My 'Trash Skill' Called Observer's Eye Could Actually See Everything - Trash Skill, Here I Come—The Boy with the Banished Observer's Eye

[[Skill Manifestation: <<Observer's Eye>>]] [[Rank Evaluation: E (Lowest)]] [[Notes: No combat aptitude]] "…What?" That was the moment Kusano Kei's life fell apart. ────── The town of Callen. A mid-sized settlement with a population of eight thousand. Situated at the western edge of the Talvo Great Forest, the town thrived on goods from farming villages and commerce catering to adventurers. Beyond the south gate, the forest's scent drifted in. Head north and you'd find a marketplace where silver and copper coins exchanged hands. The Valtheim Adventurer's Guild Callen Branch was a three-story stone building facing the central plaza. The first-floor bulletin board was plastered with request notices, and veteran adventurers lounged at the back counter, chatting while smoking tobacco. In the guild's main hall, about twenty fifteen-year-olds had gathered. A staff member in the guild's uniform—a woman in her forties with a slightly tired face—began explaining in a matter-of-fact tone. "I will explain the Skill Blessing system once more." The hall fell silent. Everyone wore serious expressions. Of course they did. Today only came once in a lifetime. "When you reach adulthood at fifteen and touch the Valtheim Guild's appraisal stone, a skill manifests—only once in your entire life." The appraisal stone—a fist-sized blue ore—sat on a platform at the front. Mined from the Verno Mountain Range, it was supposedly absurdly rare. Each one was worth over five hundred gold coins. It had been used this way ever since its discovery roughly four hundred years ago. "The type of skill you receive determines your talent. Your profession. Your way of life. Think of it this way: a skill decides your entire future." Kei listened from the edge of the hall, somewhat detached. He was one hundred seventy centimeters tall, with a slender build—or rather, just ordinarily thin. Black short hair, a bit of stubble. White shirt, black slacks. Deep brown eyes held a quiet light behind his glasses. Nothing about his appearance stood out. He'd never tried to stand out. Since childhood, he'd grown accustomed to living quietly, unnoticed in crowds. He'd lost both parents in an accident at age seven. Taken in by relatives in the village, he'd been raised to be unobtrusive, to erase his presence. So whenever he found himself in a crowd like this, he naturally drifted to the edges. The boy next to him whispered excitedly. "I'm definitely getting a sword-type skill. I saw it in a dream." Kei didn't particularly respond. He was good at fake smiles, but not at empty replies. The appraisal began. When the first person touched the appraisal stone, a pale blue light burst out. "<<Sword Aptitude: Superior>>!" The hall erupted. The person beamed, high-fiving their friends. Next person. "<<Flame Magic>>!" More cheers. "<<Recovery Arts: Intermediate>>!" "<<Terrain Sense>>!" "<<Strength Enhancement>>!" With each person and each burst of light, laughter and envious voices filled the hall. Those who drew combat-viable skills—sword aptitude, magic, recovery—glowed with joy. The one who drew terrain sense looked slightly disappointed, but still received applause. (Well, whatever.) Kei thought this while waiting his turn. He'd never really thought about skills. Or rather, he'd deliberately avoided thinking about them. It was better not to expect anything than to expect and be disappointed. That was how Kei lived. "Next, Kusano Kei." He was called. Kei quietly stepped forward and grasped the appraisal stone on the platform with both hands. It was cool. Heavier than he'd expected. A faint light flickered. The pale blue glow was slightly duller than the others'. It flickered—flicker, flicker—and then faded. The staff member's expression became awkward. "…<<Observer's Eye>>." Silence. The hall went completely quiet for a moment. Then— "Pfft." One of the veteran adventurers burst out laughing. A man in his thirties lounging at the back counter with a cigarette. "What's that? Can you even fight with it?" "Observer's Eye? Oh man, that's a trash skill." "You're perfect for carrying luggage!" Roaring laughter. Some of the young people in the hall giggled. Others looked away uncomfortably. The boy who'd said "I'm definitely getting a sword-type skill" deliberately averted his gaze. Kei's mind went completely white. But he raised the corners of his mouth. He was better than anyone at fake smiling. He'd lived that way his whole life. ────── Three years passed. Kei was eighteen now. Every morning, he arrived first at the Valtheim Adventurer's Guild Callen Branch and polished the first-floor. Mopping, picking up trash, organizing the bulletin board. He carried equipment for returning veteran adventurers, managed warehouse inventory, and closed up without a single word of thanks before heading home. That was Kei's three years. He'd applied to join a party seventeen times. "We don't need the Observer's Eye guy." That answer came seventeen times. He'd submitted rank-up exam applications five times. "Registrants with non-combat skills are ineligible for participation." That answer came five times. One morning, while Kei was organizing warehouse inventory, a scrap of paper fell to the floor. Thinking it was trash someone had dropped, he picked it up—and found it was a request form. The content was a standard material collection request. The reward column printed "15 silver coins." But below that, there was handwritten scrawl. "However, 9 coins already paid. Remaining 6 coins to Guild Master." ────── "…What?" Kei flipped the paper over. Then back again. (Wait, the math doesn't add up?) Nine plus six equals fifteen. The arithmetic checks out. But request rewards were supposed to be paid in full by the requester to the adventurer who completed it. The guild