I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 17 Adventurer Rankings

Returning to Graystone Town.

The familiar gray-white rock walls made him subconsciously feel at ease.

Perhaps this is the essence of a town.

For adventurers who'd traveled far, braved wind and rain, crossed mountains and valleys, finally returning to such a place where they could sleep soundly, enjoy good food, and rest—the sudden emotion was indescribable.

Gauss, loaded with bags of various sizes, stood at the town’s entrance.

He followed the stream of other adventurers along the main avenue.

Children by the roadside looked at him curiously, and he suddenly felt as if worlds had passed.

In the blink of an eye, he had become a “dangerous man” in the original person’s memory.

Shaking his head, he chuckled softly.

What kind of figure was he?

It was just that a group of goblins and one slightly stronger goblin had put him in a dangerous spot.

He was still far from being powerful.

“First, let’s submit the quest.”

Although his body was filthy and sweaty from days without washing, Gauss decided to submit the quest first.

It was also his personal habit.

He preferred dealing with something from start to end.

Only after submitting this quest would he feel he’d truly earned his rest.

Otherwise, even if he returned to the inn to clean and rest first, it would weigh on his mind, preventing him from relaxing.

He walked the main avenue to the town square.

The Adventurer’s Guild banner still fluttered above.

Since Hailier had already registered at the guild’s front desk earlier and added Gauss’s information to the quest record...

…even though she wasn’t present, as a quest member, Gauss could still receive the reward by presenting the quest document.

He entered the guild hall.

This time, the hall was even more bustling than his last visit.

Queues had formed at all service counters.

Gauss picked the shortest-looking line and waited his turn.

After quite a while…

…the slowly advancing queue brought him to the front.

“Hello, I’m Petra at reception, employee number E21051. How can I assist you?”

It happened to be Petra, whom he had seen before.

“I’m here to collect my quest reward.” Gauss handed over the quest document, a bag full of quest items, and his badge.

It had only been a few days, but Petra seemed to recognize him.

“Thank you for your hard work on this quest.”

She took the document, confirmed the signature, then opened the bag to inspect the goblin left ears as quest items.

“There appear to be more than expected?”

“Yes, because the quest intel was incorrect. In reality, our party didn’t encounter 7–8 goblins but exactly 20 goblins,” Gauss sighed. “The village chief described this unexpected situation in the quest file.”

“Oh! My apologies! That is an oversight on the Guild’s part. I’m very sorry for increasing your risk.” After reviewing the file, Petra bowed gravely. “I’ll report this to higher-ups immediately, and someone will follow up to verify.”

“According to Guild regulations, we will double your reward as compensation.”

Upon hearing this, Gauss nodded.

Some compensation did provide a semblance of accountability.

It was helpless—the Adventurer’s Guild in this world was a monstrous institution spanning entire kingdoms.

Though it wasn’t exactly bullying, regular adventurers, especially low-tier ones like him, had no say, even in a town branch.

To put it bluntly…

…even if the Guild’s faulty quest intel caused an adventurer’s death, so what?

Low-tier adventurers were like roadside weeds—when one died, new ones quickly sprouted.

This was the sad reality low-tier adventurers had to face.

Only by becoming powerful—or at least a professional—could one control their own destiny.

As he caught sight in the corner of his eye of several figures clad in elite gear, their postures straight, joking as they walked upstairs…

…the guards at the staircase, serious as always, would smile and salute them with one hand over their hearts.

Meanwhile, low-tier adventurers like them had to remain stuck on this crowded first floor, slowly queuing up.

The disparity was everywhere.

“Your reward for this quest is 9 silver coins, doubled as compensation, totaling 18 silver coins. Please accept it.”

Petra retrieved a pouch of coins from beneath the counter and placed it on the table.

Then, she performed a few operations underneath the desk and returned Gauss’s adventurer badge.

Gauss accepted the money pouch and his badge.

Among the 18 silver coins, a considerable portion belonged to Hailier and the others, which he didn’t intend to touch.

Although they might not lack such a small sum, Gauss planned to keep it for them for now—after all, it was agreed upon before the quest began.

Thus, what belonged to him came to 4 silver and 50 copper coins.

His current cash totaled 5 silver and 12 copper coins.

As for other spoils of war, considering how crucial his role had been and the fact his adventuring career was just starting and he needed money...

…he didn’t hold back from taking his share.

And he had already discussed this matter with Hailier.

“Your quest information has been registered in your adventurer badge.”

“What does registration do?” he asked.

“It has benefits,” Petra explained. “Once you complete 10 regular-tier quests, you gain access to beginner-tier quests. After completing 3 beginner-tier quests, you can apply to become a Bronze-level adventurer, enjoying more guild benefits and purchase privileges.”

“However, beginner quests often involve strong monsters that require professionals to combat. Without sufficient strength, even after ten regular quests, we advise against rushing into them.”

“Bronze-level adventurer?” Gauss asked. “Miss Petra, what is my current level?”

“You have no level—you're an Unranked adventurer. Above Bronze are Iron, Silver, Gold, and Platinum-ranked adventurers.”

Seeing Gauss’s interest, Petra added: “Platinum-level adventurers are extremely rare—only five have ever emerged in the Kingdom of Karos. They stand atop countless other adventurers as titled professionals.”

Gauss nodded.

This adventurer ranking system was easy to remember.

What surprised him most was the tiny number of Platinum-level adventurers—only five ever, across an entire kingdom—so the existing number now must be even fewer.

“Miss Petra, how can I become a professional?” he asked.

He hoped Petra might have gathered some insight, since as a receptionist she regularly interacted with various adventurers.

“I’m sorry, I can’t answer that. I’m just a regular receptionist at the Guild,” Petra said with a helpless shake of her head under his gaze—suggesting she really didn’t know.

“Thanks anyway,” Gauss replied.

Turning to leave, the next adventurer in line stepped forward.

If he didn’t move soon, the big-haired uncle with the hedgehog head behind him might get ready to push.

As he walked toward the guild’s front door, Gauss continued pondering Petra’s answer.

He replayed her tone in his mind.

Honestly, he didn’t think Petra truly knew nothing about professionals.

Working at the Guild daily, she must have absorbed some related knowledge.

It was likely she didn’t want to say—or perhaps rules prevented her from spilling details?

Of course, it was also possible she simply didn’t have time to explain to a long line of waiting adventurers, so she politely declined.

Not getting the answer he wanted didn’t trouble.

He had only asked casually; it wasn’t a loss to come away empty-handed—he had better places to gather intel.