The Limits of an NPC. And a New Ability
A week had passed since the incident with Lee Sehyuk. Back to my daily routine, I was still buried in leather and herbs.
The mana recovery speed potion had stalled at 98%, and I still couldn't fill that final 2%. So I kept studying herbs. At least with herbs—unlike leather—learning a new one gave me 3 Intelligence and 5 Mana, which wasn't bad at all.
The problem was the leatherwork. It was just endless repetitive tasks with no real gains. And now that the five major guilds had placed orders for leather armor, I had to handle two types: A-rank leather for the actual armor they'd buy, and S-rank leather from the S-rank monsters they'd brought in.
I'd never actually used S-rank leather except to make armor for guild members, so it was piling up.
That's how I spent my days immersed in herbs and leather when Choi Taesu showed up hauling thirty SS-rank monster corpses.
Excited about SS-rank leather armor, I dove right into the tanning.
The mana surging through those SS-rank monster carcasses was dizzyingly intense. Explaining it would take three days and four nights.
But the real issue wasn't the mana—I didn't realize that yet.
The massive mana flow was so overwhelming that even I had to handle it with utmost care. Finally, after finishing the grueling work, I completed the SS-rank leather—and the notification I'd been waiting for appeared.
Class NPC effect activated.
Leather 'SS-rank Leather' created.
SS-rank Leather added to materials. Reward granted.
Strength +10.
Stamina +10.
I didn't notice anything off at first. It seemed the same as always.
But something felt wrong. Looking closely at the notification, key info was missing: armor shop unlock.
I hurriedly checked the Leather Armor Shop.
No SS-rank leather armor.
It's gone. No matter how I look, no SS-rank leather armor.
Caught off guard by the unexpected limit hitting sooner than anticipated, I panicked.
After completing the superior healing potion, no new ones appeared—so I knew there were limits to my abilities. NPCs could learn many skills, but they had boundaries.
I'd expected a cap on leather armor eventually. But not at SS-rank.
It should've gone up to SS-rank. Now I'll have to change strategy.
This made it clear: S-rank leather armor alone couldn't protect my guild members.
I'd wanted SS-rank armor for them, but now it was impossible.
Time to find another way.
And something else nagged at me: the SSS-rank dungeon.
Ever since hearing about it from Hespera, it wouldn't leave my mind. Even mid-fight with Lee Sehyuk, it popped up randomly, throwing me off.
That's why SS-rank armor felt so crucial—but now, deep regret washed over me.
Should I learn metallurgy and make plate armor?
With SS-rank leather off the table, no point obsessing over leather anymore. I pondered my next skill.
But... would plate armor fit over my leather armor?
That was the main reason I hesitated.
While making leather armor, I'd run tests—including wearing two sets to boost defense as a workaround.
It happened occasionally, though it made movement clunky and sluggish, so it was rare. Still, possible.
My armor, structured for mana-based equip/unequip, seemed fine for dual layering without mobility issues, so I tried.
But unlike normal gear, once the first was on, the second wouldn't equip.
Hence my worry: would plate armor have the same issue?
If plate worked but only one layer, it'd be a disaster.
Assuming that, did plate's defense vastly outstrip leather?
No. From talks with Hespera, with equal craftsmanship, plate and leather defense were comparable.
So, metallurgy was worth learning, but not top priority.
Still, maybe give it a shot?
As I mulled my next skill, Kang Jeonghun stormed in, fuming and grumbling.
"Man, why do they gotta pull this crap again? They flip out at the drop of a hat! What the hell have our enchanters been doing all this time that they can't even make that one thing, leaving us screwed every time?"
Seeing him with his lips pursed, I asked,
"What got you so pissed off this time?"
"Hyung, can't we just cut off potions to Japan? Their bullshit is next level."
"What're you talking about? What'd Japan do? And why're you mad?"
Kang Jeonghun was seething, so I asked again. Finally, he explained.
"I went to get magic patterns engraved on plate armor. But they said no mana ink. The ink's imported from Japan..."
Listening to his rant, I got why he hated Japan—and why he griped about our enchanters.
Mana ink for enchanters came in lower and upper grades. The lower grade—like for Berche that Seo Taehee showed—was producible domestically.
The issue was upper-grade ink for armor and weapons: domestic output was so low, over 90% was imported.
Mostly from Japan, who halted exports at every excuse, leaving us high and dry.
Worse, despite this, upper-grade production hadn't increased.
"If you'd done the engraving, hyung, we wouldn't have this headache."
That offhand comment decided my next skill.
I'd asked guild members for enchanter intel, but they only knew basics.
Even Seo Taehee, who knew everything, was clueless on enchanters.
"Enchanters? I don't know much. They're so cliquey, info barely leaks out."
Unable to get solid info from guild, I called Lee Musin.
"Enchanters?"
"Yes. I want everything on them—especially mana ink imports."
Despite the sudden call and odd question, Lee Musin stayed cool.
"Too much to explain verbally. I'll compile and send documents."
"Thanks. Also, can you introduce an enchanter? Someone to teach me magic pattern engraving."
I was upfront.
Bad teacher meant starting over later. And this time, no hiding the skill—it'd spread anyway.
Better to be honest with Lee Musin.
"Pardon? Y-you can handle enchanters too?"
He stammered in shock.
"Probably. That's why I want proper training."
"Understood. They avoid outsiders, but I'll find a top teacher."
The call ended. Two days later, enchanter docs arrived.
Lee Musin's file shocked me from the start.
"Only 32 nationwide?"
I knew they were rare, but not this rare.
They all worked in one workshop, exposing only 2-3 publicly—making counts hard.
Amazed at Hunter Management Bureau's reach, I read on.
Engravable magic patterns listed differed from guild info.
"Spark? Never heard of that."
For plate armor: on hit, emits lightning to paralyze foes.
News to guild members. Other unknown patterns too.
Probably VIP-exclusive. Whatever, moved on.
Finally: mana ink.
Lower-grade: no issue, domestic.
Upper-grade: as Jeonghun said—70% Japan, 20% US/Europe, 10% domestic.
And Japan's export bans: average 6 months/year, volumes shrinking.
Not due to shortages—Japan's stock fluctuated, but bans hit when plentiful, exports when low.
Never supply issues.
"These fucking bastards!"
I swore like Jeonghun.
But for our enchanters, suspicion over complaints.
Skill shortage didn't explain the gap. Something missing here.
Further: presumed upper-grade ingredients.
"Monster blood, herbs, antidote potion... nothing weird."
Vague info—hard to judge. Ask my teacher later.
Scanning ingredients again, a memory flashed.
Wait... this? No way—is it because of this herb?
To be continued in the next chapter... The Hunter Who Awakened as an NPC