Chapter 5: Skill Improvement
Chapter 5: Skill Improvement
As noon approached, a different system notification suddenly appeared:
【You have assisted with shoeing a horse, and your comprehension has improved!】
【You have learned a new skill - Shoeing】
【Your Shoeing skill has improved, experience gained +1】
Rayn immediately flipped to the second page of the transparent window, the one displaying the Blacksmith Apprentice's occupation panel.
Among the densely packed skill icons, in addition to the lit-up Hoof Trimming icon, a new icon lit up above it.
Shoeing lv1 (1/100).
Master Barl looked at Rayn, carefully studying his expression. After confirming that Rayn wasn't joking, he recalled Rayn's diligent efforts over the past few days and nodded, "Alright, then give it a try."
Rayn heaved a sigh of relief. So, this was it!
"Yes, the Black Sails Pirates are very powerful! And I also heard that Sheriff Kuzma from our Shiny Gold Town is being transferred to Harbor Town as the new sheriff. Additionally, the new sheriff in our town is said to be a Squire reassigned from County Town."
Looking at the Hoof Trimming lv2 (1/300).
Rayn realized that to gain more experience, the trick might be to take matters into his own hands!
During lunch, his best friend George looked at Rayn with a peculiar expression and said, "Rayn, I've noticed you've changed!"
Rayn glanced at the experience bar (22/100) below the words 'Blacksmith Apprentice lv1' on his occupation panel. He inwardly sighed, realizing that while skill upgrades were easy, advancing in occupation level was much more challenging.
This was the time when Rayn learned about the outside world. He perked up his ears to listen carefully.
For example, when Master Barl trimmed the horse's hoof to the perfect arc, why did he give it a slight flick of the wrist?
The long-awaited system notification finally appeared!
Rayn knew he had to seize the time to become stronger!
"Really?" George looked at Rayn with doubt in his eyes.
Speckles agreed and also revealed a big piece of news, which even impressed Rayn, who was standing beside him. Indeed, he was well-informed.
"No way! Aren't town sheriffs usually Squires? Are the pirates that powerful?" The baker's son asked, his eyes wide with astonishment.
Everything felt so natural, like water flowing into a channel! He got it! Rayn had a feeling that although his strength hadn't increased, he could now start learning the art of hoof trimming.
"For now, it seems that's how it is!"
"I think his name is Hamilton, but I'm not sure."
Suddenly, Rayn felt like he had a new insight into the art of hoof trimming.
"Pirates? Although our Shiny Gold Town isn't too far from the seaside, it's still quite a distance, right? What do pirates coming ashore have to do with us?" Speckles asked in return.
The new icon was simple, depicting a U-shaped horseshoe with seven tiny holes visible on it.
"It's okay, I can keep going for a while longer."
Rayn's newfound discovery made him immerse himself in learning shoeing, so much so that even the reappearance of the noble maiden in the center of the outer courtyard didn't make him look up for more than a glance.
"I wonder what changes will come with upgrading to lv2?"
【Congratulations, your Hoof Trimming skill has improved to lv2】
"By the way, isn't Harbor Town not far from our Shiny Gold Town? It's only a two-day journey. Do you think the pirates might attack our town?" Speckles asked worriedly.
It was as if fragments of memories had been added to Rayn's mind, as if he had been trimming hooves for months.
At first, shoeing could attract the attention of the boys, but after they became familiar with it, the pseudo-second-generation boys grew impatient. After all, their goal was to become guards, and learning shoeing wasn't essential for that.
As Rayn observed Master Barl's actions in trimming the horse's hoof, he felt like he could understand more.
"Haha, maybe you've suddenly had a breakthrough! You now understand the importance of learning a skill." Rayn laughed as he spoke.
Unlike Rayn's family, where his father was a farmer who worked the fields for the estate and his mother had no stable income, and with a younger sister to care for, Rayn felt a stronger urge to master a skill.
And so, George discovered that his best friend Rayn's enthusiasm for work seemed even higher than the day before.
