https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-4-The-Donkey-and-the-Horse-an-Unbreakable-Bond/12956329/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-6-Leveling-Up-Countering-Bullying/12956331/
Chapter 5: Skill Enhancement
Chapter 5: Skill Enhancement
As noon approached, a different system notification suddenly appeared:
【You have assisted in nailing horse shoes, and your related understanding has improved!】
【You have gained a new skill - Nailing Horse Shoes】
【Your Nailing Horse Shoes skill has improved, +1 Experience Points】
Huh! Rain immediately flipped to the second page of the transparent panel, which displayed the Profession Panel for a Blacksmith Apprentice.
Among the densely packed skill icons, in addition to the lit up 'Hoof Care' icon, another icon above it lit up at this moment.
Nailing Horse Shoes lv1 (1/100).
This icon was simple, depicting a U-shaped horse shoe with seven tiny holes.
The other icons on the Profession Panel remained dim and unclear.
"Could it be that after a period of diligent learning, profession-related skills can be triggered and lit up, and then I can improve the skill level through constant practice?"
"It seems to be the case for now!"
With this new discovery, Rain devoted himself to learning how to nail horse shoes, not even glancing up when the noble maiden in the center of the outer courtyard appeared again.
During lunch, his best friend George looked at Rain with a puzzled expression and said, "Rain, I think you've changed!"
Rain's heart skipped a beat. Could his best friend, who knew him well, sense that something was amiss? George continued, "Rain, you've been working like you're on a caffeine high."
"With both hoof trimming and nailing horse shoes, you only stop when you're completely exhausted."
Rain breathed a sigh of relief. So, that was it!
"Haha, maybe I've suddenly realized the importance of learning a trade," Rain laughed.
"Is that so?" George gave Rain a skeptical look.
He had a feeling that his best friend had changed somehow, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. However, when Rain mentioned the importance of learning a trade, George agreed.
Although George's family circumstances were not ideal, his parents were free commoners who owned land and had a stable income. Therefore, his situation was much better than Rain's.
Unlike George, Rain's parents did not have a stable income, and he also had a younger sister. Rain was even more eager to learn a trade well, and George understood his motivation.
After the pages finished their lunch and took a short break, they resumed learning how to nail horse shoes under Bar's guidance.
Initially, nailing horse shoes caught the attention of the boys, but the pseudo second-generation kids soon grew impatient. After all, their goal was to become guards, and learning this skill was not crucial for them.
Before long, the pseudo second-generation kids started chatting among themselves.
This was the moment Rain gathered information about the outside world, so he perked up his ears to listen attentively.
"Hey, have you heard? Things are getting dangerous lately. I heard a group of brutal pirates have come ashore," Browbeard shared some big news.
"Pirates? Our Glintstone Town is not that close to the coast, is it? What does pirates coming ashore have to do with us?" Freckles asked in response.
"I'm not sure, but I heard from Billy, a guard from a caravan that just arrived in Glintstone Town, that a group of pirates called Black Sail have come ashore. They seem to avoid attacking County City and mainly target nearby towns. I heard the closest town to the coast, Fishing Harbor Town, suffered heavy losses, and even their town sheriff was killed," Browbeard continued.
"No way! Are the pirates going to attack our town?" Freckles asked, wide-eyed.
"Yes, the Black Sail pirates are very powerful. Also, I heard that Sir Kuzma, our town's sheriff, is being transferred to Fishing Harbor Town as the new sheriff. Additionally, the new sheriff in our town is said to be a lord transferred from County City," Browbeard explained.
"I think his name is Lord Hamilton, if I remember correctly."
Freckles agreed and shared another piece of news, which caught Rain's attention.
"Huh! You've heard about this too? It must be true then!" Browbeard nodded at Freckles.
"By the way, Fishing Harbor Town doesn't seem that far from our Glintstone Town, right? I think it's just a two-day journey. Do you think the pirates will attack our town?"
"Freckles continued to ask worriedly.
"Don't worry, the pirates usually raid along the coast and then retreat. They wouldn't venture too deep, or else they wouldn't be called pirates," Browbeard reassured.
For a moment, the amount of information they heard was overwhelming.
Pirates?
Newly appointed sheriff?
Rain was stunned by what he heard, and almost lost his grip on the horse hoof in his hand.
Master Bar, on the other hand, asked with concern, "Rain, if you're too tired, take a break for a while."
Rain's enthusiasm for learning had been high these past few days, and his talent was quite impressive. Master Bar noticed this, and his impression of Rain improved.
Diligence can often change the way people around you perceive you without you even realizing it!
"I'm fine, I can keep going for a while longer," Rain shook his head, declining Master Bar's offer.
"Every opportunity to improve my skills is one I must seize. Otherwise, wouldn't it be a waste of this golden finger?"
However, the mention of pirates did stir something within Rain.
This world seemed not as peaceful as he had thought.
He needed to seize the moment and become stronger!
George noticed that his best friend Rain's enthusiasm for work seemed even higher than the day before.
Rain worked almost without rest the entire day, constantly helping with the horse hoof pressing, his eyes fixed on Master Bar as he nailed the horse shoes.
Such passion for learning was truly incomprehensible!
After two days of continuous horse shoe nailing, Rain stared at the skill—Hoof Care lv1 (99/100)—in a daze.
"It seems I can upgrade this skill to the next level today."
"I wonder what changes will occur when it's upgraded to lv2?"
Rain didn't have to wait long. As he watched Master Bar smooth out a horse hoof to perfection, the long-awaited system notification appeared.
【You have assisted in horse shoe nailing, and your understanding has improved!】
【Your skill, Hoof Care, has improved. Experience +1】
【Congratulations, your skill Hoof Care has been upgraded to lv2】
Rain stared at Hoof Care lv2 (1/300).
Suddenly, Rain felt as if he had gained a new insight into the task of hoof care.
It was as if fragments of memory had appeared in his mind, as if he had been caring for hooves for months.
When Rain's gaze returned to Master Bar's hoof trimming, he felt he understood more.
For example, he understood why Master Bar would twitch his wrist when trimming the most curved part of the hoof.
And why Master Bar would use the iron spade to remove excess material.
It was all so natural and effortless!
He got it! Rain felt that although his strength hadn't increased, he could now start learning hoof care.
He couldn't do the entire horse shoe nailing process yet.
But he could give hoof care a try.
Although it might seem presumptuous to ask Master Bar directly, even the fastest-learning pages couldn't perform hoof care independently.
But if he wanted to gain more experience, the key might be to take the initiative and do it himself!
Rain glanced at the experience bar (22/100) below the words Blacksmith Apprentice lv1 on his profession panel, silently lamenting.
It seemed that upgrading skills was easy, but raising his occupation level was much more challenging.
He roughly estimated that, at his current pace, it would take at least five days to upgrade his Blacksmith Apprentice occupation level.
After some hesitation, Rain spoke up, "Master Bar, can I try hoof care? I think I can do it."
Master Bar looked at Rain, carefully studying his expression to ensure he wasn't joking.
The other pages were astonished, thinking, "He's only been learning for a few days, and he's already got it?"
Even the pseudo second-generation kids who were resting nearby stopped their chatting and turned their attention to Rain. Although their goal wasn't to become the manor's blacksmith apprentice,
this show-off behavior was clearly unbearable for them!
"What's Rain up to? Trying to show off? Damn, we'll teach him a lesson tonight!" Browbeard spat out the grass stem in his mouth, cursing.
"Trying to get Bar's attention, huh? I hate show-offs like that! We'll straighten him out tonight!" Freckles chimed in.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
