The well was nearby, so he reached his makeshift “cellar” quickly.

  The amphorae were just as he’d left them, but something immediately caught his attention—about 40% of them no longer had progress bars.

  Frowning, Jack reviewed the notifications he’d overlooked while practicing:

  Your mead has aged successfully.

  +50XP in [Brewing]

  Your mead hasn’t aged properly and has become bitter.

  Out of the 30 amphorae he’d deposited, only 60% had successfully aged to the second tier. The rest had gone bad.

  “What a hassle,” Jack groaned. “All that honey wasted.”

  It wasn’t all bad news, though. As he practiced, he’d gained another level in brewing:

  Congratulations! You’ve reached level 5 in [Brewing].

  You’ve learned a new skill: [Cellar Management].

  Cellar Management (Uncommon)

  Skill level: 1

  Skill description: You know how to position casks for aging spirits to increase the likelihood of enhancing flavor depth.

  Skill effect: +1% success rate for aging spirits if conditions are met.

  The bonus wasn’t massive, but it was better than nothing. More importantly, the results highlighted just how powerful the stoneware amphorae were. Their 5% aging success bonus was five times as effective as this skill’s effect. Without them, he’d have lost half the batch.

  Jack picked up one of the amphorae containing the spoiled mead, inspecting its durability.

  “Wow,” he muttered, scratching his head. “The durability really drops when the mead doesn’t age properly.”

  The stoneware amphorae were holding up thanks to Jack’s fine craftsmanship, but even they could probably only handle one or two more failed attempts before breaking. The idea of constantly having to craft replacements felt like a huge time-sink.

  "Maybe Clay Dome will help," Jack mused. If he played the melody while the mead aged, it might protect the amphorae from damage.

  Curious, he inspected the durability of the amphorae that had successfully aged the mead. Their durability had decreased, too, though not as significantly. It seemed durability dropped every time the mead advanced to a higher tier. This was valuable information. He might even need to transfer the mead to new containers as it progressed to higher levels.

  Finally, Jack turned his attention to the second-tier mead itself:

  Mead II (Common)

  An amateur brewer’s batch. Simple and sweet.

  Effects: +3% attack for 10 minutes.

  The buff was still simple, but the increased damage potential was clear. It wasn’t game-changing yet, but it was a step in the right direction.

  Jack set the spoiled mead aside and tucked one amphora with good mead under his arm and started heading toward the frontlines.

  Jack walked toward the gate, curiosity tugging at him. How many more traps had Riku managed to squeeze into the stretch of road between the carriage and the gate?

  When he reached the area, Jack frowned. “It’s the same!” he muttered, his brows knitting together. During the 90 minutes Riku had been left alone, nothing seemed to have changed. No new traps were visible.

  What has Riku been doing all this time?

  He followed the marked path, little flags fluttering in the breeze. Hoof marks from earlier rides helped guide the way as well. Jack eventually reached the carriage, where Horace, Amari, and Marie stood watching the terrain.

  Climbing up to join them, Jack froze as his eyes widened at the sight before him.

  “Oh my goodness,” he exclaimed. “So this is where Riku’s been busy.”

  What had once been a sparsely trapped battlefield was now a maze of deadly obstacles.

  The new hidden package had been put to use brilliantly. Three freshly dug ditches now cut across the terrain, creating layers of defense.

  The first ditch, just before the carriage, made the ground below two meters lower. The carriage’s elevated position would make it far harder for beasts to climb up and attack.

  The second ditch stretched farther out, positioned just beyond where the initial field trap had ended.

  The third ditch was farthest away, the ground between it and the second ditch a zigzagging field of caltrops, pits, and other traps.

  Jack’s gaze followed a small figure weaving carefully through the minefield. It was Riku, making his way back to the carriage.

  As the boy climbed up, Horace stretched out a hand to help him. “Good job, Riku,” Horace said with approval.

  “Thanks, sir,” Riku replied, his voice tired.

  Like his mother, the boy looked worn out, his movements sluggish. “I left some stew for you in the pot pit,” Jack said.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “Thanks,” Riku replied, hopping off the carriage and jogging toward the fortress to find his mother.

  Jack glanced at the clock. Four minutes remained.

  Amari’s commanding voice broke the silence. “Here’s the plan. We start by defending the first ditch. Then we fall back to the second one, and finally to the carriage. After that, we retreat to the wall and, if necessary, to the citadel. Got it?”

  Marie and Horace, seasoned warriors accustomed to serving under Amari’s leadership, nodded without hesitation.

  Jack gave a short nod of his own. “Got it. Oh, by the way, guys, I have something for you,” Jack said, pulling out a few glasses he’d crafted earlier during his first pottery session. The amber, silky liquid caught the light as he poured a little into each glass.

  “Oh, nice!” Horace said, his voice full of appreciation.

  Jack shrugged, trying to play it cool. “Yeah, I figured now’s as good a time as any for us to drink it.”

  “This has a 12-hour cooldown,” Amari noted, inspecting the mead. “We should be able to use it again on the next boss. Awesome job, Jack!”

  The group downed the beverage, their spirits visibly lifting, before jumping off the carriage to assume their battle positions. Jack decided to stay on the carriage, where the sound of his ocarina could still reach them all.

  As the others prepared for the fight, Jack took a moment to steady himself. With no enemies yet in sight, he focused wholeheartedly on the yellow ocarina in his hands and began playing Jolly Good Fellow.

  The cheerful melody rang out, a stark contrast to the tension filling the battlefield. Jack felt a little ridiculous playing something so upbeat in such a dire situation, but the system quickly reassured him with a notification:

  You have played [Jolly Good Fellow].

  Performance rating: B

  The brewing buff is extended by 10(+1) minutes.

  “Awesome!” Horace called out, clearly pleased with the added boost.

