Each looted corpse dissolved into shimmering motes of light, leaving the battlefield a little cleaner with every pass. The task was mechanical, almost meditative until a burst of vivid color broke the monotony.
Jack froze. Among the drab, lifeless bodies was something new.
This roach was smaller than the rest, its spindly legs unnaturally long, like a marionette’s. Its neck twisted at unsettling angles, giving it an air of grotesque mockery. The garish stripes adorning its shell—purple, red, and yellow—seemed almost too bright, too intentional, for this grim battlefield.
This was one of the insects they’d had to capture for the [Entomology Specimens] quest. A smile tugged at his lips as a memory surfaced: their first adventure as a team. Back then, he’d barely known Amari, Marie, and Horace, and now, they felt like family. It was funny how such a gross bug could dredge up fond memories.
But his smile faded as he eyed the roach again. Another way to look at it was that, even after all his progress, he still hadn’t graduated from squashing cockroaches.
“So these are the ones turning the mindless swarms into an army.” Its name, the long antennae, legs, and how each of these was still touching other roaches even after death hinted further at this. These were the commanders of the roach army.
Jack reached out and touched the roach, causing the system to chime.
You’ve looted a manipulator cockroach!
You’ve picked up 25 coppers.
+3XP in [Butchering]
You’ve picked up [Insect Fat].
Jack frowned at the underwhelming loot. Despite its special characteristics and how it brought order to the mindless roach horde, it was still a low-level mob. “Figures,” he muttered, moving on. Soon, he found another manipulator roach and then a third.
But as he reached for the third, something about it stopped him cold.
This one wasn’t the same. It was smaller, its carapace gleaming as if polished, and its shape had an eerie refinement. His pulse quickened as he crouched to examine it.
You’ve looted a puppetmaster cockroach!
You’ve picked up two silvers.
+50XP in [Butchering]
Jack’s eyes widened. “This must’ve been the elite from the fifth wave! A puppetmaster, huh?”
This explained the fifth wave’s eerie precision.
If Jack was looking at this right, on wave 5, this little guy had appeared, and in the subsequent wave, a downgraded version, the manipulator cockroach, came into play.
As the elite roach disintegrated, Jack noticed something hidden beneath its remains. His breath hitched as he reached out and picked it up—a skill book.
Battle Charisma (Common)
Skill description: You stand above your kin in battle.
Skill effects: Passive. Aura: Nearby allies gain +1 Attack, +1 Defense, and +1 Block when near you.
It was something perfectly suited for his role as a supporting character. Yet, instead of learning it immediately, he placed it in his inventory. He would show it to the others, and they could decide together who got it.
There wasn’t a single player in their team that wouldn’t be able to make use of this. At the same time, since they were all adventuring together, it made little difference who learned it. They were a team. What mattered wasn’t who got the skill—it was how it could serve the group.
Satisfied with the decision, Jack resumed looting the battlefield, his boots crunching over debris. The experience bar for his [Butchering] skill crept upward as he worked through the corpses until, finally, it happened.
Congratulations! You’ve reached level 3 in butchering.
You’ve learned a new skill: [Meatpacker].
Meatpacker (Common)
Skill level: 1
Skill description: As a butcher, you know how to organize your wares efficiently, saving space in your pack.
Skill effects: Group related items in your pack, double their stack size.
“Good skill,” Jack murmured, genuinely impressed.
While it didn’t directly synergize with any of his other minors, he was happy to have it. The stacks of fat he’d been collecting consolidated immediately. Where before they capped at 10, he could now stack them up to 20. This saved critical inventory space—a boon, considering they were only on wave five of the Breach with many more to go. By the time he was done with looting duty, he had gathered four full stacks of fat, each with 20 units.
Jack headed toward the rest of the crew’s meeting point, where Horace was already by the fire, his broad frame silhouetted against the flames.
“Hey, guys,” Jack greeted as he approached.
“Hi!”
“Yo!”
