WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Haruto
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became the EX-Rank Pet Maker Hunters Obsess Over ◈
Chapter 81: Landing Operation
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Aoool... Aooooool...
A Merfolk shoved water and food into the cell.
The water was murky slop in a bucket, barely fit to call drinking water, and the fish looked far too fresh, as if they had been caught somewhere.
The people in the cell slowly ate and drank their allotted water and food.
From the corner of the cell, Cheon Sanha watched them and muttered.
“Ha... I think I’m going crazy...”
“Tsk, tsk.”
He had no idea how many days they had been trapped here.
But they had definitely been here long enough to get used to the Merfolk stench.
“Looks like no rescue is coming after all...”
“Tsk...”
Considering the strength of Britain’s Hunters, the chance of anyone coming to rescue them was infinitely close to zero. Of course no rescue was coming.
How could anyone break through a sea guarded by Merfolk?
Even an S-rank Hunter would be toyed with underwater. The ships they came on would be riddled with holes from Merfolk spears and sink.
Cheon Sanha sighed at the hopeless situation, no matter how many times he considered it.
“Phew...”
“Hehehe... Hehehe...”
The man who had been suspended in a tortoise-shell binding by the Merfolk on the first day was grinning to himself for some reason.
Cheon Sanha had heard he was a Hunter from the Middle East.
‘Did he finally lose his mind...?’
Well, it was understandable. There was no future for them here.
I’m only holding on because there are other people locked up with me and I can at least talk to them. Otherwise, I think I would’ve snapped a long time ago.
No... Honestly, enduring it itself was not that hard. For some reason, those things had not harmed us at all, and they gave us food on time.
The Merfolk do not touch us as long as we stay quietly in the cell.
Sometimes, one or two people would be dragged away, but they never returned.
I decided not to think about what they had taken us for.
After being here so long, I already understood what those things wanted.
“...Looks like my body will give out before my mind does.”
Cheon Sanha spread his hand and looked at it.
Webbing that should not exist on a human had formed between his fingers, and scales were growing sparsely over his skin.
At this point, even if he did not want to, he had no choice but to realize that irreversible changes were happening to him.
He did not remember the Merfolk doing anything to him.
If there was a problem, it was probably this cell itself.
Simply remaining here for a long time was changing their bodies.
And under the influence of that mutation, people were gradually beginning to lose their minds.
“...Water... I need water.”
“Ugh... Water...”
It was not thirst.
It was the urge to plunge into the sea at once.
“Tsk... Tsk...”
Even Haniki, the hedgehog beside him, had fishlike scales growing on its body. It seemed this place did not only harm humans.
Then...
The cell, where nothing had changed until now, began to grow noisy.
“Aooooool!! Aooooool!!!”
“Aoool!!”
The fish-heads became busy, and soon, the iron door opened. A being clearly different from the other Merfolk appeared.
It was an abnormal creature somewhere between human and Merfolk, perhaps a little closer to human form than an ordinary Merfolk.
It opened its mouth.
[ Humans... I will give you the chance to choose for yourselves.... ]
The voice did not vibrate through the air. It seemed to strike directly into their minds.
That one sentence was enough to show that this was no ordinary opponent.
Someone opened their mouth as if entranced.
“A... A chance?”
[ The chance to receive the Great One’s baptism and become our kin... I will grant you bodies that transcend your current limits, overwhelming lifespans, and transcendent powers. On the day we devour this world, you will enjoy wealth and glory for all eternity... Fear is only momentary. ]
At those words, the people who had begun turning into Merfolk were gradually tempted.
The power the Merfolk had displayed, and that indescribably enormous being that had raised a tidal wave.
If that cosmic horror was a monster controlled by the Merfolk, then who on Earth could possibly stand against them?
Perhaps... as much as he did not want to think it... Britain had already fallen and become Merfolk territory.
Just as the people, exhausted by life in the cell, began to hesitate over giving up their humanity one by one...
“Hehehe... AHAHAHAHAHA!!!”
The man who had been grinning all this time suddenly laughed like a madman, entirely unsuited to the heavy atmosphere.
Cheon Sanha stared at him, cold sweat running down his back.
‘Did he really go insane?’
He was bursting into laughter in this situation...?
Everyone looked at the man as if wondering whether he was crazy, but he did not stop.
“No, hehe... Ah, this is too funny...”
[ What is so amusing, human.... ]
“Ah, no... Isn’t it funny? You’re getting the shit kicked out of you outside, but in here you’re putting on airs and telling us to become your kin. Hehe...”
What did that mean? His voice was far too certain for it to be nonsense from a madman.
[ ...You are an Apostle. Your presence is so faint that I was slow to notice... You are skilled at concealing it.... ]
Everyone held their breath as they watched the two confront each other.
“Hey, handsome fish-head sir. You don’t have any moves left, do you? Something must’ve gone seriously wrong along the way. Why are you suddenly in such a hurry? Think about it, everyone. If they left us here for a few more weeks, we’d naturally become Merfolk, so why would they come here to persuade us? This guy’s panicking! Panicking badly enough that he needs to use us as fighting power right now!!! Look at that face! He looks like he needs to take a shit!!!”
[ Foolish creature... Even if your baseless guess were correct, how could humans possibly cross the sea and reach this place? ]
The man’s eyes flashed fiercely.
“You can’t stop them at sea, can you?”
