Chapter 5
“Swoooosh… The smell of a brand-new core.”
A finely crafted blue jewel nestled inside a luxurious case.
It was the key material for the new magic beast model, ‘Silphid.’
[ D-Rank Magic Core ]
“I ended up splurging after all.”
A D-Rank magic core processed for magic beasts by the Lionel brand.
Even among D-Rank cores, it was a Lionel product whose output efficiency had been increased through meticulous processing.
A luxury item that had cost a whopping 27 million won? You could certainly call it that.
“I never thought I'd be buying and using something this expensive myself… My hands are trembling.”
I steadied my trembling body and mind by kneading Happy, the slime puppy.
Squish-squish—Squish-squish—
“Pant, pant….”
“Whew… I'm calming down. As expected of a slime.”
The higher the rank of a magic beast's magic core, the more absurdly difficult it was to process. That was why magic cores accounted for such an outrageously large portion of the cost of magic beast materials.
‘So for something around D-Rank, the standard choice would be a cheaper brand….’
But since I was using it for a newly designed model, I couldn't use some cheap knockoff. That was also why I had purchased a product from Lionel, one of the premium brands among magic beast core manufacturers.
Since this was the first model I had designed with my EX-Rank ability, I wanted to see its maximum possible performance.
I brought up the new blueprint I had created.
[ Model Name 》 Silphid ]
[ Magic Core Rank 》 D ]
[ Lifespan 》 3 years ]
[ Traits 》 Storm's Blessing (C+) Lesser Spirit (C) ]
The projected basic information of the magic beast that would soon be completed appeared before my eyes.
The Silphid model was a rare spirit-type magic beast in the magic beast pet market.
That meant it required one special material in addition to the materials used by ordinary magic beasts.
And what I had prepared for that purpose was…
[ Lesser Wind Spirit Stone ]
The small green jewel that fit in the palm of my hand emitted a soft glow and possessed a mysterious beauty.
“This is essential.”
“Pant, pant….”
As its name suggested, spirit stones were normally materials used by Hunters with the Spirit Mage trait.
They were resources used to form contracts with spirits or create new spirits. Since the essence of spirits was dissolved within them, spirit stones could also infuse equipment or magic beasts with some of a spirit's traits.
In other words, the key materials for creating this magic beast were the D-Rank magic core and the spirit stone.
The problem was that spirits weren't particularly compatible with magic beasts.
Since I had to fuse a magic core obtained from a monster with a spirit stone without causing any rejection, the difficulty was on an entirely different level from ordinary magic beast creation.
‘Under normal circumstances, this would be impossible for an individual to complete.’
Even a D-Rank spirit-type magic beast required the development capabilities of a research institute. It was a realm that a hole-in-the-wall pet shop owner like me could never have even considered attempting.
“Pant, pant…!”
“Yes, yes. Even a job like that is within my abilities now.”
The most difficult process, the design, was already complete. As long as I didn't make any mistakes during cultivation, completion was practically guaranteed.
“Shall I start right away?”
*
Jingle—
Ten days later, the client, Hunter Lee Yujin, visited the pet shop. She was accompanied by Hunter Yoo Dusik.
“Boss! I'm here!”
“I'm here too.”
“You two came together?”
Hmm, should I call this an unexpected combination…?
Yoo Dusik laughed heartily while lifting the cage.
“Hahaha! We became close through our shared interest in magic beast pets. I came to see the new magic beast Hunter Lee commissioned, and to have Rodin examined!”
Hunter Yoo… Should I say he looked healthier these days? He had the air of someone whose affairs were going smoothly.
“I see. Please wait here.”
I was grateful not only that he brought Rodin in for checkups, but also that he bought external magic cores and pet supplies from me every time he visited.
Could Hunter Yoo Dusik be considered a VIP? Either way, he was someone I was grateful to.
‘Come to think of it, the atmosphere between these two is suspicious….’
……Now that I think about it, could it be that I, Yoo Hyun, have become Cupid for these two? I feel a little sick to my stomach, too….
I went into the back of the shop, which served as a cultivation room, enhancement room, warehouse, and workshop all at once, and brought out the case I had prepared in advance.
A soft pale-green light flowed from inside the case.
I opened the case in front of them and spoke.
“This is ‘Silphid,’ the custom-made model I created specifically for Hunter Lee Yujin.”
Whoosh—
Something sprang out of the case.
A spirit-type magic beast with a round, streamlined body and shining wings, spraying particles that glowed with the fresh green of new foliage.
At first glance, it looked like a plump, morbidly obese dragonfly.
Silphid flew around the shop, buzzing as it cried out.
“……Baa… raam….”
