WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Haruto
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became the EX-Rank Pet Maker Hunters Obsess Over ◈
Chapter 96: Forward Base
──────
“Grrrk....”
“Grrraah.”
Would this be what a city destroyed by an apocalypse looked like, if plants grew endlessly and covered everything?
Seeing land far larger than Korea teeming with mutated magical beasts, I could tell this place had truly gone to ruin.
The Chinese government had given up on it too, so that said it all.
For reference, the creatures roaming here were not Gate monsters, but mutated magical beasts.
[ Mo■el Name 》 Soul■ Hundred Ghost■ - 3■ ]
[ ■ana Core Rank 》 ■ Rank ]
[ ■ifespan 》 ? ]
[ Traits 》 High■ensity ■■ Can■n (■+) Soul■ ■ower (B+) Mutat■d ■ody (■) ]
[ This ■agical beast has undergone a special Enhance■ent process. ]
That was why I could see their status windows.
Though judging by how damaged the windows looked, they were clearly in an extremely unstable state.
‘Hmm, does that mutation count as Enhancement too...?’
Because plants wrapped around their bodies, the magical beasts looked like hosts for the vegetation, but they did not seem severely restricted in their movement. Instead, they felt like organs meant to absorb nutrients from the massive roots spreading throughout Sichuan Province.
After observing the mutated magical beasts around me with interest, I returned to the Korean base camp.
There, I ran into Yeon Harim and the Wolyeong Guild, who were preparing to head out.
Yeon Harim spotted me, approached, and spoke.
“Mr. Yoo Hyun! You’re here? We’re heading out as the advance team to set up a forward base.”
“Oh, that’s quick. You don’t know what variables might be inside, so don’t push yourselves.”
“Of course!”
Sichuan was far larger than Korea.
The distance from the westernmost outskirts to the central area with that giant tree was about the same as traveling from Seoul to Busan.
Too far to break through in a single day.
That was why they needed to clear the magical beasts on the outskirts, advance gradually, and establish camps as footholds along the way for a smooth operation.
I looked over Wolyeong Guild’s procession.
Nearly all of the guild’s members had joined this subjugation operation.
The outskirts were home to relatively weak magical beasts, but C to B-rank Hunters were still useful because the battlefield required them to establish those footholds. More importantly, even the lower-ranked Hunters had been issued my new magical beasts.
‘The mutated magical beasts in the outskirts are still pretty strong... but with second-generation EVO models and magical beasts enhanced with Essentium, there shouldn’t be much of a problem.’
The second-generation EVO models scattered throughout the procession looked like this.
First, mole-type magical beasts that breathed fire!
“Tsit...!”
Their developed forepaws could dig up tree roots, and their powerful firepower made them key EVO models that could counter plant-type magical beasts.
And the second type...
“Crooo....”
Crocodile-type magical beasts with long snouts!
They were made with water-element essence mixtures, but rather than relying on the water element itself, they specialized in dealing damage with their powerful jaws.
Strong enough to crush even tough tree bark.
And finally...
Bird-type magical beasts with large leaves on their heads...
“Grrrk....”
Plop.
A leaf fell from the creature’s head to the ground.
There was so much vegetation around here that it must have gotten stuck on somewhere.
That was right. It had nothing to do with plants.
Because I still had not obtained plant-type essence!
This bird-type magical beast was an important scout that would survey this vast city from above and provide our allies with accurate geographical information and the distribution of nearby magical beasts.
It specialized in hiding its presence and sharing its vision with allies.
Incidentally, this had advanced enough to be practical thanks to Hassan’s Evil Eye experiment.
A lineup of moles, crocodiles, and pigeons... no, birds.
That was the starter magical beast lineup for the second-generation EVO models.
For some reason, the people receiving magical beasts sighed in relief that there was no grass-type one.
But I had not given up.
‘Once I get plant-type essence... someday...!’
I could obtain mutated essence from the monsters on the outskirts, but it did not fully meet my goal of obtaining “pure plant-type essence.”
Anyway... after passing Wolyeong Guild’s procession and arriving at the Korean base camp, I saw several guilds gathered there.
“Little brother, you’re here?”
