WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Haruto
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became the EX-Rank Pet Maker Hunters Obsess Over ◈
Chapter 88: New Means of Transportation
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A powerful stream of water shot from the hose.
Fwoooooosh!
The stream struck the shell of a creature as large as a wall, washing away the grime.
Whenever debris got stuck in the gaps of its shell, the workers used tools to pry it out, then scrubbed hard with brushes.
Scrub, scrub.
“...What exactly are we doing?”
“...What do you think?”
That was right.
The workers were washing the shells of giant magical beasts that had been rolling around on the ground.
It looked as though they were servicing equipment after use.
“Grrr...”
Looking at the creature as it let out a pleased rumble, the workers muttered among themselves.
“This is weird... I came here for a new-city development project...”
“...Why do I feel like I’m washing an elephant?”
“Hmm... I think we need a pressure washer.”
They could not shake the feeling that they had somehow signed up for a part-time job washing large animals.
A supervisor shouted.
“Come on! Get them nice and clean! They get uncomfortable when rocks get stuck in the gaps of their shells, so check carefully! Avoid sticking your hands in there if you can, and use tools! You could get hurt if you’re not careful!”
The next few days were a nonstop series of shocks.
Huge magical beasts they had never seen before were compacting the land on a massive scale, while all kinds of other magical beasts appeared without rest.
Amazingly, large magical beasts were handling every task that would normally require heavy equipment.
Their efficiency far surpassed ordinary machinery, and development advanced at a speed the workers could hardly believe even as they watched it.
Mountains were carved away and ground was compacted. It was a mad spectacle unlike anything they had ever seen, something human efficiency could never match.
That was why the workers’ current jobs were closer to cleaning up after magical beasts.
“Spray on the cleaning solution and scrub hard!”
“Grrrr...”
At first, they had been stunned by the scale of the giant magical beasts. But after working with them for a few days, they learned that magical beasts were not all-purpose.
They could work with incredible efficiency, but their work was also rough.
Precise work was impossible without human instructions, and finishing smaller areas required human hands.
In the end, every job still had to pass through human hands.
Once they had wrapped up a certain amount of work, the supervisor clapped.
“Now, as you’ve all seen, magical beasts can handle most jobs that require heavy equipment. Whenever you need work done, use magical beasts to handle it. Of course, safety comes first, so there’s no need to push them too hard. Oh, and you can also request the creation of whatever type of magical beast you need.”
By then, the workers had grown somewhat accustomed to magical beasts. Unlike heavy machinery, they did not need to know how to operate them. Smart magical beasts understood human intent and carried out the work.
They were a complete replacement for heavy equipment...
And that meant...
“No, then my heavy-equipment license is useless now!!!”
Choi, who had earned higher wages than others because of their heavy-equipment certification, complained bitterly.
If magical beasts replaced all heavy equipment and were even more efficient, how were they supposed to make a living from now on!?
Choi was not the only one worried. Uneasy voices erupted from all around.
“Oh no, magical beasts are taking all our jobs!!!”
“Ahem... I am a little worried...”
“Even if human hands are still needed... there’ll probably be fewer people who can work...”
The introduction of highly efficient tools through technological advancement lowered businesses’ marginal costs, allowing them to produce the same results at a lower cost.
That drastically reduced the labor needed to generate the same amount of wealth as before, eventually leading to fewer people being employed.
It was like how work that once required ten employees could now be handled by an excellent AI with a single click, leaving only one manager to achieve similar efficiency!
This was the flow of an age where technology replaced the value of labor!
An era of jobless efficiency, creating the greatest effect with the fewest people, was arriving.
“Aaaagh!!! The age of humanity is over!!”
“Down with magical beasts!! Down with magical beasts!!!”
“Hey! Get those magical beasts out of here right now! They’re living creatures, so you never know when something could go wrong! Bringing something so dangerous onto a construction site is insane!!!”
As the crowd suddenly grew noisy, the supervisor shook their head.
“Everyone, calm down. Every magical beast here needs human care. Even if magical beasts replace heavy equipment in the future, management personnel will still be needed. There will probably be more new jobs than jobs lost.”
At the word jobs, the workers quieted down.
“Uh... What do you mean?”
“Even these magical beasts will run into all kinds of problems without human management. Just look at Rollerdons. There’s debris that gets into the gaps of their shells, and all sorts of problems caused by hardened asphalt.”
“Can’t that be replaced with magical beasts too?!”
“Then jobs managing those magical beasts will appear too. No matter how well trained a magical beast is, it still needs people nearby to manage it. Magical beasts are more efficient when someone directs them than when they operate alone. There will be many magical beast management jobs in the future. You’ve been given the chance to gain experience at the forefront of that field.”
The people fell silent at those words.
Certainly... Rather than complaining about a changing system, it seemed wiser to adapt to it faster than everyone else.
Then Choi muttered.
“But... my heavy-equipment license...”
“If you handle magical beasts well here, we’ll give you the chance to take the Heavy Magical Beast Operator certification exam.”
“What’s that...?”
“A certification that lets you handle giant magical beasts. Once you have it, you’ll be able to rent magical beasts, so you’ll be valued wherever you go. The high wages are a bonus.”
“...!!!”
The chance to get ahead of everyone else was an enormous benefit.
If they made use of all the advantages available to a frontrunner, they could make a great deal of money.
Once that thought occurred to them, the workers’ view of magical beasts gradually began to change.
Magical beasts were no longer threats to the labor market. They began to look like partners they needed to work with.
And so, the ecosystem of construction sites slowly began to change.
* * *
A few days later, at a construction site in Seoul.
A young man covered in dust sat on the ground, eating triangle kimbap.
“...Haa.”
