Ch.200200. Armor Blacksmith Lee Sumi

Sumin Lee, an A+ grade armor craftsman, proudly showed off the leather armor on a mannequin hanging in her room.

“It was really difficult. At my age, I spent two weeks making this, staying up all night.”

“Wow…”

The corrupted ogre’s leather was S-grade.

Grade isn’t everything, but I’d heard that since it came from the strongest creature in the level 0 biome, the leather quality was quite good.

I had asked her to make a complete set for me to wear, not for sale, but there had been no contact for a while, so I’d completely forgotten about it.

Since I hadn’t particularly needed armor during my daily activities, it wasn’t urgent, but seeing it now, I couldn’t help but be amazed.

“It looks great.”

“Doesn’t it? I was able to make it because the leather was so good.”

A set of leather armor might look a bit rustic to some.

After all, leather armor is what novice adventurers in fantasy worlds typically wear.

It’s not easy to make armor from leather, and even when completed, it’s difficult to make it look as impressive as armor made of iron.

But this ogre leather armor set had a certain sophistication to it.

Made from thin leather, it felt less like a “leather armor set” and more like an ordinary t-shirt with slightly loose training pants.

The color wasn’t white, but a neutral gray t-shirt combined with black, making it look like cotton pants that could be worn without feeling self-conscious.

And leather gloves are the easiest part to design elegantly.

It was made with a turtleneck covering the neck, and the head piece was designed as a thin hood that could cover the face.

“Shoes, pants, top, gloves, hood. A five-piece set.”

“Thank you.”

Even if I gain experience, is it right to receive something like this for free?

It’s not like I don’t have money, so I felt I should offer some compensation.

“I really want to pay you for this.”

“As I mentioned before, payment isn’t necessary. Instead, I’ve made a decision—would you accept it?”

“Pardon?”

“Farming Company. Rather than this awkward relationship, how about having me work under you as part of the same company?”

Sumin made the proposal first.

I vaguely remember suggesting something similar last time, but from my perspective, it wasn’t a bad offer.

“That’s fine with me. But will you be coming alone?”

“If you allow it, wouldn’t it be more efficient if I brought my apprentices along?”

“Do as you please.”

After all, an armor craftsman just needs to take leather from here and make armor with it.

I had thought about bringing Sumin to the farm later and putting her in charge of an armor shop, but there were already 4-5 employees visible in her workshop, and I wasn’t yet certain about their backgrounds or trustworthiness to bring them all.

Sumin herself seemed trustworthy to me, but I had no way of knowing about the people under her.

The rest could work here, and only Sumin could go to the rift dimension.

Or, after some time passes and Kim Sujeong can fully control the situation in the rift dimension, we could build a small village-like workshop for them to stay in.

But it wasn’t the stage to discuss concrete plans just yet.

Anyway, nothing would change immediately just because Sumin joined Farming Company.

[Corrupted Ogre Leather Top]

– Grade: S+

– A top crafted by a master artisan from ogre leather imbued with chaotic energy that never tears. It seems sturdy enough to withstand any attack while remaining soft and light.

– When worn against bare skin, the leather fuses with the flesh, increasing regeneration.

– Defense +88

– All damage reduced by 30%

– Natural life recovery increased by 35%

– Ogre Dismantler (5/5): You’ve skinned an ogre and wear its hide as a trophy. You are an object of fear to ogres. Activates the corrupted ogre’s abilities. Health +2 grades.

“Wow…”

Regardless of that, after checking the armor, I couldn’t help but give a thumbs up.

“What did you do to this leather?”

“I’ve been doing this for 40 years. I made it thinking I was creating my life’s masterpiece.”

“The design is truly amazing.”

I gave more compliments than usual for me.

Most armor I’d seen was cumbersome with a strong medieval feel that I found off-putting, but Sumin’s armor pieces uniquely had a modern, ordinary clothing look that was perfect for someone like me to wear.

