An F-Rank Veterinarian Physically Heals an S-Rank Magical Beast - Chapter 21

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 21
The night in The Abyss ran deep, and the banquet at Arcana Resort had reached its crescendo.
​
“A toast! To our health and Director Kang’s grand fortune!”
“To that!”
​
Chairman Song and the VIPs were intoxicated by the cuisine crafted from premium ingredients sent by Gluttony King Beelzebub.
Steamed [Abyss Lobster (3 meters in size)], [Mandrake Root] salad, steak grilled with [Flame Dragon’s Breath].
Miraculous dishes that opened one’s mana circuits and surged vitality the moment they touched the tongue.
Amid that boisterous atmosphere, a man quietly rose from his seat.
A man disguised as an ordinary mid-level Hunter—an S-rank assassin sent by Apollo Hospital Director Choi Myung-seok, codename Viper.
​
‘Foolish creatures. They don’t even know this place will become their tomb.’
​
Viper slipped away from the banquet hall with a bloodthirsty smile.
His objective was singular.
To destroy the [Power Plant]—the heart of this resort.
The barrier, hot springs, and heating system of this place were all maintained by energy supplied from the underground power plant.
If that were to explode?
The barrier would vanish, toxic miasma would flood in, and demonic beasts would pour through.
In that chaos, he would assassinate Kang Jin-hyuk and slip away without a trace.
That was the scenario.
​
‘Kang Jin-hyuk. No matter how formidable you are, you won’t be able to detect me with my S-rank concealment ability.’
​
Whoosh. Viper’s body blurred like a shadow, dissolving completely into the darkness.
He easily evaded the drowsy hyenas and made his way toward the staircase descending underground.
​
[Basement Level 2 – Staff-Only Area]
​
The deeper he descended, the hotter the air became.
A heat like standing before the mouth of a blast furnace.
​
‘The power plant is drawing near.’
​
Viper withdrew a specially crafted [Mana Bomb] from his pocket.
The timer was set for ten minutes.
Ample time to plant it and escape.
​
“Who are you?”
​
At that moment, a clear voice reached me from behind.
Viper’s heart sank.
He detected me in S-rank concealment?
I reflexively drew my dagger and spun around.
Standing there was Luna, a half-demon girl in nurse’s attire, tilting her head curiously.
In one of her hands hung a basket overflowing with laundry.
​
“Excuse me? This area is restricted to staff only.”
“Ah… I lost my way. I was looking for the restroom….”
​
Viper broke into a cold sweat as he acted. Fortunately, the girl’s gaze held no suspicion.
​
“The restroom is to the right of the first-floor lobby. This is the way to the laundry room and Boiler Room. It’s hot down here, so please head back up quickly.”
“Thank you. You’re very kind.”
​
Viper bowed respectfully and pretended to head back toward the stairs.
Once Luna hummed a little tune and disappeared into the laundry room, his expression hardened again.
​
‘That was close. That kid’s senses are no ordinary thing.’
​
He quickened his pace.
Deeper. Toward the heat.
Finally, a massive iron door appeared, marked with a sign reading [Absolutely No Entry Without Authorization].
Red light seeped through the cracks in the door.
​
‘This is it.’
​
Viper activated his [Shadow Shift] skill and slipped through the gap in the door.
​
[Basement Level 5 – Central Power Chamber (Former Boiler Room)]
​
The interior resembled a colossal cavern.
Every surface was lined with crimson mana stones, and at the center, a furnace the size of a house—no, a [Mana Forge]—burned with fierce intensity.
The heat was so tremendous that an ordinary person without protective gear would be incinerated the moment they entered.
But as an S-rank Hunter, Viper endured the inferno through mana coating.
​
‘No guards. They were careless after all.’
​
I exulted. I approached the forge’s control mechanism to plant the bomb. But then.
​
“Phew… it’s sweltering.”
​
A human voice echoed from behind the furnace.
Viper flinched and concealed himself.
Crouching behind an enormous pipe, he observed the figure—someone was working in front of the furnace.
It was a man dressed in a crimson training suit.
His long red hair was tied back haphazardly, and a nameplate reading “Boiler Room Director” hung around his neck.
He squatted low, shoveling what appeared to be black stones—coal-like in appearance, but actually highly concentrated demon stones—into the furnace opening.
​
“Damn it. That scoundrel Kang Jin-hyuk, making me do this menial work.”
​
The man grumbled as he stirred the flames with a poker.
Clearly a night-shift worker brimming with discontent.
​
‘A caretaker? I detected no presence at all.’
​
Viper narrowed his eyes.
He attempted to sense magical power, but the man emanated nothing whatsoever.
Just an ordinary human?
Or perhaps a low-rank demon without magical essence?
Either way, he was no match for an S-rank assassin like myself.
​
‘Witnesses must be eliminated.’
​
Viper silently gripped his dagger in reverse.
