Kazuma didn't have any skills, so he ended up starting with construction site labor.
Whether Aqua felt bad for him, or just wanted to work with someone she knew, I'm not sureābut like in the original, she started working with him.
I originally had no intention of working. But once I learned that you could gain abilities depending on conditions and actions, I decided to kill two birds with one stoneāearn money and get abilities.
A blacksmith shop was short on hands making weapons to send to the royal capital and was hiring short-term part-timers, so I started working there. It was hard work, so the pay was quite good.
I didn't just work. Every evening after work, I practiced swordsmanship and tried hard to control the mana that Enma forcibly absorbed, like Zoro did.
"Zoro just got Enma and went suck and controlled it, so why can't I?"
I tried to feel the sensation of mana being absorbed by Enma, but it wasn't working well.
After training, I went to the bathhouse. KonoSuba having facilities like this made life comfortable.
After bathing, I was heading to the inn when I saw Kazuma supporting a drunk Aqua as they walked toward the inn.
"Yo~ Kazuma."
"Oh, Tae-jin! Done with training for today?"
"Yeah, not much progress though... but if I keep at it, I'll get better."
"Uhehe~ It's Tae-jin, Tae-jin~!"
Aqua, being supported, lifted her head, recognized me, and called my name with a smile.
Then a weird smell of alcohol mixed with vomit wafted from Aqua's mouth.
"Ugh... the smell! No, how much did she drink?"
I held my nose and asked Kazuma.
"Well, you see, after work today we were eating and Aqua said let's have a drink, so we drank and ahahaha~"
"You can have a drink while working, but drink in moderation. It'll be hell working the next day."
I helped Kazuma carry Aqua and tossed her onto the bed. Then Aqua buried her face in the bed and immediately started snoring drrrrrr. Kazuma also seemed tired, because he lay down and fell asleep right away.
Then the same pattern continued for three days.
Unlike the original where they stayed in the stable, the three of us split the cost and shared one room at the inn. Aqua used the bed, and Kazuma and I laid thick straw on the floor next to the bed, covered it with a large cloth, and slept on that.
Of course, I could pay more and get separate rooms, but I didn't feel the need. And seeing how these two had no plans to save money for weapons and just drank, I figured it'd be a long time before they got their act together. Even if it was uncomfortable, I decided to just live with it.
The reason I'm not going independent and staying like this is because of Verdia. In the original, the reward for subjugating the Demon King's general gets blown on repairs because Aqua's magic collapses the town wall, but I plan to prevent that. And I really want to get Verdia's Death Sentence.
With my current ability, it's impossible to take him down alone, so I plan to coordinate with Kazuma and the others and aim for the last hit.
On the fourth day of work, the weapons for the royal capital were all finished.
"Hey, don't you want to keep working here? I'll pay you generously!"
"Thank you for the offer, but I dream of being an adventurer."
"I see... too bad, can't be helped. Here's today's pay. You helped us finish ahead of schedule, so I added a little extra."
At first, I worked with just Strength and Stamina, but after getting the [(F) Blacksmith] ability, my work efficiency started to rise. By day three, it ranked up from F to E, and I could do most of the work in the smithy. I also got [(F) Flame Resistance] as a bonus.
I must have looked good to the workshop since I worked hard to gain abilities.
"Thank you for everything. If I need equipment made next time, I'll be sure to ask you."
"Please leave it to us! I'll put extra care into making it! I wish you luck. Stay safe~"
I left the smithy and opened the pouch with my pay. It had double the promised amount. Feeling acknowledged and rewarded in a way I never did in the modern world felt great.
Now that I was off work, I kept trying to solve the swordsmanship and Enma problem, but there was no progress. So I went to the Adventurer's Guild and asked receptionist Luna if there was anywhere I could learn swordsmanship.
Luna thought for a moment and said there was a retired adventurer with the Samurai class living on the outskirts of Axel. I went to him, paid, and started learning swordsmanship and skills.
The abilities I gained there were:
[(D) Swordsmanship]
Your understanding of swordsmanship increases.
[(D) Kingdom Samurai Sword Style]
A samurai sword style created by an otherworlder and refined by the kingdom.
[(C) Iai]
Gather mana in the scabbard and draw quickly to slash the enemy.
[(D) Flash Step]
Instantly move as fast as the wind.
[(C) Wind Moon Slash]
Infuse mana and wind into the sword and launch it at the enemy.
I spent 500 points here to raise Swordsmanship from D to C, and kept training. Finally, I became able to handle Enma.
Ding~!
[[(C) Mana Efficiency] has been acquired.]
Mana used for abilities and such is reduced by 10%.
"Wow! Nice~"
"What's nice?"
I was so happy I forgot my retired sword master was right there with me.
"Ahaha, well, you know..."
"Hmm... Anyway, you've learned all the skills, and you've gotten the hang of Samurai swordsmanship to some extent. Go to the guild, take a quest, and apply what you've learned in real combat. Nothing improves skill faster than real combat."
"Understood."
"Don't overdo it, and if you're lacking anything, come ask me."
It took 7 days to get here. Others might say, 'How do you learn and master swordsmanship in just 7 days?' but in the KonoSuba world, you can learn a skill just by looking at it and stamping it on your adventurer card, so it didn't take much effort. Of course, utilizing it depends on your own effort.
I immediately went to the guild, took a Giant Toad subjugation quest, and went out to the plains where Giant Toads live, outside town.
Looking around the plains, truck-sized frogs were hopping around making thud, thud sounds. One of them spotted me and came over, opened its mouth, and shot its tongue at me. I dodged it easily with Flash Step and fired a Wind Moon Slash. The Giant Toad was cut in half instantly.
"Ugh... this is kinda gross."
A giant frog split in half with its guts spilling out was pretty grotesque.
"I'll put your meat to good use. Hope you're reborn in a better world~"
I gave a short prayer and resumed hunting.
The quest was for 5, but I had plenty of time left and using skills was fun, so after killing about 30, the sun was about to set and I headed back to the guild.
"You hunted 32 Giant Toads by yourself? That's amazing!"
Receptionist Luna checked my adventurer card and was amazed.
And for good reasonāGiant Toads are huge, but their slippery skin and thick fat make blunt attacks ineffective, and their tongue attack is fast, so soloing them is hard. If I'd been given just a sword with no abilities, I'd have given up and let myself be eaten nicely.
"Quest completion confirmed. Great work."
Luna calculated my adventurer card and the eris and handed them to me.
"Then, for the Giant Toad purchase and quest completion reward, that's 260,000 eris. Please confirm~"
"Confirmed. Thank you."
I put the money I received into my inventory.
260,000 eris is 2.6 million won in Korean money. When I worked at the smithy, I got 15,000 eris a day, so I earned a bit more than half a month's salary in one day. Hunting quests definitely pay well.
Just then, the guild got noisy. I looked toward the noise and saw a party talking loudly to a young girl wearing a red short dress, black cloak, and wizard hat, holding a large staff. I wondered if she was being picked on, so I went closer to look. It seemed like it was the person I was thinking of, so I understood and just watched.
"Hey, what are you doing firing such a huge spell all of a sudden! Our party member almost got caught up and hurt!"
"Yeah, exactly! And who's going to take responsibility when you fire one spell in the middle of an important battle and then collapse!"
The party members each got a word in at the girl. Then the person who seemed to be the leader sighed and said quietly.
"Sorry, but we don't match, so you should look for another party."
The girl looked dejected, lowered her head, and slowly went to sit at a corner table. Then she shouted.
"I'll have one Toad set meal~~~!"
She wasn't normal either.