The fire burned steadily, but he tossed another log on anyway. Better to be safe than scrambling for fuel later.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Reaching into his inventory, Jack pulled out the skill book and lobbed it to Marie with a grin. “Look at what I found!”
Marie caught it deftly, her eyes lighting up. “Sweet!”
“What? What? Let me see!” Horace leaned over, snatching the book from her hands. He flipped it open, nodding approvingly.
“So, who should learn it?” Jack asked.
Horace rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Makes sense for it to go to the person with the least chance of dying. That way, the buff sticks around even if things get ugly.”
“Agreed,” Marie said without hesitation.
Horace turned and tossed the book back to Jack. “You learn it.”
Jack blinked, taken aback. “A-are you sure?”
“Of course. You’re our support. You stick to the backlines, so you’re the safest bet.”
“But you’re the tankiest in our team!”
“True, but I’m also the first to go when things get dicey.”
Marie’s silence was telling, but the small nod she gave Jack solidified her agreement.
Jack regarded them for a long moment, but then his excitement finally won out. “Cool! Thanks, guys!” Jack said, a genuine warmth in his voice. He opened the book, the system prompt appearing before him.
Are you sure you want to learn [Battle Charisma]?
Without hesitation, he selected yes. The process wasn’t flashy—no burst of light or triumphant fanfare—just a faint shimmer as the new skill took hold. Their party’s attributes ticked up slightly, a quiet but satisfying confirmation of his new skill.
Jack couldn’t help but smile. It felt good to finally learn a new battle skill after such a long dry spell. As much as he loved the handyman class, its focus didn’t always translate into immediate combat utility. This felt like a step toward balancing the scales.
Turning to Horace, Jack asked, “How’s the wall holding up?”
Horace sighed, his expression tight. “The gate’s done, but the wall’s a mess. I’ll have to use all the wood I brought to patch it up. Unless Amari finds a good lumber source, we’re in trouble. I only brought two spare shields.”
“Don’t forget the ones I found in the armory,” Marie reminded him.
“Right, right,” Horace said, running a hand through his hair. “Still not enough, though.”
Jack nodded, pulling out ingredients for a quick meal. As the fire crackled, he prepared a simple survival stew, the golden broth warming in their bowls. The honey base filled the air with a sweet, comforting aroma.
“So,” Jack asked as they ate, “we’ve got 20 breach points to spend. Are we using them now?”
“That depends,” Horace said around a mouthful of stew.
“On what?” Jack prompted.
Marie leaned in. “On what Amari finds on the map.”
Jack frowned. “What do you mean?”
Horace set his bowl down, his tone turning serious. “Breach maps always have hidden aid packages. Amari might find a cave with supplies, materials for the wall, or even NPCs to recruit. We’re waiting to see what he finds.”
Jack nodded, recalling the hidden spring he’d stumbled across earlier near the fortress. If Amari found something similar, it could be a game-changer.
“How long do we give him before calling him back?” Jack asked.
Marie added, “Right now, I can hold off the waves on my own. This buys Amari time to explore as much of the map as possible. But that window won’t last. We’ll need him back soon.”
“We’ll need him for the wave boss,” Horace replied grimly. “Wave 10 is no joke.”
“Yeah,” Marie agreed, her tone unusually somber. “Things are going to get much harder after that.”
Horace drained the last of his stew and stood. “Thanks for the meal. I’m heading back to work.”
Marie followed suit. “I’ll check the citadel again. See if I missed anything—and barricade it better.”
“OK, guys! See you soon.”
As his teammates departed, Jack checked the wave timer.
1 hour and 45 minutes until the next wave.
Perfect. He had just enough time to be productive.
Near the fire, Jack found a flat rock to use as a makeshift workbench. He swept away debris with his sleeve and rubbed his hands together, grinning.
It was time to do some crafting.
Jack set the clay from the hidden spring on the makeshift workbench, his fingers sinking into the cool, pliable material. After spending so much time handling gross roaches, the smooth, pure clay was a relief. Soothing, even.