  Almost immediately, Marie stepped forward and summoned the wave. As she did, a notification appeared for all of them:

  Beware! The 10th wave comes!

  You have unlocked a new breach achievement: [Early Bird].

  By summoning 10 waves sooner than necessary in a row, you demonstrate eagerness as a warrior.

  +10 breach points.

  Jack barely had time to process the achievement before a piercing sound ripped through the air—a horrifying mix of a scream, a shriek, and a howl. Then, there was a rumble. This wave was going to be much larger than any of the others. He could tell just from the sound: the relentless clatter of countless legs pounding against the ground. Then, the creatures began to emerge from the haze.

  First, a wave of purple, furry, skittery, and grotesque insects. Then came the bigger cockroaches—obsidian-colored, large, and heavy. Jack’s mind raced as he analyzed their movements. The order in which they marched hinted at the presence of manipulator roaches guiding this army—or a boss with similar abilities.

  Now that Jack knew what to look for, his sharp eyes picked out the telltale circus-like stripes marking the manipulator roaches. He counted at least two. It wasn’t just the boss—elites were here, too.

  And then, the star of the show appeared: the boss.

  Jack’s breath caught in his throat. He didn’t know what to make of it. The creature was hideous, alien—unlike anything he had ever seen. Its grotesque body was a fusion of roach and giraffe, its long, stick-like neck bristling with grotesque appendages. At the top was a gaping mouth full of jagged teeth, snapping rhythmically as though anticipating its next meal.

  It looked like something ripped straight out of a horror movie.

  Jack shuddered. He couldn’t tell if the developers had taken full artistic license or if this abomination was inspired by fossils. Whatever it was, Jack was just relieved this monstrosity didn’t exist in the real world.

  The creature screeched again, its howl rippling through the air like a physical force. As it did, the roaches around it began to glow with dark purple light and surged forward with renewed speed and ferocity.

  Amari’s voice cut through the chaos. “It’s a buff boss! It strengthens the others!”

  The boss howled again, and the entire swarm surged forward as one unstoppable tide, charging up the road straight toward the fortress.

  Jack waited eagerly to see how the strategy would shift now that Amari and Horace had joined the fray. He imagined Horace charging headfirst into the enemy formation, smashing through their ranks, while Amari darted nimbly through the chaos, chipping away at the boss’s health. Meanwhile, Marie would keep the smaller critters at bay with her bombs.

  “Wait… are they just going to stand there?” Jack muttered.

  Their approach was nothing like what he had expected.

  Horace and Amari stood next to Marie, waiting. Marie held the center, poised and ready. The moment the enemy came within range, she unleashed hell—bomb after bomb raining down in fiery explosions.

  Jack immediately noticed something was different.

  The purple roaches, which Marie usually eliminated with a single hit, now had enough defense to survive the brunt of her explosions. Jack realized it had to be the boss—the buff was significantly bolstering their durability.

  But Marie didn’t falter. She kept her focus, hurling bombs left and right to thin their ranks.

  Despite her efforts, the boss’s buff and the swarm’s speed and reinforced defenses allowed several roaches to break through the barrage. They reached the first layer of defense: the ditch.

  That’s when Amari sprang into action. He jumped down into the ditch, his claws cutting down stragglers as they attempted to climb out of the ditch. He was on cleaning duty, as usual. Horace, meanwhile, stood silent and steady, biding his time.

  As the swarm pressed on, more than just purple roaches began reaching the ditch. Amari had to start using throwing stars to reach the roaches that were too far away from him. When the giant roaches joined the fray, not even Amari’s great damage could finish their remaining health with one hit. He had to deal three to four slashes to each giant roach before moving on to the next one.

  Marie remained relentless, her bombs continuing to pound the other side of the ditch.

  Then, it happened. One of the giant roaches managed to evade Amari’s salvo of shurikens. Its sheer size and momentum carried it almost to the other side of the ditch.

  That’s when Horace moved.

  With his shield glowing in a brilliant golden hue, he charged forward like a battering ram. His figure flashed as he collided with the giant roach, sending it tumbling back down into the ditch. Amari was quick to finish it off.

  The team’s strategy was clear now—they weren’t just defending. They were holding the line. No enemy would advance beyond this point.

  Seeing how the strategy was unfolding, Jack zoned in. He had to contribute—he wasn’t just there to cook meals and handle loot duty.

  Digging into his inventory, he pulled out one of his red ocarinas. He gripped it tightly, the familiar weight giving him confidence, and began playing March of the Embers.

  The epic melody surged through the air, matching the frantic energy of his companions as they battled to hold the line against the endless tide of disgusting roaches.

  Jack felt a rush of familiarity as the notes poured from his ocarina. He’d played this song countless times in the past—back when he and the gang hunted centipedes while waiting for the queen bee to appear or that unforgettable day when he and Horace had single-handedly cleared the bat cave.

  The melody flowed naturally from his fingers, and on his very first attempt, he achieved a solid performance.

  You’ve played [March of the Embers].

  Success rate: B

  +130XP in [Bard]

  Audience bonus: +318XP in [Bard]

  All your allies deal +10(+2%) damage for 20 seconds.

  “Good job, Jack!” Amari sent him a quick message, finding the time to encourage him even amidst the chaos of battle.

  The March of the Embers stacked with the bonus from the mead, pushing the party’s overall damage boost to 15%. Jack felt a flicker of pride. Whatever buff the boss was giving to its underlings, Jack was countering it.

  Marie was back to one-shotting the riffraff—the gross, furry roaches falling in droves under her bombs. Amari was shredding through the giant roaches with precision, his shurikens cutting through their reinforced defenses.

  But Jack wasn’t done yet. It was time to find out what Tenderizing Repercussions could do.