A massive ship surged forward through the waves, its sails bearing a flag of red and yellow—emblazoned with a star-shaped cross. This emblem symbolized the Sapphire Star of the Five Elder Dragons myth, and also served as a beacon to guide those who came after.
Aboard this ship were elite specialists from all walks of life. While their mission was to investigate the mystery of Elder Dragons crossing the sea, they were here primarily as pioneers—tasked with establishing a forward base on this uncharted, unfamiliar continent.
"Captain, there you are. Why aren't you inside drinking with the others?"
A refined-looking young man approached from the prow, wearing gold-rimmed, single-lens glasses. A leather satchel filled with books and notebooks hung at his waist. Spotting his target, he smiled and walked over.
With waist-length jet-black hair and wearing nothing but a leather vest, the man at the bow stood tall and broad-shouldered. His bare arms bulged with explosive muscle, and his features were sharp and bold—clearly a rugged and open-hearted soul. Without turning around, he let out a booming laugh at the youth's words.
"Ahahaha! I'll take the night watch tonight! Go back and tell the others—eat and drink to your hearts' content! Relax and enjoy yourselves. Once we reach the New World tomorrow, we'll all need to be sharp. That's when our grand adventure begins!"
"Meow!"
Beside the man, a Palico far larger than its kin stood mimicking his posture. A greatsword was strapped to its back, and upon hearing the man's declaration, it nodded vigorously in agreement.
The scholarly young man chuckled lightly and said, "You know, I shouldn't be the one saying this. You're our elected Captain—words of encouragement like that are best said by you in person."
With a teasing jab at his friend, the young man didn't return to the cabin either. Instead, he joined him at the bow, leaning casually against the railing, gazing ahead.
"The New World... A land never formally explored. I wonder how many new and strange things it holds compared to the Old World."
"Heh... We'll only find out once we get there. But we'd better choose a solid landing point tomorrow—the natives of this continent aren't likely to welcome us with open arms."
The Captain grinned. In the past, various private expeditions had occasionally ventured into the New World, but the information they brought back was minimal at best. This time, however, things were different—this was an official investigation initiated by the Hunter's Guild.
Naturally, clashes with the New World's monsters were inevitable. Building forward bases and establishing footholds would certainly involve combat.
The Hunter's Guild had foreseen this from the very beginning. Though the number of hunters in the research team was small, every one of them was an elite.
With everyone's combined strength, they believed no obstacle would be insurmountable.
That—was the confidence born of true power.
What the Captain didn't know, however, was that tomorrow, reality would mercilessly slap this confident team of investigators in the face.
…
Recently, Aki's injuries had finally healed. But both she and Logan were on edge.
Whether in the Wildspire Wastes or the Ancient Forest, over the past two days, large numbers of creatures had been migrating deeper into the continent.
Though their nest was far from the coast, the abnormal migration patterns of so many different species had not gone unnoticed.
And as time passed, a primal sense of pressure—an instinctual fear—began to well up in their hearts.
Something deep inside whispered insistently: Get away from the coast. Get away from the outer edges of the Ancient Forest. It doesn't matter where you go—just go far, far away!
Logan, highly attuned to the leyline energies of the land, noticed during his usual absorption routine that something was amiss. For reasons unknown, the leylines near the Ancient Forest's outer edge had begun to surge with energy.
The moisture in the air was growing heavier by the day. Even the normally dry Wildspire Wastes, which bordered the Ancient Forest, were inexplicably cloaked in morning fog.
The Wastes... foggy? That shouldn't even be possible.
These mounting anomalies left both wyverns deeply unsettled. Without exchanging a word, they had begun increasing the frequency of their hunts, stockpiling food in their nest.
In just two days, they had gathered a considerable cache of prey.
Now, both Aki and Logan had all but stopped going out. They stayed in the nest, driving away any intruding wyvern species that dared approach.
That very day, the ship officially appeared off the coast of the New World. And on that same day, a thick blanket of white mist shrouded the entire outer perimeter of the Ancient Forest, as well as parts of the Wildspire Wastes.
Gale-force winds! Black clouds! Thunder and lightning!
A giant dragon, gleaming with a metallic sheen, rode the hurricane winds, stirring the clouds. Its colossal form loomed within the storm, flickering in and out of view amidst the flashes of lightning.
In an instant, the sun high overhead was swallowed by the dark clouds, casting the skies into gloom.
At the coast of the New World, the seas churned violently under the storm, and the dense moisture within the continent was swept away—replaced by a torrential downpour.
The dragon needed only a gentle beat of its wings, and endless cyclones swirled around it—like a walking natural disaster.
Logan crouched at the mouth of his den, his eyes locked onto the figure within the storm.
Radiating overwhelming pressure, altering the weather with ease, commanding the hurricane in total defiance of the laws of biology—it was like the sovereign of the wind itself.
So this is... an Elder Dragon?
The moment Logan saw the Kushala Daora, he understood why so many creatures had been migrating. Seeking safety and avoiding catastrophe was an instinct. For ordinary creatures, when faced with a calamity of this magnitude, fleeing was the only option.
The Kushala Daora hadn't even deliberately used its power. It was simply passing by—yet the storm it stirred up by instinct alone was enough to bring devastation.
Only now did Logan truly comprehend why a Teostra merely passing through could burn down an entire village, or why the mere presence of a Chameleos in the mountains could drive a whole Zinogre pack into migration.
For small creatures like them, how could they possibly stand against a force of nature?
Although Logan and Aki's den wasn't located on the Elder Dragon's migration path, they still suffered the effects of the storm. At Aki's low growl, Logan slowly backed away, retreating deeper into the nest.
Just as Logan resigned himself to waiting for the Kushala Daora to pass, the moisture that had been swept away by the storm suddenly began to rise again. And the oppressive pressure, already suffocating due to the dragon's presence, intensified even further.
The rain, which had come with the storm, suddenly seemed to lose control—gathering unnaturally toward a specific spot at the edge of the Ancient Forest. The ocean swelled rapidly, its surface surging upward at a terrifying pace.
In mere moments, the low-lying areas along the coast—both the outer edge of the Ancient Forest and portions of the Wildspire Wastes—were swallowed by seawater. Countless creatures, too slow to escape in time, were swept away by the flood.
In his previous life, Logan had witnessed a mountain flash flood firsthand. But now, compared to what lay before him, that flood suddenly seemed... insignificant.
...
Logan returned once more to the cave entrance. Staring out at the rising sea level, he saw that the once-vast Wildspire Waste had now been swallowed by the ocean.
Countless creatures wailed atop the water. Flying monsters flapped desperately, wishing they had more wings as they fought against the howling wind, struggling to ascend to higher ground.
A dozen or so Rathian let out pained cries, their powerful talons clutching what few hatchlings they could as they desperately fled what was soon to become an oceanic grave.
The seawater kept rising. Before long, the surface had climbed to the base of the nesting cliff, consuming the pond below.
Logan didn't know how much higher it would rise, but they had to prepare.
Aki took the lead—one hatchling clutched in her mouth, another gripped in her claws—as she flew off ahead. Logan mimicked her, choosing two smaller herbivores to follow close behind, flying up toward the cliff's edge above.