A rather heavy subject right off the bat—apologies for the opening, but bear with me.
When you hear the word "Hell," what image springs to mind?
Most likely, you think of a frightening, terrifying, and agonizing place. For the average modern Japanese person, the typical image is one of the afterlife—a destination for those who lived wickedly. Since the Japanese generally have a relaxed religious view, most people probably have only a vague notion of it. Curiously, however, despite variations, a similar concept exists in nearly every religion.
This is what gives rise to the terrifying, agonizing image.
"If you do bad things, you'll fall into Hell," is a common phrase often used with children—a warning that severe consequences await those who commit too many wicked deeds. The sinners who ignore that warning descend into Hell. There, they usually face punishments meant to purify them of the sins they committed in life.
The variations of these punishments are extensive.
They are burned, frozen, starved, devoured, boiled, stabbed, torn apart, flayed, ground up... subjected to every conceivable form of torture and agony, yet they are forbidden to die. Even if they do perish, they are resurrected to endure an eternity of suffering.
Oh, God!
The faithful swear to live pure and righteous lives in this world so they might not fall into Hell.
Why am I talking about this?
Because, right now, in the present moment, I am unquestionably suffering the torments of Hell.
I have been burned, frozen, starved, devoured, boiled, stabbed, torn apart, flayed, and ground up. Furthermore, I have suffered from plagues, had my internal organs dissolved, been parasitized, and turned into a host... I have experienced every form of agony. Lethal pathogens, highly infectious and murderous viruses, extreme environmental shifts, and perhaps in response, savagely evolved plant life, plus monsters beyond imagination...
Everything here attacks with murderous intent.
My companions suffered similarly gruesome fates and departed this world quickly.
...Perhaps that was the happier outcome. Even if their corpses are left exposed in this uncharted land, unmourned by anyone. Because once you're dead, the suffering ends.
But I cannot die.
Of course, there are various reasons why I can't die. To explain them, I'd have to start from my life history, so I'll save that for later.
Thanks to this situation, however, this place has become, for me, literal Hell. This is likely my punishment—a penalty for challenging an unknown world without properly understanding it. I am now personally paying the price for underestimating a world setting where characters die mercilessly and without quarter.
...How did it come to this?
At first, all I wanted was not to die. I came to a world I admired, trained desperately, and finally acquired a healthy body. My life truly began to flourish from there. Looking back, I must have gotten carried away and overconfident. I gained new abilities, passed the Hunter Exam, continued my training, and believed I had acquired a certain degree of strength—not the strongest, but enough to survive. I was drunk on a feeling of invincibility.
That was my grave mistake.
This is the Dark Continent...
The untrodden frontier that lies beyond Mobius Lake.
A world overflowing with the unknown.
A land with high risks but the promise of unfathomable returns, much like the ancient promised land of Canaan. Yet, it is a box that should never have been opened. Hope exists, but only a minuscule amount tucked away in the deepest corner. The box was mostly filled with an enormous amount of despair.
...But I am still alive.
As long as I live, I will keep going, and I will escape from this closed box.
That is my hope now.
My name is Kalm Anderson.
This is my Dark Continent Chronicle.
I couldn't stop fantasizing about the Dark Continent, so I tried writing this. This is my first post. Please be kind.