Chapter 8
The consultation after I learned about Yeon Harim's trait yesterday went like this.
- ‘What do you think now that you've seen it yourself…? Do you think my problem can be solved?’
- ‘I don't think it's impossible. I need to look into ether a little more first, though….’
- ‘Is that so…? To be honest, I don't have very high hopes….’
Well, I could understand that much myself.
Yeon Harim herself had probably looked into ether more than anyone. And yet, she still hadn't found a solution.
It was only natural for her to see me as a fraud when we'd only met for the first time today and I was claiming I could solve her problem.
- ‘So how much will it cost to create my custom-made pet? Since I'm A-Rank, I imagine the production cost alone would be tens of billions of won….’
- ‘No, the pet I'm going to make for you, Hunter Yeon Harim, will be C-Rank.’
- ‘C-Rank…?’
- ‘The shop doesn't even have the equipment to create an A-Rank one in the first place. But it will definitely help you. I can promise you that.’
She seemed a little disappointed when I said it would be a C-Rank pet, but she soon paid me a down payment.
An absolutely astronomical sum, at that.
- ‘If it's C-Rank… Would one billion won be enough?’
Yeon Harim offered more than twice the price of a mid-to-upper-tier-brand C-Rank magic beast.
I barely managed to restrain myself from prostrating myself before her at that outrageous sum.
- ‘Goodness!! Of course! That's more than enough!!!’
- ‘Then I'll pay one billion won up front, and if you cleanly solve my problem as you claim, I'll give you another two billion.’
- ‘Gasp…!! I love you, Hunter Yeon Harim!!! Loyalty!!!!’
- ‘…….’
Three billion won for a mere C-Rank magic beast…? That was ten times the price of a C-Rank magic beast from a cheap brand, and enough to buy a B-Rank magic beast.
…Even though she knew I was only making a C-Rank magic beast, she was investing three billion won right away…
I could get a small idea of just how badly she wanted to solve her problem.
In any case, this was an opportunity without equal for me, the owner of a hole-in-the-wall pet shop.
…With three billion won, I could move to a larger pet shop even after accounting for taxes, and equip it with much better equipment.
Brand-new equipment, not used equipment!!!
‘I must provide the best possible pet and make this commission a success.’
And so I began creating a custom-made pet for A-Rank Hunter Yeon Harim.
*
“Let's see….”
Before designing the pet, I brought up her Customer Window in my mind.
[ Name 》 Yeon Harim ]
[ Race 》 Human ]
[ Awakened Rank 》 A-Rank ]
[ Position 》 Melee Damage Dealer and Sub-Tank ]
[ Combat Tendency 》 Prefers counterattacking after receiving the opponent's attacks. Prefers short hit-and-run engagements. ]
[ Points for Improvement 》 Tends to put too much force into her attacks, resulting in poor balance. Her physical enhancement ability is weak compared to her amount of magic power. She appears to need an excellent support capable of making up for her poor physical build. ]
“Hmm… To be honest, this status window isn't much help right now.”
“Pant, pant….”
I stood in front of the workbench and kneaded Happy, the spotted Jelly Dog, to sharpen my concentration.
Squish-squish—Squish-squish—
‘How should I fix this…?’
In truth, the Customer Window wasn't much help in Yeon Harim's case. It seemed as though my Customer Window was based solely on combat information gathered up to the present.
Ultimately, the root of the problem was that she wasn't making full use of her abilities, rendering the Customer Window almost useless.
“Ether….”
Etherization was fundamentally an ability close to spirit-form.
Assuming that was the case, she could easily let physical attacks pass through her and counterattack in conjunction with that ability.
If she could only learn to use it properly, it was a trait that fit Yeon Harim's combat style perfectly in many ways.
The fatal problem, however, was that every time she used it, all her clothes slid off, leaving her in a state no different from that of an exhibitionist.
No matter how useful the ability was, she couldn't fight in a Gate while exposing herself naked every time, could she? Gates were generally entered by parties, and male Hunters usually outnumbered female Hunters.
