WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Haruto
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became the EX-Rank Pet Maker Hunters Obsess Over ◈
Chapter 58: Talent Viewing
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Why had “first come, first served” turned into a battle royale...?
“That’s absurd.”
Pant. Pant.
I’d always intended to make custom pets for the Hunters of Wolyeong and Dongbaek.
That had been our agreement from the start.
Hadn’t I said I’d make them one if they came to see me, even when I was in Japan?
The reason they hadn’t come was that they’d been gathering as much money as possible.
Since custom pets were limited to one per person, most of them had been desperately scraping together every last cent to make the best pet possible.
As a result, the pet distribution rate among Wolyeong and Dongbaek was still only a little over half.
Then why had so many people rushed over this time?
Because I’d decided to accept artifacts as part of the pet-making fee.
At prices even higher than what they could get at auction!
Ouroboros and Adlers Kraft, the two major magical-beast companies, were currently using my Buffering Array, Duality, and S-rank Seed crafting method, among other things. The royalties coming my way were enormous.
I’d decided to buy artifacts at high prices, both to spend some of that money and to strengthen my potential allies.
Artifacts would become more valuable than money in the future, so it wasn’t a bad deal for me either.
They were an easy way to secure causality.
In fact, even the prices of miscellaneous artifacts with unknown uses were gradually rising.
That was probably because other Transcendent factions were steadily buying them up.
Also, the sooner a custom pet was made, the more advantageous it would be when it evolved later through Infusion. Lower-rank magical beasts, in particular, were better off getting customized sooner.
Anyway, Kang Sujin, winner of the battle royale, approached me with a sniffle.
“I-I can finally get a custom pet too...!”
She looked at me with desperate eyes.
Her bright gaze made it seem as though she wanted something with all her heart.
“...Shall we start with a custom pet consultation?”
“Yes, sir!!!”
I remembered her as someone who didn’t show her feelings like this...
‘Is there something I don’t know?’
We headed to the reception room, while the Hunters lying around near the institute entrance watched Kang Sujin’s back enviously.
“What can those of us who lost do...?”
“...Go home and knead your Jellykkos.”
* * *
Sitting in the reception room, I brought up Kang Sujin’s Customer Window.
She looked at me with a nervous expression.
[ Name 》 Kang Sujin ]
[ Species 》 Human ]
[ Awakened Rank 》 B-rank ]
[ Position 》 Balanced Swordfighter ]
[ Combat Tendencies 》 Prefers to analyze an opponent’s habits while fighting. Prefers head-on combat in situations without variables. ]
[ Areas for Improvement 》 Tends to fight too honestly. Lacks flexibility, making her sword style somewhat limited and rigid. Would benefit from instincts that can respond to variables and a variety of attack options. ]
[ Talent 》 Exceptional Horsemanship, Excellent Mana Control. ]
Hmm... Other than being as inflexible as her personality, she seemed decent enough.
Hm?
“Huh?”
“Is something wrong...?”
I hid my surprise and shook my head.
“No... It’s nothing. Let’s continue the consultation.”
Talent? I’d never seen a category like that before...
Exceptional Horsemanship? Excellent Mana Control?
Had the Customer Window’s abilities developed?
Why, though? Had enough samples accumulated? Had causality requirements been met? Or was Kang Sujin Hunter the only one with this?
No, those hadn’t appeared during the German tournament.
Then the ability must have developed.
I just didn’t know why.
‘I want to check other people’s Customer Windows right away, but...’
For now, I quietly continued the consultation.
I guided the conversation in certain directions, and as a result, learned one thing from her.
“Ah, um... My family runs a ranch, so I’ve ridden horses since I was young...”
“Ah.”
So Kang Sujin Hunter was a country girl too?
I put together the details from her consultation.
“I think I understand. Kang Sujin Hunter, you’re looking for the key to reaching A-rank, but you have no idea where to find it. You probably feel that continuing the way you have been will make it difficult to move beyond your current limits.”
