Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Beastkin Are People Too!
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Next S-Rank Hunter candidate, Yoo Narae.
Her skills were already overwhelming, but her public recognition was ridiculously low by comparison.
The reason was simple: she belonged to no guild.
Hunters typically formed teams of at least three for dungeon raids, so naturally, joining a guild was the expected path.
Guilds promoted their hunters' achievements, and hunters grew with guild support. That was the structure.
But Narae hadn't quite fit into that formula.
Perhaps because she'd grown up fighting for survival rather than cooperating.
She'd joined a few guilds at the Branch Chief's urging, but she never got used to mingling with people.
In the end, she left every guild and chose the path of a solo hunter, clearing dungeons alone.
As a result, she had low public exposure but was a big name among those in the know.
A monster who'd hit A-Rank just past twenty.
The mere fact that she was still alive after constantly diving into dungeons solo was proof enough of her skill.
'Well... someone who reaches S-Rank candidate status while soloing dungeons every day isn't your average talent.'
But the real issue was elsewhere.
Unlike her physical prowess, her mental state showed clear signs of abnormality.
'Constantly avoiding relationships with people and comparing herself to beasts... that suggests dissociative identity disorder or social phobia... and in the worst case, we can't rule out paranoid schizophrenia.'
The day after accepting the Branch Chief's request and taking Yoo Narae as my second patient,
I headed to the Branch Chief's mansion.
The Association limo felt too stuffy as usual, so I took the subway and pulled out the handwritten questionnaire Narae had filled out yesterday to review it again.
The more I read, the tougher this patient seemed.
'All human relationship questions scored the lowest. Human-hating levels off the charts. At this rate, she rejects people entirely...'
A traumatic hatred formed from seeing humanity's ugly side during her orphanage days.
I could roughly picture the situation.
But one question made my hand freeze.
"'Does your groin get wet around men?' scored a 5..."
Why the hell is this even on a Hunter questionnaire?
I paused in bewilderment, like the genre had suddenly shifted, but at least I'd gained a key clue: she wouldn't be hostile toward me.
Soon, I arrived at a grand old mansion that could rival any noble estate.
It was so opulent, I wondered if this was really a house in Korea.
The iron gate swung open automatically as soon as I rang the bell, and maids appeared as if they'd been waiting.
"We've been expecting you, Counselor Kim Seungbin."
"Ah, yes... Is Yoo Narae here?"
"She's inside. Allow us to guide you."
The moment I was about to cross the garden into the interior, I couldn't help but feel suspicious.
"...A wild boar?"
In the middle of the distant garden lay a mangled, blood-soaked boar carcass.
Freshly killed, too, with several maids scrambling to clean it up.
'...Didn't they say she was inside the whole time?'
My uneasy premonition was, as always, spot on.
First, I was shown to a guest reception room.
The maid who escorted me here poured fragrant black tea from what looked like an extremely expensive set, saying it was for relaxation.
...One sip alone probably cost more than a couple convenience store lunch sets.
But even this premium relax-herb tea wasn't enough to calm my racing heart right now.
Because the next S-Rank Hunter candidate was on her way here.
No one could predict what shocking mishap this hikikomori patient might unleash.
The legendary social phobe who called herself a beast and could only communicate verbally with Branch Chief Yoo Geumhui.
Of course, as a woman starved for male company... she'd barely agreed to the session when she heard a rare male counselor was coming in person.
But what she might do—even inside the house, supposedly without a stitch of clothing on—no one could guarantee.
In the worst case, she might lose control to her feral instincts, spot me, yell "Get over here!" and pounce without a thought for counseling.
I was reviewing Narae's questionnaire in advance, mentally preparing response scenarios.
That was when it happened.
Creeeak.
"...!"
"Counselor Kim Seungbin. The young miss is entering."
"Ah, yes...!"
The door to the guest room slowly opened.
Before the maid even finished introducing her, I braced myself instinctively.
I half-expected a shameless, jiggling naked body to barge in without a hint of embarrassment, then flop down beast-like right in front of me.
But...
What entered was a girl—a proper 'young lady'—with pointed wolf ears twitching cautiously, her face flushed bright red as she shyly bowed her head and slipped inside.
