WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Haruto
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became the EX-Rank Pet Maker Hunters Obsess Over ◈
Chapter 2: Enhancement
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【 Korean Hunter Gallery 】
[ Info ] Hunter Rank Distribution and Abilities
Author: WantToAwaken
Today, let’s learn about Hunter ranks and abilities.
As everyone knows, Awakened ranks range from F-rank, the lowest, to A-rank.
A lot of people misunderstand this, but an Awakened’s rank is separate from the rank of their trait.
I prepared a chart to make this easier to understand.
The following is not an absolute standard, since every Awakened’s abilities vary greatly, so do not take it as gospel.
F-rank = Physical abilities are barely different from those of ordinary people. Rarer than A-rank. Unlike ordinary people, they can grow by hunting monsters. Possess a trait.
E-rank = Physical abilities are noticeably different from those of ordinary people...
……
……
A-rank = If B-ranks are superhumans who can see and dodge bullets, A-ranks are true monsters who can take a direct artillery-shell hit and come out unscathed. Naturally, there is a considerable gap between the weakest and strongest at such a high rank. Most received a high rank of at least C-rank upon awakening, with many receiving B-rank or higher.
S-rank = A rank reached by only a very small number of Awakened through long-term growth. Even now, ten years after the Gate crisis began, S-rank Hunters can be counted on one hand. It is effectively an extra, unofficial rank. But S-rank Hunters still cannot clear S-rank Gates. Fuck, should the Association not redo its rank classifications?
“Just as I thought...”
There was, unsurprisingly, nothing about EX rank.
“Pant, pant...”
Not only had my status window changed, but Haengbok’s pet status window had changed too. Haengbok should have stopped showing signs of life long ago.
[ Name 》 Haengbok ]
[ Model Name 》 Jellykko MK-1 ]
[ Mana Core Rank 》 None ]
[ Lifespan 》 Permanent (Under Contract) ]
“Does that... even make sense?”
Haengbok’s F-rank mana core, which should have existed, had disappeared entirely. Its lifespan was strange as well.
‘What does “under contract” mean? If the lifespan is permanent, does that mean Haengbok is immortal?’
I was not entirely sure, but if the status window was accurate, this Jellykko had definitely moved beyond the category of magical beasts.
Haengbok did not seem to notice that at all, though.
“Pant, pant...”
“Haa...”
Back to my trait, Magic Beast Alchemist.
【 Magical Beast Alchemist 》 EX rank 】
The trait that had been E-rank was now EX rank.
Could it simply be a display error?
‘No way.’
Not a single error in a system window had ever been observed.
I had no idea exactly what level EX rank was, but one thing was certain. It was a rank beyond S-rank, the highest rank currently known.
‘...If this is real, just how powerful has my ability become?’
Even an A-rank would be the kind of talent the country would be desperate to recruit...
Whatever the case, figuring out my ability came first.
I went to the shop.
Of course, not to do business.
There was a small cultivation facility set up in the shop.
I stood in front of it and activated my trait.
【 Design 】
【 Cultivation 】
【 Enhancement 】
【 This function has not been unlocked. 】
“...Enhancement is new.”
At my original E-rank, I could only use Design and Cultivation.
But a new function, 【 Enhancement 】, had appeared in the work window that had previously contained only the basic functions of a Magic Beast Alchemist.
The 【 Enhancement 】 function was something only someone at my team leader’s level could use, so it had to be a C-rank ability.
There seemed to be a few more functions below it, but apparently I still could not use them all.
It was disappointing, but even this was incredible.
“Hmm, I should test the new function first.”
【 Enhancement 】 was, literally, a function that strengthened the traits and abilities of magical beasts.
Even if magical beasts were cultivated with the same Design blueprint and equipment, a single 【 Enhancement 】 could create vast differences in performance.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the difference made by 【 Enhancement 】 separated magical beast pets of the same rank into entirely different classes.
Naturally, it was difficult and demanding work.
Magical beasts all had different characteristics and mechanisms.
You had to consider every trait and fine-tune them so no rejection occurred.
That meant countless trials and errors were inevitably needed to raise an Enhancement’s success rate.
“Hmm... Should I try this one?”
“...Hiss.”
I took a turtle about the size of a human head from a cage in the shop and placed it on the workbench.
[ Name 》 Unnamed ]
[ Model Name 》 Rune Turtle V - 3 ]
[ Mana Core Rank 》 E-rank Processed Core ]
[ Lifespan 》 8 months ]
That was the turtle’s basic information.
And its trait was...
[ Trait 》 Rune Barrier (E-rank) ]
‘Rune Barrier.’
The Rune Turtle was a combat-support pet with a trait that allowed it to raise a mana barrier through the runes engraved on its shell.