Cheon Sanha of the Cheonseong Guild.
“President Yoo Hyun, you’re here.”
Baek Seola, who had two heavyweight Jellykkos in her chest, and the Dongbaek Guild.
And...
“......”
The Seogwang Guild and Seong Gwangho.
Korea’s former number one guild and number one Hunter.
The broad-built man looked at me with sharp eyes.
The four strongest Korean guilds, each with S-rank Hunters, had gathered through the recruitment conducted alongside Jelly-polis’s construction.
Incidentally, this faction had been named the Jelly-polis Alliance.
Because all of them were building guild headquarters in Jelly-polis.
Baek Seola stepped onto the platform for the operation briefing.
“The goal of our Jelly-polis Alliance this time is to gather plant-type essence and elixirs.”
It had been confirmed that elixirs genuinely helped increase Hunters’ combat power. The goal was to farm those while also collecting plant-type essence.
“As expected, the golden fruits in the outer regions are closer to bait. On top of that, only a very small number of the fruits have any effect. Those fruits can make someone three years younger, but apparently, even consuming one causes resistance to develop quickly.”
An incredible effect. They did not merely extend one’s lifespan, they also restored youth.
Baek Seola continued her explanation.
“As you all expected, the closer one gets to the center, the more exponentially effective the fruits become. There was a party among the early entrants that advanced over thirty kilometers. The fruits they brought back made people at least five years younger, and the resistance they caused was lower than that of the outermost fruits. Our first objective is to build a forward base around the thirty to forty kilometer point and secure an entry route.”
She did not explain it, but the fruits also had effects beyond rejuvenation, generally improving Hunters’ abilities.
Our goal was to use the first forward base as a foothold, farm fruits to raise our members’ combat power, gradually grow stronger, and advance toward the center.
The explanation continued.
“The number of dead and missing people in Sichuan Province alone is estimated at twenty million. Including unidentified individuals, the number is even higher. And as you know, Transcendents can use even humans as resources. That means there may be an outrageous monster near that giant tree, one nourished by this many humans.”
Twenty million... more than twice the population of Seoul.
If all of that had been converted into causality... the deepest area would probably be on a completely different level from Merfolk Island.
Well, that had been within the realm of prediction from the moment a Transcendent faction swallowed up the massive landmass of Sichuan.
“Our goals are ‘safety’ and ‘efficiency.’ Please do not become blinded by the fruits and advance too deeply. Unlike Merfolk Island, the structure of this place may make rescue itself difficult.”
I heard that high-ranking Hunters were dragged into the deepest area.
‘Probably to maximize absorption efficiency.’
Anyway, only after laying out all the safety measures, objectives, and each guild’s role did they leave, with only a minimum number of people remaining at the base camp.
Incidentally, I had to stay here because I was not a combatant.
Baek Seola and Cheon Sanha absolutely refused to let me come along.
I watched the Hunters head out with a lonely expression.
“Hmm... Well, there’s plenty to do here too. Like crafting magical beasts.”
“Huff, huff....”
[ Crafting magical beasts? There isn’t even proper equipment here. ]
That was right. This base camp only had a few small cultivators.
“I’m going to try making them another way.”
At my words, Amon’s eyes widened.
[ You don’t mean... you’re finally going to use it...? ]
I nodded.
“Yeah, creature creation using Mist Dharma Arts... no, magical-beast crafting!”
The implanted Ouroboros Core model within me had consumed Amon’s essence and gained a Dharma Arts Organ. During that time, I had learned the basics of Dharma Arts from Amon whenever I had the chance.
The Mist Dharma Path was a technique of the heterodox path that used mist to deceive the rules established by the gods.
Using the mist from that Dharma Art, I should be able to create some quite unusual magical beasts by twisting the laws of reality.
* * *
Bzzz!
When a consecration ritual was performed on the barrier stone, golden light spread out and surrounded the forward base.
The pink-haired Saintess wiped away her sweat and spoke.
“Phew... It finally looks somewhat complete.”
Celestia, the Gate Church’s Saintess, looked over the completed Church forward base and smiled in satisfaction.
