From what I understood, I seemed to have been summoned to a world plagued by monsters, who eat humans to survive. In turn, for humans to survive, they must defend themselves from said monsters. To me, it seemed like the same kind of issue that the animal kingdom faces in terms of predators and prey. However, I was the prey, WE were the prey, and we had to survive somehow...

Mayumi and I continued our trek to the camp she had mentioned. We seemed to be walking through a densely wooded area, populated with hundreds of plant species. Trees, bushes, flowers, vines, weeds, you name it, it was there. The sunlight had a difficult time breaking through the barrier of leaves that stood tall above us. The beams of light that did breakthrough, however, made it to the ground, illuminating our path.

Alongside us, besides the plants, were hundreds, if not thousands, of bugs. Ants crawling in and out of the ground, picking up scraps left behind by other animals, things such as remnants of berries, and other foodstuffs. There were also spiders creating webs in bushes and taking refuge behind tree bark. Even the bugs had their own predators, prey, and survival tactics, just like us...

It's fascinating to think about how life works like clockwork. Everything contributes to something else in some way. That bunny that left half an apple uneaten? It fed an entire family of ants. That fly who unfortunately found itself caught in a spider's strong web? It fed that spider, allowing it to live another day. It was just the way nature worked.

But the one thing I couldn't explain was how the monsters of this world played into that. Did the monster race ONLY eat humans? Or could they perhaps survive off of another source of food? Why people specifically? These were the burning questions that I had in my mind as we approached the camp.

"The forest sure is quiet today. I wonder if a monster recently came through here and scared away all the animals. Usually, you'd see a few elk making their way through here."

Mayumi was right. There were no animals in sight. The only living things besides us were the plants and the bugs. An eerie silence overcame the woods, and we both stopped in our tracks to take it all in. Despite its slight, unsettling nature, it allowed for a moment of peace, and tranquility, after the traumatic experience I had just gone through moments ago.

"I suppose it is quite silent, Mayumi. But it's actually quite pleasant. I feel a sense of safety, both because you're here, but also because the silence means nothing is around to get us, right?"

"Indeed. Silence is the most desirable sound when you're outside the camps. If you hear any noise at all, especially rumbling sounds, it means trouble is nearby, and you should retreat if you're ill-prepared."

Speaking of being prepared, I found myself glancing at Mayumi's armor. She seemed to be wearing some extra equipment underneath it. She was equipped with a grappling hook, as well as what appeared to be communication devices of some sort. I had never seen such gear before, but it suited her well.

"Well, I was definitely unprepared for what I had just seen. I heard the rumbling a few minutes before the monster reached me, it was terrifying...hey, I have a question. What's all that under your armor?"

Mayumi looked down, confused. She noticed that some of her armor had been stripped from her, most likely during her encounter with the monster. It seemed she had been focusing so intensely on protecting me, and felling the beast, that she had forgotten about her own armor, and allowed for some of it to be damaged.

"Ah, you can see it? I suppose there are a few gaps in my armor after all. Anyway, this is just some gear I took along with me while monster hunting. This belt has a grappling hook, which can be used to get to higher ground quickly. I also have a few hidden weapons on me too. Check this out!"

Mayumi pressed a button on the side of her belt, and a hidden compartment opened, revealing a gun inside. This was not the conventional pistol that you'd see on Earth, however, this was a flare gun.

"This is a flare gun. If a hero feels that their life is in danger, and is unable to radio in for backup, they will shoot this into the air, alerting nearby camps of the situation, and other heroes will come in to help them."

"Speaking of radioing in, I also have a communications device on me, known as an RCD, or Rapid-Contact-Device. It allows me to radio into any of the camps, and let them know if I need backup, or if I am reporting a monster sighting/kill."

It seemed that this world had developed a decent bit of technology. It was quite odd though, the weapons that Mayumi used seemed so medieval, yet she was using modern radio technology, and innovative movement gear. This world had a little bit of everything.

"Interesting. Did you radio into Camp Theta after killing that monster back there?"

"Actually, you just reminded me that I should probably do that. Thanks, Yukio! Hang on a second now."

RADIO: "Theta, this is Mayumi. Monster kill confirmed, I am returning with an injured. Have medical on standby."

RADIO: "Roger, Mayumi."

The quality of the audio was a bit fuzzy, but I could understand what they were saying. Considering our current position, I never expected us to have any type of signal at all. There were no towers or cords around, how was she able to communicate?

"See? It's as simple as that! It's how information gets relayed to other camps. Now that I've radioed in, Camp Theta will be expecting our arrival."

"Excellent, it's about time I get this leg fracture of mine checked out, it's really starting to hurt, a lot..."

"When we get there, I'll take you straight to the medical team. Don't worry, Yukio, we're gonna heal you right up."

