The skill boost does not set the skill's progress bar to zero (for example, if you have already spent some time training the skill and the skill is just about to increase, it will still be just as close to increasing again after the free skill boost, or higher if you have an experience bonus from a Standing Stone or resting active). The increase is similar to training the skill, and counts towards leveling as normal.
The following is a list of rewards that directly increase skill level(s). There are many opportunities in the game to earn free increases in one or more skill levels, most often as a reward for completing a favor for an NPC.