I had not designed this Rune Turtle myself. I had paid for someone else’s Design blueprint and cultivated it.
The turtle had a very simple structure, making it highly suitable for an enhancement experiment.
If the enhancement success rate was too low, failure could have a serious negative impact on the pet. That was why I had chosen a model with a simple structure, one where the effects of enhancement would be obvious.
I froze.
Just before beginning the enhancement, I realized a major problem.
“Ah, come to think of it, I do not have proper enhancement equipment here. Even if I order it now, it will take a long time to arrive from overseas...”
This was not a laboratory. My shop only had standard cultivation equipment, so I could not perform a proper enhancement.
It was not entirely impossible, but enhancement involved handling living magical beasts, so it required many delicate, precise support tools.
All I had were the most basic catalysts and reagents.
“...Hiss.”
As I stood there considering the Rune Turtle in front of me...
Ding!
[ Presenting an enhancement direction for target model name ‘Rune Turtle V - 3’. ]
Guidelines appeared before my eyes alongside the system window.
“This is...!”
The Rune Turtle’s internal structure formed as a 3D image in my mind, and I intuitively grasped several possibilities.
It felt as though I had borrowed the senses of a transcendent being that had spent its entire life creating and modifying creatures like these. A feeling of omnipotence washed over me.
But as that sensation spread, it felt like my brain was burning. An instinctive warning told me not to focus on this sensation any longer.
I could not help but understand why most of my abilities were locked.
‘This is not within the realm of humanity...!!’
I hurriedly pulled away from that sensation and gasped for breath.
“Huff... Huff...”
It had only been for a moment, but that transcendent sense had shown me which enhancement would be effective in the current situation.
“...Hiss.”
The Rune Turtle looked up at me as I gasped for breath.
For some reason, its unfocused eyes made my mind feel as though it had suddenly cooled.
“...It only occurs to me now, but is it really all right for me to modify your body however I want?”
The God of Jelly Dogs had said that Haengbok possessed a soul.
That meant these magical beasts must have souls too. They were not simply beings acting according to programmed instructions.
It was an ethical issue I had always considered while creating magical beasts after awakening.
“...No matter how I dress it up, this is ultimately an act of playing with life.”
Even so, I wanted to aim higher.
I wanted to use this ability. I could not deny that desire.
I wanted to experience firsthand the power of an EX-rank ability that could change my life.
I was an utterly ordinary person, not someone righteous enough to turn down a given opportunity for the sake of ethics or conscience.
“...So at the very least, I’ll do my best to make sure you become the best among magical beasts like you.”
“...Hiss.”
I would give them exceptional abilities and help them find better owners.
That was the least I could do for these lives, and the excuse I used to justify myself.
Fortunately, I possessed the ability to carry it out.
[ Select an enhancement direction. ]
[ The user’s database information is top-tier. ]
[ Enhancement success rate greatly increases. ]
[ Enhancement Success Rate 》 Very High ]
* * *
[ Trait 》 Rune Barrier (E-rank) → Rune Barrier (C-rank) ]
“Ha... I really did it?”
I had done it myself, but it was unbelievable. The trait had jumped two ranks in one go.
I improved the Rune Turtle’s runes and attached an additional External Core to its shell.
Fitting an external socket and connecting the Mana Circuit was highly difficult work in such poor conditions, but...
[ Sub-trait ‘Evolution Lord’s Dexterity’ is activated. ]
[ Enhancement process precision improves. ]
[ Enhancement process speed improves. ]
The EX-rank trait made even that work easy.
The enhanced Rune Turtle’s stats were...
[ Name 》 Unnamed ]
[ Model Name 》 Rune Turtle V - 3 ]
[ Mana Core Rank 》 E-rank → E+ rank ]
[ Lifespan 》 8 months → 10 months ]
[ This magical beast has undergone a special enhancement process. ]
“Did the External Core increase its lifespan?”
A detachable External Core directly helping extend its lifespan... That was another new discovery.
“This is excellent, isn’t it?”
I had put the turtle under anesthesia so it would not be stressed while I carved into its shell, so I would have to keep watching it for now. Still, given that its lifespan had increased, there was a good chance the enhancement had not caused any negative effects.
Anyway, the runes on its shell had become clearer, and the blue hexagonal mana core gleaming at the center looked incredibly beautiful.
Was it like a jewel turtle?
“Now I just need to find you an owner...”
That was the biggest problem.
There was a large pet shop next door, so people rarely came to a tiny shop like mine.
* * *
Inside a C-rank Gate, a man in light armor lay on the ground, gasping for breath.
“Haa... Haa...”
All around him were signs of a fierce battle and monster corpses.
A potbellied middle-aged man approached him.