“...That’s right. Lately, all I can think is that things can’t continue like this. Ever since Anomalous Gates started appearing, the overall level of the Hunter world has been rising, yet I feel like I’m the only one standing still...”
Hunter equipment had certainly improved rapidly lately, raising the overall standard.
That was because the Transcendent factions were advancing Earth’s mana civilization.
Russia alone had Hunters carrying equipment I’d never seen before, along with S-rank magical beasts.
Anyway, magic engineering was developing rapidly over there. Merfolk had apparently begun appearing in Britain, while France had supposedly encountered undead in the Golden Land. The world was changing so rapidly that ordinary people were beginning to feel it.
At this rate, Kang Sujin must have felt that she would be left behind.
I spoke to her with a serious expression.
“You’re not sure whether your current approach is really right for you, are you?”
Kang Sujin flinched at my words, then nodded.
“That’s right... To be honest, I’ve never felt that I had any talent. It feels like I lack the exceptional strength that others possess. I only repeat textbook combat methods, and it feels like my growth has completely stagnated...”
After speaking with her, I realized that Kang Sujin was the type who fought according to theory.
She said she kept books on Hunter combat piled up at home and read and studied them every night before bed.
In other words, she didn’t have much natural combat instinct. She moved according to prewritten code. When an unprogrammed situation arose, she couldn’t adapt on the fly or create something new herself.
‘She’s finally reaching the limit of making up for her lack of combat talent with effort.’
From A-rank onward, Hunters were clearly guild master-level personnel. Unless someone had awakened as A-rank from the start, reaching that level without talent was difficult.
‘Hmm... Talent...’
I could’ve considered only her areas for improvement, as usual, and made her a fitting custom pet.
But since the Talent category had appeared for the first time, I wanted to make use of it.
“I think I understand. Before I make your custom pet, I have one question, Kang Sujin Hunter. Have you considered changing positions?”
“Positions?”
She blinked, apparently not expecting that question.
“From what I’ve heard, I think there may be a better direction for you.”
It might have sounded rather rude. I was just an alchemist, giving advice to a veteran Hunter who fought directly in the field.
But perhaps because she’d watched me for so long, Kang Sujin quickly nodded.
“If it’s your advice, Boss Yoo Hyun, I’d like to hear it. I’m not especially attached to my current position anyway.”
Kang Sujin had studied every possible position because she didn’t know where her talent lay, so she readily accepted Yoo Hyun’s proposal.
“Good. I’ll help you find a clear direction this time. I’ll call you when Cultivation is complete.”
“I’ll be in your care...!!”
One fortunate thing was that while she lacked combat instincts, her mana control was above average.
And there was her Talent of Exceptional Horsemanship...
‘If I combine these well...’
I could create a new position for Kang Sujin Hunter, one that didn’t yet exist in the Hunter world.
“Ah, if there are still Hunters outside when you leave, tell just two more to come in. We have plenty of incubators, so I’ll cultivate their pets simultaneously.”
“...Yes.”
That day, two more bloodbaths took place outside the institute entrance.
* * *
A few days later.
An A-rank Gate that had appeared in Cheonan.
While a Red Orc at least three times as fast as a regular Orc had its aggro drawn by the tank, Kang Sujin aimed for its blind spot and thrust her mana-coated sword forward.
“Haaah!”
Clang!
But the Orc easily blocked Kang Sujin’s attack with the blade of its axe, forcing her to retreat to her team’s formation.
“Urgh...!”
“Don’t push yourself, Kang Sujin Hunter. The mages are responsible for firepower in the first place. Those of us in melee roles only need to buy them casting time.”
“...Yes.”
Kang Sujin bit her lip.
Thanks to the teammates who had received custom pets from Yoo Hyun, her team had become capable of clearing even A-rank Gates.
But every time, she realized there was nothing she could do.
It wasn’t simply that she was useless in high-rank Gates...
Neither her defense nor her offense was good enough.
To put it bluntly, it felt like bringing in any other Hunter of the same rank would be more useful than her.
No matter how hard she tried, her combat skills wouldn’t improve.
