Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys Chapter 5: Chapter 4 The Donkey and the Horse Are All One Family

Beyond its jagged edges, the shard looked as though it had endured a thousand hammers and a hundred refinements.

Because it was a fragment of a sword blade, Rein could plainly observe the partial fish-scale hammer marks etched into the metal.

Despite being hand-forged, the intricate layering proved that the smith who crafted the greatsword possessed extraordinary talent.

Rein never looked down on manual forging; in his past life, it was a known fact that a level-eight technician had hand-crafted the casing for an atomic bomb.

It appeared that the world of metallurgy here was far more advanced than he had first presumed.

"Switch positions!" Baal’s roar snapped Rein out of his deep contemplation.

After wrapping the small fragment in a scrap of cloth, Rein tucked it safely into his tunic pocket.

He slapped the dust off his pants, stood up, and went back to the task of nailing horseshoes!

[You have assisted in donkey hoof repair work, your comprehension has improved!]

[Your Skill "Hoof Repair" has improved, Experience +1]

[You focused on learning to repair donkey hooves for one hour, Blacksmith Apprentice Professional Experience Points +1]

[Your Skill "Hoof Repair" has improved, Experience +1]

.....

When evening fell after a day of grueling labor, Rein headed back to the servant boys' quarters—a massive communal bunk room designed for easy supervision.

Over a dozen people were crammed into the room, and Rein was separated from his closest friend, George, who was in a different dormitory.

Naturally, the prime spots in the center of the room were claimed by the "faux second generation" kids, leaving Rein and the other boys to sleep on the drafty edges of the bunks.

"Rein! Get moving, sweep the floor, and scrub the bed planks and cabinets!" Thick-Brows barked with arrogance, even though it was actually his turn to do the cleaning.

Rein shot a look at Thick-Brows, cursing silently, "Damn it! I’m already wiped out from the day’s work, and now I have to clean up after you?!"

"What are you staring at? Move it, or do you want a thrashing?!"

Thick-Brows stood tall, his brows knitting into a sharp V as he lunged forward and grabbed Rein by the collar.

Rein instinctively wanted to strike back, but then he looked at his own spindly limbs and realized he was half a head shorter than his bully. Picking a fight now would only end in a beating.

He thought to himself, "Great, interdimensional school bullying. Just you wait! I'll swallow my pride for a few days, and then we'll see who’s laughing!"

Instead, he muttered, "I was just looking for the rag, wasn't I? I’m going!"

Hearing this, Thick-Brows glanced suspiciously toward where Rein was pointing. Seeing the rag there, he let go with a grunt and swaggered away.

Rein grabbed the cloth and scrubbed every bed frame, swept the floor, hauled water, and mopped. By the time the chores were finished, he was utterly spent.

As he worked, he puzzled over what exactly triggered the professional panel.

He had unlocked the Blacksmith Apprentice path earlier, likely because he was learning hoof repair.

However, despite sweeping, mopping, and dusting for over an hour, the "Servant" profession hadn't appeared...

Was it because a Servant profession didn't exist?

Or had he simply not been sweeping long enough to trigger it?

.....

Exhausted from the day, the servant boys had no energy for small talk and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Rein, however, lay awake, his mind racing with frustration and plans for the future.

He needed to find a way to change his circumstances quickly. He couldn't keep living like this, and he definitely needed to put Thick-Brows in his place.

Ideas swirled through his head—could he use his modern knowledge to offer a gunpowder recipe to Count Habbs?

He quickly dismissed the thought.

According to his host's memories, even the Habsburg steward held the rank of a Knight and was a person of great importance. A lowly servant boy like Rein had no way to even approach such people.

Go through the head manservant?

Even if the man was trustworthy, how would a poor commoner's son explain where he learned such things? If he made one wrong move, he’d likely lose his life to someone's greed.

In a world of Transcendent powers, might made right!

The only real path to survival was finding a way to level up and gain power for himself.

