HC: Handyman | Ch. 168 - Broth

Author's note:

Hi, everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend.

Just a quick update—I went back and rewrote the second half of Chapter 167. The previous version felt a bit flat, and I wanted to make Jack’s progress with the new skill and the etching recipe more satisfying. The changes add more depth, so rereading that section should make this chapter even more enjoyable.

Thank you for your support. Happy reading!

*

Vases surrounded Jack, arranged in uneven rows. Some bore the familiar shapes of goats—some grazing, others mid-stride. The One-Eyes appeared in various forms: adults guiding their herds, children chasing after playful kids. Even the bears varied—some lumbering forward on all fours, others rearing onto their hind legs.

Yet, despite the variety, they all shared one thing in common: They lay abandoned, set aside in favor of his latest attempt.

Beads of sweat formed on Jack’s forehead as he crouched over his newest piece, his wax-soaked brush hovering just above the surface.

There.

The scene he’d painted on the vase should be good. By now, he had gotten comfortable sketching goats and One-Eyes. But the thing about wax resist was that there was no way to be sure until he’d glaze it. More than once, he had been convinced he’d nailed a scene—only to find, after glazing, that he had butchered it. A missing leg here, a three-horned goat there.

Would this time be any different?

Carefully, he picked up the vase and dipped it into the vat of slip. At first, he had painstakingly glazed each piece with a brush. But after the first dozen, efficiency had won out. He’d dragged over one of the large vats that was being used for mixing mead, filled it with water, and mixed it in clay until it became a thick, smooth slip.

Dipping was faster. It required much more glaze, too. But it didn’t matter. The Breach had plenty of water and clay to make slip.

He pulled the vase out slowly, watching the excess slip drip away.

Then, the scene emerged.

The stark contrast between the wax-resisted areas and the smooth glaze brought the whole composition to life. One-Eyes herding their goats on the snowy peaks of the Breach. The figures, locked in place, still carried a sense of movement—the slant of a goat’s legs as it climbed, the gentle arc of a shepherd’s staff, the wind hinted at in flowing cloaks.

It was beautiful.

Jack studied it carefully, his grin faltering just slightly. Now that the full image was visible, he could see subtle differences between his version and the example he’d studied in the One-Eyes’ cave.

In the cave etchings, the One-Eyes were drawn with exaggerated, rounded eyes. But in his attempt, their features were sharper—more elongated, with slanted eyes. Likewise, the goats in the cave etchings had thick, almost comically curved horns, while his version depicted them smaller and more compact. Even the mountains were different; the original carvings had shown jagged peaks, almost like crude triangles, whereas his design softened them, giving them a gentler, rolling appearance.

Would those changes affect the end result?

He had no way of knowing. But this was the best he could do after several attempts.

Exhaling, Jack ran a thumb over the dried glaze and took a step back.

It wasn’t perfect. But maybe it didn’t have to be.

“Looks nice! What is it?”

Jack yelped, nearly dropping the vase. He spun around to see Amari standing there, smirking.

“Amari?! You almost gave me a heart attack!” Jack exhaled, carefully setting the vase down before turning back to him. “How long have you been standing there?”

“A couple of minutes. I didn’t mean to scare you, but you were really in the zone.” Amari glanced around at the scattered pots and vases. “What’s all this?”

Jack gestured toward the vase he had just finished. “It’s a pottery etching recipe. I unlocked it at the One-Eyes’ village.”

“Good! Any special effects?”

Jack shook his head. “I’m still missing three more vases. I’ll only be able to figure out if it has any special properties once I complete the set.”

Amari leaned in, inspecting the design with newfound interest. “Cool. Looks nice. And what’s that?” He pointed toward the pot containing the terracoat mix.

“That? I can use it to temper items.”

Amari’s brow lifted. “Tempering? As in… reinforcing?”

Jack nodded. “Basically, I make a slurry and dip a finished piece of equipment into it. Once it boils for a few hours, the item comes out better.”

Amari blinked. Then, his entire posture shifted. His shoulders straightened, and his eyes widened in an almost exaggerated way, like Jack had just told him he’d learned how to breathe underwater.

“Wait… a finished piece of equipment?!”

Jack hesitated. “Yeah?”

Amari turned to him fully, grinning like a man who had just stumbled upon a treasure chest. “Jack. That’s huge.”

Jack frowned slightly. Is it? He knew improving equipment was good, but seeing Amari’s reaction made him wonder if this was an even bigger deal than he’d originally thought.

Before he could dwell on it, Amari’s gaze flicked toward another pot nearby. “And that one?”

Jack followed his gaze. “That’s a broth recipe. It’s actually done.”

Amari hummed, nodding in approval.

Jack checked the floating progress bars above the terracoat pot. It still needed a few minutes. “The tempering process isn’t done yet, but if you stick around, you can enjoy the show.” Jack shot Amari a knowing look. “And I’m guessing you could use a meal too, huh?”

“You know me too well.”

Jack grinned. “You came at the perfect time. You can try my new and improved stew.”

“Exciting!” Amari rubbed his hands together, eyes gleaming. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

Jack walked over to the pot where he had left the romie bones simmering for hours. The broth had turned rich and golden, steam carrying a deep, savory aroma. He grabbed a strainer and poured the liquid through, separating the bones before transferring the clear broth into a fresh pot.

With that done, he set a pan over the fire and tossed in mushrooms and mountain sorrel. Once they’d crisped, he threw the slices of pickled exquisite romie meat. The meat sizzled as it hit the heat. Once it looked just right, he poured in some of the broth.

As he stirred, he glanced at Amari. “So… why are you back already? I thought you were still exploring the rim.”

Amari crouched by the fire, resting his arms on his knees. “I was. Actually found something interesting.”

