Leather Armor Competition 4

Ultimately, 107 people passed the first stage—two-thirds of the total participants had been eliminated right from the start. It had seemed unlikely that everyone might drop out in the first or second rounds, just as Hespera had warned, but looking at the remaining contestants, that wasn't the case at all.

The reason the number of participants had swelled was because word got out that Hespera was judging the competition, drawing in even those whose skills fell short. Now that the first stage was over, the survivors were all either leatherworkers from major guilds or independents with some real reputation. If anything, this was where the true contest of skill began.

The eliminated contestants cleared out of the venue, and the remaining ones gathered again. As I waited for the second stage in the competition hall, my thoughts drifted back to Hespera.

What the hell is her deal? Can't pin her down at all.

Back when she'd been talking in the hall, she'd thrown out that wide-area taunt, pissing everyone off. But recalling our recent conversation, she didn't come across as that rude. To Hespera—who had no idea of my true abilities—I must have looked like just another average leatherworker. Even when I'd questioned her skills anyway, her reaction hadn't been bad. If anything, she'd been unbelievably cheerful about it.

Anyone remembering her performance in the hall wouldn't have blamed her for brushing me off or snapping. But instead of anger, she'd looked intrigued, even flashing a light smile. And the fact that she'd answered directly without an interpreter? That had shocked me.

Taken alone, she didn't seem like a bad person. But one thing stood out from her final response: as the world's top leatherworker, she had immense pride in her craft. Maybe even that stunt in the hall stemmed from that pride.

Then a thought hit me.

Is she a hardcore meritocrat?

It suddenly made sense. She probably hadn't gotten mad at my question because I'd passed the first stage, after all. That's why she'd brought up the second and third stages. If I'd flunked, I bet I'd have gotten the reaction I expected.

As I pondered Hespera, the announcer revealed the second stage rules.

"First, congratulations to all who passed the first stage. Now, for the second stage details. Passing this will get you to the final round, so give it your all. As you might have guessed, the second stage is tanning."

Butchering for the first made tanning a natural follow-up for the second. Still, just like the butchering, it wouldn't be standard tanning. I wondered what twist they'd throw in.

The other contestants stared intently at the announcer, clearly thinking the same.

"Before the tanning stage, we'll distribute one pre-tanned hide to each participant."

With that, the proctors began handing out tanned hides. The announcer continued.

"This will also take place in the same building used for the first stage. Each building has 500 hides stacked inside. Your task is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to find hides processed with the exact same mana ratio as the one you've received. Out of the 500, there are 50 matches. Time limit: 10 minutes. Passing score: 25 or more."

The contestants' faces hardened—unlike after the first stage.

Checking mana ratios on 500 hides in 10 minutes was tough enough; picking out 25 specifics? Even at 2 seconds per hide, you couldn't check them all. You had to sense the mana the instant you touched one.

This demanded extreme mana sensitivity, far beyond the first stage.

But I stayed relaxed, unlike the others.

Hespera, huh. Let's see what you bring this time.

I hoped I'd get assigned to her building again. If not, I'd ask the proctor when lining up.

And without hesitation, the announcer kicked off the second stage.

"We'll call numbers starting from the front. Numbers 1, 4, 15, 16, 23—to the entrances."

The second stage began. I waited for my turn.

Time passed, and finally it was mine. With so many skips, the signs didn't matter much, so we lined up by order. I immediately asked the proctor.

"Could I go to the building where Hespera is judging again?"

The proctor stared at me like I was nuts, muttered with the others, then nodded.

"If that's what you want."

"Yes, thank you."

Soon, I entered Hespera's building as requested. Five hundred hides were stacked inside, with her off to one side.

She spotted me and lit up. "We meet again. They say this is fate in Korea, right?"

"Who knows? I specifically asked to come to your building, so maybe not fate."

Hespera looked intrigued. "Others avoid me because they find me intimidating, but not participant 235, I see."

"Just curious about something."

"Curious? About what?"

Her face mixed curiosity and challenge.

"I'll ask after the test."

"Fine. We'll talk post-test. Get ready—beginning now."

