WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Haruto
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became the EX-Rank Pet Maker Hunters Obsess Over ◈
Chapter 72: Chaos
──────
Whoooooosh!!
Hunters and civilians visiting Ars Magna clung desperately to anything nearby so they would not be swept away by the hyper-powerful localized typhoon.
“What is this...?!”
“A typhoon!!!!!”
“The weather forecast didn't say anything about this...!!!”
“Those guys are wrong all the time anyway!!!!”
Still, some people could not withstand the immense wind speed and were ripped free alongside pieces of the structures, soaring into the sky.
“Aaaagh!!!”
“Somebody save meeeeeee!!!!!”
“Huff huff...!! Huff huff...!!!!”
People, structures, Jellykkos, and more were caught in the storm and sent flying.
The one fortunate thing was that the storm remained in one place rather than moving, and everyone was somehow flying fairly stably within it.
‘If they land safely, they might live...?’
Luise had grabbed a household-helper spirit entity magical beast when she was caught in the storm, so landing should not be a problem for her.
Those things floated around, after all.
And now that I thought about it, there were Jellykkos scattered throughout that hurricane too. They could act as cushions with Pudding Shield, so perhaps there would surprisingly be no casualties.
As I considered that, Chairman Asakura fought through the wind to reach my side. I raised my voice.
The wind was so loud that I had to shout.
“I'm sorry for blowing up the research institute!!! There was an unexpected accident!!!!!”
For reference, Chairman Asakura had come to the institute for an Essentium consultation and gotten caught up in this.
“No, that is perfectly fine!!! Magic engineering special zones are designed with situations like this in mind!!!!! A research institute or two getting blown away is routine, so don't worry about it!!!!!!!”
Come to think of it, the research institute next door exploded often too.
But the problem was...
“I don't think this will end with one or two research institutes!!!!!!!!!”
The output of the rampaging magical beast was no joke.
‘Why is that thing's output so absurd to begin with?’
It had overwhelmingly exceeded the figures I predicted before Cultivation.
It had already been an unexpected variable when it greedily devoured mana, absorbing it from the S-rank Cultivation device like a sponge and even overloading the mana supply unit until it exploded...
Chairman Asakura looked up at the magical beast in the sky and shouted.
“Let's think of a way to stop it first!! Ars Magna is accustomed to this sort of disaster, so we still have room to breathe!!!!!!”
Right... What I needed to think about now was how to stop the magical beast.
‘Hmm. Let's think.’
The Astrape model created with Enhanced Essence had been made through an incredibly complicated process.
Unlike an ordinary magical beast, it underwent several rounds of processing from the essence stage onward.
The essence array was modified a whopping three times in the process, making this individual the result of a design nearly as difficult as acrobatics.
First, ordinary essence underwent one transformation as it solidified into Essentium while creating Enhanced Essence. Then it underwent another transformation because the Essentium had to be melted during extraction.
Then, when I used the S-rank Seed creation method, the intense mana reaction shredded and reconstructed the mana core and the arrayed essence.
That made three changes in total.
I had to make D to make C to make B to make A.
Creating a magical beast in the desired direction through this method was a feat that an ordinary Magic Beast Alchemist could not even imitate, and honestly, it had been a hell of a lot of work for me too.
So I had used a slight shortcut.
‘I used the genetic information of Chirring, the Keraunos model, as a guide.’
While it was in the Seed state, when the mana core's adaptability remained especially pronounced, I created a Cultivation environment suited to growing it into a Keraunos model.
Rather than arranging the essence entirely according to my intentions, I gave it a degree of autonomy and let it adapt to the environment on its own.
In other words, the Astrape model could practically be called an ultra-evolved form of the Keraunos model...!
The Keraunos model's initial status window looked like this.
[ Model Name 》 Keraunos ]
[ Mana Core Rank 》 C+ ]
[ Lifespan 》 15 years ]
[ Traits 》 Thunder God Body (B+), Mental Resonance (B+) ]
Of course, Yeon Harim's Keraunos model, which had begun absorbing Essentium, would grow in an entirely different direction from the Astrape model...
But the two models roughly shared the same lineage.
Both were birds of prey, and both were wreathed in lightning.
Then there was a high chance they shared habits and weaknesses too.
I looked up at the blue monstrous bird spreading six wings above the research institute and said,
“...That thing should like lightning-element Spirit Stones!! I think the important thing is to use those to lure it down to the ground!!!!!!!”
We could not even approach while it was raising hell in the sky.
The first objective was to draw it down to the ground.
‘Make it come down like a pigeon pecking at feed...!’
If we got lucky, that typhoon might stop too.
