"Jack?! Is that you?"

  Jack turned toward the sound and found Horace, Amari, and Marie looking down at him from atop the carriage. He smirked, tilting his shoulders slightly to show off the new pelt he was wearing.

  "Pretty sick, huh?"

  The trio approached through the field, now clear of traps and squirrel carcasses.

  "Is that [Pelt Mantle]?" Amari asked, raising an eyebrow.

  "Huh? You recognize this?" Jack asked, tilting his head.

  "Yes," Amari replied.

  "It’s a berserker skill," Horace added, stepping closer.

  Jack frowned. "Now that you say that... yeah. It did remind me of the Slayer’s gear."

  At the mention of the Slayer, anger flickered in Marie and Horace’s eyes.

  Amari’s eyes narrowed slightly. "How did you get it? Is it one of your Handyman synergies?"

  "Yep."

  The flicker of surprise on Amari’s face was satisfying.

  "But now I’m curious," he added. "How come berserkers also have this skill?"

  As the team’s resident warrior, Horace stepped up to explain. Even though he played as a tank, berserkers and tanks were cousin-classes.

  "Berserkers gain bonuses if they fight with no equipment on. The class does offer some workarounds. One of them is this skill. Technically, an animal’s pelt isn’t a piece of equipment, so they can wear it without compromising their bonuses," Horace explained.

  Jack nodded slowly. That made sense. Berserkers always had that wild, almost feral aesthetic, and this skill fit right into that.

  "First, you start to seem like a real chef, and now you’re snagging a berserker-unique skill? Your class is something else, Jack," Amari praised.

  Jack’s grin widened. His class kept surprising even him—and if it was throwing off his teammates, that was even better.

  "Alright, are we done here?" Marie asked, already fiddling with her gear. "Those bears aren’t going to blast themselves."

  "You’re so aggressive, Marie! That’s why you haven’t found a husband," Horace teased with a smirk.

  Marie turned slowly, two grenades already in her hand. "What. Did. You. Say?"

  Horace took a step back. "Easy now. Just calling it like I see it."

  "Come on, come on, let’s go," Amari interrupted, laughing. As he passed Jack, he leaned in and whispered, "My followers love to see Horace and Marie bickering. Later, I’ll send you a video with the top 10 insults they’ve thrown at each other. It’s one of my most-watched uploads." He blinked conspiratorially before jogging ahead.

  The trio departed, their banter fading into the distance. "See you later, guys," Jack called, though a pang of bitterness lingered as he watched them leave. That should be me heading toward those hidden packages. I found them. But there was nothing he could do about it now.

  Jack stood for a moment, watching them go, until a faint sound brought his attention back.

  Riku had arrived, straining his thin little arms to reset a bear trap nearby.

  Jack rolled his shoulders and got back to work. One by one, he gathered the scattered loot, methodically working through the field until not a single scrap remained. His inventory was freshly stocked—fat, meat, pelts, all neatly stacked.

  I should check the market prices on pelts. Even if they sell for peanuts, every bit counts.

  As he finished, he turned back toward the fortress. His sandals kicked up dust as he sprinted back.

  By the time he reached the fire, Christoff sat off to the side, stringing his bow, a pile of half-finished arrows at his feet. Meanwhile, Esther worked quietly, shaping the clay just as Jack had instructed.

  “Any finished pots?” he asked her.

  “Yes. Over there.”

  Jack picked one at random and inspected it. The walls were slightly uneven, and she had only used slip to glaze it. Not the best pot in the world, not the worst.

  Just as he was about to give her some pointers on how she could improve, he caught himself.

  Wait… was I about to go full Felix on her?

  The thought made him chuckle. A couple of weeks ago, he was the one fumbling through his first crafts. Now, with a single glance, he could already see where Esther could improve. When did that happen?

  He hesitated. It felt strange—but good. After a few moments of silence, he finally shook his head and snapped out of it.

