HC: Handyman | Ch. 196 - Reinforcement

The first time Jack used [Retreat], the hut had felt tight. This time, it was suffocating. Horace, Rob, and he were all wedged together in the tiny space.

"Can anyone move?" Jack asked, his voice muffled against someone’s shoulder.

"I think I can!" Rob wriggled like a worm in a tunnel, slowly edging sideways. With a final grunt, he slipped free, tumbling onto the courtyard floor. That shift gave Horace just enough room to twist and shimmy out as well.

Jack’s heart thudded in his chest. For a moment, all he could do was breathe. Then he stepped out behind them.

They had made it.

As Jack emerged from the hut, he was immediately pulled into a bone-crushing hug. "YES! Haha. You did it! You guys were awesome!" Rob cheered.

Jack hugged his cousin back, not trusting himself to speak just yet. The adrenaline still buzzed in his chest.

"Oof! What a rush!" Horace said, bending over to rest his hands on his knees. "We actually made it."

"Horace, you were amazing back there," Jack said. "I’ve seen you play against mobs before, but you were even better in PvP."

"You too, Jack. You kept your head. And Rob—man, good job staying alive. You even got their swashbuckler."

"Thanks, guys."

Rob was grinning like a man who’d just cheated death. Because he had. Snatched from the jaws of IronIre, at least for now. For the first time in days, he was free to run again—free to breathe New Earth’s air without fear snapping at his heels.

Jack finally exhaled, the memory of the fight still vivid behind his eyes.

His thoughts flickered back to the battle in the cemetery. He could still see it—like a memory etched behind his eyes.

So much could have gone wrong.

If he’d hesitated a second longer before channeling [Retreat]... If his evasion buff hadn’t canceled that final swing... If Horace had missed his timing... each moment had been a thread that could’ve unraveled the entire escape.

It was only now, standing in the safety of the Breach, that the full weight of it all settled over Jack. His shoulders sagged slightly, tension bleeding out in a slow, invisible trickle.

“So this is your famous Breach run, huh?” Rob asked as he stepped into the open courtyard.

Jack nodded, following his cousin’s gaze. “That’s right.”

Rob strolled forward, turning slowly as if to take it all in. The courtyard was littered with frozen carcasses, their twisted forms locked in mid-lunge. The flapping flag stood out against the moonlit sky—all of it just as Jack remembered. And yet, with Rob here, it felt different. Warmer. Livelier.

Horace nudged Jack with his elbow. “Nothing bad’s happened so far,” he said, his voice tinged with cautious optimism.

Jack gave a small shrug. “Maybe nothing will.”

Rob shouldn’t have been here.

Not only was he ten levels above the rest of them, but this was his second time in a Breach map—something that wasn’t supposed to happen. Players weren’t meant to re-enter.

The team had spent hours speculating over campfires, tossing around theories. Everyone had their favorite.

Amari had wagered on difficulty scaling—a measured take. The system would average their party level: Jack and the others were around level 20, Rob was 30, so enemies would scale to level 22, maybe with a 20% boost in numbers to reflect the added challenge. It matched how the game usually balanced Breaches.

Marie had predicted disaster. The moment Rob entered, the Breach would collapse—glitched terrain, corrupted assets, total crash. “Binary Armageddon,” she’d called it. Jack wasn’t entirely sure what that meant, but it hadn’t sounded good.

Horace’s theory had been simpler: Rob would hit an invisible wall coded by Piri and get bounced back to Embersgate.

Jack had imagined something quieter—his cousin’s stats quietly nerfed to match theirs, or worse, the entire team scaled down.

But watching Rob casually wander the courtyard, clearly unbothered, Marie’s and Horace’s guesses looked to be out.

That left Amari’s theory—or Jack’s.

“Rob?” Jack called.

“Hmmm?” Rob turned, hands resting easily at his sides.

“Is your character sheet normal? Any debuffs?”

“Any system notifications?” Horace asked, stepping up beside Jack.

Rob tapped his HUD open and squinted at the display. “Nope. All clear. Just the usual.”

Horace raised an eyebrow and glanced at Jack. “Amari was right.”

“He always is, isn’t he?” Jack muttered.

Horace chuckled. “Not always. That’s why it’s so fun when he’s wrong.”

They shared a short laugh—relief, camaraderie, and just a little disbelief.

“Hey!” Amari and Marie jogged through the gate, a little winded but smiling. Marie was waving so enthusiastically that it looked like her arm might fly off. Jack wasn’t sure if she was excited they hadn’t all glitched out, or just glad to see them.

Knowing Marie, probably the former.

Amari strode up and clasped Rob’s hand. “Good to see you, Rob.”

“Hi, Amari. Marie…” Rob added, giving her a cautious nod.

Marie crossed her arms and looked away with a soft “Hmph,” her nose slightly tilted upward.

Jack had almost forgotten how much she disliked Rob. Almost. In her defense, the first time they met was when Rob tried to kill them. But what really pushed her buttons was that he called her ‘aunty.’

Horace threw a heavy arm over Rob’s shoulder. “Hahaha! Brother! Glad you’re here. Come warm up by the fire—I’ve got enough Marie stories to keep us entertained till morning.”

Rob raised a brow. “Oh yeah?”

“Horace… you punk!” Marie snapped. Her voice cracked halfway through, and she knew she was outnumbered.

Horace was already gesturing animatedly as he led Rob away. Rob’s laughter rang across the courtyard, followed closely by Marie’s indignant footsteps and tomato-red face.

“Well… things just got a whole lot more lively,” Amari said, watching them with a bemused expression.

Jack chuckled. “I guess so.”

They followed and settled down around the fire. The heat was welcome, less for the warmth and more for the sense of familiarity it offered.

“How did the last wave go?” Jack asked, turning to Amari and Marie.

