The rabbit collided with the staff, and Jack had to retreat half a step.

Block!

-1

Jack's hp remained practically unaltered. His stamina bar, however, had come down by a significant margin. That meant blocking saved his hp at the expense of stamina. Just as the rabbit was about to lunge forward again, Jack ran away in Ezekiel’s direction, who stood waiting, leaning on his staff.

“It's done,” said Jack.

“Good job! Were you able to mitigate damage entirely?”

“No. Some of it still came through.”

Ezekiel nodded knowingly. “How much damage can be avoided depends on your weapon, skill, and path. Shields are particularly effective. Remember, though, that blocking greatly decreases an item’s durability. If you aren’t careful, you will break your weapon beyond repair. Finally, let me teach you one skill every respectable hunter should know.”

You've learned [Heavy Strike].

Heavy Strike, lvl. 1 (Common)

Skill description: A powerful technique that bolsters your attack.

Skill effects: Active. Deal 150% damage.

Cool! His first damage-dealing skill!

“Try using it on the tree, fledgling.” Jack did as he was told and activated his new skill.

Heavy Strike!

The wooden staff shone orange, and as it landed on the tree, it created a heavier clapping sound, causing several leaves and twigs to shower on Jack.

“Good hit!” Ezekiel enthusiastically commended. "These are the basics. Remember: dodge when you can, block if you must. The best defense is a good offense. Always keep an eye on your stamina and weapons’ durability. With these, you know the basics of fighting.”

Jack had to admit that returning to Ezekiel was the right move. Not only had he received a staff, but he had also learned valuable lessons, received a free skill, and some apples. He also finally figured out how the stamina bar worked. There were only three entries left in the tutorial. Well… two. One of them was crafting, and Jack had already done that. “Can you tell me about dungeoneering?”

“Oh yes, dungeoneering. When great lizards appeared, there were many earthquakes. Thankfully, they have stopped. Had they continued, it would have been devastating for the wall. Regardless, the tremors revealed some hidden ruins. Although many of them are outside the wall, there are some inside too.

"Some ancient civilization built them. They are filled with traps. For some reason, they left valuable items to whoever was able to go through them. Some of them are even guarded by dangerous beasts that were bred by the ancients. No one knows where they came from, but it baffles me that a culture with such advanced technology would disappear just like that. I wonder what happened to them.”

Jack had expected him to direct him toward a nearby dungeon, but the tutor went quiet. It seemed this wasn't the time to do that yet. From the looks of it, dungeons in this game weren’t all about fighting monsters but were obstacle courses of some kind. Whatever. Jack would figure it out later.

“Now, can you tell me about attributes?”

“Oh yes, that's the final lesson I can teach you, young one. Attributes. Strength determines the damage your weapon deals, as well as your vitality. Constitution increases your resilience and prevents you from losing too much stamina whenever you block an attack. Agility determines your speed and the damage of ranged weapons. Intellect allows you to operate some advanced equipment and has many uses while crafting. As for luck, it helps you whenever you have to roll a die if you catch my drift.”

Jack didn't. What did he mean? What die? Was he talking about randomly generated effects? Like loot and critical attacks?

“Some of these attributes have secondary effects, but you'll learn it as you go. Anything else, fledgling?”

“No, thank you, Tutor Ezekiel.”

“Here's a parting gift. Hopefully, it will assist you on your travels.”

You've received 5x[Glass Vial].

You've received 5x[Aloe Ointment].

+100XP

You are now level 2!

You’ve received 50 copper.

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Completing the tutorial awarded him experience and free items! It's a good thing he had listened to his cousin and came back here. He hurried to check his character sheet and find out what had changed after leveling up.

CHARACTER INFORMATION

Name: JackofDiamonds

Level: 2

Major: Bushcraft, lvl. 1

Minor: Pottery, lvl. 1

Hit points: 100/100

Stamina points: 34/100

Attack: 3

Block: 1

ATTRIBUTES (1 free point)

Strength: 5

Constitution: 5

Agility: 5

Intellect: 5

Luck: 5

The page looked slightly different from before. After equipping the staff, entries for attack and block were added. The page had also grown bigger and split into two tabs, one with basic character information and another with attributes. After leveling up, he gained one free point to allocate. He didn’t know what to do with it yet. He decided to leave it for now and only allocate attribute points after consulting with his cousin.

He then checked the new items Ezekiel had gifted him.

Glass Vial (Common)

Item description: This can store medicine, water, or other substances.

Durability: 5

Aloe Ointment (Common)

Item description: Slightly aids in the recovery of health.

Item effects: +5hp every 10 seconds for one minute. It cannot be used while in combat.

