“Don’t worry guys. You can have the jacket. As for the price…”

Jack’s father’s voice echoed in his head. Always leave with style. Smiling, Jack grabbed the jacket from his inventory and threw it to Amari. “Here you have it. I’ll just trade it for another piece of the set.”

Amari held the jacket happily. “Seriously?!”

“Yeah. Why not? You helped me a lot and even took me along on this quest. Just give me a piece you don’t want, and we’ll leave it at that.”

Amari exchanged a meaningful glance with Horace and Marie, who nodded approvingly. Turning to Jack, he gave him a thumbs-up and told him, “I knew you were a good guy, Jack. We owe you one.” He grabbed a pair of boots and passed them on to him.

“Just think of me next time you are going on a quest,” Jack said, accepting the item and winking.

Horace slapped Jack’s back and almost sent him flying. “What do you all say we hit a tavern and have some ale to celebrate? My treat!”

“Haha. Sounds great. Oh… wait.” Jack checked the clock, and his eyes widened. “Sorry. I didn’t realize it was this late. I need to go. There’s something I want to do before I log out. Raincheck?”

“Sure thing, chief.”

Amari was already wearing the full junior bugkeeper set. Jack realized that he’d seen it before. It was the same outfit that everyone in this building was wearing. Amari looked exactly like one of the zookeepers working in the entomology section.

"Looks cool on you, Amari."

"Thanks, Jack."

Marie approached Jack and gently tapped his shoulder in a motherly way. “Catch up with you later, brat.”

Smiling, Jack bid farewell to the crew and opened the map of Embersgate. He checked how far the coach station was. It wasn’t too far from where he was. He had more than enough stamina to get there. He was level 10 in both of his minors. It was time to return to Bright Hill and turn in his rare quest.

*

“Bright Hill, straight ahead.”

Jack jolted upright. Even though he’d tried as hard as he could to keep his eyes open, the game still overrode his efforts and gently nudged him into sleep. That worked just as well. Hurrying the trip along was fine for him. He was dying to find out what he could get from this quest.

The small town where he’d started his gaming journey was a small black point in the horizon, sheltered by rolling, green hills. As the coach ran the final stretch, the houses kept growing, and finally, Jack was back where it had all begun. The collection of black-stoned houses and crimson roofs, with the occasional smoking chimney, was just the way Jack had left it. The only difference was that Bright Hill looked a little meh after witnessing the enormity and greatness of Embersgate.

The horses came to a stop, and Jack hopped off the coach. “Thanks,” he said to the coach driver. It was a different NPC from the one who'd taken him to Embersgate. This one was clean-shaven and had a childish face. He looked like a young man who had landed his first gig after leaving school.

“All the best, sir.”

Jack left the coach station, heading toward Mr. Kevin’s house. He noticed that everyone was staring at him. Seeing everyone in gray drabs and remembering he was wearing his cool pigskin helmet, his new bug keeper boots and gloves, his buckler, and pitchfork, Jack stood a little straighter and marched confidently before the eyes of all the noobs. Jack couldn’t help but grin. Haha. Behold! Lord Jack has returned!

Reminding himself of how long he’d been online and how full his bladder probably was, Jack reached the fountain and turned right. In no time, he was standing before the house of the NPC who had issued his rare quest. Knock. Knock. “Mister Kevin?!” Jack called out. Knock. Knock. “Hello! Mister Kevin!”

Hearing no response, Jack leaned his ear on the door, trying to make out any sound.

Crash! Bang! Boom!

As usual, things sounded lively inside of this NPC’s house. However, he didn’t hear any complaints or steps. How could an NPC disappear into such a tiny shack? What was this door and this amalgamation of construction materials hiding? He still couldn’t figure out how such a small space could hold so many secrets!

After waiting for a full minute and no one answering the door, Jack squatted to peek through the keyhole. That’s when the door opened. Even though Jack was in a very awkward, hunched position, he could still look at this short NPC eye to eye. He was scowling at Jack with a dark expression. “What on earth are you doing, lad? Were you spying on me?”

“Who? Me?” Jack said, sweat on his brow. Now what? What if he cancels my quest because I was trying to spy on him through the keyhole? “Oh no, sir. I walk with a hunch. I’m a hunchback.”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Really?” the man’s expression softened. “And for a moment, I thought you were being nosy! But if it’s a health condition, I guess it makes sense. Very well. Come on in.”

Sighing, Jack tried to keep his back curved and followed after the old man. Something about the way Mr. Kevin walked reminded him of his father. He had a bald head and a mustache big enough to see it from behind him. Inside the house was a simple room with a hole dug in the ground and a ladder.

“Funny how Ezekiel never mentioned that you were a hunchback.”

“You know how Mr. Ezekiel is. His eyes are too pure and kind. He would never mention someone’s disability like that.”

“I guess you’re right. Can you climb the ladder?” Mr. Kevin asked politely.

Jack blinked a few times. “Oh! Because of my condition? Don’t worry. I can.”

“Very well. Come then.”

