An F-Rank Veterinarian Physically Heals an S-Rank Magical Beast - Chapter 5

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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 5
“Krrrraaaaaaagh!”
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Inside a container at the Abandoned Chemical Factory, the anguished cries of beast and human intertwined in a symphony of despair.
Bound to the bed, Lee Soo-ah’s body contorted in unspeakable agony. Dark blue scales spreading from her right shoulder consumed half her face, creeping up her neck, while grotesque wings—piercing through bone—fluttered behind her back, drenched in blood.
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[Monsterization Progress: 82%]
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For any ordinary hunter, this threshold meant the complete loss of reason, the final transformation into a monster. Yet this girl clung to her humanity with superhuman willpower, refusing to surrender that final thread.
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“Ugh… Sister… please… kill me… I’m begging you…”
“Soo-ah! Just hold on a little longer! The doctor is here!”
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Lee So-yoon, the team leader of the Inspection Division, clutched her sister’s hand, her body wracked with sobs. Even the legendary “Ice Witch,” renowned for her icy composure, was nothing but a helpless older sister in the face of her family’s suffering.
Jin-hyuk observed the scene with cold indifference as he pulled on latex gloves.
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“Step aside. If guardians cry and wail, it only elevates the patient’s heart rate.”
“D-Doctor, is this truly possible? Even S-rank Healers have given up…”
“Precisely because they’re Healers, they couldn’t cure her.”
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Jin-hyuk approached the bedside. His eyes glowed brilliant blue with [Eye of Truth (A)].
The girl’s body was a catastrophe. A coiled mass of black miasma nestled near her heart—an unknown toxin that had leaked from the Abyss Gate three years ago. This poison was consuming her mana circuits and forcibly reassembling every cell in her body.
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“This isn’t a disease.”
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Jin-hyuk spoke.
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“It’s evolution.”
“…I’m sorry?”
“This toxin doesn’t seek to kill its host. Rather, it’s desperately trying to transform her into something far stronger. The problem is that the human body cannot withstand such power, so it’s collapsing.”
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The Healers had viewed this toxin as a malignant tumor to be excised, unleashing holy light upon it. But the poison of the Abyss resists and proliferates more violently when exposed to light. Thus, each treatment only worsened her condition.
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“Then… what should we do?”
“It’s simple. We make her accept it.”
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Jin-hyuk opened his bag. Surgical scalpel, forceps, and… a small lead box. As he opened it, a crystalline gem emanating a brilliant crimson light was revealed.
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“What… what is this?”
“A dragon’s gallstone.”
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Jin-hyuk smirked. In truth, it wasn’t a gallstone at all—it was a crystalline structure he’d refined overnight from the [Highly Concentrated Mana Residue] he’d extracted after performing an enema procedure on Balakas days ago. A condensed form of pure mana from an S-rank dragon.
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“The Abyss poison runs rampant because there’s no ‘master’ to control it. So we simply attach something stronger. Establish the hierarchy decisively.”
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Jin-hyuk’s plan was nothing short of madness. He would implant a dragon’s mana crystal into the girl’s heart, creating an artificial [Mana Filter]. It was major surgery—using the dragon’s essence to suppress and refine the Abyss toxin, transforming it into energy the girl could actually use.
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“W-what are the odds of success?”
“That depends on my skill. Well, if I fail, I’ll end up as monster food right here alongside you, so don’t worry.”
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Jin-hyuk spoke as if joking, but his eyes had turned cold and sharp. He sent Lee So-yoon out of the room.
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“No anesthesia. If you lose consciousness, the poison will consume you, Soo-ah. Can you hear me? Clench your teeth and endure.”
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The girl nodded with hazy eyes. The scalpel in Jin-hyuk’s hand gleamed with a cold light.
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“Beginning the incision.”
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*Screech.*
Black blood spurted forth as flesh tore open. But Jin-hyuk’s hands remained steady. Using his [Hemostasis (B)] skill to minimize bleeding, he swiftly opened the ribs and exposed the heart.
The girl’s heart was already half-blackened, pulsing weakly.
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“Grraahhh… Ahhhhh!”
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The girl screamed. The Abyss toxin sensed the intruder and crawled up Jin-hyuk’s hand. A curse that burned and rotted flesh. But Jin-hyuk didn’t even blink.
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“How dare you. Don’t you dare parasitize a doctor.”
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[Skill Activated: ‘Absolute Medical Authority (S)’]
[Resisting abnormal status ‘Decay’.]
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Jin-hyuk suppressed the toxin with sheer force and drove the prepared ‘Dragon’s Crystal’ directly into the center of the girl’s heart.
*Boom!*
In an instant, a tremendous shockwave swept through the operating room. The black aura of the Abyss and the crimson aura of the dragon collided, sending sparks flying. The girl’s body lifted into the air.
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[Warning! Rejection reaction occurring!]
