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HC: Handyman | Ch. 81 - Mud Hut
🕑 Added 2024-08-23 18:03:56 +0000 UTCOnce the mud walls of the hut were high enough, Jack stepped back to admire his work. The building wasn’t large by any means. It occupied roughly the same space as a tent. A group of dinosaurs drank from the lake within view. Jack imagined what would happen if one of them attacked the clay hut. It would probably not survive even one hit.
Therefore, he decided to start a new fire in the camp to avoid any trouble. He was about to put out the fire he’d been using to dry the hut's walls, and he couldn’t have it catch the future roof of the hut on fire.
Jack collected rocks by the lake and gathered a new pile of fuel in the camp. A few sparks in, and there was another mid-temperature fire growing strong.
Congratulations! You’ve crafted [Mid-Temperature Fire].
+200xp in [Bushcraft]
Mid Temperature Fire (Uncommon)
Durability: 24
A cozy fire that will keep you warm and safe.
Aura effects:
+20% hp regeneration;
+20% stamina regeneration;
Keeps animals at bay.
Once the fire was burning strong, he returned to the hut, throwing dirt into the campfire and depleting its durability. It was the first time he actively worked to put a fire out rather than make it last longer. Once the flames died, Jack collected whatever [Ash] was in the pit and used a bundle of dry grass as a broom to clear the hut's floor from dirt and soot.
Jack went to get the dry grass he’d gathered and began crafting a thatch roof. Even though the recipe didn’t call for it, Jack decided to go the extra mile and used some sticks he’d collected, bound them with a couple of cords, and created a simple frame for the roof, weaving the dry grass tightly over the top. The grass was light but dense, perfect for keeping out rain and insulating the hut.
He received a notification as soon as the last piece of grass covered the top of the cabin.
You’ve crafted a [Mud Hut].
Crafting Grade: C+.
5.000 pottery XP;
5.000 bushcraft XP.
Fire is empowered by [Mud Hut].
“Woah! That’s some good XP right there!” he couldn’t help but exclaim. Finally, the roof was in place, and the mud hut stood complete. The clay walls were solid and smooth, and the thatch roof was neatly tied. The hut was small but functional and had a rustic charm that his simple tent couldn’t match. Hopefully, this would make his camp more appealing to potential customers.
He inspected the hut, eager to find out what special effects the mud hut had.
Mud Hut (Uncommon)
Crafting Grade: C+
Description: A simple shelter fashioned after tempered clay and covered with a dry grass roof.
Effects:
Boosts the effects of all bushcraft structures within a 10-meter radius;
Whenever you have a meal within 10 meters of the hut, it will grant a temporary XP bonus.
Jack’s eyes widened and almost popped out of his sockets! Was this XP buff what he thought it was? He sprinted toward the fire and threw ingredients into the pot haphazardly. He stood in front of the pot, blowing on the flames, trying to speed up the cooking time, and finally, the [Survival Stew] was done.
He poured the contents into a bowl and slurped the whole thing, burning his tongue and throat in the process as soon as he’d finished it. He stared at the buff of the meal with a grin from ear to ear.
Congratulations! You’ve crafted [Survival Stew].
[Camping] has strengthened your meal.
[Mud Hut] has strengthened your meal.
+100xp in [Bushcraft]
Survival Stew (Common)
Crafting grade: C
Item description: A nutritious, tasty meal from ingredients you’ve crafted in the wild.
Item effects:
+1 stamina per second for five minutes.
+1 hp per second for five minutes.
Survival buff: Prevents loss of stamina and health for 15 minutes after leaving camp. The buff wears off when entering combat;
XP buff: You gain a 10% bonus XP for an hour after having the meal. You can only receive this buff once a day.
Durability: 5
In addition to the survival buff that his meals received thanks to [Camping], he could now benefit from an XP buff! He’d experienced firsthand how rewarding it was to craft while utilizing the XP buffs of vases. The sad thing was that when it took him to craft a vase to boost XP, he could craft another of whatever item he wished. However, to have a structure that provided a similar effect to everyone who had a meal in the vicinity was mind-blowing! He finally had what it took to make his camp successful with the local hunters.
Now calmer, Jack turned his attention to the rest of the notifications. The mud hut was also boosting his fire. Jack walked over to the fire and inspected it to see if the hut was doing anything for it.
