The Birth of Epic Boots

It was evening by the time Choi Hyunseong and Choi Hyeonji reached the Hunter Market in a field-use jeep. Normally they would have returned home before their mother finished work, but that was no longer necessary, so they had taken their time. The trip to the field had played a big part in it, of course. Hunters who went out to hunt in the field usually planned to stay nearby for several days because of the distance.

Of course, we don’t need to do that, and we can’t make Mother worry.

Returning home whenever possible was the rule the two of them had quietly agreed on. It was still a little late today, but Hyeonji had called ahead on the way, so they hadn’t caused any unnecessary anxiety.

“So, are you making it today?”

“Sure, I’d love to. But once I really get focused, there’s no telling when I’ll finish…”

“Never mind, then. Mom will worry. Let’s just head home today. You can take tomorrow off and work on the gear then.”

She had been thinking about it the entire ride back. With Hyunseong’s crafting skill, he could probably finish the desired equipment in an hour or two, but if he got into the zone he was perfectly capable of pulling an all-nighter.

“Sounds good. Let’s sell the byproducts first.”

After the conversation, Hyunseong sorted through the mountain of byproducts filling the jeep’s back seat and trunk, separating the crafting materials from the ones meant for sale. He then drove the vehicle down to the Hunter Market underground parking lot and headed for the large-capacity sales counter. He had always carried everything in a bag before and had been meaning to try the bulk option; today was finally the day.

“Welcome. This is the Hunter Market, a fair-trade hub operated by the World Hunter Association.”

The waiting staff member greeted them with the standard line and welcomed the vehicle.

“Whoa, looks ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like you camped out in the field for days.”

“Only about four hours.”

“Four hours? Really? Must have been one hell of a field.”

The staff member’s eyes widened in surprise as he began unloading the byproducts from the trunk one by one. Hyunseong and Hyeonji helped, removing everything except the materials they had set aside for crafting.

“Whew. I assume you’ve used the main sales floor upstairs?”

When the man pointed upward, Hyunseong nodded.

“It works the same way. The byproducts will be appraised by the floor-mounted scanner once they go inside. The entire process will be broadcast live through the ceiling cameras, so please watch carefully.”

“Understood.”

It was no different from the upper floor. Soon the staff fed the byproducts onto the conveyor belt one after another. The moment they entered the scanner, the identification process, and the price calculation were all captured on live video. There was nothing to worry about.

The final total came to a staggering 76 million won. It was easily the highest single-day earnings they had ever seen. The 10 million won spent renting the field jeep suddenly felt like money well spent.

“Damn, this is what being a hunter feels like.”

Hyeonji couldn’t hide her admiration. Hyunseong nodded, equally satisfied. The staff member emerged from the inner room.

“Shall I process the payment as is?”

“Yes, please.”

“Which account should I transfer it to?”

“Hers.”

Hyeonji gave him a puzzled look.

“Why?”

“What do you mean, why? It’s money you earned.”

“You’ve always dumped everything into Oppa’s account before.”

“True, but you’re resting tomorrow. Consider it your allowance. Hurry up and give him your account number. The poor guy’s been waiting.”

Seeing the staff member who looked like he had been waiting on tenterhooks, Hyunseong made the call. In the end, the money went into her account. Of course Hyeonji had nothing in particular to spend it on, so a big balance wouldn’t change her daily life, but she still seemed delighted just to see the large number appear in her account.

The next morning, Hyunseong headed to the Itaewon Hunter District early.

“I’ll call you later.”

“Yeah. Good luck.”

Hyeonji dropped him off and drove away. They had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠promised today would be a rest day, so she planned to enjoy some well-deserved personal time. With her wallet now pleasantly full, no one would blame her for spending freely for a day.

Hyunseong, on the other hand, had work to do. Just like last time, he slung the bag of materials over his shoulder and stepped into a hunter workshop. Having visited once before, the place already felt familiar.

“Back again, I see.”

“Yes, hello. You offer a post-payment option, right?”

“If that’s what you want, we can do that. Shall I set it up?”

“Please.”

Luckily he wouldn’t be rushed for time. Following the staff member’s guidance, Hyunseong entered the rented simple workshop, set down his bag, and lit the forge. Once he worked the bellows and the flames roared higher, he felt his mind settle. Only then did he open the bag of materials.

He took each one out and examined its condition with Appraisal.

Besides those, he had a variety of smaller materials—including magic stones—that could produce special effects depending on how they were used.

What Hyunseong intended to make with these materials was simple.

“Leather boots.”

In truth, he wanted to try making boots not only because of the materials he had brought, but also because of the slime mucus that had provided elasticity in the leather armor he crafted last time. Footwear was the piece of equipment most affected by size. Gloves were similar, but nothing was more uncomfortable than ill-fitting shoes. If he could create boots with enough stretch to overcome that problem, how could he not want to try?

