Chapter 6: Leveling Up! Countering Bullying
Chapter 6: Leveling Up! Countering Bullying
However, when Rain's right hand took the sharp iron spade from the farrier master, he misjudged the weight of the spade, causing his entire body to stumble.
This immediately drew a burst of laughter from the pseudo second-generation kids.
It seemed like they were mocking Rain for biting off more than he could chew.
Rain's face turned red, as he had just misjudged the weight of the spade. It wasn't that he couldn't even hold the spade.
Bar, standing beside him, shook his head slightly, seemingly unconvinced that Rain could manage to trim the hooves.
After all, Rain's slender physique made him appear too weak.
"Rain, you..." George, standing next to him, felt that Rain's current behavior was too impulsive, causing him to be ridiculed by the group of boys around them.
This made George, as a good friend, feel a little embarrassed as well.
But the boys' friendship was relatively simple, and George didn't say anything. Instead, he used all his strength to help Rain press down on the horse's hoof.
Rain nodded at George without saying a word.
"Whoosh, whoosh!"
With George's vigorous pressing, Rain didn't need to exert too much force to hold the hoof still. Although his right hand's movement with the spade was still a bit unfamiliar and uncoordinated, he could basically trim the rough edges cleanly.
A master's work is immediately evident!
Bar, standing beside him, was instantly impressed, thinking to himself, "Not bad! Although Rain is a bit weak, he has indeed grasped the knack of hoof trimming. He's using the weight of the spade itself, following the outline of the hoof for trimming."
The pseudo second-generation kids remained silent!
Anyone could see that Rain had genuinely learned to trim hooves! Although he was a bit unskilled, it was only in comparison to Master Bar.
George, on the other hand, stared wide-eyed at Rain's hoof-trimming posture, unable to take his eyes off him.
"Wow, Rain! You've only learned for a few days and you've already mastered it! You're amazing!"
Freckles, upon hearing George's praise for Rain, seemed rather disdainful and said, "Pfft, what's so great about that? It's just trimming hooves, not swordsmanship!"
"Yeah, yeah!"
The pseudo second-generation kids, seeing Rain genuinely stealing the spotlight, felt even more annoyed.
Rain, however, paid no attention to what was happening around him.
At this moment, his mind was already captivated by the system notification.
[You have performed hoof trimming, and your understanding has improved!]
[Your skill in hoof trimming has improved, +5 experience points!]
[Your focus on hoof trimming has increased your Blacksmith Apprentice occupation experience by +2!]
"Wow! Doing it myself can earn so many experience points!"
Just as he had guessed!
If he continued at this rate, leveling up his Blacksmith Apprentice occupation was just around the corner!
No, it wouldn't take long!
It was very likely that today, he could level up his Blacksmith Apprentice occupation to level 2!
After trimming all four hooves, Rain was sweating profusely, but his eyes shone brightly.
"Well done, Rain! You can trim hooves independently now."
Bar, standing beside him, nodded in satisfaction, acknowledging Rain's skills.
"Thank you, Master Bar," Rain nodded deeply.
"As for you lot, if you want to apply for the Blacksmith Apprentice position, then learn seriously!!" Bar turned to the pages, his expression turning stern as he roared.
Facing Master Bar, the pseudo second-generation kids dared not argue, but their gazes towards Rain became even more malicious.
Previously, Rain's eagerness to help didn't bother them, as the pseudo second-generation kids had a sense of superiority.
But now, Rain had quietly gained Master Bar's approval and was stealing the spotlight!
This was too much for them to bear!
At lunchtime, Rain felt the atmosphere around him was a bit oppressive.
Aside from his best friend George, even the other boys from commoner families weren't talking to Rain.
Jealousy?
Or were the pseudo second-generation kids stirring things up?
Rain wasn't entirely sure, but he didn't care much about it.
He wouldn't slow down his path to becoming stronger just because of others' opinions!
The pseudo second-generation kids had strong opinions about Rain's attention-seeking behavior.
"Rain, they can't stand to see you succeed," George immediately understood the situation and comforted him.
"I know, George! Don't worry, I'm fine."
As he started to stand out, it was inevitable that he would encounter such situations.
But with his golden finger, he would eventually face this day.
In his previous life, Rain was already accustomed to such situations.
School bullying!
Workplace suppression!
The principles were the same.
In the afternoon, the pages continued with the task of nailing horseshoes.
After Rain finished trimming the hooves, Master Bar nailed on the horseshoes.
With the work divided between them, Master Bar's task became much easier, and his gaze towards Rain became increasingly approving.
