Chapter 4: The Donkey and the Horse
Chapter 4: The Donkey and the Horse
Moreover, the fragment seemed to have been forged through countless strikes.
Due to its location at the blade, Rayn could clearly see the fish-scale-like hammer marks.
Although it was handmade, the overlapping fish-scale pattern proved that the blacksmith who crafted the greatsword was highly skilled.
Rayn never underestimated handmade items; in his previous life, an eighth-grade pliers worker had crafted the casing for an atomic bomb, a true story.
It seemed that even the forging techniques in this world surpassed his imagination.
"Change!" Bar's shout snapped Rayn out of his wandering thoughts.
Rayn wrapped the small fragment in a rag and placed it in his shirt pocket.
But he said, "Isn't this just a rag? I'll do it!"
"Hey, Freckled Face, get over here and help me clean the stables!" Rayn heard the call and looked over at the direction of the pointing finger, where a rag lay. He grumbled and pushed Rayn away before heading over to the stables. Rayn picked up the rag and wiped down over a dozen beds, then swept, fetched water, and mopped the floor. After all this work, he was exhausted. As he worked, he wondered about the mechanism behind the Occupation Panel's activation. Was it triggered because he was learning how to trim donkey hooves, thus activating the Blacksmith Apprentice profession? But after an hour of sweeping, mopping, and table-wiping, nothing happened. Was it because there wasn't a servant profession? Or did he not sweep for long enough? After a tiring day, the servants had no energy for chatting and quickly fell asleep.
"This is a draft horse! We'll start with it! Come on, first group, Rayn and George, come and hold the horse's hoof!" Barl shouted with a booming voice.
Through the foreman? Rayn wondered. Even if the foreman was reliable, would he help report this up the chain of command? And what if something went wrong along the way? Rayn, a poor commoner, couldn't explain the source of his knowledge. He might even risk his life, as money could easily tempt people.
Rayn's heart raced as he watched his Hoof Trimming skill's experience points rise.
It was hard enough to press down on a donkey's hoof, but these horses were a whole circle larger than the donkeys. It was even more challenging to keep their hooves still.
Rayn tuned out Barl's voice as he focused on his thoughts.
He felt a bit anxious about this.
After finishing the trimming, Barl adjusted the edges, completing the shoeing of one hoof.
The dormitory was crowded, with over ten people sharing a single bed. Rayn and his best friend George weren't even in the same room.
In this extraordinary world, might made right.
The servants were awakened by the dim morning light to start their day's work.
Rayn glanced at Prominant Brow and muttered, "Damn, I'm already tired from working all day, and now I have to help you clean?"
"The key to shoeing a horse is to first roughly outline the horse shoe on the hoof," Barl explained to the servants as he demonstrated.
Rayn, who had been seething with anger, tossed and turned in bed, his mind racing.
Although he had expected that trimming horse hooves would earn him experience points, seeing it happen still made him a bit excited.
Trimming horse hooves should also count as hoof trimming, right?
[You focused on learning to shoe horses for a quarter of an hour. Blacksmith Apprentice Experience +1]
[Your Hoof Trimming skill has improved. Experience +4]
"Should I just ask Master Barl directly and offer to do it myself?"
The next morning, Master Barl stood before the servants lined up in two rows and announced, "Today, we'll learn how to shoe horses! But first, we'll start by trimming their hooves!"
The next morning...
Rayn quickly flipped to the second page of the transparent panel, eager to check his skills.
Rayn's mind drifted to the image of a noble girl, her graceful figure accentuated by her tight-fitting hunting attire. Her taut buttocks, barely covered by the gray linen maid's dress, caught Rayn's attention, and he soon found himself drifting off to sleep.
"Damn, this is like a foreign version of bullying. Just you wait! I'll get you back for this!" Rayn thought to himself.
Hmm, it says Hoof Trimming, but it doesn't specify donkey or horse hooves.
[You focused on learning to trim donkey hooves for an hour. Blacksmith Apprentice Experience +1]
Rayn pondered ways to quickly improve his situation, as he couldn't bear to continue this life. He wanted to teach Prominant Brow a lesson. Ideas flashed through his mind, like using his knowledge advantage to create a gunpowder recipe and present it to Earl Habsburg.
Rayn eagerly anticipated trimming horse hooves. He couldn't wait to start shoeing horses to test his theory.
According to his original form's memories, even the steward of the Habsburg Estate held the title of Knight, a position far beyond Rayn's reach as a mere servant.
Prominant Brow furrowed his brows, forming an inverted V, and approached Rayn with an intimidating air. He grabbed Rayn by the collar.
After trimming the hoof, Rayn placed the horse shoe on the hoof and began nailing it in place.
Rayn realized he had grasped the trick to quickly improving his skills.
Rayn deduced that shoeing horses was likely more relevant to the Blacksmith Apprentice profession than trimming donkey hooves, which was why it awarded more experience points.
Although this was just Rayn's speculation, he believed it to be mostly accurate.
This realization gave Rayn a sense of relief and newfound hope.
"I've got this!"
(End of Chapter)
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