Adventurer Rankings

Back in Grayrock Town.

The familiar gray-white stone walls of the buildings brought an instinctive sense of relief.

This, perhaps, was the meaning of a town.

When an adventurer, after a long journey braving wind and rain, crossing mountains and valleys, finally returned to a place where they could sleep soundly, enjoy good food, and rest, that sudden surge of emotion was beyond words.

Gauss stood at the town entrance, laden with bags of various sizes, following the flow of other adventurers into the main avenue. He caught the curious stares of children by the roadside and felt a strange sense of time having slipped away.

In the blink of an eye, he had become a true adventurer, one of those "dangerous figures" the Original Body's memories warned him not to provoke.

He shook his head and let out a soft laugh.

What kind of figure was he, really?

Just a bunch of goblins and one slightly stronger goblin had pushed him into a perilous situation.

He still had a long way to go before he could call himself strong.

"First, I'll turn in the quest."

Though his body was caked with grime from days without a proper wash, and the smell of sweat clung to him, Gauss decided to submit the quest first.

It was a personal habit.

He liked to see things through from start to finish. Only after handing in the quest would he feel that sense of closure that allowed him to rest.

Otherwise, even if he went back to the inn to wash up and sleep first, the task would linger in his mind, and he wouldn't be able to relax.

He walked along the central avenue of the town to the square.

The Adventurer's Guild flag still fluttered in the wind above.

Since Hailiel had already registered at the guild front desk earlier, adding Gauss's information to the quest registration, even though she wasn't present, Gauss, as a member of the quest team, could still claim the corresponding reward by holding the quest document.

He stepped into the Adventurer's Guild hall.

The hall was busier than last time.

Lines had formed at the service counters.

Gauss picked what looked like the shortest queue and waited patiently.

After a while, the slow-moving line finally reached him.

"Hello, this is receptionist Petra, employee number E21051. How may I assist you?"

The receptionist happened to be the same Petra he'd met before.

"I'd like to claim the quest reward." Gauss handed over the quest document, a heavy bag of quest items, and his badge.

Since only a few days had passed, Petra seemed to recognize him.

"Thank you for your hard work on the quest."

She took the document, confirmed the signatures, then opened the bag to inspect the goblin left ears used as proof.

"The count seems a bit high?"

"That's because the quest intel was wrong. Our team actually ran into not 7 or 8 goblins, but a full 20." Gauss sighed. "The Village Chief noted that unexpected situation in the quest file."

"Ah! My apologies! This is an oversight on the Adventurer's Guild's part. I'm very sorry for increasing your risk." After confirming the file, Petra straightened up and bowed. "I'll report this to the higher-ups immediately, and someone will follow up to verify."

"According to guild regulations, your quest reward will be doubled as compensation."

Hearing this, Gauss nodded.

Compensation was at least some form of accountability.

It couldn't be helped. The Adventurer's Guild in this world was a colossal entity spanning kingdoms. While it wasn't exactly a case of bullying customers, ordinary adventurers—especially low-tier ones like him—had no say when facing the guild, even just a branch in a small town.

To put it bluntly, even if the guild's quest intel was gravely wrong and caused an adventurer's death, so what?

Low-tier adventurers were like weeds by the roadside. When one batch withered, new ones would spring up endlessly.

That was the miserable reality low-tier adventurers had to face.

Only by becoming a strong adventurer—at least a professional—could one take control of their own fate.

Just like the few figures in the corner of his eye, clad in elite gear with upright postures, chatting and laughing as they headed upstairs. The guards at the stairs, usually stern-faced, would place a hand on their chest and smile in salute when they saw them.

Meanwhile, low-tier adventurers like him could only huddle in this crowded first-floor hall, waiting in line.

This kind of distinction was everywhere.

"Your quest reward this time is 9 silver coins. With our compensation, that totals 18 silver coins. Please take care of it."

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

Then, after some operation beneath the counter, she returned Gauss's Adventurer Badge, his identity token.

Gauss took the coin pouch and the Adventurer Badge.

Of these 18 silver coins, a considerable portion belonged to Hailiel and her two companions, and he did not intend to touch them.

Although Hailiel and the others might not lack these few silver coins either, Gauss still planned to keep them temporarily on their behalf, as this was what had been agreed upon before the mission commission began.

So what belonged to Gauss was 4 silver coins and 50 copper coins.

His current cash had also come to 5 silver coins and 12 copper coins.

As for the other spoils, considering that he had indeed played a crucial role in the battle and that he was at the starting stage of his adventurer career and urgently needed money, he did not put on a false show of modesty.

Besides, he had already mentioned this matter to Hailiel.

"The mission information has been registered in your Adventurer Badge."

"What's the use of registering?"

"There is. When you complete 10 normal-level commission quests, you will gain the authority to accept beginner-level quests. And after completing 3 beginner-level commissions, you can apply to become a Bronze Adventurer, enjoying more guild benefits and purchasing permissions."

"However, beginner-level quests often involve powerful monsters that require a professional to fight. Even if you've accumulated experience from ten normal quests, it is recommended here that you do not rashly accept them before you have sufficient strength."

"Bronze Adventurer? Miss Petra, may I ask what rank I am now?"

"You have no rank. You are an unranked adventurer. Above Bronze, there are also Black Iron Rank, Silver Rank, Gold Rank, and Platinum Title Adventurer." Noticing that Gauss was interested, Petra added an extra explanation.

"Platinum-level adventurers are experts of whom only five have ever been born in our entire Kingdom of Carlos. They are Title Adventurers standing at the pinnacle of countless adventurers."

Gauss nodded.

This adventurer ranking system was quite easy to remember, but what he hadn't expected was that the number of top-tier Platinum-level adventurers was so small—only five had ever emerged in an entire kingdom, so the number still alive would be even fewer.

"Miss Petra, how do I become a professional?" He wanted to see if he could gather information from Petra, since as a receptionist, she came into contact with all kinds of adventurers every day.

"Sorry, I can't answer that question. After all, I'm just an ordinary receptionist at the Adventurer's Guild." Under Gauss's steady gaze, Petra shook her head helplessly, indicating that she had no knowledge of such matters.

"Thank you." Gauss expressed his thanks to Petra.

He turned and left the line; the next adventurer in the queue stepped forward.

If he didn't leave soon, the spiky-haired blond uncle behind him would probably be ready to throw him out.

Walking toward the entrance of the Adventurer's Guild, he was still pondering Petra's answer just now.

He recalled the tone of Petra's voice.

To be honest, he didn't really think Petra knew nothing about professionals. Working year-round at the Adventurer's Guild, she should have picked up some relevant knowledge through osmosis.

Most likely, she didn't want to say, or there were rules preventing her from speaking casually?

Of course, it was also possible that, seeing the long line behind him, she thought it couldn't be explained in a few words and politely declined.

Not getting the answer he wanted, Gauss wasn't in a hurry.

He had only been asking casually in the first place. If there was no gain, it didn't matter—he had a more suitable place to gather information.