WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Haruto
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became the EX-Rank Pet Maker Hunters Obsess Over ◈
Chapter 60: Apostle-Level
──────
Not long after Jia started working, I received a message from Guild Master Cheon Sanha.
[ Cheon Sanha ]: The friend you sent us is a Jellykko expert. Our staff are amazed by how well she handles her work. Honestly, I thought she was a parachute hire... My apologies.
“...But Jia definitely is a parachute hire. I guess she’s doing better than I expected.”
Pant... Pant...
Just as expected of the girl who had been there throughout Jellykko’s history.
[ Cheon Sanha ]: And the Jellykko business has been extremely successful. They are perfect pets that solve most of the drawbacks of conventional pets. The special snacks that extend their lifespans also provide steady profits after adoption. And when we consider IP expansion through Jellykko merchandise, animation, and so on, the profits will be incomparable to what they are now. Given our current adoption figures, the goal of one Jellykko per person also seems entirely achievable.
“One person, one Jellykko.”
Pant... Pant...
Excellent.
As Jellykkos became more widespread, the number of people dying in unexpected accidents in Korea had dropped dramatically.
I read through the articles while keeping my chat with Cheon Sanha open.
[ Exclusive ] Fatal Accidents Plummet After Jellykko Distribution... Korea Enters an Era of Zero Accident Deaths
[ Feature ] The Miracle of Jellykkos, Preventing Falls and Collisions... Death Toll Plummets as Nationwide Distribution Rises
[ Business ] “Springy Texture and Lifesaving Abilities” Yoo Hyun X Cheonseong’s Jellykko Brand Has a Three-Month Adoption Waitlist
The more articles like these appeared, the greater the demand for Jellykkos grew. It had gradually spread into a social phenomenon, sparking a Jellykko boom.
Of course, as the number of Jellykkos increased, problems such as abuse and abandonment could arise. But the Jellykko Lovers Club had grown just as much, easing many of those concerns.
【 Jellykko Gallery 】
[ Squishy ] I cried watching the news about another Jellykko saving someone’s life today ㅠㅠ
Posted by: SquishySpringyJelly
A kid fell from an apartment balcony, but the Jellykko underneath puffed its body way up and caught them, so they lived ㅠㅠㅠㅠ...
They’re magical beasts, but they’re so kind and squishy that every home needs one ㅠ... I can’t even imagine life without a Jellykko now... Jellykkos are the best...ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
[ Comments ]
JellySuhyunMom: Seriously ㅠ After we adopted a Jellykko, our baby rolled down the stairs and it caught them all soft and fluffy? Not a single injury ㅠㅠ... Jellykkos are gods~ ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
└ Anon (110.70): Instead of relying on Jellykkos, please watch your child properly so they don’t roll down the stairs; Where is your mind at;
Anon (37.9): Fuck;; I came here from a major gallery to look around, why does everyone here talk like this??
“Jellykko moms are a little scary.”
Pant... Pant...
I had no idea what kind of phenomenon they would cause in the future.
[ Cheon Sanha ]: In any case, if things continue like this, the magical beast pet brand Happy Jellykko will become one of the Cheonseong Group’s flagship brands. Naturally, we are also considering overseas expansion. We are currently preparing to open a branch in Japan and plan to steadily broaden our business.
Having apparently given a sufficient report on the Jellykko business, Cheon Sanha moved on to the next topic.
[ Cheon Sanha ]: ...The research institute is also nearly complete. S-rank facilities on Japan’s level are impossible, but we have prepared it so that we can produce up to A-rank. We have entered a technical agreement for B-rank mana core production, making domestic production possible.
Producing B-rank mana cores ourselves was not bad. It would definitely help when I mass-produced magical beasts later.
“Hmm... I wonder if I could talk Japan into setting up separate S-rank facilities at the Korean research institute?”
I would have to discuss it with Chairman Asakura later.
Incidentally, the new research institute was also in Paju.
The reason it had been built near Paju was to prepare for expansion into North Korea.
North Korea was a country that had collapsed early in the Gate crisis.
Even while Gates were tearing the country apart, they oppressed the Awakened as reactionaries until everyone at the top died... They failed to respond to the crisis and fell apart.
In the end, North Korea was now called Monster Land, a place crawling with monsters due to Gate Breaks.
