NPC's Armor 2
“As expected, there's no other way, is there?”
Kim Seok-jung muttered to himself before opening his mouth again.
“Right now, it's easy to obtain high-grade ores, so even if we work on parts separately, the defense isn't lacking at all. But in the early days, it was different.”
His explanation of early metallurgy techniques once again built anticipation.
“In the early dungeon days, to compensate for insufficient defense, we wore one-piece armor.”
“One-piece armor?”
I was a bit disappointed by Kim Seok-jung's response. It was one of the ideas I'd just considered.
If mana petrification made it impossible to work on parts separately, why not make it in one solid piece? I'd thought about it briefly.
But that would inevitably restrict movement at the joints, so I'd dismissed it right away.
Yet when Kim Seok-jung mentioned the method I'd discarded, my disappointment was palpable.
“Yes. One-piece armor.”
“Wouldn't the joints be a problem with one-piece armor?”
I naturally raised the question.
But Kim Seok-jung's reaction was a little different from what I'd expected.
“No, not a problem at all. The early armor-making method wasn't abandoned for the reasons you're thinking. In terms of pure armor performance, the old way was definitely superior to the current one.”
I couldn't make sense of Kim Seok-jung's words, and he seemed to understand my reaction as he continued with more explanation.
“The old method fell out of use because of the difficulty and the increased production time. A skilled blacksmith can complete an armor set in three days with the current method, but it takes three months with the old one. And even then, the three-month version is only slightly better. So, which would you choose?”
No need for further words. Unless the performance gap was like A-rank versus SS-rank, no blacksmith would pick the latter.
And it wasn't just blacksmiths who avoided it.
“The latter, of course.”
“Exactly. And that's not just blacksmiths—hunters buying the armor feel the same. No hunter waiting to enter a dungeon is going to wait three months.”
Naturally, no hunter wanted armor that took three months.
The bigger issue was that it wasn't just three months— with the ratio of blacksmiths to hunters far from one-to-one, making armor that took that long would leave countless hunters entering dungeons without any.
In the end, the old armor-making method was doomed to obsolescence.
“If you hadn't mastered mana petrification, I never would have recommended it. But you have no choice. You must use this method. Unless you're planning to have hunters wear the armor instead of putting it on.”
I nodded at Kim Seok-jung's words.
If we made it in separate parts, as he said, hunters might end up having to mount the armor like a vehicle.
“Looks like I'm really going to teach you everything I know. From now on, don't look away for a second—pay close attention. You've got a lot to learn.”
A different aura emanated from Kim Seok-jung as he gripped the hammer.
Not that he hadn't given his all before. He'd spared no effort in teaching me.
You could tell just from this forge.
And when he'd demonstrated sword-making, his hammer strikes had been breathtakingly beautiful.
But now? It felt like the aura of a warrior on the eve of battle.
As if he were showing me, 'This is a blacksmith's battle.'
And so, Kim Seok-jung's full-scale armor production began.
While Kim Seok-jung paused to rest after exhausting his mana, a call came from Lee Musin.
'Right, the mana mine.'
With the sudden job change quest, I'd been so focused on it that I'd completely forgotten about requesting the test from Lee Musin.
Now that it crossed my mind, I dared to hope it might easily resolve Jeonghun's quest.
But that hope didn't last long.
“What? It doesn't activate inside dungeons?”
It was the moment my hopes shattered.
Just moments ago, hearing about the mana mine's performance from Lee Musin had filled me with optimism.
The 1,000-unit mana mine matched the power of an A-rank mana stone bomb—the same kind that had obliterated the Dungeon Studies Research Institute.
And the 1,500-unit version was measured at 3-4 times that power.
Hearing the specs, my hopes soared. With this, conquering an S-rank dungeon would be a breeze.
In an instant, the job change quest's difficulty dropped to regular quest level.
But then Lee Musin doused me with cold water.
"There's a problem, though. The mana mine showed no reaction inside the dungeon. It just shattered on impact—no mana explosion at all. It's similar to how mana stones won't detonate as bombs."
'Damn it. What the hell am I supposed to do with this?'
After the call with Lee Musin, I was half out of my mind.
The mana mine's performance was undeniably satisfying—beyond that, it had the potential to revolutionize dungeon raids.
But the moment it became unusable inside dungeons, it turned into a white elephant.
Where the hell could I even use this thing?
Just because it reacted like a mana stone didn't make it one.
Lee Musin had run extra tests just in case, including energy extraction attempts, since it mimicked mana stones.
