Master Kevin grinned with a glint of mischief in his eyes. It was as if he expected Jack to choose the wrong path and was ready to enjoy the show.

  “Really? Then what path have you decided on?”

  “Explorer,” Jack said, firm in his choice.

  Master Kevin scratched his chin. “Hmm. Not what I expected. But it might work.”

  Did that mean I made the right call? Jack wondered.

  He’d discarded the [King of the One Trade] trait once he saw the variety of Master Kevin’s creations in the cave. Why stick to one major when he could learn to do anything, of any major or minor—provided he knew how to make it? And since he wouldn't need recipes, he could even save himself the hassle of buying them or unlocking new crafting skills from the XP store. At least, that’s what he assumed about how the explorer trait worked.

  He’d also discarded the [Humility in the Trade] trait because of how shallow it looked. Sure, time was tight, but he was sure that somewhere down the line, he’d manage to find the time to craft better armor. Even if he didn’t want to spend time learning a new recipe, he could always stick to what he knew and remake his current armor with better materials.

  Once he’d thought it over, Explorer seemed to be the only option, really.

  Meanwhile, Master Kevin went back to rummaging through the drawers.

  “Where is it? I know I put it here somewhere…”

  Jack gulped. What kind of hellish quest had Master Kevin cooked up for him?

  From what Horace mentioned, class advancement quests tested your skill. When a warrior wanted to become a tank, they’d be tossed into an arena, outnumbered, and ordered to survive for a set time. Most people had to try the challenge over and over. Not Horace, though. He was probably going to ace it on his first run.

  Becoming a Handyman had already taken hours of grinding. Jack just hoped Kevin’s test for advancing in his class wouldn’t take as long.

  “Here it is!” Master Kevin finally said, pulling out a baseball bat. Jack blinked. Of all the things Kevin might’ve pulled from the drawer, a baseball bat ranked near the bottom.

  “Oh, it’s been a while.” Kevin ran a hand over it fondly, as if it held precious memories. “Okay. Come here, young man. The time has come for me to test your skills.”

  Jack hesitated. Is he going to have me play baseball with his pigs or something? he thought, approaching with caution.

  “The path of an Explorer,” Master Kevin said, cradling the bat like a prized relic. “Yes. That’s not an easy one. But to walk it, your foundation needs to be solid. And that means testing the quality of your crafting so far.”

  “Okay… And how exactly are we supposed to—”

  He didn’t get to finish. A swoosh, a crack, and the next thing he knew, he was airborne. The bat had slammed into his chest, launching him clear across the cave and straight through a stack of shelves that collapsed over him.

  Glass shattered. He groaned as he crawled out from the rubble. The shelves had been filled with jars—maybe jelly? The sweet, syrupy smell clung to his armor, and the goo stuck like glue, running in streaks of purple, green, and orange.

  Jack staggered to his feet, dazed.

  “D-did you just hit me?” he yelped. His HP bar was deep in the red. One stronger hit and he’d be toast. What was wrong with this NPC?

  “For you to survive my swing means you’ve crafted solid gear. Well done!” Master Kevin called from across the room.

  “Are you kidding?” Jack muttered. What kind of test was that? Why not take a closer look?! Why did he have to take such a violent approach? He was this close to grabbing one of the broken planks scattered around him and—

  Ding!

  Jack blinked, still covered in multicolored goo. The sound of the notification almost didn’t register at first until he saw the golden glow flickering at the edge of his vision.

  Congratulations! You’ve passed Master Kevin’s test!

  You have advanced in your class.

  [Minor Synergy] and [Unbound Knowledge] have been upgraded.

  You’ve learned a new class trait: [Explorer of All Trades].

  Jack tried to stay mad about nearly being killed by Kevin, but the moment he saw the rewards, his anger fizzled out, especially since Kevin’s Spartan test had been over in the blink of an eye. There had been no grinding, no elaborate dungeon, no bizarre puzzles. Just one hit, and he was done. He was free to go back to his money-making plans.

  He eagerly pulled up the updated description of his class.

