WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Haruto
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became the EX-Rank Pet Maker Hunters Obsess Over ◈
Chapter 9: Contract
──────
The day before Yeon Harim visited Yoo Hyun's pet shop to pay the remaining balance.
【 Korean Hunter Gallery 】
- [ Free ] Damn lol Yeon Harim solo-clearing an A-rank Gate is insane lol
- [ Free ] We are living in Yeon Harim's era.
- [ Free ] But seriously, she got ridiculously strong out of nowhere;; What do you mean she cleared an A-rank Gate alone?
- [ Free ] Yeon Harim blew up after getting a new pet, yeah. The pet probably played a decisive role...?
- [ Free ] For real;; Pet stocks are hitting the ceiling right now??? Did she really clear an A-rank Gate because of a pet???
- [ Free ] Baek Seola's finished!! Finished!!! Finished!!!! Dongbaek gets taken dooown-!!!!!
- [ Guild ] Wolyeong Guild's ranking is climbing in real time, fuck lol What the hell happened lolololol
- [ Free ] The Korean Hunter Gallery's queen is Queen Harim now. No objections accepted.
- [ Free ] Where'd Baek Seola's fan club go? Deathly quiet lol
Yeon Harim, Wolyeong Guild's guild master, lay in bed with a broad grin as she searched for herself online.
“Hehehe...”
Until recently, the media had compared her to Baek Seola and used her to prop Baek Seola up, branding her the perpetual runner-up.
But now, everyone was praising her.
The community, the media, even the Hunters she knew.
That wasn't all. Some people predicted that Yeon Harim, who had steamrolled an A-rank Gate with overwhelming force, would become Korea's next S-rank Hunter.
She had become Korea's undisputed top female Hunter.
It was all thanks to the Keraunos model, which had allowed her to make use of her Etherization ability.
Yeon Harim took Keraunos out of its cage and held it in her arms.
“...Chirrr.”
“Chirring... What am I supposed to do? I'm so happy right now??”
The flood of dopamine had fried her brain so badly that she couldn't sleep.
She planned to clear an A-rank Gate that had been auctioned off tomorrow, but this might throw off her schedule.
Thump. Thump.
On a night when her heartbeat sounded especially loud, the face of the man who had made the Keraunos model just for her lingered in Yeon Harim's mind.
“...Yoo Hyun.”
His pet-making ability was exceptional, and his insight was astonishing.
Neither was merely excellent. Both went far beyond that.
According to the personal information in Cynthia's report, he had only begun to stand out recently.
Soon, Yoo Hyun's ability would be known to the world, and countless Hunters would come looking for him to get pets.
“...”
“Chirrr...”
“I want him.”
Before anyone else could get their hands on him, she wanted to make him hers.
She had wanted things before, but this was the first time in her life she had wanted a person.
It was obvious that no one else in the world could make pets that would let her use her ability the way Yoo Hyun could.
Knowing this connection was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity made Yeon Harim impatient. Other Hunters would soon learn of him, and perhaps Baek Seola would covet him too.
No, it was certain. Baek Seola would come looking for Yoo Hyun.
The moment she thought that, a thick possessiveness welled up from deep within Yeon Harim's chest.
“I want him!! I want him!!!”
Squeeze!
Yeon Harim hugged Chirring, the Keraunos model, with all her strength. Chirring struggled fiercely, spewing sparks of lightning.
“Chirrrk-!!! Chirrrk!!!!!”
Flap!
Crackle-!! Crackle-!!!
That day, the fire alarm went off in her apartment building.
* * *
That was why Yeon Harim had uncharacteristically thrown herself at Yoo Hyun and asked for a private contract.
She straightened up and spoke calmly.
“Ahem. I think very highly of your ability, Mr. Yoo Hyun. You must know that you possess a special talent. But your ability goes beyond merely being special. It's exceptionally outstanding. There will surely be people who covet you, even if they have to resort to forceful means.”
“That's possible...”
It was a plausible concern.
For now, I was only making pets now and then at a tiny pet shop, so I hadn't drawn much attention. But if I kept making pets, these peaceful days probably wouldn't last much longer.
'If that happens and I don't have some means of protecting myself, whether through influence or force, I'll be in serious trouble.'
That was probably what Hunter Yeon Harim wanted to discuss.
“So... I'd personally like to protect you, Mr. Yoo Hyun.”
Hmm. Was a Hunter being mentioned as the next S-rank offering to guarantee my safety? That was definitely reassuring.
Still, an individual had limits.
Besides, she couldn't protect me twenty-four hours a day.
Of course, considering how quickly her standing was rising, simply having her watch my back would be a huge help...
