I Became the EX-Rank Pet Maker Hunters Obsess Over - Chapter 64

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

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

Chapter 64: Merfolk Advance

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“Pant, pant...”

Only the Jelly Dog’s panting could be heard in the reception room.

Cheon Sanha quietly asked Yoo Hyun again,

“You’re saying I should take up a bow?”

“That’s right. I know it’s surprising, but based on my analysis, I think a ranged DPS position suits you.”

Cheon Sanha tilted their head at those words.

“I don’t know... I recognize your insight, Mr. Yoo Hyun, but I know my own abilities well. Most of my metrics, strength, agility, reaction speed, and so on, are suited to melee DPS. This has been verified countless times by professional Hunter analysts.”

Certainly, the results from analysts hired at astronomical expense would indicate that Cheon Sanha was someone optimized for melee DPS.

Cheon Sanha had probably tried out their Talents in every possible way. As a member of Cheonseong Group, they would have tested and analyzed their abilities through methods that ordinary Hunters could never even attempt.

If the Customer Window had not developed enough to display Talents, I would have made Cheon Sanha a melee support pet suited to their combat style. Cheon Sanha already had a well-established style.

But absurdly enough, Cheon Sanha’s ceiling was higher as a ranged DPS.

[ Name 》 Cheon Sanha ]

[ Species 》 Human ]

[ Awakened Rank 》 A-rank ]

[ Position 》 Assault Swordfighter ]

[ Combat Tendencies 》 Prefers to target an opponent’s openings. Prefers to break through an opponent’s defenses with bursts of power. Prefers situations without variables. ]

[ Areas for Improvement 》 Cheon Sanha’s attacks appear to rely solely on mana compression. Their sword paths are somewhat limited and tend to lack flexibility. Acquiring a variety of attack methods appears effective. ]

[ Talent 》 Exceptional Spatial Perception, Exceptional Mana Compression, Excellent Dynamic Visual Acuity ]

Cheon Sanha’s position was the same as Azuma Ryusei, Japan’s quick-draw fanatic of an S-rank Hunter.

Cheon Sanha had probably modeled their style after Azuma Ryusei as well.

An Assault Swordfighter who rushed in, dealt damage, and withdrew in an instant was a perfect fit for Cheon Sanha.

Given Cheon Sanha’s excellent reflexes, high strength, and agility, choosing Assault Swordfighter had been a fairly suitable decision.

Ryuusei’s style involved compressing massive power into his sword during a quick draw, then unleashing an explosive strike. Cheon Sanha, with their Talent for Exceptional Mana Compression, had developed a similar style.

Up to that point, it was an extremely reasonable choice. Cheon Sanha truly possessed the Talents a swordfighter needed.

But conversely, despite those Talents and physical attributes, Cheon Sanha had failed to reach S-rank.

Even when I had casually asked about Cheon Sanha’s sword path earlier, they had been unable to give a proper answer.

That pointed to one possibility.

‘...Unfortunately, Cheon Sanha was not chosen by the sword.’

There had to be Talents that my Customer Window could not properly display.

Talents that could not be quantified.

And in that regard, Cheon Sanha was likely a dullard.

The decisive key that would bring all of Cheon Sanha’s potential together and make it erupt.

‘Sword Talent.’

Cheon Sanha lacked that.

Did that mean Cheon Sanha had not worked hard enough?

No, it did not.

The dual-sword technique Cheon Sanha had perfected through every means available to Cheonseong Group was the result of their own effort.

But even that was a product created through money and time.

In truth, Cheon Sanha was the same type as Hunter Kang Sujin after becoming a cavalry rider, someone whose swordsmanship was guided by experts’ programming.

‘Coming this far without Sword Talent means Cheon Sanha has worked hard enough.’

They had plenty of talent. Their standards were simply too high.

In the end, the only ways for Cheon Sanha to reach S-rank were to awaken Cheon Sanha’s Sword Talent, or recommend a different Position that could make use of their existing Talents.

Yoo Hyun looked at Cheon Sanha and spoke in a subdued voice.

“You have two choices. Take up the sword, or take up the bow. The choice is yours, Cheon Sanha.”

“Pant, pant...”