[ ...... ]
“You’ve got nothing to say. See? Everyone, just hold on a little longer...”
Pshhk!!!
“Argh!!!!”
Before the man could finish speaking, both his eyes burst.
‘Crazy...! I didn’t see any attack at all...!!’
There had been no sign of movement, and he had not sensed any flow of mana, yet the man’s eyes had exploded.
Cheon Sanha knew that despite his frivolous manner, the man was incredibly strong. That made the shock even greater.
[ ...Next time, become our kin, and we shall meet again. ]
The Merfolk left, while the man lay on the floor laughing.
“Hehehe...”
Cheon Sanha helped the man lean against the wall and asked what he had been wondering.
“How do you know what is happening outside...?”
“Ah, that? Before I came here, I connected an ‘Eye’ outside. It is a useful little ability for peeking in on things. It is chaos out there right now.”
“...Chaos?”
“Tsk, tsk...”
Could something unexpected really have happened...?
* * *
The sea was ravaged by a storm.
“Aoool!!!”
“Aooooool!!!”
Other than the weather, the Hunters’ route to Merfolk Island was remarkably smooth.
The Merfolk could not even approach the fleet they were riding on.
The Hunters could only stand at the bow, muttering as they stared at the enormous whirlpool ahead.
“Whew...”
“I can’t get used to that shit no matter how many times I see it...”
“...It’s practically a natural disaster.”
“I’m really glad it isn’t an enemy. Seriously...”
When they first heard the plan, full of holes as it was, to escort the fleet with marine magical beasts and land on Merfolk Island, every Hunter had sighed.
Even if they cultivated marine magical beasts for protection, they thought the odds of success were too low considering the Merfolk’s numbers.
No matter how many magical beasts they cultivated, there would not be more than a thousand. But what about the Merfolk? Considering their abnormal breeding rate, it was obvious that tens of thousands, or perhaps even more, would be surrounding Merfolk Island.
That was why every Hunter had expected this operation to be a landing mission that risked their lives. But once the operation began, things were progressing smoothly, without even a hint of danger.
The whirlpool ahead was advancing while greedily sucking in and consuming Merfolk from every direction.
Whoooosh!!!
“Aooooool!!!”
“Aoool!!”
Crunch! Crunch!!
At the center of the whirlpool, a huge mouth opened wide. Its sharp, saw-like teeth literally ground the Merfolk to pieces, while tentacle-like heads that extended from somewhere snatched up the Merfolk fleeing in panic.
Tears streamed from their eyes as they were dragged away with dying screams, and their eyes were filled with deep terror.
The Merfolk could not offer any resistance to the advancing Charybdis Model, a force no different from a natural disaster.
A man watched its overwhelming divine might with tears in his eyes.
It was the YouTuber Petite Cream, who had risked his life to board the fleet.
“Ah... Aah...!! Can you see this? Director Yoo Hyun’s new magical beast... the Charybdis Model!!!”
Unlike Petite Cream, who was crying with emotion, the chat was full of question marks at the unreal sight.
[ Chat ]
- No... Uh...
- Petite Cream bro, is this actually live...?
- I estimated it by eye, and that magical beast’s size is... beyond ridiculous...
- This isn’t an AI-generated video, right?
- ...There is no way something that huge is a magical beast.
- Isn’t it an optical illusion, fuck? LOLLLLLLLLL
- No, seriously... I checked other streams too, and it’s real, fuck;;
- What the fuck did Yoo Hyun make... If he has technology like that, make the Jellykko at my house XL-sized too...!!!
- Guys, the Jellykko isn’t the issue. The important thing is that he made a magical beast that huge;;; If Yoo Hyun wants to, he can mass-produce giant monsters...
- If that’s true, isn’t he basically an alchemist with the power of a nation? Damn;;;
- State Alchemist, damn;;;
- Yoo Hyun definitely saw the Gate of Truth and came back;;
- The Gate of Jelly?
- So you’re saying a State Alchemist who saw the Jelly Gate and came back has been making Jellykkos in a tiny pet shop this whole time... Hah... Where’s Cheongsik? You know men only get better after thirty, right?
That was right. This landing operation was being broadcast live.
After confirming the Charybdis Model’s specs, Britain’s leadership had become convinced that this operation would definitely succeed. They accepted civilian volunteers and permitted the broadcast!
Every broadcast focused on the Charybdis Model. Its absurd size left not only ordinary viewers speechless, but even those belonging to Transcendent factions staring silently at their screens.
A massive hollow where the constellations were visible.
The Gate Church headquarters meeting room, where a round table stood.
“...Does that even make sense?”
“C-Crazy... Even the magical beast production methods we received from them did not have anything like that...”
“It isn’t normal...”
“Celestia, did you approach him knowing this?”
Celestia, the Saintess of the Gate Church, merely smiled calmly as she squeezed a Jellykko Little Devil Edition.
“Hehe...”
Pant, pant...
Of course, her true feelings differed from her outward appearance.
‘...Good heavens. What on earth did you make, Yoo Hyun...?’
Her secret friend suddenly felt very unfamiliar.
On the screen, the Charybdis Model continued grinding up Merfolk like a blender, and the sea route ahead of them turned blood-red.
Footnotes:
“State Alchemist,” “Gate of Truth,” and the following “Jelly Gate” joke riff on Fullmetal Alchemist.
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