[Two forces colliding—the host’s body is in danger of collapse.]
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“Damn, the dragon’s essence is too strong.”
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I clicked my tongue. The power of an S-rank monster was simply too much for a human to bear. At this rate, my heart would burst before the filter even activated. I needed a mediator.
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​”Balakas, it’s yours, so you take responsibility for it.”​
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I activated the communication artifact on my left wrist and connected to the presence of that creature in the hospital basement.
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​”Hey! Earn your keep!”​
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In that instant, Balakas, who had been sleeping on the 5th basement level of Zeus Medical Tower in Gangnam, Seoul, snapped his eyes open. Master was calling.
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[Kuooooo—!]
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The will of a dragon transcending space flowed through my fingertips into the girl’s heart.
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‘Calm yourselves, insignificant things.’
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The command of an overwhelmingly supreme apex predator.
The raging toxins of the Abyss Gate fell silent as if death had claimed them. The crimson crystal fused completely with her heart and began rotating smoothly.
Whoooosh··· whoooosh···.
A sound like an engine turning over. As the blackened blood passed through the crystal, it was purified into clear, vibrant crimson and spread throughout her entire body.
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[Surgery successful!]
[Abyss Gate toxins are converting to ‘mutated mana’.]
[Confirmation of a new species birth.]
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The grotesque scales that had covered the girl’s body transformed into smooth skin. Yet they did not disappear entirely. On her right arm and back, refined black scales settled like tattoos or armor. The wings behind her back shed their blood-soaked membranes, transforming into sharp and formidable dark wings.
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​”Phew.”​
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I wiped the sweat from my brow and set down the scalpel. This was not treatment. This was recreation.
An hour later, Lee Soo-ah awoke from exhaustion—not anesthesia.
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​”···Sister?”​
​”Soo-ah! Are you awake?”​
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Lee So-yoon, who had been waiting outside, rushed in and embraced her sister. Soo-ah looked down at her body. The monstrous scales were gone, and she felt a light, powerful physique. She touched the black markings that remained on her right arm, but there was no pain. Instead, it felt as though tremendous power lay dormant within.
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​”Did I··· survive?”​
​”Yes, you survived. The teacher saved you.”​
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Lee So-yoon wiped away her tears as she gazed at me. I stood in the corner, peeling off my blood-stained gloves and tossing them into the trash bin.
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​”Skip the gratitude. Just give me the medical fees.​”
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I extended my hand with an indifferent expression. Lee So-yoon bowed deeply. It wasn’t mere thanks—it was a debt that could never be repaid, even if she spent her entire life trying.
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​”I’ll… keep my promise.​”
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Lee So-yoon withdrew a small USB drive from her pocket. A sticker on its surface read [CLASSIFIED LEVEL 1 – CODE: ABYSS].
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​”This is the original ‘black box’ footage from the Abyss Gate operation three years ago. The government and the Korean Healing Association deleted this video and blamed Team Leader Yoo Yi-soo for the operation’s failure. But the truth is different.​”
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My hand trembled slightly. The truth I’d been desperately searching for. I snatched the USB drive from her hands.
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​”I’ll text you post-operative care instructions, so follow them on your own. Oh, and those wings of yours—don’t unfold them carelessly. You’ll tear your clothes.​”
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I hastily gathered my things and rushed outside. Right now, the patient was the last thing on my mind.
Inside my car, I powered on my laptop with trembling hands and inserted the USB drive. Complex encryption code appeared on the screen, but the moment I entered the password Lee So-yoon had given me, a video file began to play.
Crackle—.
The screen flickered. Inside the Abyss Gate—the worst catastrophe that had opened above Seoul three years ago.
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[Team Leader! We’re running out of mana! We can’t close the gate like this!]
[We need to retreat! The collapse is starting!]
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The screams of team members echoed through the audio. And in the center of the screen, a single silhouette shone within the pitch-black darkness—a woman with silver-white long hair, dual blades gripped firmly in her hands.
It was Yoo Yi-soo.
Before her, an endless tide of colossal demonic beasts surged forward, the forces of the Abyss desperately clawing their way toward the mortal realm.
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[I can’t.]
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Even as the footage shook and threatened to cut out, her voice remained crystal clear.
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[If I leave, this gate will open again. Someone has to stay inside and hold the ‘core’.​]
[Team Leader! What are you saying! You have to come with us!]
[Go! Go and tell Jin-hyuk for me. Tell him I’ll be right behind you. Tell him to wait for me—I’ll have dinner ready!]
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Boom!
Yoo Yi-soo crossed her dual blades, unleashing a massive shockwave. The recoil sent the team members flying out of the gate, and the entrance began to close slowly. No—she was holding it shut from the inside.
Thousands upon thousands of monsters rushed toward her. Yet she didn’t retreat. Instead, her lips curled into a smile as she adjusted her grip on her blades.
