WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Haruto
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became the EX-Rank Pet Maker Hunters Obsess Over ◈
Chapter 6: Wolyeong (月影) Guild
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“Ehehehe....”
“Pant, pant....”
I smiled with satisfaction as I looked at my overflowing bank account.
The shop had been operating at a loss ever since the large pet shop next door opened, but sales shot through the roof thanks to the members of our lovely Wolyeong Guild’s Gamma Team.
Perhaps Sylphid and Rune Turtle’s performances had left an impression, because another four or five people suddenly came by to place orders. That was a huge help to this month’s sales.
- “Can I buy a Sylphid model too!?”
- “I’d like to buy an enhanced Rune Turtle....”
Of course, I did not simply agree and sell them one on the spot.
Wasn’t my pets’ performance far too exceptional to keep selling them at the old prices?
Hunter Yoo Dusik and Hunter Lee Yujin had been special cases, but I should probably charge future customers more.
I, Yoo Hyun, owner of a tiny pet shop.
It was about time I laid the groundwork for building my own brand.
- “Ah... I’m sorry, but I’ll need to cultivate new Sylphid models and Rune Turtles.... And since they use techniques that set them apart from other magical beasts, they’ll inevitably cost more than the original pri-”
Before I could even finish my excuse, the Hunters had already made blank-check offers.
- “I’ll pay however much you want! Please, at least let me reserve one...!!”
- “Me too...!”
The customers who recognized my magical beasts’ value agreed to buy them at prices over 30% higher than before.
It was an outrageous price for a pet made by an unknown alchemist.
- “Hah... Since you’re Hunter Yoo’s teammates, I suppose I can’t refuse. All right.”
- “Gasp...! Thank you!!!”
- “Thank you, Team Leader Yoo... Thank you, sir....”
Naturally, I did not forget to make Hunter Yoo look good for introducing the shop to his teammates.
Thanks to that, Rune Turtles sold for ten million won and Sylphids for seventy million won. There was no need to explain why my account balance was getting fatter.
Of course... taxes on magical beast pets were no joke either, just like the regulations.
Still, I could not stop the corners of my mouth from twitching as I looked at my healthy bank balance.
‘Hehe... Even after material costs, there’s a pretty good profit left. I can buy new equipment. The Incubator in the shop is cheap, so it’s always made me uneasy.’
Equipment was extremely important for a Magic Beast Alchemist. No matter how hard I worked, the Incubator in my shop could cultivate only up to D-rank.
There was also only one Incubator, so handling the sudden flood of orders would be difficult.
It would be nice if I could get a decent used Incubator somewhere for cheap... Preferably one capable of cultivating C-rank magical beasts....
I entered the workshop and looked around.
“The shop is... too small....”
I could somehow fit in one more Incubator, but...
‘Hmm... Should I move to a bigger store?’
I stepped out of the workshop.
What caught my eye were the cages decorating the shop, each holding a magical beast.
Most of them were Jellykkos, slime-dog magical beasts.
They were magical beasts I had designed myself before obtaining my EX-rank ability, my first creation. They were also my shop’s signature magical beasts.
“Hmm... Should I just clear them out? Get rid of the cages, set up equipment, and only take custom orders?”
I seriously considered it. Honestly, with my ability, that would probably be more advantageous....
“Pant, pant....”
Haengbok, the Jelly Dog, looked up at me while panting.
The moment I met those bright, innocent eyes, my worries melted away like snow.
“......Fine. Forget it.”
I could not throw out the Jellykkos, Haengbok’s kind, the Jelly Dogs that had brought me my lucky break. There were still people who came to the shop specifically for Jellykkos, too...
Maybe I should try improving Jellykko instead...?
Jellykko’s biggest problem was its short lifespan, caused by its inferior mana core.
A higher-ranked mana core was not always better.
A lower-ranked core increased an individual’s stability and made it easier to create. But what happened when the core was higher-ranked?
If you could not design a body capable of controlling its overflowing mana, Cultivation would fail.
That was why high-ranked magical beasts were not easy to create.
