The Wind Silk Robe (1)
First things first.
Here were the materials listed:
◈ 10 bundles of high-grade thread, wind-attribute enhanced
◈ 5 lengths of high-grade cloth, wind-attribute enhanced
◈ 1 piece of high-grade leather, any kind
◈ 500g of premium spider silk
◈ 1 Wind Falcon feather
High-grade thread and cloth? More than sufficient. As for the wind attribute, he could simply infuse it with his material enhancement skill. He'd just have to brew the appropriate reagent and apply it.
He'd gathered plenty of high-grade leather on his recent hunts, too.
Premium spider silk?
The silk our Mini Spider churns out is premium-grade by definition.
That left the Wind Falcon feather as the only real problem.
Wind Falcon.
As far as Seo Hwarang knew, it was a fairly rare breed of falcon that lived around these parts. You'd be lucky to spot one more than once a month, and even then, catching it was supposed to be quite the challenge.
But no matter. The general store nearby sold the feathers at ten silver nyang apiece.
"I'll purchase the Wind Falcon feathers myself."
The stock was limited, but he'd be making these robes continuously anyway. He decided to invest big.
Seo Hwarang paid two gold coins and bought twenty feathers. When he asked if there were more, that was apparently everything they had.
Well then—preparations complete!
Shwish, shwish, shwish!
Seo Hwarang rubbed his palms together. The faint sheen of sweat on them suggested he was more nervous than he let on.
A Unique item.
How much would something like that be worth?
First things first.
Don't get ahead of yourself. Finish making it—then it wouldn't be too late to get excited.
Shaaah!
Seo Hwarang spread the blueprint open.
"Is there nothing I can do to help?" Edwin asked, and Seo Hwarang shook his head.
"No, I'll do this alone."
This was a chance to raise his skill proficiency—he couldn't afford to share the credit. And while Edwin had decades of experience, he was still a low-tier tailor. His level was simply too low to understand this blueprint.
"Hoo."
All right, then. Let's begin.
I can do this!
After a moment of steadying his breath and stoking his resolve, Seo Hwarang's hands began to move. The real work had begun!
First, he started cutting the wind-enhanced high-grade cloth to match the blueprint. Snip, swish! His scissors traced the design lines with razor precision.
No room for even the smallest mistake.
The blueprint had warned him: if the margin of error was too wide, the magic would fail to take effect. There was a real chance it wouldn't register as Unique, so caution was essential.
Shk, shk!
Strips of cloth fell away to the floor. Seo Hwarang's hands moved as fluidly as rolling waves, as light and deft as a passing breeze—yet careful all the same. Tailoring an outfit demanded tremendous time and effort.
And more importantly…
Creating a Unique item was no ordinary task.
Mindfulness.
The maker's spirit and will were woven directly into the garment itself!
Click!
He took out a green dye symbolizing the wind. From here on, the blueprint offered no guidance.
Let's go lush and vibrant.
It was wind, after all. A touch of wind's energy in the dye would only help, wouldn't it?
1st Circle. Master Wind Cutter.
Whiiiish!
A blade of wind swept in a graceful arc above Seo Hwarang as he worked. The moment he submerged the perfectly cut cloth into the green dye—
Ooh.
The wind's energy slowly melted into the dye, turning it a vivid blue-green. And it wasn't a flat, uniform color. Patterns bloomed along the currents of the wind, forming an almost mesmerizing design.
Nice! Very nice indeed!
Once the dyed cloth had dried, he moved on to the embroidery.
I have to inscribe a wind magic circle into the fabric.
And that was no small feat.
Snip, swish!
The high-grade thread snapped and pulled taut as he painted a design onto the cloth. Needle and thread danced at his fingertips, and bit by bit, the magic circle drawn on the blueprint settled into the fabric with exquisite delicacy.
Whooomm!
A faint breeze stirred from within the cloth—the magic was taking hold properly.
For the record, the real work started now.
Sewing.
Seo Hwarang set the cloth and thread onto the sewing frame. Snip, swish! Fast and precise. Like an Italian master craftsman, he drove the needle through stitch by meticulous stitch. The pieces of cloth wove together into one, and the silhouette of a robe began to emerge in sharp relief.
Two hours or so slipped by.
"The main body is done."
Seo Hwarang's forehead glistened with sweat, but the smile spreading across his lips never faded. Was this how an artist felt, gazing at a work coming to life before his eyes? His heart pounded with excitement.
"Now the leather."
Snip, swish!
He cut the high-grade gray wolf pelt he'd obtained on the recent hunt to the blueprint's dimensions, coated it in spider silk, and attached it. Then came the final step—the most important one.
The Wind Falcon feather had to be set into the very center of the magic circle inscribed at the shoulder. This was no ornament. It was the heart of the robe. The magic circle would use the feather as a conduit to draw mana from nature itself, amplifying the robe's power.
"Ah… ahhh."
Edwin watched Seo Hwarang work, and the gasps of admiration never stopped coming.
So this is it! This is how it's meant to be made!
It was a technique passed down from his forebears. But could he imitate what he was seeing? No—he couldn't. There was no denying it. Seo Hwarang stood at a height far beyond his own.
Once everything was complete, Seo Hwarang gave the entire robe a final inspection. The total time it had taken to make this single piece? A full ten hours.
"It's… it's truly… remarkable."
Edwin murmured the words, still wearing an expression of utter disbelief. Seo Hwarang, his fingertips trembling, put on the finishing touches.
"Hoo."
