Enchanter 2

With mana over 500, why the hell did it have to be intellect just shy of half that? On top of that, intellect had to be kept at 200 because of the leather armor restrictions.

My current intellect is 254.

After the leather armor contest, he'd learned an additional twenty types of herbs, boosting his intellect by 60. If he tuned it to 200, that left him with 54 intellect to spare. And even if he learned more herbs in the future, intellect would still fall short.

In other words, he had to be selective about which magic patterns to learn.

He let out a deep sigh, set down the engraving pen, and asked Kim Seungmin,

"Sorry, but could we try a different magic pattern instead of Light?"

Even to him, it sounded ridiculous. Just moments ago, he'd been stunned by the Light magic pattern. Now here he was, asking for something even harder. He could understand Kim Seungmin staring at him like, What kind of weirdo is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this guy?

Still, Kim Seungmin answered his question.

"Sure. There's one more. It's called Weight."

Nice. He cheered inwardly.

The materials from Lee Musin didn't cover everything, but among them, Weight was the best fit for leather armor.

Weight was a spell that increased the armor's mass, a highly demanded magic pattern. Hunters could block massive monster attacks but often got flung back by the sheer force. Weight let them hold their ground. It was essential for tanks and popular with melee dealers too.

In a situation where he had to pick and choose, it was like drawing a top-tier card.

"Yeah, let's go with Weight."

Kim Seungmin, still looking baffled, put away the Light book and pulled out Weight.

Weight was a higher grade than Light, with the pattern expanded into six sections. He opened the first page, gripped the engraving pen like before, and drew the diagram on the vellum.

And at that moment, another acquisition prompt appeared.

As a higher-grade pattern than Light, it cost 15 intellect—thankfully not a huge jump. He'd worried it might spike, but 15 even felt low.

Without hesitation, he selected Yes, and new alerts followed immediately.

A cheer nearly burst from his throat the moment he saw the alerts. If not for Kim Seungmin's eyes on him, he might've yelled outright, forgetting the guy was there.

The potion and leather shops had given stat bonuses too, but this felt worlds apart. That 100 Intellect was like an oasis in the desert—exactly what he desperately needed.

He quickly checked his stats, then opened the Magic Pattern Shop.

Only the freshly acquired Weight sat there, all alone. Unlike the leather or potion shops, there were no restrictions—probably because he'd already consumed the intellect to learn it.

Next up was the skill. The description wasn't crystal clear, so he activated it right away.

A window like the shop popped up, listing magic patterns. With only Weight available, he selected it.

The pattern hovered in midair, with resize buttons in the corner—like dragging a browser window on a computer. He shrank it to size, moved it to the vellum's center, and stamped it down.

The pattern etched onto the vellum, faint lines appearing.

Whoa!

Once again, he marveled at the NPC class's power. The difficulty plummeted from nightmare to easy mode. All those initial worries about the pattern? Vanished.

Now he just had to trace the faint lines. He relaxed his grip on the pen and started following them bit by bit. He sensed a hint of doubt in Kim Seungmin's gaze.

As he traced, he opened the potion shop too.

What the hell are these miscellaneous potions?

He couldn't grasp the link between magic pattern engraving and potions. But when the shop appeared, he froze in shock—messing up the trace and dropping the pen.

Seeing this, Kim Seungmin's expression softened. "It's fine. Like I said, ignore the mistakes and just trace the rest."

He asked Kim Seungmin something else. "What if there was an ink that could erase just the mistaken parts of a magic pattern?"

Kim Seungmin nodded knowingly. "I get what you're thinking. But you think other engravers haven't tried? Countless experts have poured effort into correction ink, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all failed. They're still trying, but no one expects it to work."

"But what if it did come out?"

Kim Seungmin pondered, then replied, "I'd track down the creator and kiss their feet. Thank them for the blessing. Not just me—every engraver would do worse without hesitation."

His fervent tone bordered on extreme. Seeing the disbelief on his face, Kim Seungmin gave a wry smile. "Sounds like a joke, right? I wish reality was that funny. But it's harsher. Even world-class engravers mess up. Catching it right away is lucky. When activation fails after finishing... " He shuddered, some bad memory surfacing. "Can't put it into words. And usually, you keep messing up the same spot. If it's early, fine—but near completion?..." He trailed off, unable to continue.

He'd asked because of the new potions in the shop.

A new "Miscellaneous Potions" category with two additions. Mana Ink screamed high-grade at first glance. He'd know once produced, but it felt right—and Ohiarehua likely held the key.

I'll ask the Director for Ohiarehua. But is White Ink what I think?

The name evoked school-day correction fluid, aka "white-out." What else could it be, unlocked with engraving?

He couldn't test with Kim Seungmin watching, but he was nearly certain. So he asked about White Ink's impact.

The answer exceeded expectations. And the mana cost was tiny. Whatever the quantity per bottle, it was plenty for weaponizing. Even if his Mana Ink wasn't top-grade, White Ink alone solved sourcing issues.

Now for the magic pattern's power output?

Everything had gone smoothly so far. Minus the permanent intellect cost for learning, it was great. The issue was potency.

Unlike potions or leather, patterns drew power from the user's mana, so output was unpredictable.

But he wasn't too worried. If it matched other engravers, no big deal—he'd just stop learning more. With Mana and White Inks secured, he'd already reaped massive gains.

Still, stronger would be better.

Alerts confirmed, he dove into engraving properly. With Copy Drawing, it was effortless. His hand moved without hitch.

At first, he glanced at the book out of courtesy, but soon he was flying through it blind.

Kim Seungmin couldn't make sense of Kim Suho.

Why would a world-class leatherworker bother learning engraving? The world had its share of odd hunters, so he shrugged it off. Just an eccentric.

But when the guy who'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gawked at Light suddenly asked for alternatives, it was baffling. Still, he handed over the spare Weight book.

Kim Suho started tracing—and botched it early, as expected. He reassured him.

Up to there, it matched his predictions. Then the speed ramped up—not sloppy fast, but precise perfection rivaling top workshop engravers.

But what came next left Kim Seungmin slack-jawed.

Kim Suho ditched the book entirely, engraving at blinding speed. At first, he thought it was a prank, but one glance stopped him cold.

Perfect. Minus the initial slip, flawless.

He could draw familiar patterns blindfolded after thousands of reps, but with this fluidity? He'd hesitate to claim it.

And this was Kim Suho's first time seeing it. Memorizing a six-section pattern after one look?

Unthinkable, even in dreams.

Astonishment burst from Kim Seungmin. "N-No way. H-How is this possible?!"

* * *

Once he hit his groove, focus took over—though "focus" might not fit. Copy Drawing made it pure tracing.

Far easier than herb processing or leatherworking. He finished the engraving in under an hour, without a break.

Turning to Kim Seungmin, he recognized the look—that mix of awe from guildmates.

"Uh... it's done. Call it a day?"

To be continued in the next chapter…

The Hunter Who Awakened as an NPC