An F-Rank Veterinarian Physically Heals an S-Rank Magical Beast - Chapter 45

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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 45
Ding—!
[11th Floor: Chaotic Martial Realm – Arrival confirmed.]
[Current Weather: Acid Rain]
[Air Pollution Level: Critical (Mask Recommended)]
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The moment the elevator doors slid open, a stench washed over us—not the stale iron reek of old blood, but something far worse: the acrid stench of cheap machine oil burning mixed with the putrid reek of rotting flesh.
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“Cough! What is this smell?”
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Luna pinched her nose and gagged. The air quality was incomparably worse than the pristine hospital atmosphere of the 10th Floor.
I stepped outside, furrowing my brow. The sky lay smothered beneath ashen smog, the sun nowhere to be seen, while acidic rain poured down upon tile roofs that flickered with neon signs.
“This is… the Kangho?”
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Yoo Yi-soo looked around in bewilderment.
The landscape before us was grotesque. Beneath the eaves of antiquated inns, LED billboards blazed where red lanterns should have hung, and the carriages that traversed the streets moved not by horse but by steam engine. A nightmarish fusion of classical martial arts and steampunk.
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“…This can’t be real.”
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Baek Mu-young was the most shaken. His trembling hand grasped the sword at his waist. A hundred years ago, the Kangho he remembered was a place where chivalry and romance thrived—a world of verdant bamboo forests, crystalline valleys, and honorable martial contests.
But what lay before his eyes now was nothing but polluted streams and steel pipes driven through the bamboo groves.
“The way of the Kangho… has not merely fallen to earth. It has been buried.”
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Deep sorrow and fury threaded through Baek Mu-young’s voice.
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“Team Leader, we can reflect later. We have company.”
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I gestured with my chin toward the distance. A commotion erupted before a collapsed inn.
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“Kekeke! Run, you little minnows!”
“Today’s haul is in good condition! We’ll get decent parts money for this!”
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Grotesque men were chasing someone. Each of them had replaced parts of their bodies with machinery—one had a massive steel claw where an arm should be, another had caterpillar treads instead of legs, their forms utterly repulsive.
Those being hunted were a boy and girl still wearing white martial robes, their youth unmistakable.
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“B-Big brother! My legs… my legs won’t move!”
“Get up, So-ryung! If they catch us, we’re done for!”
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The boy supported the girl as they fled desperately, but human legs could never match the output of machinery.
Whirrrrr—!
A modified human with spring devices attached to their legs bounded forward in an instant, blocking the group’s path.
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“Where do you think you’re going? You’ve entered Black Iron Gang territory—you need to pay the toll.”
“No toll? Then hand over those fresh limbs of yours.”
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The modified humans cackled as they tightened their encirclement. Red lasers emanated from their eyes—prosthetic implants—scanning the children’s bodies.
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[Scan complete. Compatibility grade: A.]
[Prime material for organ extraction and prosthetic implantation.]
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“You… you dogs of the heretical sects…!”
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The boy drew a blade from his embrace, but his hands trembled violently with terror.
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“Heretical sects? Kekeke. We are evolved new humanity. Relics of a rotting old age, you are.”
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The leader activated a chainsaw mounted on his mechanical arm.
Whirrrrrrr!
A savage roar assaulted the boy’s ears.
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“Alright, let’s get to work. Be careful with the head—we don’t want to damage the brain.”
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At the critical moment when the chainsaw plunged toward the boy’s neck.
Clang—!
A sharp metallic ring echoed as the chainsaw blade flew upward. Sparks scattered in all directions.
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“W-who are you?!”
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The leader shrieked and stumbled backward.
Before them stood a man in a black suit draped with a white doctor’s coat. In one hand he held a calculator instead of a stethoscope; in the other, a briefcase.
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“Just a janitor passing through.”
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Kang Jin-hyuk smiled faintly and produced a business card.
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“More precisely, I’m Kang Jin-hyuk, division leader of the Arcana Special Cleaning Division. I responded to a report about illegal waste obstructing the roadway.”
“What? Waste? A janitor?”
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The leader’s face flushed crimson with rage.
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“You crazy bastard… are you so desperate to die? Get him, boys! Grind him up!”
“Sigh… looks like reasoning won’t work here.”
