"Ryan-san, thank you very much for today."
"Yeah. Good work! I had a great time myself, so if there's anything else you ever want to ask, feel free to come find me. Hanging out with you is always a good time, Erik."
The instruction continued until the sun went down.
Originally, it was supposed to wrap up quickly.
However, Ryan-san started enjoying himself midway through and ended up spending the entire day putting me through my paces.
Leveling up was important, but learning was even more crucial.
Putting off my planned grinding for later, I dedicated the whole day to training with Ryan-san.
"You were training with the Guildmaster the entire time, weren't you? Good work. How was your day?"
"It was a great day. I learned a lot, so I think it'll help with my day-to-day life starting tomorrow."
Just before heading out, I stopped by the counter to say goodbye to Reina-san.
She already knew I had been training all day, and I told her that I had gained plenty of valuable knowledge.
Leaving the guild behind, I returned to the inn.
After finishing dinner and taking a bath, I went up to my room and checked my status.
The numbers hadn't changed, nor had I unlocked any new skills.
However, there was a change on the other screen.
◇
You trained in [Swordsmanship].
Gained 1 experience point.
55/100 until skill acquisition.
◇
I hadn't been able to check it frequently while we were working.
When I checked during breaks and lulls, I seemed to gain an experience point roughly once every ten minutes.
It didn't increase without fail every single time, but that was probably because my understanding of [Swordsmanship] was still shallow.
Well, it would be weirder if I could master a skill right away when my comprehension was still lacking.
"...If I keep at it like this, I should be able to unlock the skill without any trouble."
Acquiring the [Swordsmanship] skill would make fighting much easier.
And having an easier time in combat meant my odds of survival would shoot up accordingly.
"For now, that's once I get [Swordsmanship], but I want to pick up other skills too... If possible, being able to use magic would make things so much simpler."
Magic.
It required raw talent, and people said that if you didn't receive it during the ritual, you had no choice but to give up on becoming a mage.
Even so, there were some who had acquired it through sheer stubbornness.
It wasn't outright impossible, but there was no telling how long it might take me.
"...I should get some sleep."
I had been racking my brain over it, but I had spent half the day in continuous, grueling training.
Though I had massaged my aching muscles in the bath, the fatigue hadn't completely washed away.
Collapsing onto the bed, I closed my eyes and drifted off almost instantly.
The next morning, I woke up a little later than usual.
Opening my eyes to the chime of the morning bell, I gathered my laundry and headed out to the backyard.
"My, you're not training today?"
"I overslept. I meant to, but yesterday's fatigue just wouldn't wear off..."
"I see. Well, plenty of kids your age push themselves hard, Erik, but I've seen far too many overdo it and ruin their health. Make sure you get proper rest."
I nodded at Amanda-san's advice and washed my clothes alongside the inn's laundry.
Once all the washing was done, I went back to my room to hang my clothes to dry.
After changing, I headed down to the dining room and ate breakfast.
"Thank you for the meal. It was delicious today as always."
"Yeah. Give 'em hell at work."
Ted-san, who handled the cooking at the inn, grunted back in his characteristically low voice.
After exchanging a quick word with Amanda-san at the counter, I set out from the inn.
A few minutes later, I arrived at the Adventurer's Guild.
"Are there any good local requests available?"
I queued up at Reina-san's counter, asking when my turn came.
"Let's see. If we're talking about jobs I can recommend to you, Erik-kun, how about something like this?"
"This is that place I worked at before. Are they short-handed again?"
Among the several postings, one caught my eye.
It was a request from Frank-san's diner, where I had previously helped out in the kitchen.
"Apparently two of his workers called in sick this time. He considered closing for the day, but with all the regular customers looking forward to his food, he just couldn't bring himself to shut the doors."
"...In that case, I'll go give them a hand for the lunch rush. They took great care of me last time, after all."
I vividly remembered how delicious the food at that diner had been.
Knowing the spot was in a bind, I decided to take the job.
Once the paperwork was settled, I headed straight for the diner.
"E-Erik?! You're the adventurer who took the request?!"
"I heard you were having a rough time, Frank-san, so I accepted the job and came right over. Leave the prep work to me."
"Oh man, Erik-kun, thank you so much for coming! You have no idea how glad we are to see you!"
The employee who had worked alongside me last time cried out, looking ready to burst into tears of relief.
From there, we scrambled to prep for the opening rush.
Just like last time, I stationed myself in the back and assisted with the cooking.
Frank-san took the lead as the head chef, taking orders along with the front-of-house staff.
"Welcome!"
Between tossing pans in the kitchen, he barked out hearty greetings to the incoming customers.
Meanwhile, I stayed focused in the back, chopping vegetables and slicing meat.
When the peak rush hit, the crowd swelled even further, leaving Frank-san and the staff member drenched in sweat.
Working right next to the flames made me sweat just as much, but the three of us somehow managed to keep the orders moving.
"I-It's finally over..."
"Frank-san, we actually pulled it off! To think we managed to serve that many customers when we almost closed today!"
"Yeah! Having you here really saved our skins, Erik! Today, you can eat whatever you want on the house!"
Normally, there were strict rules regarding staff meals.
Overjoyed that we had weathered the storm, however, Frank-san placed no restrictions on what we could order.
Taking him up on the offer, the staff member and I ordered several mouthwatering dishes and ate until we were completely stuffed.
"Well then, Erik. If we ever get slammed like this again, come help us out, alright?"
"If a request gets posted and I spot it, I'll be here. I'll be in your care then as well."
With my stomach full, I left Frank-san's diner and headed back to the Adventurer's Guild.
After submitting my completion report, I glanced at the clock and saw that there was still some time before evening.
"Erik-kun, are you heading outside the city now by any chance?"
"It's getting a bit late, but I really want to test out what I learned in yesterday's training."
"I see. I understand how you feel. But be careful, okay? You have to come straight back the moment the bell rings, understood?"
"Of course. I'll make sure to head back as soon as the evening bell tolls."
Giving Reina-san my word, I skipped taking another request due to the tight schedule, walked out of the guild, and passed through the city gates.
From there, I set off toward the forest I had visited so many times before.