An F-Rank Veterinarian Physically Heals an S-Rank Magical Beast - Chapter 1
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 1
“Grrrrr… ROOOAAARRR!”
With a roar that seemed to tear eardrums apart, the asphalt buckled like crumpled paper. An A-rank Gate had opened in the heart of Gangdong-gu, Seoul—the Red Mist Forest. The peaceful evening street transformed into chaos in an instant.
The first raid team of Zeus, one of Korea’s three greatest guilds, scattered like autumn leaves before the wind.
“Tanks! Protect the healers! What are you doing?!”
“We can’t hold it! Its defense is breaking through!”
“Damn it, the intel was wrong! This isn’t A-rank! It’s at least S-rank… no, a near-catastrophe class!”
The raid leader, Park Chul-woo, bit his lip. Before his eyes, a monster that seemed to have crawled up from hell itself was rampaging. A lion’s body, bat wings, and a scorpion’s tail—a demonic beast with a blood-red mane: the Blood Manticore.
It was no ordinary manticore. Its eyes were rolled back in madness, showing only the whites, and toxic venom poured from its mouth like rain. Wherever the poison touched, road signs melted away with a sizzling sound.
[Warning!]
[Boss Monster ‘Rampaging Blood Manticore’ is in ‘Frenzy’ state.]
[All attack power increased by 200%.]
[Fear levels in the vicinity are maximized.]
“AAAAHHH!”
The main tank’s arm, which had been holding a mithril shield at the front, flew through the air. There was no time to heal. The creature didn’t see hunters as prey. It was simply an incarnation of destruction, smashing and tearing apart everything in sight.
‘It’s over.’
Park Chul-woo despaired. The support team would need at least twenty more minutes to arrive. By then, the raid team would be annihilated, and the entire Gangdong-gu district would be an inferno. That was when it happened.
“Hey, could you keep it down a bit? You’re going to wake the whole neighborhood.”
A languid, irritated voice that didn’t match the desperate screams of the battlefield at all.
Park Chul-woo turned his head, wondering if he’d heard things. And there, he witnessed something unbelievable. Between the rubble of a collapsed convenience store, a man was walking toward them, swinging a black plastic bag.
He wore pristine dress pants without a speck of dust. Over them, instead of hunter armor, he inexplicably wore a white coat. In his right hand was an old leather medical bag, and in his left were what appeared to be freshly purchased radish kimchi and cola.
He looked like an unemployed man who’d come out for a late-night snack and gotten caught in the chaos.
“What… what is this? A civilian? Get out of here! Do you want to die?!”
Park Chul-woo shouted in exasperation. But the man didn’t even glance at him. With his brow deeply furrowed, he stared at the shrieking manticore and muttered under his breath.
“I just wanted to get off work and eat some spicy chicken, but it’s too noisy.”
The man’s name was Kang Jin-hyuk. His appearance here was purely coincidental. Or rather, if I’m being precise, it was an inevitability triggered by occupational instinct.
To others, that sound was nothing more than the terrifying roar of a monster, but to my ears, it sounded entirely different.
‘It hurts! I’m dying from the pain! Aaaahhhhh!’
It was not a cry of malice, but the scream of a patient writhing in extreme agony.
“Guardians, please don’t make a commotion in front of the patient. You’re only agitating them further.”
“Guardians? Patient? You lunatic—do you not understand the situation we’re in?!”
“This isn’t nonsense; I’m conducting a medical examination. Step aside. Sedation protocol initiated.”
I closed the distance to the manticore to within ten meters. The frenzied manticore’s gaze locked onto me.
“Grrrrr…!”
A roar laden with killing intent. A fear skill that would have caused instant cardiac arrest in an ordinary person. But I merely clicked my tongue in response.
“Ugh, halitosis. The stench of decay is radiating from three hundred meters away. How have you been maintaining your oral hygiene?”
In that instant, the manticore kicked off the ground and charged at me with near-sonic speed. Its front claws, capable of shredding tanks like tissue paper, slashed toward my throat.
“Dodge—! You idiot!”
Park Chul-woo screamed and squeezed his eyes shut. But then—
[Skill: ‘Patient Restraint (S)’ activates.]
[Target: Blood Manticore (S)]
[Weakness Identified: Cervical Vertebra 3 Nerve Ganglion (Temporary Paralysis Induced)]
My eyes glowed blue. Within the sensation of time flowing in slow motion, the manticore’s movements broke down into individual frames. What was a calamity to others was merely the thrashing of an oversized patient to me.
“Administering sedative.”
Thwack!