Rayn's passion for learning was truly incomprehensible! After two days of tirelessly shoeing horses, he now stared at his skill panel in a daze, focusing on the "Hoof Repair Lv. 1 (99/100)" skill.
After finishing their lunch, the servants took a short break before resuming their apprenticeship under Master Barl's guidance, learning the art of shoeing horses.
The sudden mention of pirates was a lot to take in!
"Don't worry," Prominent Brow reassured them, "Pirates usually raid along the coast and then retreat. They wouldn't venture too far inland; otherwise, they wouldn't be called pirates."
Rayn was eager to try his hand at hoof trimming.
In his mind, he thought, "That's because you don't have golden fingers! Who knows, George, you might be even more diligent than me if you had them."
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"It seems I can upgrade my hoof trimming skill to the next level today," Rayn thought.
After some hesitation, Rayn spoke up, "Master Barl, can I try trimming a hoof? I think I can do it."
"Every opportunity to improve my skills must be seized. Otherwise, these golden fingers would be wasted."
Although George's family wasn't well-off, his parents were freeholders with their own land, providing a stable income. As a result, George's circumstances were much better than Rayn's.
This world didn't seem very peaceful.
[You assisted in shoeing horses, and your understanding has improved!]
Even though Rayn was the fastest learner among the servants, it was still a bit presumptuous of him to make such a request, as none of the other servants could trim hooves independently.
Rayn had a feeling that his friend had changed somehow, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. However, Rayn understood the importance of learning a skill, and George agreed.
The other icons on the occupation panel remained dim and unclear.
"Does this mean that after a period of dedicated learning, occupation-related skills will be unlocked, and I can then practice and upgrade them through continuous training?"
"I'm not sure," Prominent Brow continued, "but I heard from Billy, a guard in the merchant caravan that came to Shiny Gold Town, that a group of pirates called the Black Sails have landed. They seem to avoid attacking the county town, focusing mainly on nearby towns. The closest town to the coast, Harbor Town, suffered heavy losses, and even the town sheriff was killed."
The entire day was spent without much rest, constantly pressing horse hooves and closely observing Master Barl as he shoed horses.
Rayn was curious about certain aspects of the process, like why Master Barl struck the hoof with such force when removing excess parts with an iron shovel.
Rayn couldn't perform the entire shoeing process on his own yet.
"Hey! You heard about this too? It seems it's true!" Prominent Brow nodded at Speckles.
Soon, the pseudo-second-generation servants began chatting.
"Rayn, you work like you're on a caffeine high!"
"Hey, have you heard? It's been quite chaotic lately. A group of ruthless pirates has landed," Prominent Brow announced.
Rayn's enthusiasm and talent for learning impressed Master Barl.
"You only stop when you're completely exhausted, whether it's trimming donkey hooves or shoeing horses," Master Barl observed.
However, the news of pirates did stir something within Rayn.
Based on his estimation, it would take at least five more days to upgrade his Blacksmith Apprentice level, given his current progress.
[Your Hoof Repair skill has improved. Experience gained: +1]
Rayn watched intently as Master Barl smoothed a hoof to perfection.
Shaking his head, Rayn declined Master Barl's offer.
This statement startled Rayn. Had his friend, the original George, sensed something amiss? "I heard that the new sheriff is..." George continued, but Rayn was so startled that he almost dropped the hoof he was holding. Master Barl, concerned, asked, "Rayn, if you're tired, take a break."
The servants were all astonished, thinking, "He's only been learning for a few days, and he's already mastered it?!"
Even the pseudo-second-generation servants, who were resting nearby, stopped their conversation and turned their attention to Rayn. Although their goal wasn't to become blacksmith apprentices, they were still intrigued.
This show-off behavior was unbearable! "What's Rayn up to? Trying to steal the spotlight? Damn it, I'll teach him a lesson tonight!" Prominent Brow spat out the grass in his mouth.
"He's just trying to get Master Barl's attention! What a brown-noser! I'll straighten him out tonight!" Speckles agreed.
(End of Chapter)
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