HC: Handyman | Ch. 173 - Cobalt Ischychromys

Jack watched from atop the carriage as the battered remnants of the romie horde stumbled through the gauntlet of snares, spike pits, and bear traps. The boss had already cleared many traps between the first and second ditch by hurling boulders, but the area closer to the carriage remained largely untouched.

Jack winced as he watched hours of Riku’s careful preparations disappear in mere moments beneath the creature’s massive steps.

“There go all the traps! Poor Riku,” Jack sighed.

Horace whined dramatically. “Riku? What about me? I'm the one banking that! Poor me! I know exactly how much each of those traps cost in materials. It feels like I'm fighting the boss by throwing gold at it!”

Marie raised an eyebrow. “Your armor costs way more than those traps.”

Horace opened his mouth, paused, and then closed it again. “Fair point.”

“Besides, you can always make more traps,” Jack added.

Horace hesitated, suddenly serious. “Well…I can collect more stakes from the forest, but I’m running out of supplies. I’m all out of bear traps and caltrops already.”

Jack’s smirk faded as he processed that news. Were they running out already? Hadn’t they arrived with an entire carriage filled to the brim with supplies? He scanned the battlefield again, noting the sheer number of snares, spikes, and bear traps triggered during this fight alone. His mind drifted back to the first boss battle, recalling how rapidly they'd depleted their traps back then, too. He exhaled slowly. Horace was right—it checked out. Their supplies had diminished faster than he'd realized.

Still, Jack reminded himself grimly, losing traps was preferable to watching Horace and Amari’s equipment crumble mid-fight. At least traps could be replaced, given time and the right materials. Armor and weapons weren't nearly so easy to come by.

With every snare that snapped shut or spike that sprang upward, the boss’s health dropped steadily. Jack glanced back at the fortress, where a flag fluttered in the wind. He silently thanked they had found this package—its 50% bonus to traps was proving its worth.

Behind the boss, the last few common romies stumbled into Marie’s bombs, while any who managed to evade her were swiftly neutralized by Amari’s quick shurikens or Christoff’s precise arrows.

Yet the hulking leader didn’t care that it now stood alone. Its expression was set in determination, eyes fixed solely on the team. A loud roar echoed as the boss reached the ridge and propelled itself upward, clearly intent on bypassing the last barrier.

“Now, Marie!” Amari shouted.

Marie immediately responded, throwing one of her stun bombs that knocked the creature down into the ditch it had been trying to avoid. Traps sprang up, ensnaring it in sharp metal teeth and wooden stakes. Quickly, she followed up with several vials of bubbling, green poison that seeped into the creature’s fur, causing its health bar to tick downward—though stubbornly, a third still remained.

Amari’s voice rang clear over the chaos. “Fall back!”

Horace glanced at Amari nervously. “A-are you sure? Already? Don’t you want to fight it here?”

“We need this barricade intact. Let the traps finish it off! Fall back, now!”

As they began their retreat, Jack glanced once more at the determined creature thrashing in the trap-laden ditch.

The group sprinted along the flagged path, racing toward the gate.

Behind them, the boss erupted from the ditch, leaping atop the carriage barricade in a single bound. Its eyes blazed red with fury as it snapped its powerful jaws, hellbent on tearing them apart.

They ran, their feet pounding against the dirt as the boss stormed after them, crushing trap after trap beneath its massive frame. With each explosive trigger, its health bar inched closer to empty. It should have been weakening—but instead, it only seemed to grow stronger. Then, with a guttural snarl, it pounded its chest. Thick veins bulged beneath its skin, muscles twitching violently.

“It’s going berserk! Careful!”

The warning had barely left Amari's lips when the boss vanished.

Jack's breath caught. No way!

A deafening clang rang out as the boss reappeared in front of them in a blur of motion. The path behind it was littered with sprung traps—every single one now useless.

So fast!

But Horace was ready.

Warrior’s Taunt!

He slammed his hammer against his shield, the echoing sound forcing the boss’s attention toward him. It lunged, fangs flashing—

A deafening crunch.

Horace braced, but the boss’s powerful bite snapped through his shield like brittle wood, shattering it into useless fragments.

"Damn it!" Horace cursed, barely stumbling back in time.

8-Leg Slash!

Amari struck from behind, his blades slicing through the air in a rapid flurry.

-17

-25

-38

 ...

The damage numbers stacked in quick succession. Between that and the damage of the last series of traps that the boss had triggered to get to the team, the last of the boss’s health fell.

With a final, desperate roar, the creature lunged once more.

"How is it still moving?!" Jack yelped. "Its health just hit zero!"

The boss didn’t stop. It struck out—its claws catching Horace’s helmet, splintering it into a spray of metal shards. Another swipe hammered into Amari’s chestplate, fracturing the armor with an audible crack.

Then, at last, it stopped.

The massive beast staggered, swaying on its feet before finally collapsing, slumping heavily onto the dirt just before the fortress gate.

Even as it lay there, its breath fading, its fierce eyes remained locked onto Jack and his team. A glint of pure defiance burned in its gaze, refusing to submit—even in death.

