Chapter 42
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Taming Ur and S-Rank Preparations
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Though the ending had been a bit odd, the B-Rank rift exploration wrapped up without incident, and Yeon Sung-hun granted his guild members some vacation time.
It was only natural after their four straight days of grueling work.
He figured their schedule would probably follow a similar pattern from here on out.
While everyone else enjoyed their time off, Yeon Sung-hun once again found himself unable to rest alone.
As always, he had far too much on his plate.
And this time, on top of everything, he'd taken on the utterly tedious task of monster taming.
Stepping into the training grounds, Yeon Sung-hun scooped up the baby bear cub Ur, who was rolling around at his feet.
"Kruuung-!"
"Yeah, good morning, you rascal."
After exchanging that meaningless morning greeting, Yeon Sung-hun gazed down at Ur for a moment.
His dopey face as he let out a "Kruuung-" was pretty damn cute.
No wonder people like Choi Yeon-ah and Han So-yul were totally smitten.
Letting out a small chuckle, Yeon Sung-hun pondered for a bit.
He knew a fair amount about taming, but that didn't mean he was on the level of the summoners from his past life.
Of course, he'd have a much firmer grasp of the theory than your average summoner, but theory and practice were two entirely different beasts.
"Let's eat first."
Yeon Sung-hun rummaged through his pockets and pulled out what he'd brought.
It wasn't ordinary food, despite calling it "饭."
What he held was, as always, a finely crafted potion.
Not just any potion, but one he'd synthesized from magic stones of other monsters and various materials.
A monster-exclusive brew with mana concentration too dense for humans to handle.
It wasn't something Yeon Sung-hun had invented himself—it was what summoners from his past life often fed their beasts.
Think of it like high-grade feed.
The idea was to condition their tastes early on so they lost all interest in meat or even human flesh.
And this one had come straight from Yeon Sung-hun's hands, naturally.
Its effects were leagues beyond what ordinary summoners used.
"I packed it full of good stuff to help you grow big and strong, so don't leave a single drop."
"Kruuung! Krueeung!"
Ur lapped up the potion poured into the feed bowl with absolute relish.
To human senses, it was not just foul-tasting but downright hazardous, yet monsters apparently felt differently.
Yeon Sung-hun watched quietly as Ur greedily licked the bowl clean.
Taming wasn't all that complicated, truth be told.
The key was building a bond between them first.
Once that foundation was solid, you could perform a magical ritual to contract with the monster and complete the taming.
There were ways to force a taming without the bond, but those were reserved for elite summoners.
For someone like Yeon Sung-hun with only theoretical knowledge, it was out of reach.
Even the summoners of his past life didn't favor forced tamings.
The bond was ultimately what allowed you to fight alongside your monster.
Without thinking, Yeon Sung-hun found himself absently petting Ur's head.
"Kruuung!"
"All right, all right. I won't touch you while you're eating."
Yeon Sung-hun pulled his hand back with a sly grin at Ur's irritated cry, then propped his chin thoughtfully.
"Guess I should make you a collar or something."
Now that he noticed, the scruff of Ur's neck looked awfully bare.
He was a monster in training under the guild's care, after all.
A collar as a mark of being tamed would be fitting.
Not some ordinary dog collar, of course, but an artifact like the ones past-life summoners used.
'This'll take a little time.'
He had the knowledge, but without being a dedicated artisan, crafting an artifact would inevitably eat up hours.
Potions he could whip up in a flash if he had the materials, but this was different.
'I've got enough on my plate already, and now this.'
Yeon Sung-hun clicked his tongue at his ever-growing to-do list.
Meanwhile, Ur—who had polished off the potion without him noticing—let out a cry toward him.
"Krueeung- Kruuung!"
"What? More already? Keep eating like that and you'll get fat."
"Kruuung! Krueeung!"
"Fine, you're still growing. But still, moderation, kiddo. Don't go ballooning up and regret it later."
"Krueeung! Kruuung!"
"...Yeah, whatever. Thinking about your full-grown size, maybe more won't hurt. If Yeon-ah complains about the weight gain later, that's on you."
"Kruuung!"
The words didn't get through in the slightest, but Yeon Sung-hun and Ur were somehow holding a conversation.
In reality, Yeon Sung-hun was just interpreting as he pleased and responding accordingly, but it got Ur what he wanted regardless.
Seeing the bowl filled to the brim once more, Ur dove right in.
Yeon Sung-hun watched the little glutton devour it all.
He wondered when this tiny thing would grow into a majestic lord of the mountains—and start earning its keep.
These potions weren't cheap, after all. He hoped it'd bulk up quick and justify the expense.
Ur was clever enough, but still just a cub, and building that bond required time—so Yeon Sung-hun spent nearly the whole day glued to him.
Choi Yeon-ah and the other guild members helped out here and there, but he handled most of it himself.
Today was no different.
Even for his long-planned meeting with Seong A-reum, Ur tagged along.
Try as he might to leave the cub behind, it refused to let go.
After a few days together, Ur seemed to see him as a parent.
"...Sorry about this. I tried leaving him, but he just clings."
"...No, it's fine. I heard a bit about it. Besides, he's just... so, so adorable."
Like sisters, huh? Same reaction as Choi Yeon-ah or Han So-yul.
Seong A-reum let out an involuntary coo at Ur, who peeked his head out from Yeon Sung-hun's arms and quietly observed her.
Forgetting Yeon Sung-hun was even there, she focused entirely on the cub.
Unable to stand it, Yeon Sung-hun cleared his throat with a "Ahem."
"Anyway, it's been a while."
"Ah, yes. Long time no see. How've you been?"
"No major issues, thanks to your concern."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they got down to business.