Either way, I intended to forcibly raise Cheon Sanha to S-rank with a custom pet.

Cheon Sanha was a business partner spreading Jellykko across the world, after all.

As though slowly turning my words over in their mind, Cheon Sanha lowered their gaze and muttered,

“...A sword or a bow...”

Cheon Sanha recalled the past.

Until now, they had swung only a sword, following the analysts’ findings.

They had achieved results in their own way and become known as one of the strongest A-ranks.

Among Korean dual-sword fanatics, no, dual-wielding Hunters, Cheon Sanha was confident that they were the strongest.

Cheon Sanha had not reached S-rank, but they had still attained a level worthy of being called a top-tier Hunter.

And now they were being told to walk a path other than the sword?

It was ridiculous.

Cheon Sanha had tried a bow during the early days after their awakening.

Even Cheon Sanha thought their shooting was not bad.

But even taking that into account, Cheon Sanha’s stats suited a swordfighter.

The single strike that used mana compression, practically their specialty, could not fully contain its power without a specially made sword. Naturally, commercially available Hunter arrows could not withstand mana compression.

Their skill tree had already diverged.

Even if they picked up a bow now, their combat power would only decline sharply.

The bow was not their path.

Then why could they not speak?

Why could they not say those simple words, that Cheon Sanha would keep holding a sword?

Cheon Sanha’s gaze shifted from Yoo Hyun to Haengbok, the Jellykko Yoo Hyun was kneading.

“Pant, pant...”

The Jellykko stared at them with bright, round eyes.

‘...Jellykko.’

The Jellykko business Cheon Sanha had started to win Yoo Hyun’s favor was becoming an essential item for every citizen, much like a smartphone.

‘That Jellykko model was also the first original magical beast Yoo Hyun ever made.’

Yoo Hyun was unquestionably a genius.

His insight was so absurd that, with only a brief consultation, he could instantly catch up to conclusions that analysts took months to reach.

Then perhaps it would not be so bad to bet on the possibility he saw.

‘...Should I just trust him once?’

Cheon Sanha decided to use what might be the only opportunity in their life to have a custom pet made, following their instincts.

“...Could you tell me more about the bow?”

“Of course.”

“Pant, pant!”

In the end, Cheon Sanha decided to try taking up a bow, even if it meant being fooled.

* * *

Britain’s eastern coast.

“Fire!”

Pheeeew!

A fleet armed with torpedoes and naval guns unleashed a simultaneous barrage at the horde of Merfolk.

Boom! Boom!

Yet despite the terrifying firepower, most of the Merfolk remained unharmed. They climbed onto the ships and began attacking sailors and Hunters.

Aoror!

Clang!

A British B-rank Hunter barely blocked a Merfolk’s trident with a sword.

“Fuck...! What kind of strength does a fish head have...?!”

Tremble.

Terrifying strength, enough to overwhelm even a B-rank Hunter.

This was the strength of the weakest Merfolk.

Two types of Merfolk had currently been observed. One was the relatively weak, low-intelligence Mindless Merfolk like these.

The other was the Hunter-based Inherited Merfolk, believed to have originally been human.

Merfolk who had inherited the abilities, memories, and sense of self they possessed as Hunters.

There was no need to explain why those ones were troublesome.

They had received the Transcendent’s blessing, molted from humanity, and gained power beyond their species’ limits.

On top of that, they retained the traits and intelligence they had possessed as Hunters. Their combat power was at least comparable to that of S-rank Hunters.

The only consolation was that their numbers were small, but it was not difficult to predict that they would steadily increase over time.

Slash!

Thud.

“Aor...”

“Ghk...”

Gabriel Sinclair, Britain’s S-rank Hunter, cut down a Merfolk at the land base and frowned at the state of the battlefield.

Ships were sinking one by one. Merfolk were landing along the coast. Between them, Hunters with severed limbs and no ability to resist were being dragged away by Merfolk.

“Damn it...!”

Gabriel cursed and cut down the Merfolk around him.

Britain’s Shield, an S-rank tank, resented his inadequate firepower more than ever.

Even at the pleas of the Hunters being dragged away, all he could do was protect the Hunters behind him.