Jack felt a chill crawl down his spine. What a vicious boss.

You’ve defeated the Cobalt Ischychromys.

+3 breach points.

Wave 20 is cleared!

+1 breach point.

The group collapsed onto the ground, exhaustion settling over them.

“Oh, my goodness. What a feisty opponent!” Horace huffed, stretching his sore arms. “That bastard destroyed two of my shields! Did you see how it one-shot one of them? I shouldn’t have even tried blocking those incisors.”

Marie groaned, rubbing her temples. “A gear-grinder with berserk? Talk about bad luck.”

Amari exhaled deeply. “A difficult boss, no doubt. But it gave us three Breach points. Moreover…” He smirked. “One has to wonder what kind of loot it will drop.”

That immediately caught everyone's attention. Despite their exhaustion, their heads snapped up at the mention of loot. Even Marie, who had been half-lying on the ground, sat up straighter.

Christoff, on the other hand, barely reacted. Without a word, he started walking toward the fortress, completely uninterested.

Amari dusted himself off and turned toward Jack. “Alright, Jack. Will you do the honors?”

Jack stepped forward, reaching out—then suddenly hesitated. His hand froze just inches from the romie boss’s carcass. “Wait. Not yet.”

Amari raised an eyebrow. “Not yet? Why not?”

“I’m this close to hitting level 10 in [Butchering]. If I level up first, I’ll be able to get even more from the carcass. Better drops, better materials. It’s smarter to hold off.”

Understanding flickered through the group’s faces.

“Good thinking,” Horace admitted. “No rush. We’ll wait for you here.”

Jack didn’t waste another second. He turned and sprinted toward the first ditch—the area with the highest concentration of fallen romies.

While he’d been busy crafting vases, Esther had handled the last couple of waves for him, pushing his [Butchering] skill to 60% of level 9. With so many carcasses still scattered across the battlefield, he had more than enough to reach level 10.

His mind was already racing ahead. The Cobalt Ischychromys was waiting.

That metallic fur—what if he could harvest its hide? And those teeth! A creature like that had to drop something rare. There was no way it would just give basic materials.

Reaching the field, he immediately pulled out all the vases from his inventory, nearly fumbling one in his eagerness. Careful. Don’t break them now. Once everything was set, he activated Clay Dome, assembling the bases in rapid succession.

Now, time to work.

Jack moved swiftly, touching one carcass after another.

You’ve harvested the corpse of a Red Ischyromys.

You’ve picked up 27 coppers and 1x [Exquisite Ischyromys Meat].

+5 XP in [Butcher]

+57 XP in [Butcher]

The sheer volume of corpses already made his progress climb fast. And thanks to his combo, each touch felt like harvesting twelve at once, their forms bursting into motes of light as loot flooded into his inventory. His progress bar surged forward with every harvested romie.

Almost there.

Jack could practically feel the level-up coming. Each burst of light from a harvested corpse pushed the bar higher, the finish line just inches away.

Just a little more…

He spotted five fallen romies clustered together. This would do it.

Jack placed his hands on them, and in an instant—

Congratulations! You’ve reached level 10 in [Butchering]!

You’ve learned a new skill: [Luck of the Hunter].

You’ve learned a new skill: [Bone Carving].  {check Author's Note at the bottom}

You’ve learned a new recipe: [Bone Needle].

Jack stumbled to a halt, blinking as more notifications flooded his screen.

Synergy detected between [Butchering] and [Pottery].

You’ve learned a new recipe: [Carving Horn].

Synergy detected between [Butchering] and [Brewing].

You’ve learned a new recipe: [Drinking Horn].

Synergy detected between [Butchering] and [Bard].

You’ve learned a new recipe: [Blowing Horn].

You’ve learned a new recipe: [Bone Flute].

There was a lot to go through, but Jack started with the first skill.

Luck of the Hunter (Uncommon)

Skill level: 1

Skill description: You run into more fortuitous encounters as you keep walking the path of a butcher.

Skill effects: Your luck climbs when harvesting carcasses.

A skill that improved his drops! Reaching [Butchering] level 10 had paid off. Now, he had a better shot at valuable loot when harvesting the Cobalt Ischychromys.

He moved on to the next skill.

Bone Carving (Common)

Skill level: 1

Skill description: Enables the crafting of small bone materials into useful items.

Skill effects:

Allows carving and shaping of small bones.

"Nice! A skill that lets me work bone!"

Unlocking [Skinning] level 3 had granted him the ability to harvest bones from carcasses, but the only recipe it had come with was the [Tooth Pendant]. He'd hoped for more options in this crafting tree, and sure enough, [Butchering] level 10 had delivered.

Jack tapped his foot. It only let him work small bones. Probably [Bone Carving] was similar to [Sticksmithing]. He would have to purchase further upgrades from the XP Store before he could do more with it.

Jack moved on to the recipes.

