An F-Rank Veterinarian Physically Heals an S-Rank Magical Beast - Chapter 3
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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 3
”Grrrrr… purrrr…”
Within the vast Dome-shaped Isolation Zone, a strangely peaceful sound echoed through what had been a hellish place just moments before—thick yellow gas and stench filling every corner.
The source of that sound was none other than the Fire Dragon Balakas. The massive crimson dragon, as large as a house, lay sprawled on its back with its belly exposed, purring contentedly like a satisfied cat.
Standing before it was Kang Jin-hyuk, his sleeves rolled up.
”There, there. Feels better, doesn’t it? Your belly doesn’t hurt anymore, right?”
I confirmed that Balakas’s previously bloated abdomen had deflated considerably, then scratched vigorously between the dragon’s hardened scales. Though dragon scales were said to be harder than diamonds, the moment my [Hand of Benevolence] skill made contact, they softened like pliable rubber.
[Patient ‘Balakas’s affection has exceeded MAX!]
[Status Abnormality: ‘Imprinting’ is in progress.]
”Mmmm… mama…”
Clumsy telepathy flowed from Balakas’s mouth. I furrowed my brow.
”Who’s mama? That’s creepy. Call me Doctor.”
”Mama… good… belly feel good…”
Balakas paid my words no mind and rubbed its enormous head against my thigh like a puppy searching for its mother. The only problem was that this “puppy’s” head was the size of a dump truck.
”Oof, stop pushing! I’m going to fall!”
I grunted as I pushed back against the dragon’s head. The onlookers surrounding us stood frozen, mouths agape.
Jinhyuk grunted and pushed the dragon’s head away. The people watching this scene from around him couldn’t close their mouths.
”Is that… really Balakas?”
”Unbelievable. He’s never acted this affectionate even with the Guild Master.”
Kim Hyun-seok, the head of the Korean Healing Association, looked particularly stunned. His expression vacant, he stared at the puddle pooling on the ground—Balakas’s excrement, or more precisely, residual magical essence.
”Were we… were we wrong? Was it really just constipation… simple constipation all along?”
His pride as an S-rank Healer shattered into pieces. All those noble spells infusing life force, bestowing blessings, every technique in his arsenal—and yet it took a single plunger to solve what they couldn’t.
I gathered my belongings and casually tossed words at Kim Hyun-seok.
”Hey, Association Head. Don’t just stand there dazed. Help me clean this up, would you?”
”…Pardon? What are you…?”
”This. Right here.”
Jin-hyuk gestured with his chin toward the filth scattered across the floor.
”This is all highly concentrated mana. If you just leave it, it becomes environmental pollution, but with proper refinement, it can be used as fertilizer or fuel. You healers are quite skilled with purification magic, aren’t you? Please clean it up properly. It’s not good for patient hygiene.”
”Huh… Gasp! Are you seriously asking us to clean up dragon excrement?!”
”Well then, should I, the chief surgeon, perform the operation and do the cleaning myself? Aren’t you all supposed to be assisting?”
He had a point. Since Jin-hyuk had served as the main doctor and saved Balakas’s life, the cleanup fell to the medical staff who had observed. Kim Hyun-seok trembled, but the gaze of Lee Shin-woo, the guild master watching from the side, turned frigid.
‘Just do it.’
That’s what Lee Shin-woo’s eyes were saying. In the end, the elite members of the Korean Healing Association had to pick up brooms and purification magic scrolls with tears in their eyes.
”Damn it… Did I become a healer for this?”
”Be quiet. The smell is getting to me.”
S-rank healers cleaning up dragon waste—quite the spectacle. Jin-hyuk nodded with satisfaction as he watched. With this, the hierarchy was firmly established.
Once the situation was settled, Lee Shin-woo approached Jin-hyuk. His expression had become far gentler than before. In fact, it was almost reverent.
”Remarkable. Truly remarkable. I’ve witnessed countless miracles in my lifetime, but never one like today.”
”It’s not a miracle—it’s medicine.”
”Haha! Right, medicine. Divine medicine.”
Lee Shin-woo graciously conceded. He gestured to his secretary, who hurriedly brought over a document briefcase.
”I keep my promises. Here, take it.”
