Afternoon in the middle of the forest

  "Thank you so much for helping us save my friends," said one of the Elves.

  "Mmhh, I'm also happy I could help you guys a little!" He smiled widely while scratching his head.

  The Elves smiled.

  "Oh right, you mentioned earlier that you had something to do. Where were you pnning to go?" one of the Elves asked softly.

  "Ahh, about that… actually, I'm looking for a vilge to rest in!"

  "I'm not from around here, so I don't know which way to go to find a vilge," he said while looking at them.

  "Ahh, it's not far. Just go straight from here, and you'll eventually meet the vilgers," said the Elf in a soft voice.

  "Ahh, thank you so much for the directions," he said with a smile.

  One of the Elves became curious.

  "Mmhh, where are you from? How did you end up here?"

  'I don’t know either?! When I woke up, I was already here!' he thought to himself.

  He answered the Elf’s curiosity.

  "Eemm, I come from a faraway pce. I don't remember anything about how I ended up in this forest!"

  "This forest is very dangerous for a human, you know. No humans dare to enter this deep unless they're Adventurers!" said the Elf.

  He was startled.

  "Ehh… Adventurers? What’s that?!"

  The Elf was shocked.

  "Eeehh?! You don’t know about Adventurers?"

  "Ehe, nope!" He turned his face away with a goofy expression.

  "So, Adventurers often hunt monsters to earn money. Usually, they work in groups and support each other," expined the Elf.

  'Mmhh… so Adventurers are like a job in this world,' he thought.

  He was shocked.

  "Wait, wait… so we have to fight monsters to make money?!"

  The Elf smiled and chuckled softly, covering her mouth.

  "Mmhh, that's right. The stronger the monster, the higher the reward. That's why many Adventurers come to this forest to hunt monsters!"

  "Ehh… but during my journey, I haven't met anyone," he said, looking curious.

  "Ehe, you really don't know anything, huh?"

  The Elf expined in a soft voice.

  "From this point onward, the difficulty level changes. No one dares to go deeper—not even Adventurers! Because this is where the strongest monster species gather!"

  "Do you know what Adventurers call this forest?"

  He swallowed nervously, his serious expression making him look foolish.

  "I have no idea… what do they call it?"

  "The Death Forest," the Elf whispered.

  "Ehh, that sounds really dange—"

  One of the Elves suddenly grabbed his shoulder and looked him in the eye.

  "It's not just dangerous. Even just sensing the aura of the monsters here is enough to make your body freeze in fear!"

  "Eeehh, that's terrifying."

  "Every strong monster species has its own territory. The closer you get to the vilge, the weaker the monsters become," the Elf expined.

  "Ohh, I see. Thanks for telling me!"

  "Alright then, I’ll be going now. Be careful on your way back!" he said, turning around.

  "Mmhh, thank you so much! THANK YOU! Thanks! Thank you!" the Elves said in unison.

  (And so, this forest is truly a pyground for monsters. There are different types of monsters with varying levels of strength.)

  (First, there are D-rank monsters, usually near vilges. Next are C-rank monsters, found a bit farther from civilization. B-rank monsters live even deeper in the forest. A-rank monsters sometimes move between B-rank and C-rank territories. S-rank monsters are even farther away from vilges. And finally, the strongest monster species gather in the depths of the forest, which is why it's called the Death Forest.)

  (One of them was the dragon he fought. Mmhh… he defeated one of the strongest monsters with a single strike. That’s beyond normal human limits.)

  "Uuwww, those Elves were so kind. I’m gd nothing bad happened," he said as he floated through the air, continuing his journey.

  A little while ter…

  He saw something below.

  "Ehh, a small animal? It looks like it’s struggling! I’ll help it."

  "What's wrong? How did you end up in such a dangerous pce?"

  The creature trembled in fear.

  "Don't be scared, it's okay. It looks like you're pretty badly hurt!"

  "Good thing I’ve learned healing magic. Yapp, alright! Come here, I'll heal you!" He walked toward it.

  The creature shivered as if still afraid.

  "Ahh, you're so cute! What kind of animal are you? I've never seen one like you before." He gently patted its head.

  The creature let out a sound, looking happy to be saved.

  "Alright then, I’ll be going now. Be careful and don’t get hurt again, okay?" he said, standing up.

  Just as he was about to leave, the creature followed him—as if its instincts told it he was a good person for saving it.

  (In reality, this was a legendary creature, hunted by many because of its immense power. It could help fight monsters!)

  (But this creature refused to form contracts with humans—or even other races. Yet, for some reason, when it met him, it wanted to form a contract with him.)

  The creature ran after him in an adorable way.

  "Ehh, what is it? Why are you still here?" He patted its head again.

  The creature leaned against him, and suddenly, a bright light surrounded its body!

  "Ehh, what’s happening?!" he gasped.

  The creature let out a sound.

  He picked it up, stroking its head.

  "Looks like you want to come with me?"

  "Alright then, I'll take you with me on my journey through this world!"

  The creature let out a happy sound.

  (Yep… looks like the creature has formed a contract with him on its own.)

  "How far is the vilge? I can’t wait to get there!" He walked forward, still patting the creature’s head.

  Some time ter…

  "Finally, I made it! So this is the vilge."

  He walked through the vilge entrance.

  "Wow, it's so lively! Alright, first things first—I need to find food, then locate the Adventurers' Guild!"

  He looked around, searching for someone to ask for directions.

  "Eemm, excuse me. I’m looking for the Adventurers' Guild. Do you know where it is?" he asked a passerby.

  "Ohh, yes. Just go straight, then take the first right," the vilger said.

  "It's a rge building, separate from the others. You'll recognize it when you see it."

  "Mmhh, thanks for the directions!" he said with a smile.

  "You're welcome! Alright, I’ll be going now," the vilger replied, walking away.

  "Take care! Aahh, the people here are so nice."

  "Alright, no more deys. Let’s go!"

  The creature let out a sound.

  Some time ter…

  He was shocked when he saw the Adventurers' Guild for the first time.

  "Waahhh, this must be the pce that guy was talking about!"

  "It’s huge and separate from the other buildings. Yep, no doubt about it!"

  He walked up and opened the door without hesitation.

  The moment he stepped inside, the room fell silent.

  "Eh? Who is he? Is he new here? He doesn't look like he's from around here… What’s that creature with him?" The Adventurers whispered among themselves.

  He was surprised and confused.

  "Why is everyone staring at me?"

  "Is there something weird about me?" He looked around.

  The creature let out a sound.

  (Maybe it’s because of his aura and the creature beside him. That’s why he became the center of attention.)

  (Since he still doesn’t fully understand this world, he didn’t bother hiding his aura—and he openly brought a legendary creature with him.)

  (In this world, both humans and monsters can sense auras. And carrying a legendary creature in pin sight would obviously draw attention.)

  "Whatever… I’ll just sit down, order food, and rest… ehe!" He walked toward an empty table.

  The creature let out a sound.

  Some time ter…

  "Ahh, the food is delicious! Right?" he said while stroking the creature.

  The creature let out a happy sound.

  A waitress approached him, handing him something.

  "Thank you. Here’s your bill!"

  "E-EH?" He froze for a moment.

  "EEEEEEHHHHH?! I FORGOT I DON’T HAVE MONEY IN THIS WORLD!!!" He started sweating and made a goofy expression.

  (Yep… because of everything that had happened, he didn’t even think about the bill for his food.)

  The creature let out a sound.