HC: Handyman | Ch. 158 - Scalers

Jack studied Horace as he dropped down beside the group, his breath ragged, chest heaving like he’d just sprinted uphill. Dark circles carved hollows beneath his eyes, and his gear was slick with droplets—condensation from lingering ice. The usual energy in his movements was gone, replaced by sluggishness, like every step had been a battle.

“No luck with the hidden package, then?” Amari asked.

“The coordinates you sent were a no-go. The One-Eyes probably relocated once the trap didn’t work. By the time I found them, I was out of options! I barely got a glimpse of their trap’s setup before I had to turn back.”

“That’s unfortunate,” Amari said evenly.

“What about the One-Eyes?” Jack asked.

Horace’s expression brightened. “Oh, super friendly guys. Just adorable.” He grinned. “Shame I can’t keep one as a sidekick. Imagine that—my own little One-Eye shieldbearer. Carrying my spare armor, fetching my gear… pure genius.”

Marie smirked. “Pfft. You’re so lazy, Horace.”

“It’s called being clever, old hag.”

Jack rolled his eyes. “Cut it out, you two. The wave is almost here.” He handed Horace a steaming bowl of stew. “Eat up.”

Horace groaned, slumping forward. “Thanks, Jack. I really need it. The cold at the peak drained my HP and stamina, and since I ran out of rations, it was a struggle to make it back.”

He scooped up a spoonful of stew and took a slurp. The moment the flavors hit his tongue, his eyes widened.

“Oh my! What a good meal!” He grinned, newfound energy sparking back into his voice. “You’re the best, Jackie!”

Jack’s face heated slightly. “T-thanks.”

Still, as Horace dug in, guilt gnawed at the back of Jack’s mind. A part of him had hoped the cold would give Horace a hard time—but not like this. Not to the point of stalling him completely. He was in charge of keeping everyone alive and healthy. If they ran out of stamina or health, that failure was on him.

Jack cleared his throat. “That reminds me; I’ve got something for all of you.”

He reached into his inventory and pulled out several small clay jars, the cool weight settling comfortably in his palms. He handed two to Marie, two to Amari, and two to Horace.

“What’s this?” Horace asked, turning the jar over in his hands.

“Open them.”

As the lids popped off, a sweet, tangy aroma curled into the air. Golden liquid shimmered in the firelight, cradling tender meat and dark, earthy mushrooms.

Pickled Romie Meat (Common)

Meat that has been lightly cooked and then preserved in honey vinegar.

Crafting grade: C

Item effects: +1 HP per second for 30 seconds, +1 stamina per second for 30 seconds.

Pickled Chaga Mushroom (Uncommon)

A slow-growing fungus that thrives in cold climates, prized for its medicinal properties and high antioxidant content. Preserved in honey vinegar.

Crafting grade: C

Item effects: +2 stamina per second for 30 seconds.

Amari examined the jar and nodded in approval. “This is great, Jack! Now we can explore without worrying about starving.”

“Thanks, greeny.” Marie, noticeably less salty, seemed pacified by the stew—and the fact that Jack had literally packed her a lunchbox.

Crunch.

Jack barely turned in time to catch Horace tossing a pickled mushroom into his mouth.

“Mmm. These are a great snack! Thanks, Jack.”

Marie’s eye twitched. “You idiot! Those are for emergencies—or, you know, actually exploring!”

Horace held up his hands innocently. “I know, I know! I just wanted to try it.” He swallowed, then smirked. “Not bad. Maybe with these, I won’t starve to death trying to finish that cursed package at the peak.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “You sure your trapping skill is even high enough for that thing?”

Horace scoffed. “Pfft, you kidding me? The kid over there—" he jerked a thumb at Riku "—has been setting traps non-stop. I’ve gained three levels without lifting a finger.”

Jack glanced toward Riku, who was quietly eating stew. The NPC barely reacted, only offering the smallest nod in acknowledgment.

Horace stretched, cracking his shoulders. “Anyway, what about you guys? What did I miss?”

Marie leaned back slightly, voice unnaturally level. “Jack got a mount upgrade.”

“I know. I read the package details.”

