WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Haruto
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became the EX-Rank Pet Maker Hunters Obsess Over ◈
Chapter 32: Magna Beta Tester
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【 Korean Hunter Gallery 】
[ Overseas ] Japan's screwed again!!!!!!!!!
[ Author: MeteorsAreEarth-Element ]
(Image from a Japanese news article)
After earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, and volcanic eruptions, now Gates too...!!!
The five-piece disaster combo just keeps coming without a break!!!!
That's already five S-rank Gates. Is Japan really going to be okay?
Two S-ranks will never be able to stop a Gate Break. Is Japan about to collapse? Oh, don't they have one more foreign mercenary?
But if they can't hire more overseas S-ranks, does that mean they're broke now? Damn...
[ Comments ]
Anonymous (39.7): Japan won't go down that easily, so don't worry. Sichuan Province in China is getting absolutely wrecked right now, but it's still standing.
└ Mwahahang: Getting wrecked in real time doesn't mean it's fine.
└ DemonRealmIncheon: That place really has become another world...
Anonymous (203.226): Come to think of it, didn't Yoo Hyun go to Japan? He hasn't even been there long, and it's already a national disaster lol;;
└ LeverageAddict: If it gets really dangerous, he'll just come back home...
Anonymous (211.235): OP is underestimating a country's budget. They have more than enough money to hire S-ranks, don't they?
└ ChubbyCheeks: The problem is there aren't enough S-rank Hunters. No matter how much they offer, they can't find any.
└ MetalworkersUnion: Exactly. Hiring S-ranks isn't a money problem... There just aren't enough people... Other countries are busy holding back their own S-rank Gates too;;
└└ Anonymous (211.235): Isn't Yeon Harim freelance right now?
└└└ MetalworkersUnion: She is, but the more desperate Japan gets, the higher her price will go. She's probably holding out. It's another country's problem, after all...
S-rank Gates.
They were disasters humanity had yet to conquer.
Some might wonder why S-rank Gates were considered disasters in a world with S-rank Hunters.
That was likely because they did not fully understand the difference between ranks.
Generally, Hunters could handle ordinary monsters up to their own rank.
They could not, however, face a boss of the same rank.
That was the common understanding among Hunters.
To eliminate a Gate, the boss at its core had to be defeated.
Up through B-rank, several Hunters of the same rank could gather and hunt a boss. From A-rank onward, things changed.
A-ranks were high-rank Hunters, so the gap in combat ability was wide even within the same rank.
Naturally, the difference in strength between an A-rank ordinary monster and an A-rank boss was enormous.
Yeon Harim had not been judged S-rank for repeatedly clearing A-rank Gates alone for no reason.
In practical terms, fighting an A-rank boss one-on-one was impossible unless one was S-rank.
Now, if A-rank was like that, what about S-rank?
Naturally, an S-rank boss was stronger than an S-rank Hunter.
Not just stronger, either. Even when several S-ranks gathered, they had never once defeated an S-rank boss.
That was why...
“S-rank Gates are called disasters.”
At present, the only way to deal with an S-rank Gate was for S-rank Hunters to kill ordinary monsters and suppress its population so a Gate Break would not occur.
Still... even S-rank ordinary monsters required an S-rank Hunter to fight with everything they had. Reducing the monster population was no easy task.
But no fewer than five S-rank Gates had opened in Japan.
A country with two S-rank Hunters had to manage five S-rank Gates.
On top of that, it could no longer secure additional overseas S-rank mercenaries.
It was nearly impossible for two domestic Hunters and one foreign Hunter to manage all five Gates.
In other words, it was a critical situation where a Gate Break could occur at any moment.
Yoo Hyun stood before the cultivation chamber at Hermes Research Institute, the facility assigned to him, and muttered.
“...If it gets too late, even I can’t do anything.”
“Pant, pant...”
Only the Jelly Dog's panting and the low hum of the cultivation chamber filled the laboratory.
* * *
“Damn...!! We could succeed if we just had a little more time...!!! Why now of all times!!!”
Bang!!
At Sigma Research Institute, one of Ars Magna's major laboratories, Genzaki Yuma, the director leading the production of an S-rank pet, struck an innocent table.
They were almost there. The Seed's stability was higher than it had ever been. They only needed a few more steps to create the world's first S-rank magical beast.
