Out of curiosity, what comes to mind when you hear the word "Hell"?
Most likely, you picture a place of terror, dread, and agonizing pain. To the modern Japanese mind, it is generally envisioned as one of the many realms of the afterlife—a destination for those who lived a life of sin.
Because Japanese views on religion are relatively relaxed, most people only have a vague concept of it. Yet, strangely enough, almost every religion across the globe shares a similar construct, despite the cultural differences. That is why the collective image of Hell as a place of fear and suffering remains so universal.
"If you're bad, you'll go to Hell."
In a way, it's a cliché used to keep children in line—a warning that if you stack up too many misdeeds, you will eventually face the consequences. Those who ignore the warning are cast down into the depths. Once there, they undergo punishments designed to purge the sins of their former lives.
The variety of these torments is exhaustive.
Burned, frozen, starved, devoured, boiled, skewered, torn apart, flayed, ground to pulp... victims are subjected to every imaginable torture. They are forced to endure endless agony, yet they are never granted the mercy of death. Even if they should happen to perish, they are simply resurrected to begin the cycle anew, spanning an eternity.
Oh, God!
The truly devout swear to live their lives with purity and integrity, desperate to avoid such a fate.
Why am I telling you all this?
Because right now—at this very moment—I am living that nightmare. I am undergoing the torments of Hell in the present tense.
I have been burned, frozen, starved, and devoured. I have been boiled, stabbed, torn limb from limb, flayed, and crushed. I have withered under horrific diseases; my internal organs have melted; I have been infested by parasites and used as a living nursery. I have experienced every conceivable form of pain.
Lethal pathogens, highly infectious and murderous viruses, environments so harsh they defy logic, plants that have evolved into vicious predators to survive, and monsters that exceed the bounds of imagination...
In this place, everything—absolutely everything—attacks with the singular intent to kill.
My companions met similarly wretched fates, though they departed for the next world long ago. In hindsight, perhaps they were the lucky ones, even if their corpses were left to rot in this wilderness without a proper burial. At least for them, the suffering has ended.
But I cannot die.
There are various reasons why death eludes me, of course. To explain them, I would have to go back to the very beginning of my life, so I'll save the details for another time.
However, thanks to those circumstances, this place has become a very literal Hell for me.
Perhaps this is my punishment. A penalty for recklessly challenging a world I didn't truly understand. I underestimated a reality where characters were killed off ruthlessly and without mercy, and now I am paying that debt with my own flesh and blood.
...How did it ever come to this?
At first, I simply didn't want to die. I arrived in the world I had always idolized, trained desperately, and finally obtained a healthy body. My life finally began to bloom.
Looking back, I was clearly high on my own success. I had acquired new abilities, passed the Hunter Exam, and continued my training until I believed I possessed enough strength to hold my own—even if I wasn't the "strongest." I was drunk on a sense of omnipotence.
That was my greatest mistake.
***
This is the Dark Continent.
The frontier that lies beyond Lake Mobius, untouched by modern humanity. A world overflowing with every kind of unknown. A land that promises immeasurable rewards, provided you survive the high stakes. Much like the Promised Land of Canaan from ancient lore.
And yet, it is a box that should never have been opened. While hope may lie at the very bottom, it is a tiny, fragile thing. The rest of the box is filled with nothing but an ocean of despair.
...But I am still breathing.
As long as I am alive, I will keep on living. I will find a way to escape this closed box.
That is my only hope now.
My name is Calm Anderson.
And this is the chronicle of my journey through the Dark Continent.