Enchanter 3
I filled the engraving pen with White Ink, my heart pounding with tension. Then, I precisely copied the section where I'd made a mistake while drawing the Weight magic pattern earlier. Just like that, the erroneous line vanished, and the faint, overlapping strokes revealed their original form once more.
'It's... real.'
The White Ink was exactly the correction fluid I'd hoped for. Seeing my prediction come true sent an uncontrollable wave of euphoria surging through me. At the same time, I found myself happily pondering how best to utilize this White Ink.
After parting ways with Kim Seungmin, I'd contacted Lee Musin and asked him to procure Ohiarehua for me. Though it was under export restrictions, I only needed a small amount for a one-time test to understand the herb—so it wasn't a huge request. Lee Musin readily agreed, telling me to wait just a few days.
Once I'd handled the mana ink processing, I immediately tested the White Ink, leading to this result.
I was dying to know what reaction Kim Seungmin would have when I brought up the White Ink tomorrow, when he came back as scheduled.
The next day, Kim Seungmin showed up again. The shock seemed to have worn off a bit overnight; his expression wasn't as stunned as when we'd parted yesterday.
"I'm truly sorry about yesterday. It was my first time meeting someone like you, Mr. Kim Suho, and I made a mistake because of it. Seeing a perfect memory ability user in the flesh after only hearing about them... I was so shocked that I messed up."
Perfect memory ability user, huh. It was actually a relief that he'd misunderstood it that way. If he'd grilled me relentlessly about yesterday's events, that would've been awkward. Him figuring it out on his own worked perfectly for me.
After his apology, Kim Seungmin pulled out a new magic pattern book and was about to start the lesson when I paused him.
"Before we begin, there's something I want to check. Do you remember what I mentioned about the correction ink yesterday?"
"Yes, of course."
"That correction ink—if I were to sell it to you, what would you give me for it? Oh, and no money. And no kissing my foot either."
Kim Seungmin, who'd been wondering what I was getting at, gave me a bemused look after hearing my words, then let out a hollow chuckle.
"You still can't let go of it, huh? Well, I get it. I was obsessed with correction ink once too—tried everything to get my hands on some. Alright, let's pretend it's real and think seriously. What could I offer?"
He closed his eyes briefly, pondering, then opened them again.
"This is tough. All I have to offer is money or my enchanter skills, but you don't want money. So there's only one option left."
I wasn't joking, but Kim Seungmin, who'd started out playfully, was turning serious. I was intensely curious about this 'one option' he'd mentioned.
"I'll give you myself. They're just making me draw magic patterns to death at my current workshop anyway. Wouldn't it be way better to work comfortably under you, using correction ink freely to draw patterns? If I'm going to live like a slave anyway, better a comfy slave life, right? Hahaha!"
I stared at him in disbelief as he openly called himself a slave. But his answer wasn't bad at all. No—it was better than anything I'd imagined.
Originally, I'd planned to ask him to let me see all the magic patterns from his enchanter workshop in exchange for the White Ink, then pick out the useful ones to learn.
But after hearing him, my plans shifted a bit. The end of his response seemed like a joking laugh to brush it off, but up until then, it felt utterly sincere.
If even Kim Seungmin was like this, I was convinced there had to be other enchanters who thought the same. In that case, why not gather them and open my own enchanter workshop?
"Perfect. Don't change your mind. Here—correction ink."
I finally placed the White Ink in front of Kim Seungmin.
He flinched and said,
"You're taking the joke too far. That's enough; let's stop and look at the magic patterns now."
Kim Seungmin swept the White Ink to one side of the desk and pulled out his magic pattern book. He still couldn't believe it easily.
In times like these, actions speak louder than words—seeing is believing. I waited, also checking the magic pattern he'd brought out.
"Today's magic pattern is Coating."
Would you like to acquire the magic pattern <Coating> by permanently consuming 20 Intelligence?
[Yes / No]
Coating was a magic spell that coated plate armor or shields with a thin film, mainly used by low-rank hunters for temporary defense boosts. Its effect wasn't that great, so I had no need to learn it.
That said, since it was an 8-segment magic pattern, I checked its mana consumption out of curiosity.
With all the info confirmed, I demonstrated the White Ink's performance to Kim Seungmin.
First, I drew a long line on some vellum. Then, I filled a fresh engraving pen with White Ink.
"Mr. Kim Suho, what are you—"
Kim Seungmin, who'd been watching me, suddenly cut himself off.
The line I'd just drawn had erased itself where the White Ink-filled engraving pen passed.
"W-what is this? A-are you trying to scam me right now?"
His words denied what he'd seen, but his wildly shaking eyes and shocked expression acknowledged the truth. That's why he was reacting so violently in denial.
I silently handed him the engraving pen filled with White Ink.
With a stiff expression, Kim Seungmin drew a circle on the vellum he'd brought using his own pen. Then, with a rigidly tense face, he traced over it with the pen I'd given him.
"Argh! No way, this can't be real! H-how is this possible?!"
Kim Seungmin muttered to himself in a half-dazed state. Now thoroughly familiar with that reaction, I waited quietly for him to regain his composure.
Once he seemed able to think straight again, I spoke.
"Let me ask once more. I'm selling this ink—what will you give me for it? And since I'm selling, I'll sell to the others at your workshop too. Ask them what they'd offer. This one's a free sample. Looking forward to good proposals tomorrow."
