The next morning, I woke before the morning bell and went through my usual daily routine.
After helping Amanda-san out around the inn, I ate breakfast and prepared to head out.
"Amanda-san, here's the money to extend my stay. Ten more days, please."
"Well, that's unusual. You usually only renew for a few days at a time, Erik."
"I've managed to save up a bit of money, but my adventurer rank is still too low to deposit it anywhere. I figured I might as well put it toward my lodging."
With that, I handed Amanda-san ten silver coins to cover the ten days.
Now, even if I somehow ran out of pocket money, I would still have a roof over my head.
Once the payment was settled, I left the inn and made my way to the Adventurer's Guild.
"Good morning, Reina-san."
"Good morning, Erik-kun. Are you starting with requests inside the city again today?"
"Yes. Also, do you know if the guild's training grounds will be available this afternoon?"
"Nothing is scheduled for today, so it's open for anyone to use, but... that's rare for you. You're not heading outside the walls?"
Up until now, my routine had been taking city quests in the morning and venturing outside in the afternoon.
Knowing this full well, Reina-san looked at me quizzically when she heard I wouldn't be leaving the city later.
"...To tell the truth, I acquired the [Swordsmanship] skill, so I was hoping to practice in a proper training area."
"...?!"
Though she didn't utter a sound, Reina-san's eyes went wide with shock.
Before processing any requests, she ushered me straight into a private room.
"Erik-kun, about what you just said... Is that really true?"
"Y-Yes, it is..."
"You didn't have the skill all along, did you?"
"I didn't lie when I registered. Besides, Ryan-san watched me up close, so I think he knows I was a complete beginner with a sword."
At my words, realization dawned on Reina-san's face.
Telling me to wait in the room, she quickly stepped out.
A few minutes later, she returned with Ryan-san in tow.
"Kid. Reina came rushing over to me in a panic. Is it true you acquired a skill?"
"It is."
"Well then, how about swinging a sword so I can see for myself?"
"I don't mind, but are we doing it in here?"
I wondered for a second if he expected me to swing a blade inside the office, but we promptly relocated to the training grounds instead.
Taking a wooden sword from Ryan-san, I gave it a swing.
The [Swordsmanship] skill acts as a natural guide and support for blade movements.
Because of that, activating it doesn't consume any mana.
"...Yeah, the kid's definitely got the [Swordsmanship] skill. He wasn't handling a blade nearly this cleanly before."
"Which means Erik-kun managed to acquire [Swordsmanship] in just a matter of days, doesn't it? I've never seen anyone do that before."
"Neither have I, but the kid had the talent for it to begin with..."
Having taught me swordsmanship personally, Ryan-san didn't seem all that shocked by my breakthrough.
If anything, he seemed thoroughly convinced—and visibly pleased—that I had acquired it so quickly.
"...Could it be that the special skill you listed on your registration form is tied to how you acquired it?"
When registering as an adventurer, you write down your standard skills, but for special skills, you're only asked whether you possess one.
Because of that, I hadn't written [Fixed EXP] on the document.
Recalling the form, Reina-san looked at me inquisitively.
"That's right. My special skill is called [Fixed EXP]. It's an unusual skill that fixes the EXP I earn to a value of 1."
Reina-san and Ryan-san had both treated me with nothing but kindness since I arrived in the royal capital.
Part of Ryan-san's demeanor might have come from his duties as Guildmaster, but having him take the time to instruct me in the sword for so long had meant the world to me.
And Reina-san had looked after me ever since I first became an adventurer, always arranging suitable quests for me and even connecting me with Harold-san.
Because it was the two of them, I saw no reason to hide the truth about my special skill.
"To think such a special skill existed... Well, they're called 'special' for a reason; all kinds of bizarre skills exist out there in the world."
"Very true. Though even among them, Erik-kun's skill leans toward the exceptionally peculiar side."
"No argument there. But wait, if your EXP is completely fixed, doesn't that mean leveling up in the beginning is an absolute nightmare, kid?"
"Pretty much. I've defeated over a hundred slimes up to now, but my level is still only 2."
Reina-san's jaw dropped at my explanation.
"You've defeated that many and you're still only level 2?! I assumed you were fighting multiple slimes at once as your level rose, but how were you actually managing it?"
"Just like I did at the start—I hunted down stray slimes one by one. I didn't take any reckless risks."
"Stray ones...? Kid, how in the world did you manage to track down and kill that many on your own...?"
Looking utterly dumbfounded, Ryan-san stared intently at me, lost in thought for a moment.
"...Say, kid. Can you learn just about any skill?"
"I haven't tested it enough yet to know for sure."
"In that case, there's a skill I'd like to teach you. Care to give it a shot?"
"Huh? Really? Yes, absolutely!"
If someone was offering to teach me a new skill, I wasn't about to turn it down.
Without a second thought, I eagerly accepted Ryan-san's offer.