My second request of the day came from a familiar face.
"Erik-kun, you're here! Thank heavens!"
"You don't have to be that thrilled... And about the reward, is the amount on the sheet not a mistake?"
The client was Marina-san.
The job itself was her usual request for domestic help, but today's came with an exceptionally high payout right from the start.
The reward was an extraordinary thirty silver coins.
"No, that's right. You'll understand once you see inside."
With those words from Marina-san, I stepped into the house.
Bracing myself for the living room to be a disaster zone, I found it surprisingly manageable.
A few clothes were tossed around here and there, but compared to her usual messes, this was actually on the better side.
In that case, the kitchen had to be the culprit.
Heading over with that thought in mind, I found the cupboard toppled over and dishes shattered across the floor in a catastrophic mess.
"...Well, I suppose this couldn't be helped. It happened so suddenly, after all."
"The silver lining is that the ones kept here were just cheap plates for guests. The expensive ones and my favorites are completely safe."
It seemed she had stored her favorites separately, so Marina-san's spirits weren't crushed.
Still, cleaning this up was going to be a nightmare, which was why she put up the request.
"Also, while this room is awful, there's another spot that's even worse..."
"The workshop, right? There were plenty of shelves in there."
"Nothing broke, but everything is scattered everywhere. I was completely overwhelmed on my own, so I posted the request and prayed, 'Please come, Erik-kun!'"
"So that's why you blurted out that strange greeting."
With the walkthrough complete, I got right to work.
Broken ceramics were sharp and hazardous.
If I threw them into ordinary trash bags, the waste collector wouldn't know and could end up injured.
I decided to clearly label the bag "Hazardous Waste" before taking it out.
"...Come to think of it, my morning job was just washing dishes and yard work, so I put it out of my mind. But maybe I should pay closer attention to acquire that [Cleaning] skill?"
It was a skill I had only learned about yesterday when Ryan-san brought it up.
From what he described, it seemed to be a skill specifically tied to cleaning.
Having done housework for years, I had a wealth of knowledge on the subject.
Bringing up that status screen at the edge of my vision, I resumed tidying up.
While I had cleared away the larger shards, fine fragments still littered the floor.
At times like this, slime fluid worked wonders.
Mixing it into a bucket with water produced a viscous, sticky liquid.
I poured it across the floor, waited a moment, and let it gel up slightly.
Since it wouldn't harden completely, I gathered up the residue and shoved it into a bag.
◇
You have trained in [Cleaning].
Gained 1 EXP.
1/100 until skill acquisition.
◇
"Oh, there it is."
Just a minute of work had yielded EXP.
Next, I thoroughly scrubbed down the sticky floor with a wet mop.
After going over it with the damp mop, I wiped it down with a dry towel until it was spotless.
The rug laid out in the kitchen was filthy as well.
I gave it a thorough wash and hung it out in the yard to dry.
As I worked, I happened to glance back at the screen and saw it had updated significantly.
◇
You have trained in [Cleaning].
Gained 1 EXP.
2/100 until skill acquisition.
◇
◇
You have trained in [Cleaning].
Gained 1 EXP.
3/100 until skill acquisition.
◇
◇
You have trained in [Cleaning].
Gained 1 EXP.
4/100 until skill acquisition.
◇
It had ticked up several times in just a matter of minutes.
"...Intent and knowledge. I previously figured those were the key factors behind this special skill, and it's starting to look like I was right on the mark."
Intent meant actively aiming to acquire the skill, just as I was doing now.
Knowledge was how deeply one understood the craft.
In this case, I had spent years cleaning.
Because I already possessed the knowledge, the EXP was piling up in no time.
"There are some dishes sitting here too. Might as well knock these out quickly before heading to the workshop."
Returning to the kitchen, I glanced at the dishes stacked in the sink and decided to finish the job.
Applying soap to a sponge, I began washing the plates clean.
◇
You have trained in [Cleaning].
Gained 1 EXP.
5/100 until skill acquisition.
◇
And just like that, washing a mere handful of plates yielded more EXP.
"Knowledge really makes a massive difference..."
The EXP was accumulating at a rate that didn't even compare to [Swordsmanship] or [Physical Enhancement].
Staring at the screen, I resolved to study up beforehand whenever there was a skill I wanted in the future.
With the kitchen fully cleaned, I moved on to the next disaster zone: the workshop.
Inside, Marina-san was attempting to tidy the room by herself.
"Huh? You're done already?"
"All done. I left the trash bags with the broken dishes by the front door, so I'll drop them off at the disposal site on my way out."
When I brought Marina-san over to inspect the kitchen, the floor was scrubbed to a shine without a speck of debris in sight.
Even the dust tucked away in the corners had been thoroughly cleared away. The space was so pristine that nobody would ever guess it had been a disaster zone just moments ago.
"Uwah, I'm so glad you came, Erik-kun! If I were on my own, I wouldn't have even been able to make dinner today!"
Marina-san gushed with relief, and with that, I set to work on cleaning the workshop.