Leather Armor Competition 3
Participant number 235. That was the ticket I'd drawn. Ha Geonmin had 278. Even after she finished registering, more people kept showing up, so it looked like over 300 contestants in total.
I was a bit surprised by the higher-than-expected turnout, but that was it. More or fewer people didn't matter to me one way or the other.
From what Ha Geonmin had told me about the format, contestants worked in isolated spaces cut off from the outside world. They'd use monster corpses and materials provided by the association to craft leather armor and submit it. They scanned you with magic on entry to prevent smuggling in other materials, but once inside, total secrecy was guaranteed. It was to protect leatherworkers' special skills and trade secrets—and for someone like me who crafted differently from other hunters, it was the perfect setup.
So, more participants just meant longer judging times. No real issues otherwise.
That mindset held firm even as I entered the venue and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with over 300 other contestants.
Then the emcee grabbed the mic to explain the rules, shattering my calm.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Jeon Yongjun, your host for the Leatherworking Competition hosted by the Korean Leatherworkers' Association."
The crowd's cheers swelled with his greeting.
"Before we begin, one very important announcement. As you've probably heard, the Korean Leatherworkers' Association has received official approval from the World Leatherworkers' Association and joined as a branch. And one more key point: this competition will run differently from all previous ones. Our special guest from the World Leatherworkers' Association, here to celebrate, will explain the new format. I think you all know who it is already, so let me introduce them."
He paused dramatically, then boomed:
"Please welcome to the stage Hespera, our special judge! Give them a big round of applause!"
The venue erupted in massive cheers and applause, but it all fell on deaf ears for me.
What the hell? Suddenly changing the format?
One thought dominated my mind.
The biggest reason I'd entered was that the format allowed it without issue. If it had been something I couldn't handle, I'd have sold my armor some other way.
But now, after I'd committed, they were switching it up?
Damn it, they should've announced this beforehand.
I couldn't judge yet without details, but just hearing the format was changing soured my mood. All I could hope was it wasn't the worst-case scenario: switching from private crafting to public demonstration.
With far darker thoughts than the other contestants, I glared daggers at Hespera ascending the stage.
The Swedish hunter was a tall white guy—about 2 meters—with platinum blond hair and a lean build. His pursed lips, sharp eyes, and aquiline nose gave off the vibe of a stubborn artisan.
As Hespera took the mic, the venue fell silent.
"Hej, jag heter Hesparah. Det är trevligt att träffa dig."
"Hello. I'm Hespera. It's a sincere pleasure to meet you all."
The sudden foreign tongue nearly threw me, but the interpreter followed right up.
After a brief intro congratulating the Korean association on joining the family, we finally got to the point I'd been waiting for. I perked up at the interpreter's words.
"I'll explain the new format. The competition has three stages. Only those who pass each stage advance. Finalists reaching stage 3 get to craft full leather armor as in past events, with major rewards for the winner. Give it your all."
Whew. I let out a sigh of relief.
No details on stages 1 and 2 left me uneasy, but stage 3 being traditional armor crafting eased my mind. Not the public nightmare I'd feared. Tension melted away.
As the translation wrapped and it seemed the explanation was done, Hespera spoke again.
I was curious, but the interpreter hesitated, hemming and hawing.
What? What did they say?
Before I could wonder more, Hespera's deadpan expression turned to the interpreter with one more line. Only then did the translation come.
"If all participants fail stages 1 and 2, the competition ends there. Please do your absolute best to avoid that."
What?! Are they looking down on us?
I couldn't tell if it was a loose translation, but it sure sounded like a diss.
'Everyone might fail 1 and 2, so try hard'?
My brow furrowed in irritation as I glared at Hespera.
Their expression hadn't changed since taking the stage—no hint of their thoughts.
Were stages 1 and 2 that brutal? Or were they just underestimating Korean leatherworkers?
Either way, my mood tanked.
And I wasn't alone. Flames flickered in the contestants' eyes.