  Handyman Explorer (Hidden Class)

  You are a jack of all trades, master of none. With some glue, a hammer, and nails, you can change the world. You think outside the box and craft outside the rules.

  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.

  “A Handyman Explorer,” Jack repeated aloud. “Bit of a mouthful… but I like it.”

  It wasn’t as streamlined as Tank, Ninja, or Pheromoner, but it had its own kind of cool.

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  “Let’s see what the class gives me.”

  Class bonuses:

  +5→10 agility;

  +20→50 stamina;

  +20→50 HP.

  Despite the jelly dripping from his ears and the swarm of bees now buzzing around him, nibbling at the sticky mess, Jack still smiled.

  The bonuses from his class had more than doubled. The extra agility would help him craft better items, while the stamina boost meant longer sessions without rest. More time working, less time recovering, and that, in the end, meant more gold.

  And the extra HP was definitely a plus. Especially now that he knew how Kevin tested Handymen looking to advance.

  He turned to the class skills he already knew but had leveled up.

  Unbound Knowledge (Epic)

  Skill level: 2

  Skill description: There’s so much out there you can learn, and you can’t wait to expand your knowledge and study different crafts and professions.

  Skill effects: Passive. After gaining ten levels, you unlock two minor slots;

  Number of free minor slots currently available: 0

  The upgrade to [Explorer of All Trades] didn’t seem like anything special. The trait now lets him forget a minor profession if he ever needed to. However, he wasn’t planning to drop any of his current ones. Still, it was a bit of peace of mind. If he ever messed up down the line, he’d have a way out.

  Things got a little more interesting with [Minor Synergy], though.

  Minor Synergy (Rare)

  Skill level: 1→2

  Skill description: You can find connections and see links where others miss them.

  Skill effects:

  Passive. You can unlock synergies between minors.

  Passive. Unlocks the Handyman Tree.

  “What is this Handyman Tree? Is it like a stat-boosting plant I can keep in my house? Or something related to Herbalism?” Jack muttered as he searched through his menu. He eventually found the option and pressed it.

  A giant hologram sprang to life around him.

  It resembled a spiderweb, with threads of light connecting countless points. The image surrounded him like a planetarium projection, only the glowing dots weren’t stars—they were levels, skills, and recipes.

  At the base of the structure were the names of his minor professions. From each one, a thick vertical column rose upward, representing levels gained. Along those columns, smaller lines branched out into nodules. As he followed the tree upward, the lines began to intersect, linking one profession to another.

  In the Tinkering line, he could clearly see the skills and recipes he’d unlocked up to level seven—and just above that, a line branched toward the Bard tree. The higher the diagram went, the more interlinked everything became.

  This was the skill tree of his class, one that showed not just what he had, but how his professions would interact with one another.

  There was only one limitation. The tree didn’t reveal the rewards waiting beyond each branch. The nodes were there, glowing and connected, but the actual recipes or skills remained hidden. Jack guessed that part would unlock with future upgrades.

  Still, he had seen enough. It was the blueprint of his class. With it, he could focus on the professions that unlocked the most valuable synergies.

  And then, his eyes landed on the new skill.

  Explorer of All Trades (Epic)

  Skill level: 1

  Skill description: You run before you walk, and have an unquenchable curiosity. You can figure out how things work, and some of the time, they actually do.

  Skill effects:

  Passive. You don’t need recipes or skills to make an item;

  Crafted item loses 10 durability for each missing requirement for an item.

  Jack read through the details and nodded slowly. So it’s not as broken as I thought it might be.

  The trait let him craft whatever he wanted. But for every missing requirement—whether it was a recipe or skill—the resulting item would lose durability. If too many requirements were missing, the item would end up with zero—or even negative—durability and would likely fall apart.

  Still, the possibilities were exciting. Even limited, this opened new doors.

  “Thank you, Master Kevin,” Jack said.

  “Of course, son,” the old man replied with a paternal smile.

  For a moment, all was peaceful.

  Then Kevin snapped.

