An F-Rank Veterinarian Physically Heals an S-Rank Magical Beast - Chapter 18
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 18
“I’m starving….”
Breakfast time at Arcana Hospital – Abyss Branch.
The dining table was shrouded in desolate silence.
The freshly cooked rice and stew that always steamed invitingly had vanished without a trace, leaving only withered strips of jerky and plain water sitting forlornly on the table.
“Director, is this really all we have?”
Ma Dong-tak stared at the jerky in his palm—barely the size of his hand—in disbelief.
For someone who feared muscle loss more than anything, protein deficiency was tantamount to death.
“Ration it carefully. That’s emergency provisions we confiscated from some hyenas’ stash.”
Kang Jin-hyuk drained his water bitterly as he spoke.
A food shortage. It was a foreseen catastrophe born from the early days of opening the hospital—treating every demon that came through the door and distributing meals without restraint.
And appetites had grown. Balakas, a glutton by nature; Luna, still in her growth phase; and the hospitalized patients on top of it all.
The instant foods brought from Earth had run dry, and the flora and fauna of the Abyss couldn’t be eaten freely due to their toxins.
“This won’t do. We’re surviving on rice alone!”
Lee Shin-woo set down his spoon and declared a strike.
“That’s why I said we’re going. South.”
Kang Jin-hyuk rose from his seat.
He solemnly donned his coat and gathered his bag.
This time, he packed not just medical instruments, but empty sacks and coolers in abundance.
“We have two objectives. First, acquire the [Essence of the Gluttony King]. Second, plunder [food supplies].”
Kang Jin-hyuk’s eyes gleamed with determination.
“The southern lands are ruled by the ‘Lord of Gluttony.’ Which means restaurants are concentrated there. We’ll go, eat until we burst, and bring back whatever’s left. Understood?”
“Yes, sir!”
Life returned to the Hunters’ eyes. They looked ready to strike down even a demon lord grandfather if it meant getting a proper meal.
“Ma Dong-tak, are you ready?”
“Of course. I’ve warmed up my muscles for this moment.”
Ma Dong-tak strutted about in tight athletic wear, showing off his muscular arms.
A whistle hung around his neck, and in his hand he carried the “Whip of Love.”
Today his role was not that of a tank. He was the [Infernal PT Trainer].
“Let’s go. Time to burn some fat.”
The southern boundary, the Forest of Satiation.
The landscape here was completely different from other regions of the Abyss.
Instead of the stench of decay, sweet and oily aromas permeated the air, and the trees hung heavy with succulent fruits.
Instead of clear water, the river flowed with thick honey and milk.
“Wow… is this paradise?”
Seo Ji-hoo swallowed hard and reached for one of the fruits.
“Don’t touch it!”
Luna cried out urgently.
Whoosh!
The tree branch Seo Ji-hoo had reached toward suddenly came alive like a serpent, baring sharp fangs as it lunged to bite.
If Seo Ji-hoo hadn’t frozen it with ice magic in panic, his wrist would have been severed.
“That’s a [Cannibal Apple Tree]! It lures prey with the scent of its fruit and devours them!”
Luna warned them.
“Of course. There’s no such thing as a free meal in this world.”
Kang Jin-hyuk clicked his tongue.
Every living creature in the southern lands existed within an extreme ecosystem of “eat or be eaten.”
The more appetizing something looked, the more dangerous it was.
Then the undergrowth rustled, and a massive wild boar burst forth.
It was no ordinary boar.
Its back bloomed with marbling like flowers, and its skin gleamed with a lustrous sheen—a [Premium Bacon Boar].
“Oink!”
The creature charged at the Hunters upon spotting them.
“Lunch time!”
Ma Dong-tak rushed forward with a triumphant shout. Thud! One punch. The Bacon Boar collapsed without even a chance to scream.
“Wow… look at that marbling. This is prime grade, isn’t it?”
Lee Shin-woo marveled as he began butchering the meat.
An impromptu barbecue party erupted on the spot.
The taste of the Bacon Boar, roasted to a golden brown, was absolutely exquisite.
Tender fat that melted on the tongue, meat with a satisfying chew.
“Delicious… truly delicious….”
Yoo Yi-soo wrapped the meat in leaves and savored each bite with deep appreciation.
“Pack it up. Take everything you see.”
Jin-hyuk swept the meat into coolers. This place was dangerous, yet simultaneously blessed.
With their bellies full, they traversed the forest toward the heart of the South—the Castle of Gluttony.