The short old man disappeared into the hole. Jack followed, trying to keep his pretense of a crooked back as best as he could. Hopefully, the backache he was feeling wouldn’t carry over to real life.

Once he started climbing down the ladders, Jack was taken aback by how much was going on. Pistons moved, and gears turned. Valves and kettles whistled. Bugs were flying, pigs running, colorful liquids boiling in glass vials, and at least a dozen furnaces, kilns, and kettles fired throughout the massive underground laboratory. There were casks, drums, and barrels stacked from the bottom to the top of the cave. ‘Laboratory’ seemed the most appropriate name for this place. This was the single biggest indoor space he’d seen in the village. It was even larger than the smith’s shop!

As he kept climbing down, Jack started spotting things that felt off. For example, one of the pistons seemed to have been patched with a dinosaur bone instead of metal. There was a cracked metal furnace that had been sealed with clay. Once he spotted the incongruencies, he couldn’t stop finding more. Every piece of machinery, tool, and object in this place had been patched, duck-taped, and looked one use away from falling apart.

Finally, Jack reached the bottom of the cave. He almost forgot to keep his back crooked and hurriedly hunched again. Mister Kevin eyed him suspiciously.

“Haha. Just stretching.”

“Please, have a seat,” the old man invited, gesturing toward an armchair. Mr. Kevin reached for a nearby kettle and poured its contents into a cup. It was broken, but the shards of the cup had been glued with a golden adhesive. Instead of hiding the fractures, it drew one’s attention to them. It was unexpectedly beautiful.

“So… You’ve become a potter.”

“And a bushcrafter!” Jack added between sips of tea. It was delicious. It tasted minty and sweet.

“And a bushcrafter,” Kevin echoed. “So. How do you like it?”

“How do I like what?”

“Pottery. Bushcraft.”

Jack hadn’t expected to be asked about how he liked the professions. Before he could put the thoughts together, the words rolled off his tongue. “At first, I admit it was difficult. I had never done one or the other. But once I got the hang of it, it was surprisingly fun. I’ve learned a lot. I like it.”

Kevin chuckled, nodding. “Ai, ai. I couldn't believe him when Ezekiel told me you’d given up on all the majors in the village without even trying them. When he asked me to help you find your path, I gave you this test to see what you were made of. You have exceeded my expectations. You are a piece of work, but you are no lost cause.”

Even though half of that last sentence was a veiled insult, at the same time, being told he wasn’t a lost cause touched him more deeply than he thought it would. “T-thanks.”

Kevin stood up. “My path… this path,” he said, gesturing toward the underground space, “isn’t easy. It will test your steel, young man. I want you to think very carefully about this because once you give me an answer, you can never go back.” Kevin took a few steps and leaned in, bringing his face just a few inches away from Jack’s.

“Did you really like doing pottery? Did you really like doing bushcraft?”

Say it. Don’t spray it. “Y-yes. I told you I did.”

“Are you ready to go down the path I chose for you?”

Thinking back to all the effort he’d put into getting here and how valuable rare quests were, Jack nodded resolutely. “I am, Mister Kevin. I am.”

“Very well. In that case, welcome. Welcome to the path of a handyman.”

“Handyman? I beg your pardon?”

You’ve finished [Jack of All Trades].

Congratulations! You’ve reached level 10!

You’ve received a hidden class: [Handyman].

You’ve dropped all your equipment.

[Pottery] and [Bushcraft] synergize.

You’ve learned a new recipe: [Clay Bomb].

You’ve learned a new recipe: [Mud Hut].

You’ve learned a new skill: [Clay Tempering].

You’ve learned a new skill: [Rope Glazing].

You’ve learned a new skill: [Cord Glazing].

You’ve received a new title: [Uniqueness].

“Uh?” Jack was thrown off by all the different messages he was receiving. What had just happened? How was he level 10 now? How had he jumped three levels in a row? He’d been level 7 last time he checked. Just how much experience had Kevin given him? The weird thing was that the system didn’t tell him he’d received XP. It was as if the game decided he would become level 10 after doing this quest, no matter what.

And what was this talk of a hidden class? Jack opened the details to find out more about what Kevin had just given him.

Handyman (Hidden Class)

Description: You are a jack of all trades but a master of none. You can change the world with some glue, hammer, and nails!

Class restrictions:

* You can’t deal any direct damage;

* You can’t use any equipment you have not made yourself;

* You can’t learn majors.

Jack paled, and he felt a terrible, sinking feeling in his stomach. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists until his knuckles whitened. No, no, no. I can’t deal any damage? I can’t wear equipment I didn’t craft? I can’t learn majors? WHAT?!

Where were the rare gems? Where were the priceless treasures to sell and earn the rent to pay his father? Where was his money?! He had never worked so hard for anything in his life! Was it all for naught? Was this it?

Jack took deep breaths. There had to be more to this. It couldn’t be all bad. Right? Right? RIGHT?! He scrolled down and, seeing that there was more to this class, relaxed a little. He’d only read the class restrictions. The handyman class seemed to have quite a few perks that might just make up for its deficiencies.