and scrambled to the right side of the intersection as soon as they reached their N-Box.
"Wouldn't they be in danger?" Karin asked.
"If these hornets are anything like what we used to be, they'll release danger pheromone upon death." Izuru fixed his glasses and wielded a portable shovel. "The more we kill, the more member of the swarm will come to us."
Danger pheromone was something widespread with many aggressive swarm-type insects. It could be used both defensively and offensively.
Karin took a deep breath and then went berserk with her tonfa as she spun and swung them so hard that she crushed the insect's strong exoskeleton with ease.
"They stink!"
Any sense of fear disappeared from their mind as an adrenaline rush boosted their fighting instinct. The wasps, deadly against frightened humans, fell down like a rain of flies.
In such a short time, they felled several dozen wasps. The rest of the swarm decided to fold and took their distance.
The four young adults lost their breath, but their concentration remained at its peak. They wondered if these hornets would retreat from such strong resistance.
"I'm almost out of arrows," Mahiro growled. "Will they fold?"
"Doubt it. Let's use this chance to escape..." Izuru said.
A deep, echoing buzz soon followed as something gigantic appeared in front of them. It was similar to the giant hornets but even more enormous.
With an elongated body, it should easily be seven meters tall from the head to the tip of the stinger. The wind turbulence caused by the vibration of its wings could be seen. Similar to a small helicopter, throwing dust and leaves everywhere.
And that's when the four lost all semblance of courage. In fact, Karin was so scared she lost control of her bladder and began crying.
They now understood what made the side of the truck cave in. A stinger strike from that creature would be enough to destroy any civilian car.
"We're gonna die..." Izuru's eyes widened so much he might tear his lid and cry blood.
A creature so big and powerful, it defies all known science.
A monster.