Another clear reason was that making the same piece of equipment again would be boring. Among the remaining slots, shoes were the most suitable choice anyway.

Hyunseong steadied his mind, pushed aside stray thoughts, and focused on the crafting process. The first step was to process the leathers into usable forms.

Orc leather turns rubbery when scorched, so I’ll use that for the sole. What I need right now is the kobold warrior leather.

Orc leather would make an excellent sole, while kobold warrior leather was perfect for the upper. Although the sole was important, improving overall quality meant processing the kobold leather first.

Tanning.

Using the Tanner class skill Tanning he had previously acquired, he quickly processed the kobold warrior leather. Normally tanning was an extremely time-consuming and vital step, but with his class and stats Hyunseong finished it in under ten minutes.

“Whew. That’s not all, though.”

As he said, it wasn’t enough. The already flexible leather still needed to be treated with a softening agent made from slime mucus and various other materials. Creating the softening agent didn’t require any special skill; he simply mixed the prepared ingredients in the right proportions. He then sprinkled the finished mixture onto the tanned leather and worked it in thoroughly. The leather gradually took on a texture as soft as down.

Yet it won’t tear easily.

That was the power of the skill at work. After finishing one material, Hyunseong moved on to the next: the orc leather for the soles. This also required tanning, but not by hand—heat was needed. He bunched the orc leather into a tight mass and thrust it straight into the blazing makeshift furnace.

Crackling flames rose and the smell of burning leather filled the air. Hyunseong waited patiently. The skill let him know the exact moment to pull it out.

This is also a form of tanning.

At the perfect time he withdrew the orc leather from the fire. It was now a blackened lump that barely resembled leather, yet it looked remarkably like modern rubber soles.

“Perfect.”

Only thirty minutes had passed. The foundation for the boots was now ready.

He cut the leather to size, layered it over the last, stitched the pieces together, attached the sole, carved the heel for proper curvature, applied a non-slip finish mixed with red snail mucus, then reprocessed the orc tendon into long laces. Only then was the pair of lustrous leather boots complete.

Processing the materials had taken thirty minutes, but the delicate work during the actual crafting pushed the total time to a full three hours. The finished product was:

Hyunseong looked at the result and felt satisfied. He had clearly taken another step forward.

Since they’re Epic grade, they even have special effects.

Curious, he checked them.

Hyunseong was even more astonished after reading the special effects. Even though he had made them himself, they seemed far too powerful. Outstanding Hunter was one thing, but Incredible Traction was incredible. At first glance it sounded simple, but thinking about it carefully, it essentially prevented loss ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of balance no matter the situation. High-ranking hunters had high stats; even the slightest bit of friction would let them regain their footing instantly. In other words, these boots were truly remarkable.

Having produced such an outstanding result, Hyunseong packed the boots into his bag, cleaned up the workshop, and stepped outside.

“Whoa, gear like that? I almost want to wear them myself.”

Hyeonji had come to pick him up and reacted that way after hearing the news. Of course, since they had already promised to sell them, he wouldn’t let her keep them.

“I’ll make you a pair later.”

“I know. I’m just jealous of whoever gets to buy them.”

“I said I’d make you some. What’s there to be jealous of?”

“Uh? Obviously they won’t slip even if it snows in winter.”

“That’s seriously all you can think of?”

“What else is there?”

In truth, most people would probably think the same way Hyeonji did. In any case, the two of them headed straight for the Hunter Market. They were going to the auction house on the top floor. Both of them knew that equipment of this caliber could not be sold through regular channels.

They took the elevator all the way to the sixth and final floor, then approached the auction house staff.

“How may I help you? Today isn’t an auction day.”

“Ah, we’re not here to bid. We’d like to register an item for auction.”

“I see. What kind of item is it?”

At the staff member’s question, Hyunseong immediately took out the boots and handed them over.

“These.”

The staff member’s reaction was lukewarm. That was understandable. To an ordinary person they would look like normal boots. No matter how exclusive the Hunter Market was to hunters, or how certain it was that any equipment brought by a hunter was an item, equipment that only looked decent was not eligible for auction.

So the staff member clasped both hands together with an apologetic expression.

“I’m sorry, but ordinary items cannot be registered for auction.”

“What?”

That was when Hyeonji, who knew her brother’s skill well, stepped forward.

“Oh? You’re going to regret this.”

“Even if you say that…”

“Even though it has stat-increasing effects?”

“…Pardon?”

What was even more impressive was that she hadn’t even revealed the best part yet. But the staff member’s expression had completely changed from before.