I Became the EX-Rank Pet Maker Hunters Obsess Over - Chapter 53

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ I Became the EX-Rank Pet Maker Hunters Obsess Over ◈

Chapter 53: Celestia

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“Pant, pant....”

[ ...Pant, pant. ]

I wandered through Gangnam wearing a mask and sunglasses.

Jellykko adoptions had begun a few days ago, so I was curious how the streets had changed.

“Hmm, everyone decorated them with so much personality.”

Sure enough, the busy streets were full of Jellykkos wearing hip-hop outfits, ice cream hats, long centipede suits, and all sorts of other things.

Everyone had dressed up their Jellykkos in their own style and brought them along.

“This is wonderful....”

“Pant, pant....”

[ Hmm... So there was a method of brainwashing like this too. ]

There were Jellykkos everywhere I looked.

The Jellykko model, my first creation, had become the nation's pet magical beast....

It was deeply moving.

Then, a middle-aged woman walking a Pink Cotton Candy Model Jellykko approached me.

“Oh my...! What's that Jellykko wearing? Is that a helmet? It's so cute! I want to put one on my Jellykko too. Where did you buy it?”

I picked up Amon and showed it to her.

“Oh, this? I made it myself.”

[ ...... ]

“Gasp... Really!? You're so skilled! Oh, and this one looks like Boss Yoo Hyun's original Jellykko Numbers Zero, Haengbok! They said they don't customize spotted models with this color scheme!”

The woman's eyes gleamed as she looked at Haengbok.

...What exactly were original Jellykko Numbers?

I gave her a vague reply.

“...I hear that a lot.”

“Oh my, what am I doing? You look busy, yet I kept you here. Have a happy day~”

The Jellykko lady left after that.

“Hmm....”

[ ...... ]

“Pant, pant....”

Was this Jellykko small talk...?

For a while, I looked around and lost myself in the panting noises coming from every direction.

“...Pant... pant....”

“Pant... pant....”

“Pant, pant... Pant, pant....”

“...Pant, pant... pant....”

“Look, Haengbok. The completion of a Jellykko world where no one gets hurt.”

“Pant, pant....”

There were especially many Jellykkos here because the Gangnam flagship Jellykko Shop was nearby. Once Jellykkos spread across the country, this would probably become a common sight elsewhere too.

I nodded in satisfaction and turned around.

Whoooong!!

A giant turtle that had been waiting nearby in the air flew over with its owner to greet me.

“Boss Yoo Hyun, get on. I'll take you to the Paju research center.”

“Hissss....”

Thanks to Yoo Dusik and Rodin, I was able to return to the research center quickly and comfortably.

While flying, Rodin surrounded its body with mist infused with spiritual aura to protect its rider, so the trip was incredibly comfortable.

‘...I should cultivate a flying magical beast too.’

This was convenient.

* * *

[ Industry ] “Even operating cultivation facilities around the clock isn't enough”... Cheonseong Group's Jellykko preorder waitlist alone reaches hundreds of thousands

[ Economy ] Cheonseong X Yoo Hyun's Jellykko frenzy... Servers crash amid order surge, expanded servers and additional production lines deployed

[ Issue ] “A squishy magical beast in my home?”... Adoption craze for the nation's pet magical beast, Jellykko

[ Exclusive ] “Faster than an airbag”... Pudding Shield fills car at moment of impact, prevents fatal accident

【 Magical Beast Minor Gallery 】

[ Title: Buying a Jellykko definitely changed my life ]

Posted by: JellykkoBeastBro

Back in high school, I couldn't even make eye contact with bullies.

I used to litter wherever I wanted and spit all over the place too.

But after becoming the owner of a Mass-Produced Jellykko MK-2 Cotton Candy Model, I've been trying to better myself to maintain my dignity.

Just now, I found Kim Cheongsik's wallet lying on the street, picked it up, and threw it in the trash.

