Shortly before noon, a different set of system notices appeared.

[Training: Horseshoeing]

[Skill Acquired: Horseshoeing]

[Horseshoeing EXP +1]

Raine immediately turned the transparent panel to its second page, the Blacksmith Apprentice Class Panel.

Among the dense grid of skills, a new icon had lit up directly above Hoof Trimming.

Horseshoeing Lv. 1 (1/100)

The icon was simple: an inverted U-shaped horseshoe with seven small nail holes along its curve.

Every other icon on the panel remained dark and unreadable.

*So if I seriously study something for long enough, the corresponding skill lights up. Then I can raise its level through practice?*

*That certainly seems to be the pattern.*

The discovery filled Raine with fresh energy. He devoted himself completely to learning horseshoeing. Even when the noble girl reappeared in the center of the outer bailey, he barely looked up.

At lunch, George studied him with a peculiar expression.

"Raine, you've changed."

Raine's heart skipped a beat. Had the former Raine's closest friend already realized that something was wrong?

George continued, "What's gotten into you? You work like a man possessed. Hoof trimming, horseshoeing, you never stop until you physically can't keep going."

Raine relaxed. So that was all.

*That's because you don't have a system, George. If you did, you might work even harder than I do.*

He laughed. "Maybe I finally figured some things out. I understand how important it is to learn a proper trade now."

"Is that so?" George gave him a suspicious look.

His friend had definitely changed, but George couldn't identify exactly how.

Still, he agreed that mastering a trade mattered.

George's family wasn't wealthy, but both his parents were freeholders with land of their own and a stable income. His circumstances were far better than Raine's.

Raine's father farmed fields belonging to the estate. His mother had no steady source of income, and the family also had a young daughter to support.

George could understand why Raine felt a greater urgency to secure a trade.

After lunch and a brief rest, the page boys returned to Bal and continued learning to shoe horses.

At first, the novelty kept everyone attentive. Once they understood the basic process, the merchant boys lost interest. They wanted to become guards. Whether they could shoe a horse made no difference to them.

Soon, they began chatting among themselves.

That was always Raine's best opportunity to learn what was happening beyond the estate. He listened closely.

"Hey, did you hear?" Bushy Brow began with a dramatic piece of news. "Things are getting dangerous out there. A vicious band of pirates has come ashore."

"Pirates? Goldflash Town isn't that far from the sea, but we aren't on the coast. What do pirates have to do with us?" Freckles asked.

"I'm not sure. I heard it from Billy, a caravan guard who just arrived to deliver goods. A crew called Black Sail landed on the coast. They don't dare attack Mayst City, so they're raiding the smaller towns instead. Fishport, the town closest to the sea, was hit hardest. Even its sheriff died in battle."

"You're joking." The baker's son gaped. "Don't town sheriffs have to be knight candidates? Are those pirates really that strong?"

"Black Sail is no ordinary pirate crew. And I heard something else." Bushy Brow leaned toward them. "Lord Kuzma, our sheriff here in Goldflash, is being transferred to Fishport. Our new sheriff will be some lord from Mayst City. Hamilton, I think. Or something like that."

Freckles nodded and revealed that he had heard the same news. Raine silently gave him credit. The innkeeper's son truly was well informed.

"You heard it too?" Bushy Brow said. "Then it must be true."

"Fishport isn't far from Goldflash either, is it? Maybe two days away?" Freckles looked uneasy. "Do you think the pirates will attack us?"

"Relax." Bushy Brow waved away the concern. "Pirates raid the coast, then retreat to sea. They don't march inland. If they did, they wouldn't be pirates."

It was a great deal of information to absorb at once.

Pirates. A sheriff killed in battle. A new sheriff on his way to Goldflash Town.

Raine grew so distracted that the hoof almost slipped from his hands.

"Raine." Bal's voice was surprisingly gentle. "If you're tired, take a break."

Over the last two days, Bal had noticed both Raine's fierce enthusiasm and his genuine aptitude for the work. His opinion of the boy had improved considerably.

Diligence had a way of changing how others saw a person.

"I'm fine. I can keep going a little longer."

Raine shook his head and declined the offer.

*I have to seize every chance to improve my skills. Otherwise, what would be the point of having this system?*

Still, the news about the pirates stayed with him.

This was not a peaceful world.

He had to grow stronger as quickly as possible.

George soon noticed that Raine was working even harder than he had the day before.

He barely rested all day. He kept bracing horse hooves and watched every movement of Bal's hands with fierce concentration.

His intensity was almost impossible for the other boys to understand.

---

After two full days of horseshoeing, Raine stared at his panel.

Hoof Trimming Lv. 1 (99/100)

*It'll happen today. The skill will reach the next level.*

*What will change at Lv. 2?*

He didn't have to wait long.

As Bal trimmed another hoof into a smooth, clean curve, the notices Raine had been waiting for finally appeared.

[Training: Horseshoeing]

[Hoof Trimming EXP +1]

[Hoof Trimming has reached Lv. 2]

The skill entry changed.

Hoof Trimming Lv. 2 (1/300)

A new understanding settled into Raine's mind.

Fragments of knowledge surfaced like memories from months spent trimming hooves rather than a handful of days.

When he watched Bal work on the next hoof, details that had once escaped him became clear.

He understood why Bal gave his wrist a slight twist when he reached the tightest part of the hoof's curve.

He understood why Bal added a short, sharp jolt when the iron blade cut through the overgrown edge.

Every motion now felt natural and inevitable.

He knew how to do it.

Raine was confident that, although his raw strength hadn't increased, he could now trim a hoof on his own.

He still couldn't complete the entire horseshoeing process, but hoof trimming was within his reach.

Asking Bal to let him try would make him stand out. Even the quickest learners among the page boys couldn't trim a hoof independently after only a few days.

But if he wanted to earn more EXP, doing the work himself was almost certainly the key.

Raine glanced at the class entry in the corner of the panel.

Blacksmith Apprentice Lv. 1 (22/100)

Still a long way to go.

Skills were easy to level. Classes required far more work.

By his rough estimate, Blacksmith Apprentice would need at least another five days at his current pace.

He hesitated, then spoke.

"Master Bal, could I try trimming a hoof? I think I can do it."

Bal studied Raine's face. Once he was satisfied that the boy wasn't joking, he recalled how hard Raine had worked over the past several days and nodded.

"All right. Give it a try."

Every page boy turned to stare at Raine. The same thought passed through all their minds.

*He's only been learning for a few days, and he thinks he can do it himself?*

Even the merchant boys lounging nearby stopped talking. None of them wanted to become blacksmith apprentices, but Raine was about to distinguish himself in front of everyone. They couldn't stand it.

"What does that little bastard think he's doing?" Bushy Brow spat out the grass stem between his teeth. "Trying to show off? We'll teach him a lesson tonight."

"He's just sucking up to Bal," Freckles said, folding his arms. "I hate bootlickers. Yeah, we'll straighten him out tonight."