That’s partly why I didn’t hesitate to have Sumin join Farming Company.

Whatever the conditions might be.

However we might trade in the future.

I felt that Sumin’s sensibilities, like when I brought in Kim Sol-i, aligned well with my own thinking.

Removing the gray wolf leather armor set would lower my agility by 1 grade, but activating the ogre set effect would increase my health by 2 grades.

My health went from SS- grade to SS+ grade.

My agility went from SS grade to SS- grade.

Even if my Leap Slash attack might be slightly weaker, this seemed better for the health aspect I wanted.

With sturdier armor, I’d also be less threatened when hit.

I was so pleased that I advised Sumin:

“Save your life’s masterpiece.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s a waste to use your life’s masterpiece on leather like this. I’ll bring you many better leathers in the future.”

Then I pulled out a bunch of leathers I had brought.

“Oh my!”

“From now on, what you make will be sold at Farming Department Store. Let’s split the profits 80-20.”

Sumin’s armor pieces aren’t mass-produced items.

She handcrafts each premium armor piece, and it would be a waste to just keep them in storage since I won’t be the only one wearing them.

“You can’t sell what you’ve made until now. You’ll only sell items made from the leather I provide.”

“…With this much material, I couldn’t make anything else even if I wanted to.”

“Discuss contract details with Farming Company representatives later.”

The more people with relevant skills, the better.

Having unexpectedly recruited an armor craftsman, I returned home with a light step after changing my armor for the first time in a while.

“What’s this? Bro, did you change your armor?”

“Yeah. How does it look? Pretty cool, right?”

“That person is really famous. I don’t understand why she’s working for us when she gets so many offers.”

“She’s agreed to join Farming Company.”

“Wow, really? That’s amazing! Can I request armor from her too?”

“Go ahead.”

Was she that famous?

If so, I should promote her.

I told them to create a promotional page on Farmings about the Farming Armor line coming to the department store as soon as possible.

I told them to mention that Sumin had been recruited as the designer, which should create quite a buzz among those who know her.

I unexpectedly gained an armor set and established an armor company to sell products at the department store.

Though in terms of scale, it felt more like a small wholesale business.

———

Sumin stamped the contract while looking at the pile of leather in one corner of her workshop.

“Congratulations, Master.”

“Will you be alright?”

Her apprentices were half congratulating, half concerned about her decision.

Sumin’s career was far too distinguished for her to work under someone else.

Even before dungeons appeared, she had released numerous products under her name for famous luxury brands, and after dungeons emerged, she had created many renowned armor pieces. Currently, S-grade and higher hunters around the world specifically commissioned armor from her.

Yet she was giving all that up to sign an exclusive contract with Farming Company.

But Sumin didn’t look worried at all.

Rather, she looked moved.

“How could I not be happy to work with such rare leathers every day and create whatever I want? I think this will be a good opportunity for you all too. If any of you want to take a different path, feel free to tell me anytime.”

“We’ll follow you, of course, Master.”

“People like us need to work with leather. Various leathers. Working with many leathers that no one else has touched gives us better judgment and more experience to succeed.”

She had no intention of creating art with her apprentices.

She simply wanted to help the apprentices she had trained succeed and live proudly.

“Everyone, make whatever you want with these leathers.”

Her final conversation with Kim Suhyun, now her boss, had left a deep impression on her mind.

Don’t use your life’s masterpiece now.

I’ll bring you better leather in the future.

Had she ever received such a romantic confession in her fifty-some years?

Others might call it silly or say she was fixated on something strange, but for Sumin, who had spent her life working with leather, sewing, and cutting, these were her happiest days.

There’s nothing more satisfying than doing what you love, creating what you want, and being recognized for it.

“…This is.”

Looking at the SS-grade leather among those Kim Suhyun had brought, she felt her blood boiling with excitement after a long time.

She felt she could use her old specialty for Farming Company, which had accepted her.