I Became the EX-Rank Pet Maker Hunters Obsess Over - Chapter 71

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

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

Chapter 71: Astrafe

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The skill demonstration ended in great success.

“Haengbok, creating new technology really does feel good.”

“Huff huff...!”

Haengbok looked at me and smiled brightly.

As a gift to myself, I kneaded Haengbok all over.

Squelch, squelch.

Even amid the upheaval caused by forces from beyond this world, news of the Essentium demonstration was hot enough to draw worldwide attention.

It had become a bigger topic than news that a miracle cure for hair loss might be developed.

“Transcendents really are Transcendents. I can't believe they can regenerate hair follicles.”

“Huff huff...”

[ Hmm.... ]

But the work I had originally aimed for was only beginning now.

I had created an invention that shook the magical-beast world, but even that was merely a byproduct of the process of creating a new magical beast for Hunter Yeon Harim.

“Ultimately, I think I need to use Essentium in Cultivation too if I want to move on to the next stage. This is giving me a headache.”

Since Essentium was crystallized essence, it could be used for Cultivation as well as magical-beast evolution.

In theory.

Amon, who had been browsing the web on a computer in the corner, turned toward me.

[ Unbelievable... Evolution was not enough, so now you intend to change even the fundamental formula for creating magical beasts? Do you have any idea what the internet communities are like right now? ]

“Communities?”

[ Here, sit down. ]

Amon had recently become completely absorbed in browsing forums and showed me several posts.

【 Magic Beast Minor Gallery 】

[ Title: Magic-Beast Geek's Landshark Essentium Beta Evolution Review ]

Author: ManaInfusionPlz

I'm a B-rank ranged DPS and a magic-beast geek. I evolved my partner magical beast.

My magical beast was a Landshark 6, a popular detection model. We'd been together for around two years. It was C-rank, could locate enemies through ground vibrations, and its combat ability was only around C-rank.

But after I reached B-rank, it had honestly been struggling to keep up with me. Then I went to Yoo Hyun's demonstration and got trial Essentium.

The Essentium I got was a beta model. Its essence array mainly specialized in manifesting a magical beast's attributes or developing its potential.

Anyway, after feeding it to my beast...

( A photo of a shark-shaped magical beast covered in a black stone shell. )

As you can see, it became a golem shark lol;;

It still looks the same inside, but when it enters combat mode, it covers itself in rocks like that and tanks for me.

I think it evolved that way to suit me because I'm a ranged DPS.

As you can see, it can now provide combat support too. I asked a Magic Beast Alchemist to assess its rank, and it went up to C+. It even gained more Traits.

There are three days left on the Essentium's duration, so I don't know how far it'll evolve, but this alone makes me want to join Yoo Hyun's faction...

They say it could theoretically reach S-rank with a continuous Essentium supply... Is there even a magic-beast geek who could resist that?

[ Comments ]

Anon (110.70): Wow... A C-rank magical beast can change that much...? This is insane...

JellykkoPartTimer: But doesn't that Landshark model look exactly like Tralalero...

Anon (203.226): Fuck, I can't resist the evolution high;;; And it evolved into a tank because its owner is ranged DPS? That's so damn admirable...

MoppingMaster: I'm so fucking jealous... I want to feed Alpha Essentium to my Jellykko...

└ Anon (39.7): Seriously, I want to feed it to my Jellykko too... If it eats Alpha Essentium, wouldn't its size get beefed up enough to make a chonky Jellykko possible?

└ MoppingMaster: If it gets bigger, I could use it instead of a bed or sofa lol

└ Anon (175.223): I've told you again and again, you need to create the right evolution environment for that.

[ Title: Jellykko Alpha Essentium Evolution Review!! ]

Author: RiceCake

My Jellykko got a vibrator function lololol

( A video of a Jellykko shaking wildly. )

It got a little bigger too, and the jelly shakes like crazy lololololol

It can be turned on and off, and this is so fucking funny lolol

Just hearing its huff-huff noises tremble so much cracks me up lololololol

[ Comments ]

Anon (175.223): You crazy bastard;;; What the hell do you usually do with your Jellykko;;;;

HeavenlyDemonDescends: Ah, fuck;; Magic-beast nerd;;;;

Anon (110.70): Wow, tell me your routine. I'll make a vibrator edition someday too.

└ Anon (117.111): That's too much...

RiceCake (Author): No, fuck; I've never used it for that, you assholes;;; I just blew lots of belly raspberries on it;;;

MagicalLulu: But it really evolved into something so pathetic lololololol Out of all those evolution paths, a vibrator edition lololololol

Hmm... Interesting.

Even I could not predict the branches evolution would take, so every piece of data like this was fascinating.

Amon crossed their arms.

[ As you can see, posts related to evolution are flooding the community every day. It is practically chaos. If you reveal something else now, you will draw more attention than necessary. ]

Was Amon worried about interference from outside forces?

“I see. But I wasn't planning to reveal this method anyway.”

[ Is that so? ]

“Yeah. Besides, the magical-beast creation method I'm considering isn't all that different from the existing one.”

Magical-beast creation was fundamentally based on arranging monster essence in a mana core and cultivating it.

That was the most basic formula for magical-beast creation, an unchanging truth.

However, I had judged that it would be difficult to create magical beasts beyond S-rank with the existing essence system.

“Higher-ranked monster essence is appealing, but that just means the material is good, not the technology.”

There had been a scene in some anime.

A contestant used top-quality melon to make melon bread in a melon-bread-making competition, only to be eliminated.

“That just means the melon is delicious!! The bread should be delicious!!!”

For some reason, those words had stuck with me.