The performance tests were done long ago, but the additional experiments delayed the report. The result? Disastrous.
The mana inside the mine was already swollen to the brink of explosion. Extracting energy was impossible, and during testing, one nearly blew up.
Thankfully, it was a small 100-unit one conducted safely, so no casualties.
In the end, I decided to seal the mana mine skill.
Not only did it have no immediate use, but mishandling it could lead to misunderstandings about creating mana stone bombs.
I couldn't reveal its true nature either.
'Damn it, why is this happening to me?'
Thus, the mana mine skill was sealed away without ever being properly used.
Kim Seok-jung's work only grew more impressive the longer I watched.
He hammered the metal as thin as possible, then folded it dozens of layers for the joints—a display of power distribution and precision that left me in awe.
The multi-layered folds created a spring-like effect, allowing free arm movement without compromising defense compared to other parts.
My only worry was whether I could replicate it.
'To fold it like that without mana petrification kicking in, it'll require even finer mana control.'
I watched with sweat-soaked palms, utterly focused, while Kim Seok-jung sweated profusely, equally absorbed.
He didn't pause for even a second until his mana was depleted.
After pouring it all out, he'd collapse like someone utterly exhausted.
His work continued for a full two weeks before the armor was complete.
Trying it on, I couldn't help but marvel.
“How is it?”
“In-incredible.”
There was nothing lacking in Kim Seok-jung's armor. Mana state was top-tier, and movement felt natural—no awkwardness at all.
Compared to the recent plate armor I'd tried, it was even more comfortable.
The issue? I had to make it myself.
“The key to one-piece armor is hammering the metal as thin as possible before folding, and timing the coolant pour to maintain ductility. For you, since mana petrification is a risk, your mana control must be even more precise.”
He explained other precautions for armor-making as well.
I asked his permission to start immediately, but first went to see Jeonghun and Yeji—to deliver the pre-made weapons before diving into full production.
“Jeonghun. How's it going?”
Jeonghun, now raiding dungeons properly with Kang Tae-hoon, looked brighter, thankfully.
“Good, hyung. I'm learning well.”
According to Jeonghun, Kang Tae-hoon's greatsword handling was like a textbook—worthy of the name.
I'd admired it during SS-rank runs too, but had been too focused on monsters to watch closely.
Now, he could observe fully, and every moment was a revelation, he said.
“Yeah, you'll master it all. And this—you've been waiting, right?”
I handed him the A-rank greatsword. His face lit up the instant he saw it.
He'd handled an A-rank longsword at the SS-rank celebration, so he knew exactly what this was.
Plus, now facing monsters directly, his joy doubled.
“The armor will take a bit longer—worst case three months, no, two. Hang in there.”
Too entranced by the sword to look away, he nodded.
Seeing his satisfaction brought a warm smile, while thoughts of Kim Seok-jung's armor steeled my resolve to finish quickly.
I'd told Jeonghun two months, but my goal was one.
Kim Seok-jung needed breaks for mana recovery, but I didn't.
After parting with Jeonghun, I met Yeji.
Having handled an A-rank longsword, she beamed at the bow I gave her.
“And this.”
While Kim Seok-jung rested from mana depletion, I'd made arrows—and asked Geonmin for a quiver.
Handing them over suddenly, Yeji's eyes widened in confusion. I explained.
“These arrows were made the same way as the bow. Practice needed, but I think you can handle them fine.”
Clutching the bow in one hand, her gaze fixed on the quiver.
After staring a moment, she reached in, drew an arrow, nocked it, lightly drew the string, paused, then released.
I was stunned by how natural it looked—not just posing.
“Yeji? Have you actually shot arrows before?”
Startled, she looked at me, cheeks flushing shyly as she nodded.
“Lucky. Perfect. But when did you shoot a bow?”
Instead of answering, she showed her phone. The photo: Yeji with a gold medal at a podium, "High School Archery Championship" banner behind.
“What? You won gold in archery nationals?”
Her face turned beet red as she nodded bashfully.
Now it made sense—her archery prowess even among top hunters.
Not all ranger hunters had prior archery experience; Yeji was exceptional.
Classes were random, so perfect matches like hers were rare.
No raid archers had archery backgrounds pre-awakening.
Learning this eased my worries. Once Jeonghun finished his job change, I feared Yeji falling behind—but now, less so.
Leaving the beaming Yeji, I entered armor production with a light heart.
I waited for his mouth to open. To be continued in the next chapter... The Hunter Who Awakened as an NPC