Back when I was a student, I couldn't even make eye contact with losers, let alone bullies. Now I can speak loudly and clearly when ordering delivery food, and I can even make eye contact with part-timers at convenience stores and PC cafés.

No matter how fucking awful I feel...

At home, while touching my Jellykko, I say, “Who am I?”

“An owner of a Mass-Produced Jellykko MK-2 Cotton Candy Model.”

Then I knead my Jellykko, and I feel better.

I guess that's why people say a position makes the person.

[ Comments ]

Anonymous (39.7): Kneading a Jellykko really does make you feel better though.

MagicBeastLoveLoveLove: Crazy bastard lol. What kind of ancient Temple Run meme is this?

JellyDogEnthusiast: But seriously, I had severe depression and stayed shut in at home, but after buying a Jellykko, I thought I should walk it. I started taking it for walks every day, my depression got better, and I even started meeting people...

└ Anonymous (110.7): It honestly seems more helpful than most drug treatments... I've even heard psychiatrists recommend adopting Jellykkos these days.

Amon climbed onto the computer desk and browsed articles and communities while operating the mouse with its jelly paws.

Click.

[ Interesting.... ]

I glanced at Amon, then focused on the Rune Turtle in front of me again.

I was gathering samples related to the Infusion function. I had tested thirteen individuals so far, but every single attempt had failed.

Unlike Rodin, the Rune Turtle couldn't absorb Spiritual Energy at all, so I had no choice but to abandon the Infusion halfway through.

“Hmm... This one failed too.”

“Pant, pant....”

I had tested Infusion on magical beasts besides Rune Turtles as well. In general, the higher their rank, the more Second Order energy they could absorb through Infusion.

In other words, the higher the rank, the greater the chance of evolving through Infusion.

But Rodin was practically the lowest-tier magical beast.

“Is the most likely factor still the mind or soul?”

Rodin had lived until nearly the end of a Rune Turtle's lifespan, so it must have been mentally mature.

And the presence of an owner was probably important to forming a sense of self.

“This really is Bond Evolution.”

Then, for this experiment, it seemed right to call in the Hunters who had adopted magical beasts from me.

But before that...

Hunter Yoo Dusik brought another new item along with a large number of artifacts.

The remains of an S-rank magical beast.

“Are they starting to make them elsewhere already?”

The magical beast remains Yoo Dusik had brought used technology completely separate from the S-rank Seed creation method I had used before.

“...I can tell this fragment came from a whole S-rank magical beast, but a mere B-rank Hunter like Yoo Dusik brought it here.... Does that mean Rodin is a magical beast beyond even S-rank?”

Amon, who had been surfing the web, answered my muttering.

[ Isn't that obvious? The gap between the first-tier technological level and the Second Order is greater than you think. The Transcendents' highest priority is reaching the Second Order as quickly as possible. Who is currently the strongest individual in your world? ]

“The strongest Hunter is China's Sword Princess, Cheon Rin....”

That was the public assessment.

She was the one suppressing the SS-rank Gate in Beijing.

If she had been free to move, wouldn't she have been the first person to clear an S-rank Gate?

[ No matter how strong she is, if she hasn't reached the Second Order, defeating that man named Yoo Dusik and Rodin would be difficult. ]

“Really? If Cheon Rin had been in Japan, you might've been slaughtered. She even kills SS-rank trash mobs.”

Amon hesitated at my words for a moment, then continued explaining.

[ ...Anyway, I'm trying to tell you that the difference between the first-tier technological level and the Second Order is immense. If the first-tier technological level is the stage where humans discover fire, then the Second Order can be called the stage after that. ]

What came after fire...? Metal and writing? Or farming and animal husbandry...?

No, the important part was this.

“You mean the level of magical civilization differs dramatically depending on the tier.”

[ Correct. No matter how well one handles chipped stone tools, one can't defeat soldiers armed with iron. Think of it that way. ]

I see... It was like the Transcendents were playing a massive game of Civilization.

