The job I was granted at fifteen was [Farmer]. It was the ideal job for agricultural work, and apparently, it was the most highly sought-after role in farming villages. However, I lived in a fishing village. It was a complete mismatch.

When my mother learned my job was [Farmer], her expression darkened. My father simply patted me on the shoulder and offered a few words of comfort.

"Walt. You can change jobs once three months have passed. I’m sure you’ll get [Fisherman] next time, so don't take it so hard."

I wasn't particularly depressed, but it was a fact that I’d failed to meet my parents' expectations. I had no choice but to change jobs.

I was the eldest son. I had a younger brother close to me in age, but I was the one destined to inherit the family business. That meant I had to be granted the [Fisherman] job, no matter what.

According to my father, a job change could be performed by a priest of the Karia Church. It cost money, of course, but he assured me it wasn't an exorbitant amount.

For the next three months, I helped out with the household chores while experiencing the [Farmer] job to its fullest. It turned out I had a high aptitude for it, and I picked up various skills in no time.

My favorite was [Hoe Arts]. With a hoe in hand, I could till even the hardest earth with ease, and I never felt the slightest bit of fatigue. I finally understood why [Farmers] were so prized in agricultural communities.

In addition to [Hoe Arts], I learned [Prayer of Abundance], [Soil Improvement], and [Harvesting Arts]. Naturally, every single one of them was utterly useless for our family’s fishing business.

Most people bragged to their neighbors once they mastered a skill, but doing so would only have disappointed my parents further. They would have worried that I intended to live my life as a [Farmer].

So, for those three months, I kept my progress to myself and enjoyed the effects of my skills in private. I had heard that once you changed jobs, you "completely forgot" everything you’d learned in your previous one. I spent my days soaking up [Hoe Arts], [Prayer of Abundance], [Soil Improvement], and [Harvesting Arts] as much as I could—almost as if I were saying a long, lingering goodbye to them.

Finally, three months later.

I visited the priest of the Karia Church during his visit to the village and requested a job change. The priest gave a short "Very well," placed his hand on my forehead, and chanted an incantation.

In an instant, my head felt strangely light, and then something new descended upon me. Intuition told me I had been granted a new job.

The priest pulled a piece of paper from his robes and scribbled something down while glancing at my face. When he handed it to me, I saw the words: "Farmer → Hunter." It was a record of my job history.

"Does this mean my job is... [Hunter]?"

"It does."

The priest's declaration was cold and clinical. I couldn't blame the man, though. He was simply reading aloud the job that God Karia had seen fit to grant me.

Crushed, I left the priest and walked down to the shore. Several fishing boats were lined up out at sea. One of them was likely my father's.

My father was considered the best fisherman in the village, and he naturally held the [Fisherman] job. Yet here I was, stuck with [Hunter]. I might be able to shoot a fish with an arrow, but I’d never be a match for a real [Fisherman].

I’d just have to change jobs again. Until then, I decided I might as well make the most of being a [Hunter]. With that mental shift, I settled in for another three months.

Shortly after becoming a [Hunter], I noticed something bizarre. I hadn't forgotten the skills from my previous job—the ones I was supposed to lose the moment I switched.

I could still use [Hoe Arts], [Prayer of Abundance], [Soil Improvement], and [Harvesting Arts] perfectly. Even though my current job was [Hunter], my [Farmer] skills remained.

Furthermore, my aptitude for being a [Hunter] seemed to be just as high. While playing around with a bow I’d fashioned from a branch, I easily mastered [Sure-hit], which ensured my arrows never missed; [Hawk Eye], which let me spot distant prey; and [Stealth Arts], which allowed me to mask my presence entirely.

However, none of these were particularly useful for a fisherman. I didn't feel like bragging about them, either.

Beyond that, I had no idea how people would treat me if they found out I could still use skills from a previous job. In this world, complications involving jobs and skills could easily ruin a person's life.

In our village, there lived an old man known as "Jobless Eric."

