'Recognition' has been updated.

When I handed the worn-out bag I had bought to Teisha, she hesitated a lot. She firmly refused it at first, saying it was something already used, but I managed to make her accept it as a token of gratitude for letting me stay.

Soon after, Ast and Rizatia returned. They had successfully set up the traps without any issues. They also managed to hunt down some kind of hybrid pheasants, one each for the two of them. The prey was already processed and would be served as tonight's dinner. Teisha and Rizatia seemed happy as they headed towards the kitchen.

"18,000 Waruru in a day? That's quite the profit."

While waiting for dinner, I talked with Ast. From what he said, a farmer's family earns about 1 million Waruru annually, excluding taxes. At this rate, it would take around two months to earn that much. If that's the case, wouldn't everyone want to become adventurers?

"Collecting 20 bundles of Vaz grass in a day is already difficult. Entering the forest is dangerous, so ordinary people avoid it. Even if adventurers explore the outer regions, they can only find about two bundles a day at most."

That makes life tough. By the way, non-adventurers can also take on 10th-grade jobs. In that case, taxes are not deducted upfront, but during tax collection, the state is informed through the Adventurer's Guild. I thought there were many chores in the village, but it seems they serve as a lubricant for mutual aid among people with free time. For now, since income stability isn't certain yet, I asked if I could stay until I reach 9th grade. As before, they readily agreed. By the way, Rizatia's brother still has about a month left. It seems that the hunter of Luse Village is injured and unable to move, so he's on assignment during this period. His name is Atten.

As the conversation settled, dinner was ready. It was bird dumplings made with yam as binder, cabbage, root vegetables in soup, and rye bread. Apparently, there's a Bread Baker's Guild from which they purchase their bread.

"Hey, these dumplings are fluffy and delicious. The aroma aside, this meat juice is just amazing. You're a great cook."

"Thank you..."

Rizatia blushed and smiled shyly. Teisha continued with a grin.

"This girl didn't like cooking much before, but she's really into it now that Akihiro is here."

We enjoyed the dinner in a warm atmosphere. After a light break, we started preparing the prey.

"Did you break the bone?"

Ast looked at the axe-like tool used on the makeshift glaive and muttered. There was indeed a small nick in the middle of the blade.

"At this level, sharpening it should work. I'll take care of it."

He brought out a bucket and whetstone from the shed.

"I'm sorry for the trouble. Please do your best."

I had sharpened knives before, but only by running them through an electric grinder. Honestly, I don't know much about sharpening blades properly. I thought of observing for future reference, but Ast stopped me.

"My sharpening is self-taught. If you want to learn properly, it's better to ask a blacksmith."

Since I was free, I attached another axe to my staff. I had thought it would be just collecting, but considering today's situation, combat might become frequent in the future.

<Notice: Acquired skills improve through practice.>

For now, to confirm the level of skill mastery, I want to check my current skills using 'Recognition,' but there's no mirror. I thought of using water, but it didn't work.

<Solution: Updating part of the 'Recognition' skill. Please wait a moment.>
<...Rewrite completed. Processing report. Expanded visual information interception function.>
<Defined activation words: "Execute self-recognition" and "Disable self-recognition.">

Sage sensei solves it so easily. He's way too cool.

"Execute self-recognition."

As I muttered softly, a semi-transparent glass panel floated about 50 cm in front of me.

\◇Skill Information\◇
'Sage'
'Recognition'
'Acquisition'
'Stealth' 0.12
'Valorous' 0.20
'Fua Continent Common Language (Conversation)' 0.12
'Fua Continent Common Language (Reading)' 0.06
'Fua Continent Common Language (Writing)' 0.01
'Spear Technique' 0.16
'Vigilance' 0.08

The panel listed my current skills. Hmm, what happened to the knowledge I had before coming to this world?

<Solution: Skills acquired in the past are masked data. The mask will be removed when 'Acquisition' recognizes them.>

Oh. Also, 'Stealth' has increased a bit. I thought it was 0.03.

<Solution: During the recent battle against the goblins, you used the 'Stealth' skill.>
<Skill 'Stealth' improves by hiding your appearance and taking action while recognizing visually capable targets.>

Hiding in the bushes and attacking from behind must be why 'Stealth' improved.

"Disable self-recognition."

As I muttered softly, the semi-transparent glass panel sank and disappeared. Hmmm. Being able to see the results of one's efforts is perfect for maintaining motivation.

For now, I'll work hard on training.