Chapter 37: A Disturbance 1
The morning after eating with Reina, I woke before the morning bell.
“Mmm, I slept well. I didn’t see any slimes at all yesterday in the end…”
I’d decided to continue leveling up in moderation.
With that in mind, I’d intended to focus on hunting slimes yesterday.
However, perhaps because I’d hunted too many recently, they were difficult to find.
As a result, my level EXP hadn’t increased much.
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Monster defeated.
1 EXP acquired.
EXP until next level: 41/100.
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[Swordsmanship] training completed.
1 EXP acquired.
EXP until next level: 12/100.
◇
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[Appraisal] training completed.
1 EXP acquired.
EXP until skill acquisition: 3/100.
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[Body Enhancement] training completed.
1 EXP acquired.
EXP until next level: 21/100.
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Strength training completed.
1 EXP acquired.
EXP until attribute increase: 4/100.
◇
Those were my present EXP values.
I couldn’t find any isolated slimes, so I spent more time training.
My [Swordsmanship] EXP had gradually begun accumulating at a comfortable pace.
[Body Enhancement] had increased well, probably because I’d used it while traveling.
I’d used it deliberately as part of my training, and it had risen before I knew it.
I briefly tested [Appraisal] again. As expected, my understanding of the skill was poor, and gaining one EXP took ten minutes.
After that, I gained another one in about two minutes but didn’t continue any further.
“As for Strength, it rose when I consciously focused on it while exercising. But perhaps I need a better understanding of the body, because the time required to gain EXP varied widely.”
Those were yesterday’s results.
For my morning training, I selected [Swordsmanship].
After doing my laundry, I returned to my room, took my wooden practice sword, and went into the backyard.
“Good morning, Amanda!”
“My, you noticed me before I could say anything today. Good morning.”
I noticed Amanda entering the backyard before she spoke.
The reason was the necklace hanging from my neck.
“It’s thanks to this. It’s the magical tool Cain gave me. I knew you were coming.”
The magical tool I’d received from Cain had proven incredibly easy to use in practice yesterday.
Its detection range was reasonably large, and it made finding isolated creatures easier.
Unfortunately, there hadn’t been any isolated slimes, so I hadn’t managed to level up.
Afterward, Amanda and I washed the laundry together.
Breakfast was delicious again today.
“Good morning, Reina.”
“Good morning, Erik.”
After reaching the guild, I waited in line at Reina’s counter.
Only a few people were ahead of me, so my turn came quickly.
She showed me the request forms as usual.
“…There seem to be fewer today.”
“For several days now, the ecology of the monsters around the royal capital seems to have been changing slightly. I only learned this morning. I had wondered why so many city requests were being accepted over the past several days.”
Apparently, many adventurers had recently become unable to earn money outside.
As a result, they’d turned to requests within the city, leaving fewer available.
“I wonder what happened.”
“There may be a powerful individual somewhere nearby, so the Adventurers’ Guild is investigating. Erik, please avoid leaving the capital if possible.”
“Understood. I’ll remain inside the city for a while.”
Following Reina’s warning, I selected a household-assistance request.
The reward didn’t appear unusual, and the details simply said to clean a room.
I went to the address on the form. It was an ordinary building, and I rang the bell.
The client appeared, and I told him I’d come from the Adventurers’ Guild.
The mess wasn’t severe. Once I began, I cleaned the place perfectly in about two hours.
“You saved me, Erik. I’ll ask for you again once it becomes dirty.”
The male client looked highly satisfied by the clean interior.
He signed my report, and this time there was no mention of an additional reward.
Relieved that I wouldn’t need to argue with a client after the request, I left immediately and returned to the Adventurers’ Guild.
“Welcome back, Erik. You finished quickly again.”
“Cleaning is my specialty.”
“…By the way, do you intend to accept another city request afterward?”
“I do. Training would be fine too, but if there’s something you’d like me to accept, I will.”
From Reina’s tone, I felt that she wanted to ask me something.
I told her I’d agree if it was a request from her.
“Really? Then I’d like you to reorganize one of the guild’s warehouses.”
“The guild’s warehouse? Um, isn’t that something the employees should do rather than an adventurer like me…?”
“We’ve all been saying we’ll do it, but we can never seem to begin…”
The warehouse was probably in an awful condition.
I could tell from Reina’s expression.
I told her I’d accept the request.