WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Haruto
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became the EX-Rank Pet Maker Hunters Obsess Over ◈
Chapter 36: Equipping
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Kurogane Kaito and Kamishiro Aoi.
The two muttered as they joined the group of dozens of A-rank Hunters gathered before the S-rank Gate.
"He was a good man. A Panoplia model... Since we received a gift like this, we'd better make sure we get some real results this time."
"It certainly feels more dependable than a half-baked tank. So don't overdo it this time, Team Leader Kurogane."
They still hadn't produced any meaningful results, but they had no choice but to keep challenging S-rank Gates.
If they built up experience little by little and optimized their combat, they would at least be able to take down ordinary monsters.
In fact, as the Hunters grew accustomed to S-rank monsters, they had begun to achieve some results.
"Just a little longer... Just a little longer."
Kurogane muttered as he entered the Gate with the Panoplia model.
But disaster struck less than ten minutes after they entered.
BOOM-!!!!
"Damn it!! The tank's down!!!!"
"Retreat!! Everyone, retreat!!!!"
After days of accumulated fatigue, the two main tanks finally gave out, collapsing with critical injuries.
To make matters worse, another monster had already taken up position along their escape route, forcing them to avoid it and head deeper into the Gate.
By chance, the Hunters found a cave where they could hide and took refuge inside.
But the situation was dire. Ordinary monsters filled their escape route, making it impossible to leave the Gate.
There might even have been monsters with strong detection abilities mixed in, so sneaking out was impossible as well.
If they had been A-rank monsters, they could have forced their way through and accepted some injuries. But S-rank monsters guarded the path. It wasn't a matter of taking some damage. A single hit could turn them into chunks of flesh.
How could so many disasters pile up at once?
"Fuck...!! Heal the tanks somehow!!! At this rate, we're all going to die!!!"
In the end, Stealth Ninja 1 took out their anger on the innocent healer.
"Healing magic isn't all-powerful.... More than anything, these people have been pushed too hard for far too long. Even superhumans eventually break when they can't endure the fatigue anymore...."
The worst consequence of the tank shortage had finally begun tightening around their throats.
"What about requesting support...?"
"Even if we got through to someone, nobody could come save us... The S-rank Hunters and the other A-ranks are probably fighting in other Gates."
There weren't enough tanks to open a path, and recovering the main tanks was out of reach for now.
Then someone muttered.
"If someone became bait...."
Just as a game of waiting for someone else to volunteer was about to begin.
"I'll be the bait."
Kurogane stepped forward. When people faced a crisis, they tended to make selfish choices to survive, evade responsibility, and bring about the group's collapse.
He acted before that could happen.
"Team Leader Kurogane!! What are you talking about!!!"
Kamishiro's face turned pale. In this situation, he would inevitably become a sacrifice, but...
"Wait. I'll stay too. I owe Kurogane my life."
"Then I'll stay too."
The Hunters Kurogane had protected at the risk of his own life stepped forward, saying they would remain with him.
The group split exactly in half.
As they struggled to decide what to do next, the Panoplia model lumbered toward them.
"Kuo...."
"What is this golem...?"
At that moment, Kurogane remembered what he had heard about the Panoplia model's special function.
"Anyway, it has a function like that, so try to persuade it."
He also recalled an article about Yoo Hyun that he had looked up during a break one day.
It was about the genius Magic Beast Alchemist who had raised an A-rank Hunter to S-rank.
He remembered Asagiri, a close younger friend, urging him to visit the research institute no matter what.
Kurogane soon broke the silence.
"......Everyone, listen for a moment."
To activate the Panoplia model's ability, he asked the Hunters for their cooperation.
"What? You want us to pour mana into this tin can? It's hard enough keeping ourselves in peak condition, and now you're asking for this bullshit...?"
But they didn't have much time to complain.
"Grrrrr...."
From deeper within the cave, a clearly formidable wolfman-like monster stepped out.
"......Fuck, this cave must be that thing's territory...?"
"...Do we pour mana into this?"
BAM-!!!
Before anyone could react, Stealth Ninja 1 had already been slammed into the wall.
"Damn it...!! Of all times!!! Hurry and pour mana into it!! I'll hold it back!!!"
Kaito raised his shield and drew the wolfman monster's attention.
A few people hid the moment the wolfman appeared, but those who had said they would stay with Kurogane quickly began pouring mana into the Panoplia model. Before long, the golem-type magical beast began to glow.
"Kuooh...!!"
THUD-! THUD-!! THUD-!!!
As mana filled it, the Panoplia model began running with its heavy body.