He pulled up the recipe for an amphora. If Horace was right about how terrifying the wave bosses could be, having aged mead might be the edge they needed to survive. A brewer by title only—having made exactly zero batches of mead—Jack knew this was his chance to change that.
But first, he needed containers. Lots of them.
Jack scanned the recipe again.
Recipe for: [Stoneware Amphora]
Ingredients:
-
[Stoneware Clay]
Instructions:
-
Shape the [Stoneware Clay] into a large vessel with a wide body and narrow neck, ensuring enough room for liquid storage.
-
Attach handles to the sides and smooth the surface carefully to prevent weak points in the structure.
-
Fire the shaped vessel in a kiln at high temperatures until it hardens into durable stoneware.
Requirements:
-
[Brew]
-
[Clay Molding], lvl. 2
“Seems simple enough.”
The challenge wasn’t shaping the amphora—it was deciding the most efficient way to approach the task. He considered his options. He would have loved to throw the amphorae, but sadly, there was no wheel nearby. Coiling was strong and reliable but time-consuming. Instead, he settled on a simpler technique: pinch pot construction.
Kneading a lump of clay to eliminate air pockets, Jack pressed his thumbs into its center. Slowly, he pinched and rotated the clay, thinning the walls evenly. The wide body of the amphora began to take shape under his hands.
It can’t be too big, he reminded himself. Firing large pots would be risky without a kiln.
A memory surfaced—of the brewer at Ariadne’s camp, their small, portable barrels. Jack’s hands moved purposefully, shaping something roughly that size.
Once the base was complete, he added a narrow neck, just wide enough to pour liquid but tight enough to prevent spills. He attached small handles on either side, smoothing the joins with care.
As the amphora took shape, Jack leaned back to inspect it under the flickering firelight. It was small and sturdy, its rounded body transitioning gracefully into the neck. He ran his fingers over the surface, satisfied with its smooth texture and compact design.
You’ve crafted a [Stoneware Amphora].
+30XP in [Pottery]
“Good! I’m on the right track,” Jack murmured, smiling.
He set the amphora aside to dry and began on a simpler pot—one with a wider neck for mixing mead, but not so wide that it was hard to cover it with a cloth later. By the time he finished the second container, the amphora had reached the leather-dry stage.
Jack grabbed the pot and started carving whirly patterns into the surface with a knife, the small flourishes adding a touch of artistry.
You’ve etched a [Stoneware Pot].
Artistry has increased.
+10XP in [Pottery]
Once dry, Jack placed the pot into the fire for its first firing.
You’ve fired [Stoneware Pot].
+20XP in [Pottery]
Now for glaze.
Gathering flint from the mountainside, Jack crushed a small piece in his mortar and pestle, mixing it with slip to create a rudimentary glaze. With a brush—a trusty tool he always carried—he carefully applied the glaze and fired the pot again.
As the pot emerged from the flames, the glaze crystalized, leaving a shiny, gray finish.
You’ve crafted a [Stoneware Amphora].
+120XP in [Pottery]
Stoneware Amphora (Uncommon)
A vessel made of clay ideal for storing and aging spirits.
Crafting grade: D-
D-grade debuff: +5% chance that spirit will not age properly.
Durability: 19
Artistry: 2
“Only a D-grade?” Jack exclaimed, frowning. He ran his hands over the pot, tracing its smooth surface and streamlined form. It wasn’t perfect, but it didn’t seem that bad either. “Come on, it’s not like I have access to a professional workshop out here….”
Still, the grade stung. Jack replayed the process in his mind, searching for mistakes. Was it the firing? The glaze? Were the pot’s walls uneven? He was about to dig deeper when a system notification interrupted him.
[Pride of the Innovator] has been upgraded to [Innovating Pioneer]!
Jack’s eyes widened. “Wait, what?”
He opened the title description, his heart racing. As he read the new effects, a grin spread across his face. “No way! This upgrade is awesome!”