Even if the number of Awakened men and women was equal, people couldn't fight in Gates unless they possessed an aggressive disposition.
In any case, unless Yeon Harim was willing to give up her dignity as a woman, it was only a matter of time before she fell further behind Baek Seol-ah because she couldn't make use of her ability.
I needed to solve this problem first.
After searching through all kinds of materials, I had learned that etherization was an extremely alien and unique ability.
‘…The answer would probably reveal itself if I went straight into the design stage and drew out my intuition….’
This power was too much for a human body to bear, so it couldn't be used often. It would be more efficient to gather as much information as possible before using it.
As I was pondering this, my smartphone vibrated.
Bzzzt—!
[ VictorKreutz ] : Hey, I read the material you sent me with great interest. So, you had something you wanted to ask?
“Hmm?”
I'd sent a DM to the alchemist who created Ether Cat while searching for information about ether last night, and he'd replied.
“That's convenient.”
He was the man who had even created a magic beast out of ether. He must have some useful information.
[ HY1234 ] : Yes, it's about Ether Cat. From what I've learned, ether is the purest form of energy. It seems contradictory for it to take the form of an animal. How did that happen?
[ VictorKreutz ] : Hmm, that's certainly a sharp observation! Ether Cat is itself a contradiction. Taking the form of a cat is practically contrary to its nature as the purest substance.
‘It's strange for energy to take on a form and act like matter.’
As I sensed it, Ether Cat felt like heat and light had taken the form of a cat and were behaving like a real cat.
However…
[ VictorKreutz ] : But the premise itself is wrong, my friend. We need to take a broader view. What if we consider ether an energy that both affects and is affected by the human mind?
Something flashed through my mind at the words of Victor Kreutz, the creator of Ether Cat.
[ HY1234 ] : Are you saying ether isn't simply energy, but engages in mental activity like a living being, and that the human mind influences it? If so, Ether Cat didn't take the form of a cat from the beginning. Its form was influenced by the human image during the cultivation process. You never intended to create Ether Cat in the first place. Rather, as the first step toward creating a spirit-form being, you started with the purest energy and─
I stopped before I could continue writing.
“…No, I've said too much.”
This damn intuition kept flashing through my mind even normally, so whenever I wrote something like this, my hands moved more than necessary.
[ VictorKreutz ] : …Hmm? You reached that conclusion already? Ha! What absurd intuition. You're becoming more and more interesting to me. It's been a while since I've met someone I can really talk to. How about we exchange opinions from time to time in the future?
Well, fortunately, he seemed to have taken it positively.
Whatever the case, I needed to be more careful from now on.
Come to think of it…
“……Hunter Yeon Harim really did awaken a troublesome ability.”
This… It was impossible to use the ability properly in the same way as ordinary Hunters.
But as troublesome as it was, its potential far exceeded even the level I had imagined…
If I intervened and made it possible for her to use the ability properly…
Hunter Yeon Harim
was a shoo-in to become the next S-Rank.
*
Two weeks later.
“Hmm, is it about time?”
Yeon Harim checked the clock in her office.
Her secretary, Cynthia, approached her with a worried expression.
“……Guild Master, are you really going to visit that alchemist?”
“I commissioned him, so of course I have to go, right?”
Why was she asking something so obvious?
Ever since Yeon Harim had visited Yoo Hyun's pet shop that day, Cynthia kept asking whether anything had happened, but she never explained why, which was becoming frustrating.
“…You're sure he didn't threaten you or anything, right? Or take some strange pictures….”
“I told you he didn't.”
Why did she keep saying such strange things…?
Yoo Hyun wasn't even a combat-type Hunter, so why did Cynthia think that she, an A-Rank Hunter and the Guild Master of Moonshadow, would be threatened by some ordinary alchemist?
‘Is there something I don't know?’
And so Yeon Harim left the guild building, with Cynthia's worried voice coming from behind her.
“……He's an alchemist, so he might use some underhanded drug. Be careful.”
“…Yeah… Okay….”
Yeon Harim couldn't begin to imagine what Cynthia was thinking.
*
Yoo Hyun's pet shop.
