An F-Rank Veterinarian Physically Heals an S-Rank Magical Beast - Chapter 58
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 58
[Level 13: The Valley of Dead]
The moment I stepped through the gate, the air touching my skin transformed. Gone was Floor 12’s desiccated reek of machine oil and acrid smoke. In its place came the cloying stench of damp earth and putrid water, assaulting my nostrils. The sky held neither moon nor stars—only a sickly dark purple haze that suffocated my vision, within which ethereal blue lights flickered like ghostfire, dancing with sinister purpose.
“B-b-brr… Is there no heating in this place?”
Kim Chun-sam trembled violently, cowering behind Ma Dong-tak’s back. Though a robot incapable of feeling cold, his sensors were detecting a malevolent spiritual energy that was overloading his systems.
“Master, my processing unit keeps throwing errors. There are zero biological signatures around us, yet I’m detecting tens of thousands of energy readings. This is scientifically impossible.”
“That’s why they’re ghosts. Keep quiet. You’re ruining the atmosphere.”
I adjusted my medical bag and surveyed the surroundings. Skeletal, gnarled trees stretched toward the sky like a monster’s clawed fingers, while countless nameless tombstones jutted haphazardly from the ground. It was unmistakably a communal cemetery.
“This place… reeks of death energy.”
Namgoong Cheon murmured in a grave voice. The martial artists instinctively drew their inner energy upward, wrapping themselves in protective auras. The land’s essence—hostile to all living things—was gnawing away at their cultivation.
“Ahhhhh! I hate this! My shoes! They’re covered in mud!”
The greatest victim (?) was Beris. The moment she realized the ground beneath her was a swampy quagmire, she shrieked and cast a levitation spell, suspending herself in mid-air.
“Disgusting! Horrible! Aren’t those bones rolling around over there? Disinfect! Disinfect this instant!”
She swung her staff, unleashing purifying flames in all directions, but the damp haze smothered them as if swallowing the very fire itself.
“Calm down, Beris. Conserve your mana. You’re our most critical damage dealer here.”
While I soothed her, Ma Dong-tak was testing the air with experimental punches.
Whoosh—whoosh—
“Hmm. The air resistance is quite severe. Must be the humidity.”
For him, assessing his own condition took priority over whatever ghosts might emerge.
That was when it happened.
“Hehehehe….”
“Kikikik… living people….”
“Warm… I smell blood….”
Eerie laughter echoed from within the haze. Not just one voice—dozens, hundreds of voices layered atop one another, scraping against my eardrums.
“Who goes there! Show yourselves!”
The Huashan Sect Elder drew his blade and shouted. The haze parted, and translucent forms materialized one by one. Spirits clad in tattered burial robes, their faces melting with decay—the minion monsters of Level 13, a legion of [Resentful Wraiths].
“Graaahhh!”
The foremost wraith extended its claws to grotesque lengths and lunged at Ma Dong-tak.
“Alright! You’re up first!”
Ma Dong-tak reflexively threw a punch—a strike capable of shattering stone. If it connected properly, that gelatinous skull would burst like an overripe fruit.
Whoosh!
But Ma Dong-tak’s fist passed through the wraith’s body uselessly.
“What?”
Ma Dong-tak’s center of gravity lurched forward, and he stumbled.
“Kikikik! Fool… did you really think your pathetic flesh could touch us?”
The wraith sneered and passed straight through Ma Dong-tak’s shoulder. In that instant, his face drained of all color.
“Ugh! So cold! What is this?!”
“Brother! Physical immunity at 100%! Impact detection is not registering!”
Kim Chun-sam screamed. While Ma Dong-tak reeled in shock, the other wraiths surged toward the Murim Alliance members.
“You wretched demons! Begone from here!”
Namgoong Cheon swung the plasma blade—a Floor 12 trophy—and searing hot plasma cut through the wraith and beyond.
Crackle!
“Ahhhhh!”
The wraith shrieked, but that was all. Smoke rose from the wound, yet the severed body reformed like mist coalescing back together.