One fortunate thing was that most of the monsters had moved north, so few came down into South Korea.
One day, I planned to make that empty land mine.
I would turn Monster Land into Magical Beast Land.
Pant... Pant...!
“Alright, alright, Haengbok. I’ll knead you.”
Squeeze. Squeeze.
I had not told anyone, but I planned to create a colossal magical beast nation.
Considering the scale of the ultimate magical beast I would someday make, even a facility like Japan’s Ars Magna would not be enough.
That was why I had no choice but to turn all of North Korea into a magical beast development facility.
It sounded absurd for now, but who knew? If international affairs grew increasingly chaotic because of the Transcendents, it might become possible.
And the transportation here was not bad, either.
If I made flying magical beasts, it would be the ideal location to secure mobility to Incheon Airport and Seoul. At least for me, it was a pretty good spot.
After ending my conversation with Cheon Sanha, I took out the censer.
[ Going again? ]
“I need to gather information.”
Pant... Pant...
Recently, I had been steadily gathering information in Masquerade.
Not only monsters, but islands and buildings had begun appearing from Anomalous Gates around the world. That had to be a sign that something was happening.
“But this does feel different from an ordinary Gate Break. Usually, monsters just came out of Gates and caused trouble.”
Merfolk Island, which had appeared in the North Sea, and the enormous structure that had suddenly appeared in Russia were different from ordinary Gate Breaks.
Amon folded their arms and spoke.
[ Gates are originally byproducts of world erosion. They are closer to holes opened by stimulation from an outside world. A world with holes in it becomes easier for outside worlds to interfere with. That is why Transcendents establish their footholds around Gates. It is cost-effective in terms of causality. Centered around the places where Anomalous Gates appear, this world’s environment will undergo drastic changes under the Transcendents’ influence. ]
Like Amon’s mist? The mist could also be seen as a type of environmental erosion.
“But why do buildings appear outside Gates, or terrain change? Those changes must consume an enormous amount of causality.”
According to Amon’s logic, exerting influence outside a Gate would consume more causality than doing something within it.
[ It is likely more advantageous to alter the surrounding environment in order to protect the Gate itself. They are expanding the boundary zone so that people cannot enter the Gate in the first place. ]
Hmm... So clearing a Gate meant the entire front yard got wiped out. It had been the same with Amon. When we cleared the Gate, the mist disappeared in an instant.
From the Transcendents’ perspective, having a Gate cleared carried as much risk as being forced to liquidate stocks. They were expanding the boundary zone around the Gate entrance to protect it from being cleared too easily.
“...Then this really is the time when they’re weakest.”
Pant... Pant...!
It was obvious, but they were weakest before their tech tree had advanced much.
[ If possible, that is certainly the most reliable time. However, most civilizations cannot defeat a Transcendent’s Apostles, no matter how weakened the Apostles are. ]
Well, that was true... I only thought I had beaten Amon because our compatibility had been favorable.
[ And mortals are bound by conflicts of interest. Therefore, few worlds can decide to immediately clear an Anomalous Gate that generates enormous profit. ]
“True...”
If the government tried to restrict access because Treasure Island in Shinan was dangerous, people would not stay quiet.
[ Apostles of Transcendents like me continually work to expand our domains in the worlds where we are stationed. Therefore, wars between underlings will never cease. If I had devoured Japan, I would have immediately invaded Korea to advance into the continent. ]
“Alright, alright. You Wakppu Jelly Dog who loves explaining things. Don’t tell me things I didn’t ask about. I’ll be back shortly.”
Whoosh...
I entered another room, activated the censer, and entered Masquerade, the mental world.
* * *
Murmur... Murmur...
Buzz... Buzz...
The population density in Masquerade’s main plaza had visibly increased day by day.
The rapid population growth probably meant that the Transcendents’ forces had penetrated our society that deeply.
Simply walking through the plaza like this allowed me to gather information.
Incidentally, my Avatar this time was dressed like a plague doctor.
A crow-like mask, a hooded robe that reached my ankles, a long cane, and a wide-brimmed hat.
In short, it was a Halloween outfit.
It was nice to gather information by casually talking to anyone in the plaza, but the real highlight here was the premium communities that required an entrance fee.
“Hmm... Where should I look around today?”
I took out my device.
The interesting thing about this place was that communities for every possible theme existed.
