I Became the EX-Rank Pet Maker Hunters Obsess Over - Chapter 65

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

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

Chapter 65: Merfolk Subjugation Battle

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[Breaking News] Britain’s eastern coastal defense line completely breached... North Sea Merfolk swarm makes large-scale landing

[Urgent Breaking News] “Britain’s coastline has completely collapsed.”... Major North Sea Merfolk assault, British government formally requests aid

[World] British Royal Family and Prime Minister’s Office send SOS to the world... “Top rewards promised to anyone who clears the North Sea’s Merfolk Island Gate”

[Exclusive] Even S-rank Tanker Gabriel has fallen... Complete defeat against Merfolk swarm on Britain’s coast, all-out recruitment of foreign Hunters expected

News of Britain being invaded by the Merfolk spread across the world in an instant.

Another national-collapse-level crisis, following the Saitama Prefecture incident in Japan.

I kneaded Haengbok as I read through articles about the situation in Britain.

“They really got completely wrecked.”

“Pant, pant...”

Photos taken by drones showed the eastern coast of Britain crawling with Merfolk.

Looking closely, it seemed the Merfolk were building watchtower-like structures and defensive walls.

It felt as though they were effectively turning the area into a forward base for invading Britain.

Experts believed there was a high possibility that the Merfolk would continue south, travel up the Thames, and target London.

Amon crossed its arms and spoke.

[ It is the expected course. Since they failed to infiltrate human society, they intend to swallow a nation even at the cost of enormous causality. Dormancy was only a means of conserving causality from the beginning... It is nearly impossible for mortals to overcome an invasion by a Transcendent’s force. ]

“Yeah, yeah. Our Amon is such a smartypants.”

Crinkle.

Amon’s face twisted in displeasure.

Just as Emperor’s Mask had said at the roundtable meeting, Britain had ultimately failed to stop the Merfolk and called for aid from across the world.

Emperor’s Mask must have judged that there would be no variables in the Merfolk invasion.

The difference in power between a force protected by a Transcendent and one without that protection was overwhelming.

“Let’s see... Should I check the domestic reaction?”

[ Don’t spend too much time browsing the Gallery. ]

“Pant, pant...”

Amon had been using the computer a lot recently and had picked up some strange expressions.

Jelly Dogs climbed up on either side of me and stared at the monitor.

Some predicted that, even if Britain requested aid, there would not be many Hunters willing to help.

Most neighboring countries had merely watched when Japan faced a similar crisis.

But contrary to predictions, the response to Britain’s request for aid was broadly positive.

【 Korean Hunter Gallery 】

[ Free ] Things keep happening lately... There are too many Earth Online updates, I’m getting dizzy;

[ Free ] The neighborhood next door going to hell is a dopamine party, yep yep

[ Free ] What’s everyone doing about Britain’s Merfolk Island support request? Apparently C-rank and above can apply.

[ Free ] I’m going. They say regular Merfolk are upper B-rank, and the reward is double that of a B-rank monster for every one you kill. Gotta go, plus the support is great.

[ Free ] Can’t resist a double-reward event yep yep. Hunter gear has been breaking past its limits lately, so I need to replace mine too lol

[ Free ] I’m going to livestream on YouTube... This time I have to bet my life on getting my channel to blow up, fuck;;

[ Free ] You’re all collectively insane lol. Don’t do it. All the British Hunters got wiped out, what makes you think we’d be different? Even S-rank Hunters couldn’t hold out.

[ Free ] But surprisingly, foreign Hunters are announcing that they’ll join the Merfolk subjugation?

[ Free ] Right? Everyone was quiet during Japan’s crisis, but even S-rank Hunters are visiting Britain? What’s going on...?

The atmosphere was certainly very different from Japan.

“...Didn’t he say you could gain a lot of causality in a war?”

Emperor’s Mask had definitely said that.

Amon nodded.

[ War itself is an opportunity to earn enormous amounts of causality. Most of the various spoils obtained there contain causality. ]

S-rank Hunters were gathering in Britain to farm causality, followed by A-rank and B-rank Hunters. The more people gathered, the more humanity’s overall strength and odds of victory rose, drawing in still more people.

Humanity’s forces were naturally converging in one place.

“Certainly... From the Merfolk’s perspective, this has to be urgent. Apostles from other factions will be mixed in with ordinary Hunters too.”

Now I understood why they had deliberately infiltrated human society. If they could overthrow humanity in one swift strike before it could resist, there would be less chance of something like this happening.

Ding!

I looked at my smartphone at the message notification.

[ Cheon Sanha ]: Is there anything you need, little brother? I’m really grateful, so...

Cheon Sanha had been calling me little brother on their own ever since they received their magical beast pet.

Of course, that was because I had told him not to call me big brother, but still...

‘Hmm... I’ve already received enough in artifacts as payment...’

Cheon Sanha’s Cheonseong Guild had also farmed Treasure Island, so they possessed many artifacts. Most of them had been given to me as payment for crafting magical beast pets.