Anyway, now that I had this ability, it would not hurt to improve my signature product a little.
* * *
A twenty-two-story guild building in the middle of Teheran-ro, Gangnam.
This was the office of Yeon Harim, the Guild Master of Wolyeong Guild and an A-rank Hunter.
Cynthia, a blonde secretary dressed in a sky-blue blouse and high-waisted skirt, held out the completed report and spoke.
“...That concludes the core reasons I identified for Gamma Team’s improved performance last month. I marked the details, so please read them yourself.”
“Hmm....”
The information Cynthia had gathered...
It was hard to believe, but most of Gamma Team had apparently acquired new magical beast pets, resulting in their overwhelming performance.
“Cia, does this make any sense to you...? Did they all go out and buy high-performance pets worth billions of won or something?”
“No, the report is accurate. The pets they purchased had E-rank and D-rank mana cores. Their performance was simply abnormal. I heard all of the pets they purchased were magical beasts made by a pet maker named Yoo Hyun.”
E-rank and D-rank magical beasts... performing in a C-rank Gate?
‘That can’t be possible...?’
【 Korean Hunter Gallery 】
[ Question ] Magical beast pet technology’s been improving lately, so lots of people are getting them. Are they worth buying?
Author: Cash-Farm King
For reference, I’m a C-rank Hunter. I’ve got around five hundred million won. Can I buy a C-rank pet?
[ Comments ]
Anonymous (106.101): Hmm... Five hundred million could get you a C-rank magical beast from a mid-to-high-tier brand. But do not expect your earnings to suddenly skyrocket.
Marine Jjajang: High-end brand magical beast pets can count for about half a person’s worth, yeah. Save a little more and buy from a high-end brand. Should be fine.
Even the post she had seen while browsing the gallery last night had been about pets.
By conventional wisdom, it was impossible for Gamma Team to achieve an abnormal 112% increase in performance just by purchasing low-ranked pets.
“Hmm... Hold on.”
Yeon Harim took out her smartphone and called someone.
“Hey, it’s me. Are you busy? I have something to ask.”
[ ...I’m busy. What is it? ]
Yeon Harim recited the information from the documents Cynthia had handed her.
“Say, could an independent Magic Beast Alchemist create a D-rank magical beast with an Elemental Type and Dual Traits? Assuming they finished everything from Design to Cultivation within ten days.”
There was no response from the other end of the line for a long time.
After about thirty seconds, a disbelieving laugh came with the reply.
[ Ha... What kind of nonsense is that? A spirit body and dual traits within ten days...? And it’s D-rank? Considering the Cultivation period, that means they practically skipped the Design process... It’s absolutely impossible. If that were possible, China wouldn’t be making such a fuss trying to create S-rank pets. They could just bring in that Magic Beast Alchemist and solve the problem. ]
“Just as I thought, right? Sorry for calling while you’re busy.”
[ No, but why are you even asking tha- ]
Click.
Now she was certain. Whether Yoo Hyun was genuine or a fraud, she needed to secure him first.
They could verify his abilities later.
Yeon Harim rose from her chair and stretched.
“Ugh... A mysterious pet master, huh...? I want to see this for myself....”
“Guild Master, your work is still backed up. You also have a meeting with Barrier Guild afterward, so do not even dream about it for the time being.”
Cynthia’s voice was cold.
“Wait, Cia. That alchemist seems genuinely talented. If he’s an unknown master, shouldn’t we invite him into our guild? Wouldn’t it be a huge loss if we let him slip away? Don’t I need to go in person if we want to bring him in properly?”
“Hmm, you have a point. If that person is truly talented, that is.”
Cynthia was still wary of Yoo Hyun.
His abilities were far too unrealistic.
According to her investigation, Yoo Hyun had been an E-rank Magic Beast Alchemist until recently.
‘The paperwork says he was recently promoted to a C-rank Magic Beast Alchemist....’
His rank had suddenly risen by two levels? It would be a lie to say nothing about it felt suspicious.
‘I don’t know his exact purpose, but I have to consider the possibility that he’s a fraud.’
