You Need to Calm Down

"You're the Goddess Priestess, and you just turned fifteen this year, right?" the receptionist asked the young Goddess Priestess in a gentle tone.

"Y-yes. At our Temple, once we turn fifteen, we have to choose whether to stay or leave. I chose to come out and help Adventurers who need it." The Goddess Priestess glanced at Lin Yun beside her, then answered cautiously.

"Very well, I understand." As she spoke, the receptionist took out a quill and copied the information the Goddess Priestess had written earlier onto what looked like a magical sticker. Then she took out a Porcelain Token and simply pressed the sticker-like thing onto it.

The information the receptionist had written with her quill appeared on the Porcelain Token, as if it had been carved into it. It was quite a marvel.

That was one terrifying thing about a high-magic world: magic items could be anywhere. How scary. Somewhere, a certain someone was shivering.

"Here you are. Please keep this safe." The receptionist placed the Porcelain Token on the counter.

"A Porcelain Token?" The Goddess Priestess picked it up and looked at the receptionist cautiously.

"Yes. It's a token that records your abilities, and it also serves as proof of identity. The Adventurer's Guild recognizes ten ranks in total, from the lowest, Porcelain, followed by Obsidian, Steel, Sapphire, Emerald, Ruby, Brass, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Very few people earn the title of Platinum rank, while those of Gold rank mainly travel across nations to help them. As for Silver rank and below, you'll find them everywhere. Silver rank is considered an intermediate-to-high rank for experienced Adventurers. Below that are Ruby, Emerald, and Sapphire, which are intermediate ranks, followed by Steel, which is intermediate-to-low." With an air of reverence, the receptionist explained it to the wide-eyed newcomer.

"So Porcelain is the lowest rank?" the Goddess Priestess asked, looking utterly bewildered.

"Exactly." The receptionist gave a playful little flick of her finger.

"Then what about Mr. Silent?" the Goddess Priestess asked cautiously.

"Ah, Mr. Silent spends more time helping people than focusing on quests, so his rank is also the lowest, Porcelain." The receptionist smiled, then suddenly grew solemn. "And if anything should happen, this token will identify you. Whatever you do, don't lose it."

"Okay..." Startled by the receptionist's grave tone, the Goddess Priestess hurriedly replied.

"The notice board over there has all the quests posted on it. You can choose one that suits your rank, but I personally recommend starting with hunting giant rats in the sewers to get used to adventuring. Once you've gained some ranks, you can try more difficult quests," the receptionist said.

"O-okay, I understand." The Goddess Priestess nodded cautiously. She glanced again at Lin Yun, who stood there silently, but seeing how quiet he was, she didn't dare speak to him and eventually chose to leave without a word.

Just then, a young warrior called out, "Hey, you're a Priest, right?" At first glance, he looked like he had boundless energy. A bandage was stuck across his nose, a headband was tied around his head, and his hair was tousled. He wore... well, a suit of leather armor with a single plate covering his chest, leaving him free to move.

Beside him stood a girl with a long ponytail, dressed in something like a qipao that looked more like fighting clothes, and another girl who was clearly a Wizard: she wore a pointed hat and robes, had glasses, and looked rather aloof.

It was obvious that the three of them were a party.

"Y-yes." The Goddess Priestess nodded instinctively at the sudden question.

"Great! Want to go adventuring with us? We're short a cleric, and we've got an urgent quest. We need all the help we can get!" Before the Goddess Priestess could answer, the young warrior pulled out a slip of paper that seemed to have come from the notice board and said to the receptionist, "Miss, sign me up for this quest."

"An urgent quest?" the Goddess Priestess asked instinctively.

"Yeah. We're exterminating Goblins," the young warrior replied cheerfully.

In the eyes of most people in this world, Goblins were unremarkable, weak monsters whose only distinguishing feature was their numbers. They had excellent night vision and often threatened humans, raided villages, and abducted women.

But as the owner of a tabletop game shop, Lin Yun knew very well that Goblins were sometimes called goblins, and in Dungeons & Dragons, the most common foes weren't just ordinary Goblins. There were also their variants, Bugbears, and the twisted things among them, Hobgoblins. Hobgoblins in particular were known as rookie killers, and they were extremely vicious.

What's more, if Lin Yun remembered correctly, this world of Goblin Slayer even had a wondrous being called the Goblin Hero. So it wouldn't do to call Goblins weak in this world.

Besides, he was only level one himself.

"The Goblins stole the grain the villagers had stored for winter, and they even abducted the village girls. We have to hurry and rescue them!" the young warrior said passionately.

"Will you come with us?" The Female Fighter clasped her hands behind her back and leaned toward the Goddess Priestess expectantly.

The Goddess Priestess was silent for a moment, then finally said, "All right, if you don't mind." She suddenly glanced at Lin Yun and added, "Mr. Silent, would you mind coming with us? I'm a newly ordained Priestess, and I'm probably not as capable as you."

At the Goddess Priestess's words, Lin Yun's brow twitched slightly. Here it was: the party invitation.

But just as Lin Yun was about to accept, the Female Mage adjusted her glasses and said, "Let's not. He's only a Porcelain-rank nobody, and he's still Porcelain at his age. He's obviously a weakling. We'd be better off going ourselves. Besides, he's all bundled up. He looks like a coward."

"But even so, it would be good to have another person fighting with us," the Goddess Priestess said cautiously.

"Um, you may have misunderstood, but I should explain that Mr. Silent is still Porcelain rank because he rarely focuses on quests. He spends his time helping others instead," the receptionist said.

"Ah, forget it. We didn't take this quest for the money anyway. One more person is one more person. Those girls who were captured are waiting for us to rescue them. We can't delay any longer!" the young warrior shouted.

"All right, then. Let's do that." The receptionist could only look at Lin Yun helplessly as she spoke.