Since it was staying in one spot, it seemed like a channeling skill that required concentration.
“So we will lure it with something it likes!!!! Understood!!!!! I will contact the materials center and have them bring some immediately!!!!!!”
Chairman Asakura nodded and began sending messages somewhere.
Then, a moment later...
Chairman Asakura shouted in alarm.
“Uh...!! I believe something went wrong during transport!!!!!!”
“What? What do you mean by th...!!!”
────!!!!
I looked up at Astrape's cry and saw glittering stones amid the hurricane.
Spirit Stones.
“Fuck...”
We had tried to lure the bird down with feed, but the feed had gone up after the bird.
Chairman Asakura said,
“What do we do now?!!!”
“...I think it would be best to intercept it directly!! It was only born recently!!!! It must be in a highly unstable state, so a single powerful hit should put it to sleep!!!!!”
The problem was that it had this much output even while unstable.
Chairman Asakura sent an urgent request for support somewhere, and numerous ranged DPS Hunters fought through the storm to join us.
“If we hit that magical beast, we get CEO Yoo Hyun's Essentium!!!!”
“I'm getting fired up!!!!!!”
“Even if a rampaging new magical beast is strong, it can only be eleven or twelve times stronger than an ordinary magical beast.”
“Essentium farming event, let's gooooooo!!!!!”
All manner of attacks flew from the storm-ravaged ground toward the sky.
But the arrows and spells they fired upward were blocked by the gale and failed to reach the Astrape model.
Instead, as if those attacks had provoked it, lightning struck the spot where the Hunters stood.
Boom!!!!
The impact threw the Hunters back, and they were swept into the gale, rising into the sky to join the hurricane formation.
“Aaaagh!!! It's fucking stronggggg!!!!!!!”
“Fuck!! I can't use flight magic!!!!”
“We're screwed...”
Chairman Asakura and I broke into cold sweats as the situation grew more chaotic.
The chairman tried to speak as though it were nothing.
“Don't worry...!! Th-this is the sort of incident that has happened several times before!!! And they will be here soon!!!!”
Sure enough, there were always certain people who appeared whenever Japan went to shit.
Vroooom!!!
“That sound...!!”
“They're coming!!!”
The expressions of Ars Magna's researchers and staff brightened at once.
They turned toward the sound of motorcycle engines, and a figure came charging through the storm.
“I'm just a passing Magna Ri...”
Whoooosh!!!!
Before the Rider could finish speaking, an enormous gust swept in. The motorcycle soared into the sky, and the Magna Rider joined the hurricane formation.
The employees clinging to the structures wore expressions of blank disbelief.
That was how they were leaving?
Just as I was thinking that, more engine sounds followed.
Vroooom!!!
Vroooooom!!!
Fortunately, these Riders entered safely.
Screeeech!
“Everyone!! Leave this to us Magna Riders!!!!”
“Transform.”
“Transform!”
“Henshin!”
[ NORMAL FORM! ]
[ TRANSMUTATION! OVERLOAD!! ]
“Everyone...!! Finish it in one blow with Rider Kick!”
““Roger!!””
Whoosh!
The mass-produced Riders transformed simultaneously and leaped to stop the Astrape model, but their jumping power naturally could not reach a magical beast hundreds of meters in the air.
“Fuck, we can't reach it!!!!”
“Aaaaargh!!! We're getting swept awayyyyy!!!!”
In the end, the Riders lost their momentum in midair and were swallowed by the storm.
Whoooooosh!!!!!
People watched the Riders caught in the storm and shouted.
“Fuck...!! Look over there!!! Flying Riders!!!!!”
“Those bastards still haven't dropped the Rider Kick pose in this situation??”
“Sharknado... No, it's Ridernado!!!”
“Did they gain power at the cost of their intelligence...?”
Luise, the household spirits, civilians, Jellykkos, and the support Hunters had already been flying on the wind. Now the Riders joined them.
A supernatural spectacle was being updated in real time.
Even Amon's jelly trembled as they broke into a cold sweat.
[ How exactly do you intend to clean this up...? Even I, who have lived for centuries, have never seen anything like that. ]
...Well, where else would anyone see a Rider Kick tornado edition?
Even I had never imagined anything like that.
I gave up on stopping it directly.
Calling more people would just add more toppings to that hurricane.
“Now, let's think. Can it really maintain enough output to alter the weather indefinitely? Even in that unstable state?”
It probably could not maintain that state.
No matter how S+ rank it was!!!
But Amon seriously shook his head.
[ It may be able to. Divine Beasts constantly cause weather anomalies like that within their domains. ]
...Divine Beasts?
That sounded like a higher rank than Spirit Beasts.