Then, eyes closed, the instant he declared it finished—
You have crafted the Wind Silk Robe (Unique).
Proficiency in Intermediate Tailoring has increased by 10.
At last! A Unique item had been born.
"Ahh…"
Trembling with emotion, Seo Hwarang watched the item's information unfurl before his eyes.
Description: A mystical silk robe woven by a master craftsman with the blessing of the wind. Light as a drifting breeze yet remarkably durable, it blends its wearer naturally into the wind itself. A faint azure glow lingers across the robe, and with every movement comes a sound like the parting of air.
◈ Effects: Massive boost to Defense, Agility +20, Magic Power +15
◈ Skill — Wind's Protection: Automatically forms a protective barrier when the wearer is in danger, reducing incoming damage by 50% for 10 seconds. (Cooldown: 60 seconds)
◈ Skill — Gale Acceleration: Increases movement speed and attack speed by 30% during combat. (Duration: 15 seconds, Cooldown: 90 seconds)
Whoa.
He didn't fully understand everything he was reading, but this was insane. A mere robe with a massive defense boost? The stat gains were hefty, and it came with two skills attached—both of them borderline overpowered.
"You… you truly made this in a single attempt? What are you?!"
"Merely a mage in pursuit of knowledge."
Edwin couldn't believe it. What kind of mage knew how to make clothes this well?
"May I… may I touch it?"
"Of course."
With trembling hands, Edwin caressed the robe. He ran his fingers over its surface, testing its texture, and gently brushed the feather.
"Ah… ahhh."
His feelings were complicated. He had spent his entire life honing himself for the sake of creating something like this… only for it to be destined to come from another man's hands.
And yet…
It felt good.
What Edwin felt beneath his fingertips was no mere garment. It was a masterpiece steeped in the spirit of a true artisan. Just touching it felt like holding a piece of nature itself in the palm of his hand.
"Hmmph… mmm."
Edwin's throat tightened. The rims of his eyes had gone red. This robe was the very ideal he had dreamed of all his life—a work of near-perfection he had never once believed he could reach.
"Hoo-woo… thank you. Truly, thank you. To think I could behold a work like this before I die…"
His voice shook. And within that trembling lived awe and reverence in equal measure.
"Merely seeing it and touching it with my own hands leaves me with no regrets. It's not as though anyone will inherit my craft anyway. The blueprint and the robe… just take them. I have fulfilled my lifelong wish."
That was the moment.
The promised rewards had arrived. This was certainly worthy of a C-rank quest—a Unique blueprint and a Unique item.
And…
He had now reached the point where he could produce items with his own hands. Even as he worked, he'd wondered if this was really okay.
This Skill Book Collector thing is genuinely busted.
Honestly speaking, it had taken a long time, but he couldn't deny it had felt… a little too easy.
"Then I will gratefully accept."
"…So you'll be leaving now, will you?"
Leaving.
It seemed that was indeed the right call. Their final destination was the imperial capital, Lumentia. He'd already acquired every skill worth taking from the Magic Guild here, and his proficiency had been filled out sufficiently. Time to prepare for departure.
Seo Hwarang nodded, a gentle smile on his face.
"Yes, that's right. Thank you for everything, Master Edwin."
"I suppose I should have expected as much. A man who has reached such a magnificent height has no reason to linger in a place like this. Our time together was short, but it was intense. I learned a great deal."
"Not at all. I learned far more."
"Then—may fortune follow you."
After bidding Edwin farewell, Seo Hwarang headed back to the inn. Waiting for him there, once again alongside a meal, were Bella and Yoo Seon-ah.
"Bella."
"Yes, Master Mage!"
"Let's start getting ready to leave."
Clack!
Seo Hwarang set ten silver nyang down on the table.
"Use this to stock up on all the supplies—and buy plenty of spices, too. We leave tomorrow at noon. Tell me if it's not enough."
"Gah! Yes, understood!"
Srrrk!
Bella swept up the silver coins and carefully tucked them into her pouch.
"So is everything on your end wrapped up?" Yoo Seon-ah asked.
"Yep. How about you, noona? Any progress?"
"Good news. I've already gathered all my mana—proficiency is the only thing left, and I've pushed everything up to 70."
Whoa.
She was pretty quick, wasn't she? No—she was unbelievably quick.
I suppose it helps that my mana is infinite, though.
"Heh heh."
Perhaps she felt his gaze, because Yoo Seon-ah puffed up her shoulders proudly.
"Bella helped a lot. And honestly, ever since I became an Orthodox Mage, my proficiency's been climbing way faster."
"Then you'll be learning Ice Needles and Rock Shield soon, right?"
"Yep."
Excellent.
Once Yoo Seon-ah reached the 2nd Circle, she'd hand over another ten 2nd-Circle books. When that day came, Seo Hwarang could finally grow properly as well.
I wonder how much stronger the 2-Circle Master skill will make me?
He couldn't help feeling a thrill of anticipation.
"By the way, I heard you've been doing tailoring lately. Sounds like it went well?"
"Heh heh."
This time, it was Seo Hwarang's shoulders that rose sky-high.
Uh oh. What was he going to do about this? She might faint the moment she saw it.
"Noona."
"Hmm?"
"Take a look at this."
Swoosh.
Seo Hwarang drew the gleaming azure robe from his inventory. Their radiant, magnificent Unique robe!
"What is that?"
Yoo Seon-ah absentmindedly reached out and touched it—and the moment she read the information that floated up—
"KYAAAAAH!"
She toppled straight over backward.
Quite literally knocked flat by sheer shock.