Thanks to that, my resources were well stocked.

[ Spiritual Energy ] : 3743

But artifacts were the only way for me to obtain Tier 2 resources and causality.

[ Me ]: I would appreciate it if you could get me more artifacts.

I should ask for more.

[ Cheon Sanha ]: More...? Artifacts are really hard to acquire these days... But if it’s little brother’s request, I have no choice.

“Hmm, they must really like the Echidna model.”

The magical beast I made for Cheon Sanha had ultimately turned them into the strongest archer, so it was only natural.

[ Model Name 》 Echidna ]

[ Mana Core Rank 》 S ]

[ Lifespan 》 26 years ]

[ Traits 》 Needle Archive (S+), Mana Amplification (A+), Structural Enhancement (A+), Shape Transformation (B+) ]

It was my third S-rank magical beast model, named after the spiny anteater but shaped more like a hedgehog than a mole.

As you could see, most of its potential had been invested in producing spikes that could be used as arrows.

It could supply Cheon Sanha with an unlimited number of arrows in whatever form he wanted, and those arrows overwhelmingly outperformed existing Hunter equipment.

They could do more than withstand Cheon Sanha’s Mana Compression. They could greatly amplify its power.

The only unfortunate part was that the extracted spikes evaporated after several hours.

Should I say that the mana contained in the spike arrows dispersed into the air over time?

Anyway, if not for that, I could have steadily extracted spikes from the Echidna model and supplied them to archers, improving their combat strength. It was truly regrettable.

[ What will you do now? ]

“What else? Since I’m in Japan, I should give Hunter Yeon Harim and Hunter Baek Seola an Enhancement too.”

* * *

Wolyeong Guild Building

Guild Master’s Office

After confirming that nobody was around, Yeon Harim took something out of a box.

An animal-ear headband.

She put it on, struck a pose in front of the mirror, and said,

“Meow~!”

A brief wave of self-loathing rose within her, but she barely suppressed it.

The box was filled with cosplay items. She tried them on one by one, looked in the mirror, and struck more poses.

“Phew... Are demon horns not good? Mr. Yoo Hyun definitely likes cosplay... Still, a cat is probably better than a demon, right? No... Seeing that Haengbok is a Jelly Dog, Mr. Yoo Hyun is definitely a dog person. Or should I try a nun’s outfit like that slutty nun?”

Swish.

As though she had made up her mind, Yeon Harim drew the curtains over the large windows.

She checked that the door was locked.

There were no security cameras in the office either, so there was no problem.

Slide.

Using Etherization, she shed her clothes in one go, then rummaged through the box and pulled out cosplay outfits.

Looking into the full-length mirror she had prepared in advance, she held each one against her body and tried on different accessories.

“...This combination really isn’t bad.”

Thus, the cat-eared maid was complete.

With this combination, she could surely capture the heart of Yoo Hyun, a cosplay fanatic.

“More importantly, this is more fun than I expected...?”

Maybe because they were clothes she never wore normally, her heart was pounding.

Especially since the cosplay outfits she had bought this time had been chosen with that slutty nun in mind, every one of them was revealing.

Even the maid outfit she was wearing now exposed her chest, while its skirt was so short that her butt would show with the slightest movement. They were absolutely not clothes she could wear in front of other people.

“This is so vulgar...”

Thump. Thump.

Yeon Harim gulped and, with trembling hands, pulled down the cloth covering her chest and slightly lifted her skirt.

When she looked in the mirror, there was a pervert standing there.

“Wow... This is seriously insane bitch behavior...”

She had removed her underwear with Etherization too, making her look like the biggest slut imaginable.

Just as Yeon Harim was staring into the mirror, absorbed in the new stimulation...

Click.

The door that she had definitely locked opened, and her secretary Cynthia entered. The moment Cynthia saw Yeon Harim’s attire, she froze.

“...G-Guild Master... What on earth are you doing during working hours...?”

“Huh...? W-Why is the door...?”

“...Did I not tell you that the lock was broken and needed repairs?”

You didn’t tell me...?

Cynthia looked at Yeon Harim with cold, utterly unimpressed eyes.

“You even drew the curtains... I never thought you had that kind of hobby... Well, I understand, but please restrain yourself in the guild building. Also, this is related to Britain, but... Sigh, forget it. Get dressed before someone comes.”

Cynthia put the documents on Yeon Harim’s desk and left.

Ding!

[ Yoo Hyun ]: Hunter Yeon Harim, I would like to make the magical beast I mentioned before. Could you come to Japan?

[ Me ]: I just died. I don’t exist anymore.

[ Yoo Hyun ]: What? Are you okay?

“Waaah...”

Yeon Harim changed her clothes while crying, and her sobbing did not stop in the office for quite some time.

* * *

A few days later.

Hunters from all over the world had gathered in Britain.

They were each assigned to a battlefield and began engaging the Merfolk.

The eastern coast was divided into five battlefields.