Jingle—
“Welcome.”
Kim Jia, a pet shop regular who had been feeding the Jellykkos near me, spotted the person entering the shop and jumped in surprise.
“Gasp, H-Hunter Yeon Harim!? I'm a fan!! This is amazing! Harim came to this hole-in-the-wall shop…!!”
“…No… Jia really doesn't hold back.”
Well, it was a hole-in-the-wall shop.
Yeon Harim seemed accustomed to that sort of reaction. She waved at Jia to give her some fan service before approaching me.
“…Hello. I came to pick up my pet.”
“Jia, I have some business today, so I'm going to close the shop for now.”
“Y-Yes…! Wow….”
Jia left the shop with exaggerated excitement.
“So… it's already finished?”
“Wouldn't I have called you if it weren't?”
“Honestly, I find that hard to believe.”
Only fifteen days had passed since she commissioned it.
The production period was so short that Yeon Harim honestly felt more suspicious than expectant.
There was no way solving the problem with her etherization ability could be this easy.
“Can you really solve the clothing problem?”
“Hmm… I couldn't solve the problem of your clothes sliding off.”
Ha… Of course. I knew it.
It was only natural. She had researched ether for years without making any progress.
And yet, thinking that an alchemist from a hole-in-the-wall pet shop like this could solve her problem had been nothing more than wildly optimistic delusion.
‘……Did I overestimate him?’
Her desire to surpass Baek Seol-ah through perfect control of her ability had clouded her judgment and made her place far too much hope in Yoo Hyun.
‘It isn't this alchemist's fault that he couldn't solve the problem in the first place….’
It was something no one in the world could solve, no matter where she went.
Yeon Harim forced down her bitterness.
However…
“More precisely, should I say that only half the problem has been solved?”
“What? What does that mean…?”
“Your clothes don't slide off, but you can be physically affected.”
……???
Then wouldn't that mean she could be hurt by an opponent's attack?! In that case, it would be no different from not using etherization at all, would it?
Yeon Harim, rendered speechless, shouted angrily.
“Then the trait is completely meaningless!!!”
“No, it has meaning. The true use of etherization isn't anything like spirit-form.”
“Its true use…?”
It was the clue I'd discovered through my conversation with Victor Kreutz, the creator of Ether Cat.
Ether changed its nature under the influence of the human mind.
Its variability and expandability were on an entirely different level from existing matter.
Controlling the nature of ether was therefore extremely difficult. It was practically a divine art.
However, my EX-Rank trait could interpret even the unknown energy known as ether, as though I'd understood it from the beginning.
As a result.
I had succeeded in cultivating a magic beast capable of controlling Hunter Yeon Harim's etherization ability.
“Hunter Yeon Harim. I will make you the strongest Hunter in Korea.”
“……What?”
*
I brought out a cage from the room that served as a cultivation room, enhancement room, warehouse, and workshop all in one.
“…Chirr….”
Crackle—Crackle—
Inside, a bird-type magic beast resembling a bird of prey was emitting pale lightning.
“Is this… my custom-made pet?”
“That's right. This little one will help awaken your ability.”
I opened the cage door.
The bird of prey, lightning constantly leaping from its body, flew up into the shop.
[ Model Name 》 Ceraunos ]
[ Magic Core Rank 》 C+ ]
[ Lifespan 》 15 years ]
[ Traits 》 Thunder God's Body (B+) Mental Resonance (B+) ]
“As you can see, this is a magic beast with a lightning attribute, close to a spirit-form being. And it possesses a powerful mental resonance ability.”
“……! A spirit-form being with dual traits…!!”
He made another new specimen…?
A strange light appeared in Yeon Harim's eyes as she looked at Yoo Hyun.
“……I admit it. Your abilities are genuine. But what does this little one have to do with my etherization?”
“From what I've learned, ether possesses a nature that resonates with mental energy.”
“……Mental energy?”
To wield the true power of etherization, one needed powerful mental energy capable of warping reality.
“You know the realm of wielding the intent mentioned by Sword Princess Cheonrin of the Continent? That's what you need.”