Horace frowned, eyes flicking between Marie, whose forced composure was painfully obvious, and Jack, who offered a helpless smile. Suspicion flickered across his face before he finally turned to Amari, silently pleading for answers.

Amari waved him off. “I’ll fill you in later. The wave is almost here. You done eating?”

Horace gulped down the rest of the stew, exhaled, and nodded. “I am. Let’s go.”

Jack quickly checked the time. Less than a minute left.

They bolted out of the fortress, past the carriage, reaching their positions just beyond the first ditch—just in time for the wave to crash down on them.

Wave 15 comes. Beware.

As if on cue, the ground rumbled. A distant, high-pitched chorus of squeaks rippled through the canyon, swallowed by the rhythmic thunder of hundreds of tiny feet charging in unison. Jack’s stomach clenched. The wave was approaching fast.

Horace rolled his warhammer between his hands, cracking his neck with a low grunt. Amari dragged his claws against each other, their edges flashing in the light. Christoff stood to the side, an arrow already nocked, his gaze sharp as he scanned the canyon. Jack held his ocarina, fingers poised over the holes, ready to play.

Then, the enemy rounded the bend. A mass of red fur surged forward, dozens upon dozens of creatures moving as one.

Jack swallowed hard. Piri wasn’t just making the creatures tougher—she was making more of them.

If it were only a matter of boosting their strength, it would have been manageable. But she wasn’t stopping there—she was adding stronger beasts and increasing their numbers. The difficulty wasn’t just rising—it was snowballing.

Jack was just about to raise the ocarina to his lips when two shattering roars tore through the canyon.

ROOOAR! ROOOAR!

From the rear of the wave, two hulking black shapes exploded forward—fur bristling, fangs flashing, muscles rippling beneath their thick hides.

The short-faced bears.

They crashed into the swarm with thunderous swipes, sending entire clusters of romies flying. A chorus of sharp, panicked shrieks rang out as the creatures scrambled to counterattack.

Jack’s breath caught. Each bear was tearing through fifty romies on its own?!

He barely caught glimpses of the battle—massive claws slashing, red bodies whipping through the air like ragdolls, the swarm splintering in two.

“Told you the bears were awesome!” Horace grinned, nudging Jack with an elbow.

“They are!” Jack shot back, unable to hide his admiration.

But even as the bears carved through the horde, half the wave still tore forward—unstoppable, undeterred, and hellbent on reaching them.

Amari’s sharp command sliced through the chaos.

“Horace! Five o’clock—I’ve got the other one!”

Jack tracked their movement—and his stomach dropped.

Two romies with a white stripe across their backs were scaling the canyon walls, moving independently from the swarm. If they kept climbing like that, they’d bypass their defenses completely.

“Oh no!”

“First scalers," Marie said, eyes locked onto the climbers. "They’ll go straight for the fortress—our defenses mean nothing to them.”

“Right, right.” Jack forced himself to focus.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Horace activate a taunt skill, yanking one of the elites into a fight. Meanwhile, Amari had already scaled the canyon wall in pursuit of the second, moving with impossible agility. Claws scraped against rock as he bounded between footholds, slashing mid-air in a gravity-defying duel.

As Amari and Horace intercepted the scalers, Christoff was already loosing arrows. His range outmatched Marie’s, but soon, the bulk of the romies surged into her throwing distance.

BOOM! BOOM!

Fire and smoke ripped through the canyon as Marie’s bombs detonated, shattering the front line of the horde. But while still impressive, her explosives no longer one-shot the beasts. She needed two, sometimes three attacks, to take them down.

Jack sensed the problem immediately. Her damage was just a little short—and he knew exactly how to fix it.

His fingers brushed against smooth ceramic—the red ocarina. No hesitation. He pressed it to his lips and played.

March of the Embers!

The fiery melody surged through the battlefield, its tempo climbing with the chaos around him. Explosions rumbled through the canyon, arrows zipped overhead, and the clash of steel rang out as Amari and Horace dueled the striped elites.

You’ve played [March of the Embers].

