Since Kazuma had no skills, he eventually started doing manual labor at a construction site. Aqua started working alongside him too, whether because she felt sorry for him or because she wanted to work with someone she knew, I had no idea.
I had not originally intended to work, but once I learned that I could acquire abilities depending on my circumstances and actions, I began working at a blacksmith shop that was looking for short-term help. They were short-handed because they had to make weapons to send to the royal capital. I could earn money while gaining abilities, and perhaps because it was hard work, the pay was quite good.
I did not just work, though. Every evening after work, I practiced swordsmanship and tried to control the mana that Enma forcibly absorbed, just like Zoro did.
"Zoro just went, 'Hup,' the moment he got Enma and managed it. Why can’t I?"
I tried to sense the mana being absorbed by Enma, but it was not going well.
After training, I took a bath at the bathhouse. Konosuba was a nice place to live because it had facilities like this.
When I was heading back to the inn after my bath, I saw Kazuma supporting a thoroughly drunk Aqua as they headed there.
"Hey, Kazuma."
"Oh, Tae-jin! Finished training for the day?"
"Yeah. I didn’t get much out of it, but... it’ll get better if I keep at it."
"Hehehe~ It’s Tae-jin, Tae-jin~!"
Aqua, who had been leaning on Kazuma, raised her head. Recognizing me, she smiled and called my name.
Then a strange stench of alcohol mixed with vomit wafted from Aqua’s mouth.
"Ugh... the smell! No, how much did she drink?"
Holding my nose, I asked Kazuma.
"Well, you see, after work today, we were eating, and Aqua suggested we have a drink, so we started drinking, and ahahaha~"
"Having a drink after work is one thing, but keep it moderate from now on. It’ll make working the next day incredibly hard."
Kazuma and I supported Aqua together and tossed her onto the bed. She buried her face in it and immediately fell asleep, making snore, snore sounds. Kazuma must have been tired too, because he fell asleep the moment he lay down.
And then the same routine continued for three days.
Unlike in the original story, we were not staying in a stable. The three of us split the cost and shared one room at an inn. Aqua used the bed, while Kazuma and I laid down thick bundles of straw on the floor beside it, covered them with a broad sheet, and slept on top.
Of course, I could pay extra and get separate rooms, but I did not see any reason to. Seeing these two drink instead of trying to save up for weapons, I figured it would take them a long while to get their acts together. So, inconvenient as it was, I decided to keep living like this.
The reason I was not moving out on my own was Verdia. In the original story, all the reward money for defeating a Demon King general was blown on repairing the village wall after it collapsed due to Aqua’s magic. I planned to prevent that, and I absolutely wanted to obtain Verdia’s [Death Sentence].
At my current level, taking him down alone would be too much, so I planned to coordinate with Kazuma’s group and go for the finishing blow.
On my fourth day of work, all the weapons meant for the royal capital were completed.
"Would you consider continuing to work here? I’ll make sure your pay is generous!"
"I appreciate the offer, but my dream is to become an adventurer."
"I see... That is unfortunate, but it cannot be helped. Here is today’s pay. Thanks to you, we finished the work ahead of schedule, so I added a little extra."
At first, I had relied on raw strength and stamina, but after acquiring [Blacksmith], my work efficiency began to improve. On my third day, it rose from F-rank to E-rank, and I could handle most of the jobs at the blacksmith shop. As a bonus, I also gained [Fire Resistance].
I must have made a good impression on the workshop by working so diligently to gain abilities.
"Thank you for everything. If I need equipment made in the future, I’ll be counting on you."
"Be sure to leave it to us! I’ll personally make sure it is done right! Good luck, and take care of yourself~"
Once I left the blacksmith shop and opened the pouch containing my pay, I found twice the amount we had agreed upon. It felt good to receive the kind of warmth and reward I had never felt in modern times.
After that, I took a break from work and kept trying to solve the problem with my swordsmanship and Enma. But when I made no progress, I went to the Adventurers Guild and asked Luna, the receptionist, whether there was anywhere I could learn swordsmanship.
After thinking for a moment, Luna told me that a retired adventurer with the Samurai class lived on the outskirts of Axel. I sought him out, paid him, and began learning swordsmanship, skills, and more.