The Castle of Gluttony.
It resembled less a castle than a colossal food court or slaughterhouse.
The fortress walls were constructed from the bones and hides of massive magical beasts, while boiling oil flowed through the moat.
Even the gatekeepers were obese. Bloated orcs dozed while gnawing on chicken legs.
“Excuse me. We’ve come to make a house call.”
Jin-hyuk roused the gatekeeper.
“Huh? A house call? What house call?”
“Not noodle delivery—we’re here for a royal visit. Your king is dying right now.”
“How insolent! To insult the great Gluttony King!”
The orc tried to swing his maul, but his body was too heavy and he stumbled.
When Ma Dong-tak lightly tripped him, the orc tumbled with a crash and rolled uncontrollably, unable to overcome his own weight.
“Tsk tsk. All his joints are shot. Obesity truly is the root of all ailments.”
Jin-hyuk stepped past the fallen orcs and entered the castle.
The interior was even more of a spectacle.
The interior of the castle was even more spectacular.
Mountains of food waste piled high.
And obese demonic beasts wallowing atop them.
This was not the kingdom of ‘gluttony’—it was the kingdom of ‘lifestyle diseases’.
And the Throne Room. Upon a colossal dining table sat a mountainous mass of flesh.
Or rather, sprawled across it. The ruler of the South, Gluttony King Beelzebub.
He had once possessed the dignified form of a demon, but now his features were so buried beneath layers of fat that his eyes, nose, and mouth were barely discernible.
So grotesquely obese that he couldn’t move a single finger, he mechanically chewed and swallowed the food that his attendants placed in his mouth.
“More… bring more… I’m hungry… so empty….”
His voice was hollow.
A hunger that no amount of eating could satisfy.
It was a curse.
“Stop eating. Your stomach will rupture at this rate.”
I leaped onto the dining table.
Beelzebub’s pupils struggled to turn toward me.
“Who are you? A new chef? Or perhaps… an ingredient?”
“I’m a doctor. Here to help you lose weight.”
I activated the Eye of Divine Insight.
[Patient Name: Gluttony King Beelzebub]
[Condition: Severe obesity, diabetic complications, gout, hyperlipidemia, sleep apnea.]
[Special Notes: Unable to feel satiation due to the ‘Curse of Gluttony’.]
The status window flashed in crimson.
At this rate, sudden death from cardiovascular disease within a month would be unsurprising.
“Your toes hurt, don’t they?”
I asked.
“…!”
Beelzebub’s body flinched.
His feet were grotesquely swollen and discolored purple, ravaged by gout so severe that even the slightest breeze would cause excruciating pain.
“You’ve lost all sensation in your toes because of the diabetes, haven’t you? Soon enough, you’ll need to have your foot amputated.”
“Ugh… shut up….”
“And you can’t sleep at night either, right? Your fat presses on your airway, so you can’t breathe. You wake up gasping, then stress-eat again. It’s a vicious cycle.”
Kang Jin-hyuk’s barrage of facts.
Gluttony King Beelzebub couldn’t refute him.
He was a king, but in truth, he was a slave imprisoned by his own appetite.
Too bloated to move, unable to move, so eating was all he could do—a prison of his own making.
“Please… save me….”
Gluttony King Beelzebub shed tears.
“It hurts… my feet are killing me… I’m going mad… please, just take away this pain….”
“I can do that. But there’s a condition.”
Kang Jin-hyuk snatched a chicken leg from the table and hurled it away.
“Starting today, you’re fasting. And you need to exercise.”
“Exercise…? I can’t move!”
“We’ll make you move. Our specialist trainer is extremely competent.”
Kang Jin-hyuk snapped his fingers.
Ma Dong-tak, who had been waiting in the back, stepped forward with a loud crack of his joints.
His eyes gleamed with ravenous hunger.
The primal instinct of a fitness fanatic awakened—the desire to transform that massive lump of fat into muscle.
“Welcome, member! I’m Ma Dong-tak, your personal trainer starting today! Our goal is a 10% reduction in body fat! We can do this!”
“Now then, shall we sign the contract?”
Kang Jin-hyuk presented the bill.
[Medical Billing Statement]
1. Diet program and complication treatment: 1 Essence of Gluttony.
2. Dietary management fee: Unlimited supply rights for ingredients from the South Forest.
3. PT fee: To be negotiated separately (payment in sweat).
Gluttony King Beelzebub trembled as he pressed his seal. If it meant survival, he would have sold his very soul to a demon.
