Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys

Harvest Moon.

Meist County, Flashgold Town, the outer courtyard of Habsburg Manor.

A frail, dark-haired boy was crouched in a corner of the courtyard, clutching a sizable lump on his forehead with one hand, as he stared blankly at the wide-open space around him and the towering castle in the distance.

"Hiss! Where am I?" Rein muttered through gritted teeth, enduring the searing pain in his head as he surveyed his surroundings.

A group of teenage boys in rough linen coats stood obediently in a semicircle, watching a towering, muscular adult man as he trimmed the hooves of a black donkey.

"This... they're trimming donkey hooves???"

Rein stood there, dumbfounded!

Then, all at once, a flood of memories surged into his mind, flashing frame by frame like a slideshow.

"So, my name is Rein now. An hour ago, I got kicked in the head by a donkey, and now this massive lump on my forehead hasn't even started to go down."

"The adult trimming the donkey hooves is the blacksmith of Habsburg Manor."

"......"

Suddenly, as Rein was lost in thought, the loud scolding voice of the donkey hoof specialist cut through the air.

"You little bastards, did you skip breakfast? You can't even pin down a donkey hoof properly!"

"Hurry up, hold that hoof steady for me!"

Two child servants, sweating profusely, were struggling to hold the donkey's hoof. But for such young boys, the strength of the powerful animal was entirely overwhelming, making them wobble unsteadily.

Rein shook his head instinctively. These two child servants, just like the body he now inhabited, were skinny as beanpoles. No wonder they couldn't keep the hoof steady!

Based on the memories in his mind, the boy whose body he now occupied had joined the Habsburg Manor child servant training program just two days ago. His family had scraped together most of their savings and pulled strings with the manor's steward to secure him a spot.

In this world, there was a common practice among nobles with landholdings: they typically selected a small number of their child servants to become official servants after rigorous training and evaluations, fostering loyalty from a young age.

Typically, official male servant positions included roles like coachman, guard, cook, baker, butcher, wine maker, blacksmith, dog trainer, falconer, and others.

In three months, the manor would hold assessments to recruit five of the most outstanding child servants to become official household staff: two blacksmith apprentices, two guards, and one dog trainer.

As a result, the training for this batch of male child servants was entirely focused on tasks related to these three roles.

"An otherworld version of civil service exams?!"

Rein couldn't help but think.

"So, I've transmigrated—but my big aspiration here is to work as someone's servant? What kind of cruel joke is this?!"

"What a nightmare!"

At that moment, the chatter and laughter of nearby voices made Rein's donkey-kicked head throb even harder.

Suppressing the pain, Rein turned his head to look and saw a group of tall, well-dressed adolescent boys in clean linen clothes pointing at him, laughing uproariously from not far away.

"Got kicked by a donkey... hilarious!"

Seeing them stirred another wave of memories in Rein's brain.

This group of so-called "prestigious" child servants were actually the sons of shop owners from town—effectively "rich kids." They tended to band together and often bullied other child servants.

Rein's predecessor, too, had been a target—bullied the moment he arrived. They had made him run errands like cleaning the dormitory on a daily basis. According to the rules, this task should have been rotated among all the child servants.

"That thick-browed kid is the youngest son of the town tavern owner. His nickname is Thickbrow."

"The boy with a face full of freckles is the son of the inn owner. They call him Freckles."

"That one in brown linen shorts is the tanner's kid. At least he doesn't have a nickname."

"....."

"Damn it, how pathetic am I? Getting bullied by a bunch of kids?" Rein glanced down at his stick-thin frame and couldn't help but shake his head in helpless frustration.

After having a good laugh at Rein's expense, the group began chatting about other things, oblivious to him. For Rein, this was a perfect opportunity to gather information about this world. He kept his head down, pretending not to care, while carefully perking up his ears to eavesdrop.

"Hey, did you hear? Albero Town, not far from Flashgold Town, was attacked by a wandering ogre last night. A lot of people were killed or injured," Freckles whispered.

Freckles' family ran the inn, making him one of the few in the rich-kid group with access to fresh news.

"No way, why is it nothing but bad news these days? A couple of days ago, I heard from the merchant caravan that there was a cultist sacrificial incident in Monheim Town. Lots of deaths there too," Thickbrow said, his face full of unease.

Thickbrow's family ran the tavern, making him the other well-informed member of the group.

"Ah! If only I could live in the county town. It's so much safer there!" the tanner's boy sighed wistfully.

"Easier said than done! Unless you pass the selection this time and become an official guard, then get noticed and posted to the main household in the county town. But that's nearly impossible," Freckles said, shaking his head.

"True, but no matter what, becoming an official guard through the manor selection is the first step..." Thickbrow flexed his toned arm confidently as he spoke.

"....."

Listening to all this, Rein couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

"Ogres?"

"Cults?"

"Could this place be an Extraordinary World after all?"

*A mixture of excitement, worry, and anticipation surged through Rein's heart.*

*What kind of Extraordinary World could this be?*

*The memories he inherited offered scarcely any useful information!*

After all, his predecessor had never ventured beyond the small confines of this town and had never encountered monsters or anything remotely mystical.

However...

The wandering bards and mercenaries from distant lands often brought fantastical tales: monsters prowling at night, enormous sea creatures lurking in the oceans, haunted houses in bustling markets, and deadly plagues with terrifying fatality rates. The stories were endless.

Before, he had dismissed such tales as mere fairy tales.

But judging by how the rich kids talked, could these stories be real?

Rein rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment.

"Next group, Rein, George!" Baal shouted out.

Hearing his name, Rein immediately got up and, along with a boy with light blond short hair, began struggling to pin down the donkey hoof.

Now, Blacksmith Baal walked up and effortlessly picked up a large iron file, trimming the overgrown and curved donkey hoof with practiced ease.

However, the center of this hoof seemed slightly inflamed, and as Baal clipped away, a faint trickle of pus and blood seeped out.

"Hee-haw!"

The robust black donkey cried out in pain, its whole body writhing and thrashing violently.

Rein gritted his teeth and mustered all his strength to lock the hoof in place, preventing the donkey from moving and disrupting Baal's work.

In less than two minutes, Rein was already drenched in sweat, his black hair sticking in clumps to his forehead. His physical strength was nearly depleted.

"Thank goodness this is the donkey's final hoof."

"Once we finish with this black donkey, the next pair of child servants will take over, and I can finally get some rest."

"Pay attention! When trimming donkey hooves, you need to be bold yet meticulous. Keep your wrist loose..." Baal explained as he demonstrated.

When the last hoof was finally trimmed, Rein and George collapsed onto the ground like deflated balloons.

Their utterly drained figures immediately provoked another round of raucous laughter from the group of "rich kids."

George's face instantly flushed red with embarrassment, while Rein acted as if he hadn't even heard them. Instead, he suddenly froze in place.

That was because a translucent frame had appeared on his retina, and it automatically flipped to the second page.

There, several lines of small text and a series of icons were displayed.

[You assisted in trimming donkey hooves, gaining related insights!]

[You've learned a new skill: Trim Hooves]

[Your skill Trim Hooves has improved, Experience +1]

[Congratulations! You've unlocked the profession panel: Ironsmith Apprentice]