Humbert's Surprise

After thinking it over, Rain returned to the inn and took off his equipment.

Next, he was going to the association's backyard. He still needed to hide the sudden change in his build as best he could, so he quickly put on a loose linen tunic and headed out again.

Although Rain wore the loosest long-sleeved linen tunic he could find, Lia soon noticed something different about him when he arrived in the association's backyard.

"Rain, why do I get the feeling you're getting stronger and stronger?" Lia asked, looking him up and down in confusion.

"Haha, maybe I'm just at the age when muscles start growing," Rain said with a smile.

"True. You're at just the right age to fill out. Anyway, what brings you here today? Want to keep learning the one-handed sword?" Lia asked.

She remembered clearly that Rain had completed a month of basic training and mastered Spear Thrust and Shield Block.

"I want to ask Instructor Humbert if I can learn to use the Warhammer," Rain told her frankly.

"Learn to use the Warhammer?" Lia's eyes widened. She was clearly surprised.

After all, Instructor Humbert was famously strict about who he taught to use the Warhammer.

He had turned away countless young adventurers.

But perhaps because she had noticed the change in Rain's build, Lia hesitated and said nothing to discourage him. Instead, she nodded. "All right, Rain. Good luck."

"Thanks." Rain nodded and walked toward Instructor Humbert.

"Instructor!" Rain greeted him with a slight bow.

"You're... Rain." Humbert had some recollection of Rain, who had done well during training.

After all, people came and went constantly. New young trainees arrived every month, while others left believing they had learned enough.

"Instructor, I've come to learn to use the Warhammer. I'm willing to take your test."

"Hmm?" Humbert studied Rain more closely.

He had trained this young man for a month and knew how hard he worked. Rain was unlikely to make such a request lightly.

He must have had at least some confidence before bringing it up.

"Wait... you?"

Once Humbert took a closer look, he immediately noticed the change in Rain's build.

Rain had made some effort to conceal it, but Humbert could see too many details that betrayed his improved physique.

"All right, give it a try. Pick up the Warhammer with one hand and ring the bell on the wall," Humbert said with a nod.

He, too, was curious. The young man before him seemed to have changed considerably.

"Yes, Instructor."

As on the previous occasion, the exchange between Humbert and Rain drew the attention of all thirty or so young people training there.

They stopped what they were doing and turned to watch Rain approach the heavy hammer.

The heavy hammer resting in a corner of the training ground looked plain, but everyone knew how much it weighed.

Every young trainee there, newcomer and veteran alike, had secretly tried it when Humbert was away.

Only a few could even lift it.

And lifting it was merely the first step.

Rain crouched slightly and gripped the handle with one hand. This time was different from the last.

The moment his hand closed around it, Rain felt something instinctive.

It was as if the Warhammer were naturally familiar to him.

He was still far from wielding it as an extension of his arm, but the sensation of having held a Warhammer before seemed to linger in his hand.

The muscles in Rain's arm swelled slightly, and without much effort, he lifted the Warhammer, all seventy or eighty pounds of it.

"Oh, he picked it up."

"He makes it look easy! Think he can do it?"

"Who knows? The second step is the hard part."

Rain straightened and looked up at the small bell hanging on the wall about two meters above the ground.

The second step required him to tap the bell's lower rim without damaging the bell or scraping the wall.

Brute Strength alone would not be enough for that.

And it was this second step that stopped most young people who came to learn to use the Warhammer.

Rain's triceps bulged and the muscles in his forearm tightened as he swung the dull gray, metallic Warhammer above his head.

Ding!

A gray blur flashed past, and the bell rang clear and bright.

"He actually did it!"

"My god! He didn't damage the bell or scrape the wall. He really did it!"

"That was incredible!"

The young trainees in the backyard grew excited and began whispering among themselves.

He really did it...

Lia marveled as she watched Rain ring the bell with the Warhammer.

The instant Rain swung the Warhammer, Humbert's eyes narrowed slightly.

He knew then that the young man would have no trouble.

As the bell rang, Humbert could not help thinking that humans truly were the people with the greatest differences between individuals.

"Rain, come with me."

With that, Humbert turned and left the backyard, heading toward a room farther inside.

"Yes, Instructor."

Rain set down the Warhammer at once and followed Humbert.

Humbert opened a door off the backyard, and Rain followed him in. Only then did he realize it was a separate indoor training room.

Judging by the weapons arranged around it and the ironwood training dummies, it appeared to be Humbert's personal training room.

"Rain, do you know why I set such a high bar for learning to use the Warhammer?"

"Well..."

Rain had actually thought about that question before.

Clearly, Humbert was not doing it for money. If he were, he could simply double or triple the tuition—perhaps even charge ten times as much for Warhammer training.

But Rain was sure that even then, plenty of people would still come to learn it from him.

"Are you worried it would damage the reputation of the Dwarven Warhammer?" Rain ventured.

It was the only reasonable explanation he could think of.

"No. Not everyone in this world who uses a Warhammer learned from the Dwarves. Many have traditions of their own. Someone using a Warhammer poorly wouldn't harm the Dwarves' reputation," Humbert said, shaking his head.

"Then why?" Rain asked, curious and puzzled.

"Because of the path to becoming a Professional," Humbert revealed.

Hmm?

The path to becoming a Professional?

Rain's eyes widened slightly, and excitement stirred in his heart.

He had not expected Humbert to bring up Professionals of his own accord.

Rain had planned to wait until he knew Humbert better before discreetly asking about Professionals—or at least about the Warrior Profession.

This was an unexpected stroke of luck.

"What do you mean?" Rain asked at once.