After that, we parted ways with Olivia-san and the others in front of the diner, and I headed to the Adventurer's Guild with Reina-san.
As the building came into view, I spotted Philia waiting out front.
"Good morning, Erik-kun! Huh, is Reina-san with you today?"
"Yeah. After training wrapped up, I went to eat with Master, Cain, and Reina-san."
"Wait, really?!...Must be nice."
When I told her we had just come from a meal, Philia gave me a flat, half-lidded stare.
"...Did you want to eat together, by any chance?"
"Well, aren't we party members? Lately it's been nothing but city requests, so we barely spend any time together..."
Hearing Philia say that, it struck me that even though we were in a party, we really hadn't seen much of each other lately.
"I didn't think about that. Want to go get lunch together tomorrow?"
"Yeah! That's a promise!"
"Hehe, you two really are close, aren't you?"
Watching our exchange, Reina-san gave a gentle smile.
After that, we stepped inside the building to accept our requests.
"Thanks to all our hard work the past few days, the pile has shrunk quite a bit, hasn't it?"
"It has. It's thanks to having other adventurers chip away at it little by little, but above all, it's because you and Philia-chan worked so hard. I'm truly grateful to both of you."
"We're just happy we could help the guild out. Besides, thanks to that, I was able to rank up to Bronze Rank as well."
As of yesterday, Philia had become a Bronze Rank adventurer, just like me.
Having completed several subjugation requests as a party and built up a solid track record through city requests, she had earned her promotion.
With the trust she had established with the guild, she had also successfully opened an account.
"The track record the two of you have built is head and shoulders above any other beginner. You've really pulled ahead while everyone else has been obsessed with the dungeon."
"Well, the other adventurers might be getting stronger in the meantime. We can't let our guard down either—we need to keep building up our achievements."
"You're right. With that said, Reina-san, we're in your care again today."
After saying our piece, we each accepted city requests in our respective fields of expertise and headed out of the guild.
Today, I took on cleaning jobs again.
Small tasks like tidying up houses or simply washing dishes.
The payouts didn't vary much, but I kept grinding through them one after another.
◇
Trained in [Cleaning].
Gained 1 EXP.
To next level: 100/100
◇
◇
Level increased.
To next level: 0/100
◇
Even at [Cleaning: Level 6], experience points continued to accumulate easily.
As a result, my level went up by the time I finished my third request.
With that, my cleaning efficiency improved even further.
Continuing to take on more jobs, I managed to complete eighteen today.
Philia had also pushed herself hard, finishing an impressive fifteen requests.
Between the two of us, we had cleared over thirty jobs.
"Aren't we kind of amazing?"
"We're definitely among the hardest workers around. Getting this much done in a single day... honestly, Philia, you're the truly amazing one. Managing that many helper jobs."
"Ehehe, there were a lot of easy ones today, to be fair."
With that, we called it a day and parted ways outside the Adventurer's Guild.
Back at the inn, I ate dinner and took a bath.
"I really gave it my all today, too..."
The morning training session had gone well, too.
My experience points for [Appraisal] had piled up considerably; I should be able to unlock the skill tomorrow or the day after.
"Once I get [Appraisal], I wonder what skill I should train next..."
I could focus on leveling up the skills I already had, or I could start training toward acquiring a new one.
"Then again, even if I think about new skills, I'm pretty satisfied with what I have right now."
Once I obtained [Appraisal], honestly, no other skill immediately stood out as something I desperately needed.
If pressed, the [Cooking] skill might come in handy for my life as an adventurer down the line.
"Hmm... I have no idea! No use racking my brain over it alone. I'll get [Appraisal] first, then talk it over with Olivia-san before deciding."
With that settled, I lay down on the bed and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, I woke up at my usual time and did my laundry.
As I was practicing my [Swordsmanship] in the backyard, Amanda-san came out.
"Good morning, Amanda-san."
"Good morning, Erik. Working hard on your training today as well, I see. Have you gotten a little more comfortable handling the blade?"
"Yes! Thanks to all the practice, I'm getting used to it."
I set down the wooden training sword and went over to help her with the laundry.
"Come to think of it, you've been taking city requests nonstop lately, haven't you? Rumors have even reached my ears, Erik. That nickname suits you down to the ground."
"Ugh, please don't bring that up..."
"Fufu, you might not like it, but it seems to have spread quite far, you know?"
"...I need to hurry up and hit a growth spurt."
Muttering to myself, I continued hanging up the clothes.
After finishing breakfast, I changed, left the inn, and headed toward the Adventurer's Guild.