“Wow, it's incredibly beautiful!”
Hunter Lee Yujin admired it.
“But… does it talk, too? Wind? Bal-am? What is that???”
“No… It doesn't have any particular meaning. That's simply its cry.”
Even I, its creator, had no idea why its cry had turned out that way.
‘There was nothing wrong with the design….’
Well, what mattered was its performance.
I briefly explained Silphid's information to Hunter Lee Yujin, since ordinary Hunters couldn't see a magic beast's status window.
“As you can see, it's a spirit-type magic beast. It uses a D-Rank magic core and a lesser wind-element spirit stone. Its traits are the C+-Rank trait called Storm's Blessing and the C-Rank Lesser Spirit trait.”
“Gasp…!! Dual traits!!! And both of them are C-Rank or higher…!!!”
Before I had even finished speaking, Hunter Yoo Dusik let out a shriek.
Hunter Yoo Dusik had recently grown very interested in magic beasts and started studying magic beast pets.
Dual-trait magic beasts were a feature only seen in the high-end magic beasts occasionally discussed on YouTube or in online communities.
“As expected… Boss…!! You're amazing.”
At his reaction, Hunter Lee Yujin's eyes grew round.
“Is it really that amazing?”
“Of course!! I've never even heard of a D-Rank magic beast with two traits in Korea! Even among Hunters, having two traits means people would be fighting to recruit you from every direction! Magic beasts are the same!!”
As Yoo Dusik explained, the way Hunter Lee Yujin looked at Silphid changed. Her eyes seemed to drip honey, as though she were looking at a limited-edition luxury handbag—no, something even more precious.
“Wow….”
Heh… She finally recognized how amazing this little one was.
That's right. Obtaining a magic beast with dual abilities for only fifty million won could be considered a miraculous opportunity for Hunter Lee Yujin.
But what really mattered was how it performed in actual combat. Her reaction then would probably be on an entirely different level from what it was now.
It was a shame I wouldn't be able to see that reaction myself…
‘Well, Hunter Lee Yujin will probably come back like Hunter Yoo Dusik and tell me all about her magic beast pet's performance.’
Looking forward to that moment, I had Hunter Lee Yujin fill out the magic beast pet documents and complete the owner imprint.
“Thank you, Boss!! I'll do my best with this little one!!”
“Hahaha! I suppose we have something to look forward to in our next Gate expedition?”
“Goodbye~”
Jingle—
And so the two of them left the shop.
“Hmm… If I'm going to use Silphid as an official product, I should raise the price a lot more.”
A magic beast with dual abilities… There probably wouldn't be much reaction right away, but the Hunter industry was small enough that rumors about me would spread soon.
For reference, I had no intention of selling this blueprint to a corporation or anything like that.
Not for now, anyway.
*
In front of a C-Rank Gate.
The members of Gamma Team had gathered under the leadership of interim team leader Yoo Dusik.
“Oh, is that the magic beast from the shop Hunter Yoo—no, Team Leader Yoo—told us about?”
“Ah, yes! Its model name is Silphid, and it's a spirit-type magic beast! Her name is Silphy!”
“Uh… Aren't spirit-type magic beasts expensive?”
“Since I was introduced by Team Leader Yoo, the Boss gave me an incredibly good deal!”
After returning home, Hunter Lee Yujin had searched online for spirit-type magic beasts and dual-trait magic beast pets. Both were special specimens that sold for much higher prices than usual.
And a dual-trait spirit-type magic beast that combined the two?
‘He really did give me an unbelievably good deal….’
Searching online had made her realize exactly how valuable this magic beast pet was.
“Wow, really? He gave you a rare spirit-type magic beast at a discount…? What kind of connections does Team Leader Yoo have?”
“Ahem, ahem… Well, the Boss was simply kind enough to give me a good deal. What did I do?”
Yoo Dusik had been appointed interim team leader starting with this Gate expedition.
He announced the start of their exploration of the new Gate.
“Well, let's all head inside for now! We've got to earn plenty today, too!”
*
As the team members moved farther inside the Gate, they grew interested in the magic beast whose model name was Silphid.
“…Baa… raam….”
“That's a peculiar cry.”
“It sounds kind of feeble, like it's not very impressive….”
The spirit-type magic beast flew in circles around them.
They knew it was a rare magic beast, but since they had heard it had been purchased cheaply, the team members couldn't help but doubt its abilities.
Even if it had come from the magic beast pet shop that had sold them Rune Turtle Rodin, who had saved their lives. One success could have been a coincidence, couldn't it?
“……Baa… raam….”
Bang—!