  “NOW LOOK AT WHAT YOU’VE DONE?!” he roared, spittle flying everywhere.

  “Wait. What?” Jack blinked.

  “You destroyed those shelves! What’s wrong with you? Is this how you thank me for my hospitality?”

  “What are you on about? You’re the one who hit me!”

  “If you’d crafted something a little better, you wouldn’t have flown that far. So whose fault is it really?”

  Jack clenched his jaw. “I’m off.”

  “Wait! I want compensation! You must’ve destroyed six thousand gold worth of wood!”

  Jack glanced at the wreckage and snorted. “That’s basic pine. The materials to make that crap aren’t worth even thirty silver.”

  The old handyman grinned. “Argh. You do know your stuff! But you forget the time I spent making them. And the jelly! Do you even know how long it takes to properly ferment mountain plum? That was made from rare fruits and herbs! Thirty thousand gold, easy.”

  “Are you crazy?” Jack poked at a glob of red goo on his shoulder. “This is strawberry.” He tried another one. “Apple. You scamming swindler! I’m not giving you squat!”

  “You ungrateful brat!”

  Jack stormed out of the shop, still throwing barbs at the old man. And yet, as he reached the hatch, he found himself smiling. He had enjoyed visiting the old man, and thanks to him, he'd become a lot stronger. He began undoing the door latches.

  Before he unlocked the last one, he took a few deep breaths and got ready to run. Once he left through this door, it would be mayhem again.

  *

  Holly double-checked her coordinates.

  Yes. This was the right place.

  She looked up and down the street, scanning every face.

  “Last call to Embersgate!” an NPC called out in a hoarse voice as players climbed aboard the coach bound for the city.

  If Jack was leaving Bright Hill, he’d have to come through here. Wouldn’t he?

  He has to.

  He was too worried about his dad to waste time.

  The poor thing…

  She glanced down the road again, her thoughts drifting back to their conversation. The way he’d talked about his father, how focused he was, how determined, seeing what he was willing to do for his family...

  It was kind of beautiful.

  And then she remembered what he’d said about her:

  “You’re the first person I thought of. Holly, you seem like someone who always knows the perfect thing to say. Just now, you made me feel so much better. The way you speak is so refreshing. And you’re… really smart. I figured if anyone could help me, it’d be you.”

  Her cheeks warmed.

  He’s so sweet. He needs people cheering for him right now.

  She couldn’t wait to see his face when he realized she’d joined the game.

  The thought made her smile.

  Her mind drifted to his struggle with programming the automatons, then to the grey starter outfit she’d spawned in—plain, boring. She second-guessed the longer hair she’d given her avatar, and the softer skin tone.

  Then her thoughts looped back to Jack. She giggled quietly, remembering one of his video outtakes and how flustered he got whenever she teased him.

  And that’s when it hit her.

  Wait. What am I doing?

  Being spontaneous was part of who she was. Showing up for her friends—definitely. But this?

  Isn't this a little too much?

  She hadn’t planned any of it. The moment she heard Jack was in Bright Hill, she signed up, created an account, and jumped in.

  The monthly subscription wasn’t cheap. Finals were coming up fast. And here she was, standing on a cobbled street in a game she didn’t even play, scanning the crowd for a guy she barely knew.

  Her ears started to burn.

  We’ve known each other for... what? A week? Maybe?

  And yet, here she was. Waiting.

  What if he thinks this is weird?

  She shifted on her feet.

  What if he thinks I’m chasing him?

  The thought of him getting the wrong idea—that she liked him when they were just friends—sent a ripple through her chest.

  Her hand rose, resting just above her heart. She took a breath, suddenly aware of how fast it was beating.

  Then she saw him.

  He was standing in the middle of the street, wearing an outfit just like hers, squinting toward her from a distance. For a second, his expression was unreadable.

  She smiled and gave a small wave.

  His face lit up, uncertainty melting into pure joy, and he broke into a run.

  All of Holly’s doubts vanished under the weight of that smile.

  Yeah. She had no regrets.