“Intent…? But I haven't reached that level.”
“Heh, that's why you need this little one. Complete the owner imprint, then let's test it right away.”
Etherization might have been an ability with the greatest potential in history.
To properly use etherization, one needed powerful mental energy capable of warping reality, but that part would be supplied by a mental-resonance pet possessing Thunder God's Body.
If I was right… the ether synchronized with the mind of the Ceraunos model would change into something with the same nature.
And my prediction proved correct.
Crackle-crackle-crackle—!!
“Th-This is…!!!”
As Yeon Harim etherized herself while mentally resonating with the Ceraunos model, blue thunderbolts wrapped around her body.
She looked as though a thunder god had descended.
Unlike before, she clearly possessed physical force in this state, but her combat power must have been on an entirely different level.
“……I-Is this my true ability…?”
Powerful thunderbolts coiled around her entire body. And her clothes weren't sliding off, either.
Whoosh—
Tears began to well up in Yeon Harim's eyes as she looked at me as though she couldn't believe it.
“I… I really… Wh-What do I even call this, th-thank you… Sob….”
“…I'm glad.”
‘She must have been suffering terribly all this time.’
I wanted to pat her on the back, but I stayed still for fear of being electrocuted.
In any case, Yeon Harim could now make use of all her abilities. From now on, her combat power would surely surpass not only Baek Seol-ah's, but even that of the other top-ranked Hunters.
I had influenced things on such a large scale that I had no idea how the Hunter world would develop from here… but I would continue creating magic beasts.
Just as things were about to end on a heartwarming note…
Crackle—Crackle—
Whoosh—
Perhaps she still had trouble controlling her power, because the lightning shooting from her body set her clothes on fire.
“Huh…?”
“Wow….”
The moment her lightning recognized her clothes as foreign objects, they turned to ash in an instant.
*
“…Guild Master, let's go.”
In the end, Yeon Harim could only return home after Cynthia came to meet her with a fresh set of clothes.
“……Hunter Yeon Harim… Practice controlling your ability… And if possible, wear clothes with high elemental resistance….”
“……Yes.”
Hunter Yeon Harim left the shop with her head bowed deeply.
The gaze of the secretary who served her was strangely cold, but I couldn't meet her eyes because I felt like a criminal for no reason.
And a few days later
[Breaking News] ‘Solo Clear of an A-Rank Gate’ Yeon Harim, on the verge of becoming Korea's second S-Rank Hunter…! “The Thunder God Descends”
[Exclusive] “She cut through an A-Rank Gate alone in an instant?” Yeon Harim successfully clears a Gate solo… Is the secret her new pet?
[Issue] “A god has descended upon Korea” Hunter Yeon Harim's designation as the next S-Rank ‘practically confirmed?’
[Hot Issue] “Baek Seol-ah faction in crisis!” Hunter Gallery explodes after Yeon Harim successfully clears an A-Rank Gate solo!
“…She's incredible, isn't she? These days, it's nothing but news about you.”
Yeon Harim was beside me in disguise, visiting the shop. Well, she had come to pay the remaining balance on her commission, but…
Her condition seemed a little strange.
“It's all thanks to our Yoo Hyun. Ehehe….”
Wasn't she a little too happy while we looked at the articles together? She looked happy, but also a little foolish.
‘She's wasting such a pretty face.’
Anyway… She'd paid the remaining balance, so why wasn't she leaving? Wasn't this supposed to be a busy time for her?
“Is there anything else you'd like to discuss?”
At my words, Yeon Harim stuck close to my side.
The smell of something pleasant, perhaps her shampoo, filled my nose.
Swoosh—
She moved her face close and made a subtle proposal with a gaze sweet enough to drip honey.
“What do you think? I was thinking of making you an offer on very favorable terms….”
“You mean a contract with the Moonshadow Guild?”
I'd definitely turned that down… She must really covet my abilities.
But I, Yoo Hyun, wouldn't be swayed by this level of beauty. Probably.
However, her proposal was something else.
“No…? I'm asking you to sign a personal contract with me, not the guild.”
“……?”
What was the difference?