Lee Shin-woo handed over a document envelope. When Jin-hyuk opened it, a weighty property deed, key cards, and various permits tumbled out.
[Real Estate Ownership Transfer Registration]
-Location: Gangnam-gu, Cheongdam-dong, Seoul, Lot 1-1 and 3 additional parcels (Zeus Guild Second Headquarters)
-Building Name: Zeus Medical Tower (15 floors above ground, 5 floors below ground) -Estimated Valuation: 520 billion won
Jin-hyuk’s hands trembled slightly. Five hundred twenty billion won. A sum he could never touch even if he worked as a porter his entire life. Even winning the lottery a hundred times would be impossible. Yet he’d obtained this building with just one swing of a plunger.
‘Specialized professions truly are the best.’
Internally, Jin-hyuk exulted, but outwardly he remained composed as he gathered the documents.
“Confirmed. The guild will handle the ownership transfer fees and registration taxes, correct?”
“Of course. I’ve taken care of everything, taxes included. And…”
Lee Shin-woo gazed at Balakas. The dragon remained with his head resting against Jin-hyuk’s leg, eyes closed.
“That creature has taken quite a liking to you. Normally, we’d have to keep him in the Dome-shaped Isolation Zone, but… for now, it would be better if you took him with you.”
“Me? With this massive thing?”
“Take him to your hospital. That building was always too large for its original purpose anyway. It’ll be perfect for Balakas.”
Jin-hyuk pondered for a moment. Living with a dragon? It was troublesome. The food expenses alone would be substantial. But then again, it wasn’t such a bad arrangement. A five-hundred-billion-won building in the heart of Gangnam. Security had been a concern, but with an S-rank dragon standing guard as a watchdog…?
Not a single thief—not even an ant—would dare approach. Besides, Balakas was essentially a living advertisement.
“Very well. In exchange, the guild will cover his feed costs. He’s quite picky about his food.”
“Ha ha ha! Don’t worry about it. We’ll provide the finest quality. Not mana stones—that fiber-rich diet you mentioned.”
Deal struck. Jin-hyuk tapped Balakas lightly on the snout.
“You hear that? Starting today, you’re our hospital’s mascot. If you want to earn your keep, show some charm to the customers, understand?”
“Ma-ma… food… like…”
Balakas simply wagged his tail in delight. The force of it sent an S-rank healer standing nearby flying, but no one paid any attention.
The next day. South Korea was in an uproar.
Every major internet portal, social media platform, and video site was flooded with a single piece of news.
[SHOCKING! The dying Fire Dragon Balakas fully recovered overnight!]
[The miracle worker is an unknown veterinarian? “I only treated constipation,” he remarks]
[Zeus Guild handed over entire Gangnam headquarters… “Paid 500 billion won as treatment fee”]
Public opinion was absolutely ablaze.
[ㄴ Wow crazy haha dragon is constipated haha is this a true story?]
“Wow, all the S-rank healers have lost their minds. They’re calling someone who nearly died from constipation a mana rampage?”
“Hey, who’s that veterinarian? Did you see the photo where he’s holding a plunger? He’s got serious vibes.”
[ㄴ King God General Drill Master ㄷㄷ]
“Hey, where is that hospital? Do they treat our pet slime too?”
“Plunger Master,” “The Dragon’s Personal Physician,” “The Man Worth 500 Billion.” Jin-hyuk was saddled with every nickname imaginable. But he ignored all the interview requests and broadcast appearance offers flooding in.
He was too busy preparing for the biggest move of his life.
“Heave! Hey, Manticore! You’re going to break that! Handle it carefully!”
In front of the old Arcana Animal Hospital in Seongbuk-gu, moving trucks lined up in a row. But it wasn’t moving company employees hauling the cargo.
”Kraang!”
A Blood Manticore trudged toward the truck with an X-ray machine strapped across its back. Behind it, a Shadow Wolf followed with a box of medicine clamped in its jaws, while an Iron Bear effortlessly hoisted a refrigerator in one hand and carried it along.
Passersby from the neighborhood were flabbergasted, snapping photos left and right. An animal hospital where magical beasts hauled moving boxes—what a sight.
”Director, are you really leaving?”
The elderly woman from the convenience store next door asked with a wistful expression. I wiped the sweat from my brow and smiled.