It seemed like this "Hero Camp" had everything planned out. I began to wonder how long they had been established, and when in their timeline I was arriving. But those were questions for another day. Mayumi and I continued to walk along the path, enjoying the sounds of nature as we made our way through the woods. When we reached the exit of the woods, I noticed a large gate, and a few guards standing outside. This was Camp Theta.

As we approached the gate, the guards made their way toward us. They were fully armored and equipped with shields and spears. Mayumi told me to stay back for a second, before leaving me to go speak with the guards, updating them on our situation. One of the guards took off their helmet, revealing a bearded face.

"Welcome back, Mayumi. Is this the injured you mentioned?"

"Yes, his name is Yukio. I found him in the forbidden flower field, about to be eaten by a Tiger Frog. I saved him and killed the monster. He seems to be suffering from slight memory loss, and a broken leg. He will need medical immediately."

"Understood, come in. We will redirect Yukio to the medical building. Welcome to camp, Yukio!"

Mayumi turned around and waver her hand at me, ushering me into the camp. When I entered, I immediately noticed the vast population of people. People of all sizes, and races, gathered together. Some were armored, some weren't. Some were old, some young. Regardless, they all had one thing in common, an insignia that they wore on their shoulder.

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The insignia represented a star with the letter "Θ" inscribed on it. Logically, I assumed this stood for "Theta". I followed Mayumi through the camp, walking past numerous people and huts. This camp seemed to be bordered by stone walls that rose a good 20 feet into the air. It was nothing too special, but it was their defense.

The camp was built in a circle, surrounding a large campfire in the center. Numerous buildings were constructed around this campfire. Shops, a training center, a rest area, a hospital, and a few houses. It seemed like a small village, rather than a camp. Perhaps they just referred to the location as a camp purely by name.

There was a large bulletin board posted up outside of one of the buildings. Pictures of terrifying beasts were tacked onto it, along with cash rewards. I assumed this was the quest board. Simply put, you kill the monster, you claim the prize. The longer the monster went undefeated, the higher the price rose, until someone, finally, killed it. I walked to the bulletin board to analyze it. Mayumi decided to follow me.

"Are these all... monsters? They look horrifying... some of them look like they could wipe out an entire city in an instant!"

"Yes, Yukio. These are some of the more dangerous monsters that have been spotted. They're posted on this board, along with cash rewards, due to their significance and potential to cause great damage...the tiger frog you were caught up with is like child's play compared to some of these guys..."

I looked at the center of the bulletin board. Surrounded by numerous pictures of terrifying and fantastical beasts, was a lone image of... a person? No. It was simply the silhouette of a person. They looked like an average man, but their entire body was a shadow. The image was labeled the following:

~[The Shade]~

Threat: Maximum [7]

Status: Alive

Location: Unknown

Reward: $20,000,000

...twenty million dollars to anyone who could capture a person known as "the shade". To me, they seemed like your average guy, but according to this bulletin board, their threat level was "maximum", and their location unknown... obviously, they were an incredibly powerful monster and a force to be reckoned with. I decided to inquire Mayumi on this matter.

"Mayumi, who's The Shade? Why is he so dangerous? This board makes him sound like the devil himself!"

"...I knew you were going to ask that question, Yukio... the thing is, nobody knows who the shade is. The Shade is an alias given to a mysterious being who has been seen on and off throughout the world. His current location is unknown, and he is incredibly dangerous. The Shade himself has caused no damage to anyone or anything, but it's what he brings with him, that causes great damage..."

"You see, every time The Shade appears, a swarm of monsters follows. The Shade is like the chef, presenting his food to his customers, we are the food, and the monsters he brings alongside him are the customers... now, most of the time, the monsters are not too much to deal with. But that doesn't mean that we can avoid the deaths of innocent lives either..."

"If the shade was directly responsible for all of the deaths the monsters he's brought caused, he would be in the tens of thousands. He's been around for as long as I can remember, and nobody has ever been able to apprehend him. Because of this, we cannot gather a motive for his actions..."

I tried to understand what Mayumi was telling me. To me, it seemed like "The Shade" was a messenger figure to these monsters, alerting them that food is nearby and that if they're hungry, they're free to go and eat. He's like a father figure to them, guiding them... perhaps the reward does fit the description. He himself isn't dangerous or anything, as far as Mayumi knew, but his actions cause devastation later on...

"Well, when was the last time anybody saw The Shade?"

"The last time he was seen was a few weeks ago near Camp Delta. We sent out our best heroes to try and apprehend him, but as they approached his location, he vanished, as he always does. Of course, a few minutes later, 20 monsters appeared at the camp, ready to feast upon their meal, graciously served to them by The Shade, head chef of the monster race."

I listened attentively to what Mayumi was saying. I felt like some lore behind this world was being established. As of right now, in my eyes, "The Shade" seemed to be the final boss of this world. If I was summoned here for any reason, in particular, it might be to defeat The Shade. However, if I was going to do this, I would need to train...but before I could train, I had to get my leg fixed...