Eom Min-woo was a young man in his early twenties who moved from one day-labor job to another to pay for his sickly younger sister’s hospital bills.
His mother had left home, and his father had died a year ago after drunkenly jaywalking. He was the head of an unfortunate family, someone who could have been anywhere.
“I wish I could awaken as a Hunter or something, but miracles like that don’t happen...”
Then a construction-site coworker a few years older came over to speak with him. Their ages were close enough that they often talked at work.
“Hey, Min-woo. They’re hiring more people for the Magical Beast New City Project. If you don’t have anything going on, come with me. They say it pays way more than day labor in Seoul.”
“...I can’t go outside Seoul. I don’t want to be too far from my sister...”
His sister was seriously ill, to the point that she had dangerous days about once a month. He did not want to go too far away if possible.
He had heard the Magical Beast New City was being built in an incredibly remote place. There were not even proper roads yet, so transportation was inconvenient. Most workers apparently lived in the provided accommodations.
‘Even at best, it’d take four or five hours round trip...’
A round trip from Seoul Station to Paju alone would take two hours. Add the trip from home to the station and the trip from Paju to the new-city development site, and commuting would take an enormous amount of time.
But his coworker shouted as if he had already thought everything through.
“Come on, I wouldn’t have brought it up otherwise! I know your situation. They’ve arranged a really fast way to get there this time! You can reach the worksite from Seoul Station in around an hour each way! This is only a test run, so it might be even faster later!”
“...Isn’t that basically helicopter speed?”
“I don’t know either, but they say they got one!”
The transport network to the Magical Beast New City was not properly established yet. Was that speed not a little strange?
Still, if it paid well and commuting was not inconvenient... it seemed worth trying.
“Oh, and make sure you bring a Jellykko. They say you get extra points for it. Besides, who doesn’t have a Jellykko at construction sites these days? You should raise one too.”
“...I’m not confident I could take care of one. My sister is already difficult enough...”
“Hmm... They’re not that hard to raise, but... Well, anyway, you’re coming with me, right?”
In the end, Eom Min-woo accepted the offer.
He had expected a lot of competition, but for some reason, he passed the screening on the first try. He arrived at the field of ○○ Middle School, where the Magical Beast New City shuttle bus was supposed to come.
Min-woo stood there blankly with his older coworker and countless other workers.
“...Do shuttle buses normally come to places like this? They gathered a bunch of gloomy-looking men at a school where students study... The complaints will be no joke.”
“The higher-ups must’ve handled it themselves...”
“...No, more importantly, what’s that?”
The workers’ attention turned to a YouTuber filming with a selfie stick.
“Everyone!! Do you know where I am!?”
[Chat]
- Petite-hi~
- P-hi
- Hi, Cream bro
- Why a school all of a sudden???
- Aren’t you too old to attend school, bro?
- Old lol
- But why did you come to a school? What’s today’s content??
- Is it finally school-invasion content?
“This time, I’ll be personally visiting the Magical Beast New City that has been nothing but rumors lately!!! Of course, I got permission, so don’t worry!!! For your information, this is where the shuttle bus is scheduled to arrive!!! The road to the Magical Beast New City will probably be rough, but who am I? I’m Petite Cream, the number-one magical-beast content creator!! I even prepared interview content so you all won’t get bored on the bus!!”
Watching Petite Cream broadcast with all his might, the workers each had something to say.
“What a shitshow...”
“Leave him alone. He really does risk his life for broadcasts...”
“Ah, I watched the Merfolk Island episode too. He really is a complete nutcase.”
His older coworker nudged Min-woo.
“Wow, look. That’s Petite Cream, the million-subscriber YouTuber... Should we ask for a photo together?”
“...Do whatever you want.”
Min-woo looked on with a little envy. If he could earn that much money too, he could cover his sister’s hospital bills.
It was almost time for the shuttle bus to arrive.
“Why isn’t it here...?”
“Well, there’s probably morning traffic.”
“It’s already late. How are we supposed to reach the worksite in around an hour...?”
Just as everyone was complaining, the students inside the school opened their windows and started shouting.
“Wow!!! This is crazy...!! What is that?!”
“Hey, move! I want to film it too!!”
“M-my God... Is this real????”
They reacted as though they had seen a superstar.
But they were not looking toward the field. They were looking above it.
Naturally, the workers looked up as well.
“W-what is that!!!”
And there, they saw an absurd sight they had never imagined.
“Pant, pant, pant...”
“Pant, pant... Pant, pant...”
A gigantic pack of Jellykkos hung in the air, their tails spinning like propellers as they carried a bus.
The bus was wrapped tightly in straps like those used to move furniture, connecting it to the Jellykkos.
“Look over there!!!! Giant Flying Jellykkos!!!!!!!!”
“T-this is insane...”
“Ah... Aaaah...”
The Jellykkos descended slowly and set the bus down with remarkable stability.
Then the doors opened.
Honk, honk!
The bus driver sounded the horn, grinned, and spoke.
“Climb aboard, you Seoul bumpkins.”
Petite Cream collapsed to the ground, realizing once again that he had made the right choice.
“C-crazy...! Yoo-men!!!!”
[Chat]
- Huh?
- Gasp...!!!!
- What the fuuuuuck!!!!
- ???????????
- IT’S A FLYING JELLYKKO BUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Aah!!!!!!!! So cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Aaaah, please let me hug one really tight just once!!!!!!
- Start test runs in Seoul already, damn it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Please, Busan too...!!! Please let Busan have one too...!!!
- So if I work construction, I get to ride that?
- Okay, I’m totally unemployed, so I applied right away. Giant Flying Jellykkos, you’re all dead. Yeah.
It was the first appearance of the Jellykko Sky Bus, one of Jelly-polis’s means of transportation.
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