She hit the timer, and I thrust both hands toward the hides.

Grabbing two different ones, I tossed them behind me and reached for two more. It looked like I was just moving the pile from front to back, tossing hides nonstop.

Hespera watched with initial curiosity, but her expression quickly stiffened.

To her, it must've looked reckless—snatching hides with both hands and flinging them without a thought.

But I was more focused than ever. The moment I touched one, I felt the ratio of infused mana to monster mana. If it didn't match mine, I tossed it without regret and grabbed the next.

After discarding about a hundred, the first match appeared. I tossed it to my right.

Hespera's eyes sharpened.

I ramped up the pace, and just over three minutes in, I'd found all 50.

"Done. Got them all."

No response. Turning, I saw her staring, face rigid. "Hespera, it's over. Time to judge."

"...Yes." She barely spoke, checking my selections one by one. At 25, she stopped. "Verified. You pass."

She looked half-dazed, so I pressed. "Hespera, one more question?"

Still out of it, she replied ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a beat late. "...Yes. Ask."

"As the world's top leatherworker, how many could you do?"

She went silent, dumbfounded. I left her there and exited, feeling satisfied at landing that hit.

Now I knew exactly what she was: a hardcore meritocrat.

Her curious expression had frozen into cold disdain as I worked—like I was a bug. The type I hated: judging people solely by skill, as if it defined everything.

Old memories surfaced, wiping out any goodwill I'd had. Whether she was shocked or not, I didn't care anymore.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

The second stage wrapped up, leaving 17 finalists—including Ha Geonmin.

She came to me afterward, grateful. "Thank you. It's all thanks to you, Guild Master."

"No, it's your hard work."

A brief warm moment, then the third and final stage began.

"As mentioned, the final stage is armor crafting, same as before. But special judge Hespera will participate as a contestant, under equal conditions."

The remaining participants buzzed in shock. But I smiled.

Because of me? This'll be fun. Was wondering about her skills anyway.

I'd been curious about her prowess, and here she was, joining voluntarily. The venue only provided up to S-rank monster corpses, so no true peak, but indirect comparison would suffice.

As I mulled that, the announcer continued.

"Final stage rules: You'll craft in isolated spaces. No outside items allowed—we'll scan with magic. Inside, vision is blocked for privacy; use recipes freely."

"Work time: 72 hours. Finish early? Call via the building phone. Corpses are prepped based on your registration. Head to your assigned buildings."

Proctors led us out to the workshops. At mine, Hespera waited, face stiff.

"Impressive mana sensitivity. Honestly, in that alone, you're far better than me, Kim Suho. But armor crafting isn't just sensing. I'll show you why I'm the world's best."

Her tone was sharp. I grinned. "Can't wait to see the top level."

After she left, the proctor asked, "Last check: no outside items?"

"None."

"Scanning now."

Scanning magic. Ha Geonmin had explained it during registration talk. I'd worried about my Inventory <Materials> ability triggering it, so I'd tested with a scroll.

The proctor pulled out a scroll, pointed it at me, and tore it. Soft blue light enveloped me, then faded.

"Participant 235, Kim Suho—no anomalies. Enter."

Inside the workshop, the S-rank monster corpse loomed first. I'd wondered why the buildings were so huge; now I got it.

S-rank was another league from A-rank. Basics hit 10m; some topped 15m.

Guess I'll find out by trying.

One worry: if the Leather Armor Shop locked S-rank armor.

I picked an S-rank corpse and started butchering.

Whoa, insane. Worlds apart from A-rank.

A-rank had felt like a gale compared to B; S-rank was a full typhoon. Purity unmatched. No wonder artisan-level was needed for S-rank.

If S is this wild, what's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠SS?

Thoughts spiraled, but I shoved them aside. Focus: butcher and tan.

I worked fast, but the size took nearly 10 minutes. Done, a notification appeared.

Phew. Good.

My worry evaporated with a sigh of relief. If S-rank hadn't unlocked, it'd have been a problem—but now I felt light.

With that settled, I tackled the remaining corpses one by one.

To be continued in the next chapter... The Hunter Who Awakened as an NPC