They were fairly basic items. The only issue now was that after receiving them, his inventory was full! The twenty-five slots were occupied with his first pot, the nineteen stacks of clay, two stacks of dry grass, the apples, vials, and ointments. He might have to toss some of the clay and grass at this point to make space for an important item.

With the tutorial completed, Jack moved to his next stop. He hoped to gain a few [Pottery] levels before logging out. Jack ran back to the beginner town, hoping that this was the last time that he had to visit these hills filled with noobs and rabbits.

Arriving at the familiar house crowded with pots and vases at the entrance, he knocked. Jenny answered the door, wearing an easy smile and a dirty apron. “Oh, you're back so soon,” she exclaimed.

Jack wasn’t 100% sure, but the patches of clay on her seemed the exact same as those he had seen the first time they met. He grinned, amused at the first tiny imperfection he found in the game. He returned to the purpose behind this visit.

“Hey Jenny, how are you doing? I'd like to work more on my pottery skills, and I was wondering if I could come and work here.”

Not only did Jenny have a hearth where he could fire pots, but she was his pottery teacher. If there were any recipes or techniques left to learn from her, he could camp here and avoid having to travel back and forth. Unlike what Jack had expected, Jenny frowned. “I'm sorry, friend. I already have someone here who wants to learn pottery from me.”

“Really?” Jack had assumed he was the only potter in the entire village. Well, other than Jenny, of course.

“This lovely girl just came over and asked me for help learning how to make ceramics. I would love to help you, but my house isn't too big. Would you mind looking for somewhere else to work?”

“No, of course. Of course,” Jack said, scratching his head. “I'll think of something.”

“But if you have any questions in the future and need further guidance, I’m willing to help you out.”

“Of course, Jenny. Thank you,” he said, forcing a smile. Jenny closed the door, and he heard her and another female voice giggle inside the house.

Now what? Where else could he fire the pots if he couldn't access the hearth in Jenny's house? “Maybe,” he thought aloud while scratching his chin, “I don't need her hearth. Maybe I can figure it out on my own."

Jack ran toward the grassy hill Saul had directed him to earlier. Like every other hill around town, it was inhabited by one lone old tutor and a lonesome tree atop the hill.

To avoid getting surrounded by noobs, he found a somewhat discreet place near the foot of the hill. He then opened his inventory and grabbed a lump of clay. He was surprised by how easy it was to get his hands dirty this time. The cool sensation on his skin and the squishy sounds of the clay didn't feel so disgusting anymore.

He formed a ball just as Jenny had taught him and dug his thumbs into its center, careful not to perforate it. Once he was happy with how the base turned out, he pinched along the edges. Jack tried to follow Jenny's suggestions and spent a little more time thinning the base and evening the brim.

Even though the pot was far from perfect, it looked better than the very first one he made. After taking his first wonky creation from his inventory for comparison he could see that the distribution of clay was more even this time. The surface of the pot wasn’t perfectly smooth yet, though. Maybe there was something that he was missing, better stats, or a skill that could be unlocked at later levels.

Congratulations. You've molded [Earthenware Gardening Pot].

+5XP in [Pottery]

Time until it dries: 30 minutes

The pot didn’t automatically disappear into his inventory. This time, it stayed in his hand. Was it because it was full? Turning over the pot in his hand, he confirmed the timer for drying was still ticking. That was a relief. If the pot could have only dried in his inventory, he would be limited to crafting only as many pots as there were available slots. Having to keep an empty inventory to craft would have been annoying.

When Jack was learning [Bushcraft], he could dry grass outside of his inventory. He supposed it made sense that the same could be said for pots. Thinking about how he had dried grass in the sun earlier, he froze. He had an idea.

It was mid-afternoon in the game, and the sun was still shining brightly. Jack found a sunny spot and yanked the grass on it, throwing it to the side to dry. He then placed his newly molded pot under the sun.

Time until it dries: 17m32s

Jack's eyebrows shot up. He had shaved ten minutes off the pot's drying time. It wasn’t just grass. By leaving anything in the sun, it could dry quicker than if it was left alone in his inventory. Knowledge from [Bushcraft] had translated into something useful in [Pottery]!

Overjoyed with his discovery, Jack continued crafting. Jack tried to perfect the technique with each new lump of clay. He tried to make the base thin and the edges even and perfect, but despite his attempts, he couldn't form a perfect shape. There had to be something that he was missing here.

As he immersed himself in shaping clay, Jack had the same sensation as when he completed his first pot. It was a mix of frustration at being unable to do better and satisfaction from creating something. There was also a certain measure of peace. It was as if he could deposit his frustrations and sadness through his fingers into the clay and trap it there, away from him. Finally, there was pleasure. It reminded him of when he used to play soccer in school and how he felt after giving it his all in a game. It was a mix of tiredness and relaxing euphoria. It was all new and strange.