As evening approached, Rain finally received the system notification for his occupation level up:
[You have performed hoof trimming work, and your understanding has improved!]
[Your skill in hoof trimming has improved, +5 experience points!]
[Your focus on hoof trimming has increased your Blacksmith Apprentice occupation experience by +2!]
[Congratulations, your Blacksmith Apprentice occupation level has increased!]
Blacksmith Apprentice leveled up?
Rain couldn't help but feel elated!
Eagerly, he flipped to the second page of the transparent panel and examined it carefully.
【Blacksmith Apprentice lv2 (0/300)】
【Hoof Care lv2 (250/300)】
【Nailing Horse Shoes lv1 (45/100)】
【Remaining Attribute Points: 1】
【Remaining Skill Points: 1】
As expected!
Even though Rain knew his occupation level would increase today, seeing this scene made him unable to contain his joy.
Moreover, it seemed that the Hoof Care skill was about to reach level 3.
However, none of this mattered!
What was crucial was the attribute point: 1, and skill point: 1, indicated at the bottom of the panel.
These were the greatest gains after the Blacksmith Apprentice occupation level-up!
Does adding points make one stronger?
No, it's because of my hard work that I have these points.
So, it's not about adding points to become stronger, but rather, effort equals strength!
After some contemplation, Rain flipped the transparent panel back to the first page, the attribute page.
Name: Rain Karan
Occupation: Blacksmith Apprentice lv2
Constitution: 5
Strength: 4
Agility: 6
Spirit: 8
Obviously, Rain's strength attribute was the lowest. With such a slender physique, it was natural to have weak strength.
But now, things were different!
Regarding how to allocate attribute points, Rain didn't hesitate. He decided to first address his weaknesses.
He didn't want to be a weakling anymore, nor did he want to be bullied. Adding points to strength was the inevitable choice for now.
One point of strength might not be much, but it gave him some ability to fight back.
After some thought, Rain added one point to strength.
His strength immediately increased to 5.
Instantly, Rain felt a warm current surge from his heart, spreading to his limbs and throughout his body. He felt so comfortable, as if soaking in a hot spring, and all his fatigue vanished in an instant.
Moreover, the increase in strength made Rain feel energized, as if he could handle hundreds of horse hooves without rest!
Status recovery from adding points?
The effect was amazing!
Next was the skill point.
Rain was about to add a point to Nailing Horse Shoes when he suddenly stopped.
If each level-up only granted one skill point, then these points must be precious.
Rain noticed that to level up his Blacksmith Apprentice from lv2 to lv3, the required experience had increased from the initial 100 experience points.
This implied that the difficulty of leveling up was increasing.
"If I learn a skill that is extremely difficult to improve, like blacksmithing, these skill points will be valuable."
After a moment's thought, Rain decided to save this skill point for now.
When Rain returned, his increased strength surprised everyone. They watched as Rain, with his enhanced strength, trimmed the horse hooves with at least 20% more fluidity than before.
Although he still couldn't match Bar's level, it was a noticeable improvement from the beginning.
The nearby pages, including Browbeard and Freckles, were left dumbfounded by Rain's progress.
At dinner, Rain devoured three and a half large black bread loaves the size of bricks and had three servings of vegetable soup, even licking the soup bowl clean. The other pages stared at him in disbelief.
Rain realized that after adding one point to strength, the increase was evident, but his appetite had also significantly increased!
After a satisfying meal, Rain returned to the dormitory, only to find Browbeard and Freckles blocking his path.
"Rain! You're something else! You held back yesterday, but today's different!" Browbeard waved and slapped Rain's face, his expression challenging.
"Damn it! I had to endure yesterday, but not today!" Rain's eyes turned from gentle to fierce.
"Slap!"
Rain mustered all his strength and struck Browbeard's face with a powerful slap!
The blow made Browbeard's head ring, and he stumbled, almost falling to the ground.
The slap stunned Freckles and the surrounding pseudo-second-generation onlookers. They couldn't believe Rain had dared to strike back.
Browbeard, especially, was left dazed by Rain's slap for a good while.
But this was just the beginning.
"Bang!"
Rain delivered a knee strike to Browbeard's stomach, right below the diaphragm, causing him to vomit his dinner all over the floor. A putrid smell instantly filled the air.
"Get him! Beat Rain up for daring to fight back!" Freckles shouted, and the surrounding pseudo-second-generation immediately rushed forward to gang up on Rain.
But Rain ignored them, hunched his neck, and kept punching Browbeard, who was vomiting, relentlessly.
His ferocity was truly terrifying.
(End of Chapter)
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