Jack raised a brow. “Go on.”

“I ran into a group of soldier NPCs. They were hiding in a cave at the very edge of the map.”

Jack blinked, pausing mid-stir. “That’s great! What a nice package!” Then, realization hit. His grip tightened slightly on the spoon. “Wait… I didn’t get any notification about such a package. Why didn’t they come back with you?”

Amari didn’t answer right away. He studied the fire for a moment, then met Jack’s gaze. “That’s the thing. For this package, just running into them isn’t enough. I need to fulfill some hidden condition.”

Jack frowned. “Like what?”

Amari folded his arms. “I think they’re lying, and I need to find out why.”

“You think they aren’t soldiers?” Jack asked.

“No, I think they are soldiers,” Amari corrected. “But their story doesn’t add up. They claim they were out on patrol when the fortress was attacked. But if that’s true, why didn’t they return to the fortress? Why didn’t they offer to come back to me?”

Jack stirred the stew absently, considering that. “That does seem odd.”

“There’s more. When I found Christoff, he had no idea what had happened to the fortress. He didn’t even know it had been attacked. But these soldiers? They somehow already knew.”

Jack’s eyes narrowed. “Which means…?”

“In the time frame of the Breach, the beast invasion happened recently. That’s why Christoff, who had family here, didn’t hear about it until I told him. This tells me that if the soldiers really had been patrolling, they wouldn’t have known about the attack. Which means they weren’t just out on patrol.”

Jack let that sink in. “You think they’re deserters.”

Amari nodded. “It makes the most sense. That’s how they knew. That’s why they don’t want to come back. They fear going to martial court.”

Jack nodded pensively. It sounded like yet another package that came with a quest of its own. “So, why did you come back to the fortress?”

Amari glanced around the ruins. “Well, if they are deserters, that means they managed to escape during the siege.” He gestured toward the fortress walls. “Which means… there could be a secret passage somewhere.”

Jack considered the possibility, tapping the spoon against the side of the pot. “That’d make sense. Sneaking out of a fortress under siege isn’t exactly easy.”

“Exactly.”

A flashing bar appeared in Jack’s vision. He glanced up just in time to see the notification pop up.

Congratulations! You’ve crafted [Survival Stew].

+1100 XP in [Bushcraft]

Crafting grade: B+

Ingredients:

• [Pickled Exquisite Romie Meat]

• [Pickled Mountain Sorrel]

• [Pickled Chaga Mushroom]

• [Small Bones Broth]

Item description: A nutritious, tasty meal made from ingredients gathered in the wild.

Item effects:

• +2 stamina per second for five minutes.

• +2 HP per second for five minutes.

• Tree Climber: +20 jump for 30 minutes.

• Woodland Vitality: +125 HP and stamina for 30 minutes.

• Forest Strength: +7 defense for 30 minutes.

Jack stirred the pot one last time, watching as the broth settled into the stew. It looked slightly different from his past batches—brighter, almost like the ingredients had blended together more evenly.

Jack ladled the steaming stew into two bowls, handing one to Amari before taking a seat with his own.

Amari wasted no time, taking a bite and exhaling in satisfaction. “Oh, man. That hits the spot.”

Jack smirked, watching with satisfaction before finally digging in himself.

The first spoonful spread warmth through his mouth. The [Small Bones Broth] had worked wonders—the stew was richer than before, thicker. It smoothed out the sharper notes of the pickled ingredients, giving the stew a deep, almost velvety taste that lingered.

And the [Pickled Exquisite Romie Meat] was a real upgrade, too. The texture was firmer, each bite carrying a burst of umami from the pickling process. It had also absorbed the broth beautifully, making it juicy, tender, and layered with flavor.

The other ingredients added to the depth, with the mushrooms bringing a mellow earthiness and the mountain sorrel offering a faint touch of brightness, but they stayed in the background, letting the broth and meat shine.

Jack exhaled through his nose, savoring it.

This was definitely the best batch yet. With the exquisite pickled romie meat boosting the stew’s quality and the broth elevating it even further, he was this close to finally getting an A-grade in his cooking.

Jack glanced at Amari, who was already halfway through his bowl. “Told you it was new and improved.”

“Amen to that!”

The two finished their stew in comfortable silence. Jack covered the pot—he’d already prepared enough for everyone else, and there wasn’t much time left until the wave hit.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me. It’s time for me to finish up the reinforcement process,” Jack said, standing up.

“By all means.” 

Amari leaned back, watching as Jack adjusted his many XP-boosting vases and took a seat in the middle of them. “Is that part of the reinforcement process? A ritual or something?” Amari 

Jack laughed. “No. Not quite. Watch.”

He brought the ocarina to his lips and started playing Clay Dome. The deep, resonant notes spread through the air, vibrating through the vases around him. As he finished the melody, a faint shimmer of energy pulsed outward, and a reddish barrier flickered into existence, covering all the nearby ceramics.

Amari sat forward. “Woah! What does that do?”

Jack puffed out his chest proudly. “This protects ceramics from losing durability.”

Amari’s eyes widened. “And that way, you can keep your vases intact while grinding for more XP. Jack! That’s incredible! What a cheat! How much more XP can you get?”

Jack rubbed his nose, feigning humility. “Ha! Just a measly tenfold.”

Amari blinked. Once. Twice. His mouth twisted. “…You can be really cheeky sometimes. You know that?”

Jack grinned. “I know.” He flexed his fingers and rolled his shoulders. “Now, just give me a second. I need to focus.”

Jack played the song again. The progress bar over the terracoat mix hovered just below completion. Jack settled in, ready to ride this wave of experience.

Ch. 167 - Wax Resist

INDEX

Ch. 169 - Imbuement