"The reason I wanted to see you today, Guild Leader, is to buy some potions."
"Hm. I'm already supplying a fair amount as it is."
"It's plenty for my personal use, but this time, I'd like to purchase on behalf of my guild."
Yeon Sung-hun mulled it over at Seong A-reum's request.
His potion production was limited.
He carved out time to brew more, but with his packed schedule and current mana circuits, output was capped.
He'd been preparing to upgrade his mana circuits, but that didn't solve the time crunch, so production couldn't ramp up anytime soon.
'Black Market shipments, plus portions for the raid team—it's already tight.'
Sorry, Seong A-reum, but he couldn't spare more.
She spoke up as he shook his head.
"Hm. Any way we can make it work?"
Seong A-reum knew her looks well—and how to leverage them.
Her wide-eyed, pleading gaze could melt most men.
She usually had a rough edge, but right now? Pure innocence.
"Doesn't matter how you look at me— no means no."
He shook his head firmly, stroking Ur in his arms.
The cub purred like a cat.
"Tch. Too bad. Got a girlfriend?"
"No girlfriend, but I've got beauties all around me."
"Fair enough... Just looking at Unnie Yeon-ah and So-yul..."
Her near-perfect charm offensive was doomed to fail.
"So, why the sudden bulk order? Prepping a big expedition?"
Yeon Sung-hun asked out of curiosity, and Seong A-reum hesitated briefly.
Weighing whether to spill the beans.
"...This is strictly confidential. You can't breathe a word."
"My lips are sealed."
She chuckled dryly at his quip and continued.
"You know about the S-Rank rift, right? From Unnie Yeon-ah."
"...Somewhat. Guarded around the clock by S-Rank hunters and top-tier ones. That dangerous, huh."
"Then you get it. I'm bringing this up because there's an S-Rank rift expedition coming up."
Yeon Sung-hun frowned.
"...Is that safe?"
"Beats me. I just heard about it—I'm not on the team."
"...That's a relief, at least."
"You think this expedition's doomed, Guild Leader?"
"...I can guess how peak Yeon-ah was from what I see now. If even she failed, current levels won't cut it."
Seong A-reum nodded in agreement.
"Same here. That place is hellish. Most top hunters and Association execs think so too."
"Then why bother exploring...?"
"Some new potion that's cropped up lately. They think it gives them a shot."
Yeon Sung-hun let out a groan.
He could piece together the gist.
"...You think it actually does?"
He trusted his potions above all, but without knowing the rift's true horrors, he couldn't gauge the odds.
"Like I said, I'm pessimistic. No shade on your potions, but the things in there are monsters... no, demons."
Yeon Sung-hun nodded slowly at her matter-of-fact words.
From what Choi Yeon-ah had told him, no potion or two would conquer that place.
"But some disagree. They see real potential."
"Where exactly is this rift?"
"Cheongcheon, Bulsa, and K.G."
Korea's top guilds—household names.
Yeon Sung-hun let out an impressed whistle before asking again.
"Cheongcheon—that's Yoo Jun-young's guild, the S-Rank hunter, right?"
"Yes. He's spearheading this. Asked me to procure your potions through me."
"...I see."
Now fully grasping the situation, Yeon Sung-hun nodded thoughtfully.
"Cheongcheon and Bulsa make sense, but K.G? Surprising, given their internal mess."
"Nothing unites a house like a common foe."
Yeon Sung-hun nodded in understanding.
Seong A-reum watched him quietly before asking flatly.
"So, I've explained plenty. What's your call?"
Yeon Sung-hun pondered, absently petting Ur as he thought.
What was the best move?
Supply was tight, but with some strain, he could manage it.
"What's the expedition timeline? They won't rush this."
"Plans are mostly set, from what I hear. Started prepping when your potions first hit the scene."
"Hm. Got it."
"So, they'll probably sync to when your potions are ready. They're the linchpin."
Yeon Sung-hun nodded, then asked abruptly.
"What's your take, Hunter Seong A-reum?"
"I defer to you. But if I may advise... this expedition will fail."
"I agree, but you're awfully certain. Any particular reason?"
"The data says so, but mostly gut feeling. We're not ready."
Yeon Sung-hun nodded at her calm declaration.
A hunter's instinct like hers outweighed most evidence.
And he fully agreed they weren't prepared.
It wasn't about planning—it was the hunters' overall level being too low.
Charging in blind to an S-Rank rift's unknown depths meant wipeout, nothing else.
"So you think they don't need the potions?"
"Opposite, actually."
"Hm?"
Yeon Sung-hun eyed her curiously as she shook her head slightly.
Meeting his steady gaze, Seong A-reum spoke plainly.
"Call it opportunistic, but their failure could be our gain."
She flashed a sly smile.
Utterly detached from others' failures or deaths.
And honestly, Yeon Sung-hun wasn't much different.
People often misread Faust—the hero—as some saintly figure, but he wasn't particularly good.
If anything, he leaned more toward "evil."
Or rather, just ordinarily human?
He didn't care much unless it involved him or his circle.
Consistently indifferent to everything else.
Mephisto was the genius who crammed an entire empire into that bubble.
This indifference had rubbed off on Yeon Sung-hun quite a bit.
Not a total overhaul of his values, but it amplified his existing selfishness.
"If I start now, I can scrape it together, tight as it'll be."
Seong A-reum smiled brightly at his calm words.
Yeon Sung-hun smiled back.
Three guilds crippled by a massive expedition flop.
K.G. was already crumbling—disbandment inevitable.
Cheongcheon and Bulsa? Who knew.
No explicit agreement, but both had a rough roadmap in mind for what came next.
Between the two smiling quietly at each other, Ur let out a soft "Grueeung."