Between the first two waves the only difference was in the number of black roaches: fifty instead of thirty. Judging from the skittering sound growing louder and the black moving patch, it was roaches again. Jack covered his ears, knowing what followed. The wave was the lightning, and Marie’s bombs the thunder. After seeing one, one would surely hear the other.
Pop! Bang!
Twin explosions rocked the battlefield.
3rd wave clear.
You’ve won 1 breach point.
When the dust settled, he coughed and waved a hand in front of his face, trying to clear the air.
“Two bombs this time?” he muttered under his breath.
“As many as are needed,” Marie answered.
Jack moved forward to collect the loot. He stooped to harvest a roach and froze mid-reach. At first, he thought it was a trick of the light. But no, scattered among the glossy black carcasses were splashes of color—tiny tufts of purple fur.
“It’s a roach, but it’s hairy?” Jack’s lip curled in disgust. A roach was already the stuff of nightmares, but adding fur? That was just wrong. What scared him most, though, was the choice of color. It was oddly reminiscent of Piri’s pink mazes.
This has Piri written all over it. Only that psycho would bother to create such a gross thing. “H-how nice,” he forced himself to say aloud, in case Piri was listening. Maybe if she fell for his act, she would stop sending these disgusting bugs.
Jack straightened, his gaze sweeping over the battlefield. This wave had 50 bald roaches and ten hairy ones.
It’s too bad nothing with scales or feathers has shown up yet. At least [Skinning] would trigger, and I could see [Butchering] accomplishing something. He glared at the purple tufts dotting the battlefield. What am I supposed to do with these? A roach-skin rug?
Shoving the thought aside, he focused on the task at hand. He was close—so close—to leveling up [Butchering]. His fingers worked quickly, sifting through the remains with practiced efficiency. Every coin and scrap of material brought him closer to the notification he’d been waiting for.
And then it came.
You’ve looted a furry roach!
You’ve picked up 13 coppers.
+2XP in [Butchering]
Congratulations! You’ve reached butchering, level 2!
You’ve learned a new skill: [Lipid Extraction].
New synergy between [Butchering] and [Bushcrafting].
You’ve learned a new recipe: [Oil].
You’ve learned a new skill: [Sautéing].
You’ve learned a new skill: [Fat Coating].
Jack froze. The notifications poured in like an avalanche, one after another until his vision swam with text. “What… just happened?”
“Something wrong?” Marie asked from the perch.
Jack blinked, shook his head, and forced a grin. “Uh… no. It’s fine. Just leveled up. Everything’s fine.”
But his mind was racing. Jack skimmed the endless stream of notifications, his mind struggling to keep pace. What was [Fat Coating]? What about [Lipid Extraction]? Curiosity itched at him, but discipline came first. That and the heartless general watching him from atop the carriage.
Jack looked away from the notifications and searched the battlefield. As soon as he looted again, he found one of his new skills was already working.
You’ve looted a black roach.
You’ve picked up eight coppers and 1x[Insect Fat].
+1XP in [Butchering]
Jack grimaced as he held up a sticky glob of translucent yellow fat between his fingers. Thankfully, the system kept it neatly into a ball. “Insects have fat?” he muttered. This item hadn’t appeared in any of the roaches he’d looted before. Not even when we hunted hundreds of midnight centipedes did I see any. This must be the effect of [Lipid Extraction]!
He stuffed it into his inventory and kept going. Sure enough. Every other roach now dropped this new resource. Jack tried guessing what the other new skills and recipes did as he worked.
[Fat Coating]? He had no idea. He just hoped it didn’t involve making a coat out of fat. No one would ever want to wear such a thing.
Oil. Did it refer to machine oil? Or was it fuel, like for machines? He wasn’t an engineer nor a tinkerer, so that didn’t sound useful to him, but as he considered the name of one of his other skills, he got it. “[Sautéing]. Wait! Is this oil for cooking?”
Maybe the two were related! He saw his mom use lard when she cooked some dishes. Maybe this oil could be used similarly. Was he going to learn more complex cooking techniques now where he could use oil? If so, the thought of using insect oil to cook was a little gross.