“Fortunately, that thing has not reached the realm of a Divine Beast yet.”
[ Model Name 》 Astrape ]
[ Mana Core Rank 》 S+ ]
[ Lifespan 》 121 years ]
[ Traits 》 Heavenly Thunder (SS), Eye of the Typhoon (S+), Attribute Condensation (S), Thunder Spirit Body (S), Domain Declaration (S), Mental Resonance (B+) ]
[ This magical beast has reached the realm of a Spirit Beast. ]
Though it was strong as fuck.
“...Wait. With Traits like that, can it actually maintain this forever?”
Judging from the name, the storm occurring now was likely the Eye of the Typhoon Trait.
And Thunder Spirit Body was likely a Trait evolved from Thunder God Body. Thunder God Body could reasonably be considered a Trait derived from a spirit entity.
And spirit entities...
‘They can gather and use natural mana from their surroundings, so their endurance is exceptionally high.’
On top of that, the Trait called Domain Declaration probably gave some kind of advantage to area-of-effect attacks.
‘Could it really be sustained semi-permanently, just like Amon said?’
Part of me thought we were screwed, but another part of me was awestruck.
‘Amazing...’
Could techniques at a first-tier technological level reach this point if refined to the absolute limit?
Then Chairman Asakura, who had been making calls on a smartphone this whole time, shouted as though they had succeeded.
“G-good...!”
“Huh? What is it?”
“External observations say that the wind is weaker at altitudes above the eye of the typhoon!!!!”
Of course it would be...
Wait, no way...
“Is it what I think it is?”
“Hunters from outside say they are entering from the sky!!!”
Booooom!!!!!
At that moment, a tremendous impact rang out.
I looked up to see a real Magna Rider leap from a transport aircraft, strike the magical beast once with Rider Kick, and fall.
“───!!!”
The Astrape model was still going strong.
But Riders wreathed in different powers kept jumping down, becoming like a meteor shower as they struck the magical beast one after another with Rider Kick, stacking damage.
Boom!! Boom!!!!
But it endured.
Its flight wavered slightly, yet it showed no sign of falling.
I cried out without thinking.
“It withstood that...!! I made it, but I'm proud of it!!!”
“Huff huff...!!”
“...Director Yoo Hyun?”
It was a flying creature, but its durability was no joke too...!
All the Riders who had used Rider Kick fell, and red and blue flashes then struck the Astrape model.
The attackers were Azuma Ryusei, Japan's S-rank quick-draw fanatic, and Shirasaki Ayame, an S-rank poison master.
This time, a stronger impact than the Riders' shook the atmosphere.
The Astrape model's wings briefly buckled from the shock.
Perhaps because of that, the storm disappeared for a moment...
A thunderbolt-like strike landed squarely on the Astrape model's head.
Krrrroooom!!!!
Boom!!!!!
The Astrape model slammed into the ground in an instant.
It had completely lost consciousness, and Yeon Harim stood atop it, wreathed in lightning.
Once the storm vanished, the people caught within it began falling to the ground. The Jellykkos swept up with them protected them with Pudding Shield.
Boing!
Of course, some people could not get a Jellykko to latch onto them, but the Magna Riders rushed in and saved them.
As a result, there was not a single casualty.
“Hmm. It seems even this place cannot handle new technology.”
Chairman Asakura looked at me with awe in their eyes, but...
“Chairman... As you can see, it became such a mess that mass production will probably be difficult.”
“...Tch, that is unfortunate...”
* * *
British Emergency Response Committee Meeting Room
“You are saying that the enormous monster from then will not appear because it consumed too much causality?”
“That is correct. This is our only chance to save the captured people. Other forces will likely cooperate as well. Even high-level personnel like Apostles were captured.”
“...But how can we trust that? Are you certain of the evidence?”
“If that monster could keep operating, Britain would have fallen long ago. The Merfolk's passive stance is proof of that as well. If we delay any longer, we are doing nothing but giving the Merfolk an opportunity. The decision is yours.”
After much deliberation, the British Prime Minister nodded.
“...Understood.”
[ Breaking News ] British government abruptly declares a large-scale landing operation on Merfolk Island, requests support from the world's elite Hunters
[ Society ] “We can only hope they are still alive”... British government states that rescuing the missing is the first priority
[ Feature ] “The goal is not extermination, but survival”... British government formalizes a large-scale rescue operation for missing Hunters on Merfolk Island
[ Analysis ] “They are entering the Merfolk's home turf”... Experts warn of the extreme danger of a seaborne landing operation
[ Exclusive ] A death trap for land Hunters... Can underwater and landing operations succeed against Merfolk who surpass Awakened underwater?
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