The next morning, after finishing my laundry, I practiced my [Swordsmanship].
Training [Physical Enhancement] would have worked too, but that skill required a lot of open space.
Circulate magic power through the body, and move.
At first, I had tried doing it while sitting still or standing in place.
However, whenever I did that, the time it took to gain EXP was erratic, fluctuating anywhere from one to five minutes.
That was when Ryan-san pointed out that it served as better training if I stayed in motion.
When I actually gave it a try, I reliably gained EXP every three minutes or less.
"Still, the real drawback with [Physical Enhancement] is that it uses magic power, so you can't train it for hours on end."
[Appraisal] shared the exact same issue.
Yesterday, I had taken breaks whenever I felt my magic power drop to around half.
I made good use of that downtime, too, having him teach me about [Physical Enhancement] in greater detail.
Thanks to that knowledge, the rate at which I gained EXP climbed even higher during the latter half of the day.
I still didn't completely understand [Fixed EXP].
Even so, it felt like two factors—awareness and knowledge—were crucial.
"Without the conscious intent to acquire a skill, you won't gain any EXP in the first place. My life as an adventurer so far is proof enough of that."
The [Cooking] skill was known to be fairly common.
True to its name, it played a supporting role when preparing food.
With a high skill level, it directly influenced flavor and quality.
If simply spending time on a task was enough to learn a skill, it wouldn't have been surprising if I had already started earning EXP toward [Cooking].
Yet up until now, I had always helped out without giving it a second thought.
"...Next time I take a request from Harold-san's shop or an eatery, maybe I'll try working with that awareness in mind? I don't need it right away, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to have."
A short while later, Amanda-san came out to the yard, so I helped her hang the laundry.
Breakfast had been fantastic this morning as well, and I felt genuinely happy just being able to eat my fill.
After that, I changed into my gear back in my room, left the inn, and headed for the Adventurer's Guild.
I greeted Reina-san and asked to look over the town requests.
"..."
"...Ehehe."
Looking through the listings, the very top request came from a client whose name I recognized immediately.
The job was the same as always, and since it was for someone I was already used to working with, I accepted it on the spot.
"I'm sorry for making a mess of things again right after you cleaned up so nicely."
"It helps me build up a solid track record, so I really don't mind. But are you sure you're okay with this, Marina-san? You're paying out of pocket every single time."
As the person taking the job, I was grateful for both the experience and the pay.
Besides, working for someone I knew was much easier than dealing with a stranger, since I already knew what shouldn't be touched.
In Marina-san's case in particular, I had visited her place so many times that I knew the layout by heart.
"Don't you worry about that! I might not look the part, but I actually pull in a steady income!"
When I voiced my concern over her wallet, Marina-san brushed it off with absolute confidence.
Without further ado, I got straight to work.
This time, she had asked for the whole house to be cleaned, and the pay was correspondingly generous.
"Marina-san, did you get more clothes?"
"They're gifts, mostly. Hannah-san gave almost all of them to me. You see, my appearance improved a bit, right? So she told me I ought to start dressing better too... But I rarely leave the house anyway, so I haven't really needed them. They've just been sitting in a pile."
"I see. But what do you do when you step out for quick errands? You still need to buy groceries and things, don't you?"
"Oh, whenever I do that, I just go in my usual robe."
Marina-san answered breezily, leaving me to think she could just wear the new clothes on those outings instead.
Chatting like that, I kept up the pace.
Since not much time had passed since my last visit, the grime came off easily.
She had also taken my advice from last time about at least rinsing her dishes with water after eating.
Thanks to that, the dishwashing went incomparably faster, and I finished tidying up Marina-san's entire house in just two hours.
"Whenever Erik-kun comes over, the whole place gets completely reset. It's an absolute lifesaver."
"I'm being paid well for it, after all. As long as I've accepted the job, I'll make sure it's done right."
With that, I had Marina-san sign the completion report.
"And also, here's this."
"Marina-san, there's really no need for an extra tip."
"Aww, but I had this set aside specifically for you, Erik-kun..."
Marina-san tried to push a pouch of extra reward money into my hands.
I cut in and stopped her before she could hand it over.
"I've already received far too much from you, Marina-san. Even the bonus last time was so generous that I've been agonizing over how I could ever repay your kindness."
"Repay me? It's just a token of gratitude for taking the job, so you really don't need to overthink it, you know."
"I'm already receiving proper compensation as part of the official quest reward."
"...Sheesh! A good boy like you, Erik-kun, should just hush and take it!"
My resolve was firm, and I continued to decline.
Yet despite my refusal, Marina-san shoved the coin pouch right against me.
Panicking, I instinctively caught it against my chest before it could fall to the floor.
"You took it, so no giving it back! That's Erik-kun's now."
"...You're giving me way too much."
"Erik-kun, compared to other adventurers, you're an exceptionally good kid. You're thorough with your work, and you never slack off. Seeing how hard you work is why I wanted to give you a little extra. So please, just accept it without holding back."
Marina-san suddenly looked at me with a completely serious expression, leaving me without a comeback.
"Besides, if the extra rewards from us help you grow into a greater adventurer, Erik-kun, there'll be that much more we can rely on you for later. It's a win-win for both of us."
"...I suppose that makes sense. All right, I understand. In that case, once I make a name for myself as an adventurer, I'll be sure to pay you back with an extra-large favor, so please look forward to it."
"Fufu, I certainly will."
After getting Marina-san's signature on the report, I headed back to the Adventurer's Guild.
I wrapped up the paperwork and collected my reward.
Then, I decided to head over to the training grounds to work on [Physical Enhancement] again today.
◇
You have trained [Physical Enhancement].
Gained 1 EXP.
100/100 until skill acquisition.
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◇
You have acquired [Physical Enhancement].
0/100 until next level.
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Since Ryan-san couldn't make it today, I trained silently on my own.
Recalling everything he had taught me yesterday, I applied myself with single-minded focus.
Making sure to take proper breaks along the way, I successfully unlocked the [Physical Enhancement] skill just before heading back to the inn.