When you turn ten, a ritual is held at a church to receive a blessing from God.
In the rural village where I lived, there was no grand church like the ones found in cities.
Because of that, the priest traveled all the way out to our village just to perform the ritual.
Among the children my age, one was blessed with [Swordsmanship] and dreamed of becoming a swordsman.
Another was blessed with [Cooking] and aimed to become a chef.
Furthermore, children who obtained magic skills were valued far higher than the rest.
They wept with joy upon receiving letters of introduction to the nation's "Royal Magic Academy" from the mage who had accompanied the priest.
"...[Fixed EXP], huh?"
There are two things granted during the ritual.
A "Status," which visualizes one's own abilities, and skills.
The only ways to acquire a skill are through this initial ritual or through rigorous training.
Gaining a magic skill during the ritual meant that one possessed the talent of a mage.
Without talent, acquiring a skill was impossible.
That was common sense in this world, and that was exactly how I had been taught.
Yet the skill bestowed upon me was no ordinary one.
It was a special skill called [Fixed EXP].
✤
Name: Erik
Age: 10
Level: 1
Strength: 10
Magic Power: 10
Stamina: 10
Agility: 10
Dexterity: 10
Skills ——
Special Skills [Fixed EXP]
Divine Blessings ——
✤
The mysterious special skill, [Fixed EXP].
Even the priest who performed the ritual couldn't make sense of it, though he was curious at first.
However, among the other children undergoing the ritual, someone was granted [Courage]—a special skill said to have belonged to the legendary Hero.
In an instant, all interest in me evaporated, and I quietly hurried home.
"Erik. How did the ritual go?"
When I stepped inside, my mother, who had finished her farm work and was resting in the house, called out to me.
Normally, parents would accompany their children on such a momentous day.
However, I was the youngest of three brothers.
Having already seen two sons through the ritual, my family didn't have the slightest interest in mine.
So, while my family carried on with their usual routine, I had walked to the church alone, received the blessing, and walked back on my own.
"It was normal. Anyway, like I told you before, I'm leaving."
"I see. Take care of yourself."
It's not like there was a place for me here anyway.
I swallowed those words, keeping them locked deep inside.
As the youngest child, I had never been wanted.
My father, in a drunken haze, had forced himself on my mother, and I was conceived by accident—or so he had told me while in his cups.
They had only wanted two children. When an unexpected third came along, I was raised without a shred of expectation.
Because of that, I had decided long ago that I would leave the house the moment I turned ten.
"A bare minimum of luggage will do. Not that I own much to begin with."
Leaving my mother after that brief exchange, I headed up to the attic room I used as my bedroom.
My two older brothers each had private rooms of their own, but as the unwanted child, I had spent my life tucked away in the attic.
It was sweltering in the summer and freezing in the winter.
Still, it kept the wind and rain out, so I made it my home.
"Well, goodbye."
I whispered a farewell to the room I had occupied for ten years—a goodbye I never offered my family.
When I came back down, my mother had already finished her break and returned to work.
Even knowing her own child was setting off into the world, work took priority.
I knew that was just the kind of family they were, yet my chest still ached a little.
"...I'd better get moving."
In a backwater village like this, carriages heading to the city only passed through a few times a month.
Today happened to be one of those days, so I hurried over to the boarding spot.
On the way, I spotted my family working in the fields.
They looked like a happy, tight-knit family from a distance. My eldest brother glanced up and caught my eye.
Yet he instantly looked away, turning back to his conversation with our parents.
"..."
Before I knew it, I had reached the carriage, paid the fare, and left the village behind.
The coins in my pocket were the savings I had scraped together since the age of five, working odd jobs and helping out around the village.
Twice before, my stash had been discovered and taken.
The first time, my brothers found it and confiscated it. The second time, my mother took it, claiming it was needed for household expenses.
To ensure it wouldn't happen a third time, I got better at hiding it, barely managing to keep it safe until today.
As a result, I had only managed to save just enough to reach the city and scrape by for a short while.
"Still, it beats staying in that village."
I might die out there.
Even so, no one in that village cared whether I lived or died anyway.
If that was the case, taking my chances in a dangerous city was far better.
"Great weather for traveling, isn't it!"
"...Yeah. It really is a nice day."
Sitting aboard the carriage was a boy who had undergone the ritual alongside me.
The blessing ceremony had been held jointly for the surrounding area, and he was from a neighboring village.
He had acquired multiple skills during the ritual, which was why he had caught my attention.
"Hey, are you leaving your village to make a living too?"
"Yeah. Even if I stayed, there's no place for me."
"Ah, got older brothers or something? I'm in pretty much the same boat."
He came from a household similar to mine.
The difference was that his family actually treated him like one of their own, and they had even accompanied him to the ritual.
He explained that he had boarded this carriage to leave the village and become an adventurer, just as he had always planned.
"Whoops, come to think of it, we haven't introduced ourselves yet. I'm Alan. Nice to meet you."
"I'm Erik. Nice to meet you too."
"Erik, huh? That's a great name!"
We reached out and exchanged a firm handshake.
"So, Erik, are you gonna become an adventurer?"
Around sunset, the carriage pulled into an encampment.
We would spend the night here and set off again early the next morning.
"That's the plan. What about you, Alan?"
"Yep! Though, I'm not gonna jump right into it. I plan to study a bit in the royal capital first."
"Studying, huh? That sounds nice. I don't have that kind of luxury, so I'm diving straight into adventuring."
"Which means you'll be my senior, Erik! Once I become an adventurer, let's take on some jobs together."
I gave Alan a small nod.
"I wouldn't mind teaming up at least once."
"Only once?! That's where you're supposed to get fired up and say, 'Let's form a party!'"
Alan shot back with a grin, and I couldn't help but chuckle.
Shortly after, the other passengers told us to keep it down and go to sleep already, so we settled in and called it a night.