Most people were granted a job by God Karia at fifteen, but Old Man Eric never received one. Branded as a man forsaken by the gods, he was shunned by the villagers and lived all alone on the outskirts of town.

If people found out I was retaining skills against the natural order, what would they do to me? I might be condemned as a heretic who defied divine providence. No, there was no doubt about it—I definitely would be.

That was a far more terrifying prospect than failing to become a [Fisherman]. I had to keep my ability to use past skills an absolute secret.

Talking about skills at all was a risk I couldn't take. I never knew when I might slip up.

So, while I enjoyed the perks of being a [Hunter], I spent the next three months being very, very careful.

Three months later.

I stood before the priest once again. The job change was finished, and I waited for him to update my record.

"Here."

"Thank you."

I took the paper. It now read: "Farmer → Hunter → Merchant."

"My job is... [Merchant]?"

"Correct."

I’d failed to get [Fisherman] again. And a [Merchant] of all things? I felt like I was drifting further and further away from the sea. This time, I was truly discouraged.

The priest placed a light hand on my slumped shoulder and said, "See you in three months," before walking away.

"Right. Time to pull myself together."

There was no point in moping. All I could do was give it my all as a [Merchant] for three months and then try again.

And so, I became our fishing village’s one and only [Merchant] for a short while.

On my eighteenth birthday.

I was undergoing my twelfth job change. The priest of the Karia Church looked at me with an expression that clearly said, You again?

I couldn't blame him. He was probably fed up with me and my endless stream of job change applications. But I had to get the [Fisherman] job to take over the family business. I couldn't give up until I succeeded.

The priest said a curt "Now then," placed his hand on my forehead, and recited the incantation.

My head felt light, and something new settled into my mind. I was well-versed in the sensation by now.

The priest pulled out the paper and began scribbling my history. Since I’d changed jobs so many times, it looked like quite a chore for him.

"Phew... Here you go."

I took the record from him. The job written at the very bottom was...

"A [Swordsman]...?"

"So it would seem," the priest replied, his voice devoid of emotion.

The strength drained from my limbs. I stumbled away from the priest, my head spinning. Failed again. When would I ever be allowed to be a [Fisherman]?

My heart gave a painful, tight squeeze at the thought of having to report this to my parents.

Dragging my feet, I headed home. I took several deep breaths before pushing open the front door. The hinges, rusted by the salty sea breeze, let out a piercing groan.

My parents were standing right there inside. It was as if they had been lying in wait for me.

"How was it?" my father asked bluntly. My mother simply held her breath.

"I was granted [Swordsman]."

"I see."

Both of them looked down at the floor.

"Next time, I'll definitely get [Fisherman]—"

"That’s enough. Your younger brother will inherit the business."

"Wait, but..."

"Walt, that's enough," my father said. "Your brother Rick was granted [Fisherman] when he was fifteen. I was the same. Those with the aptitude for the sea get the job on their first try. It’s a shame, but you simply don't have what it takes to be a [Fisherman]."

I knew. Deep down, I’d known for a long time.

"Then... what should I do?"

"You were granted [Swordsman]. You could try for the knight order, or even become an adventurer. It's your life now. Think for yourself."

"I... I understand."

The following day, I left the village. My father gave me a small pouch as a parting gift; it contained only a meager amount of coin. I couldn't bring myself to look Rick in the eye before I left.

======================

❖━━━━━❖ ✨New Publication Info✨ ❖━━━━━❖

"The Bottom-Tier Adventurer Devoted to Fandom Activities, Alarming the Powerhouses by Presenting Rare Materials Every Time" Release Date: January 5th from KADOKAWA Dragon Novels! Illustrations by: Natasha-sama! The heroine, Elulu, is absolutely adorable! I really want to keep this series going, so please check it out! For physical books, the initial sales numbers are everything!

↓↓↓↓↓ Link ↓↓↓↓↓ https://kakuyomu.jp/publication/entry/9784040762586