Of course, arranging essence was also an extremely important technique...

Still, I felt something lacking about using essence raw, without processing it.

What if essence could be processed further? Essentium had been one thing I created from that question.

Anyway, my next goal was to create magical beasts with Essentium, but I could not find the right approach.

“Existing essence is an energy form, so it was easy to arrange in a mana core. But this is a crystal, so it isn't easy.”

Pouring essence, which was like water, into the vessel called a mana core was easy.

But Essentium was essence crystallized at extremely high density. Naturally, its capacity and properties did not match the vessel called a mana core at all.

“It's too hard to put inside....”

Amon idly commented while browsing the forum.

[ Then why not melt it? ]

“You mean turn Essentium back into an energy form? Then there'd be no point in crystallizing it and raising the density of the essence.”

Mana cores were used in the creation of Essentium. Because of the mana core, the essences within Essentium became factors with far greater output.

That output induced magical-beast evolution. Naturally, that was Essentium's greatest feature and advantage. What would be the point of giving it up?

[ Hmm. Melting something that has already crystallized does not mean it will return to how it originally was. I have fused various life forms with Dharma Arts and separated them again, but the results never returned to their original states. ]

No surprise from a Jelly Dog of absolute evil. That was quite a brutal example.

“Hmm...?”

Wait... Why had I not considered something so obvious?

“I really can melt it down and use it.”

If I extracted essence from Essentium, a high-density essence crystal, would I not obtain high-density energy essence?

Luise and I immediately tested that hypothesis together...

And ridiculously enough, we succeeded almost at once.

“...The seventy-first sample succeeded too.”

We had enough samples because we had experimental Essentium specimens that tested various essence arrays while creating Essentium from Alpha to Omega.

“...Yoo Hyun, I think we've made something absurd....”

The essence extracted from most experimental Essentium was unusable.

But a few samples produced essence predicted to surpass ordinary essence.

Luise looked at one of the successfully extracted samples.

“It resembles the essence of the A-rank monster Ilegma, but it seems to have fewer weaknesses...!! This one is similar to Grand Laquia, isn't it?? Wow... How did this happen? We only used low-ranked monster essence to make Essentium!?”

“Exactly.”

Only low-ranked monster essence went into Essentium.

It was more stable that way.

But the essence extracted after melting down the Essentium was astonishingly similar to that of high-ranked monsters.

Some had even developed highly unusual traits, becoming unique essences that could never be obtained from monsters within Gates.

Luise spoke excitedly.

“What are you going to call it?”

A name... Hmm...

“Let's keep it intuitive. Enhanced Essence!”

The development of a new essence was a success.

“Now it's time to create magical beasts with this essence.”

“Let's surprise the world!”

* * *

Before beginning magical-beast Cultivation in earnest, I called Hunter Yeon Harim over and handed her something.

Yeon Harim blinked as she accepted the green gem.

“Yoo Hyun? This is Essentium?”

“It is dedicated Essentium made for the Keraunos model. Feed it to Chirring first.”

It might be good to infuse Chirring with Second Order energy, but I wanted to save that as a final method of Enhancement.

I had an instinctive feeling that the order of magical-beast Enhancement mattered too.

It felt like infusing it after reaching S-rank would be more efficient than doing it now at C+.

Anyway.

Yeon Harim fed the Essentium Exceed I had given her to Chirring.

“Chirrr...!!!”

Crackle!! Crackle!

A change appeared immediately.

Chirring grew another stage larger, and the amount of lightning it produced increased.

“Wow...!! Thank you, Yoo Hyun!!!”

“Chirrrr!!!!!”

Strengthening the Keraunos model's lightning meant strengthening Yeon Harim's lightning in her Etherform state.

She would know that fact better than anyone.

Yeon Harim wore a deeply satisfied expression.

“It will keep growing. Chirring was C-rank. Ah, it just reached B-rank.”

“Gasp...!!”

S-rank... It would take some time, but if she continued feeding Chirring Essentium and helping it grow, it should be possible.

Now then... It was time to create a magical beast with Enhanced Essence.

* * *

“Hyaah!!!”

Awooo!

Slash!

An A-rank Hunter was hunting Merfolk in Britain.

Hunters had once been swept up by a colossal monstrous life form, disappearing or dying. But the creature had not appeared since then, and the Merfolk's activity had declined as well.

The number of Hunters active on the front lines had fallen after that incident, so Britain naturally offered even greater rewards.

“In other words, this is a gold mine! Hahaha!!”

Slash!

Catching Merfolk, who were at best upper B-rank, was not difficult at all.

Besides, the Hunter even had an S-rank magical beast purchased from Ouroboros.

Mooooo!

The enormous bull-shaped magical beast rammed and trampled the Merfolk.

At times, it even spewed blue flames from its mouth, turning them into grilled fish.

Fwoooosh!

“Heh heh... And there's the trial Essentium my home country provided...!! With this, I can become even stronger!!”

The Hunter did not know how their country had acquired it, but surely this would allow an S-rank magical beast to evolve even further?

The Hunter fed the trial Essentium sent by their country to the magical beast.

“Heh heh... Those idiots. Feeding it to an S-rank magical beast will make it stronger. Instead, they're feeding it to trash like Jellykko or whatever.”

Were they fools?

Obviously, feeding something like this to a high-ranked magical beast and evolving it was more beneficial.

But even after a long while...

Nothing changed.

“...Why isn't it reacting? On YouTube, they evolved as soon as they ate it...?”

“Moooo....”

* * *

A few days later.

Ars Magna.

Whoooooosh!!!!!

A localized typhoon was raging across the artificial island.

Lightning tore through the fierce wind and rain.