The two exchanged a glance. Marie practically vibrated with glee.

“Hihihi. Just you wait and see!” she said, her voice sing-song and mischievous. The last time she’d been like this, she’d known about the short-faced bears before Jack had laid eyes on them. This new Tranmontane upgrade had to be spectacular.

“You’ll see in time,” Amari said, holding back a smile. His smile faded, replaced by the calm seriousness he wore like armor. He stood to address the group.

“Rob, first of all—Marie, Horace, and I want to thank you. Again. Jack told us what happened. How you got ambushed. How they camped you and burned you down five levels. We’re sorry you went through that.”

Rob gave a small shrug and smiled. “It’s fine. Really. We’re even. For you guys to come after me—fifteen levels down? That meant a lot.”

Amari gave him a respectful nod. “Still… thank you.” Then he clasped his hands. “Now, it seems that of all our theories, mine is still the most likely.”

Rob tilted his head. “Theories?”

“About what would happen when a level 30 player joined an ongoing Breach run.”

“Right,” Rob said slowly, catching up. “Right.”

“So the beasts will be stronger from now on,” Jack added, stating what they were all thinking.

“That’s what I’m guessing,” Amari said. “It’s just a matter of seeing how much stronger.”

“What do you mean?” Rob asked.

Amari leaned forward slightly. “Either the system averages out the party’s level and adjusts the enemies accordingly—makes them a bit tougher, adds more mobs…”

Marie chimed in, finishing the thought. “Or it bumps everything to level thirty. No averaging.”

Rob frowned. “It’s probably the first. That’d make the most sense.”

“Let’s hope that’s the case,” Jack said, looking toward the fire.

There was a brief silence, filled only by the low, rhythmic crackle of the fire.

Then Amari spoke. “Rob, we’re running this Breach. You’ve got two options. You can tap out—commit suicide and leave the map. Or… you can stay and finish the run with us. Both come with their issues.”

Rob raised an eyebrow. “What issues?”

“While Jack and Horace were outside the Breach, everything stayed the same. Waves kept coming every two hours,” Amari explained. “But now that you’ve entered the instance, the system might rebalance the entire scenario to account for you. And if that happens… even if you leave, it might not revert.”

“What do you mean? It might not revert?” Rob asked.

“The difficulty can stay up despite your absence,” Marie said impatiently.

“Or even if the four of us are offline, and you are online, the instance keeps running,” Amari added.

Jack frowned. “But the only reason it kept running normally was because I had [Retreat], right?”

“Right,” Amari said. “Usually, once a player exits, they’re irrelevant to the instance. But we’ve broken the rules. Rob was never supposed to be here. The system might treat him differently.”

“We could test it,” Jack offered. “I’ve got another set of vases. Rob could jump, and we see what happens. We don’t lose levels when we die here.”

“That’s an option,” Amari nodded. “But let me finish.”

Jack leaned back, giving him space.

“You’re more than welcome to stay and finish the Breach with us,” Amari said. “But here’s the catch—we’re all full-time gamers. We’re already taking tomorrow off because of Jack’s thing. Doing that every weekday? That’d cripple our progress.”

Rob exhaled slowly. “And I’ve got a day job. I’d slow you down.”

“Exactly.”

Rob scratched his chin. The firelight flickered across his thoughtful expression. Then, a quiet resolve settled over him.

“You know what? I’ve got vacation days. The weekend’s almost here. Even though I could try Jack’s option, honestly… I feel safer in here. Out of the Slayer’s reach.”

He looked from Jack to Amari. “I’ll take the rest of today off—and I’ll book a few more days next week. Let’s do this.”

Jack blinked. “A-are you sure?”

Rob smiled. “I am. I lost five levels. This Breach is the best chance I’ve got to claw them back. No way I’m walking away from it.”

Amari’s eyes twinkled. “Very well. We’re counting on you.”

Rob gave a sharp salute, half-serious, half-grinning. “Yes, sir.”

“Hmph. I still vote we throw this know-it-all off a cliff,” Marie muttered, arms crossed.

Rob chuckled, but ignored the jab from Marie. “So… where do you want me?”

“What’s your build?” Amari asked.

“Battle rogue. Lockpicker. Herbalist.”

Horace raised his brows. “Well, well. Marie, looks like you’re off herbalism duty. He’s probably way ahead of you.”

Marie bit her lip and looked away.

“Lockpicker, huh…” Amari mused, rubbing his chin. “Interesting. Tell you what—give this fortress a sweep.”

Rob arched an eyebrow. “Looking for something in particular?”

“I’ve checked it a few times. But with your class and level, you might catch something I missed.”

“Very well!” Rob said. He stood and strode off without hesitation.

Jack blinked, impressed by how easily Rob followed Amari’s lead. “What about the rest of us?”

“Simple. You keep crafting. We’ll go through supplies and check the surroundings—”

“Hey guys! Over here!” Rob’s voice rang out.

“What now?” Jack gasped.

They rushed over.

Rob was crouched beside a bloodied beast carcass he’d rolled aside, revealing a circular trapdoor. A faint breeze whistled from below.

Amari’s face lit up. “The secret passage!”

“Oh? You knew about it?” Rob asked.

“I suspected it,” Amari said with a grin. “But I could never find it. No wonder—it was under a corpse. Nicely done, Rob.”

Rob shrugged. “No problem.”

Amari clapped once. “Alright! You all handle your tasks. I’m off to confront those deserters and finish that package quest.”

With that, he turned and jogged off.

Jack glanced at the trapdoor, then back at Rob. “You’ve been here five minutes and already found a secret passage.”

Rob smirked. “What can I say? I’m my cousin’s cousin.”

Ch. 195 - Retreat

INDEX

Ch. 197 - Bickering