”Yes, I want to move somewhere more spacious so the creatures can run around freely. Thank you for everything all this time.”
”Oh my, who will trim Poppy’s nails now? Gangnam is too far—I can’t make the trip.”
”Don’t worry. I’ll send a special house call service for Poppy. I’ll have the Shadow Wolf pick her up.”
I gazed up at the worn sign I’d grown attached to.
[Arcana Animal Medical Center].
Three years ago, my first sanctuary after awakening. The only place that accepted me when I was scorned as an F-rank hunter.
”You served well. Take care of yourself.”
I offered a brief farewell and climbed into the passenger seat of the truck. Park Chul-woo, the raid captain, sat in the driver’s seat—Guild Master Lee Shin-woo had specially assigned him as my chauffeur.
”Let’s go. To Gangnam.”
”Yes, yes! I’ll take you there, Director!”
Park Chul-woo gripped the steering wheel with military discipline. The convoy of trucks roared to life and departed. The destination was Cheongdam-dong, South Korea’s most prestigious neighborhood.
[Arcana Animal Medical Center – Gangnam Main Branch]
The building that greeted us was breathtaking in its grandeur. A fifteen-story glass structure with floor-to-ceiling windows. Originally built as an exclusive VIP ward for hunters, it was equipped with state-of-the-art medical facilities.
”Wow… it really is spacious.”
I marveled as I stepped into the first-floor lobby. The floor was polished marble, and a crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. Using a place like this as an animal hospital was extravagance beyond measure.
”Director, we’ve completely renovated the interior to your specifications.”
Park Chul-woo gestured around the space.
”Floors one through three house the small beast medical clinics and grooming facilities.”
”Floors four through ten contain the inpatient wards and rehabilitation training grounds.”
”And basement levels one through five are the exclusive isolation zones for large beasts. Balakas has been placed in the special suite on basement level five—originally a training facility.”
”Excellent. Truly outstanding.”
I nodded with satisfaction. Now there was no excuse to hide behind—not equipment, not location. All that remained was to prove myself through skill.
”Well then, shall we raise the sign and begin operations?”
As I pressed the opening switch, the electronic billboard atop the building illuminated.
[OPEN]
[We heal all beasts in the world.]
[Humans, however, are not welcome.]
The moment those words blazed across the heart of Gangnam.
”Director… sir.”
”What is it?”
“You should… probably take a look outside.”
Park Chul-woo pointed toward the window, his voice trembling with alarm. I turned my head and gazed out through the glass.
”Ha.”
A hollow laugh escaped me. Along the main road in front of the hospital—despite not having announced the opening time—hundreds of figures already crowded the entrance. Or rather, not figures, but beasts.
At the front of the line stood Bing-je, the S-rank hunter famous throughout the industry, cradling his partner, an Ice Penguin. Behind him, elite members of renowned guilds waited with their own fearsome-looking monsters, even pitching tents in preparation.
”My beast won’t eat!”
”Our griffin’s wing is broken—can you perform surgery?”
”Money is no object—please, just give us a number!”
It was pandemonium. The heart of Gangnam had transformed into a monster neighborhood gathering in an instant.
”Director, what do we do? Even the security guards can’t control this!”
”Leave it. Tell them to form a line.”
I slipped on my coat with ease—a crisp new one, freshly starched. A golden nameplate reading [Director Kang Jin-hyuk] gleamed on the chest.
“Besides, they’re the ones who should be disappointed anyway.”
I took a sip of coffee and pressed the intercom. I needed to call up the creature on the fifth basement level.
“Balakas, can you hear me?”
—[Master? Why are you calling?]
“The guests outside are getting a bit rowdy. Come up and establish some discipline. Don’t bark—just show them your teeth.”
—[Got it! I’ll earn my keep!]
A deep rumble echoed through the building.
The overwhelming presence of an S-rank dragon ascending from below. As that aura spread through the first-floor lobby, the hunters and monsters outside who had been clamoring fell silent in an instant, their breath catching in their throats.
Primal fear. The apex predator lived in this building.
“There we go. Much quieter now.”
I adjusted my necktie and opened the clinic door. Now the real work begins—not as a neighborhood veterinarian, but as the one holding the leashes of hunters across the entire world.
“Next patient, please come in.”
My voice broadcast throughout the hospital.
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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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