Success rate: B

+130XP in [Bard]

Audience bonus: +431XP in [Bard]

All your allies deal +10(+2%) damage for 20 seconds.

Jack didn’t need to check—he felt it.

Marie’s explosions hit deeper, Christoff’s arrows whistled with deadly precision, and Amari and Horace’s strikes carried a razor-sharp edge.

For a moment, the battle found its rhythm—wave crashing against defense, pressure meeting unyielding resistance. The romies scrambled to advance, but the team held them back, stopping them from even crossing the first layer of obstacles.

Jack scanned the battlefield. The Heracle Moles' ditch had done its job, funneling the wave straight into a perfect kill zone. Riku’s traps continued to trigger all over the canyon, snaring enemies, crippling them before they could push forward. Christoff’s presence alone was a game-changer. His arrows found their marks with ruthless efficiency, picking off the stragglers Marie’s bombs left behind. Horace’s blackened shield, reinforced by the Roach Mother’s shell, absorbed even the sharpest swipes from the squirrel elite without a scratch.

And the bears… The bears! They alone had kept a huge portion of the wave occupied.

These aid packages are incredible. Without them, we’d already be falling back to the carriage.

Then, a deep, guttural roar sliced through the battlefield.

The bears, their maws packed with their spoils, turned without hesitation and lumbered toward their dens.

And just like that, the fragile balance snapped.

The romies that had been locked in battle with the bears suddenly turned—no longer distracted, no longer occupied.

They were coming.

Jack’s stomach clenched as the wave advanced, their numbers bolstered. Even with their thinning ranks, they surged—scrambling over ditches, slipping between obstacles, vaulting off each other’s backs to gain ground.

They’re going to overrun us.

Jack’s grip tightened around the ocarina. Not on my watch.

He pressed it to his lips once more.

Tenderizing Repercussions!

The melody spilled into the battlefield, weaving through the chaos. Jack’s fingers danced over the ocarina’s surface, shaping the song with practiced precision.

And on his first attempt, he got exactly what he wanted.

You’ve played [Tenderizing Repercussions]

Performance rate: B

+300XP in [Bard]

Audience bonus: +387XP in [Bard]

The beasts’ meat becomes more tender.

A soundless pulse erupted from Jack’s ocarina, unseen but inescapable.

For a split second, every romie in the canyon froze. The front line of squirrels stumbled mid-charge, their momentum shattered.

Marie struck instantly—her bombs erupted in the heart of the horde, shattering clusters of stunned romies before they could react. Christoff’s arrows struck with pinpoint accuracy, no longer hindered by their frantic movements.

But the real showstopper was Amari.

His blades flared with a sharp purple gleam as he burst into a blindingly fast dance.

8-Leg Slash!

-56

-64

-81

-96

Jack’s breath caught. That’s the Roach Mother’s skill!

The romie elite barely had time to react before it crumpled, overwhelmed by the relentless onslaught. The body hadn’t even settled before Amari was already sprinting toward Horace.

“Jack—stamina’s tanking!" Amari panted, his movements slowing. "This skill eats through it!”

Jack’s mind raced. Even after my best stew? Wow!

“Got it!” Jack called back.

Sitting Wind!

A soothing melody rippled across the battlefield, cutting through the chaos like a cool breeze after a scorching day. A revitalizing pulse surged through the team, refilling their stamina just enough to keep them fighting.

With renewed strength, they held the line.

Jack locked into his rhythm, cycling through the buffs that kept his team unstoppable.

Sitting Wind! March of the Embers! Tenderizing Repercussions!

The mini-stun from Tenderizing Repercussions staggered the romies just enough to break their advance. March of the Embers fueled the team’s attacks, keeping them sharp and relentless. Sitting Wind ensured exhaustion never took hold.

The team moved with perfect coordination, slicing through the wave piece by piece.

The second elite dropped. With Horace and Amari free at last, the remaining romies never stood a chance. Their numbers dwindled rapidly, their formation crumbling.

Then—silence. The dust hung heavy in the air.

Wave 15 is cleared! 

+1 breach point.

Ch. 157 - 'Pressure' Cooking

INDEX

Ch. 159 - Lucky