Frustrated that she couldn’t even pull her own weight, she tried to do something, anything, but most of her attempts were meaningless, just like before.
Her sword style was far too easily stopped by A-rank monsters.
Rooaar...
Thud!
After the Red Orcs were defeated, the team leader checked for injuries and spoke.
“Whew... Let’s call it a day and go see the Cheonan Walnut Jellykko. I hear it’s a Wakppu Jelly Dog made from Boss Yoo Hyun’s idea.”
“Keep your spirits up, Kang Sujin Hunter. You’ll be getting Boss Yoo Hyun’s custom pet soon!”
“...That’s right.”
Encouraged by her teammates, Kang Sujin ended that day’s Gate expedition.
* * *
At last, the day arrived when Cultivation of her custom pet was complete.
[ Boss Yoo Hyun ] : Kang Sujin Hunter, Cultivation is complete, so come pick up your pet.
[ Me ] : Understood...!!
At Yoo Hyun’s temporary lab in Paju, Kang Sujin blinked.
Neighhh!
The powerful cry of a horse rang out.
Before her stood a magical beast with a single black horn rising from its head, and light green flames burning in place of fur around its hooves, mane, and tail.
It was enormous.
It seemed to stand over two meters tall.
“This is...?”
“You said your family runs a ranch, so I thought you’d be more comfortable with this.”
As Kang Sujin wondered, ‘Did he make it into an animal I’m familiar with?’ Yoo Hyun made an unexpected proposal.
“Kang Sujin Hunter, from now on, let’s make you a Rider instead of a Saber.”
“...Pardon? What do you mean...?”
“Listen. You might have a talent for cavalry combat, Kang Sujin Hunter. Together with this Bucephalus model, you can become the first cavalry rider to race across Gate battlefields.”
What was he talking about...?
‘That I have talent too...?’
What had he seen that made him believe she had talent? She had tried everything to find her own talent. Yet the bleak conclusion she had reached was that effort was all she had.
But... if Yoo Hyun was the one saying it...
‘He has extraordinary insight. He must have found something I couldn’t see.’
He was worth trusting once...
No, ten times over.
“...I’ll do it. I’ll become a cavalry rider.”
* * *
The A-rank Gate in Cheonan.
Kang Sujin charged forward atop a black horse wreathed in green flames.
“Go, Ever Brave!!!”
Neighhh!
The mana of master and magical beast resonated, and green flames surged as the horse began to run.
Gradually accelerating to terrifying speed, Kang Sujin and the Bucephalus model charged into the center of the Orc horde...
The Orcs in her path were struck by the horse’s front hooves and sent flying through the air like bowling pins.
Craaaash!
Rooaar!
Rooaar!
The Orcs desperately tried to avoid the horse’s movements, but only a handful could evade its sudden, explosively accelerating charge.
The Orc formation collapsed in real time, and her teammates stared blankly at the sight.
“My god...”
“That’s more broken than the pet I got...?”
“I thought it was B+ rank...”
“No, more importantly, why is Kang Sujin Hunter so good at riding a horse?”
The Dongbaek guild members muttered as they watched Kang Sujin tear through the monsters alone.
She had ordinary combat skills, but while mounted on a horse, she was on an entirely different level from before.
Horse and rider moved as one, with her focus entirely on mana control as she charged. Her overwhelming breakthrough power was like a cavalry lance charge...
Even alone, she was demolishing the enemy formation.
The fact that Yoo Hyun had deliberately made her a horse-shaped custom pet meant he had seen her potential. Every Dongbaek guild member nodded in agreement as they thought,
“Ah, Boss Yoo Hyun’s insight has finally reached the realm of gods...!”
* * *
A few days later.
“Boss... Please find the talent of this lowly nobody too...! I beg you.”
“...”
Kang Sujin Hunter’s cavalry rider position had apparently become quite famous. More and more Hunters commissioning custom pets were asking me to find their talents as well.
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading today too.
Footnotes:
“Saber” and “Rider” echo the class names used in the Fate series.
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