The Tailor's Path Begins (1)

"Ssssh—whoooooh!"

Yoo Seon-ah let out a long, slow breath.

I can feel it.

She had finally grasped the flow of mana wrapping around her heart. It was a feeling unmistakably different from what she'd known as a Fire Magician. All that breathing practice was finally paying off.

"Haaaaah."

A faint tremor, born deep within her heart, spread across her entire body like a rolling wave.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

F-rank.

It was a downgrade from her previous E-rank, but Seon-ah knew better. The Orthodox Mage's potential was on an entirely different level.

Shhhrrrrip!

Ten skill books materialized before her eyes. The list went as follows:

Firebolt, Aqua Splash, Magic Shield, Telekinesis, Light Arrow, Wind Cutter, Ice Needle, Rock Shield, Veil of Deception, Detect Magic.

Hmm.

These were the basic 1st Circle spells of the Etherion Continent, so it made sense — the vast majority of them were ones Seo Hwarang had already learned.

Only two are new.

Ice Needle and Rock Shield.

That jerk Hwarang's gonna love these.

For now, the Firebolt skill book was a duplicate, so she could simply sell it off. Combat spells fetched a decent price.

I'll hold onto those two for Hwarang, she decided, and learn the other seven spells one by one.

Vmmm!

It was simple: touch a book, get asked whether she wanted to learn it, nod. One after another, the skills sank into her.

And then a new quest appeared.

"Ha."

The requirements had certainly gotten steeper. She had to gather ten times more mana than for her 1st Circle, and now she had to grind proficiency too. Considering that her Firebolt — a spell she'd been using for nearly two years — still sat at 70 proficiency, the path of the Orthodox Mage was clearly long and treacherous.

And yet.

The smile that bloomed on Seon-ah's face was brighter than it had ever been.

The goal is right there in front of me.

Nothing motivated her like a concrete target. Well then, onward. Back to the Etherion Continent for serious training. If she kept this up, then someday... maybe she really could reach a high Circle.

"Not bad at all."

Seo Hwarang's eyes gleamed too. First, because she'd received the Ice Needle and Rock Shield skill books. Second, because she could now earn ten random 2nd Circle spell books down the road.

If that's the case, the whole calculus changed. He had to raise Yoo Seon-ah properly. Only then could he keep harvesting skill books from her.

"Let's do this — you'll 'eat' one of these two skill books each time we cross from Etherion back to Earth. I'll read it first, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠then you learn it."

"Okay."

When an awakener learned a skill, the corresponding skill book corroded and vanished. So Hwarang had to read and drain each book thoroughly first, and only then would Seon-ah absorb it.

And I've still got that leatherworking skill book.

He planned to read it soon. If a situation ever came up during tailoring where leather was needed, he'd be glad he did.

Anyway — first things first. Hwarang used the 380 million won he'd earned this time to pay off his debt. That knocked out 250 million, leaving 130 million. Still, no problem. There were the Firebolt skill books Seon-ah had brought back, the orc greatsword — plenty of items still left to sell.

Hwarang put the rest of the money into the company's reserves and placed an order with Park Juhee. The group chat made ordering easy.

Buying the skill books was naturally Hwarang's responsibility. He also instructed that the purchase costs be factored into the profit split and distributed accordingly between Park Juhee and Yoo Seon-ah. The ratio was 8:1:1.

Money matters had to be crystal clear. When people have proper incentives, they work hard — it's only natural.

With that settled, it was time to walk the tailor's path in earnest.

"Noona, you're coming with me, right?"

"Is that even a question? I'd be hurt if you left me behind!"

Time on Earth stood still while they were in Etherion. Which meant what, exactly? Every moment Hwarang spent over there was pure opportunity cost for Seon-ah.

She wanted to get stronger fast. She wanted to become a true mage. And to do that? She needed to put Hwarang's ability to work exactly where it counted.

"Let's go — to Etherion!"

And so we crossed back over into the new continent once more.

Edwin Taylor was a tailor of considerable renown in Calderon. Thirty years in the trade, and the clothes born at his fingertips enjoyed a stellar reputation among the city's nobles and merchants alike.

"Whoa, look at the fabric on this one."

"It's soft as silk, but the durability's rock solid too."

"This is Edwin Taylor's work, right? The rumors really weren't exaggerating."

"Once you've worn his clothes, you can't go back to anyone else's."