Just then, Silphid fired a compressed mass of air toward the bushes to Gamma Team's front right, and a Gray Wolf sprang out from within them.
“Awooo—!!”
“……Huh…!”
Slash—!
The melee damage dealer at the front reacted quickly and dispatched the Gray Wolf with ease.
He stared at Silphid with a bewildered expression.
“……What was that? Does it have a detection ability?”
One of Silphid's abilities was ‘Lesser Spirit (C).’
By using a spirit's ability to assimilate with nature, it could detect enemies in the surrounding area.
“…Our team's detection was a weak point, so this works out perfectly. You really bought one that suits you, Team Leader!”
“Hehe….”
Hunter Lee Yujin felt inexplicably proud at her teammates' praise, while Yoo Dusik wiped beneath his nose as if he understood.
But Silphid's performance didn't end there…
When they approached an area densely packed with monsters, dozens of Gray Wolves appeared.
True to their intelligence as wolf-type magic beasts, they had gauged Silphid's detection range and were slowly tightening their encirclement from beyond it.
“Grrr….”
“Krrr….”
One of the team members clicked his tongue and kept watch on their surroundings.
“Tsk… It looks like there's a commanding boss inside this Gate. We've been caught completely off guard.”
“Form a defensive formation! Buy me time to cast my spell!”
At Yoo Dusik's command, Gamma Team gathered together and formed a tight formation.
There were a lot of monsters, but with Yoo Dusik's firepower, they should be able to suppress them.
If necessary, they also had Rune Turtle Rodin's barrier, so they were in no danger of being wiped out. They would just have to accept a certain amount of damage—
Boom—!!!
A flash of light shot out, and a Gray Wolf's head exploded.
“Huh…?”
The frontliners slowly turned toward their allies, only to find Hunter Lee Yujin frozen in place, still holding her bow in the position from which she had fired, her expression dazed.
Even Hunter Lee Yujin herself seemed unable to grasp what had happened.
“Whoa….”
“W-What? Hunter Lee Yujin's firepower….”
“I-I don't really know either….”
Just as Lee Yujin was about to say something, Silphid floating beside her cried out.
“Baa… raam….”
“……No way.”
Lee Yujin took out another arrow and drew the string.
A green light began to gather softly at the tip of the arrow.
‘This is…!!’
At that moment, the consultation she had had with the pet shop Boss flashed through her mind.
- ‘I can see it… I can see it… A magic beast perfectly suited to Hunter Lee Yujin…!! What you need most right now is an excellent support. You can feel it yourself, can't you? You often find yourself in danger because you have to keep moving around when you can't find a proper firing angle…!!’
The Boss had definitely said that he would create a custom-made pet suited to her.
And just as if to prove his words, Silphy had displayed a danger-detection ability, while light coiled around her arrow…!
If the former was an ability of the Lesser Spirit trait… then the latter was…
‘Storm's Blessing, the C+-Rank trait, was an enchantment…!!’
A firepower-support trait!
Silphid really was a support-type magic beast perfectly suited to her.
Once she understood the situation, Lee Yujin fired enchanted arrows at random.
“……Let's go, Silphy!”
“…Baa… raam….”
Arrows enchanted with Storm's Blessing didn't need to target weak points against minor mobs. Wherever they hit, they would cause a critical injury anyway.
Thanks to that, Lee Yujin's rate of fire was on an entirely different level from before… A rain of arrows poured down at a terrifying speed.
No matter how agile the Gray Wolves were, they couldn't dodge every arrow enchanted with the wind element…
Whoosh—Boom—!
Whoosh—! Whoosh—! Boom-boom—!!
A one-sided massacre unfolded.
“……Hunter Lee Yujin…?”
“W-Wait, that's a D-Rank magic beast?”
“This is insane… I'm going to the pet shop after work, too.”
The D-Rank spirit-type magic beast Silphid was clearly an overpowered specimen that overwhelmingly surpassed other magic beasts of the same tier.
After wiping out the pack of Gray Wolves, Hunter Lee Yujin stared at the devastation she had caused and muttered,
“This… It looks useful for anyone, not just me…?”
Silphid had certainly corrected all of her weaknesses, but the model displayed broad versatility far beyond serving one specific purpose.
However, that wasn't the secondary issue that mattered right now.
What really mattered was the Boss who had created such an absurd magic beast…!
‘The Boss is at his lowest point right now…!!’
He would surely appear on television someday and become a famous figure in the Hunter pet industry! When that happened, it would be difficult even to see his face in person, let alone make a reservation.
Hunter Lee Yujin resolved to maintain her relationship with the Boss somehow.
‘……I wonder if the Boss likes Korean beef…?’