A Monster Beyond Genius
I couldn't believe it. Even after witnessing the scene unfold right before my eyes, Na Hayeong found herself momentarily detached from reality.
The body of a B-class hunter. Mana had condensed into the skin and muscle layers, making it nearly impossible to open with ordinary hunter-exclusive medical equipment. To properly access the thoracic cavity, one had to peel back the layers one by one using a mana scalpel. Even then, the slightest deviation in output would cause the scalpel to bounce off or tear deeper into the internal organs.
Seo Jihoo had opened that body with ridiculous ease. And it wasn't just a crude cut. The angle of the blade was impossibly precise. The narrow gap between the ribs. A position that could relieve pressure inside the thoracic cavity without damaging the lungs. Any deeper and it would have torn the lung further; any shallower and it would have done nothing at all. He had opened it with exquisite precision—just enough to save the patient without killing them.
'Seo Jihoo... was he a hunter all along?'
But that didn't make sense. In this world, hunter awakenings had almost exclusively manifested in women for a long time now. It was rare for men to become doctors, judges, or high-ranking officials, but such cases weren't entirely absent from history. Male hunters, however, were different. Across both East and West, in any record one could find, the idea of a man awakening as a hunter was nothing more than an ancient tale.
And his ability was even stranger. He wasn't summoning a demonic sword that spat flames or wielding a holy sword that radiated light. No—he had created a surgical scalpel. A tool that only a real doctor would use. It was an utterly unprecedented sight.
But whether the medical staff, including Na Hayeong, stood frozen in shock or not, Jihoo simply continued doing what needed to be done.
“Please lend me an operating room right away.”
His words caused a stir among the surrounding staff.
“Lend you... an operating room?”
“To a medical student? How could we possibly...”
It was a natural reaction. No matter how miraculous the treatment he had just performed, Seo Jihoo was still a medical student. Moreover, he was a man—one who needed to be protected no matter where he went in the world. Handing over an operating room to someone like that simply defied common sense.
But then Na Hayeong spoke up.
“Give him the room we were going to use.”
“P-pardon?”
“Doctor Na, if something goes wrong...”
“Accident or not.” Her voice dropped low. “We were just going to stand here and watch the patient die anyway.”
At those words, the medical staff fell silent. After all, it had been Na Hayeong herself who had declared the patient beyond saving. But she was still a doctor. She had chosen this path because she wanted to save lives, and every time hunters were carried in covered in blood, she had stood in the operating room trying to hold on to even one more person.
In that case, there was only one thing to do now.
“Even if it's just a straw, we have to grab it. I'll take full responsibility.”
And so the B-class hunter, whose airway had barely been secured, was immediately moved to the operating room.
He was still alive. But for now, that was all.
The pressure inside the thoracic cavity had only been temporarily relieved. The torn lung, fractured ribs, and possible abdominal damage had yet to be confirmed. His condition could collapse again at any moment.
“I'll bring in support staff,” Na Hayeong said quickly as they headed toward the operating room. “One anesthesiologist, one trauma surgery assistant, a circulating nurse, a scrub nurse, and a hunter equipment specialist. We'll need at least six people, so—”
But Jihoo cut her off.
“No.”
“Pardon?”
“I don't need any help.”
“...What are you saying?”
It was nonsense. Even for an ordinary patient, thoracic and abdominal trauma combined was never a solo operation. While the lead surgeon performed the incision and hemostasis, someone had to secure the field of view, someone had to suction the blood, and someone had to monitor the patient's breathing and blood pressure.
And this was a B-class hunter. Even opening the skin would require specialized equipment. To attempt such major surgery alone wasn't confidence—it was recklessness. In the worst case, it could turn into an experiment performed on the patient's body rather than proper treatment.
But then—
“Please trust me.”
Seo Jihoo looked straight into Na Hayeong's eyes. For a moment, she was rendered speechless by that gaze.
A man, of all people...
He was someone who should be protected, hidden away, fussed over even for the smallest scratch. So how could he speak with eyes that steady? Eyes that were almost arrogantly clear and strangely resonated somewhere deep inside her.
As a female, Na Hayeong couldn't help but be moved by them.
“...I'll supervise from behind, though.”
Still, as a fellow doctor, she couldn't yield on that point. “Whatever you do, if the patient's condition becomes critical, I'll intervene immediately. That's acceptable, right?”
“Of course.”
The two of them changed into surgical scrubs and entered the prepared operating room. A hunter-exclusive surgical table. A mana scalpel. Reinforced sutures. Fixation devices and thoracic drainage equipment—the space was fully equipped with everything needed.
Na Hayeong resolved that this time, she wouldn't be surprised. She had already seen something unbelievable moments ago. From now on, no matter what happened, she had to remain calm and judge the situation as a doctor.
But the more she focused, the more she watched the movement of Seo Jihoo's fingertips, the deeper the bewilderment spread across her eyes.
This can't be real...
