I'm not a Goblin Slayer

Returning to Grayrock Town.

The familiar pale gray stone buildings brought an unexpected sense of comfort.

Maybe that's the real value of a town—a place to come home to after braving the wild. After days of trekking through wind, rain, mountains, and blood, just seeing somewhere safe to rest, eat, and sleep… was indescribably moving.

Gauss stood at the town gate, his back loaded with bags of all sizes, and joined the crowd of returning adventurers entering the main road. When he noticed the curious gazes of the street children on the sidelines, he felt a strange sense of displacement.

Just like that, he had truly become an adventurer—a "dangerous individual," the kind the original body's memories had once told him never to provoke.

He chuckled softly, shaking his head.

"Dangerous"? Me?

All it took was one group of goblins—plus one particularly tough goblin—and he'd nearly lost everything.

He was nowhere near strong yet.

"Let's turn in the quest first."

Even though he hadn't bathed in days and was covered in grime and sweat, Gauss still chose to head to the guild.

That was just his habit—finish what you start.

He wouldn't be able to rest properly until the task was officially off his plate.

No point checking into the inn or washing up if it meant he'd be distracted by unfinished business.

He made his way through the town center toward the plaza.

The Adventurers' Guild flag still fluttered overhead in the breeze.

Thanks to Hailier submitting his info when they registered the party, Gauss was already listed on the quest record. So even though she wasn't present, he could still claim the reward as one of the official participants, so long as he had the paperwork.

…

Inside the guild, the hall was even busier than last time.

Every reception counter had a line.

Gauss picked the shortest one and waited patiently.

It took a while, but finally—his turn.

"Welcome. This is Receptionist Petra, ID E21051. How can I help you today?"

It was the same receptionist as last time.

"I'm here to claim a quest reward," Gauss said, handing over the completed commission form, a heavy sack of goblin ears, and his adventurer badge.

Petra seemed to recognize him.

"Tough job, huh?" she said with a polite smile, opening the sack to inspect its contents.

"Looks like… more than expected?"

"Yeah," Gauss sighed. "The mission info was wrong. Said we'd be fighting 7 or 8 goblins. Turned out it was closer to 20. The village chief detailed the discrepancy on the form."

"I see. That's our fault, then. Sorry for the added risk."

Petra bowed slightly. "I'll report this to our superiors for verification."

"According to guild policy, your payment will be doubled as compensation."

Gauss nodded. That was at least something.

Still, it wasn't like he had any real leverage. The Adventurers' Guild was a massive, kingdom-spanning organization. Even if they weren't outright corrupt, low-ranked adventurers like him had no influence whatsoever.

Let's be real: if someone like him died from bad intel, nothing would happen.

The guild would simply send the next rookie out to replace him. That was the harsh truth.

Only strong adventurers—real professionals—got to control their fate.

Like the well-equipped elites walking up to the second floor right now, laughing and chatting casually. The guards at the staircase stood at attention and saluted them with smiles.

Meanwhile, people like Gauss were packed into this crowded first floor, lining up like cattle.

The hierarchy was impossible to miss.

"Your reward is 9 silver coins," Petra said, setting a money pouch on the counter. "With the bonus, that brings it to 18 silver. Please confirm receipt."

She returned his adventurer badge as well.

Gauss accepted both.

Technically, part of this money belonged to Hailier and the others.

Even though they might not care about a few silver, Gauss planned to hold onto their share for now—it was something they'd agreed on before the mission started.

So, after setting their half aside, his personal share came to 4 silver, 50 copper.

With what he already had, his on-hand cash was now 5 silver, 12 copper.

As for the extra loot he'd gathered, Gauss figured it was fair to keep it. He had played a critical role in the battle, and as a new adventurer in desperate need of gear, he couldn't afford to be too polite about it.

He had already mentioned this to Hailier anyway.

"Your quest completion has been logged to your badge."

"Does that actually do anything?" Gauss asked.

"Yes," Petra nodded. "Once you've completed ten standard quests, you'll qualify for basic tier missions. After three basic missions, you can apply for Bronze Rank status. That unlocks better rewards, guild perks, and access to rare items."

"But basic quests usually involve monsters that require proper training to handle. So even if you qualify, we recommend holding off unless you're strong enough to handle it."

"Bronze rank, huh… What's my rank now?"

"You don't have one," Petra smiled. "You're currently unranked. Above Bronze is Black Iron, then Silver, Gold, and at the very top—Platinum."

"There are only five Platinum-ranked adventurers in the entire Kingdom of Karos. That's how rare they are. Legendary, really."

Gauss nodded thoughtfully.

The ranking system was straightforward.

What surprised him was how few had reached the top.

Just five in an entire kingdom?

"Petra, what does it take to become a 'professional' adventurer?"

He wanted to see if he could get any useful intel from her. As a receptionist, she interacted with all kinds of adventurers daily.

But she just shook her head.

"Sorry, that's beyond me. I'm just a regular guild staff member. I wouldn't know the details."

Her eyes avoided his.

Gauss smiled politely and thanked her anyway.

Maybe she really didn't know.

Or maybe she wasn't allowed to talk about it.

He left the counter, letting the next adventurer step forward.

Any longer, and the spiky-haired blond guy behind him might've started throwing elbows.

Walking out of the guild hall, Gauss mulled over Petra's response.

Her tone didn't sound like total ignorance.

Working at the guild for so long, she had to have heard something—just from being around people.

So maybe it was guild policy not to say too much.

Or maybe she just didn't want to waste time with a long explanation while a line of adventurers was waiting.

Either way, it didn't matter.

Gauss wasn't in a rush.

He'd only asked out of curiosity. He already had better places to dig for answers.