“Yoo, yoo, yoo, Yoo Dusik! How about boosting your stats a little more? It’s hard to watch you cut it so close every time. Your damage output is already lacking too. Tsk, tsk...”
The man called Dusik could only let out a hollow laugh.
‘Fuck... Team Leader. Has it never crossed your mind that I cannot deal damage properly because you do not tank properly, so I have to keep running around even though I’m in the backline?’
But Yoo Dusik was only a C-rank Hunter. He could not say what he was thinking out loud.
Team Leader Kim was a B-rank Hunter.
Talking back was all he could do.
“Haa... I’ve already done everything I can, though...? I’ve got Mederis Tier 3 equipment, Ormeta accessories, buffs before entering, and I’ve even used performance-enhancing drugs. What else am I supposed to do, Team Leader...?”
“You do not have a pet.”
“Didn’t the pet industry in our country go under because all the talent left due to regulations?”
“There are plenty of good imported pets. Use imported stuff like I do. Lots of shops have opened lately, Dusik.”
Ha... It was obvious without looking. He wanted to compare Dusik’s pet to the new one he had bought.
He had supposedly bought a tiger-type magical beast for 400 million won not long ago. It had a C-rank mana core and was made by a famous craftsman, or so he said. Dusik had to admit that it looked impressive.
“Got it? Next time our Yoo Dusik comes, we’re both bringing our pets.”
The other team members looked at Team Leader Kim as if to say, Here he goes again...
‘That bastard...’
Had he grown old with his head up his ass? He could not even tank properly, yet he wanted to feel superior over something like this.
Well, he did tank. He only protected the women on the team.
But what could Dusik do?
The benefits at his current guild were pretty good, and it was an awkward point in the season to change guilds, so he had to put up with it.
Sigh...
* * *
Yoo Dusik visited a large pet shop in Gaepo-dong.
“What!? Fifty million won?”
What the fuck...? The lowest-grade combat pet cost more than most equipment!?
“These are premium magical beasts designed and cultivated by the master craftsmen of our Refta brand. Even if they’re D-rank, they’re not the same as other D-ranks! They have definite demand both as combat support and as companion animals. Their lifespan is also four to five years, which is longer than that of most D-rank magical beasts.”
“Ah... Okay...”
Dusik had thought he would just buy a cheap pet and feed Team Leader Kim’s sense of superiority, but it was more expensive than expected... Combat pets started at D-rank, so he could not lower the budget any further either...
In the end, Dusik left the building without buying a pet.
“Even so, fifty million is too much...”
He made plenty of money as a C-rank, but he did not want to spend that much just to satisfy Team Leader Kim’s disgusting sense of superiority.
Tch... Still, if he did not buy anything at all, the man would probably make a huge fuss again...
That was when Dusik noticed a small private pet shop next to the large magical beast pet shop.
“...Well, even if it’s not for combat, a magical beast is still a magical beast.”
Team Leader Kim might even like it more. It would make his pet look even better by comparison.
* * *
Jingle.
“Excuse me. Is anyone here?”
“Ah, yes. Welcome. Is there something you’re looking for?”
When he entered the shop, a neat-looking young man came out to greet him.
‘The owner looks young. Is he a part-timer?’
“Um... Do you have anything suitable to take into a C-rank Gate?”
“Ah, I’m sorry. We do not have any proper combat pets at our shop yet...”
Of course. There was no way a tiny shop like this could cultivate combat pets. An individual had a great deal to handle, including equipment costs, upkeep, monster materials, and more. More than that, it was far too dangerous for a private business to create combat magical beasts.
It was not hard to imagine civilian casualties if one escaped the shop due to poor management.
They probably could not even get a permit unless they had a magical-beast manager with proper certifications and a Hunter background.
Even someone as uninformed as Dusik knew that.
“Then I’d like to take something fairly sturdy... Do you have anything like that?”
“Ah... Yes... I do, but...”
The owner seemed reluctant for some reason.
‘...Why? Is there some kind of problem?’
...There was a problem.
The pet shop owner, Yoo Hyun, was seeing something strange.
[ Name 》 Yoo Dusik ]
[ Species 》 Human ]
[ Awakened Rank 》 C-rank ]
[ Position 》 Backline Support Mage ]
[ Combat Tendency 》 Prefers the role of a stable fixed artillery unit. Prefers standing in place and casting for long periods to unleash a powerful strike. ]
[ Areas for Improvement 》 Unable to properly demonstrate his abilities due to the weak front line of his current team. Appears capable of fulfilling his role when paired with an exceptional tank. ]
‘What... the hell is this?’
Information about another Awakened, which should not have been visible before, appeared before his eyes.
It even came with detailed information about the person’s current circumstances.
Footnotes:
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