The blade was coated with lethal toxin—a mere graze meant instant death.
He glided forward like a shadow, approaching the man’s back.
Five meters away. The man still faced the furnace, yawning.
​
“Yaaawn… maybe I’ll grab some instant noodles for a late snack…”
​
Three meters away. Murderous intent crystallized in Viper’s gaze.
​
‘Die.’
​
One meter away. Viper lunged, driving the dagger toward the man’s nape—
​
“A fly’s gotten in, has it.”
​
The man waved his hand dismissively, as if swatting away a mosquito.
Thwack!
​
“Gahhh!”
​
Viper’s vision spun.
With tremendous force, he was slammed into the corner of the Boiler Room.
Steel pipes crumpled, and cracks spider-webbed across the wall.
​
“Cough… hack…!”
​
Viper rolled across the floor, spitting blood.
What had just happened? His dagger was shattered, and his defensive magic had been torn to shreds like tissue paper.
Searing pain shot through his fractured arm bones.
An S-rank Hunter sent flying by a mere backhand flick?
​
“Oh, startled me. Who are you?”
​
The man in the training suit slowly turned around.
His eyes.
Vertically slit golden pupils gleamed with an eerie luminescence.
​
“You’re not a guest. Are you a rat?”
​
A crimson haze shimmered from the man’s body.
It was not mana.
It was an overwhelming [pressure] emanating from a being on an entirely different biological level.
Viper’s instincts screamed a warning.
I had to flee.
This wasn’t human. This was… a monster.
​
“What are you?! You’re just a boiler attendant!”
​
Viper’s voice trembled as he shouted.
The man’s expression turned incredulous.
He touched his name badge.
​
“Me? I’m the boss of this sector.”
​
The man smirked.
Then a massive crimson shadow rippled across his back.
Wings.
Colossal wings of flame unfurled like a phantom, vast enough to pierce through the rooftop itself.
​
[Flame Dragon Balakas].
​
His human-form polymorphism was incomplete, so he normally maintained his true shape, but he had suppressed his magical power to assume a human form for the cramped work in the Boiler Room.
​
“A… a dragon?”
​
Viper’s jaw dropped in shock.
This couldn’t be real.
Why was a dragon here shoveling coal in training clothes?
​
“How unlucky. Of all times, you had to show up during my shift.”
​
Balakas cracked his knuckles as he approached. A sharp crack echoed.
​
“I was bored anyway. Let’s loosen up.”
“S-stay back!”
​
Viper, seized by terror, pulled out a bomb.
So be it. Let’s all die together.
​
“Don’t move or I’ll detonate it! This is an S-rank magical bomb! Everything here goes!”
​
Viper placed his finger on the detonator.
But Balakas didn’t stop. Instead, his eyes gleamed as he continued forward.
​
“A bomb? Does it have good firepower?”
“What?”
“The fuel lately hasn’t been burning well. Can I have that?”
“You madman… die!”
​
Viper pressed the button.
Beep—!
The bomb’s core glowed red as the detonation countdown began.
0 seconds.
Boom!
A tremendous explosion consumed the Boiler Room in flames.
Viper retreated using the explosion’s recoil, laughing bitterly.
I did it.
He must have been caught in it too.
But after the smoke cleared.
The sight that met my eyes was despair itself.
​
“Burrrp.”
​
Balakas was belching.
He had completely [absorbed] the explosion’s flames. Only a faint layer of soot clung to the corner of his mouth—not a single wound marred his skin.
​
“Hmm. Tastes mediocre. A bit spicy.”
​
Balakas picked at his teeth with a toothpick.
An S-rank mana bomb was nothing more than a spicy snack to a fire dragon.
​
“M-monster….”
​
Viper’s legs gave out and he collapsed to the ground.
He could neither flee nor fight.
The gap between them was absolute.
Balakas crouched down and met Viper’s gaze.
​
“Hey, you little rat.”
“P-please spare me… I’ll do whatever you ask….”
“Whatever I ask? Really?”
​
Balakas’s eyes gleamed with cunning.
​
“Perfect, then. My back’s been bothering me lately.”
​
Balakas retrieved an enormous shovel he’d left in the corner.
And placed it in Viper’s hands.
​
“Take this.”
“What… is this?”
“It’s a shovel. Can’t you see?”
​
Balakas pointed to the mountain of [Hellfire Black Coal (100kg each)] stacked in the corner.
​
“Shovel all of that into the furnace. You’ll know when the fire goes out, won’t you?”
​
As Balakas opened his mouth, blue flames flickered deep within his throat.
A silent threat: do your job properly, or I’ll use you as kindling.
​
“But… I’m an S-rank assassin….”
“So? Can’t you shovel? Are your muscles just for decoration?”
​
Smack! Balakas struck Viper across the back of his head.
​
“Get to work.”
“Y-yes! Right away!”
