After staring at the book nervously for a few seconds, he lowered it and looked back up at the sky, watching as the explosion began to fade. "Let's head back… I've seen enough. It's a good thing I didn't encounter any other monsters… If I had unleashed that down here, even I would've gotten caught up in it."

Having said that, Arlo turned around and began walking back the way he had come. He had seen enough—no, more than enough.

And it seemed that he wasn't the only one. Vielle, who had been watching him from above while remaining hidden, was still gazing at the embers of the explosion spell he had launched into the sky.

"Based on the magic circles, that had to be an advanced class spell…" Vielle muttered, her voice tinged with disbelief. "But this scale… to think an advanced class spell could be released at such a scale… Something of this magnitude had to be saint-class at the very least…"

Vielle looked back at Arlo, unable to hide the nervousness on her face as she stared at him.

"He continues to surprise me time and time again…" she wondered aloud. "But why is he suddenly heading back? I thought he was going to the dungeon. He's almost there…"

The vampire's mind raced with questions as she watched Arlo's retreating figure, the power he had just displayed still lingering in her mind..

-

Upon arriving back at the gate, Arlo was surprised to find two guards stationed outside. The guards seemed to be on high alert, gripping their spears tightly, their posture tense and on edge.

As Arlo approached, dragging the corpses of six shadow wolves behind him, the guards called out to him.

"Hey, are you an adventurer?" one of the guards asked, causing Arlo to flinch as he quickly pulled out his Adventurer's card.

"Y-Yeah, I'm heading back after finishing a hunt," Arlo muttered, handing over his card.

The guard inspected the card, nodded, and let him through. However, just before Arlo could head in, the guard asked him a final question.

"Did you notice anything unusual on your way here?"

"No, why?" Arlo responded, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"We just received reports of a powerful explosion being set off deep in the woods near the dungeon," the guard explained. "Since the woods have been active with monsters lately, we were worried a dangerous monster was responsible for it."

At the mention of the word 'explosion,' Arlo instantly flinched, lowering his head as cold sweat began streaming down it.

"We thought you might have seen something, that's why we asked," the guard continued. "Since you didn't see anything, you're free to go."

"I-I see, t-thank you," Arlo responded nervously before walking on and heading through the postern gate.

"Oh, and one more thing," the guard called out to Arlo, causing him to start trembling from fear.

'Did he figure it out?' he wondered, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Taking out six shadow wolves by yourself is impressive, but next time, don't head out into the forest alone. Who knows if you'll encounter an even more powerful monster."

"U-Understood, thank you."

As he walked with his head down, Arlo apologized repeatedly in his mind. The correct thing would've been to own up to it and say that it was him, but he wasn't sure whether or not that would have gotten him in trouble, so he kept his mouth shut.

'Sorry but I can't take any risks.' he thought to himself, guilt gnawing at his conscience.

With that, Arlo was back inside the city, and without wasting any time, he went straight to the guild.

Now that he had seen what he was capable of, there was no need to test any more of his spells. He had powerful attack spells, a strong defensive spell, and an ultimate spell that could obliterate even the strongest of foes.

It was a little disappointing that he hadn't encountered any more monsters and couldn't level up further, but he didn't really mind since his objective was just to test his spells in the first place.

On his way to the guild, Arlo found himself attracting a bit of attention. However, it wasn't much of a surprise that he stood out, especially when he was dragging the corpses of monsters behind him.

Still, since it was late at night, there weren't many people out, so the attention on him was limited. Some people just walked by him as if it were normal, so he assumed that the reason they were staring at him wasn't just because of the corpses but his overall appearance in general.

Regardless, Arlo ignored it all as he made his way to the guild. Once he finally arrived, he was surprised to find it just as lively as before. The tables were still full of countless adventurers chatting amongst one another as they ate and enjoyed their drinks.

'Even this late at night, they're still here enjoying themselves… these guys don't get tired, do they?' Arlo thought, marveling at their endurance.

After stepping inside and making his way over to the receptionist, Arlo noticed himself attracting a bit of attention even from them.

'It's one thing for the people outside to be surprised, but the guys in here are probably used to seeing monsters… why are they so surprised?' he wondered, puzzled by their reactions.

Upon reaching the receptionist, Arlo found Lira standing there with a twitching smile.

"U-Um, Arlo…" she began, her voice hesitant.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

'She looks surprised. Is she about to be shocked by what I've hunted? Well, I suppose it's a little impressive—' Arlo thought, a sense of pride welling up inside him.

"You're not supposed to bring the corpses in here… they're meant to be taken around back, behind the guild," Lira muttered, her words catching Arlo off guard.

Upon hearing this, Arlo flinched. He slowly looked back at the monsters he had dragged inside with his spell, and his eyes widened. There was a trail of blood left behind from the entrance to where he had walked.

'Ah, shit! That's right, it's leaving behind a trail of blood, not to mention they're corpses, so it's probably stinking up the place!' Arlo thought, his face turning red with embarrassment.

"S-Sorry, everyone!" Arlo yelled out, his voice filled with shame as he ran back outside, dragging the corpses of the monsters with him.

A short while later, Arlo could be seen rushing back inside, heading straight for the receptionist's aisle where he found Lira standing there, surprised.

"Sorry about that, Lira. Is there a broom that I could use here to quickly clean up the trail of blood?" Arlo asked, his words tumbling out in a flustered rush.

"No, please don't worry about that. Our staff are already on it," Lira reassured him, bowing apologetically. "Besides, it's my fault for not telling you earlier… I didn't think you'd go hunting so soon."