After looting, Jack practically flew to the carriage, eager to read the descriptions of his new skills and recipes.
“Got anything good?” Marie asked expectantly.
“Don’t know yet,” Jack said. “Give me a second.”
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Before Marie summoned the next wave, Jack read through his new skills
First, he confirmed that he’d guessed right about the nature of his new butchering skill.
Lipid Extraction (Common)
Skill level: 1
Skill description: Animals use fat as an energy reserve, insulation, cushioning vital organs, and to support various physiological processes. As a butcher, you know which cuts of meat are the fattiest, and you let nothing go to waste.
Effect: Passive. The number of animals that drop fat has increased.
“First feathers and scales. Now fat, huh?” he muttered. “I guess it’s better than nothing.”
So far, the only use he’d seen for fat was making torches, but maybe his handyman class would help him squeeze the untapped potential of this resource.
Sure enough, his new synergistic recipe helped him make something else out of fat besides torches!
Recipe for [Oil]:
Ingredients:
-
Fat
Instructions:
-
Bring fat to a boil.
-
Strain it through a sieve.
-
Repeat the process.
Requirements:
-
[Cooking], lvl. 3
or
-
[Survival Cooking], lvl. 2
-
[Lipid Extraction].
It is a cooking recipe! Jack thought excitedly. The process seemed quite simple. He just didn’t have a sieve, but he could try making one with cloth or out of clay if he needed it. He looked at the one skill that made use of this resource.
Sautéing (Common)
Skill level: 1
Skill description: By caramelizing the sugars in ingredients, you can make them tastier.
Skill effect: Active. Fry ingredients before using them in other recipes to enhance flavor and buffs.
He could already picture it: frying vegetables or meat before tossing them into a stew. The thought of caramelized flavors making his survival cooking not only tastier but more effective filled him with a strange sense of pride. Who said survival cooking couldn’t be gourmet?
The final skill, however, was a bit harder to swallow.
Fat Coating (Common)
Skill level: 1
Skill description: By smearing grease on your skin, you create a barrier that protects you from the elements.
Skill effect: Active. Use fat to gain a boost to cold resistance and HP regeneration.
Jack wrinkled his nose. “So, I’m supposed to… rub this stuff on myself?” The thought grossed him out. “Wait. It’s a skill. Not a recipe!” That meant that maybe he didn’t need to do anything disgusting to benefit from the buff.
With a deep breath, he activated the skill.
Fat Coating!
The insect fat melted into his skin, leaving a faint, oily sheen. A greasy warmth spread through him, and suddenly, the little nip in the air didn’t bother him anymore. Jack couldn’t decide if it felt comforting or just gross.
You’ve consumed 10x[Insect Fat].
+5 cold resistance for 10 minutes.
+1HP regeneration per 5 seconds for 10 minutes.
Jack was very happy with the skill. It lasted quite a while, and it should come in handy during the Breach quest. He tried activating the skill again, but this time, he focused on Marie.
Fat Coating!
You’ve consumed 10x[Insect Fat].
“Cool! Nice buff!” she praised. After a few seconds, her voice became edgy. “Wait. Did you just seriously use bug grease on me?!”
“It’s functional,” Jack shot back with a grin. “And eco-friendly.”
Marie didn’t smile. “Argh. Fine. OK! Next wave!”
You’ve fast-tracked the next wave. You’re quick and efficient. You’ve won 1 breach point.
The 4th wave comes. Beware!
Jack tensed as the skittering mass approached. This wave was half purple, half black, the colors swirling together in a dizzying patch of movement. He grimaced. The insects were multiplying too quickly for comfort.
Marie hurled four bombs, the explosions ripping through the swarm.
4th wave clear.
You’ve won 1 breach point.
Jack moved toward the battlefield without hesitation, stepping over twitching legs and shattered shells as he began looting. His hands worked fast, but there was too much. Too many resources scattered everywhere. If he was counting it right, there were close to a 100 roaches in this wave.