'Why doesn't she want to do this through a guild contract?'
I asked her, voicing my doubts.
“Why wouldn't the guild protect me? If protection is the goal, wouldn't that be better?”
Well, I had turned Secretary Cynthia down before, but if the terms changed, I wasn't against signing a contract with Wolyeong Guild.
As long as it wasn't exclusive, I was willing to sign.
“...”
Yeon Harim fell silent for a moment before speaking.
“...If you sign with our guild, other guilds might harm you to keep us in check, you know? Covert conflict between guilds, I suppose?”
...Covert conflict between guilds? Wasn't that an urban legend?
Well, someone in the industry was saying it, so it seemed to be true.
Yeon Harim continued with a somehow unnatural smile.
“Come to think of it, it isn't that important. Let's make a guild contract and a private contract with me! That'll solve it!”
“...?”
What was this about?
* * *
The contract went through without any issues.
The timing was good. I needed a safeguard too.
“Sponsorship?”
“In exchange for Wolyeong paying you a monthly sponsorship fee, we'd like you to prioritize consultations and custom pet production for Hunters affiliated with our guild. The Hunter placing the order would pay the production costs separately.”
In other words, I would receive both the sponsorship fee and payment for custom pet commissions.
“And Wolyeong will protect you so that you can continue making pets without issue. Our legal team will also handle any legal problems. Those are the main terms. There are some minor details as well, so please review what's written here.”
I skimmed the documents she held out.
'This is good... It's all for my convenience.'
The pet I had made for her must have helped her a lot. Otherwise, they wouldn't be offering this much.
“...The sponsorship fee is one billion won a month. I wanted to set it higher, but Cynthia stopped me, saying it would bankrupt the guild's operating fund...”
“No!! These terms are already amazing...!! That's over ten billion won a year...”
Honestly, I felt like I was about to lose all sense of money.
Ten billion won? Wasn't that enough to spend the rest of my life eating, playing, and doing nothing?
To be fair, Wolyeong wasn't a major guild, so even this amount was extremely high.
Competition between guilds for Gate bids had been fierce lately.
Anyway, the guild contract had changed from an exclusive agreement to a sponsorship arrangement... Now, this was the private contract...
“...This is the contract?”
“Yes. It's simple, right?”
The contents really were nothing special.
In short, I would help her with pet-related matters, and she would lend me her strength.
The terms themselves weren't all that different from the guild contract, but...
The problem was...
“...”
“Now, if you install this app, we'll be able to see each other's location. I can run to you anytime you're in danger. It'd be best if you wore this watch too. What do you think?”
“Isn't this a couple's app?”
Between the name and the heart symbol, it looked exactly like a couple's app.
“Oh, don't worry about that. It works as a disguise, and its performance is excellent. Also, this watch has an absurd function that lets you communicate with the outside even inside a Gate! Hunters use it... It has GPS built in too, so there won't be a problem even if you lose your smartphone!”
Something... something was strange here.
Unlike during the composed discussion over the guild contract, she seemed excited.
“Um, please calm down first...”
“Ah, yes. Anyway... I think these are necessary measures to keep you safe, Mr. Yoo Hyun.”
It was definitely reassuring.
There was no particular reason to refuse.
Was it a little excessive? Maybe. But considering what I planned to do in the future, even this might not be enough.
Anyway, that was how the private contract was concluded too.
Hunter Yeon Harim's ability would enter a new realm every time I made her a new pet.
If she became stronger, I would benefit as well...
Though for now, getting used to Etherization came first, so she didn't seem to be thinking of commissioning another pet.
With a satisfied smile, Yeon Harim spoke as she left the shop.
“Mr. Yoo Hyun, if you don't contact me every twenty-four hours, an emergency signal will go off, so contact me every day!”
“What? What is that supposed to...!!”
“I'm busy, so I'll be going!”
Jingle.
Yeon Harim left the shop with lighter, fresher steps than ever.
“...”
That was how I gained Wolyeong Guild's sponsorship and Yeon Harim as someone backing me.
* * *
After Yeon Harim left, the members of the Gamma Team came to the pet shop one after another.
All of them were in disguise too...!
It was because of the contract.
“Boss, we probably won't be able to visit the pet shop for a while, so I came to have Rodin examined and say goodbye.”
Hunter Yoo Dusik arrived as usual, carrying a premium Korean beef gift set and a cage containing Rodin, the Rune Turtle.
“If it's guild policy, there's nothing you can do. Now that I'll be receiving official sponsorship, come back once things settle down.”
The Korean Hunter industry was currently focused on Yeon Harim.
If people noticed that members of her guild kept visiting my pet shop, there was a high chance I'd end up in a very troublesome situation.