A swaying red wolf tail, vivid red hair like the sun, and eyes sharp as fresh blood.
Her wild appearance screamed beast incarnate, yet the girl now sitting across from me... was like a well-trained female pup, unable to meet my gaze, hands neatly folded on her lap, sitting perfectly still.
"...Yoo Narae?"
"......Yes."
"...You're wearing clothes?"
"?! Of, of course! N-no... I mean, yes! Wh-what do you take me for?! ...Sir!"
What can I say.
It was like a shy puppy-girl on her first blind date, desperately trying to clear up misunderstandings and mistakes.
Forcing out polite speech she wasn't used to, yet her true feelings already betrayed, she scrambled to explain in a strangely adorable way.
I'd only said I was relieved, assuming the rumors of her always wandering naked meant she'd at least keep some modesty around men.
But she acted like she'd never done such a thing, defending herself as if she'd always been a pure, proper lady.
'Still... a beastkin. Didn't see that coming.'
Surprised, I was also thrown by the fact that the girl the Branch Chief had personally adopted was a 'beastkin.'
The beast was this kind of beast, huh.
Even in a world with real dungeons, monsters, and hunters, beastkin—heteromorphs blending human and monster traits—were the stuff of legends. I'd heard of them but never seen one.
And now, with my second patient, I had to counsel someone beyond human norms.
Honestly, I worried if I could handle it, but since she was my patient, I pulled out the questionnaire, determined to give it my all.
I was just about to ask my first question as her counselor.
"...You're not scared of me."
"...Pardon?"
"Well, I'm a wolf beastkin, so... my sense of smell is at least a hundred times sharper than a human's. I can tell what emotions people have toward me... by their scent."
Narae pointed to her perky nose, proudly explaining her beastkin ability.
"So... I always know what emotions people have the first time they see me, whether I like it or not."
"...May I ask what reaction you usually get?"
I asked carefully.
She averted her eyes slightly and gave a bitter smile.
This seemed like it would reveal the core of her personality disorder and social phobia, so I listened closely.
"...Everyone's always scared of me. Beastkin still aren't treated as human in some countries—they're just seen as monsters."
Born with traits mimicking beast-type monsters, they were literal 'mutants.'
Beyond black-and-white human rights issues, society harbored species-based hatred and discrimination.
Korea was relatively advanced, guaranteeing heteromorph rights... but the discriminatory stares she'd endured since childhood seemed deeply etched into her.
She clenched her teeth, fangs peeking out, and lowered her voice quietly.
"That's why even as a hunter... I've never once teamed up with anyone else."
"Is that why you left the guilds right away too?"
"Yeah. They smiled and acted friendly on the surface... but I could smell it. Those guys... they really hated me."
No pretense worked against her, who could smell emotions themselves.
So sensitive to fake feelings, she must have craved genuine ones more desperately than anyone.
I could instantly guess what she truly wanted, reviewing her questionnaire.
"But still... you want to be with people, right?"
"...?! H-how did you know...?"
"Wolves are pack animals. And... on the questionnaire, you scored 1 on all human-hatred questions, but 5 on every group activity one."
"Uwoooo...!!"
Like a deep-buried secret had been exposed, Narae flushed crimson and started flailing her ears and tail from her seat.
Honestly... those constantly twitching ears and tail.
They were so cute I wanted to pet them, but this was counseling time.
Hold back. Hold back.
And finally, I gently broached the core of this session, caressing her heart.
"Yoo Narae. I'll help you resolve your troubles."
"R-really?!"
Unlike Yunhwa, she wasn't steeped in madness or utterly broken. With this 'normal longing,' I figured I could help her.
"Yes. So, please tell me right now what kind of help you need, or anything you want to say. Feel free."
"Th-then, you know... I... I...!!"
"Yes. Let it all out, no holding back."
"Then, this morning at dawn...!!"
"Yes, go on!"
"For my usual secret naked walk... Doc, you be my owner and tug my dog collar!!"
"……………?"
......
…………
……………………
...Ah, fuck. Why did I ever think, even for a second, that she was okay?