“Contract established. Director Ma, let’s begin.”
“Yes! Music cue!”
Upbeat aerobic music poured from the speaker Lee Shin-woo had prepared. Ma Dong-tak blew his whistle.
Pweeeee—!
“Come on, member! First, get up! Let’s start with your lower body!”
“I… I can’t get up!”
“Don’t be a baby! You’ve got the build of someone who can bench press 1,650 pounds!”
Ma Dong-tak grabbed Gluttony King Beelzebub’s belly and forcibly hauled him to his feet.
The monstrous strength of an S-rank Hunter.
Over ten tons of massive frame lurched upward.
“One! Two! Squat position! Don’t let your knees cave inward!”
“Ahhhhh! My legs are going to break!”
“They won’t break! Your bones are strong! Go deeper! Push your hips back!”
Hell’s personal training session had begun.
Whenever Beelzebub screamed and tried to collapse, Jin-hyuk administered [Pain Relief Injection] and [Vitality Potion] from the sidelines.
Without pain and with renewed vigor, Beelzebub had no choice but to continue exercising through gritted teeth.
“I’m… going to die…”
“Member! You’re sweating! Your fat is burning! Excellent progress!”
“Lee Shin-woo, create a pull-up bar with spatial magic! Seo Ji-hoo, freeze the floor to increase friction!”
South Korea’s strongest warriors united to put the Demon King through his paces.
Burpees, lunges, jumping jacks…
The entire castle trembled with each impact.
One hour later, Beelzebub collapsed, foaming at the mouth. Yet an enormous amount of waste and sweat poured from his body, and his bloating visibly diminished.
“Huff… huff…”
Beelzebub gasped for breath. It was grueling. He felt like he was dying.
And yet… it didn’t feel bad.
Clogged blood vessels opened, and his heart pumped with vigor.
Not mere satiation from eating, but a vibrant ‘vitality’—the sensation of truly being alive.
“Well done, member. Today’s meal is grilled chicken breast salad.”
Ma Dong-tak held out a lunch box filled with salad.
Ordinarily, he wouldn’t have glanced at such vegetation, but after exercise, it tasted like honey.
Beelzebub devoured the salad ravenously.
“Delicious….”
Despite eating a modest portion, I felt satiated. The curse of gluttony had weakened.
“It’s working.”
Kang Jin-hyuk approached and took my pulse. My blood sugar levels were dropping.
“As promised, give me the essence.”
Beelzebub struggled to sit up.
From within my stomach, near the gastric region, I expelled a crimson, glowing orb.
[Essence of Gluttony].
A magical core like a black hole that devours everything.
“Take it… and tomorrow too… will you make me exercise?”
Beelzebub asked with an eager glint in my eyes.
“Of course. It’s a four-week completion course. No refunds.”
Kang Jin-hyuk smirked.
[Item Acquired: Essence of Gluttony (Legendary Grade)]
The third essence obtained. Now only one remained—the Frenzy King in the West.
We returned to Arcana Hospital – Abyss Branch.
Kang Jin-hyuk’s party returned with the subspace filled to the brim with ingredients from Lee Shin-woo’s dimensional storage.
The hospital was in a festive atmosphere.
Luna grilled meat, the hyenas gnawed on bones, and the small demonic beasts ate fruit.
“Now we won’t have to worry about food supplies.”
Yoo Yi-soo smiled contentedly.
“That’s right. Now there’s only one left.”
I gazed toward the western sky.
It was a battlefield where crimson lightning struck relentlessly and explosions echoed without end.
The ruler of the West, Frenzy King Asura.
Among the Four Demon Kings, he was the most powerful and the most unreasonable—a true battle maniac.
Rage disorder. Bipolar episodes. Destructive instincts. A madman among madmen.
“That one’s going to be tough. His fists move faster than his words.”
Yoo Yi-soo spoke with concern.
“I know. That’s why I prepared something.”
I pulled out my trump card from the depths of my bag.
It wasn’t something I’d brought from Earth.
A Divine Elixir crafted from materials found in The Abyss—something Luna and I had spent several sleepless nights creating.
“They say a club is the cure for a mad dog, but a doctor uses this instead of a club.”
Purple liquid contained in a transparent glass vial.
A legendary potion known as Ultra-Potent Mana Sedative—Calm Down.
One dose was said to turn even a dragon into a docile lamb.
“We leave tomorrow. Heading west.”
The final battle. I loaded the vaccine syringe. Now it was time to place the last puzzle piece to save my wife.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————