The summit was right in front of them.
The day when the project he and the research teams had devoted themselves to, even sacrificing sleep, would finally bear fruit was close at hand...!!
“Ha...”
Who could have expected the natural disaster known as an S-rank Gate to strike Japan five times?
The fifth Gate had even appeared in southern Saitama Prefecture, very close to Tokyo.
Given its location, the damage from an S-rank Gate Break would be beyond imagination.
...This was probably as far as he could push his stubbornness.
Sigma Research Institute Director Genzaki Yuma looked at his team members and spoke with a resolute expression.
“...We'll ask Director Yoo Hyun for help.”
“Director Genzaki... Are you serious?”
The team members knew how hard Director Genzaki had worked for this project.
But...
“...This is no time to be stubborn. It's time to face reality...”
His and his team's honor mattered, but the country was on the brink of crisis. He had to let it go now.
As if cutting away his lingering attachment, Director Genzaki turned without hesitation.
Swish.
The sight of him setting aside everything he had clung to in the face of a national crisis filled the team members with an indescribable sense of respect.
Director Genzaki took a few steps toward the exit of the laboratory, then...
Stopped.
He turned back.
“But give it three days! Just three more days. Let’s check the cultivation results, and if it fails, then we'll call him. No matter how I think about it, I really feel like it'll work this time. Really, really, this is the last time.”
“...Director Genzaki.”
The respect blooming in the team members' hearts scattered into nothing at his words.
* * *
“Pant, pant...”
Yoo Hyun was drinking coffee with Haengbok and Researchers A, B, and C of Hermes Research Institute at a cafe in Ars Magna.
Slurp.
As Yoo Hyun leisurely drank his coffee, Researcher A, Asagiri Yuto, who had been fidgeting anxiously, spoke up.
“Um... Director... The country's in the middle of a national disaster. Is it really okay for us to be sitting around like this...?”
Researcher B, Tanaka Shinichi, and Researcher C, Sato Megumi, nodded vigorously in agreement.
Japan was in an uproar over the S-rank Gates, and even Ars Magna was tense. We were the only ones relaxing in a cafe.
Well, I understood why they felt self-conscious, but...
“What are we supposed to do right now? I came here because they begged me to help with S-rank magical beast research, but the laboratory turned me away.”
Researchers A, B, and C had nothing to say to that. Sigma Research Institute was the one that had chosen not to use a resource like Yoo Hyun. It had not been Yoo Hyun's decision.
Reading the room, Asagiri cautiously raised a hand.
“Then... if you really don't have anything to do, may I recommend something, Director?”
“What is it?”
Asagiri cleared their throat and began explaining a certain program.
“Ahem. Have you heard of the Ars Magna Field Demonstration and Magic Engineering Data Feedback Program? It's also called the Magna Beta Tester program for short...”
From the explanation, it was a program where Hunters were provided with technology under development. They used that cutting-edge technology in the field and sent feedback to the research institutes.
“Hmm? There's something like that?”
“Yes. You can only learn how useful technology is once it's been used in the field. Ars Magna provides the technology, and the Hunters provide usage data. You could say it's a win-win relationship.”
Oh... It was certainly an interesting program.
There were many cases where flaws and areas for improvement in technology could only be found by applying it in the field.
‘No wonder Hunters came and went from Ars Magna so often. There was a reason for it.’
Japan was making good use of its magic engineering special zone.
“Hmm... Then should we give it a try?”
“Really!?”
I’d come to a top-tier research institute and was using all kinds of infrastructure for free. It had felt wrong to do nothing but sit around during a national disaster, so this worked out well.
Honestly, I was bored too...
“But how do they choose people for this Magna Beta Tester thing?”
“About that... May I call someone I know!? They’re a close older friend of mine who used to be a firefighter... They’re an A-rank Hunter now! They’re also the team leader of a famous guild, so they’ll be able to give you plenty of good field data.”
Oh? Look at this one. They were smoothly using my chance to have a pet made for someone they knew?
Still, I liked Asagiri Yuto because they were polite, and the older friend they knew had once been a firefighter, no less. I decided to give them a chance.
“Fine. But I'll only check what kind of person they are first. If I don't like them, it's off.”
“Thank you!! Director!!!”
* * *
At the entrance to Ars Magna, a man and a woman undergoing the entry process stood together.