Lin Yun could only make a complicated expression in response, though no one could see it through his helmet. To be honest, he hadn't wanted to draw so much attention to himself. When he realized this was the plot of Goblin Slayer, he should have left. After all, anyone who had seen the Goblin Slayer anime, manga, or novels might realize that he was actually a player.

But... considering that the receptionist had called him by name, his background was clearly at work too. If he simply walked away, that might draw even more attention. So after thinking it over, he decided to go along with the plot—or the DM's arrangements.

Just then, someone in a cloak worn over a Wizard's robe came running over, looking excited. "Um, are you going to fight Goblins? If you don't mind, count me in. I was just about to go hunt those Goblins myself." Judging from how excitedly he sidled over toward the Female Mage, it was clear what sort of guy he was. Lin Yun's eyes narrowed slightly behind his helmet. Sure enough, he wasn't the only one who'd figured it out. Some players might have seen Goblin Slayer too, while others might have sensed this route was possible through the instincts of experienced players, so they'd come to join in.

"Who are you?" The young warrior clearly didn't know the newcomer. Apparently, the guy hadn't bothered to write a proper background, though it was also possible his background was that he was an outsider.

"Oh, I'm just a traveler, but I happen to know a little magic." As he spoke, he snapped his fingers theatrically, and a ball of fire appeared in his hand.

"A Wizard? Or a bastard Sorcerer?" As mentioned earlier, in the eyes of Wizards there were only fellow practitioners and cannon fodder. From another perspective, Sorcerers—unorthodox spellcasters who awakened to magic through the blood in their veins—seemed like unrefined amateurs to traditional Wizards.

"A Wizard. Of course I'm a Wizard." Lin Yun could see the man's expression shift slightly, but he quickly resumed his cheerful smile and answered. Clearly, he wasn't thick-skinned enough. Even if this was only a game, being called an amateur still felt strange. It wasn't unusual for people in online games to start insulting each other over it.

Then again, Lin Yun wasn't much better, which was why he had the self-awareness to wear a helmet.

"Is that so? Then explain the different ways the Weave manifests," the Female Mage said with a look of disdain.

"Uh... well..." Although he was still smiling, his expression had clearly stiffened. Lin Yun was just as baffled as the man.

Come to think of it, in traditional Dungeons & Dragons, Sorcerers and Wizards were hard to tell apart unless one of them admitted what they were, or the person making the distinction was a Sorcerer. Their spells were basically the same. Wizards had to learn and copy spells before they could cast them, while Sorcerers only needed a sudden flash of inspiration. Ah, I think I sense something. Ah, the power in my right hand is swelling... And then, bam, they learned a spell.

However, Sorcerers normally had a fixed selection of spells, so they were ultimately less versatile than Wizards. After all, Sorcerers relied on awakening, while Wizards relied on learning.

To explain it, Lin Yun had plenty of charisma and a very high Constitution. Why hadn't he chosen to be a Sorcerer? Because he was afraid the mixed blood might eventually turn him into some kind of strange creature. He had no idea what might happen.

Besides, Lin Yun knew that Sorcerers could cast fewer spells than Wizards, and had fewer Spell Slots as well.

According to Dungeons & Dragons, magic was part of every Sorcerer. This latent power permeated a Sorcerer's body, mind, and soul, waiting for the day it could be unleashed. Some Sorcerers wielded magic that poured forth from bloodlines overflowing with draconic power; others commanded raw, uncontrollable magic, unleashing unpredictable storms of chaotic power.

The way a Sorcerer's power manifested was largely unpredictable. In certain families with Dragon Clan blood, each generation had exactly one Sorcerer, while in other bloodlines, everyone might be a Sorcerer. In most cases, the gift for sorcery seemed to appear at random. Some Sorcerers couldn't explain the origin of their power, while others could recall the precise strange event that had sparked it: a Demon's touch, a Treant's blessing upon a newborn, or the magic in a mysterious spring could all ignite the spark of sorcerous talent.

The gift of the God of Magic was another possibility, as was exposure to the elemental forces of the Inner Planes or the wild, chaotic magic of the Sea of Chaos. Even a glimpse into the inner workings of reality itself could do it.

Spellbooks and ancient tomes of magical knowledge, which Wizards relied on, were meaningless to Sorcerers. Nor did they depend on pacts to obtain spells, as Warlocks did. By controlling and directing their innate magic, Sorcerers could learn new ways to unleash their power—and these new methods were often more powerful and astonishing.

In a way, if Wizards were basically top students or academic geniuses, then Sorcerers were trust-fund kids.

That was one reason Wizards often resented Sorcerers. And because Sorcerers' bloodlines were impure, those bloodlines could affect them, making them chaotic and untrustworthy.

"Just as I thought. You're one of those filthy people. Sorry, but I don't trust Sorcerers," the Female Mage said arrogantly.

"Ugh. You damn little bitch, who the hell do you think you are?" Clearly, the man had lost his temper. His hands moved as if he were rubbing something together, and then a ball of fire appeared in them. He was about to throw it.

But just then, a man who looked a bit like someone called Dog Bro appeared beside him. His hair stood on end, and he wore Full Body Armor and carried a long spear. The spearhead was pressed against the man's throat. "Hey, kid. Fighting isn't allowed inside the Adventurer's Guild." It looked as though he would slit the man's throat if he so much as refused.

"You..." Feeling the chill at his throat, the Sorcerer finally calmed down a little. The flames in his hand slowly faded.

Of course, although it had looked like a Fireball, there was no way this guy could actually cast Fireball. If he could cast Fireball, he wouldn't be a low-rank Adventurer. And if he weren't a low-rank Adventurer, he wouldn't have made such a simple mistake. At most, it was a Cantrip like Flame Arrow.