[No title provided]
“Gaaahhh!”
Inside a container at an abandoned chemical plant, the agonized roar of a beast mingled with a human scream, echoing mercilessly.
The girl bound to the bed, Lee Sua, writhed in torment. Dark blue scales had spread from her right shoulder, devouring half her face along her neck, while grotesque wings burst through her back, flapping in a spray of blood.
82%
At this level, any ordinary hunter would have lost their mind and turned into a monster. But the girl clung to her humanity with superhuman willpower.
“Hic... Sis... Kill me... Please...”
“Sua! Hang in there just a bit longer! The doctor's here!”
Inspection team leader Lee Soyun gripped her sister's hand, sobbing uncontrollably. The infamous “Ice Witch” was powerless before her family's suffering, reduced to a helpless big sister.
Jinhyeok watched impassively as he snapped on latex gloves.
“Step aside. If the guardian starts bawling, it'll just spike the patient's heart rate.”
“D-Doctor... Is this really possible? Even S-rank healers gave up...”
“That's exactly why they couldn't fix her.”
Jinhyeok approached the bedside. His eyes glowed blue with Eyes of God (A).
The girl's body was a wreck. A black mass coiled around her heart—the unknown toxin leaked from the “Abyss Gate” three years ago. It was corroding her mana circuits, forcibly reassembling her cells one by one.
“This isn't an illness.”
Jinhyeok spoke up.
“It's evolution.”
“...Pardon?”
“This toxin isn't trying to kill the host. It's thrashing around to turn her into something stronger. But the human body can't handle that power, so it collapses.”
Healers had treated the toxin like a malignant tumor, blasting it with holy light. But the Abyss toxin only raged harder under light, multiplying fiercely. No wonder her condition worsened with every “treatment.”
“Then... what do we do?”
“Simple. Make her accept it.”
Jinhyeok opened his bag. Surgical scalpel, forceps... and a small lead box. Inside gleamed a jewel-like crimson crystal.
“Wh-What is that...?”
“Dragon gallstone.”
Jinhyeok grinned. Technically not a gallstone—it was [high-concentration mana residue] he'd refined overnight from Balakas after an enema procedure a few days back. Pure S-rank dragon mana, condensed.
“The Abyss toxin runs wild because there's no 'master' to control it. So give it a stronger one. Establish the hierarchy crystal clear.”
Jinhyeok's plan was insane. Implant the dragon mana crystal into the girl's heart to create an artificial mana filter. Suppress and refine the Abyss toxin with dragon energy, converting it into usable power for her—a major surgery.
“Wh-What's the success rate?”
“Depends on my hands. Don't worry—if it fails, I'll end up monster chow right here with her.”
He said it like a joke, but his gaze was ice-cold. He sent Lee Soyun outside.
“No anesthesia. Lose your grip on your mind, and the toxin takes over. Sua, hear me? Bite down and endure.”
The girl nodded weakly through hazy eyes. Jinhyeok's scalpel flashed coldly.
“Commencing thoracotomy.”
Slice.
Flesh parted with a wet sound, black blood spurting. But Jinhyeok's hands didn't waver. Minimizing bleeding with Hemostasis (B), he cracked open the ribs in seconds, exposing the heart.
The girl's heart was already half-black, throbbing wildly.
“Grrraaah... Aaaah!”
She screamed. The Abyss toxin sensed the intruder, surging up Jinhyeok's arm—a curse of burning, rotting flesh. But he didn't flinch.
“Cheeky bastard. Don't parasitize the doctor.”
Absolute Medical Authority (S)
Jinhyeok crushed the toxin with sheer force, slamming the prepared “dragon crystal” into the heart's center.
Boom!
A massive shockwave rocked the room. Black Abyss energy clashed with crimson dragon power, sparks flying. The girl's body levitated.
Rejection reaction occurring!
Host body at risk of collapse from clashing forces.
“Tch. Dragon energy too strong, huh.”
S-rank beast power was too much for a human. At this rate, her heart would burst before the filter activated. He needed a mediator.
“Balakas, your mess—clean it up.”
Jinhyeok activated the communication artifact on his left hand, linking to the beast in the hospital basement.
“Hey! Earn your keep!”
That instant, in Zeus Medical Tower's B5 in Gangnam, Seoul, Balakas snapped awake from sleep. Mama calls.
Kuoooo—!
The dragon's will pierced space, flowing from Jinhyeok's fingertips into the girl's heart.
'Calm down, you pathetic worms.'
The overwhelming command of the apex predator.
The rampaging Abyss toxin went still as a dead rat. The crimson crystal fused fully into the heart, spinning smoothly.
Whirr... whirr...
Like an engine revving. Black-tainted blood passed through the crystal, purified to clear red and pumping through her body.
Abyss toxin converting to “mutated mana.”
New species birth confirmed.
The hideous scales engulfing her body smoothed into skin. But they didn't vanish entirely—sleek black scales remained on her right arm and back like tattoos or armor. The blood-soaked wings shed their membrane, transforming into sharp, resilient black wings.
“Whew.”
Jinhyeok wiped sweat from his brow and set down the scalpel. This wasn't healing. It was recreation.
An hour later, Sua awoke from exhaustion—not anesthesia.
“...Sis?”
“Sua! You're conscious?”
Lee Soyun rushed in from outside, hugging her sister. Sua looked down at her body. The monstrous scales were gone, replaced by light, power-filled flesh. She touched the black patterns on her right arm—no pain. Just immense inner strength.