It was not hard to tell from their armor and weapons that they were Hunters.
Once their identities were verified, the two entered Ars Magna.
The man with burn scars on his face sighed.
“Haah... That Yuto... Calling a busy person out at a time like this...”
“What does it matter? It's actually for the best. Team Leader Kurogane needs some rest. Everyone watching is worried you'll collapse after pushing yourself that hard every day.”
Kurogane Kaito, an A-rank Hunter from Japan, and Kamishiro Aoi, also an A-rank Hunter, had recently volunteered for the Gate Response Team.
The two had joined in an effort to suppress the S-rank Gates, even if only a little.
Several dozen A-rank Hunters could handle an S-rank ordinary monster if they gathered together. The Gate Response Team had been hastily formed so A-rank Hunters from across the country could volunteer and try to suppress even one S-rank Gate.
Of course, even if they were only ordinary monsters, they were S-rank. Every battle had to be fought with the tension of raiding an A-rank boss. They might truly lose their lives. Unlike bosses, several ordinary monsters could appear at once.
Even so, if he could protect people, Kurogane was prepared to sacrifice his life.
Whether he had been a firefighter or a Hunter, there was one goal that had never changed.
‘...Maybe I really could die this time.’
The reason he had come to Ars Magna was because he thought he might never see his close younger friend again.
Kurogane Kaito and Kamishiro Aoi made their way to Hermes Research Institute in the Magic Beast Alchemy district.
Researcher A, Asagiri Yuto, came out to greet them.
“Kaito!”
“Hey, what do you mean, calling me out of nowhere? At a time when things are this busy!”
“No, I called because it's a really good opportunity! Ah, this is our director...!”
A man in a white coat stood where Yuto pointed. Beside him was a panting slime puppy, which seemed to be a magical beast he had made.
The man approached and held out his hand.
“Nice to meet you. I'm Yoo Hyun, from Korea.”
“Ah... Hello. I'm Kurogane Kaito, a Hunter. Um... I've heard about you from them. I heard you're an incredible Magic Beast Alchemist...”
Kaito looked at the man before him. He was a tall young man with clear-cut features.
‘...A director at that age? He really must be that skilled...’
As Kaito stared blankly, Asagiri Yuto, standing beside him, hurriedly added an explanation.
“Sorry, Director. My older friend here is completely clueless about magical beasts.”
That was true.
Kurogane Kaito had little interest in magical beasts.
Magical beast pets seemed to have become popular recently, but when it came down to it, they felt like the final piece of gear meant to increase a Hunter's overall specs after all their other equipment was complete. It was hard to justify pouring a large sum into a magical beast pet.
It was simply a matter of efficiency.
And to be honest, while equipment worn on the body was one thing, Kaito was not sure whether a magical beast that existed separately from him was worth the money.
When he glanced to the side, Kamishiro Aoi, who had visited the institute with him, also seemed not to know who the man before them was.
‘...Yuto said he was famous in the industry. Should I have at least looked him up online?’
Kaito felt awkward for no reason, but Yoo Hyun did not seem to care and led them to the reception room.
“Shall we start with a custom pet consultation for both of you?”
“A custom pet consultation...?”
Was he going to make pets suited to them through a consultation?
Kaito looked at his companion, Kamishiro Aoi.
She spoke as if she were quietly looking forward to it.
“It sounds interesting. Let's try it.”
“...Sure.”
A consultation probably could not be that meaningful, but...
A moment later...
“Mr. Kurogane... Does your center of balance lean to the left? The injuries from your firefighter days haven't healed yet, have they?”
“H-how did you know that!?”
“Hmm... From what I've heard, you weren't originally a tank, were you? It seems like you sacrificed yourself for your team's balance. Is that right? No... Is it more that you're naturally the type who protects others?”
“Uh... Y-yes, but can you really figure that out just through a consultation?”
“You don't seem to have a Taunt skill, so I was wondering how you tank. It looks like all your teammates have Stealth, though? So the aggro naturally gets drawn to you? Wow... Your teammates are the problem here. Is Japan having trouble recruiting tanks? No, but why are your teammates all sneaking around... Is it because this is the land of ninjas?”
Kaito broke out in a cold sweat.
‘What... What is this man?’
How could he see straight through his team's situation when Kaito had never told him any of it?
Footnotes:
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