I didn't want that. Naturally, Wolyeong Guild also wanted other Hunters to remain unaware of me.
'I need some time too.'
Expanding the shop, buying new equipment, setting up a system for Wolyeong Guild to protect me...
I needed time.
After Hunter Yoo Dusik left, elegantly wrapped boxes were piled in the corner of the shop.
Every one of them was a premium Korean beef gift set.
“What am I supposed to do with all this?”
Maybe word had spread that I liked Korean beef. Every Hunter who visited had brought a gift set.
There were so many piled up at home that I didn't know what to do with them.
“Hmm...”
I took out my smartphone.
[ Me ]: Mom, want some Korean beef?
[ Mom ]: ...Son. You don't need to send any more Korean beef... We haven't even finished what's in the fridge.
Even my parents were sick of beef.
There was so much left over that I'd been feeding Haengbok top-grade Korean beef instead of pet food lately.
“...”
I looked at the cages in the shop.
“Pant... Pant...”
“...Pant, pant, pant.”
“...Pant... pant.”
Should I feed it to the Jellykkos and the other magical beasts?
* * *
Top floor of Dongbaek's guild building.
Baek Seola's office.
“...Is the investigation finished?”
The cold voice of the silver-haired woman, seated with her chin resting on her hand, rang through the office.
“Most records, including CCTV footage, were deleted. But after reviewing vehicle dashcams and other materials, we found signs that Wolyeong's Gamma Team had visited regularly. The Gamma Team is also achieving unmatched results within Wolyeong. That pet shop is the most likely candidate. However, its owner is a Magic Beast Alchemist who only recently advanced to C-rank...”
“Let me see the documents.”
The secretary handed the documents to Baek Seola.
Her eyes swept over them, and she quickly reached a conclusion.
“That's the place. If we want to improve Dongbaek's strength, we need to bring that person in.”
Being overtaken by Yeon Harim was fine.
【 Korean Guild Rankings 】
13th ↓ [ Dongbaek ]
14th → [ Gaebyeok ]
......
......
17th ↑ [ Wolyeong ]
What mattered was that Wolyeong Guild's ranking had climbed to just below Dongbaek's.
“Arrange a discreet meeting and set a date. I have something to think about, so leave me alone for a while.”
“Understood.”
Click.
She was left alone in the office.
“...Yeon Harim.”
People seemed to view Yeon Harim and her as rivals, but it didn't concern her much.
She simply did her best in the position she had been given.
“Phew... Shall I take a short break?”
Muttering to herself, Baek Seola's cold eyes swept over the door her secretary had gone through.
Click. Click.
After making sure no one was around, she entered the Korean Hunter Gallery.
As expected, the community was full of nothing but talk about her and Yeon Harim.
【 Korean Hunter Gallery 】
[ Free ] Baek Seola's ship has sunk. Board Yeon Harim's ship instead!!
Author: TaaitIsFun
Ah... Baek Seola...!! Just an ordinary person who strutted around before Queen Harim awakened...!!!
Now Yeon Harim's era has arrived...!!
[ Comments ]
Anonymous (59.1): Lmao, that person who kept first place among female Hunters while pretending not to care about rankings, acting elegant and noble...!!! The second she got pushed into second place, she suddenly disappeared from TV lolololololololol
└ Rechaung: Seriously lol She vanished like a ghost lolololololol
Tremble, tremble...
The hand gripping the mouse shook, and cracks formed in Baek Seola's face, which had been like that of an emotionless doll.
“...Hah, phew... It's nothing. Calm down.”
Baek Seola tried to compose herself.
Glance.
【 Korean Hunter Gallery 】
- [ Free ] Hmm, looking back, we were fooled by Baek Seola's aristocratic aura. But are her actual achievements really that good? I have doubts.
- [ Free ] Info) Baek Seola's skills are all hype, yeah.
- [ Free ] But why does Baek Seola, who comes from a rural farming family, have this rich young lady concept?
- [ Free ] She's nice to look at, though.
- [ Free ] Maybe we overestimated Baek Seola, yeah;;
- [ Free ] Baek Seola hype theory, damn;;;
- [ Free ] Huh...!! Then when you look into it, isn't it possible Baek Seola isn't even second place? Come to think of it, she's never even solo-cleared a B-rank, let alone an A-rank!!
- [ Free ] Holy shit;;; You're right. What is this? Should we dig into her past? Damn;;;
Bang!
Unable to endure it any longer, Baek Seola roughly shoved her chair back and stood.
“Why are they doing this to me!! I didn't do anything!!!”
She had tried to ignore it, but this was actually rather humiliating.
Footnotes:
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