  “Thanks for your work,” he finally said, setting the pot down.

  “You’re welcome, sir.”

  I’ll leave her to it. The pots were good enough for what he needed. Satisfied, Jack gathered the remaining pots and made his way toward the well.

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Jack landed at the bottom of the well with a thud, the impact jolting through his legs. He straightened, lifting his torch to inspect the large vessels holding his liquid treasures.

  Of the original thirty pots of mead, only three continued aging. Their progress bars crawled forward, slower than ever. It would take four more hours for the mead to reach Tier IV.

  Jack grimaced. So much had gone sour. Brewing was merciless. The higher the tier, the lower the odds—and the fewer batches he had to spread that risk.

  If this keeps up, I’ll be left with nothing but vinegar. He tapped his foot in thought. Should he just call it a day and keep these three Tier III batches? They were valuable but not even half of a mead’s full potential. Worse, a considerable chunk of the progress bar had already been filled. Abandoning the process now felt like a waste.

  Whatever happens, I’ll hold on to whatever survives the next aging tier. Mead IV seems to be the limit of what I can make. I need to get more hives. More honey!

  Thankfully, it wasn’t all bad. Before today, failed batches would have meant wasted ingredients. But now, thanks to his new skill, even failure had value.

  He ran a hand over one of the amphorae, inspecting the liquid inside.

  Honey Vinegar (Common)

  A golden-hued vinegar with a mellow sweetness beneath its sharp bite.

  Durability: 16

  Now, it was just a matter of transferring the vinegar from the large stoneware amphorae to the more manageable pots Esther had just made. Full stoneware amphorae were a nightmare to lift—bulky, heavy, and easy to drop if he wasn’t careful.

  Let’s see if I can cheat a little.

  One by one, Jack stored the heavy amphorae in his inventory, then used the system mechanics to transfer their contents to the smaller pots. He wiped his forehead. Managing them like this made things much more manageable.

  After a few minutes of careful allocation, he had condensed the contents of three amphorae into fifteen lidded pots of vinegar.

  Good thing I can do it like this, or I’d need help.

  With his work finished, he climbed up the well and took a seat near Christoff. Pulling one of the vinegar-filled pots from his inventory, he turned it over in his hands, considering his next move.

  I have to put ingredients here, and it will become a pickle… The only question is, what should I pickle?

  The only two edible ingredients in his inventory were honey and romie meat. The only thing that could be pickled was the meat.

  Can I pickle raw meat? Or should I cook it first?

  Pickling cooked meat seemed like the right call, but wasn’t sushi eaten raw? And there were also raw meat dishes—tartar if he wasn’t mistaken.

  Wait. Didn’t Amari mention that chefs also know the pickle skill? Maybe there’s a tutorial online!

  He opened a browser and soon found a series of videos covering different basic cooking techniques. He selected one of the videos with the most views about pickling.

  The video opened on a middle-aged, blue-eyed man with golden curls and heavy-rimmed glasses. He wore a chef’s jacket and stood behind a counter lined with various ingredients and jars.

  With a bright, confident smile, he clapped his hands together.

  “Alright, listen up, future culinary legends! I’m Mateo, level 6 Master Chef in New Earth, and today we’re talking about PICKLING. What it is, how to do it, and—most importantly—how to NOT screw it up."

  He leaned forward slightly. "If you find this video helpful, hit that like button and subscribe—because trust me, your future pickles will thank you."

  With a smooth motion, he gestured to a row of jars filled with colorful ingredients.

  “Now, there are two skills related to pickling. First, [Vinegar Pickling], which you can pick up at Novice Chef, level 3—simple, fast, gets the job done. Then, there’s [Fermentation Pickling], which you unlock at the Journeyman tier and requires more patience, skill, and dedication.”

  He tapped one of the jars for emphasis.

  “If you’re interested in fermentation, I cover that in my Journeyman Chef Masterclass. Link below. Use code ‘BRINEMEUP’ for 10% off.”

