Leather Armor Competition 2
“What’s the problem?”
A week had passed, and with the guild members gathered once more, I spoke up. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure out the reason. Leather armor that rivaled plate armor in power, yet not a single purchase? It made no sense.
That’s when Geonmin spoke. “Guild master, your armor’s performance is so outstanding that we all got distracted and overlooked something crucial. Even I did. Others might miss it, but I should have noticed. I’m sorry.”
“No need to apologize, Geonmin. But what did we miss?”
I fixed my gaze on her intently, and she let out a deep sigh before continuing. “Sigh… It’s promotion. Other hunters don’t know that your leather armor has defense comparable to plate armor. Honestly, even we didn’t expect it and only believed after seeing it with our own eyes. Do you think others would be any different?”
“Ah!”
A mix of exasperation and realization burst from me at the absurdly obvious answer.
“That’s not all. You have no reputation as a leatherworker yet, Guild Master. You’re like a total newbie who just debuted. It’s already shocking that a novice leatherworker makes S-rank leather armor, but if it claims to match top-tier plate armor in defense, how many would believe it?”
Geonmin pressed on. “You’ve got skills that defy reputation, sure, but from other hunters’ perspectives, name value is impossible to ignore. Take me—I get customers because of my name, even if my skills don’t compare to yours. That’s why sales come easy.”
Promotion? Yeah, that makes sense—they don’t know how good my leather armor is.
But reputation? What does that have to do with actual performance?
I made my disagreement clear on my face, and Geonmin gave a wry smile before turning to Taegeuk, Jeonghun, and Yeji. “Iron Dragon, Jeonghun, Yeji—let me ask you honestly. Pretend you didn’t know the Guild Master. One day, you hear a no-name leatherworker hunter made S-rank leather armor with plate-level defense. Would you go buy it?”
I held a sliver of hope they might say yes, but their immediate responses stung.
“No.”
“Nope.”
Yeji just shook her head vigorously instead of answering.
With their replies out, Geonmin continued. “You might not get it now, but most hunters think this way. Even with great performance, lack of reputation leads to dismissal—it happens all the time. Reputation isn’t nothing; it comes from effort and proven skill. But when the forest of reputation hides the trees of true ability, that’s a real problem…”
As she spoke, Geonmin’s face briefly drifted into reminiscence. I could tell she’d been through something similar.
Taehee picked up where she left off. “It’s regrettable, but it’s common in production classes. Geonmin’s case aside, I’ve been there too. Probably most production hunters have. You can’t blame combat hunters, though—their lives are on the line. Even a 1% chance of side effects or issues? They won’t touch it. It’s their survival at stake.”
After Geonmin and Taehee explained, I realized reputation wasn’t so simple. My earlier annoyance felt embarrassing now.
Geonmin went on. “Beyond promotion and reputation, there’s one more thing.”
“There’s still more?”
Hearing another reason drained me instantly. I’d just wanted to sell one piece of leather armor, but all these issues piling up made me feel like I’d committed some grave error.
“The last reason: the 30 S-rank monster corpses as materials.”
“Huh? Why’s that a problem?”
Making S-rank leather armor with S-rank hides was obvious. Mine were technically A-rank but advertised as S-rank outside, with performance matching S-rank plate. No issue there.
But Geonmin citing S-rank corpses baffled me. “How many hunters do you think raid S-rank dungeons, Guild Master?”
Her words clicked instantly, even without exact numbers. “Most who enter S-rank dungeons are from major guilds. Occasionally some standout mid-to-small guilds join, but their main focus is A-rank. So, few can afford 30 S-rank corpses as material costs. And none of them would use a new leather workshop.”
Hearing all the reasons left me deflated. At the same time, shame washed over me for getting ahead of myself. I’d thought opening the workshop would bring crowds immediately—even planned for overflow orders. Turns out, that was pure overconfidence. My face burned.
Embarrassing or not, we’d found the issues. Time for solutions. “So, what now? Promote to major guilds?”
Only they could afford my armor, so it made sense. But Geonmin had another idea. “If your armor was mediocre, guild promotion might work. But yours? No. Peddling it would make them doubt the performance—they’d skip it entirely. Besides, you making and hawking your own gear? Doesn’t fit. How about entering a contest instead?”
“A contest?”
* * *
Who am I? Where am I? What the hell am I doing?
That summed up my mental state perfectly. Suddenly signed up for a contest, I stood at the registration desk in a daze.
Run by the Leatherworker Association, it started exclusive to members. But as member skill levels weren’t high, quality dropped, so they opened to outsiders. That boosted quality, sponsors came with prizes and cash, entrants surged—a virtuous cycle that heated things up.
But it had grown too big. Geonmin said she’d placed here early on, with 43 participants then. Last year: around 100.
Now? What the hell was this? Even accounting for final-day rush, the number was insane. Easily over 100 just in sight.
More people than expected.
I looked a bit shocked, and the guild members teased to ease my nerves, thinking I was tense. “No way, Suho—you nervous? You really are human.”
“Whoa, Suho-hyung’s tense! Should’ve pushed him into contests sooner.”
Taeju and Jeonghun. Normally they’d use formal titles in group settings out of respect, but at my request for casual today, they agreed.
“Yeah, Suho. Relax. No matter the crowd, the win’s yours. Perfect stage to show your skills.”
“Exactly. No one in Korea matches your leather armor. Just do your thing.”
“Agreed. I have zero doubt you’ll win, Guild Master.”
Taehee went casual, but Geonmin and Taegeuk stuck to formal—“it’s more comfortable”—while Yeji gave a silent fighting pose.
“Don’t worry. But more people than you said, Geonmin? Even for the last day.”
Geonmin was just as flustered. “Y-yeah? Not like this last year. What’s going on?”
Then Taehee spotted someone and called out; Jeonghun recognized him too. “Hey, that’s Sangho.”
“Yeah, what’s Hyung doing here?”
They chatted with the hunter named Sangho, then returned. “Sangho-hyung’s from Emperor Guild’s leather workshop. Here to compete. Apparently, almost all major guild workshop leatherworkers are joining—especially all five top guilds’ without exception.”
“What? Didn’t they say major guild folks skip this?”
I didn’t get it. Geonmin said even as prestige rose, it was mostly independents and small/mid guilds. Rare major guilders only came prepping for independence. No real upside for them—guild provided materials, they made what was needed. Extra time? Personal projects. Plus, better access to high-grade corpses. No reason to bother unless special circumstances.
Why the sudden mass turnout? Jeonghun explained. “Hespera’s a judge. Association’s officially joining World Leatherworker Association, invited her as special judge. Big perks for winner, they say—so every notable leatherworker nationwide applied.”
Geonmin jumped. “H-Hespera’s judging?!”
Her eyes sparkled like a fanatic fanboy as she turned to me. “Guild Master, can I enter too?”
Suppressing a laugh at this new side of her, I nodded. “Sure, Geonmin. Do what you want. Enter if you like.”
She pumped her fists and dashed to the end of the registration line, steps light with excitement.
Hespera’s presence didn’t surprise me, just piqued curiosity. Geonmin mentioned her constantly—world’s top leatherworker. What skills did she have? What mana state in her tanned hides? How did her armor compare to mine?
I wanted NPC abilities verified against her. She was called the best, but exact power of her gear? Unknown. Top hunters who wore it universally praised her, that’s all.
Especially curious after potions—mine lagged production others’ except no poison or side effects.
But leather armor? Leagues ahead from the start. How far from the “world’s best”?
Just here to promote and build rep casually.
The contest I’d joined lightly was veering way off script.
To be continued in the next chapter…
The Hunter Who Awakened as an NPC