Mid Temperature Fire (Uncommon)
Durability: 24
A cozy fire that will keep you warm and safe.
Aura effects:
+20(+5)% hp regeneration;
+20(+5)% stamina regeneration;
Keeps animals at bay.
Jack nodded approvingly. Not only did the regeneration and stamina regeneration increase slightly, but the light of the fire stretched longer, encompassing a larger area. The only question he had left was whether the mud hut replaced the tent. He went over to it and removed each stake from the ground. He folded the cloth neatly and packed the structure.
There was no notification that the [Camping] skill had become inactive. Just to be sure, he went over to the cooking pot and made one more survival stew.
Congratulations! You’ve crafted [Survival Stew].
[Camping] has strengthened your meal.
[Mud Hut] has strengthened your meal.
+150xp in [Bushcraft]
Survival Stew (Common)
Crafting grade: B
Item description: A nutritious, tasty meal from ingredients you’ve crafted in the wild.
Item effects:
+1.5 stamina per second for five minutes.
+1.5 hp per second for five minutes.
Survival buff: Prevents loss of stamina and health for 15 minutes after leaving camp. The buff wears off when entering combat;
XP buff: You gain a 10% bonus XP for an hour after having the meal. You can only receive this buff once a day.
B grade bonus effect: +0.5 to regeneration effects.
Durability: 6
[Camping] had still strengthened the meal. He was all good. Now that everything was set, Jack dragged the logs he’d been using as makeshift seating and carefully placed the pot hive as far away from the fire as possible. He also made sure to put it on the other side of the mud hut. After some thought, he also took the tent out of his inventory and built it at the very edge of the camp. He kept the entrance of the tent open toward the tree line and put the pot hive within it. Perhaps with this, the bees would ignore his customers.
“Excuse me! Anybody here?!”
Hearing the voice of a potential patron, Jack perked up. Instead of a large group, it turned out to be three fishermen passing by. All three were older men, their faces weathered from being under the sun. The man in the lead had a silver beard and a broad grin, his calloused hands gripping a well-worn fishing rod.
“Hello, sir. Nice hut!” the silver-bearded man greeted, his voice warm.
“Thanks!” Jack replied, eyeing them curiously. These weren’t the typical greenhorns who usually wandered into his camp.
“Can we sit? How much is the meal?” Another fisherman, stocky and bald with a sunburned scalp, asked as he surveyed the camp.
“5 silver per person,” Jack said, thinking of a number on the spot.
The fishermen looked at each other, nodded, and sat around the fire. The number that he’d mentioned at random seemed to be a reasonable price. Jack glanced over at the tent, waiting for the attack of his pet bees to come, but it never did. Sighing in relief, he threw ingredients into the pot and prepared the meal for his patrons.
“How much longer until level 8?” asked the silver-bearded man, leaning back with a sigh.
“Almost there,” replied the stocky man, rubbing his hands together as if he could already feel the level-up. “If we can catch another bucket, we’ll be there.”
“I still have to decide what major to choose,” said the group's third member, a wiry man with a hoarse voice.
“Why don’t you go with the chef profession like us?” the silver-bearded man suggested, raising an eyebrow.
“Nah. I like to fish, but I don’t like to cook it,” the wiry man grumbled.
“You sure like to eat it, though!” The stocky man chuckled, poking him in the ribs.
The group laughed, a hearty sound that echoed through the camp. As the first of them finished the meal, he froze. “No way.”
“What is it, Charlie?” the stocky man asked, looking concerned.
“Finish the stew. Quick!” The silver-bearded man urged.
The two others swallowed the rest of the meal, their eyes widening in surprise.
“An XP buff?! That’s awesome!” the stocky man exclaimed, his sunburned face lighting up.
“Woah, we’ve gotta tell the others about this place,” the wiry man said, nodding eagerly. “Hey, can we add you as a friend?”
Jack grinned. “Sure. My tag’s JackOfDiamonds.”
SeaBassCharlie has added you as a friend.
Jack celebrated inwardly. Finally, things had gone without a hitch. He sat on the log and watched the fishermen return to their fishing spot. He waited a few moments, but seeing no other customers coming, he threw one more log into the fire and started playing on one of his yellow ocarinas.
You’ve played [A Morning of Spring].
+200 bard XP.
Your bees work harder!
A bee returns with pollen.
+10 beekeeping XP.