A dull impact echoed through the air. The edge of the leather medical bag I was holding struck with perfect precision at the manticore’s vulnerable nape. A strike faster and more accurate than most combat skills. It was not mere physical force—it was an irresistible suppression technique amplified by the hidden trait ‘Absolute Medical Authority.’
A strike faster and more precise than most combat skills. It wasn’t mere physical force. It was an irresistible suppression with the hidden trait ‘Absolute Medical Authority’ applied to it.
[Judgment: Critical Hit!]
[Forced Anesthesia Successful!]
Forced anesthesia was successful.
Like a lie made manifest, the colossal beast crashed to the ground with a thunderous *thud*, its massive form sprawling across the stone. Its wings fluttered desperately as it struggled to regain its center of gravity, but its nervous system had already succumbed to paralysis.
”Kee-eee…?”
From the manticore’s maw came not the fearsome roar of a apex predator, but a pitiful whimper—the sound of a wronged puppy. Every member of the Zeus Guild stood frozen, their jaws hanging slack.
”What… what just happened?”
”Did he just… knock it down with a medical bag?”
An S-rank magical beast, felled by a single blow from a battered house-call bag? I grabbed the manticore’s head by the mane and shook it.
”Easy now. The doctor’s here, so no biting. Stay calm and I’ll give you treats.”
I smoothly retrieved latex gloves from my coat pocket and slipped them on. A translucent medical chart materialized in the air—visible only to me.
[Patient Information]
-Species: Blood Manticore (Mutant Variant)
-Condition: Acute pulpitis causing neural deterioration, nutritional imbalance, severe psychological stress.
-Special Notes: Extremely sensitive. Bites when in pain.
”Let me see.”
I activated my skill [Divine Eye (A)]. The manticore’s massive body became transparent before me, like an X-ray image. Muscle, bone, mana circuits, and organ condition—all rendered in vivid 3D clarity within my mind.
”Just as I thought.”
I tapped the trembling manticore’s snout—the creature was quivering with fear.
”Open your mouth.”
”Grrr…”
”There, there. Good boy. Come on, open up. I won’t hurt you.”
The manticore hesitantly opened its gargantuan maw. A nauseating stench of blood and decay wafted out, causing the hunters behind me to gag and stumble backward. But I didn’t flinch—I leaned my upper body directly into that cavernous mouth.
”Oh my, oh my. Your gums have receded completely. No wonder you’re irritable.”
The gums around the right molars were swollen a deep crimson. Pus filled the inflamed tissue, and deep within the gum line, something glimmering was embedded.
”Sir! That’s dangerous! Your arm will be severed!”
Park Chul-woo regained consciousness and cried out urgently. No matter how subdued the creature was, this was an S-rank magical beast. A monster that could bite through titanium alloy with a single clench of its jaw, and he was inserting his arm into its mouth? But Kang Jin-hyuk waved his hand dismissively.
”I said be quiet. Can’t you see I’m concentrating? If I hit a nerve while extracting this rotten tooth, you’ll be liable for the consequences, won’t you?”
”Wait, where exactly are you putting your hand right now···!”
”Preparing for extraction. Administering anesthesia.”
A bluish light burst forth from my fingertips.
[Local Anesthesia (B)].
A technique that temporarily blocks pain signals in the affected area using mana.
I pressed firmly along the manticore’s gums. The creature flinched, but it didn’t thrash about like before. As the pain vanished, its eyes actually grew drowsy and it seemed to relax.
”Now then, let’s remove the source of the problem.”
I pulled out a tool resembling pliers from my bag. It looked like an ordinary piece of equipment at first glance, but it was actually an Adamantium Dental Forceps crafted by a dwarf artisan. The thing boasted durability capable of tearing off dragon scales.
”This might feel a bit sore. One, two···!”
Crunch!
With a sickening sound, I exerted force through my arm. The manticore’s jaw muscles convulsed. But my grip strength exceeded that of an S-rank hunter. Veins bulged across my forehead.
”Come out, you bastard!”
Snap!
At last, the foreign object lodged deep in the gums was extracted. Simultaneously, black pus and dead blood sprayed out like a fountain, drenching my gown.
”Ptui. Splattered everywhere. I should bill you for the dry cleaning.”
I examined the foreign object dangling from the forceps. It was a fragment of a mithril sword—half-rusted and broken.
”Isn’t this one of your guild’s swords?”
I held up the forceps and asked Park Chul-woo. He nodded blankly. The Zeus Guild’s crest engraved on the sword’s hilt was unmistakable.
Jin-hyuk held up the pliers and asked Park Chul-woo. Park Chul-woo nodded blankly. The emblem of the Zeus Guild engraved on the sword’s hilt was vivid.