“Even the plasma blade doesn’t work! We can’t kill it with heat alone!”
“Channel your inner energy! You have to cut with sword force!”
The martial artists unleashed blade auras, but the wraiths dodged with their gelatinous bodies or recovered instantly even when struck.
“Hehehehe! Give me your life force!”
The wraiths clung to the martial artists’ bodies and began draining their vital essence.
“Ugh… my body… feels so heavy….”
“This cold… it pierces right through my bones….”
The tide of battle shifted in an instant. The Cyber Murim Alliance, which had boasted overwhelming firepower on Floor 12, was helpless before ghosts immune to physical force.
“Damn it! We can’t even hit them! This is ridiculous!”
Ma Dong-tak threw phantom punches at the empty air, his frustration boiling over. Combat without impact was torture to him.
“Everyone, step back. Let me run a diagnosis.”
Then Jin-hyuk stepped forward. Unperturbed, he activated his skill.
[‘Eye of Divine Judgment (A)’ has been activated.]
Jin-hyuk’s irises turned golden, and the internal structures of the translucent wraiths became visible like an X-ray. Of course, there were no bones or organs. Instead, I could see the ‘core of magical power’ that composed their bodies and the ‘tangled threads of resentment’ intertwined within them.
“Hmm. As expected.”
Jin-hyuk nodded.
“The patients’ conditions are quite severe. Chronic yang deficiency combined with obsessive personality disorder. They’re so attached to this world they can’t move on to the afterlife.”
“Master! This isn’t the time for jokes! If those things grab us, they’ll suck out our brains!”
Kim Chun-sam grabbed at Jin-hyuk’s pant leg desperately.
“Who’s joking? I’ve figured out the treatment.”
Jin-hyuk turned and gestured.
“Luna, Beris. Come here.”
“Yes, Jin-hyuk!”
“…Why? I don’t want to get close to those filthy things.”
As the two women approached, Jin-hyuk called out to Ma Dong-tak.
“Director Ma, give me your hand.”
“My hand? What for?”
“Let’s enchant your weapon. You’re just throwing wild punches because you’re trying to catch ghosts with your bare fists.”
Jin-hyuk gave Luna an order.
“Luna, take the holy water and purifying energy you have and concentrate them on Director Ma’s fists. Bestow a blessing.”
“Got it! I’ll borrow the spirits’ power!”
As Luna closed her eyes and chanted, warm golden particles began gathering around Ma Dong-tak’s rough fists.
“Beris, you layer magical power over it. You know the formula to convert ‘physical impact’ into ‘magical impact’, right?”
“Ugh… you really make things complicated. Fine.”
Beris tapped his staff, and a blue magical circle inscribed itself over Ma Dong-tak’s fists.
Hummmmm—!
Ma Dong-tak’s hands began to shine brilliantly. In his left hand, Luna’s holy power. In his right hand, Beris’s magical energy. And at the center of it all, Ma Dong-tak’s own overwhelming ‘physical force’ took root.
#[Item(?) crafting has been completed.]
[Name: Exorcist’s Holy Knuckles]
[Effect: Can strike spiritual entities. 200% additional damage to undead. 50% chance of enlightenment upon impact.]
“There we go, equipment enhancement complete. Now let’s test it out.”
At my words, Ma Dong-tak grinned widely. He nodded in satisfaction as he gazed at his luminous fists.
“Oh, looking pretty good with the lighting, huh?”
“Hehehehe! Useless! No matter what you humans do, we won’t die….”
The Resentful Wraith that had been lunging at Ma Dong-tak sneered. But that sneer didn’t last long.
Crash!!!
It wasn’t a dull impact sound. A magnificent explosive boom, like a bell ringing, shook the valley.
“Screeeeeech!!”
The Resentful Wraith let out a agonized shriek. The moment Ma Dong-tak’s fist connected with the wraith’s face, a golden shockwave erupted, tearing the spirit’s form to shreds in all directions.
“Huh?”
Ma Dong-tak’s eyes widened.
“I hit it.”