When the lead surgeon made the incision, the assistant would open the field. When blood pooled, the suctionist would clear it. The scrub nurse would hand over the next instrument. The anesthesiologist would monitor breathing and blood pressure, while the equipment specialist adjusted the output of the hunter-grade scalpel. That was how surgery worked—especially hunter trauma surgery.
Yet Seo Jihoo was handling nearly all those roles by himself.
“Hunter-exclusive suction device.”
Materializing Professional Equipment: Hunter-Exclusive Suction Device Lv.1
Blood and fluid suction assistance applied.
“Hunter-exclusive retractor.”
Materializing Professional Equipment: Hunter-Exclusive Retractor Lv.1
Surgical field visualization assistance applied.
“Hunter-exclusive hemostatic clamp.”
Materializing Professional Equipment: Hunter-Exclusive Hemostatic Clamp Lv.1
Bleeding point fixation assistance applied.
Every time a short command left Seo Jihoo's lips, a surgical instrument materialized in the air. Scalpel. Suction device. Retractor. Clamp. Forceps. Suture needle. Their shapes weren't all that different from the tools used in a regular operating room. But their performance was on an entirely different level.
The instruments slipped naturally into the B-class hunter's tissue—tissue that had previously repelled even a hunter-exclusive scalpel. They didn't force their way in. They read the grain between the mana-hardened skin and muscle, finding the thinnest gaps and sliding through them.
The suction device precisely cleared the blood obscuring the view. The retractor spread the ribs only as far as necessary. The hemostatic clamp caught every small bleeding point without missing one.
And the hand directing it all—Seo Jihoo's hand—didn't tremble in the slightest.
The inside of the patient's chest was narrow, slippery, and dangerous. Go a little too deep and you'd tear the lung further. Deviate just slightly to the side and you'd nick a blood vessel. Apply too much force and the tissue would rupture. Hesitate even for a moment and the patient would die.
Yet Seo Jihoo didn't hesitate. He moved as if he had opened this narrow thoracic cavity dozens, hundreds of times before. Hands accustomed to working alone. Hands that took every ounce of responsibility onto their own fingertips.
The moment she saw those hands, Na Hayeong couldn't help but hold her breath.
What kind of specialty did he even... No, this isn't about specialty.
Those weren't the hands of a student. They were the hands of a surgeon who had never backed down in the face of death. Which area to open. How far to spread it. Where to secure first before blood pooled. His judgment was faster than words.
At that moment, Seo Jihoo suddenly lifted his gaze. He seemed to have noticed that she was staring at him intently.
“...If you really want to help, can you provide support?”
“Support...?”
Na Hayeong's eyebrows twitched for a split second. She was the youngest specialist at the Hunter Trauma Center. A beastification-type awakened. A doctor who understood a hunter's body better than anyone. A rising star in hunter trauma surgery within the country. And someone who always stood at the center of the operation.
To ask someone like her to merely assist? It would be a lie to say her pride wasn't stung, if only for a moment.
But that feeling didn't last long.
“Open the left field just a little more, please.”
“...Yes?”
“The lung is being compressed again. Suction is coming in, so maintain the retractor angle. If you spread it too wide, the mana layer around the ribs will resist.”
“Ah, yes!”
Her body moved before her mind could catch up. Na Hayeong gripped the retractor and spread the thoracic cavity to the exact angle Jihoo had indicated. In that instant, she understood. Spread it any further and the tissue would tear. Any less and the view would be blocked. The angle Jihoo had requested was precisely in between.
“Good. Hold it there.”
“......”
“Suction incoming.”
Blood was drawn away, and the field opened. Jihoo's hands moved immediately.
“Hunter-exclusive forceps.”
Materializing Professional Equipment: Hunter-Exclusive Forceps Lv.1
Tissue grasping assistance applied.
“Hunter-exclusive suture needle.”
Materializing Professional Equipment: Hunter-Exclusive Suture Needle Lv.1
Mana tissue suturing assistance applied.
The small area of lung damage was revealed. The moment he saw it, Jihoo grabbed it without hesitation. He confirmed where air and blood were leaking, lifted the surrounding tissue without compressing it, and sutured with exactly the right amount of precision.
Fast. But not rough. Bold. But not reckless.
Na Hayeong clenched her teeth.
Just what the hell are you?
She had heard the word genius until she was sick of it. She had been a prodigy as a hunter and had quickly distinguished herself as a doctor. She learned faster than others, mastered things quicker, and performed better. Until now, she had always been the one ahead.
But not this time.
Just keeping up with Seo Jihoo was overwhelming. Maintaining the field he had opened, matching the angles he wanted, predicting the next instrument he would need—it was enough to make her head spin.
For the first time, she realized something. The reason this man had tried to perform the surgery alone wasn't because he liked playing solo. It wasn't because he couldn't trust others. It was simple.
Because no one else could keep up. With that speed. That judgment. Those fingertips.
...There were many geniuses in the world. Na Hayeong had believed herself to be one of them. But what stood before her now wasn't a genius.
It was a monster. There was no other word for hands like those.