Whether genuine contempt or some ploy, it had successfully ignited our competitive fire.
A chill settled over the venue as the competition truly began.
"We'll now begin stage 1. First, it's a butchering test."
The emcee announced the event over the mic.
Butchering. Obvious choice.
Ha Geonmin had taught me leatherworking's three basics: butchering, tanning, compression. I handled butchering and tanning myself; the NPC system did compression.
With stage 3 being armor crafting (including compression), I'd figured 1 and 2 were butchering and tanning. Nailed it.
As I pondered stage 1, the emcee continued.
"Let me explain. You may have seen them entering the venue: five temporary buildings behind the stage. Each contains five butchered hides, all done by Hespera. Same monster type. Your task: pick the best-butchered one. That's stage 1. To repeat: select the best-butchered hide from the five."
What? That's it? Too easy.
After Hespera's hype, this felt anticlimactic—even deflating.
And I wasn't the only one.
"What? Just picking a hide?"
"Come on, there's a limit to underestimating us. Scaring us over hide picking?"
Murmurs spread, growing louder until the emcee clamped down.
"We'll start now—quiet please. Numbers 1 through 5, come forward. Follow the proctor."
Five contestants strode out confidently. After 3-4 minutes, numbers 6-10 were called.
Groups of five filed out steadily.
Calling didn't take long, but with so many, wait times dragged.
Geonmin will ace this.
I wasn't worried. I knew her skill, plus the mana sensitivity stat from her quest reward.
Low stat since she'd just gotten it, but it boosted her mana sense noticeably.
During our past butchering match on a C-rank with her teaching me, she hit about 75% of my level. Post-stat? Over 80% easy.
Higher ranks get wilder mana flows, so low stats limit high-end work, but the hope alone had her beaming.
Lost in thoughts, an hour passed before my turn.
"Numbers 231 through 235, come forward."
I headed to the entrance, spotting placards:
[1/6] [2/7] [3/8] [4/9] [5/0]
End digits for numbers. I stood by [5/0]. The waiting proctor led me out immediately.
Behind the venue: the five buildings. Mine was one; the proctor said:
"Participant 235, Kim Suho—enter."
I opened the door and froze at the sight.
A judge sat there: Hespera. Interpreter behind.
What? Judging in person?
I'd thought "special judge" meant finals only. Not stage 1—and in my building, no less.
Hespera sat stone-faced, same as on stage. The interpreter spoke:
"Begin. Choose your hide."
Didn't matter. I focused on the hides.
A quick touch, and mana flows lit up via Residual Mana Detection.
3, 2, 1, 5, 4 order?
Cheat skill nailed it. I opened my mouth for #3—
But Hespera's blank face, the interpreter's words, the emcee's emphasis flashed back.
All might fail 1-2. "Best butchered hide"—twice.
I paused, touched again.
Then, confidently:
"The best-butchered is #1."
Silence. Then:
"Participant 235, Kim Suho. Correct."
My hunch was right. #3 had most mana—third-best actually. But more mana ≠ better butchering.
Key was the monster's grade.
First pass, I'd skimmed too quick. Second: clear.
#3: A-rank corpse, ~60% mana retained.
#1: C-rank, 95-96%—near-perfect.
Curiosity hit post-pass about those flows. Hespera right there, so I asked the interpreter:
"If it's not rude, could I ask Hespera one question? Whether #1's butchering is their personal max."
Sudden curiosity: top world leatherworker's mana sense limit?
I waited as the interpreter relayed.
Then Hespera spoke—in Korean.
"Never gotten that question before. Why do you ask?"
I stared, stunned. "You speak Korean?"
"Yeah, learned from a Korean friend. But why?"
Stone face gone—pure curiosity. Fluent Korean doubled the shock, but I recovered.
"Just wondered. How good is the world's best leatherworker?"
Hespera chuckled lightly.
"Haha, I see. That curious? Pass 1 and 2, reach 3. You'll see the world's best up close."
To be continued in the next chapter... The Hunter Who Awakened as an NPC