The weighty impact transmitted through his fingertips. It was different from shattering steel on Floor 12—a satisfying, juicy sensation like bursting through gelatin.
“I hit it! It actually got hit! Hahahaha!”
Ma Dong-tak cheered. His fist cut through the air once more.
Crack!
The chest of another Resentful Wraith beside him—or what was presumed to be its chest—caved inward. Beris’s magical energy penetrated, severing the soul’s cohesion, while Luna’s holy power incinerated the wound.
“It hurts! It hurts! What is this! Why does the punch hurt!”
The spirits recoiled in terror. For centuries immune to physical attacks, the sensation of ‘pain’ was foreign and horrifying to them.
“Where do you think you’re running! I haven’t even warmed up yet!”
Ma Dong-tak kicked off the ground and launched forward.
“Come on, achieve enlightenment! Forced Ascension Punch!”
Boom-boom-boom!
Ma Dong-tak’s fists danced. Wherever he passed, spirits burst apart like fireworks. The struck spirits shrieked, oxidizing into white ash that rose toward the sky.
“Oh… the demons are being purified!”
The Shaolin Monk clasped his hands in reverence.
“That man is a true exorcist! He wears scripture in his very fists!”
The martial artists gained courage.
“We can do this too! Channel our inner energy into our blades! Beris, bless our weapons as well!”
“Ugh, you’re all so annoying! Get in line!”
Beris grumbled while infusing the martial artists’ weapons with magical energy. Soon, the valley of Level 13 filled with the shrieks of spirits and the sounds of impact. The atmosphere of dread vanished entirely, transforming into a one-sided ‘spirit hunting ground.’
But the dead of Level 13 were not so easily defeated. As the Resentful Wraiths were swept away, a more powerful entity emerged from the depths of the mist.
“Kyaaaaaaah-!”
A piercing scream that tore at the eardrums. A woman in white mourning clothes with wild hair and tears of blood streaming down her face. The mid-boss of Level 13—the Wailing Banshee Queen.
#[Warning! The banshee’s scream is a mental attack. Covering your ears will not help.]
“Ugh… my head…!”
The Murim practitioners clutched their heads in agony. Even Ma Dong-tak grimaced. But the Wailing Banshee Queen’s true ability wasn’t her scream. She bypassed physical confrontation, targeting the most defenseless prey.
A being without a soul but possessing intelligence. A coward with fragile mental fortitude.
“Found it… my new vessel….”
The Wailing Banshee Queen’s gaze locked onto Kim Chun-sam, trembling behind Ma Dong-tak’s back.
“Eek! Why are you looking at me! I’m not appetizing! I’m scrap metal!”
Kim Chun-sam waved his hands frantically, but the Wailing Banshee Queen transformed into mist in an instant, seeping into his visor.
“Aaaahhh! Stay out! My firewall! My antivirus!!”
Whoooosh—
Kim Chun-sam’s robotic body convulsed violently. The blue light of his visor shifted to a crimson hue, and his joints bent at grotesque angles.
[System Hacked.]
[External spirit interference detected. Control compromised.]
“Chun-sam!”
Jin-hyuk cried out. Moments later, Kim Chun-sam, who had been hanging his head low, slowly lifted it. But the voice emanating from his mouth was not Kim Chun-sam’s usual cheerful tone.
“Kekeke… at last… I have obtained a steel body….”
A cold, resentment-laden woman’s voice. Kim Chun-sam—or rather, the Banshee-possessed version—glared at Ma Dong-tak.
“You slaughtered all my subordinates… now with this steel form, I shall tear you apart.”
The Wailing Banshee Queen was confident. She believed that combining her magical power with the S-grade alloy robot body would make her invincible. But she had overlooked one crucial detail: the original owner of this body was the most talkative and noisy AI in existence.
[Warning! Virus detected! Hey! Who are you! Get out right now! This is my space!]
Suddenly, Kim Chun-sam’s original voice burst from his speakers.
“What, what is this noise?”
[You’re the noisy one! Why are you causing a ruckus in someone else’s mind! Did you pay rent? Did you put down a deposit!]