The abilities I gained there were as follows.
[(D) Swordsmanship]
Your understanding of swordsmanship increases.
[(D) Kingdom Samurai Swordsmanship]
A samurai swordsmanship style created by an otherworlder and refined in the kingdom.
[(C) Iaijutsu]
Gather mana in the scabbard, swiftly draw your sword, and cut down the enemy.
[(D) Flash Step]
Move as swiftly as the wind in an instant.
[(C) Wind Moon Slash]
Infuse your sword with mana and wind, then launch it at the enemy.
After spending 500 points to raise [Swordsmanship] from D-rank to C-rank and continuing my sword training, I was finally able to handle Enma.
Ding~!
You have acquired [(C) Mana Efficiency].
Mana consumed by abilities and other effects is reduced by 10%.
"Wow! That’s great~"
"What exactly is so great?"
I was so happy that I had forgotten I was with my retired swordsmanship instructor.
"Ahaha, well, you see..."
"Hmm... In any case, you have learned all the skills I can teach you, and you have mastered samurai swordsmanship to a certain extent. Go to the guild, take on requests, and put what you have learned to use in real combat. There is no faster way to improve than actual combat."
"Understood."
"Do not push yourself too hard. If there is anything you lack, come and ask me."
It took seven days to get this far. Other people might say, "How can you learn and master swordsmanship in only seven days?" But in the world of Konosuba, you could learn skills simply by seeing them and having them imprinted on your adventurer card, so it did not require all that much effort. Of course, how well you used them depended on your own effort.
I immediately went to the guild, accepted a Giant Toad extermination request, and headed out to the plains outside the village, where Giant Toads lived.
Looking around the plains, I saw frogs the size of trucks hopping about with thud, thud sounds. One of them must have spotted me, because it approached, opened its mouth, and lashed out its tongue. But I easily dodged with [Flash Step] and launched a [Wind Moon Slash], splitting the Giant Toad in half in an instant.
"Ugh... This is hard to look at."
The huge frog had been cut in half and spilled all its innards, making for a rather grotesque sight.
"We’ll make good use of your meat. May you be reborn into a better world next time~"
After offering a brief prayer for its soul, I resumed hunting.
The request only called for five, but I still had plenty of time and was enjoying using my skills. After killing around thirty, the sun looked like it was about to set, so I returned to the guild.
"You defeated thirty-two Giant Toads all by yourself? That is incredible!"
Luna, the receptionist, checked my adventurer card and looked astonished.
It made sense. Giant Toads were enormous, but their slippery skin and thick fat also made blunt attacks ineffective. Their tongue strikes were fast, so they were difficult to defeat alone. Before acquiring my abilities, if someone had handed me nothing but a sword and told me to kill one, I would have been confident in giving up and letting it eat me nicely.
"Your request completion has been confirmed. Good work."
Luna calculated the Eris based on my adventurer card and handed it to me.
"The purchase price for the Giant Toads and the reward for completing the request come to 260,000 Eris. Please confirm it~"
"Confirmed. Thank you."
I put the money I received into my inventory.
260,000 Eris was 2.6 million won in Korean currency. I had received 15,000 Eris a day while working at the blacksmith shop, but I had earned more than fifteen days’ worth of wages in a single day. Taking requests and hunting definitely paid well.
Just then, the guild became noisy. When I looked toward the commotion, I saw a party loudly saying something to a young girl wearing a short red dress, a black cape, a wizard’s hat, and carrying a large staff. Thinking someone might be picking a fight with her, I went closer to take a better look. Then I realized she was probably who I thought she was, understood the situation, and simply watched.
"Hey, what were you thinking, suddenly firing off such a huge spell?! One of our party members nearly got caught up in it and hurt!"
"That’s right! And what are we supposed to do if you fire one spell in the middle of an important battle and then collapse? Who is going to take responsibility for that?!"
The party members each hurled a complaint at the girl. Then the one who appeared to be the leader sighed and quietly spoke.
"I’m sorry, but you do not fit with us. You should probably look for another party."
Looking dejected, the girl lowered her head and slowly walked over to sit at a table in the corner. Then she shouted,
"One Toad Set Meal over here~~~!"
She was not exactly normal either.
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