Cheon Sanha and the Cheonseong Guild’s elite members were assigned to Battlefield Three, which was expected to be the most dangerous. Around them, foreign guilds and famous Hunters whose names they had heard at least once had each gathered into their own groups.

The battlefield was covered in dark clouds.

A mass of Merfolk could be seen in the distance.

One of the Cheonseong Guild members muttered,

“...It really feels like we’re at war.”

Cheon Sanha nodded.

“It is war. Everyone heard the briefing, right? Mindless Merfolk are nothing special, but Inherited Merfolk show up now and then, so avoid fighting them whenever possible. The S-ranks will handle them.”

“Chit, chit...”

The Cheonseong Guild had joined for only one reason.

To acquire artifacts.

Some Merfolk occasionally carried artifacts, and their quality was fairly good. Cheonseong had come to farm artifacts for Yoo Hyun while also building a favorable reputation for the guild’s future expansion into Britain.

‘And while I’m at it, I can test my new ability.’

With my ability, on this battlefield...

Tap.

Someone grabbed Cheon Sanha’s shoulder.

When they turned around, a two-meter-tall skinhead was looking down at them.

“Hey, Asian. We’ll handle this place, so you lot fall back.”

“...We claimed this position first. We have no reason to move.”

They had been assigned to individual battlefields, but the actual fighting was largely left to each group.

Britain gave them a general operation plan while leaving the detailed execution to their discretion.

Naturally, each guild and individual could choose their own position, so the Cheonseong Guild had found a suitably good spot and set up a base. What was this supposed to be?

“Ha, fuck... You unblessed bastards... Get the hint and get the hell to the rear while I’m still asking nicely.”

“I’m telling you, you’re the ones who need to get lost. Did all sense of fair play evaporate along with your hair?”

“What? You little...!”

The skinhead grabbed Cheon Sanha by the collar and lifted him up.

“Guild Master!”

The Cheonseong Guild and the skinhead’s group faced off, creating a vicious, explosive atmosphere.

But the standoff did not last long.

“They’re coming!”

The skinhead roughly released Cheon Sanha’s collar.

Smack!

“Tch. We’ll come back after stopping this wave, so get ready to clear out.”

He drew his greatsword and headed toward the battlefield.

His subordinates followed him, moving in orderly formation.

They moved like well-trained soldiers.

One of the subordinates walked beside the skinhead and asked,

“Boss, what are we going to do? The position those guys took is prime real estate, and they don’t look like they’ll move easily.”

“We’ll show them overwhelming strength and make them back down on their own. They’re probably Korean. That place is believed to have no expansion by a Transcendent’s force, so those guys are basically weaklings.”

The skinhead grinned and took a drug from his pocket.

It was an enhancement drug that the Transcendent force he belonged to provided to its underlings. With this, he could display power on the level of an S-rank.

‘No, I may be able to reach even higher.’

His equipment was also cutting-edge gear containing technology supplied by a Transcendent.

With this equipment and the drug, his subordinates would be strengthened to at least upper A-rank, or even S-rank if the drug worked especially well. Their group would probably be the strongest on this battlefield.

The strongest group...

...That was certainly what he had believed.

Slash! Slash! Slaaash!

Some lunatic was sweeping across the battlefield with curved blades in both hands, becoming drenched in Merfolk blood.

“Bwahahaha! This is great, this is great! There are so many things to slice apart!”

“W-What the hell is that guy...?”

He was tearing through the battlefield at terrifying speed, like a human blender.

And that was not all. Elsewhere, another crazy martial artist in monastic robes was firing palm blasts and blowing apart Mindless Merfolk.

“Repent, heretics!”

Booooom!

The momentum was so extraordinary that the Merfolk advance slowed considerably.

Just as unimaginably powerful people all over the battlefield were slaughtering Merfolk...

Fwoooosh!

A red flash streaked over the skinhead’s head, landed in the middle of a group of Merfolk, and caused a massive explosion.

Kaboom!

The power was so tremendous that everyone on the battlefield stopped moving for a moment.

“This is insane...”

The skinhead turned his head to see who had unleashed such an absurdly destructive strike.

Then his face went pale.

A blond Asian person stood at the encampment of those Asians from earlier, holding the exact posture of someone who had just fired a bow.

“...”

“...Boss, what do we do?”

As the skinhead stared blankly at the battlefield being devastated in real time, red flashes continued to rain down from the sky.

[Breaking News] “Red meteors rained from the sky”... Cheonseong Guild’s Cheon Sanha plays a major role

[Feature] Cheon Sanha puts down his sword and takes up a bow, dyeing Britain’s coast blood-red... “Effectively S-rank Awakened level”

[Exclusive] “Wasn’t Cheon Sanha originally a swordfighter?”... Cheon Sanha annihilates Britain’s Merfolk swarm as soon as they abandon the sword for a bow

[Special Report] The hidden top contributor behind the rain of red arrows?... Yoo Hyun’s “magical beast pet” makes its presence known once again in Britain’s subjugation battle

Author’s Note

Thank you for reading today as well.

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