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I loosened my necktie slightly and turned to face them.
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“Honey, Team Lead. Let’s get to work. We’re going to sort all of these trash into recycling.”
“Roger that. I was getting a little stiff anyway.”
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Yoo Yi-soo clashed the [Twin Blades] in her hands together.
Clang!
The clear ring of steel sang out, but her gaze was murderous.
“How dare they mix sacred martial arts with such garbage.”
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Baek Mu-young drew his blade. A shimmering azure aura bloomed from the tip of his sword like heat haze.
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“If the laws of Kangho have crumbled, I shall rebuild them with my sword.”
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A legendary Sword Saint, an S-rank Attacker, and a charlatan doctor. The first purification operation of the 11th Floor had begun.
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“Die!”
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The mechanical-armed heretics surged forward in unison. Their attacks were no mere martial arts. Instead of inner force, they relied on hydraulic cylinders for power, and instead of techniques, they unleashed torrents of built-in firearms.
Rat-a-tat-tat!
Machine gun fire erupted, and rocket punches streaked through the air.
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“My, how barbaric.”
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Yoo Yi-soo let out a derisive laugh.
She made no effort to dodge the incoming bullets.
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[Twin Blade Technique: Flowing River]
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Yoo Yi-soo’s gladii traced elegant arcs as they danced. Clang, clang, clang, clang! The bullets ricocheted off the blades and flew back with perfect precision toward their attackers.
“Gahhh!”
“My eyes! The optical sensors!”
“Calling themselves warriors while firing nothing but metal pellets—how pathetic.”
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Yoo Yi-soo pushed off the ground and closed the distance in an instant.
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“Eat this! [Hydraulic Press Punch]!”
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A massive man hurled a steel fist the size of a house. The sheer force could pulverize ordinary boulders into dust.
But Yoo Yi-soo met it head-on. Though she was a swordmaster, her physical prowess transcended humanity—a monster of inhuman strength stats.
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“Too slow.”
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Yoo Yi-soo intercepted the steel fist with her left blade while her right sword pierced the man’s arm joint with surgical precision.
Thud!
Crack!
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“Aaaaagh! My arm! That arm cost 200 million gold!”
“Expensive garbage, then.”
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Yoo Yi-soo’s heel swept upward into the man’s solar plexus. His massive frame flew like paper, demolishing an inn pillar before crashing through it.
Meanwhile, Baek Mu-young’s side was far more one-sided.
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“At your age, can you even hold a sword? Kahahaha!”
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Men with caterpillar treads on their legs charged forward, spinning saw blades whirling.
Baek Mu-young didn’t move. He simply gazed at them with serene eyes.
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“The sword is not wielded with metal. It is wielded with the heart.”
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Whoooosh.
Baek Mu-young drew his blade with agonizing slowness.
A motion so gradual, so gentle.
Yet the result was catastrophic.
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[Heart Sword (心劍): One Stroke, Two Halves]
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There was no sound. The three charging augmented humans froze mid-stride, then split cleanly in half from crown to tailbone. The steel frames and mechanical components composing their bodies were severed like tofu.
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“…?!”
“What, what is that old man!”
“He cut through steel…?”
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The remaining enemies recoiled in terror. Inner energy barriers, super-alloy gauntlets—nothing mattered. Before Baek Mu-young’s blade, all things fell equally.
And then there was Jin-hyuk, the battlefield’s commander.
He didn’t fight directly. Instead, with [Eyes of Providence] activated, he moved through the battlefield, performing ‘decomposition’.
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“My goodness, patient. Your finishing work is sloppy. The wiring is sticking out everywhere.”
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Kang Jin-hyuk approached with a steel pipe and tapped it sharply against the enemy.
Crackle!
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“Ahhhhh!”
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The battery pack exposed on the enemy’s back exploded, electrocuting it.
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“This joint is running dry—lacking lubrication. You’re going to develop arthritis.”
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Click!
The moment Kang Jin-hyuk unscrewed a single bolt from the knee joint, the charging enemy crumbled to the ground.
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[Skill: Mechanical Disassembly Lv.5]
[You perceive the target’s weak points (design flaws).]
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“S-someone stop these things!”