“Jack! Get back here!” Marie’s voice was sharp.
“I haven’t finished looting,” he snapped, not pausing.
“Doesn’t matter. Five minutes are almost up. Get back here—I’m summoning the next wave.”
Cursing under his breath, Jack sprinted back to the carriage. The battlefield still had many materials and coins, but there wasn’t enough time to gather it all.
You’ve fast-tracked the next wave. You’re quick and efficient. You’ve won 1 breach point.
The 5th wave comes. Beware!
This time, something was different. The approaching patch wasn’t uniform. A black strip moved forward while a purple one hung back. Jack frowned, glancing at Marie, looking for an explanation for this sudden change.
“Breach 101, Jack,” she said. “Waves ending in 5 come with elites. Waves ending in 0 come with bosses.”
The swarm halted just short of where the corpses of their companions lay. It stood there for an eerie moment.
“What’s going on?” Jack asked.
“You’ll see,” Marie said.
Then, only half of the black roaches advanced, leaving the rest of the roaches behind. Marie wasted no time hurling a bomb that obliterated the first group. The next group hesitated, then staggered forward in disarray.
They’re not huddling anymore! Are they learning?!
“Argh, come here already!” Marie muttered, flinging bombs in a fan pattern. The black roaches fell, one cluster at a time.
Then came the purple roaches. They advanced in small, organized groups, their movements oddly deliberate.
Jack’s stomach twisted as he watched. It’s as if they have suddenly grown a brain!
Pop! Bang! Bang!
Marie kept her cool, dispatching each group with precision.
Bang! Pop! Bang!
Finally, the battlefield fell silent.
“Don’t loot yet, Jack!” Marie snapped just as he was about to leave the safety of the carriage.
You’ve fast-tracked the next wave. You’re quick and efficient. You’ve won 1 breach point.
You’ve unlocked a hidden Breach achievement: [Quick and Efficient].
You’ve won 10 breach points!
Jack blinked at the notification. “The bonus,” he muttered, realization dawning. He turned to Marie, his voice sharper. “You didn’t mention this bonus when you explained the store.”
Marie smirked, unbothered. “Now you know why we’re rushing through waves.”
Soon came two messages in their party chat.
“Sweet! Good job!” Horace said.
“Well done! All according to plan,” Amari added.
Jack’s annoyance simmered, especially because he was the only one who hadn’t known about this bonus. He was able to get over it quickly, though. This bonus was awesome. It had doubled their breach points! They were now at 20BPs!
The 6th wave comes. Beware!
More roaches.
The patch approached. Even without an elite in this wave, the insects still moved in sync, their lines more disciplined compared to before. Wave 5 marked a shift in the difficulty of the game.
Marie kept her focus, her bombs carving through the mass with patient efficiency.
When the wave was finally clear, Jack scanned the battlefield. Only the occasional twitching leg disturbed the eerie stillness. “You can still summon another wave,” Jack pointed out. The timer hadn’t yet hit five minutes.
Marie nodded, her posture relaxed. “I know. But from now on, we’re stopping the fast-clearing. We got the hidden achievement, and that’s all that mattered.”
Jack couldn’t say he was unhappy about the change. He glanced at his [Butchering] progress and felt the itch to try his new recipes. Constant looting duty left him no time to experiment.
“I’m going to pick up the loot,” he said, already moving toward the battlefield. The combined spoils of two and a half waves awaited. He was almost certain this would push him to level 3 in [Butchering].
Marie called out to him from the carriage. “Can we have a meal after that? I’m running out of stamina. Horace could probably use something, too.”
“Sure. Fetch him. I’ll meet you guys by the fire in a second.”
They hopped off the carriage on opposite sides, Marie heading back to the base while Jack navigated the now-familiar field of traps. He moved through caltrops and snares with ease, his boots finding the safe paths without hesitation. Still, as he neared the edge of the field, something gave him pause.
One of the purple roaches had made it to the caltrops. It lay there, motionless but intact. Jack frowned. That was the first time one had gotten this far.