[Requirements for advancement to Blacksmith detected:]

[1. Blacksmith Apprentice Lv. 3 at maximum EXP.]

[2. Strength 6 or above and Constitution 6 or above.]

[3. Forge ten qualified blacksmith products of any kind.]

[All requirements met. Advance to Blacksmith? Yes / No]

[Note: After advancement, the new Blacksmith Class Panel will replace the original Blacksmith Apprentice Class Panel.]

The decision required no thought at all.

Raine chose Yes without hesitation.

[Advancement successful.]

[Class advanced to Blacksmith.]

[Strength +2]

[Core Skills acquired: Blacksmith's Strength Lv. 1 and One-Handed Hammer Mastery Lv. 1.]

[Blacksmith's Strength Lv. 1 (Active): Years spent hammering iron have given the blacksmith strength beyond that of ordinary people.]

[One-Handed Hammer Mastery Lv. 1 (Passive): Years spent hammering iron have made the blacksmith intimately familiar with hammers of every size, allowing him to wield them like extensions of his arms.]

Raine drew in a sharp breath.

Core Skills?

Shock and delight struck him at once. This advancement was a true qualitative leap.

He told Boris that he was going home for lunch and would return in the afternoon, then hurried out of the blacksmith shop. Once around the corner, he found a deserted spot and carefully examined his panel.

The original Blacksmith Apprentice panel had vanished, replaced by a Blacksmith panel.

Two new icons at the bottom glowed faintly around their frames. Judging by their size, Core Skill icons were almost twice as large as ordinary Skill icons.

Raine first focused on an icon resembling a muscular sailor flexing his biceps. A line of small text appeared beneath it.

[Core Skill: Blacksmith's Strength Lv. 1 (Active)]

Blacksmith's Strength Lv. 1 (Active)

Effect: Upon activation, the user's Strength increases moderately.

Note: The increase is calculated as a percentage of the user's base Strength. Its duration scales with Constitution and Spirit.

Raine considered the information carefully.

The two points gained upon advancing to Blacksmith had pushed his Strength beyond Spirit, which had always been his highest attribute. Strength was now his best attribute by a wide margin.

At 9 points, it greatly exceeded that of an ordinary adult man and was probably even slightly higher than the Strength of Hamilton's elite Night Watchmen.

The power coursing through his body filled him with exhilaration.

Before his advancement, each level of Blacksmith Apprentice or Militia had granted only one free Attribute Point. Advancing his class had instead increased Strength directly by two points.

It was an enormous improvement.

Blacksmith's Strength could push that attribute even higher. Raine was eager to test it, but there was nothing suitable nearby, and the commotion might draw unwanted attention.

After a little thought, he headed home without even stopping to buy anything. He remembered several scattered boulders beside the road, which would make ideal test weights.

Before long, he found a boulder nearly waist-high.

Raine checked his surroundings to make sure no one was nearby, then approached it eagerly.

"Up!"

With 9 Strength, he managed to lift a stone that the old Raine could never have moved. His face reddened with effort, but he held it steady nearly half a meter above the ground.

Lifting the two- or three-hundred-pound boulder over his head, however, was still beyond him.

Raine focused his mind on Blacksmith's Strength.

The instant the Skill activated, a surge of warmth pumped outward from his heart. His blood raced, veins stood out along his skin, and the muscles of his arms and shoulders swelled.

He forced the heavy boulder over his head, then hurled it four or five meters away.

As the stone left his hands, a surge of pleasure filled him—the confidence and exhilaration that overwhelming physical power brought a man.

Raine glanced at his attribute panel.

Strength: 9 (+1.8)

The value in parentheses was clearly the bonus from Blacksmith's Strength. The panel did not display the Skill's duration.

Raine stood still and observed the changes in his body. After roughly half a minute, the warmth within him faded.

For now, Blacksmith's Strength lasted only thirty seconds.

Even so, Raine was thrilled. The Skill could undoubtedly serve as a trump card.

He looked at the sun, which had already begun its descent toward the west.

*Damn, I nearly missed lunch.*

There was no time to study the other Core Skill, One-Handed Hammer Mastery. Raine hurried home.

His mother met him as soon as he entered.

"Why are you so late? Did you go to the blacksmith shop again?"

Concern filled her voice when she saw him drenched in sweat.

Raine nodded, accepted the towel she offered, and wiped his forehead.

He was still deciding how to tell his parents that he had agreed to join Hamilton's Night Watchmen when his normally taciturn father spoke.

"Raine, come with me for a moment."

Surprised, Raine followed him into the bedroom.

His father took a gray linen bundle from the old bedside cabinet and unfolded it. Inside lay two slightly worn Imperial Gold Coins and more than ten Silver Coins.

After hesitating, Old Raine picked up the family's only two Gold Coins and held them out.

"Raine, lately you run to that miser Boris's blacksmith shop whenever you have free time. But sincerity will never move that stone-hearted man. Unless you can pay his apprenticeship fee, all your effort is useless."

"Father, I—"

Old Raine raised a hand to stop him.

"Hear me out. Your mother and I discussed this. These two Gold Coins should be enough for you to learn one or two forging techniques from Boris. They may give you an advantage in Habsburg Estate's blacksmith apprentice assessment."

"The rest must stay with the family. We need to buy white bread, meat, and eggs for you and Mint. You're both still growing and need proper nourishment."

Raine looked at his father's sun-darkened face and fell silent.

Then he firmly pushed the offered coins back.

"Father, you and Mother don't need to worry about my future anymore."

"I provided Lord Hamilton, the new sheriff, with important clues about the child disappearances. He promised me a position with the Night Watchmen once my page-boy training is over."

Under his father's astonished gaze, Raine took two gleaming Imperial Gold Coins from his own pocket and placed them in Old Raine's hand.

"These two Gold Coins are Lord Hamilton's reward. Keep them. From now on, our family can eat a little better."

It wasn't that Raine begrudged his family the rest of the money. He simply could not explain a larger sum with a story about providing clues.

Bang!

"Raine, is that true?"

His mother, who had been listening outside, could no longer contain herself. She pushed open the door and hurried inside.

"Of course. If you and Father truly don't believe me, you can go to the town administrative hall and ask Lord Hamilton yourselves."

Raine shrugged with a smile.

"May the Goddess bless us!"

His mother burst into tears of joy, murmuring prayers as she hurriedly wiped her eyes.

At lunch, Old Raine indulged for once and opened several bottles of rye beer. He insisted that Raine drink a few cups with him, leaving Anna and Mint exchanging bewildered looks.

Anna seemed to sense that something had happened, but was too shy to ask.

"Raine, from this day onward, you're a man. Hic! As for you and Anna... hic... decide for yourself. Your father supports you. Hic!"

"Father, that's not—"

Raine looked at his drunken father in embarrassment.

He and Anna exchanged a quick glance, then both looked away at the same instant. Anna immediately lowered her head like a startled rabbit, a blush spreading across her pale face.