[ I looked through internet communities and saw factions beginning to operate openly. The Great Cataclysm will come soon. You should start preparing as well. ]

“I need to have something I can prepare before I can prepare for it.”

“Pant, pant....”

Just in case, I asked Amon how to clear Shinan's Anomalous Gate. It said the answer was to leave it alone.

If no one entered the Anomalous Gate, it would supposedly wither away on its own. Maintaining Treasure Island also cost quite a lot, so if Hunters simply stopped entering, the issue would resolve itself.

But that was realistically impossible. In the end, there was no way to respond until something happened.

“Tsk... Is there nowhere I can get information? Don't Transcendents and their servants browse forums?”

Given how engrossed Amon had been while lurking in communities earlier, it didn't seem entirely impossible.

Amon scratched its jelly belly and spoke.

[ ...It isn't as though there's no way. I understand that Order-aligned Transcendents share information with one another or trade causality. ]

“Are Order-aligned ones different? Aren't they all invaders?”

[ Those who expand their influence through human faith can generally be called Order-aligned Transcendents. Since faith itself is the foundation of transcendence, they are generally friendly toward humanity. Of course, while the treatment differs, they still regard humans as resources all the same. ]

Order-aligned Transcendents....

“Then Chaos-aligned ones are guys like you?”

[ Correct. Therefore, if you make contact with servants of the Order-aligned ones, you'll be able to interact with their factions as well. ]

“How do I make contact?”

[ I don't know. ]

“......”

...Right, it wasn't as if Amon had ever browsed a community where Order-aligned factions gathered.

[ Still, you stand out especially among humans. You are the sort of talent Transcendents' servants would covet. They'll try to contact you somehow. ]

“I see... Come to think of it, you were planning to corrupt me before too. You tried to destroy my mind in the mental space.”

[ ...Do you truly have no conscience? What was nearly destroyed then wasn't your mind, but the space of consciousness!!!!! ]

Amon suddenly went off in a huff.

Its jelly trembled noisily.

“Easy, easy. It's a small thing.”

[ Anyway, look at this. ]

Amon pulled up something on the monitor.

[ Breaking News ] Medical field cannot explain it... Gate Church's Elixir completely cures terminal cancer patient

“The tumor disappeared without a trace on the X-ray”... Medical staff at major Roman hospital say a “real-world miracle” beyond medical explanation has occurred.

[ Society ] “God is beyond the Gate”... Gate Church membership explodes across Europe

Unprecedented exodus from established religions and conversions... “They showed us the salvation they had only talked about, right before our eyes.”

They seemed to be articles attracting attention in Europe.

“Gate Church...? Wasn't this a complete cult?”

[ Wherever one goes, there are servants who imitate divine miracles and gather believers. The item they used for publicity consumes an immense amount of causality, so it can't help but look like a miracle to your eyes. ]

“Even so, devout religious people are converting to a cult like Gate Church?”

I wasn't religious, but was faith really so easily swayed?

[ Can humans who have witnessed even one miracle help but cling to it? Even more so if they or their family are at death's door. It is human nature to beg even a being like me, not to mention a god, to cure an incurable disease. ]

It was bitter, but true. There had been times when even I wanted to cling to a god.

“So you're saying those Gate Church people are an Order-aligned Transcendent faction? That I should contact them?”

[ I merely showed them as an example. It doesn't have to be them... However, one concern is that if you enter a mental space built by an Order-aligned faction─ ]

Just as Amon was about to say something with a serious expression, an announcement came through the laboratory speaker.

[ Ahem. Director Yoo Hyun, you have a visitor. ]

“A visitor?”

“Pant, pant...?”

[ Tsk.... ]

No one had said anyone was coming at this hour.

I headed to the reception room in confusion....

There, I found a pink-haired nun.

‘No, wait... Calling that a nun's habit feels a little wrong.’

Was it cosplay?

As I looked at her with suspicion, she rose from her seat and spoke.

“...Ah, you must be Yoo Hyun...! Perhaps you'd be interested in the Gate Church─”