As he cut down Merfolk, Gabriel found himself wondering.

“Damn it... How did they break through so easily?!”

No matter what, the battle was progressing strangely.

They should not have been pushed back this badly, but at some point, their formation had collapsed and a gap had opened.

As though it had not been brought down by an external attack, but...

Step. Step.

While Gabriel was still questioning it, a Hunter carrying a sword and shield approached the front of the base.

“Are you injured? I’m sorry, but your wounds do not look serious. Please hold your position for now. If we cannot endure, the civilians behind us will not be safe.”

At Gabriel’s words, the man tilted his head sideways.

“...You do not remember?”

“I don’t know who you are. This is a battlefield. Save the small talk for later.”

Gabriel looked at the man suspiciously.

Despite being so defenseless, the Merfolk were strangely not attacking him.

Grin.

The man bared his teeth in a smile.

“Heh heh heh... You do not know? You truly do not know...”

“What are you suddenly talking about?”

“To think you did not even know I existed...”

This was driving him mad. What was this man trying to say in a situation like this?

The man moved his eyes grotesquely in opposite directions and spoke.

“You must be wondering why the front line was broken through so easily... Heh heh heh... Once I stirred things up from the inside, it collapsed pathetically.”

“What do you mean...? Don’t tell me, you...!”

Cases of Merfolk found in cities had led to predictions that they might be able to disguise themselves as humans, but surely not...!

“You noticed too late.”

Crack.

The man’s skin split apart, revealing blue scales beneath it.

“I will show you... the power I received from the One!”

A blue flash, the same color as his scales, gleamed as a tremendous shock wave surged forward.

Flash!

Wooooosh!

Gabriel blocked the front with his shield and endured the oncoming shock wave.

“Ghhk!”

When the shock wave passed, a massive shadow loomed over Gabriel.

Gabriel looked up without thinking and could not help but curse.

“...This is insane.”

A Merfolk the size of a giant building was looking down at him, red light blazing from its eyes.

Naturally, everyone on the battlefield temporarily stopped moving at the overwhelming size and shock wave. A brief lull followed.

Clatter.

One of the mages in the rear dropped their staff and screamed.

“Fuck! It’s a Colossal Merfolk!”

Apparently in a severe panic, they clutched at their sparse hair. Their fear quickly spread to those around them.

“How are we supposed to beat something like that...?”

“N-No... Ah... I don’t want this...! I don’t want the Merfolk to drag me away...!”

“M-Mom... I’m sorry...”

“...We could make one fucking huge sardine pie.”

The Hunters lost their will to fight one after another.

Knowing that they would be dragged away by the Merfolk if they lost made them all the more terrified.

“Don’t be afraid! It’s only big! Attack!”

Gabriel, who had no effective means of attack, could only shout with all his strength.

Then the Colossal Merfolk began to move.

It slowly pulled one leg back, then swung it forward.

A clumsy soccer-kick posture.

But that terrifying mass and speed were approaching with an enormous blast of wind. Gabriel raised his shield and took a defensive stance.

Whoooosh!

‘If I can block this, I can turn the tide...!’

He vowed that he would do it, but when he saw the Merfolk’s foot approaching right before him, he realized something was wrong.

“Damn! Wai...”

Booooom!

The tremendous impact, enough to shatter his entire body, blew away his consciousness.

Boom!

The figure launched into the sky like a cannonball became a dot in an instant and vanished. The sight thoroughly crushed the Hunters’ last remaining morale.

“Ah... Aah...”

“My God... Gabriel was defeated?”

“R-Run!”

Britain’s Shield, a man who was no different from a fortress wall, had been sent flying several kilometers by a single kick from the Colossal Merfolk.

And with Britain’s wall destroyed, the Mindless Merfolk were allowed to invade.

“The Merfolk are coming!”

For a while, the Hunters’ screams echoed across the battlefield.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Ars Magna testing grounds.

Booooom!

Several layers of shock-absorbing equipment were completely destroyed, and part of the facility was blown away.

“T-This is insane...”

Cheon Sanha stared in shock at the destruction they had caused themselves.

Yoo Hyun approached them and asked,

“How is it? Do you like it?”

“Pant, pant...?”