There was one problem.

Raine looked over the other page boys.

Bushy Brow was the only one near his level. After his recent defeat, however, the boy's resentment ran deep. Asking him to spar again would only intensify the conflict.

It might also make Instructor Humbert think Raine lacked generosity in victory.

"Pair up and practice!" Humbert shouted.

Bushy Brow immediately chose Freckles.

Raine had no choice but to pair with George.

The moment he used any real force, he could defeat George in two or three moves.

The value of their sparring dropped sharply.

Humbert had been watching Raine and noticed the problem as well.

After a moment's thought, his interest won out. He stepped forward.

"Raine, come here. Spar with me."

The page boys stared.

Bushy Brow and the other merchant boys burned with fresh jealousy.

Raine was startled too.

He had raised Basic Swordsmanship to Lv. 3, but his actual combat ability remained nowhere near Humbert's.

Then he understood.

Instructor Humbert intended to feed him moves.

Raine checked the Militia panel again.

Basic Swordsmanship Lv. 3 (20/500) was still far from advancing.

Militia, however, had already reached Lv. 1 (69/100).

With an expert guiding the spar, he was certain he could reach Lv. 2 soon.

"Yes, Instructor Humbert!"

"Don't be nervous, Raine." Humbert smiled and beckoned him forward. "Attack me."

Raine nodded and gave a slight bow.

Then he assumed Basic Swordsmanship's opening stance. His ironwood short sword rested level before his chest, its point directed forward.

He stepped with his right foot and drove off the ground.

Raine shot toward Humbert like an arrow from a bow.

A textbook Step Thrust.

Against Humbert, he held nothing back.

Thud!

The ironwood swords collided.

Humbert blocked the thrust and flowed directly into a rising cut, forcing Raine to retreat and defend.

That first exchange taught Raine something.

Humbert controlled his strength with astonishing precision.

Nearly every strike carried exactly as much force as Raine could withstand at his current limit.

The two moved rapidly.

In a little over ten seconds, they exchanged more than ten moves.

Thud!

Their blades collided again, and they sprang apart.

The spar was over.

"Very good. Rest for a moment, Raine."

Humbert's satisfaction was obvious.

Every page boy could see what had happened.

Instructor Humbert had been feeding Raine moves.

In Raine's previous world, this would have been called private tutoring, treatment reserved for the best student.

Jealousy filled the gazes of the watching boys.

Talent for hoof trimming was one thing. Talent for swordsmanship as well?

That was too much.

Bushy Brow's envy burned fiercest. His eyes reddened with rage.

*Damn Raine. If that bastard weren't here, Instructor Humbert would be watching me.*

*I would be the one sparring with him.*

Raine bent over, panting. Fine sweat covered his forehead.

"Hah... hah..."

That brief clash with Humbert had consumed a tremendous amount of stamina and concentration.

The pressure had been far greater than anything Bushy Brow could exert.

Once Raine caught his breath, he checked the system notices.

[Basic Swordsmanship EXP +21]

[Militia EXP +12]

His eyes widened.

Less than half a minute of sparring had produced almost three days' worth of ordinary training.

Of course, the gains were possible only because Humbert had suppressed his own ability and deliberately guided the exchange.

When Humbert saw that Raine had recovered, he approached with a smile.

"Raine, your Basic Swordsmanship is already comparable to that of an ordinary militia fighter. Don't become arrogant. Continue training hard."

"Thank you for the praise, Instructor. I will."

Raine answered with genuine respect.

Humbert nodded.

The sun was sinking. It was Saturday, which meant the page boys could return home.

He turned toward the group.

"Today's swordsmanship practice ends here. Dismissed!"

The exhausted boys cheered. Many dropped straight to the ground to rest.

Humbert began walking away at a leisurely pace.

Then he noticed Raine staring after him, eyes blazing.

"Raine? Is something wrong?"

Humbert had formed an excellent impression of the talented boy.

Raine's stubbornness and willingness to train until he collapsed reminded the instructor of his younger self.

"Instructor Humbert." Hope filled Raine's voice. "Could I spar with you one more time?"

Such an efficient source of EXP was too valuable to waste.

Humbert had no idea what Raine was thinking. He assumed the boy's competitive spirit had been ignited.

Smiling, he looked Raine over.

"Of course. But are you certain you don't need to rest? If you wish, I can continue practicing with you."

"Really, Instructor?"

Raine couldn't hide his delight.

His stamina was nearly exhausted, but he couldn't allow this opportunity to slip away. Next week, the page boys would begin houndmaster training.

Without hesitation, Raine assigned the Attribute Point he had saved from leveling at Boris's blacksmith shop to Strength.

Warmth surged from his heart and spread throughout his body.

His exhaustion vanished.

The attribute panel now read:

Name: Raine Callan

Class: Blacksmith Apprentice Lv. 3 (0/500) / Militia Lv. 1 (69/100)

Constitution: 5

Strength: 6

Agility: 6

Spirit: 8

Raine's Strength had reached 6, the standard for an ordinary adult man in this world.

The sparring resumed.

Three rounds later, Humbert was drenched in sweat.

Raine still watched him with bright, hungry eyes.

The look made Humbert's scalp prickle.

"Raine, excessive training isn't always beneficial. You need to balance work and rest."

"Instructor, I'm not tired."

Raine's answer was firm.

Militia Lv. 1 (99/100)

He refused to stop only one point short.

*Just one more point and I'll level up.*

Humbert was silent for a moment.

Then he spoke gently. "Raine, it's almost dark. I have matters to attend to at home."

Faced with Humbert's polite refusal, Raine could only watch his swordsmanship instructor retreat at a surprisingly brisk pace.