He might even be someone backed by another faction.
Wasn’t it possible that the magical beasts Yoo Hyun had sold to Gamma Team had been supplied by that faction?
Besides, the fact that he had sold magical beasts only to Gamma Team suggested some kind of intent.
‘......Who could it be? A competing domestic guild? Or overseas? Then why target Wolyeong of all places? Could it be... they’re targeting the Korean Hunter industry itself?’
Snap.
The sound of fingers snapping pulled Cynthia back to reality.
“Cia, what are you thinking so hard about?”
“...Nothing. Given the matter at hand, I’ll meet him myself to discuss an exclusive contract.”
“Oh, you’ll do that? If Cia goes, I can rest easy.”
Cynthia had a sharp personality and outstanding abilities. She was practically the one who kept Wolyeong Guild running.
If she went into action, securing an exclusive contract with the mysterious pet master was as good as done.
A few days later, Cynthia approached the office with a vacant expression and reported.
“......He refused.”
“Why!?”
An independent alchemist had turned down the best terms in the industry?
“......I’m incompetent... That man is beyond my negotiation skills....”
For someone to make Cia react like this...!
“......I just finished my work, so I’ll go myself.”
* * *
And so, Yeon Harim, an A-rank Hunter, Guild Master of Wolyeong Guild, and known as one of Korea’s most beautiful Hunters, personally visited Yoo Hyun’s pet shop....
The two sat across from each other at a small table in the pet shop.
“I heard you refused an exclusive contract with our guild. May I ask why?”
Yeon Harim continued the conversation as though probing Yoo Hyun.
Even as she spoke, her amethyst eyes tracked every movement of his facial muscles.
“I suppose it’s because I don’t see much benefit in it...? An exclusive contract would be a little difficult.”
‘Absolute confidence....’
She could sense the distinctive aura of someone confident they could survive in this field on skill alone. His reluctance toward exclusivity was surely because he was certain he would rise higher.
If the source of that confidence was not bluster...
‘This... might actually be real...?’
Yeon Harim had considered the possibility that Yoo Hyun’s abilities were greatly exaggerated. Yet his confidence... and the steady expression and breathing that never wavered even as he spoke.
‘He doesn’t seem like a con artist... Is he an eccentric with real skill?’
Having assessed him to some extent, Yeon Harim elegantly crossed her legs and spoke.
“Well... I’ll admit the pets you sold were a huge help to our guild members. I heard you identified Hunter Lee Yujin’s problem through consultation alone and immediately made a custom pet for her? I find that hard to believe. I’m interested in pets myself, so I have a rough idea of how long the process takes.”
She subtly suggested that he had passed off a premade magical beast as custom-made.
‘Well? Doesn’t that hit a nerve?’
If it did, she could exploit that opening to create room for negotiation. It was one of the social skills she had learned as a Guild Master.
Honestly, ten days was tight even for Cultivation alone. Hadn’t she personally confirmed that fact by asking an industry professional over the phone?
It was common knowledge that Design took the longest of any part of magical-beast production.
But Yoo Hyun’s reaction differed from her expectations.
“Hmm... Then would you like a consultation yourself?”
......Was he going to face it head-on?
“Hehe... Interesting. Fine. Go ahead and show me what you can do.”
This should be fun... Let’s see what line he tries to spin.
* * *
A few minutes later.
Yeon Harim’s flustered voice rang throughout the pet shop.
“No!! How did you know that!!!”
“And from what I hear, your center of gravity probably tends to shift to the right... Because of that, every time you use a form, you put more force into your planting foot and lose your balance.”
Huh...?
“What are you!? How did you know that too!!!”
“You’ve probably noticed it yourself... At this rate, you’ll hit a wall and fall behind Hunter Baek Seola-”
“Aaaaah!!!!! Stop, stop!!!!! I don’t want to hear it-!!!!!!! I was wrong, stop!!!!!!!!”
That day, Yeon Harim had no choice but to acknowledge Yoo Hyun’s terrifying insight, despite him being nothing more than the owner of a pet shop...
Footnotes:
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