It was a foothold for around five hundred church members, protected by two layers of top-grade barriers that completely blocked magical beasts from entering.
There were also ample supplies, and its elevated position made it suitable for maintaining a clear field of view.
“Mm-hmm...!”
Celestia nodded in satisfaction several times.
‘Compared to the other factions, this should be one of the coziest and best-equipped bases.’
They had gathered plenty of fruits on the way here, and their progress had not been bad. It seemed they could get ahead of the other factions within the Gate Church.
Then the blue-haired woman standing beside her as an escort bit her nails and muttered.
“...I need to get out....”
Luciella had been given a sedative, so she was less agitated than before, but she still scanned her surroundings with anxious eyes.
Then something rustled in the bushes. She looked in that direction, and in an instant, whatever she had looked at was split in two.
Slash!
A segmented whip sword was in the hand Luciella had swung before anyone noticed.
At the spot she had sliced apart, a mutated magical beast that had been hiding was twitching in pieces.
Flawless combat ability.
Celestia watched her and spoke as if she could not understand.
“...What on earth are you so afraid of?”
Luciella alone would be capable of escaping even if some unimaginable monster appeared.
Other than her bad personality, she was perfect in every way.
“Haah... Why did you have to break down like this...?”
Why had the woman who was supposed to become the church’s strongest sword ended up like this...? Celestia sighed, then suddenly noticed something strange.
The fog slowly thickened.
“...Wait, was there fog here before?”
When she looked toward where it was growing denser, she saw that it was flowing from somewhere not far from the base.
An abnormal phenomenon had appeared near the base, so they could not simply ignore it.
Celestia led Luciella and the church escorts deeper into the fog.
‘This fog is so uncomfortable... Like it’s trying to keep intruders from going any farther....’
Celestia ignored her instinct telling her to turn back and continued forward... until she finally found something.
Through the fog, she could see what looked like a village, with one and two-story buildings gathered together.
“Huff, huff... Huh?”
The Jellykko Little Devil Edition in her arms floated up and turned around.
“Huh? What’s wrong, Sugar?”
“Huff, huff... Huff....”
Sugar, the Jellykko Little Devil Edition, panted as it stared beyond the fog behind them.
Beyond the fog where the Jelly Dog was looking, something massive was approaching.
“...!! Get into combat formation!!”
Celestia prepared to cast a wide-area buff at any moment, while Luciella raised her segmented whip sword.
Then the massive silhouette pushing through the fog revealed itself...
Everyone made stunned noises.
“Huh...?”
“What...?”
It was a gigantic Jellykko carrying an enormous load.
The giant Jellykko, flying low overhead, tilted its head at Celestia’s group.
“Huff... Huff, huff...?”
Then it ignored them, spun the propeller on its tail, and flew past.
Still blinking as if wondering what they had just seen, the Gate Church members looked in the direction the Jellykko had gone and soon found a sign.
【 Jelly-polis Alliance Forward Base 1 】
“...Jelly-polis Alliance?”
Celestia felt a strange sense of familiarity. When she passed beyond the sign, the fog suddenly cleared, and the scene before her changed completely.
She heard the flustered voices of the church members behind her.
“...Th-this is insane....”
“What is this place?!”
Before them were people grilling barbecue, people lying in hammocks... there was even a swimming pool.
And more striking than that was the sheer variety of magical beasts filling the area.
Unbelievably, some magical beasts were even helping people who looked like Hunters construct buildings.
Those magical beasts took building materials from the cargo brought by the giant Jellykko that had passed them earlier and raised a building in an instant.
A completely incomprehensible sight.
“It’s an illusion... It has to be an illusion...!”
“Saintess! Please dispel it at once!”
But Celestia could not take any action.
‘...This isn’t an illusion, though?’
No, what on earth was this in the middle of all these mutated magical beasts...?
Then a figure approached them, the unexpected visitors.
It was Hunter Yeon Harim of the Wolyeong Guild.
Yeon Harim looked at the stunned Celestia and spoke.
“Hm? We’ve met before, right? Why did you come to our forward base?”
“...Forward base? This is a forward base?”
Not a resort...?
...Then what exactly had they built?
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