Some shared combat techniques and even allowed actual sparring. There were also magic engineering communities where people held in-depth discussions.
I operated the device and browsed the Channels.
【 Masquerade Channels 】
- [ Gate Church Gold Faction, Kicked If You Do Not Know the Codeword ] Private
- [ Only Those Who Want to Hunt Merfolk Performing Human Sacrifices ] 119 / 999
- [ Only Merfolk Who Want to Hunt Hunters Hunting Merfolk ] Private
- 【 Apostle-tier Only for Information Sharing / Initial Entrance Fee: 10,000 Coins 】 4 / 100
- [ Korean Jellykko Lovers Club ] 7 / 999
- [ Holy Church of Protocol Deus ] 134 / 999
- [ Blacksmiths Only~ ] 83 / 999
- [ Symposium / ※ Black Has Not Appeared Lately~ ] 156 / 999
Countless Channels appeared.
Among them, one room stood out. It was the only one surrounded by a golden border.
- 【 Apostle-tier Only for Information Sharing / Initial Entrance Fee: 10,000 Coins 】 4 / 100
“An entrance fee of 10,000...”
When I fed Haengbok the cheapest of Amon’s ritual implements, I received around 2,400 Dharma Power. And when Hunter Yoo Dusik brought me a backpack full of Treasure Island loot, I think I had received around 700 Spiritual Energy.
Both Spiritual Energy and Dharma Power converted to causality at a one-to-one ratio, so that was 3,100 causality.
But 10,000?
With that much causality, I could make four more Spirit Beings on Rodin’s level. It was an utterly incomprehensible amount.
‘What kind of Channel is this?’
I checked my causality.
[ Causality Held : 10,004 ]
Thanks to causality from trolling communities, artifacts received as pet production fees, and the steady supply from Hunter Yoo Dusik, I had just barely enough...
“...It isn’t a scam, right?”
I imagined Air Haengbok and kneaded the empty air as I thought.
Squeeze. Squeeze.
If they were Apostle-tier, their position was at least equal to Amon’s.
And Tier One of Masquerade was the lowest Tier, mostly used by this world’s natives.
That meant there were Apostle-tier Earthlings who had contracted with Transcendents in there.
They had to be top-class talents if they were Apostle-tier, so perhaps it was possible for them to gather the enormous amount of 10,000 causality.
It was such a waste, but...
I had the Customer Window, so I could gain much more than anyone else for the same cost.
“Alright, let’s go in.”
I could gather causality again anyway.
I operated the device, opened a portal to the Apostle-tier Channel, and entered.
The sight that unfolded before me created such an alien atmosphere that it was hard to believe it belonged to this world. The ground seemed to float atop dreamlike clouds, while a sky painted in brilliant colors stretched overhead.
“What kind of room customization is this...?”
A magnificent building stood about thirty meters from where I was.
Golden waves surrounding it cast the building in a dreamlike glow.
I followed the path into the building and soon entered a circular space that reminded me of the Symposium I had trolled.
“Hmm, it is incomparably more luxurious than the Symposium.”
That place had also been top-class, but this was on another level.
A round table stood in the center of the room, with several people seated around it. They were probably...
Flash!
The moment I tried to see who they were, a burst of light flashed. A shockwave exploded, and the space began to be completely torn apart.
Craaaash!!!!!
Rumble...!!!
I grabbed a nearby pillar to steady myself against the shaking ground.
“...What was that?”
What on earth had they been talking about while seated there? One of them was nowhere to be seen, as though embedded in the wall, while the other, who seemed to have attacked, was staring in that direction with knuckledusters on both hands.
‘I couldn’t even see the attack...’
They were at least S-rank.
Then someone approached beside me without making a sound.
“Well, well... There was another Apostle here? Hahaha!!”
A lunatic dressed like a butcher and drenched in blood stood right beside me, pressing their masked face close.
I did not turn my head as I spoke.
“...Who are you?”
“Me? The one that person attacked.”
The Apostle wearing knuckledusters seemed to notice the butcher and looked our way. They gathered an enormous amount of mana in both hands before launching themself forward in an instant.
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading today too...!
Jellykko lifespans can be extended with special snacks...! This was mentioned in Chapter 10!! You do not have to worry about Jellykkos dying quickly!!
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
