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

The metal shard appeared as though it had endured a thousand strikes and a hundred refinements.

Because it was a fragment of a sword blade, Rein could clearly discern the partial fish-scale hammering marks etched upon it.

Despite being hand-forged, the intricate, layered scale pattern served as proof that the artisan who crafted the greatsword possessed extraordinary skill.

Rein never discounted the power of manual forging; he remembered a fact from his previous life where a level-eight technician manually fashioned the casing for an atomic bomb. It appeared the world of smithing in this realm was far more advanced than he had previously assumed.

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

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

He slapped the dust off his trousers, stood up, and returned to the task of securing 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]

.....

By evening, following a day of grueling labor, Rein made his way back to the servant boys' quarters—a large, communal bunk room designed for easy supervision.

Over a dozen boys shared the room, and Rein was separated from his closest friend, George, who was assigned to a different dormitory.

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

"Rein! Get moving. Sweep the floor, and scrub the bed boards and the lockers!" Thick-Brows ordered with arrogance, even though it was actually his turn to handle the cleaning today.

Rein shot a look at Thick-Brows, cursing inwardly, "Damn it! I'm already bone-tired from work, and now I have to clean up after you?!"

"What are you staring at? Move it, or do you want a taste of my fists?!"

Thick-Brows loomed over him, his brows knit into a sharp V as he lunged forward and seized Rein by the collar.

Rein felt the urge to strike back, but then he looked at his own thin limbs and realized he was half a head shorter than his aggressor. A fight right now would result in nothing but 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 boss!"

Outwardly, however, he simply said, "I was just looking for the rag. I'm going!"

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

Rein took the cloth and scrubbed every bedframe, swept the dust, hauled water, and mopped. By the time he finished the chores, he was utterly spent.

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

He had activated the Blacksmith Apprentice role earlier; did that mean it was linked to the donkey hoof repairs?

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

Was there no such thing as a Servant class?

Or perhaps he simply hadn't cleaned long enough?

.....

Exhausted from the day’s toil, the boys had no energy for small talk and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Rein, however, lay awake, his mind churning with resentment and restless thoughts.

He desperately contemplated how to trigger a rapid change. He couldn't go on like this; he needed to find a way to put Thick-Brows in his place.

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

He quickly dismissed the thought.

According to his host's memories, even the Habsburg steward was a powerful figure holding a Knight’s title. A lowly servant boy like Rein would never even get close to them.

Go through the head manservant?

Even if the man was trustworthy enough to pass the message up, how could a peasant's son explain where such knowledge came from?

Furthermore, in a world where greed often led to murder, one wrong move could cost him his life.

In a Transcendent world, might made right. That was the only law.

The only true path to power was finding a way to level up and take that first step toward strength!

But... speaking of power, that noble girl he saw was truly impressive—beautiful and formidable.

From what he overheard, her name was Lady Cleya.

Was she the Earl's daughter or the child of some other high-ranking noble?

Rein couldn't help but picture her heroic silhouette—the way her hunting gear hugged her frame, emphasizing her slender figure and her firm, athletic build...

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

The following morning.

At the first light of dawn, the servants were summoned to begin their duties.

The schedule still called for donkey hoof repairs, but after today, the training would stop until the following month.

This news filled Rein with anxiety.

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

"What if... I just ask Master Baal to let me try fixing one by myself next time?"

Rein looked down at his spindly arms and immediately dismissed the idea. He lacked both the strength and the refined technique. Even if Baal allowed it, he’d likely ruin the hoof.

Making a mistake like that would only set him back.

The young nobles hadn't come to the outer fort for training today, which left Rein feeling slightly disappointed.

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

Another day passed.

Early the next morning, Baal stood before the two rows of apprentices and made an announcement:

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

Rein tuned out the rest of the lecture.

Trimming horse hooves?

This... this should still count toward the skill, shouldn't it?

A wave of excitement washed over him as he hurriedly opened the second page of his transparent interface to check his skills.

Yes!

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

Judging by the detailed icon of a hoof, it likely applied to all such creatures.

Donkeys and horses belonged to the same family, after all!

Still, he needed to confirm if it would actually work.

Shortly after, the apprentices were led to the northeastern stables of the outer fort.

Upon seeing the massive horses, the other apprentices looked miserable. Even the taller "pseudo-nobles" began to grumble.

If holding a donkey was a struggle, these towering steeds would be a nightmare to keep still.

Only Rein felt differently.

He was brimming with anticipation and eager to get to work on those hooves!

He couldn't wait to start the process and test his theory.

Soon, Master Baal led the first horse out of the stalls.

It was one of the smaller animals in the stable—a nag—yet it was still significantly larger than the sturdiest black donkey.

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

The two boys stepped forward immediately, gripping the hooves as the master had taught them.

Baal 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 hammering the shoe into place.

"The secret to shoeing is the initial positioning..." Baal explained, demonstrating the technique for the apprentices.

Rein watched intently. The shoe had seven holes, and Baal drove seven nails home.

With every strike of the hammer, the nag flinched and struggled, forcing Rein and George to throw their full weight into keeping it steady.

When the nails were set, Baal filed down the rough edges, completing the job.

After they finished all four hooves, a drenched and breathless Rein suddenly went still.

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]

....

As he watched the experience bar for Hoofing jump, a thrill of joy surged through him.

He had hoped horseshoeing would count, but seeing the actual confirmation was exhilarating.

More importantly, the experience gain was significantly faster than it had been with the donkeys!

Rein realized he had discovered the key to leveling up quickly.

Before, it took a full hour of donkey hoof repair to gain +1 Blacksmith Apprentice point.

Now, he had earned a point in just fifteen minutes.

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

Rein suspected this was because shoeing a horse was more technically relevant to the Blacksmith profession than simply trimming a donkey's feet.

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

He felt as though a new, glowing path to the future had just opened before him.

"This is the way!"