“Am I... alive?”
“Yes, you survived. The doctor saved you.”
Lee Soyun wiped tears, gazing at Jinhyeok. He was peeling off bloody gloves in the corner, tossing them in the trash.
“Skip the thanks. Just pay the bill.”
He held out his hand flatly. Lee Soyun bowed deeply. This wasn't simple gratitude—it was a lifelong debt.
“I’ll keep my promise.”
She pulled a small USB from her pocket. A sticker read [Top Secret - CODE: ABYSS].
Top Secret
CODE: ABYSS
“The original 'black box' footage from the Abyss Gate op three years ago. The government and Association deleted it, blaming the failure on Team Leader Yoo Isu. But the truth is different.”
Jinhyeok's hand trembled faintly. The truth he'd hunted for so long. He snatched the USB.
“Post-op instructions by text. Handle it yourselves. Oh, and those wings—don't flap 'em recklessly. You'll rip your clothes.”
Jinhyeok grabbed his bag and bolted. Patients weren't his priority now.
In his car, he fired up his laptop, plugging in the USB with shaking hands. Complex encryption appeared, but Lee Soyun's password unlocked a single video file.
Static crackle.
The screen shook. Inside the worst catastrophe three years ago: the Abyss Gate over Seoul.
> [Retreat! It's collapsing!]
Screams from the team. In the center, amid pitch-black darkness, a woman's back glowed alone. Silver hair whipping, dual swords in hand.
Yoo Isu.
Mountainous abyssal beasts swarmed her—the Abyss horde desperate to breach reality.
[No.]
Her voice cut clear through the shaking footage.
[If I leave, the gate reopens. Someone has to hold the 'core' inside.]
[Team Leader! What are you saying? Come with us!]
[Go! Tell Jinhyeok I'll be right behind. Have dinner ready and wait!]
Boom!
Yoo Isu crossed her swords, unleashing a shockwave that hurled the team out. The gate's entrance began to close—not on its own. She was holding it shut from within.
Thousands, tens of thousands of monsters charged her. But she didn't retreat. She smirked, regripping her blades.
[That all you got? Come on, you bastards. Make my husband wait for dinner, and I'll kill every last one.]
Flash!
The screen whited out. End of video.
“......”
Jinhyeok couldn't breathe. The laptop went dark, reflecting his tear-streaked face.
She wasn't dead. For three years, she'd fought alone in that hell. Not for the world. For their promise. That trivial vow to eat dinner together.
“...You idiot woman.”
He slammed the steering wheel.
Honk!
The horn echoed in the empty lot.
He was furious. At teammates who fled leaving her. At the government hiding the truth. Most at himself, oblivious, just making money.
“Wait.”
He wiped his tears. His eyes burned with new fire. The old Jinhyeok was just a “money-making vet.” This one was a runaway train barreling toward a goal.
“I'll come get you. I'll tear down all of Korea if I have to.”
He pulled out his phone, scrolling contacts. Lee Shinwoo, Seo Jihu, Zeus Guild, Ares Guild... Korea's top powers, all in his debt.
Time to collect.
Next morning, Zeus Medical Tower, Gangnam.
Jinhyeok arrived as usual. But his aura was sharper, bolder.
“Director, you're here. 150 appointments today.”
Manager Park Cheolwoo handed the schedule. Jinhyeok tossed it on the desk without looking.
“Park.”
“Yes?”
“New policy starting today.”
He crossed his legs in his chair.
“No cash. No cards.”
“Then what—?”
“Mana stones. S-rank or higher. Or dimension-related artifacts. No money—barter only.”
“S-Sudden changes will upset clients...”
“Let 'em complain. If they don't like it, go elsewhere.”
Jinhyeok smirked. Reopening the Abyss Gate needed massive high-purity mana stones and dimension stones—trillions in cash wouldn't cover it. Make the hunters fetch them.
“One more thing.”
He turned on the monitor. A major hospital ad played.
A blatant shot at Jinhyeok. As his clinic surged, the old medical elite struck back.
“That hospital's director is the Korean Healer Association vice president, right?”
“Yes. Heavy media play lately—calling us an 'unlicensed chop shop'...”
Park looked worried. Jinhyeok burst out laughing, delighted.
“Perfect. I was itching for a warmup, and here's a punching bag walking in.”
He grabbed the mic. Hospital-wide broadcast activated.
“Ahem. Director speaking. Effective immediately, we refuse treatment for Korean Healer Association hunters and affiliates.”
Lobby hunters murmured.
“If you're pissed, go to Apollo. Tons of S-rank healers there, right? Get your heals, come crying later with side effects—we won't take you back. Out.”
Declaration of total war. Jinhyeok had no brakes left. To save his wife, he'd climb higher, faster. Crush obstacles, squeeze debtors dry to the bone.
Creak.
The exam room door opened. First patient: Korea Rank 2, Ares Guild master Ma Dongtak. Hulking muscles, but his face was wretched, world-weary.
Behind him, a massive three-headed dog, Cerberus, barked madly as it was dragged in.
“D-Director! Save us, please! Apollo screwed it up worse!”
“Told you not to waste money at shady spots.”
Jinhyeok sipped coffee leisurely. His eyes flashed at Cerberus.
“Alright, let's see. Three heads means triple the fee—you know that, right?”
The full-scale hunter world conquest... no, [Wife Rescue Funding Operation] had begun.