Returning to the Adventurer's Guild, I handed the completion report to Reina-san.
"So Cain-san gave you his stamp of approval too, huh?"
"I don't know if he approved of me or just took a liking to me, but he gave me this magic tool as an extra reward."
Saying so, I showed her the necklace around my neck.
"A magic tool? Wow, that's amazing. He puts out requests like this to all kinds of adventurers, but he's never handed over a magic tool before."
"Is that so? He practically forced it on me, though..."
"That just shows how much he liked you, Erik-kun. By the way, Cain-san actually used to live at Fledgling Pavilion."
"Wait, really!?"
I blurted out in surprise at Reina-san's words.
"He lived there before I did. You know how nice the dining hall looks now? Cain-san paid for the whole renovation."
I never imagined I would cross paths with a fellow tenant from the inn like that.
"Well, Cain-san probably doesn't know you're staying at Fledgling Pavilion either, so why not mention it next time you see him? I'm sure he'll treat you even better."
"Good idea. Having such a comfortable dining hall to eat in is partly thanks to him, so I'll be sure to thank him."
After collecting my request reward, I headed over to the training grounds.
Ryan-san hadn't arrived yet, so I got started on some warm-up stretches.
"Oh, you're already here? Sorry, work ran a little long."
"No problem, I only just got here myself. Besides, I know how busy you are, Ryan-san. You didn't have to rush over."
"Nah, I wanted to get you as much training time as possible, kid!"
"Well... thank you for that."
With our greetings out of the way, we dove right into training.
The first skill Ryan-san was going to teach me was called [Physical Enhancement].
It used magic power to reinforce the physical body.
It was a skill primarily wielded by swordsmen and warrior classes.
"Having this will make you far more effective in combat. It's a great skill to pick up."
"It definitely sounds like something I need. How do I go about learning it?"
"Well, for starters, watch closely while I use it."
With that, Ryan-san activated [Physical Enhancement].
A faint, shimmering film of magic power became visible around his body.
He then ran, jumped, and swung his sword.
Every single motion radiated immense power.
"Ryan-san, I have a question. Does [Physical Enhancement] reinforce your whole body with magic power at once?"
"That's the standard way to do it. But if you're skilled enough, you can concentrate it into a single point like this to boost the output even further."
As he spoke, Ryan-san flicked a pebble with his finger.
At the exact moment of the flick, he focused [Physical Enhancement] entirely into his hand, vastly amplifying the force behind it.
"That's incredible. Even though it's technically support magic, you could easily use it offensively."
"In practice, the [Throwing] skill works better for that, but it's great for surprise attacks. You can also focus it into your legs to boost your speed or jump farther."
Channeling [Physical Enhancement] into his legs, Ryan-san leaped straight up.
He launched far higher than before, landing gracefully back on the ground.
"Well? Did that sharp eye of yours catch how the skill works?"
"...I think I got the general idea. Let me give it a shot."
With that, I decided to put what I had just observed into practice.
I focused, picturing my magic power enveloping my entire body to reinforce it.
◇
You have trained in [Physical Enhancement].
Gained 1 EXP.
1/100 until skill acquisition.
◇
"Ah, there it is."
After about a minute, I saw the screen update and let Ryan-san know.
"There it is? Does that mean you got EXP?"
"It just went up by 1, so I think I'll unlock [Physical Enhancement] once I earn the remaining 99."
"...No matter how many times I hear it, that skill of yours is absurd. Then again, I did see [Swordsmanship] with my own eyes."
"I just wish it were a bit more obvious. Though I suppose once I get [Physical Enhancement], it'll be easy enough to show."
Unlike [Swordsmanship], anyone looking at someone using [Physical Enhancement] could immediately tell the skill was active.
"True enough. If you manage to learn [Physical Enhancement], Erik, I'll use my connections to introduce you to someone."
"An introduction?"
"Yeah. They're retired now, but they used to teach at the Magic Academy. You couldn't ask for a better magic instructor."
"M-Magic!? I-I'll do my best to learn [Physical Enhancement]!"
Hearing about a former Magic Academy instructor kicked my motivation into overdrive.
[Swordsmanship] was vital, of course, but knowing magic would boost my chances of survival even more.
After that, I listened to Ryan-san's in-depth advice on [Physical Enhancement] and pushed forward with my training.
"I guess this is as far as I get for day one..."
Ryan-san stayed and trained with me until the sun went down.
Back at the inn, I finished dinner and took a bath.
Then, collapsing onto the bed in my room, I checked the screen.
◇
You have trained in [Physical Enhancement].
Gained 1 EXP.
59/100 until skill acquisition.
◇
Progress was coming along faster than it had with [Swordsmanship], but I still had plenty of training ahead of me before unlocking the skill.
Satisfied, I closed the screen, pulled the covers over myself, and drifted off to sleep.