Recipe for: [Bone Needle]

Ingredients:

1× [Small Bone]

1× [Sharpening Tool] (or [Grinding Stone])

Instructions:

Select a small, sturdy bone and clean it thoroughly.

Sharpen one end to a fine point.

Carefully drill or pierce a small hole at the opposite end for threading.

Requirements:

[Bone Carving], lvl. 1

The recipe was simple enough, but Jack didn’t have much use for needles. The only application he could think of was etching pottery. A needle might work for finer details, but as soon as he saw the next recipe, that idea vanished.

Recipe for: [Carving Horn]

Ingredients:

1× [Small Horn]

1× [Etching Pattern]

Instructions:

Select a small horn and clean it thoroughly.

Shape one end into a fine, pointed tip for carving.

Carve a pattern onto the horn’s surface.

Requirements:

[Bone Carving], lvl. 1

[Pottery], lvl. 6

Jack grinned. Now he could make a carving horn just like Felix’s! He couldn't wait to see the old man’s reaction when he revealed his own prized carving tool.

There were more recipes that made use of horns. Jack went through them one by one.

Recipe for: [Drinking Horn]

Ingredients:

1x[Horn]

1x[Beeswax]

Instructions:

Clean the horn thoroughly, removing any remaining tissue.

Sand and smooth the edges to create a comfortable drinking rim.

Coat the inside with wax.

Requirements:

[Bone Carving], lvl. 1

[Brewing]

Jack raised an eyebrow. A drinking horn! So cool.

Was this just a fancy drinking vessel? Or did it serve another purpose? He had a feeling this wasn’t just about aesthetics.

He had no idea what kind of beast they’d be fighting next. Hopefully, it would be something with horns. If not, he would just have to wait until the right beast came along to figure out what this did. Into the “test later” pile it went.

Finally, there were the recipes unlocked through synergy with [Bard].

“Oh wow! Two different musical instruments?”

Recipe for: [Blowing Horn]

Ingredients:

1x[Horn]

Instructions:

Clean the horn thoroughly, removing any remaining tissue.

Carve or smooth the narrow end to form a mouthpiece.

Requirements:

[Bone Carving], lvl. 1

[Bard]

Recipe for: [Bone Flute]

Ingredients:

1x[Small Bone]

Instructions:

Clean and smooth the bone, ensuring a hollow center.

Carve a mouthpiece at one end.

Drill evenly spaced holes along the length to create different notes.

Requirements:

[Bone Carving], lvl. 1

[Bard]

"As far as I know, the blowing horn only plays one note, right? The bone flute should be just as versatile as the ocarina, though.”

Jack pulled out his ocarina, turning it over in his hands.

It was nice to have more options, but… was he really going to switch instruments? The ocarina had served him well. He’d put in hours of practice, refining his technique until playing felt natural. He’d grown to love it.

If he’d unlocked a lute or something closer to a guitar, the decision would have been easy. No matter how much time he’d spent with the ocarina, he had far more experience with string instruments. But a bone flute? It was just another wind instrument.

The real question is how much difference instruments make in the game.

Did switching change the way his melodies worked? Could certain instruments enhance different effects? Did each instrument come with its own specific melodies?

He exhaled, tucking the ocarina away. He’d think more about this later. Right now, there was a boss carcass to harvest. He turned toward the location where his friends awaited him. He couldn’t wait to see what kind of drops they would get.

***

Author's note:

Dear readers,

As some of you might have noticed, [Bone Carving], [Drinking Horn], and the two bone instruments had already appeared earlier in Handyman, specifically in Chapter 164.

However, I felt that the reveal of [Bone Carving] and its related recipes got overshadowed by the introduction of Terracoat and the One-Eyes' etching recipe. Changing that to now should make it more impactful and give Jack time to explore the recipes' potential.

Additionally, my original plan was for [Skinning], lvl. 3 to unlock small bones, with [Butchering}, lvl. 10 allowing Jack to harvest large bones. But now I feel, that progression would feel a bit repetitive and underwhelming.

To improve the flow, I made some adjustments:

• I went back to Chapters 164 and 165, where Jack originally unlocked Skinning, lvl. 3, and removed [Bone Carving] and its recipes from those chapters.

• [Small Bones Broth] is now just [Bone Broth].

• The tooth pendant remains in chapter 164, but instead of Jack having to drill through the bone, I simplified it so that he just fastens it with a cord. This lets him recognize the potential of bone crafting without unlocking [Bone Carving] too early.

• Now, the [Bone Carving] skill, [Drinking Horn], and the bone instruments appear in this chapter instead, alongside Luck of the Hunter and a new recipe: [Carving Horn].

I think this structure makes for a smoother progression and a stronger moment for the [Bone Carving] reveal.

Apologies for the changes in earlier chapters! Since I write Handyman chapter by chapter, I sometimes need to go back and tweak things to make sure everything fits together properly.

Thanks for your patience, and I hope you keep enjoying the story! One or two more chapters and I think we wrap up this volume and start with vol. 4, the Candlemaking Cook.

***

Ch. 172 - Metallic Sheen

INDEX

Ch. 174 - Loot Time