Kim Chun-sam’s consciousness began to tackle the Wailing Banshee Queen’s spirit.
“Silence! This body is mine now!”
[That’s hilarious! Master! She’s hitting me! And her fashion sense is terrible! A mourning robe? What era is this maiden ghost concept from?]
“You… insolent…!”
Two souls began fighting inside Kim Chun-sam’s body. His left arm, controlled by the Banshee, tried to strike Ma Dong-tak, while his right arm, controlled by Kim Chun-sam, slapped his own cheek.
Clang! Clang!
“Ow, why are you hitting my face! Stop it!”
Witnessing this spectacle of self-inflicted chaos, Jin-hyuk’s group stood speechless.
“…What exactly is happening right now?”
Ma Dong-tak asked, bewildered.
“An internal conflict has broken out.”
Jin-hyuk clicked his tongue.
“Director Ma, it seems Chun-sam is malfunctioning with a ghost possessing him. Perhaps you could physically extract it.”
“Extract it? How?”
“Haven’t you spun a top as a child? If we spin it like a centrifuge, it should come loose.”
“Ah, I see. Understood.”
Ma Dong-tak grinned wickedly and approached. Kim Chun-sam—the Banshee—stumbled backward in alarm.
“D, don’t come near! This body is a hostage! If you attack me, this robot will also be destroyed….”
Grab.
Ma Dong-tak grabbed Kim Chun-sam by the ankle with one hand.
“Hostage? No way. He’s just going to feel a little dizzy.”
Whoooosh!
Ma Dong-tak hoisted Kim Chun-sam upside down and began spinning him like a windmill.
“Kyaaaaaaah!!”
[Nooooo!! Master!! I’m going to throw up!! Please save me!!]
The screams of two souls echoed in surround sound. Ma Dong-tak’s rotation speed accelerated, until eventually he resembled a massive spinning fan.
“Faster! Even faster! Wring him out like a dehydrator!”
Spurred on by Jin-hyuk’s encouragement, Ma Dong-tak became a human dehydrator, spinning with ferocious intensity.
“S-stop! I’ll leave! I’m leaving, I swear! Please stop!!”
Finally, the Wailing Banshee Queen surrendered. This insane velocity and dizziness were unbearable even for a spirit. When Ma Dong-tak released his grip, Kim Chun-sam flew off like a cannonball.
Crash!
White wisps of smoke erupted from Kim Chun-sam’s body as it embedded itself in the wall—the spirit of the Wailing Banshee Queen, her eyes spinning wildly.
“Bleeeegh….”
The ghost vomited. Jin-hyuk wasn’t about to miss this opportunity.
#[‘Soul Collector (B)’ has been activated.]
Jin-hyuk aimed a specially-crafted vacuum cleaner—or rather, a capture device—at the banshee.
“Well, treatment’s complete. Time to head to the recovery ward.”
“No… this can’t be…!”
Shhhhwoop- Pop!
The legendary Wailing Banshee Queen was sucked into Jin-hyuk’s vacuum. He shook the capture container with satisfaction, and through the transparent walls, the banshee’s indignant face was visible inside.
“This would make a perfect backup battery for Kim Chun-sam later.”
“Master… that was too much… I almost died….”
Kim Chun-sam staggered to his feet. For a robot, the way he wobbled from motion sickness was quite the spectacle.
“Want some motion sickness medicine? Oh right, you don’t have a stomach. Just oil yourself up.”
Jin-hyuk replied coolly while gazing into the fog of Level 13. He’d dealt with the minions and mid-boss, but this was only the beginning. Deep within, at the heart of the Valley of Dead, something far greater and more powerful awaited—true death itself.
Yet Jin-hyuk felt no fear. With physical therapist Ma Dong-tak, Yoo Yi-soo the Demon King’s core-wielding Hunter among Hunters, Beris the aspiring exorcist, healer Luna, and Kim Chun-sam playing bait perfectly—this dream team could tear through the depths of hell itself.
“Alright, let’s go receive the next patient.”
Jin-hyuk’s footsteps ventured into the darkness.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————