  A small in-game prompt popped up in the corner, displaying a clickable link.

  “But today, we’re keeping things simple with vinegar pickling—quick, easy, and great for preserving food.”

  Mateo gestured toward a row of colorful jars.

  “Most people hear ‘pickles’ and think cucumbers, but you can pickle almost anything—onions, eggs, fish, even meat.”

  He suddenly paused, exhaled through his nose, and massaged his temples, his jaw clenching. Then, forcing a creepy smile, he continued.

  “And before you ask—eggs need to be boiled before they’re pickled. Do not put a raw egg in vinegar unless you’re trying to make something that looks like vomit.”

  He let that hang in the air for a moment, then exhaled sharply as if reliving a past trauma.

  "Also, cook your meat and fish first. Seriously! Have you ever seen raw meat or fish pickles at the supermarket? No? Why do you think that is?"

  Jack’s cheeks reddened as he cleared his throat.

  "I guess that answers my question."

  The chef from the tutorial pointed toward a jar of bright pink pickled onions.

  “When you learn [Vinegar Pickling], you also get a basic brine recipe—vinegar, salt, sugar. That’s your foundation. Later, you can grab advanced recipes from the XP store, adding spices, herbs, and even honey for a deeper flavor.”

  Jack paused the video and rewound it.

  "Wait—I didn’t get this skill or this recipe!"

  Frowning, he pulled up his skill details.

  Survival Pickling (Rare)

  Skill level: 1

  Skill description: Vinegar can preserve food through pickling, extending its shelf life in harsh environments.

  Skill effects: Store food in vinegar to create pickled foods.

  Jack scratched his chin. His skill wasn’t [Vinegar Pickling]—it was [Survival Pickling]. And unlike Mateo’s version, he hadn’t received a brine recipe.

  "Did I get a stripped-down version of the skill? Maybe there's something in an XP store to help me level it up. After all, it's only level 1. That means it can be leveled up!"

  He tapped his fingers against his knee, thinking. I’ll just add sugar and salt anyway. It should at least give me a higher crafting grade.

  He resumed the video.

  Mateo was now holding up a large jar, his expression focused but relaxed.

  “Alright, let’s break it down. First, you need a container that can be sealed. I prefer glass jars—because you can actually see what’s happening inside—but if you’re on a budget, a clay pot works fine, too. Just make sure it can hold liquid without leaking.”

  He poured vinegar into a jar with practiced ease.

  “Now, fill it about three-quarters full. Not all the way! Trust me, if you overfill it, the second you add your ingredients, you’ll get overflow. And that means wasting good vinegar, which is a CRIME against cooking.”

  He scooped a spoonful of salt and sugar into the jar, stirring with a wooden spoon.

  “Next—SEASON. Sugar, salt. And here’s the number one mistake rookies make—they don’t taste the brine. Don’t just dump ingredients in and hope for the best. The pickled food is going to taste exactly like this liquid, so NOW is the time to adjust it.”

  Mateo tapped the spoon against the rim of the jar before pointing toward his finished jars.

  “Once your ingredients are submerged, they’ll need to sit in the brine for at least an hour—maybe longer, depending on your skill level and what you’re pickling. And when you’re done—BOOM! YOU GOT A PICKLE.”

  He lifted a sealed jar triumphantly.

  "Pickled foods can be enjoyed on their own, thrown into sandwiches and stews, or used to balance rich flavors. And just like that—you’ve mastered the basics of pickling!"

  The video ended with a playful transition, featuring the words “BRINED TO PERFECTION” flashing across the screen.

  Jack liked the video and subscribed to the chef’s channel. He had learned a lot from this video. Maybe there was something on another of this guy’s videos that would help him get better crafting grades with his stews.

  “Seems simple enough,” Jack said. He rubbed his hands and reached out for his cooking pot. “Let’s pickle some meat!”