"Oh...!!! It looks like that thing's about to do something!!!!"
"All right!! Go!!! Hit that monster hard!!!"
Dozens of A-rank Hunters poured mana into it. It was surely about to display an incredible ability.
THUD-!!! THUD-!!!!
While Kurogane endured the wolfman's attacks, the Panoplia model ran right up behind it.
"Kuoohhh!!!"
It slid forward and lunged at the wolfman's back, but an S-rank monster's agility was beyond imagination.
The S-rank monster dodged, leaving behind a blurry afterimage.
Naturally, the Panoplia model's massive body came down upon Kurogane, who stood beyond the wolfman.
BOOM-!!!!
A thunderous crash rang out, dust billowed through the cave, and everyone let out a groan. Even Stealth Ninja 2, who had been hiding in a corner near the ceiling.
"Ah...."
"Team Leader Kurogane!!!!"
"Aaahhh!! That's your owner!!!!! You damn blockhead!!!!!!"
With Kurogane helplessly engulfed by his own magical beast, the wolfman-like monster radiated an aura as though it would slaughter the Hunters at any moment.
"Grrrr...."
Its form vanished once more, and just as another victim was about to fall...
BAM-!
Something blocked the wolfman head-on.
"......Grrrk...!"
Metal armor covered its entire body. The material resembled the Panoplia model, and the Hunters looked toward the direction where Kurogane had fallen.
Naturally, there was nothing there.
Neither Kurogane nor the Panoplia model.
"Don't tell me... Kurogane?"
"A makeshift tank stopped an S-rank monster's attack...?"
The once-heavy Panoplia model tightly wrapped around Kurogane's entire body, releasing explosive mana.
His body felt unbelievably light for someone covered head to toe by such a heavy golem-type magical beast.
"...So this is the power of a custom magical beast pet...!!"
Kurogane gave himself over to the power boiling inside him and threw a full-force straight punch into the wolfman's chest.
BOOM-!!!!!
With an explosive roar, the wolfman slammed into the cave wall.
RUMBLE-!!!
The cave shook from the impact.
"This is insane!!! It's collapsing!! Everyone, get out of here!!!!"
"Run, everyone!!!!!"
Kurogane stared blankly at his fist and muttered.
"...This isn't just helpful for tanking, Director Yoo Hyun...!"
The activation condition required the mana of dozens of A-rank Hunters, and its duration also appeared to be short, but...
It had opened a path to survival.
"That thing is still alive!! I'll clear the way, so follow me!!!"
Unfortunately, it lacked just enough attack power to defeat an S-rank monster, but...
"As long as we survive...!! Next time, we can hunt S-ranks too...!!!"
A ray of hope flashed through the pitch-black darkness.
* * *
"Huff, huff...."
Sitting in the director's office of Hermes Research Institute and kneading Haengbok, Yoo Hyun thought about the Panoplia model's gimmick.
"Did it activate?"
The activation conditions were so demanding that I wasn't sure whether it had worked.
If someone asked me whether there was an engineer I admired, I would answer like this.
"A billionaire who wears a suit."
"Huff, huff...."
Just kidding.
Japan's damage dealers couldn't function effectively because there were no tanks, so I made the Panoplia model with the idea of collecting the damage dealers' mana and strengthening Mr. Kurogane, their makeshift tank.
The damage dealers couldn't operate efficiently, so I figured I'd concentrate their spare power on the tank. Something like that.
The gimmick came from an extremely unusual essence blend, and honestly, its mana efficiency wasn't that great according to the Design, but....
"I can't resist a transformation suit."
It was a prototype, so it was a little clunky, but that was part of the appeal.
Then, the next day.
The existence of a new type of magical beast that had never existed before, the Attachment-Type Magical Beast, took the Hunter world by storm.
[ Breaking News ] Miracle at Japanese S-Rank Gate... Gate Response Team escapes the threat of annihilation through "equipping a golem pet"!
[ Special Report ] "An iron suit from the movies becomes reality"... The thrill of the "Attachment-Type Magical Beast Pet" that saved Japan's Gate Response Team
[ Society ] Is this the fruit of Tokyo Bay's artificial-island special zone...? Golem magical beast transformed into living armor changes the Hunter world's paradigm
[ General ] "An A-rank defeated an S-rank?"... The emergence of an "attachment-type pet" signals a seismic shift in the Hunter equipment market
[ Issue ] Japan in utter shock... "Was it that Korean again?" There is a 99.9% chance the attachment-type golem magical beast is Yoo Hyun's creation
Footnotes:
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