But... speaking of power, that noble girl was truly impressive and striking.

He recalled others calling her Lady Cleya.

Was she the Count's daughter or from another noble house?

Rein couldn't help but picture her heroic silhouette, her tight hunting gear accentuating her lithe figure and her firm, athletic build...

Lost in these thoughts, he eventually drifted into a restless slumber.

The following morning.

At first light, the servant children were roused to begin their duties.

Today was another day of donkey hoof repair, but after this session, the training would stop until the following month.

This news made Rein feel a sense of urgency.

"Damn, I just got my golden finger and now I'm running out of donkeys!"

"Maybe... I should just ask Master Baal to let me try fixing one on my own?"

Rein looked down at his thin arms and immediately dismissed the idea. He lacked the strength and the refinement; even if Baal allowed it, he’d likely mess it up.

Failing would only set him back.

The young nobles didn't show up at the outer fort for practice today, which Rein found slightly disappointing.

After another day of labor, Rein checked his progress—Hoofing (32/100)—and fell into thought. What would he do tomorrow?

Another day passed.

Early the next day, Baal stood before the two rows of apprentices and announced loudly:

"Today, we move on to nailing horseshoes! But first, the hooves must be filed down..."

Rein tuned out the rest of the lecture.

Trimming horse hooves?

That... that should still count as hoofing, right?

Surging with excitement, Rein opened the second page of his transparent interface to check his skills.

Yes!

The skill was listed simply as 'Hoofing,' without specifying the animal.

Furthermore, the icon showed a general hoof, implying it worked for all similar creatures.

Donkeys and horses were practically cousins!

However, he still needed to confirm if it would actually grant experience.

Shortly after, the apprentices were moved to the northeastern section of the outer fort, near the stables.

Seeing the massive horses, most of the apprentices looked miserable. Even the larger "pseudo-noble" boys began to whine.

If holding down a donkey was a struggle, these powerful steeds would be a nightmare to handle.

Rein was the only exception.

He was filled with anticipation and eagerness to start filing!

He was dying to start the work and confirm his theory.

Soon, Master Baal led the first horse out.

It was one of the smaller nags in the stable, yet it was still significantly larger than the sturdiest black donkey they had worked on.

"This is a nag! We start here! First group—Rein, George—get over here and hold the hooves!" Baal barked.

Rein and George stepped forward immediately to secure the horse as instructed.

The master took a U-shaped horseshoe, measured it against the hoof, and began the "snip-snip" process of trimming away the excess horn.

Once satisfied with the shape, he began driving nails into the shoe.

"The trick to horseshoeing is getting the initial placement right..." Baal explained as he demonstrated the technique.

Rein watched intently. There were seven holes in the shoe, and Baal hammered in seven nails.

With every strike, the nag grew more restless, forcing Rein and George to put all their weight into keeping it steady.

When the nails were set, Baal filed down the rough edges, finishing the first hoof.

As they finished all four hooves and a drenched Rein stopped to breathe, he suddenly froze in place.

A notification had appeared:

[You assisted with horseshoeing, gaining insight!]

[Your Hoofing skill has improved, experience +4]

[You concentrated on learning to nail horseshoes for a quarter of an hour, gaining +1 Blacksmith Apprentice Professional Experience Points]

....

Watching the experience bar for Hoofing jump up, Rein felt a wave of pure exhilaration.

He had hoped for this, but seeing the confirmation was a different matter entirely.

More importantly, the experience gain was significantly higher than with the donkeys!

Rein realized he had found a shortcut to rapid growth.

Previously, an entire hour of donkey work only gave him +1 Professional Experience Point.

Now, just fifteen minutes of horse work yielded the same result.

His Blacksmith Apprentice progress now sat at (8/100).

Rein surmised that horseshoeing was simply more advanced and more relevant to the Blacksmith profession than basic donkey maintenance, hence the better rewards.

It was only a theory, but he felt certain he was right.

It felt as if a bright, new path had opened up before him.

"This is the way!"