Chapter 20

When I handed over the burlap bag I had bought to Teisha, she was quite hesitant to accept it. She firmly refused, saying it was something she had used for a long time, but I managed to persuade her to take it as a token of gratitude for letting me stay.

Before long, Ast and Rizathia also returned. They reported that the trap had been successfully set up. Apparently, they had each managed to hunt a hybrid pheasant with their families. The processing was already done, and it would be part of the evening meal. Teisha and Rizathia headed to the kitchen, looking quite pleased.

"18,000 wahl in one day. That's quite a profit."

I chatted with Ast until the meal was ready. From what I heard, the annual income for a farming family, excluding taxes, is about 1 million wahl. By this calculation, it would take about two months to earn that much. It seems like everyone should become adventurers.

"First, it's difficult to gather 20 bundles of Vaz grass in one day. Entering the forest is dangerous, so ordinary people avoid it. Even if adventurers explore the outskirts, they can barely find two bundles in a day."

That would make it hard to live on. Incidentally, it seems that even non-adventurers can take on 10th-grade jobs. In such cases, there is no tax deduction, but the adventurer guild will report to the government during tax collection. I thought there would be many odd jobs in the village, but it seems they serve as a lubricant for mutual aid when people have free time. Since it's still unclear whether my income will stabilize, I asked if I could stay until I reach 9th grade, and they agreed as they did yesterday. By the way, it seems that the young man will be away for about another month. Apparently, a hunter in Ruth Village was injured and can't move, so he is on a business trip. His name is Atten.

When the conversation settled down, the evening meal was ready. It was a bird meatball stew with yams, cabbage, and root vegetables, served with rye bread. Apparently, there is a bread-making guild, and they buy the bread from there.

"Wow, the meatballs are so fluffy and delicious. The aroma is amazing, and the meat juice is indescribable. You're a great cook."

"Thank you..."

Rizathia smiled shyly. Teisha continued with a grin.

"This girl didn't really like cooking. But she's been enthusiastic ever since Akihiro came."

We enjoyed the evening meal in a warm and friendly atmosphere. After a short break, we started preparing the game.

"Did you cut the bones?"

Ast muttered as soon as he saw the billhook he had used for the grave-like creature. Indeed, there was a small blade damage in the middle.

"If it's just this much, it can be sharpened. Leave the sharpening to me."

He brought out a bucket and a whetstone from the shed.

"Thank you for your trouble. I appreciate it."

I had sharpened knives before, but only by running them through an electric whetstone, so I honestly didn't know how to sharpen a blade. I thought about observing to learn for the future, but Ast stopped me.

"My sharpening technique is self-taught. If you want to learn properly, you should ask a blacksmith."

Since his hands were free, he attached another billhook to his staff. I had thought it would be just gathering, but considering today's situation, there is a high possibility of frequent battles in the future.

<Notice. The skills you have obtained will improve with practice.>

I want to check my current skills using 'Recognition' to set goals for improvement, but I don't have a mirror, which is a problem. I thought it might be possible with water, but it didn't work.

<Explanation. I will update part of the 'Recognition' skill. Please wait a moment.>

<... The update is complete. I will report the changes. The visual information interception function has been partially expanded.>

<The activation words are defined as 'Execute self-recognition' and 'Cancel self-recognition'.>

Mr. 'Scholar' easily solved the problem. He's too cool.

"Execute self-recognition"

As I whispered, a semi-transparent glass board floated about 50 cm in front of me.

◇Skill Information◇

'Scholar'

'Recognition'

'Acquisition'

'Stealth' 0.12

'Bravery' 0.20

'Common Language of the Fuar Continent (Conversation)' 0.12

'Common Language of the Fuar Continent (Reading)' 0.06

'Common Language of the Fuar Continent (Writing)' 0.01

'Spear Technique' 0.16

'Vigilance' 0.08

The current skills are listed on the board. Hmm. I wonder what happened to the knowledge I had before coming to this world.

<Explanation. Skills obtained in the past are masked data. The mask will be removed when the 'Acquisition' skill recognizes them.>

Ah. And 'Stealth' has improved a bit. I think it was 0.03 before.

<Explanation. During the battle with the goblin, you used the 'Stealth' skill.>

<The 'Stealth' skill improves when you hide and act while being recognized by a target with visual capabilities.>

So, hiding in the bushes and flanking the target improved 'Stealth'.

"Cancel self-recognition"

As I whispered, the semi-transparent glass board sank and disappeared. Hmm. Being able to see the results of my efforts is perfect for maintaining motivation.

For now, I'll just have to work hard on training.