"Mayumi, my leg is really starting to hurt. Let's go to the medical building, so I can get this checked out."

"Ah yes, it's about time we went in there. Here, follow me, Yukio."

Mayumi and I left the bulletin board. I glanced back one final time, to look at the drawing of "The Shade". I wonder when he was first seen, and how he is able to seemingly command monsters to appear wherever he goes... I kept my ideas in the back of my head, as I entered the medical building, accompanied by Mayumi.

"Mayumi! Welcome home! I see you've brought someone injured with you. What's his name, so I can take care of him?"

The girl who had spoken to us was of smaller stature. She seemed to be about 5 feet tall. She had short light blue hair reaching her shoulders, and wore a nurse outfit. She was carrying a clipboard. She looked at me and smiled.

"Hey, Yui! This is Yukio Sazuke, I found him in the forbidden flower field, about to get eaten by a monster. The monster threw his body, and he broke his leg on impact. But now that we're here, I'll be handing him over to you!"

Yui looked me up and down, and took a few notes on her clipboard. She was probably writing down physical descriptions of my injury, as well as some other general info about me so that she could document me in their system. When she was finished, she spoke again.

"Sounds good Mayumi! Come with me Yukio, I need to check out your injuries."

Mayumi gave me a salute before exiting the building. After she did, I turned around and glanced at Yui. She looked me in the eyes and walked over to me. When she did, she grabbed my arm and started walking me over to one of her rooms.

"No worries, your leg will be fine. Here, come in this room and wait for a minute or two, I need to grab some of my tools."

"Sounds good. Thank you for doing this for me, my leg hurts like crazy right now."

"That's nothing I can't fix, Yukio! Now hang on, I'll be back in a few."

Yui ushered me into one of the rooms, and I took a seat. She closed the door, and I could hear her footsteps grow faint as she walked through the hallway outside. I examined my surroundings, checking out the numerous posters and fliers that were tacked to the walls.

"Join the Hero Camp today!" -- "Never forget your potions!" -- "Welcome to Camp Theta!" -- "Hiring: Herb Gatherer and Supplier - Full Time"

These were some of the posters hung throughout the room. It seemed like the hospital had patients frequently, and they were trying to advertise to them. Perhaps joining the Hero Camp wouldn't be such a bad idea, if it would bring me one step closer to potentially completing "my task"... Suddenly, Yui re-entered the room, equipped with a few medical tools.

"Alright, Yukio, was it? Let's see what I can do about that leg of yours. Here, lay down on this mat for me, okay?"

"Okay. It's my right leg, I believe I broke it when I hit the ground. I'm able to walk on it, it just hurts terribly."

"I see. I'll check that out right now."

I laid on the green mat which was spread across the ground, and Yui sat on her knees next to me. She picked up one of her tools, representing a small hammer, and began to lightly tap around my shin. She was trying to find the point which hurt the most, so she could pinpoint her work to that specific area.

"Let me know if this hurts, okay?"

"Okay."

Yui tapped a few times around my leg. Each time I felt pain, I would raise my hand. It seemed that I had the most pain coming from the ankle area, rather than my entire leg itself. Knowing this relieved me a little bit, as a possible ankle fracture would take much less time to heal than a broken leg. Yui then confirmed my suspicions.

"Okay, Yukio. From what you're signaling to me, it seems your fracture might be originating from your ankle. To be sure, I'll take an X-Ray. Stay put."

"Sounds good, thank you Yui."

This world had the medical technology of the past, but it worked. As I laid on the ground, staring at the ceiling, I began to wander into thought. I thought about my family, my friends, my colleagues back on Earth. I was starting to miss them, but I knew that perhaps, there could be a way for me to return to Earth someday...

The people in this world looked about the same as humans did back on Earth. The only difference was that some of them had naturally odd colored hair, such as Yui, whose hair seemed to be blue, yet undyed. Another difference was the clothes they were wearing. Everyone seemed to be wearing some kind of armor, heavy or light.

When I woke up, I was wearing a white shirt and black pants. I looked totally different from everyone here. The only similarity I had was my scarlet hair, which allowed me to fit in with this world's inhabitants. Before I could wander any deeper into thought, Yui returned to the room and spoke to me.

"Okay, Yukio! You can follow me now. We're going to go take an X-Ray, and figure out where you shattered your ankle. When we're finished, I'll have a plan for your recovery! Come now, follow me."

I got up and walked gingerly over to Yui. She took hold of my hand this time and walked me over to a dark room with an old-fashioned X-Ray scanner inside. Well, old-fashioned from where I came from. To them, this was stellar technology. Regardless, I sat down and prepared to be X-Rayed. I hoped to God that my injury wasn't severe, as that would put a massive fork in my plans for a little while....

"...okay, hold still now, Yukio!"