A massive ship sliced through the waves, its sails billowing under a bright red-and-yellow banner, adorned with a brilliant cross-star crest. This symbol, representing the mythical Five Dragons and the Azure Star, was the same one worn by pioneers, those tasked with lighting the path forward for generations to come.
Aboard this Star Vessel were elites from every field, not only chasing the mystery of the Elder Dragons' migration but more importantly, carrying the mission of establishing outposts across the uncharted New World. They were the first wave of true pioneers.
"Commander! There you are. Why aren't you inside drinking with the others?"
A gentle, bookish-looking young man with a leather satchel strapped to his hip and golden-rimmed glasses walked up to the bow with a smile.
Standing before him, unmoving, was a tall, broad-shouldered man with jet-black hair cascading to his waist. Clad only in a leather vest, his bulging arms crossed over his chest, the man's powerful figure and chiseled face gave off an aura of unwavering boldness. Upon hearing the young man, he laughed heartily without even turning his head.
"Haha! I'm on night watch tonight. Go back and tell the others they can eat and drink their fill, enjoy themselves while they can. Tomorrow we reach the New World. Once we're there, they better pull themselves together, because we're diving headfirst into one hell of an adventure!"
"Mrow!"
At his side stood an unusually large Palico, a massive greatsword strapped to its back. It mirrored the man's stance, nodding in firm agreement with his words.
The bespectacled youth chuckled lightly and said, "That's a great speech and all, but shouldn't it come from you personally? You're the commander we all voted for, remember?"
With a playful jab at his friend, the young man didn't return to the cabin. Instead, he joined the commander at the bow, leaning casually on the railing, gazing toward the horizon.
"The New World… untouched, unmapped… I wonder how much of it will surprise us compared to the Old World."
"Hah, we'll only know once we see it. But tomorrow, we've gotta pick a solid landing spot. The locals probably won't give us a warm welcome."
The commander grinned. Sure, some private groups had come to the New World in the past, but the intel they'd returned with was scarce at best. This time was different. This was an official expedition launched by the Hunter's Guild.
And with it would come conflict, between humanity and the monsters of this untamed land. Establishing bases would require more than tools. It would require strength.
The Guild had known this. So although their hunting team was small, each hunter was an elite, absolute cream of the crop.
With such power behind them, the commander was confident. No matter what challenges lay ahead, they'd overcome them.
That, was the confidence that came from sheer strength.
What he didn't know, however, was that by tomorrow, reality would hit these overconfident trailblazers like a slap to the face.
Back on land, Yuno and Aki were both on edge, despite Aki's injuries having fully healed.
Whether in the Wildspire Waste or the Ancient Forest, over the past two days, countless creatures had begun migrating inland, en masse. Their nest was far from the coast, but the unusual migration patterns had not gone unnoticed.
And with time, both dragons began to feel a creeping dread, a suffocating pressure that settled into their hearts like instinctual terror.
Something, some ancient voice buried deep within their instincts, was telling them:
Get away from the coast.
Get away from the forest's edge.
Go anywhere, just get far, far away.
Yuno, highly sensitive to leyline energy, had noticed something strange. While drawing in ambient energy during his daily absorption, he realized the forest's outer leyline was becoming… active. Disturbed.
The air had grown heavier with moisture. Even the parched Wildspire Waste bordering the forest had begun to fog over at dawn.
The Waste… has mist?
Unheard of!
All of it was wrong. Deeply wrong.
Uneasy, the two wyverns began hunting more aggressively and stockpiling food in the nest. In just two days, they'd gathered a sizable stash. Then, they stopped leaving altogether, taking turns guarding the entrance and driving off any wyverns who dared approach.
Then came the day.
The Star Vessel arrived, officially reaching the outer shores of the New World.
And that same day, the outer rim of the Ancient Forest, and much of the Wildspire Waste, was shrouded in thick white mist.
Gale winds.
Thunderclouds.
Lightning.
From within the roiling storm clouds, a massive metallic dragon soared, its wings carving through the sky like blades, stirring hurricanes in its wake. The beast shimmered with a metallic luster, visible only in flashes between lightning strikes.
In mere moments, the blazing sun vanished behind clouds. The sky turned dim, overcast by rage.
At sea, titanic waves crashed against the Star Vessel's hull. Inland, heavy moisture was blown inland and fell as torrential rain. And at the storm's heart was the dragon.
With just a simple flap of its wings, it commanded the wind. Cyclones howled at its feet, a storm incarnate.
Yuno crouched at the mouth of the cave, staring at the silhouette inside the typhoon.
That presence, raw and oppressive, warped nature itself. The clouds, the sea, the lightning, it all bent to its will. The dragon moved as if it ruled them.
A typhoon emperor.
A disaster given form.
This… was an Elder Dragon.
The moment Yuno laid eyes on the Kushala Daora, he understood.
Why the creatures were fleeing.
Why the forest trembled.
Why his instincts screamed.
Disaster was a force of nature. And the only response available to creatures like them… was flight.
The Kushala Daora hadn't even actively unleashed its power. It was simply passing by, yet the storm it dragged behind was enough to tear the land apart.
In that moment, Yuno finally understood.
Why Teostra's mere presence could scorch entire villages.
Why Namielle's storms could force Zinogre clans to migrate.
To small creatures like them, how could they ever face a natural disaster head-on?
Yuno and Aki's nest didn't lie in the dragon's direct path. But the storm reached them regardless. At Aki's low growl, Yuno slowly backed away, retreating deeper into the cave.
He planned to wait it out.
But then, just as the storm seemed to pass, a new wave of water vapor surged into the sky. The oppressive pressure, already unbearable, suddenly doubled.
The rain, once random, suddenly grew organized.
It wasn't just falling anymore, it was gathering, funneling toward a single point near the coast.
The ocean surged. Water levels climbed rapidly.
In just minutes, the lowlands near the Ancient Forest's edge and parts of the Wildspire Waste were submerged beneath seawater. Dozens of creatures, too slow to flee, were swept away.
In his past life, Yuno had witnessed a flash flood from the mountains, but now, faced with this storm?
That flood seemed like a splash in a puddle by comparison.
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