A bee returns with pollen.
+10 beekeeping XP.
His experience in both beekeeping and bard skills was swiftly climbing. He would soon gain a level in beekeeping. As he was about to restart playing, the clinking of armor and voices approached the camp. It was the group that had stopped to watch him build the hut earlier. They had left to hunt and returned to find out what the hut did.
“Hello, bushcrafter! Got some food for us?” asked a young female warrior, her armor gleaming in the afternoon sun.
“Yes. By all means. Please take a seat,” Jack said, standing up and heading toward one of the gathering sites he’d marked on his map. It was a log loaded with mushrooms right outside the camp.
Jack caught the players looking expectant at him and the hut. He could tell they were curious. Seeing that Jack was cooking as any other ordinary bushcrafter would, they lost interest quickly and started chatting about the lake fauna and their latest hunt.
“How many ornithopods do we have to hunt before an allosaurus appears?” one of them, a tall female archer with dark hair, asked thoughtfully.
“There’s no number. It’s random!” retorted another, a male rogue with a sly grin.
“No. Hold on! I heard that if you hunt 100 dinosaurs around the lake, you unlock a title that makes it easier for the allosaurus to spawn,” the archer insisted.
“Man, the allo’s drops are incredible.”
The captain, the female warrior who had taken the initiative to approach Jack, laughed heartily and chastised her party members. “Guys, we’ve been through this. We need at least five more levels before standing a chance against an allosaurus. If one shows up, all you have to do is run. You hear me?”
This was one of Jack’s favorite things about keeping a camp. He learned a lot about the game from eavesdropping on these parties. Moreover, these weren’t the same noobs that he had served nearer to the wall. They already knew a few more things about the game, and Jack was happy to hear them.
Congratulations! You’ve crafted [Survival Stew].
+150 XP in [Bushcraft]
Congratulations! You’ve crafted [Survival Stew].
+150 XP in [Bushcraft]
Congratulations! You’ve crafted [Survival Stew].
+150 XP in [Bushcraft]
Congratulations! You’ve crafted [Survival Stew].
+150 XP in [Bushcraft]
[Camping] has strengthened your meals.
[Mud Hut] has strengthened your meals.
“Here you go, everyone.”
The group accepted the bowls and started having the food. The captain made use of the silence to talk to Jack. “So… a bard and a bushcrafter! That’s an unusual combination.”
Jack shrugged. “Sometimes life takes you places.”
One of the other patrons asked, “Bards’ buffs only last while you’re playing, correct?”
“That’s right,” Jack admitted.
Disappointed looks went around the fire. They had their meals while looking at the hut and around the camp. Maybe they were trying to find out what was so special about the hut or what this unique camp could do for them but hadn’t found anything yet. The captain was the first to finish the meal.
“XP buff?! Sweet!” she exclaimed, eyes widening.
“What is it, captain?”
“The bard’s meals boost XP gains for an hour!” the captain announced, grinning.
“What?!” The rest of the group finished the meal quickly, each looking more excited than the last.
“This is awesome! This way, we can gain levels quicker!” the archer said, nodding appreciatively.
“I know. Cap, take his contact info,” the rogue suggested.
The captain of the party nodded and turned to Jack. “Can I add you as a friend?”
Jack smiled and nodded. “My tag is JackOfDiamonds.”
NeuroticHuntress has added you as a friend.
Even as they were saying their goodbyes to Jack, four fishermen arrived. “Excuse me. Is this the place where you can get the XP buff?”
“Of course it is, you silly. What other bushcrafter has a mud hut?” another fisherman replied before Jack could.
Jack laughed happily. His plan had worked. Finally, business was picking up!
Comments
Coleman
First you get the fame. Then you get the money. Then you get the haters.
Harley Dalton Jr.
Thanks for the chapter.
Cássio Ferreira
That's a good idea. Fishing may be a definite possibility for the future.
Cássio Ferreira
Haha. Jack thanks you.
Ender419
Wonderful chapter! Jack should change his tag to JackTheEntrepreneur as he looked at what the competition was doing and found the niche they were doing then capitalized on it. Also what is the possibility of Jack learning some form of fishing as a minor to complement his bushcrafting skill so he can grill fresh seafood or make chowder instead of survival stew.
Julia Pennoyer
Sweet! I didn't think of putting the hive in the tent, smart move
