I Will Be Unrivaled With The Skill [Sewing]! They Said It Was A Bad Skill, But With Effort, I will Make It A Hit~ - Chapter 4

Episode 4: Useless Skill

One can only register as an adventurer after acquiring a skill.

Most children register on the same day they receive their skill.

It is rare for a child to register the following evening.

Seneca and Lucius, having frequently hunted beasts and gathered medicinal herbs in the nearby forest, had a few acquaintances in the guild.

However, upon looking around the reception desk, she found no familiar faces today and decided to line up at an open counter.

When Seneca’s turn came, she proceeded with the adventurer registration.

She wrote “Sewing” under the skills section, but since some people register merely to have an identification card, no one commented on it. She then registered her magic power into the adventurer card.

Seneca became a bronze rank adventurer, the rank for apprentices.

With some accomplishments, one could advance to iron rank.

Those who reached copper rank were considered full-fledged adventurers, with an improved standard of living.

Silver rank was a mark of excellence. In most towns, there were only a handful of silver-rank adventurers, and they often became minor celebrities.

As for gold rank or higher, they were rare to encounter. One might meet them in a large city, but otherwise, they could only be seen in emergencies or by sheer chance.

“Yo, Seneca, isn’t it?”

As Seneca left the adventurer’s guild, Nort from the orphanage approached her.

Nort had brought along Pike and Mitz. It was the usual trio.

“Hey, you’ve got a useless skill like ‘Sewing,’ and you’re still planning to become an adventurer?”

“I am. Nort, you became one too, right?”

“Yeah, I got the skill ‘Swordsmanship.’ Pike got ‘Short Spear Technique,’ and Mitz got ‘Water Magic.’”

Seneca thought their skills were remarkably well-balanced.

“So, everyone got proper adventurer skills, huh?”

“That’s right, unlike you. How about it, Seneca? We’d let you join our party if you wanted. With a useless skill, it’s going to be tough finding a party, right?”

Nort puffed out his chest as he spoke.

“No, I’m fine. I’m stronger than you guys, after all.”

Seneca said it as if it were a simple fact.

Nort turned red with anger.

“Now that we’ve got skills, we’re stronger. We’ll surpass you in no time!”

Seneca took that as a challenge.

Though she looked like a beautiful girl, Seneca was an incredibly headstrong person.

“Then I’ll test your strength. Let’s head back to the orphanage.”

“Fine. Let’s do this.”

Seneca smiled confidently, her expression radiant.

Even in his frustration, Nort couldn’t help but be momentarily captivated by her smile.

Back at the orphanage, they headed to the garden.

When fighting anyone other than Lucius, Seneca used a carved wooden sword from the orphanage.

It barely resembled a sword anymore, more like a stick.

This was the perfect tool for Seneca, the stick-wielding expert.

Mitz, known for his fairness, acted as the referee.

Seneca and Nort faced each other, ready to fight.

“Start!”

Mitz’s voice rang out.

Nort charged at Seneca with a downward slash.

Seneca tried to parry it as usual, but Nort’s strike was sharper than she had expected.

She stepped back, dodging the attack.

Nort’s wooden sword cut through empty air.

Seneca quickly regained her stance, ready to counter, but Nort followed up with a second strike.

While the attack wasn’t particularly threatening to Seneca, she was surprised—Nort had never been this aggressive before.

Stepping in closer instead of retreating, Seneca aimed at the base of Nort’s wooden sword, striking it with full force.

The impact knocked Nort’s sword off course, deflecting it cleanly.

Both Nort and Seneca stepped back, putting some distance between them.

“How’s my sword, Seneca?”

Seneca didn’t respond, but she found Nort’s smug expression irritating.
Still, it was undeniable that he had grown stronger.

Seneca refocused her mind.
She adjusted her posture, keeping her body taut yet relaxed.
She read Nort’s breathing, waiting for an opening.
The moment he exhaled fully, she stepped forward with force.

In an instant, the distance between them vanished.
To Nort, it seemed as though Seneca’s sword extended directly toward him.
Instinctively, he raised his arm, freezing in place.

Seneca quickly sidestepped, moving to Nort’s flank and pointing her wooden sword at his neck.

“That’s enough!”
Mitz’s voice rang out.

“Damn it!”
Nort threw his wooden sword to the ground in frustration.

Seneca’s heart was pounding.
She had managed to time her attack well, but if the fight had turned into a chaotic melee, things might have gone differently.
Nort’s strikes were powerful, and a moment of carelessness could have cost her the match.

Nort stomped his feet in anger.
“What’s the point of getting a sword skill if I lose to a useless skill like yours!”

Hearing Nort repeatedly call her skill “useless” made Seneca’s blood boil.
Her hand instinctively moved toward the wooden sword she had just sheathed.

But before she could act, Pike, who rarely stood out, stepped forward.

“Nort, there are plenty of people with skills that aren’t suited for adventuring. If you keep talking like that, you’re going to make enemies with a lot of people.”

His words were calm and measured, and both Nort and Seneca found themselves agreeing.
However, hearing such a blunt statement—”not suited for adventuring”—stung Seneca a little.

“Fine, whatever!”
Nort spat his words out bitterly.

Seneca, her earlier frustration defused by Pike’s intervention, decided to mutter her thoughts and head back to the common room.

“Nort, you’ve gotten stronger.”

Unconsciously, Seneca smiled as she said it.

The three boys, momentarily blinded by her radiant smile, stood rooted in place, staring at the spot where she had been long after she had left.

As Seneca returned to her room, her thoughts churned.

It was true that she’d felt flustered during the fight, but now that she understood their abilities, she felt confident that she wouldn’t lose to Nort no matter how many times they faced each other.
The gap in their strength was that significant.

However, it was also true that Nort had grown considerably stronger after acquiring his skill.

Seneca realized she had been arrogant.

She was now the one being chased.
If she let her guard down, it wouldn’t take long for Nort to catch up to her.
And it wasn’t just Nort—both Mitz and Pike had gained useful skills.

Perhaps the difference she had felt between herself and the others wasn’t as great as she had thought.

A pang of doubt struck her.  ‘Maybe her skill really was a “useless” one.’

For a moment, that thought saddened her.

But what Seneca failed to realize at that moment was this.
Just as Nort’s skill allowed him to grow stronger, Seneca’s skill held the potential to grow even more—and perhaps far beyond anyone’s expectations.