I haven't learned any skills... Maybe I should? Or should I keep grinding without it? A no-skills run would be quite a challenge.
Back from the future after finishing both the first and second one, here are some tips:
Yes. Learn skills, some do raise your stats as the description says but specific skills are needed to get certain specialities or item creation skills, like crafting, and cooking, some characters are better than others at doing some of these things, characters talents back this up, though even if their not, enough failures of them doing an item creation skill and it'll just give them the talent that makes them good at it lol
Crafting, customization and blacksmith are great ways to get op along with leveling skills that up your stats, especially since you can save scum should you fail.
In a nutshell, always always visit the skill store when arriving in a new town for new skills, as the earlier you can get the enlightenment and effort skill, the better. You will level up fast and get skill points fast with both and you'll be able to get any skill you need, fast.
(Also the level cap is 255 so dw if you've already missed out on some power leveling)
Hope this helps, I had to sit down and give it another chance myself and it was alot less complicated than I thought