Then came a short bit of story, letting Zack understand some of the game's background.
Now, the hunter he was playing was from the Fifth Fleet's recommendation group, tasked with going to the New World to find the secret behind the Elder Dragons' migration.
Forty years had passed since the first expedition.
Remembering the Nergigante from the promotional art, and the Rathalos from the CG trailer, Zack's heart was full of anticipation.
Looking at all the hunters packed into the ship's cabin, he was filled with emotion.
Just this Fifth Fleet alone had so many people. Add in the previous four fleets...
When they got to the New World, there should be even more teammates to recruit.
As for the mohawk-haired, outgoing hunter in front of him, he'd probably be a good friend to the player, judging by the usual story plots.
According to common story tropes, there should be one hunter from each fleet joining the main group.
Finally, guided by the main character, they'd discover the secret of the Elder Dragons' migration, and the main character would become the legendary Azure Star.
Even though he had just started the game, Zack had already imagined the whole plot.
While Zack was daydreaming, the ship in the game suddenly started shaking violently!
The lights flickered, and books, cups, and food all fell from the tables to the floor.
The ship's deck started to tilt.
The hunters in the cabin were in chaos.
The mohawk-haired hunter, being a member of the Fifth Fleet's recommendation group, quickly ran towards the deck.
At the same time, Zack's bun-haired partner shouted, "Partner, hurry, let's go see what's happening!"
As a partner researcher, she hurried towards the deck, and Zack's character automatically followed.
Following behind them was a black and white Palico, hopping and skipping out.
Arriving on the deck, they saw that the once calm sea was now raging.
Huge waves crashed against the deck.
The whole ship shook violently. Everyone could only grab onto ropes, looking around in panic.
*Splash!*
Just as everyone was at a loss, a huge, strange black creature, as massive as a volcano, rose out of the ocean.
Reaching the deck, under the night sky, the calm sea suddenly surged.
A black volcano rose suddenly from the seabed, splitting the ship above it in two.
Amidst the wind and rain, Zack realized that this colossal black volcano wasn't actually a volcano.
It was a living thing!
As the giant "black volcano" rose higher and higher out of the water, the Fifth Fleet's ship slid off its back, and the main character in the game was thrown off.
A moment later, the camera focused on the creature's back, which was covered in black rock and flowing lava. The other hunters were gone.
Then, the Handler's voice came from far away.
At the same time, some basic instructions appeared.
Climbing, running, and so on...
Like most games, this was the story and the tutorial, showing the player how to play.
But what really surprised Zack was that the conversation with the Handler revealed the name of the volcano creature: Lavasioth!
"This isn't the monster I'm going to fight later, is it? It's so huge, attacking its feet wouldn't do anything! Fighting this would just be like scraping off its dead skin!" Zack was shocked.
He had thought the Anjanath, Rathalos, and Nergigante from the trailers were already huge.
But now he was being told that this volcano island was also an Elder Dragon?
Shocking as it was, this part of the story didn't have much to it. It just taught players how to control their character in the game.
After going through it once, Zack basically understood, and also realized one thing:
"Like the undead, they can't jump in place. But unlike the undead, they don't take damage from falling. That's a huge improvement!" Zack said, looking at his pink-haired hunter.
Following the Handler, Zack quickly controlled his character to climb to the top of the Lavasioth's head.
Then a cutscene started. The hunter in the game used their grappling hook to grab a Wingdrake in the air and escape from the Lavasioth's body.
This cutscene of leaving the Lavasioth reminded Zack of leaving Lothric High Wall and the Northern Undead Asylum in Dark Souls. It was a little similar!
Adding in the dragon hunting theme of the game, was this hinting at something?
Zack felt an odd feeling in his heart.
But before he could think more, the Wingdrake flew through the clouds, and the beautiful scene in front of him stunned him.
The sun rose from the sea, and the outline of the New World came into view.
A giant tree towered into the sky, and herbivores were resting on the shore.
It was peaceful and serene. This scene from a fantasy world widened Zack's eyes.
The quality of this image was top-notch.
Even more importantly, the unique design was amazing.
Once he got to the New World, Zack and the bun-haired Handler figured out their current situation.
He also learned basic controls like reading the map from the Handler. Next up was the main task: finding the hunter base.
But Zack wasn't in a hurry to push the main story.
He curiously looked around.
The blue sky, the floating white clouds, the waves and beach in the distance, and the sea breeze rustling through the plants, along with the sounds of insects and birds.
After a small turn in a thicket, a whole new scene appeared.
In a wide field, there were many herbivores grazing. According to the Handler, they were a very gentle type of dragon.
Zack carefully controlled his hunter and ran close to a herbivore that was eating, observing it closely.
After discovering Zack, the uninvited guest, it didn't attack at all. Zack was the one who got scared and ran away.
The opening of the game, from the shock and tension of the Lavasioth to the serenity of the Ancient Forest, made him felt great.
The next part of the story was similar to escaping the Lavasioth, except escaping the Lavasioth taught players normal game controls.
And this part in the Ancient Forest taught players the normal game systems, such as how to read the map, collect resources on the map, what the green scoutflies did, hiding in the grass from Jagras, and climbing vines.
"Why don't I have a weapon yet? I can't fight!" Zack felt a little annoyed.
Although the scenery was beautiful, he still wanted to try out the game's combat system, since hunting should be the main focus of the game.
After complaining a little, Zack continued with the story.
He went deeper into the forest with the researchers.
As they neared the research team's base, Astera, they were attacked by a Great Jagras, but the Commander saved them.
The Great Jagras then became food for an Anjanath.
"That's an Anjanath? I thought it was going to be a weak monster!"
Watching the Anjanath tearing apart the Great Jagras in the cutscene, Zack exclaimed.
Before this, in the promotional videos, the Anjanath had been beaten up by hunters and the Rathalos, giving him the impression that it was weak.
But now, looking at its huge body, Zack had a completely different feeling: it was scary!
After getting through the danger, they finally arrived at Astera.
The huge base made of wood and bones looked like a city, making a big visual impact.
In the base, all the members of the Fifth Fleet that he had seen earlier had arrived and were moving supplies.
After talking to the Commander, Zack was led by the Field Team Leader to see Astera.
The tower-like design had different places and functions on each floor, from the bottom to the top.
The lowest floor was the commercial district. Above that was the smithy where weapons and armor were made, the eating area, and the hunters' living quarters.
Besides those, there were also an ecological research center, a botanical research center, a market, and a command center. Each place had its own unique look.
For example, in the canteen, the Palico with the eye patch, and its sous chefs, were busy preparing all kinds of food.
In the smithy, the smiths with their hammers were also making weapons for the hunters.
The whole camp was full of life, with each hunter doing their job.
After the short tour, the Field Team Leader brought Zack to the hunter's room, so he could choose a weapon and start his hunting tasks.
"Here it comes, here it comes, it's finally here!"
Zack was a little excited.
All the instructions from before had let him see the beauty of the New World, and the grandeur of Astera.
But he wanted to start hunting.
After all, the game was called *Monster Hunter*. Hunting was the main thing!
But after the excitement, Zack had trouble choosing.
This game had so many weapons!
Too many weapons was a pain!
He felt like they were all strong!
(End of The Chapter)
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