Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Trimming Donkey Hooves

The Harvest Moon hung in the sky.

Within the outer courtyard of Habsburg Manor, located in Flashgold Town of Meister County.

A thin boy with black hair stood in a corner of the yard, clutching a painful, throbbing lump on his head. He gazed blankly at the wide, empty grounds and the massive castle looming in the distance.

"Hiss! Where am I?" Rein muttered, cradling his aching skull as he surveyed his new environment.

In the center of the yard, a ring of teenagers dressed in rough tunics had gathered. They were watching a burly, muscular man meticulously trim the hoof of a donkey.

"This... they are trimming hooves?"

Rein was stunned!

Suddenly, a torrent of memories flooded his consciousness, flickering by like a rapid slideshow of images.

"My name is Rein now. An hour ago, I was accidentally kicked in the skull by a donkey. The swelling on my forehead hasn't even gone down yet."

"That man trimming the donkey is the resident blacksmith of Habsburg Manor."

"....."

While Rein was still disoriented, the harsh shout of the master blacksmith snapped him back to reality.

"You useless brats! Did you skip breakfast? You can't even hold a damn donkey's leg still!"

"Move it! Hold it down!"

Two young servants were drenched in sweat, struggling to grip the donkey's hoof. Their youthful frames were simply too weak to restrain the powerful beast, leaving them shaking under the strain.

Rein shook his head at the sight. Both boys, much like his own current body, were scrawny and lacked the physical strength required for such a task.

According to his new memories, the original Rein had only started the Habsburg Manor servant training two days prior. His family had sacrificed most of their life savings to bribe the head servant just to get him this opportunity.

In this realm, landed nobility typically selected a handful of youths to become official household staff through rigorous training and testing, raising them from a young age.

The available roles for male servants usually included coachmen, guards, chefs, bakers, butchers, vintners, blacksmiths, dog trainers, and falconers.

In three months, the manor would hold an evaluation to choose five top-tier candidates for official positions: two blacksmith apprentices, two guards, and one dog trainer.

Consequently, the current training for this group of boys was focused entirely on those three specific paths.

"It's like an isekai version of a civil service exam," Rein thought to himself.

A sudden realization struck him. "I traveled all this way, but is my ultimate goal really just to be someone's servant? This is ridiculous!"

"This is completely insane!"

Just then, the sound of mocking chatter made Rein's headache, courtesy of the donkey kick, even worse.

Wincing through the pain, Rein looked over and saw a few tall youths in clean linen tunics nearby. They were pointing at him and howling with laughter.

"Getting kicked by a donkey... that's just too pathetic!"

As he looked at them, the memories of the original body began to surface.

These so-called "elites" were the sons of local shopkeepers—the town's version of pampered second-generation rich kids. They formed a clique and took pleasure in tormenting the other trainees.

Rein had been their target from the start. They had forced him to clean the barracks every day, even though the rules stated the chore should be rotated among everyone.

"That one with the bushy brows is the son of the tavern owner; they call him Thick Brows."

"The one with the spots is the hotel owner's son, nicknamed Freckles."

"The boy in the brown shorts is the tanner's son. He's decent enough; no nickname for him."

"...."

"Good grief, I was really that pathetic? Bullied by a bunch of children?" Rein looked down at his frail arms and sighed in frustration.

After the group finished mocking him, they started gossiping. Eager to learn more about this world, Rein stayed quiet and listened closely, pretending to be indifferent.

"Did you hear the news? Albero Town, just down the road, was raided by a wandering ogre last night. There were a lot of casualties," the freckled boy whispered.

Since his family owned the inn, he was one of the few who always had the latest news.

"Is that for real? Why is it always bad news lately? A few days ago, a traveling merchant mentioned a cultist sacrifice in Monheim Town. Apparently, a lot of people were slaughtered," the thick-browed boy added, looking visibly shaken.

Running a tavern meant his family also heard plenty of rumors from travelers.

"Man, I wish I could move to the County Town. It's way safer there!" the tanner's son lamented.

"Not a chance! You have to pass the selection, become an official guard, and then hope a superior notices you enough to transfer you to the main estate. It's nearly impossible," the freckled boy replied, shaking his head.

"True, but passing the manor's selection to become a guard is the only way to start..." the thick-browed boy said, flexing his arm with renewed determination.

"....."

Rein grew pensive as he processed the conversation.

"Ogres?"

"Cultists?"

"Could this actually be a Transcendent world?"

Excitement, anxiety, and a sense of wonder warred within him.

He realized his current knowledge was severely limited.

The previous Rein had never left the confines of this small town, so he had no personal experience with monsters or the supernatural.

However...

Mercenaries and traveling bards often spoke of incredible things: beasts that hunted in the dark, massive leviathans in the deep sea, haunted buildings in crowded cities, and deadly, mysterious plagues.

In the past, he had dismissed these accounts as mere tall tales.

But judging by the fear in those boys' voices, these stories might be grounded in a terrifying reality.

Rein rubbed his jaw, lost in thought.

"Next pair! Rein, George!" Baal bellowed.

Hearing his name, Rein stood up quickly. He joined a boy with short, pale yellow hair, and together they began the grueling work of pinning down a donkey's leg.

Baal the Blacksmith stepped in, wielding a large iron tool with ease as he began to pare away the overgrown horn of the hoof.

It appeared the hoof was infected; a small amount of pus began to leak out as the blacksmith worked the blade.

"Hee-haw!"

The sturdy black donkey shrieked in pain and began to thrash violently, its massive body jerking against them.

Rein threw his entire weight into the task, desperate to keep the hoof steady so Baal could finish the job without injury.

Within two minutes, Rein was panting. Sweat dripped into his eyes, and his black hair was matted against his skin as his strength began to fail.

"Just one more... this is the last one," he told himself.

"Once this donkey is done, the next pair takes over, and I can finally sit down," he thought.

"Pay attention. You have to be firm but cautious when you trim. Keep your wrists flexible..." Baal instructed, demonstrating the technique as he went.

As the final hoof was completed, Rein and George collapsed onto the dirt, completely spent.

Their exhausted state immediately triggered another round of jeering from the "rich kids" watching from the sidelines.

George turned red with fury at the insults, but Rein didn't react. He was frozen in place.

A translucent window had suddenly materialized in his field of vision, flipping automatically to a second page.

Rows of text and several icons appeared before his eyes.

[You have participated in hoof-trimming; comprehension increased!]

[New Skill Learned: Hoof Trimming]

[Skill: Hoof Trimming has leveled up. Experience +1]

[Congratulations! You have unlocked the Job Class: Blacksmith Apprentice]