only took a commission on material sales, not on the request reward itself. "Remaining 6 coins to Guild Master"—what did that even mean? Kei tilted his head. …Well, it wasn't his problem anyway. He tossed the scrap into the trash and went back to mopping. At that moment, Kei didn't understand what that note meant. ────── It happened on an ordinary afternoon. While Kei was cleaning behind the counter on the first floor, a veteran staff member—a man in his fifties with graying hair—poked his head out. "Kusano, the Master is calling for you." That was all. Kei stopped mopping. (…The Master?) In three years, he'd never been directly summoned by Dolku Heizen. This must be about expulsion—that's what he sensed. No real basis for it. Just a feeling. The Guild Master's office was at the back of the second floor. A thick wooden door. Kei knocked and waited for a response. "Come in." A low voice. Kei opened the door. The room was spacious. A man sat heavily in a leather chair. Dolku Heizen. Fifty-five years old. Thinning gray hair, cold gray eyes. The remnants of a former A-rank adventurer lingered in his broad shoulders and large frame. But his belly had clearly started to protrude. He'd been getting softer ever since becoming Guild Master fifteen years ago. Not just in appearance. Several thick ledgers were stacked on the desk. In that instant, Kei's Observer's Eye activated on its own. He hadn't consciously triggered it. Information entering his vision was automatically processed. This was the nature of the skill—something Kei himself couldn't fully control. The open pages of the ledger came into sharp focus. [[B-Rank Requests Total Reward: 430 Silver Coins]] [[Amount Paid: 344 Silver Coins]] [[Discrepancy: Not Recorded]] …430 minus 344 equals 86. Eighty-six coins with no destination listed. (Wait, this is…) Before Kei could continue his thought, Dolku spoke. "You are unnecessary to this guild." "As of today, you are expelled." No reason. No explanation. No time to pack. Dolku's eyes weren't looking at Kei's face. They were fixed somewhere on the wall behind him. His gaze was wavering. The eyes of someone hiding something—Kei's Observer's Eye read it instantly. But his mouth wouldn't move to voice any objection. It was Kei's bad habit. He had things he wanted to say. But the words wouldn't come. They got stuck in his throat and wouldn't go any further. He simply nodded. The door closed. The moment it did, Kei realized he was trembling. ────── When Kei stepped out of the guild's entrance, the veteran adventurers chatting in front of the bulletin board saw him. "Oh, you got expelled?" "Yeah, a trash skill has its limits." "See ya around." Their laughter pierced his back. Kei didn't turn around. He walked through the central plaza toward the south gate. The market vendors called out their wares. In front of the adventurer's equipment shop, new swords gleamed on display. Children played tag in an alley. He'd been in this town for three years. No one came to see him off. Before the south gate, he passed Compass Trading Post. The shop owner, Marika—a woman in her twenties with a cheerful demeanor—was organizing stock. When their eyes met, her expression shifted as if she understood, and she spoke softly. "Do your best out there." That nearly brought tears. He held them back and answered only with "Yes." No more words would come. Beyond the south gate, the road toward the Talvo Great Forest stretched out. He had no destination. But his feet moved on their own. Walking the road, Kei's mind kept replaying the ledger from Dolku's office. B-rank request total reward: 430 coins. Amount paid: 344 coins. Discrepancy: 86 coins. If one silver coin was worth about five hundred yen in real terms, eighty-six coins was forty-three thousand yen. That was just one request. There were multiple ledgers. Years worth stacked up. (Where are those eighty-six coins going?) Last week, he'd found a similar scrap of paper. "Remaining 6 coins to Guild Master." He hadn't understood it then and threw it away, but now… The data captured by his Observer's Eye arranged itself quietly. The answer wasn't clear yet. But this discrepancy definitely meant something. (Observation—I can't lose to anyone at that.) Holding only that unspoken certainty in his chest, Kei continued walking down the forest road. Wind blew, carrying the scent of the Talvo Great Forest. The mingled aroma of conifers and grass, damp and earthy. Growing farther from Callen. Only his footsteps echoed on the road. [[Current Location: Approximately 1km south of Callen South Gate. Approximately 4km to Talvo Great Forest]] He didn't even know where he was going. But his feet wouldn't stop. ────── Thirty minutes after Kei left the gate. In the first-floor tavern section of the Valtheim Adventurer's Guild Callen Branch. A veteran adventurer drinking ale—a sturdy man in his thirties—suddenly remembered something and spoke. "Come to think of it, that trash skill guy…" "Wasn't he staring really hard at the ledgers?" "During cleaning, during inventory…" The adventurer next to him set down his mug. "Oh… now that you mention it." "Well, we already expelled him anyway, so it doesn't matter." He tried to laugh it off. At that exact moment, the Guild Master's office door opened quietly. Dolku Heizen's face appeared in the hallway. His eyes fixed on Veteran Adventurer A's face. "You said he was staring at the ledgers?" Veteran Adventurer A froze. "Uh, well…" Dolku's eyes narrowed. Sharp. Cold. The eyes of a former A-rank adventurer flickered back for just a moment. "…I see." He said only that and closed the door. The two adventurers exchanged glances. The ale suddenly tasted bitter, and both fell silent.

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Episode 1

Name: My 'Trash Skill' Called Observer's Eye Could Actually See Everything
Author: Novelia

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