​
South Korea’s S-rank assassin, codename Viper.
With tears brimming in his eyes, he began to shovel.
The world called him a ruthless killer, but starting today, his new position was [Junior Boiler Room Staff at Arcana Hospital].
The next morning.
The resort guests awoke to a refreshing dawn.
​
“Wow, the heating last night was absolutely perfect. I thought I was in a jjimjilbang.”
“And the hot spring water was wonderfully warm.”
​
Chairman Song entered the dining hall with a satisfied expression. Kang Jin-hyuk greeted them with a smile.
​
“I trust you slept well? My staff worked through the night maintaining the heating system.”
​
After finishing his meal, Kang Jin-hyuk descended to the basement power room.
He intended to reward Balakas for his efforts with a special meal—premium steak.
​
“Balakas! Come eat!”
​
Upon opening the door and stepping inside, Kang Jin-hyuk witnessed a peculiar sight.
Balakas lay in a hammock reading a comic book, while beside him, a man covered head to toe in black soot shoveled with frenzied intensity.
​
“One! Two! Maintain the heat output! Maintain the heat output!”
​
The man’s eyes were hollow, his hands covered in blisters, yet his shoveling technique was flawless.
Speed, power, angle—everything was perfect.
​
“…Who are you?”
​
I asked him.
The man startled and snapped to attention.
​
“Yes, sir! I’m a new recruit—no, an apprentice in the Boiler Room!”
​
I glanced at Balakas.
​
“What is this guy?”
​
Balakas flipped through his comic book and answered flatly.
​
[Ah, the rat bastard who came in yesterday. He showed up with explosives, so I gave him some training. Works pretty well. Thinking of making him my assistant.]
“Explosives?”
​
My eyes narrowed. I caught sight of a tattoo visible through the tears in his clothing.
A viper pattern. The mark of Viper—the assassination guild connected to Apollo Hospital.
​
“Ah, I see. A gift from Director Choi Myung-seok.”
​
I grasped the situation and let out a quiet laugh. He’d sent an assassin, and the man had become a worker instead. That was a talent of sorts.
​
“Hey, rookie.”
“Yes, Director!”
​
Viper—now Kim Seok-tan—answered with sharp military discipline.
​
“Don’t even think about leaving this place. You know what happens if you get caught trying to escape, right?”
​
I pointed at Balakas. Balakas licked his lips.
​
“Congratulations on finding a job for life. I’ll pay you in meals. Work hard.”
​
I handed the steak plate to Balakas and left.
Viper watched the closing door with tears streaming down his face.
He couldn’t tell if he should be grateful to be alive or if death would have been better.
But one thing was certain.
He had been reborn as a magnificent [Boiler Technician].
At that moment, on Earth. In the office of the Director of Apollo Hospital.
Choi Myung-seok waited anxiously for word.
Last night was the operation.
By now, Arcana Resort should have been engulfed in flames, and news of Kang Jin-hyuk’s death should have broken.
​
“Why hasn’t he contacted me? Viper wouldn’t fail at something like this.”
​
Just then, the secretary entered.
​
“Director! A package has arrived from Arcana!”
“A package? Could it be spoils of war from Viper?”
​
Choi Myung-seok opened the box with anticipation.
But inside was not Kang Jin-hyuk’s severed head, drenched in blood.
It contained a charred lump of [coal] and a single [note].
The note read:
​
[Thank you for the manpower. They’re quite skilled at digging. – Kang Jin-hyuk]
[PS. Next time, could you send some janitors too? We’re short on hands.]
​
“Aaaahhhhh!”
​
Choi Myung-seok crumpled the note and screamed. He’d sent an S-rank assassin, only for them to become laborers? The insult. The humiliation.
​
“Kang Jin-hyuk… just you wait… I’ll stake everything to bring about your ruin!”
​
But Choi Myung-seok didn’t know.
The more he raged, the more prosperous Kang Jin-hyuk’s hospital became.
Back in The Abyss. The morning routine was beginning.
​
“Director! There’s a patient waiting in the first-floor lobby! This one’s rather unusual?”
​
Luna’s voice crackled through the intercom.
​
“Unusual? Who is it?”
“Well… it’s not a person.”
“A demon beast?”
“No. Not a demon beast either… They descended from the heavens?”
​
From the heavens?
I glanced out the window.
A blinding pillar of light pierced the hospital’s front courtyard.
And from within that light, a being with white wings was stepping forward.
An Angel.
One with feathers completely fallen out, leaving only bare, skeletal wings—an Angel suffering from baldness.
​
“Is this… a hospital that specializes in hair restoration?”
​
The Angel asked shyly.
Kang Jin-hyuk stared blankly for a moment, then burst into laughter.
​
“The universal business is beginning.”
​
Beyond Earth and the Demon Realm, now extending even to the Heavenly Realm.
Kang Jin-hyuk’s medical records were expanding endlessly.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————