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The leader shrieked. His right arm, wielding the chainsaw, was severed in a single slash from Yoo Yi-soo’s blade, and his trusted subordinates were reduced to scrap metal scattered across the floor.
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“R-run! They’re monsters!”
“Alert headquarters! We have intruders!”
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The surviving few turned tail and attempted to flee.
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“Where do you think you’re going? You still owe me surgical fees.”
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Kang Jin-hyuk snapped his fingers.
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[Taming Skill: Wire Restraint]
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Dozens of medical wires burst from Kang Jin-hyuk’s inventory, ensnaring the ankles of the fleeing enemies. Thud! They crashed face-first to the ground, bound together in a chain like Vienna sausages.
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“Well, situation resolved.”
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Kang Jin-hyuk brushed dust from his gown and approached the boy and girl trembling in the corner.
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“Students, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“A… u….”
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The boy couldn’t find his words. The sight before him defied belief. The elite masters of the Black Iron Gang had been reduced to scrap metal in an instant. Especially that old man’s swordsmanship—Baek Mu-young’s technique. It was a realm he’d only heard whispered about in legends.
The boy instinctively dropped to his knees.
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“Th-thank you for saving us! I am Cheong-poong, a third-generation disciple of the Murim Alliance. This is my martial sister, So-ryung.”
“The Murim Alliance… so it still exists.”
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Baek Mu-young muttered bitterly.
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“Yes. But… the Alliance is on the brink of destruction. The Kairos Cult—those heretics—have poisoned our Alliance Leader and are besieging our headquarters….”
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Cheong-poong spoke with trembling voice.
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“Poison?”
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Kang Jin-hyuk’s ears perked up. Poison meant treatment was needed, and treatment meant there was a “patient”—which meant money.
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“What are the symptoms? Tell me in detail.”
“Well… the Alliance Leader’s skin has turned black, and whenever he circulates his inner energy, something like metal shavings pour from his blood vessels. The physicians call it ‘Deviation into Demons,’ but no medicinal elixir has worked….”
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Kang Jin-hyuk glanced at Luna. She was already scanning the components of the fallen heretic martial artists.
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“Director, these components… they’re not simple machinery.”
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Luna held out her tablet.
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[Analysis Result: Nano Machine Remnants Detected.]
[Manufacturer: KAIROS Lab.]
[Characteristics: Virus-type robot that infiltrates biological tissue and converts it into machinery.]
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“As expected.”
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A smile spread across Kang Jin-hyuk’s face.
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“It’s not Deviation into Demons. It’s [Nano Virus Infection].”
“N-nano?”
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Cheong-poong looked bewildered at the unfamiliar term.
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“Simply put, tiny mechanical creatures are eating away at the Alliance Leader’s body. If left alone, his entire body will transform into machinery, and he’ll become a puppet just like those things.”
“Eek! W-what do we do now?!”
“What do you mean? We fix it.”
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I placed my hand on Cheong-poong’s shoulder.
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“Kid, count yourself lucky. You’ve got the universe’s greatest physician right here.”
“W-who might that be, sir?”
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I pointed at myself with my thumb.
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“Me. Kang Jin-hyuk, Director of Arcana Hospital.”
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I pulled out a business card embossed with gold leaf and pressed it into Cheong-poong’s hand.
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[Arcana Special Cleaning Division]
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– Specialized treatment for illegal mechanical modification, nano-virus infection, and metal allergies.
– Special Murim Alliance discount now available (secret techniques, elixirs, and legendary blades welcome).
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“Let’s go pay the Alliance Leader a visit. We’ve got a house call to make.”
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I gestured toward the rogue martial artists bound behind us.
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“And these things… should fetch enough at the scrap dealer for a team dinner. Luna, collect them.”
“Yes! Understood!”
Luna hummed cheerfully as she stored the modified humans into her inventory.
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“Shall we go, Team Leader Baek? We can’t visit our homeland empty-handed, after all.”
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Baek Mu-young nodded silently. The fallen Kangho. The Martial Realm consumed by machinery and greed. He swore that with his blade and my medical skill, we would purify this land.
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“Lead the way, child. To the Murim Alliance.”
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Our four-person party followed Cheong-poong’s guidance through the mist-shrouded Bamboo Forest. Behind us, cold acid rain fell upon the scrap metal remains of the rogue faction.

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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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