”That’s··· the sword of the third team’s captain who went missing last month···.”
”Looks like he stabbed and broke it, then fled. The fragment irritated the nerve, causing it to fester. Poor thing couldn’t even eat and must have been in agony all this time. Tsk, tsk.”
I clicked my tongue and tossed the sword fragment onto the floor with a clang. Then I pulled out a high-grade recovery potion I’d personally concocted from my pocket and applied it to the manticore’s gums.
[Treatment Complete!]
[Patient ‘Blood Manticore’s condition has changed to ‘Stable’.]
[Favorability has increased significantly. Current status: Blind Trust.]
”Uuuugh···.”
The manticore exhaled a long breath. As the relentless toothache that had tormented it finally vanished, the crimson madness drained from its eyes as if it had never existed. In its place bloomed a pair of bright, luminous eyes.
Lick.
The manticore’s rough tongue swept across my blood-stained coat—a gesture of gratitude. It was impossible to reconcile this creature with the monster that had been tearing humans apart mere moments before.
”There, there. All better now, isn’t it? From now on, brush your teeth properly and stop chewing on bones.”
I scratched the massive feline’s jaw vigorously. A deep rumbling purr resonated across the battlefield.
Crisis averted. In the most absurd manner possible.
The Zeus Guild members stood frozen like statues, weapons still in hand.
‘This can’t be real…’ ‘Who is that man? A Tamer? No, even a Tamer couldn’t do that.’
I rose to my feet, brushed the blood from my coat, and approached Park Chul-woo, who stood in stunned silence.
”Excuse me… who are you?”
Park Chul-woo asked in a trembling voice. Such overwhelming power combined with bizarre medical skill—no such person existed in Korea’s hunter rankings.
I pulled a gilt-edged business card from my pocket and slipped it into Park Chul-woo’s chest pocket.
”This will be covered as a work-related injury, right?”
”I’m sorry?”
”I ruined my coat treating him, and my precious chicken got cold too. Oh, and that friend over there.”
I gestured with my chin toward the now-docile manticore, which was lying on its back with its belly exposed, lazily kicking its front paws.
”He’s all healed up and heading home now. Don’t provoke him again and create more patients. Withdraw your forces. He’s exhausted. If you bother him again, that’s when a real medical accident happens.”
”Ah… yes…”
Park Chul-woo answered reflexively, too overwhelmed to mount any objection. I grabbed my medical bag and the chicken, then walked toward the gate exit without a backward glance.
”And I’ll send the medical bill to your guild, so process the payment quickly. With night surcharges, emergency fees, and hazard pay, it’ll be quite expensive.”
Park Chul-woo’s gaze alternated between my retreating figure and the business card now lodged in his chest pocket.
[Arcana Animal Medical Center]
[Director Kang Jin-hyuk]
[Medical Specialties: Internal Medicine, Surgery, Orthopedics, Psychiatry (Humans Not Welcome, Magical Beasts Welcome)]
This was the beginning of a legend.
At that same moment, in the Korea Hunter Association’s situation room.
”
”Director! The Zeus Guild dungeon assault has failed··· No, wait! The situation has been resolved!”
”What? What are you talking about? The support team hasn’t even arrived yet!”
“That’s··· please look at the drone footage from the scene.”
On the monitor screen, footage played of a man in a white coat extracting the teeth from an S-rank magical beast and gently patting its head. The Association director’s glasses clattered to the floor.
”Who in the hell is that lunatic?”
”Identity confirmed. He’s Kang Jin-hyuk, a hunter who received an F-rank rating three years ago and retired. He’s currently operating a small animal clinic in the outskirts.”
”F-rank? An F-rank handling a manticore like it’s a puppy? If that’s F-rank, what does that make me—a mitochondrion?”
The director’s trembling hands zoomed in on the screen. In the footage, Kang Jin-hyuk wore an expression of utter indifference as he casually left the scene without claiming a single trophy.
”Find that man right now! Before Zeus, Ares, or any other guild gets their hands on him, we need to secure him first!”
”B-but that person has refused to engage in hunter activities···.”
”Then convince him however you need to! That’s humanity’s hope··· no, a walking goldmine! Drain the entire national budget if you have to and bring him in!”
The director’s roar filled the situation room.
But they didn’t know. Kang Jin-hyuk had no interest in money or prestige. There was only one thing he wanted.
”Ugh, cold chicken tastes awful.”
As I exited the dungeon, I sighed at the sight of the chicken that had grown cold. It looked like I’d need to rely on the microwave for tonight’s dinner.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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