We'd barely been together ten minutes before parting, but Kim Seungmin left with a gaze utterly different from yesterday—one very familiar, like when our guild members looked at me with stars in their eyes.
Receiving that look from someone outside the guild gave me a strange thrill.
'Am I turning into a perv or something?'
Back at the workshop, Kim Seungmin hurriedly sought out the head, Choi Deokhui.
"D-Deokhui noona, where are you?"
One resting enchanter replied,
"The head's in her office. But..."
Without waiting for the end of the sentence, Kim Seungmin bolted to the office. The enchanter's trailing words echoed into the empty air where he'd vanished.
"She's engraving a magic pattern right now and said absolutely no one should enter."
Shaking their head at the now-out-of-sight Kim Seungmin, they let out a deep sigh.
"Sigh. Another scolding session incoming."
Despite the sign on the workshop head's door reading 'Engraving in Progress—Do Not Disturb,' Kim Seungmin kicked it open and called out.
Bam.
"D-Deokhui noona!"
Startled by the sudden commotion, Choi Deokhui's hand slipped mid-engraving, the pen sliding and carving a line straight through the magic pattern.
Oblivious—or uncaring even if he knew—Kim Seungmin rushed to her desk and shouted urgently.
"D-Deokhui noona! I f-found it! It's r-real!"
Mid-sentence, Kim Seungmin screamed and clutched his head with a 'thwack.'
Choi Deokhui's furious voice exploded.
"You crazy bastard! I told you never to come in while I'm working! And you barge in like a brute? Just die already."
Choi Deokhui gripped the handles of two cleavers—blades missing, but the ends freshly stained with what looked like Kim Seungmin's blood—her eyes wild with rage.
Seeing the blood on his hand, Kim Seungmin yelled in excitement,
"What the hell? You trying to kill me for real? Can't you see the blood?!"
"Yeah. Today's the day the workshop loses an enchanter. I've known since you started slacking off to teach some weirdo. No more nagging—just die."
Whoosh.
The cleaver handle whistled past where Kim Seungmin's head had been moments ago. Dodging by ducking just in time, he broke into a cold sweat and desperately shouted,
"W-wait! I can fix the mistake! I brought correction ink! The correction ink we've always wanted—I brought it! And did I go there because I wanted to? You didn't want to go, so I went instead!"
Choi Deokhui paused at his words.
"What? Correction ink? Where'd you get that bullshit from? Just die, you punk."
She didn't believe him. Like Kim Seungmin, she'd once been even more obsessed with correction ink. With skills surpassing his, she'd tried everything and concluded it was impossible. No way she'd buy his claim now.
As she swung again, Kim Seungmin wailed desperately,
"For real! Kim Suho made it! So check it before you freak out!"
Normally, he'd be groveling by now, but his frantic persistence made Choi Deokhui sense something off. She halted her swing, face turning serious.
"Kim Suho made it? I know he's a genius leatherworker, but that's just leatherworking. Magic pattern engraving is a completely different field."
"I know. I thought the same. But he's different. Not some simple leatherworker. He's a natural-born enchanter with perfect memory. Hell, leatherworking might just be a front. You think a leatherworker who memorizes a Weight pattern once and completes it in under an hour exists?"
Choi Deokhui still didn't buy it easily.
"No such thing as perfect memory users. And even if, memorizing the original means nothing. You need perfect ratios for curves, circles, line lengths."
Her words were perfectly rational. New enchanters took an average of two years to draw proper patterns, after thousands of failures, to be recognized.
Kim Seungmin knew that well. Until meeting Kim Suho, he'd felt the same as her now.
But Kim Suho was different.
"I know! How insane it sounds. I can't even explain it myself, so shut up and test the ink!"
Just thinking of Kim Suho gave him a headache, so he gave up explaining and handed the White Ink to Choi Deokhui.
Her confidence cowed her instead; she took it.
"Hmph! If it's fake, I'll beat you once per second you wasted on that ruined pattern."
Moments later, she reacted exactly like Kim Seungmin had.
Once she'd calmed, Kim Seungmin asked,
"What now? Kim Suho doesn't want money. Said to make an offer ourselves. Honestly, no idea what he wants."
He frowned as he spoke. Choi Deokhui, who'd been listening, replied,
"Did he show interest in magic patterns?"
Searching his recent memories, Kim Seungmin drew a blank. Yesterday, he'd been too shocked by the drawing demo to chat much; today, they'd parted after ten minutes over the ink.
Frustrated like never before, he scratched his head.
"No clue. Today was just ink and bye. Yesterday he asked about others after Weight, but that's not exactly interest. Sigh... dunno."
At his uncertainty, Choi Deokhui snapped,
"If you skipped work to go there, at least scout properly. What'd you even do?"
"What can you learn in one day? That's why you should've gone—you sent me 'cause you hate teaching randos."
She couldn't retort, knowing her part in it.
"Ugh. Whatever. Pointless arguing with you."
Then, a memory hit Kim Seungmin.
"Oh! Right. I said I'd quit here and join him, and he said yes."
Choi Deokhui's eyes lit up.
"He wants enchanters? Hm."
With that, she fell into deep thought.
To be continued in the next chapter...