After stepping outside the royal capital, I headed toward the same forest as yesterday.
"For now, I'll aim for strays again today."
I was still afraid of monsters.
In particular, I had childhood trauma when it came to humanoid goblins.
Back then, a goblin had attacked me in the forest. Though I managed to escape with my life, I suffered wounds across my shoulder and arm.
Even though the scars were long gone, my body still froze whenever I saw one.
"I want to overcome it someday, but I don't think today's the day."
Telling myself that, I stepped beneath the canopy.
Even with the source of my trauma lurking inside, I had to take action if I wanted to survive.
Steeling my resolve as I walked through the woods, I soon spotted a single slime.
"Alright, looks like today's going to go well too... No, letting my guard down at times like this can be fatal. I need to stay sharp."
For a second, I had started to relax.
Catching myself immediately, I remained on high alert.
Just then, I sensed a presence lurking beyond the lone slime.
"...That was close. Two goblins... Guess I'll pass on that slime."
Spotting the pair of goblins, I abandoned my target.
I could have forced a fight.
However, I hadn't even fulfilled the required quota for my quest yet.
If I got injured and became unable to fight under these circumstances, the quest would end in failure.
That would damage my standing with the guild and break the client's trust.
Reina-san might even give up on me and come to dislike me.
I had only just gotten to know her; the last thing I wanted was for her to hate me.
"I'll look for another one."
With that, I quietly slipped away from the area.
After wandering through the woods for about five minutes, I found another slime that had wandered away from its group.
This time, I remained vigilant from the start, made sure no other monsters were nearby, and took it down.
◇
Monster defeated.
Gained 1 EXP.
19/100 to next level.
◇
I glanced at the screen I consciously brought up at the edge of my vision.
Normally, defeating nineteen slimes would be more than enough to level up.
Yet my level showed no signs of increasing.
"...I still can't tell whether this skill is a blessing or a curse."
One hundred.
For now, I had no choice but to aim for that goal and keep slaying monsters.
And so, I continued hunting until the evening bell echoed through the forest.
◇
Monster defeated.
Gained 1 EXP.
48/100 to next level.
◇
Luck was on my side today.
I stumbled across lone slimes in rapid succession, driving the count up this far.
Thanks to that, I was nearly halfway there.
Looking at the number with a sense of satisfaction, I briskly made my way back to the royal capital.
Stopping by the Adventurer's Guild, I submitted my quest.
I made good money again today, even managing to put a little into savings.
"Reina-san, I'm looking for a wooden sword to practice with. Do you know of any shops that sell them?"
"A wooden sword? In that case, we have some old ones here at the guild. Would you like one?"
When I asked for shop recommendations, that unexpected offer brought a smile to my face.
"I-Is that really alright?"
"They're pretty worn out, but it feels like a waste to just throw them away. We hand them out for free whenever a novice adventurer asks about them. Please, don't hesitate to take it."
"Really? Thank you so much!"
Since they were destined for the trash anyway, I gladly accepted. I waited at the counter until Reina-san returned with a wooden sword.
It had clearly seen heavy use, bearing nicks and chips in several places.
However, it was crafted from sturdy timber, so there seemed to be little risk of it snapping anytime soon.
This would be perfect for practicing in the inn's backyard.
Cradling the wooden sword carefully, I left the guild and returned to the inn.
"Oh my, a practice sword? Did you get that from the guild?"
"Yes. When I asked Reina-san where I could buy one, she gave me an old sword from the guild for free."
"My, my, she must be quite fond of you. It's true the guild gives those out to rookie adventurers for free, but there's a catch, you know."
"A catch?"
Receptionists were only permitted to give away one sword per month.
In other words, giving that wooden sword to me meant Reina-san wouldn't be able to hand one out to anyone else this month.
"T-There was a rule like that...? Was it really okay for me to accept it?"
"Well, she doesn't handle many novice adventurers anyway, so I doubt it'll be a problem. But if you truly want to thank her, you'd better put that sword to good use and train as hard as you can."
"...You're right. I'll train with everything I've got!"
The best way to repay Reina-san was to dedicate myself to training with this sword and grow stronger.
Having realized that through my chat with Amanda-san, I finished dinner and took a bath while planning out my training schedule for the coming days.
Naturally, tonight's dinner was top-notch as always.
"Ngh......! That's right. Starting today, I'm doing swordsmanship training in the morning."
I woke up before the first morning bell rang.
Thanks to heading to bed early the night before and setting my mind to waking up at this hour, I managed to open my eyes.
However, the urge to drift back to sleep nearly overwhelmed me, so I scrambled out of bed.
Looking out the window, the sky was still dim.
Even so, having made up my mind last night, I carried my laundry down to the backyard with groggy steps.
"First, the wash..."
Still half-asleep, I finished doing my laundry and returned to my room to hang it up to dry.
Then, grasping the wooden sword, I stepped back out into the backyard.
"...Alright, focus."
I lightly slapped both cheeks with my hands, tightened my grip on the wooden sword, and began my swordsmanship training with full concentration.