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[Is that all you’ve got? Come at me, you bastards. If you make my husband wait, I’ll kill every last one of you.]
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Flash!
The screen went white and flickered. Then the video ended.
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​”······.​”
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I couldn’t breathe. The laptop screen went dark, and my reflection stared back at me from the black display. Tears streamed down my cheeks.
She wasn’t dead. Even now, three years later, she was still fighting alone in that hellish place. Not to save the world. To keep a promise with me. All for that trivial promise—to eat dinner together.
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​”···This foolish woman.​”
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I brought my fist down on the steering wheel.
Honk—!
The horn’s cry echoed across the empty lot.
I was furious. Furious at my colleagues who abandoned her and fled that place, furious at the government that concealed the truth, and most of all, furious at myself for knowing nothing and simply earning money as a veterinarian.
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​”Wait for me.​”
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I wiped away my tears. My eyes had changed. If Kang Jin-hyuk until now had been merely a “veterinarian who earned good money,” then Kang Jin-hyuk now was a “runaway locomotive charging toward its goal.”
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​”I’m coming for you. Even if I have to tear all of South Korea apart, I’m bringing you back.​”
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I pulled out my phone. Then I scrolled through the saved contacts. Lee Shin-woo, Seo Ji-hoo, Zeus Guild, Ares Guild··· the most powerful figures in South Korea who owed me debts.
Now it was time to collect.
The next morning. Zeus Medical Tower, Gangnam.
I arrived at work as usual. But my atmosphere had subtly shifted. Sharper somehow, more unrestrained.
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​”Director, you’ve arrived. We have 150 scheduled patients today.​”
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Park Chul-woo handed me the schedule. But I didn’t even glance at it—I simply tossed it onto my desk.
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​”Park.​”
​”Yes?​”
​”We’re changing the billing policy starting today.​”
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I leaned back in my chair and crossed my legs.
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​”We’re not accepting cash or card payments anymore.​”
​”Pardon? Then what will you accept?​”
​”[Magic Stone]. S-rank or higher, or a dimension-related artifact. Don’t bother with money—bring only physical goods,” he instructed.
​”B-but… if you suddenly change the terms, the customers will resist, won’t they?”
​”Let them resist. If they don’t like it, they can go elsewhere.”
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I smiled coldly. Reopening the Abyss Gate would require an enormous quantity of high-purity Magic Stones and Dimensional Stones. Even if I had trillions of won, it wouldn’t be enough to buy them outright. But if I had hunters bring them to me instead, that was another matter entirely.
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​”And one more thing.”
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I turned on the monitor. A news broadcast displayed an advertisement for a major hospital.
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[Hunter Specialist Hospital ‘Apollo’—Korea’s First S-Rank Healer Team of 10 In-House!]
[Would you entrust your precious partner to a veterinarian? Dignified treatment awaits you at Apollo.]
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A blatant attack aimed squarely at me. As my hospital had risen rapidly in prominence, the established medical establishment—feeling threatened—had begun their counteroffensive.
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​”That hospital director is the vice-chairman of the Korean Healing Association, isn’t he?”
​”Yes, sir. The media campaign has been quite intense lately. They’ve been calling our hospital an ‘unlicensed treatment facility’ and such…”
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Park Chul-woo’s expression grew anxious. But I simply laughed with genuine amusement.
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​”Perfect. I’ve been itching for a workout, and now the punching bag is walking straight into my ring.”
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I grabbed the microphone. The hospital-wide broadcast system activated.
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​”Ahem, ahem. This is the director. Effective immediately, this hospital will refuse all medical services to hunters affiliated with the Korean Healing Association and their associates.”
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Murmurs rippled through the hunters waiting in the lobby.
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​”If you’re upset, go to Apollo. They have plenty of S-rank healers, right? Go get healed there, and if you develop side effects later and come crawling back crying, we won’t accept you. That’s all.”
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An all-out declaration of war. I had nothing left to lose. To save my wife, I needed to climb higher and faster. I would crush anyone who stood in my way and exploit anyone useful down to the bone.
Creak.
The clinic door opened, and the first patient entered. It was Ma Dong-tak, the guild master of the Ares Guild and ranked second nationally. A muscular, imposing man. Yet his expression was devastated, as if he’d lost everything.
Behind him, a massive three-headed dog—[Cerberus of Hell]—was being dragged in, barking frantically like a creature possessed.
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​”P-please, Director! Save him, I’m begging you! We went to Apollo or wherever, and he’s gotten even worse!”
​”Then why did you waste money at such a prestigious place?”
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I took a leisurely sip of coffee. My gaze sharpened as it fixed on Cerberus.
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“Well then, let’s see. Since the mutt has three heads, the medical fee is tripled, yes?”
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Thus began my grand conquest of the hunter world—or rather, my [Operation: Grand Scheme to Secure Funds for My Wife’s Rescue].

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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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