Echoes at the Lake.

The truck had been gone for hours, and the silence of the Okutama Ruins weighed heavier than their armor.

The group led by Ken advanced slowly through the rubble. If a veteran instructor had seen them, they would have been failed on the spot. You could tell from a distance they were novices. They walked too close together, bumping into each other at times. Their hands were sweaty on the grips of their steel weapons. They left gaps in their formation so wide any intelligent creature would have slaughtered them in seconds.

A couple of hours passed, and miraculously, they found no one. No humans, no monsters. Just the whistling wind.

"I'm dead... this stuff is way too heavy," complained Kenta, readjusting the short sword on his hip. "We should rest," suggested Sato, leaning on his spear. "If we keep going like this, we won't have the strength to wield our weapons if something shows up."

Ken checked the map. They were near a body of water. "Alright. We'll make a short stop on the southern shore of Lake Okutama. Twenty minutes."

Upon arrival, the view was unsettling. The lake was a black mirror, surrounded by dead trees. Relieved, everyone set down their weapons and gear to relax a bit.

Naomi walked a short distance from the group. "I'm going to see if I can find something to eat near the shore," she said. "I'm hungry."

"Don't go far," warned Ken, clenching and unclenching his fists to keep them warm. He carried a small dagger on his belt, but he didn't even look at it; he trusted his fists more than metal.

Naomi made her way down to the reeds. The water was still. Too still.

In a moment of inattention, the surface erupted without a sound. Two green, scaly figures shot out. They were Kappas. Amphibious predators with slimy skin, hard shells, and monstrous strength.

It was a perfect ambush. One covered her mouth and the other grabbed her ankles, dragging her towards the icy water before she could scream. I'm going to die, thought Naomi as the water rose to her chest.

But then, she saw a light. A flash that blinded her for an instant, followed by a pressure in the air. The grip on her legs vanished. A strong hand grabbed her vest. "I told you not to wander off!" shouted a familiar voice.

Ken threw her with brute force towards dry land, where she fell coughing up water. Ken had reacted instantly, plunging into the lake with speed. But now, he was in the water, and the Kappas were furious.

The creatures emerged screeching, angry at losing their prey. "We're under attack!" yelled Sato, raising his spear with trembling hands.

One of the Kappas leaped towards the trio of novices—Kenta, Hiro, and Sato.

It was a chaotic fight. "Hit it!" screamed Hiro, swinging his katana wildly without technique. The Kappa was fast, dodging the clumsy slashes and swiping with its claws. Sato tried to stab it with his spear, but the tip slid off its shell. They had to surround it, hitting it with whatever they could, kicking it in a desperate, messy brawl until Kenta managed to drive his sword into the creature's soft belly.

But on the other side, the story was different. The second Kappa, the larger one, lunged straight for Ken's throat.

Ken didn't draw his dagger. He didn't even adopt a martial arts stance. Ken's techniques were from the streets. With water up to his knees, he waited until the last second. When the Kappa leaped with claws outstretched, Ken dipped slightly and threw an uppercut.

The sound was sickening. Ken's fist connected beneath the creature's jaw. The force was such that the Kappa's neck cracked and the monster flew backward, landing in the water with its skull shattered by the impact.

There was silence.

Kenta, Hiro, and Sato, panting and covered in mud, stared at Ken with their mouths agape. They had needed three weapons and a lot of luck to kill one. Ken had killed his with his bare hands.

"Incredible!" shouted Hiro. "Did you see that! With one punch!"

Fear transformed into euphoria almost instantly. "Yes!" celebrated Sato, raising his bloodied spear. "We're unstoppable! Those bugs are nothing! Tanimoto is going to lose that bet!"

All five of them were elated. They felt brave, filled with that dangerous adrenaline that makes you believe you're immortal. Ken climbed out of the water and helped Naomi up. "Are you okay?" She nodded, shivering. "Thank you... you were so fast."

Ken smiled, feeling invincible too. "Let's go. It's not safe to stay here."

They moved forward, skirting the lake eastward with renewed confidence. A short while later, they found different ruins. Made of black stone, with twisted arches that didn't seem human. "The map says to go in here," said Ken.

His instinct screamed danger, but their recent victory had clouded their judgment. "We're going in," Ken decided. "If there's something in there, we'll kill it just like the Kappas."

Everyone nodded, gripping their weapons firmly. They crossed the threshold of the black ruins, marching into the darkness.