He made clothes well, and word of mouth spread. Crowds flocked to his workshop, willing to pay steep prices just for his touch. And with such talent came pride — a pride so fierce that Edwin had originally refused to take on any apprentices at all. He simply could not bear to let another person's hands touch his garments.

There was just one problem with that. Work had gradually become unbearable.

The order volume is far too much.

At this rate I'll miss my delivery deadlines.

It was at that moment that Seo Hwarang had approached him and asked whether he had any work to give. Edwin had gotten lucky.

He'd immediately told the man to fetch wool and spider silk, and in exchange handed over a spinning book. It didn't matter — that book was dense and convoluted. Teaching himself from it would take quite a lot of time and effort.

And yet, would you look at that.

"Master ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Taylor! You needed these, right?"

Thud-thud-thud!

The man dumped an enormous pile of wool and spider silk onto the floor, from who knew where he'd gotten it all.

"You—"

Edwin was dumbfounded. "Where in the world did you find this much?"

"There are ways to get anything. Heh heh. And I tried what I read in that book you gave me — is this actually how you spin the thread?"

"······!"

Edwin gently ran his fingertips over the strand. A soft, elastic texture met his touch.

Good heavens.

A man who had read the book yesterday could do this? Granted, the thread's grain was uneven in places, but this was in no way a beginner's work. It was steady. Controlled.

"For a first attempt, it's genuinely impressive. That said, fifty percent of it is substandard. That portion has to go."

"Ahaha, I see."

Hmm.

Edwin stroked his chin, thinking. This fellow is remarkably useful. Saying fifty percent had to be thrown out was, conversely, saying that the other fifty percent fully met his standards. He would never weave cloth from anything less than flawless thread.

Admiration and interest slowly filled Edwin's face.

"Think you could weave me some cloth?"

"Do you have a particular technique in mind?"

Oh-ho.

Edwin's eyes lit up. When beginners were asked to weave cloth, they almost always went with plain weave — the most basic, simplest weaving method, crossing warp and weft at a one-to-one ratio. But here this fellow was, talking about techniques?

"Which techniques do you know?"

"The book had five methods in it. Plain weave, twill, satin, basket weave, and jacquard."

"······You can do all of them?"

"I've never actually tried, but I've read them. If I work at it, shouldn't I be able to manage?"

"Heh heh."

What an entertaining young man.

"Then let's see you bring me a satin weave."

The truth was, over his thirty years in the trade, countless apprentices had come and gone through Edwin's doors. Not a single one had ever caught his eye. They all cut corners, lacked professional pride, and gave up at the first obstacle.

But something about this man felt different.

Seo Hwarang answered with a smile.

"Understood. Just leave it to me."

"Lulu."

Seo Hwarang had been enjoying life lately. Ways to get his hands on interesting books were cropping up one after another, and on top of that, he now had a place to actually put the knowledge he read to use.

The trip to the capital was on hold for the moment. He'd paid another month's worth of lodging in advance, and he'd sent Bella and Yoo Seon-ah off to the Magic Guild. Whether they took on missions or trained there was up to them.

His daily routine was simple: raise his Low-grade Spinning proficiency.

The meaning of spinning was straightforward. Make thread. Weave cloth. In this world, thread seemed to be spun from wool and spider silk — which made foraging his morning routine.

First, the sheep.

Traveling north out of Calderon, one came ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠upon a wide stretch of grassland. Fenced pastures dotted the area, and Hwarang had paid a set fee to the local farms for wool-harvesting rights.

Harvesting the wool was simple.

1st Circle.

Master Wind Cutter.

Shhhk-shhhk-shhhk!

With a gust of wind and surgical precision, he gathered the fleece. Controlling each wind blade individually as he shaved the wool from the sheep — the sight was delicate and gentle all at once. Not a single wound on the skin.

And not a single strand wasted, either.

The wool couldn't be allowed to mat together, so the blades had to be fine-tuned to cut at exactly the right angle. His control was so uncanny that the sheep being shorn could calmly close their eyes and doze off.

And then?

1st Circle.

Master Telekinesis.

Telekinesis lifted the fleece and gathered it into one place. It was the perfect method — training his skill proficiency while harvesting, all at once.

"Th-that's incredible."

"Heh heh. A mage harvesting wool... and that technique of his is no ordinary thing either. I've never seen anything like it in my life."

Every time he demonstrated it, the shepherds came running over to gawk in wide-eyed wonder. And that was the end of the wool.

The spider silk?

Even simpler.