"B-But still, I've ruined the mood for everyone…" Arlo muttered, nervously looking around the room.

Suddenly, the entire room broke out into laughter, and one of the adventurers spoke up.

"Hahaha! Just leave it to the staff, newbie! Don't worry, we all make that mistake at the start!" the man said, his voice booming across the room. "If anything, it's Mrs. Receptionist's fault over there for not telling you to take the corpses around the back."

The one who spoke up was a tall, muscular man with dark brown hair, clad in steel armor with a large shield on his back. He had sharp brown eyes and a scar that ran down his right eye, giving him a menacing appearance.

"Yeah, what he said! When I first started, I remember bringing ten corpses through the entrance! We all make that mistake!" another adventurer chimed in from a different table.

"That's a lie, didn't you come running back empty-handed after acting all tough and claiming that you'd take down twenty monsters on your first run?" a third adventurer added, his words eliciting another round of laughter.

The adventurers continued their lively chatter, seemingly unbothered by Arlo's actions. Arlo, feeling a sense of relief, bowed respectfully and said, "I-I see, t-thank you. Sorry for interrupting your meals, everyone."

The first adventurer who had spoken up smiled brightly and raised his mug filled with liquor into the air. "Cheers to the newbie!" he exclaimed.

"Cheers!" the other adventurers echoed, raising their mugs in unison. With that, they all returned to drinking and enjoying themselves, allowing Arlo to sort out his business with the receptionist.

A smile tagged at the corner of his lips as he observed their behaviour. 'They're a rowdy bunch… but they're good people,'

After coming to that conclusion, Arlo turned back to face Lira, who explained where he needed to go to exchange the monster corpses. She directed him to a separate entrance behind the guild, which he hadn't been aware of before.

Lira clarified that the front of the guild was for accepting quests, and upon completion, adventurers would report back there. However, to hand in corpses and monster parts, whether acquired through a quest or not, they had to be exchanged at the back of the guild.

Following Lira's instructions, Arlo exited the guild and made his way through the alley beside it, heading towards the back. There, he found a separate entrance with a few adventurers standing outside.

Upon entering the first thing Arlo noticed was the stark contrast between the bright, lively interior of the front of the adventurers' guild and the back area. The back had dimmer lighting and a darker atmosphere, resembling a tavern. A single male receptionist stood wearing the guild’s suit and an eyepatch stood behind the desk at the end of the room.

Aside from him, the room was filled with Adventurers. Some of them carried monster corpses, just like Arlo, while others were exchanging tiny, unfamiliar crystals.

As he waited in line, Arlo observed the corpses of the monsters the other adventurers had hunted. Some of them appeared just as frightening as the shadow wolves he had encountered, while others were less intimidating.

Nonetheless, it was clear that this otherworld was home to a wide variety of monsters. One of the creatures brought in resembled a large, chameleon-like beast with iridescent scales that continued to shift colors even in death.

As Arlo waited for his turn, he observed the other adventurers and their captured prey. One group had brought in a humanoid creature with a body composed entirely of various fungi, its surface covered in mushrooms and spores wafting from it.

Another group had captured two large, bat-like creatures the size of humans with oversized, gaping mouths. 'Ugh… I wouldn't want to fight those,' Arlo thought to himself, shuddering at the sight.

Suddenly, a young man standing in line in front of Arlo turned to him and called out, "Hey, did you hunt those all by yourself?"

The man appeared to be around Arlo's age, if not a little older. He had short, spiky light brown hair and brown eyes, and wore leather armor with a steel chestplate. A steel sword hung from his hip.

"Y-Yeah," Arlo responded nervously, caught off guard by the sudden interaction.

The young man looked Arlo up and down before pointing at himself. "I'm Glams. What's your name?" he asked, flashing a friendly smile.

"Arlo," he replied, forcing a smile in return. Arlo could already tell that Glams was the social type, the exact opposite of himself. Arlo struggled with day-to-day social interactions, and if not for his excitement from being in another world, his social battery would have drained long ago.

"Arlo, that's an interesting name. You're not from around here, are you?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Anyone can tell when you're wearing those clothes," Glams chuckled. "But that aside, it's impressive how you and your group were able to hunt down six shadow wolves when you're not wearing any armor. Those things are annoying to take out when they're in a pack."

'Group? I hunted them by myself.' Arlo thought, but decided it was best not to correct him. Instead, he simply responded, "Yeah.".

Glams continued, "It's also impressive how you're able to keep your spell active for so long. I thought mages didn't use magic for minor things like these since it's a waste of mana."

"I have enough mana for it, so it's fine," Arlo explained.

"Oh, so that's how it works," Glams nodded, intrigued. "Arlo, huh.. You're an interesting guy."

Arlo scratched the back of his head and smiled nervously. "I'm not that interesting, but thank you for the compliment."

Glams grinned and extended his hand for a handshake. "Haha, if you say so. Since you're new around here, you might struggle to find your way. If you need anything, just let me know. I'll help you out," he said, flashing another warm smile.

Arlo responded with a smile of his own as he shook Glams' hand. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

Shortly after their interaction, Glams went off to exchange the monster he had caught. Arlo watched as he interacted with the guild worker, recalling the ease with which Glams navigated their interaction.

Looking down at his hand, Arlo let out a sigh. 'I'm really no good at dealing with the social types… they're able to befriend people so easily… even so, you can't really hate them,' he thought.

Arlo then lowered his eyes, staring at himself.

‘If I was that good at dealing with others, I never would have ended up a shut-in in the first place…’

And thus, Arlo made his very first friend in this new world, or at least something close to it.